The Soldier's Daughter (45 page)

On 8 May everyone gathered around the wirelesses in their homes and listened intently as the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, made an announcement to the nation from the Cabinet Room at Number 10.

He told them all in his wonderful and dramatic way that the ceasefire had been signed at 02.41 at the American headquarters in Rheims. The act of unconditional surrender was to be ratified in Berlin that day, but in the interests of saving lives the ceasefire had come into effect the day before. War in Europe was finally over.

In London, crowds dressed in red, white and blue congregated outside Buckingham Palace to cheer as the King and Queen with the two princesses came out onto the balcony. Hours before, tens of thousands had listened intently to the King’s speech, which was relayed by loudspeaker to those who had gathered in Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square. Even after night fell, hordes of people continued to converge on some of London’s great monuments, which had been floodlit especially for the occasion. All around Britain, fireworks lit up the sky and effigies of Hitler were burned on hundreds of bonfires. Street parties were organised everywhere in a spirit of jubilation and Poldak was no exception. The very next day, trestle tables were laid all down the centre of the High Street and Union Jack flags and red, white and blue bunting was strung from lamp-post to lamp-post. The womenfolk produced pasties and saffron cakes as if by magic, whilst the men rolled out barrels of home brewed beer. A piano appeared and soon someone was thumping out the favourite tunes of the day.

The party was in full swing when Briony suddenly became aware of someone standing close behind her. Turning round, she found herself face to face with Ernie.

She gasped. She had been talking to Howel, but now as Howel saw who the visitor was he strode away. Briony didn’t even notice. Her eyes were fixed on Ernie and she thought how strange but wonderful it was to see him in civilian clothes. He was leaning heavily on a walking stick but apart from that he appeared to be unscathed.

‘Oh, Ernie!’ She launched herself at him, almost unbalancing them both.

‘You look well,’ he said politely, aware that people were watching them curiously.

‘Oh, I am. I’m fine. Especially now that
you
are here! But how long can you stay for?’ she asked all in the same breath. It felt as if this wonderful day just couldn’t get any better.

Glancing around he told her, ‘I’m afraid I need to catch the two o’clock train, so this is just a flying visit. But is there somewhere we could talk . . . in private?’

Her smile firmly in place, she took his elbow and led him towards the clifftop walk. Mrs Dower and Howel would keep their eye out for the children, although they were having such a good time she doubted they would get into any mischief.

The clamour of the party gradually receded until there was nothing but the calls of the gulls and the waves crashing on the beach to be heard.

Ernie was strangely subdued, but then Briony supposed that the long journey had taken its toll on him; she wasn’t overly concerned. It was just so good to see him.

Eventually she drew him into the shelter of a large oak tree and as they sat down on the bench beneath it she asked, ‘So how are you?’

‘Very well, thank you,’ he answered stiltedly.

She stared at him as he squirmed uncomfortably, and suddenly he burst out: ‘Look, Briony, there’s no easy way to say this so I’d best just get it over with. The thing is, when I was at home over Christmas and the New Year, Ruth an’ I . . . Well, we got a bit carried away and we . . . yer know?’ He gulped, avoiding her eyes. ‘Anyway, I went back to my unit and tried to forget that it ever happened but when I got sent home again a few weeks ago because of this . . .’ He gestured at his injured leg . . . ‘I found out that Ruth was pregnant.’ He rushed on, ‘So the long and the short of it is, I got a special licence and we were married last week.’

Briony stared at him blankly, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. The future she had planned for herself and the children had been snatched away with just a few words. And yet . . . she loved Ruth and was glad that Ernie had done the right thing by her.

‘I see.’ She forced herself to remain calm. ‘Then I suppose I should congratulate you. You didn’t really have a choice, did you?’

Now he looked more uncomfortable than ever as he mumbled, ‘Actually, I did. But the funny thing is that when I went back to my unit after Christmas I realised that I had deep feelings for Ruth, the same as she had for me. I suppose I always have had, deep down. But we were kids and somewhere along the way I developed a crush on you. I hope you understand, Briony. Ruth was sad because she couldn’t ask you to be her matron of honour at the wedding, but it was a very simple affair and we didn’t have much time for planning. She insisted I come and tell you personally, though. She’s that sort of girl, see? Thoughtful and kind.’

Briony saw the love he had for his new wife shining in his eyes and her spirits sank further. But then she had only herself to blame. She should have agreed to be his girl when he had asked her all that time ago, instead of telling him they must wait until the war was over. Well, the war
was
over now – for everyone else, at least. She would just have to battle on and decide what she and the children were to do.

Suddenly she just wanted him to be gone. Everything had changed in the space of a few minutes and now she needed some time alone to get her head around it. ‘I hope you’ll both be very happy,’ she forced herself to say, and she saw the relief flash across his face.

‘Thanks, Briony.’ He held out his hand and she took it. He struggled to his feet then, and leaning heavily on his stick he told her, ‘I ought to be going. I’m not so quick on my pins as I used to be.’

‘I’ll walk with you to the road,’ she offered, and as they set off she suddenly asked, ‘Where will you both live now?’

‘We’re at Mam’s at present, but when she marries Charlie we’re takin’ over the house an’ she’s movin’ into his home. And don’t get worrying about Tigger, mum and Charlie will be taking him with them. Ruth’s a bit worried about having a cat around a new baby, see?’

It seemed that everything had fallen into place for them all, but she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Ruth deserved happiness after all her years of devotion to Ernie, and hopefully she would find it now as his wife.

‘Goodbye then,’ Briony said. ‘It’s wonderful news about the baby.’ They had reached the road leading into Penzance and the railway station. ‘Tell your mother and Ruth I’ll get to see them just as soon as I can – and good luck, Ernie.’ They shook hands formally and she turned about and headed back to the party.

Howel was watching out for her, and when she reappeared she was aware of him staring behind her for a glimpse of Ernie. He raised his eyebrows questioningly when he saw that she was alone, but she didn’t enlighten him. Howel had already informed her that he would leave just as soon as there was someone to take his place on the farm, so why should she share her humiliation with him – or anyone else, for that matter?

The war in Europe was over, but in the Far East it raged on. On 6 August 1945 the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in Japan by a B-29 Bomber. It flattened the city. Approximately 80,000 people were killed instantly and a further 35,000 were injured; many thousands more would die agonising deaths over the next decade and beyond from the effects of the fallout. Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped, this time on Nagasaki – a major shipbuilding centre. The Japanese had no weapon that could match the destructive power of that now wielded by the Allies so at last, on 16 August, Emperor Hirohito’s permission to surrender was formally given.

As news filtered through, celebrations all across the land erupted once more. Soldiers danced the congo down Regent Street in London, and bonfires were lit on headlands all along the coast of Great Britain. Briony went out to see the sight that might never be seen again, and it put her in mind of a gleaming necklace suspended high above the beaches.

It still felt strange to see the lights of Penzance and Poldak glowing in the dark after the years of darkness. But even now she continued to feel as if she was still fighting a private war in a darkness of her own. Only the night before, she had overheard Sebastian ranting at his mother again; he was probably after yet another hand-out but funds must surely be running low now. All the years she had lived here, it had been the same scenario.

To her dismay, she had got up this morning to find her grandmother still sitting in the chair. Marion clearly hadn’t been to bed and she looked so ill and confused that Briony couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

Lately, Mrs Frasier had taken to wearing evening gowns and long silk gloves that reached right up her arms. They were terribly out of date and Briony suspected that they were the ones she had worn when Lois and Sebastian were children. From things her own mother had told her, Briony knew that her grandparents had enjoyed an active social life back then, so she presumed that she had dug the dresses out from somewhere. They hung on her thin frame now and smelled of mothballs. This, added to the unpleasant odour of her unwashed body, was not a nice combination – but what could she do about it? She could hardly drag her off to the bathroom and force her to wash. She’d fetch a basin filled with warm water and try to clean her up – unless the woman tipped it over, as she had done before!

Even so, Briony was concerned enough to telephone the surgery. Dr Restarick had called at The Heights earlier that morning.

‘There doesn’t seem to be anything physically wrong with your grandmother,’ he had told Briony after examining the old lady. ‘But you’ve probably already guessed that she is suffering from senility.’

‘Oh, I see. So what can be done for her?’ Briony asked anxiously.

‘Nothing, I’m afraid. As she deteriorates she’s going to need round-the-clock nursing. Either that or there are homes where she could go.’

‘Oh!’ The news hit Briony like a hammer blow. There was no way she could see Sebastian caring for his mother – and that left only herself, with occasional help from Mrs Dower. There had never been any love lost between herself and her grandmother, but she was still family at the end of the day – so what was she to do?

Briony was still pondering the dilemma now as she stood staring at the flames from the huge bonfires painting the night clouds orange. Now that the war was over she had planned to find somewhere for her and the children to live, and a job so that she could support them. But now it looked as if she might have to stay here for a while longer. There was nothing to go back to Nuneaton for, and the children were happy and settled. Alfie, now a bright-eyed mischievous ten-year-old, spent every moment he could helping Howel on the farm, and Sarah, who had turned out to be very bright academically, was already planning a career as a teacher. The Red Cross were still trying to locate Mabel’s mother, but as yet without success. Briony tried not to think about that too much. The child was part of the family now and shadowed Alfie everywhere he went. He was obviously her hero and Mrs Dower often joked that they were meant for each other. Briony knew that if Mabel went back to London, Alfie would be devastated, because he adored her too – which was why she tried to push thoughts of the girl leaving to the back of her mind.

Heaving a big sigh, she went back the The Heights. She would speak to Sebastian about his mother’s condition when he chose to put in an appearance again before making a decision about their futures.

Over the next weeks the young men who had gone away to fight the war slowly began to return, some still in uniform, others wearing ill-fitting standard issue ‘demob’ suits. Even without the suits the boys returning home were easily recognisable because of their pale faces and short back and sides.

Women waited with their hair freshly curled, and dolled up in their Sunday best – and the excitement in the air was palpable. Others, less fortunate, sat at home and wept for the loved ones who would never return.

And then in mid-September, Martha Brindley wrote to say that Ruth had given birth to a baby girl, three weeks premature.

She’s a right bonny little thing, and both mother and baby are doing well. They’re going to call the lass Molly. My first grandchild! Our Ernie is like a cat that got the cream. He can’t do enough for the baby. He’s got a new job, working in the post office and seems happy as Larry though his leg still gives him gyp. But at least he came home, which is more than a lot did. Me, Charlie and Tigger are settling in at his house and he treats me like a queen, so I can’t grumble. We were sorry you couldn’t make it to the wedding but understand why, what with your grandma being ill and having the children to look after. Still, let’s hope we see each other again soon, eh? There’ll always be a welcome here for you all
.

Briony had been wondering how she would feel when she got the news that Ruth’s baby had arrived, but surprisingly she felt nothing but joy for them all. As yet, she still hadn’t told anyone about Ernie’s marriage but now for the first time she felt that she could do so when the time was right. Ernie was a part of her past now, and for the children’s sakes she had to look to the future.

On a cold blustery morning in late November as Briony was clearing up in the kitchen, she glimpsed a figure through the window walking slowly up the drive. There was something about it that looked vaguely familiar, although for the life of her she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. She shrugged and carried on putting things away. It was probably one of Sebastian’s friends, although most of them usually arrived after dark in flashy cars or in large vans that they then unloaded into the locked barn. She had still never so much as set foot in the place and had no wish to do so, because of the coffins stored there. During the summer the smell issuing from inside when she walked past had almost taken her breath away, and she dreaded to think of the rotting haybales that must be causing it. She knew that there was little chance of her uncle cleaning it out and she simply avoided going anywhere near it. No doubt Sebastian was up to no good, but as long as he left her and the children in peace, she didn’t much care. They merely tolerated each other, and that suited her just fine.