Home Front Girls

room.’
    Annabelle followed the woman down a long corridor and eventually the Sister pointed to a door. ‘You’ll find him in there. He spends a lot of time in that room. Have a nice visit.’
    ‘I . . . I will. Thank you,’ Annabelle croaked, then wiping her sweaty palms down the side of her uniform she pushed the door open. She found herself in an enormous room with a number of windows that all looked out to sea. No wonder he likes it in here, she thought. The views from the windows really were quite stunning. A table-tennis table stood at one end of the room and comfortable easy chairs were scattered about where little groups of men were playing cards and dominoes and chatting. An enormous bookcase with a large quantity of books on it took up another wall and Annabelle thought what a relaxing room it was. Just the place to come and convalesce. But at first glance there was no sign of Joel. And then she saw him. He was sitting alone at the far end of the room gazing out across the sea and her heart skipped a beat. He had put a little more weight back on, and now that his hair had grown out of the harsh Army cut he looked so much more like the young man she had once met what seemed like a lifetime ago now at his home in Coventry.
    As she approached, he glanced around and saw her and after the initial look of shock his face lit up and he rose awkwardly to greet her. He was managing to get about on his own now, she noticed, but he would probably always need a walking stick.
    ‘Why, what a lovely surprise! Why didn’t you let me know you were coming? I could have dressed up a bit,’ he teased.
    ‘You look fine just the way you are,’ she said shyly taking a seat next to him, and then they lapsed into silence, each wondering what to say. When they eventually did speak again they both started at once and then both laughed – and it seemed to break the ice.
    ‘Sorry, you go first. What were you going to say?’ Annabelle said.
    ‘Just how wonderful you’re looking,’ he mumbled as colour flooded into his cheeks, and Annabelle had to suppress the urge to take him in her arms and kiss him soundly there and then, because she knew in that instant that she had found her soulmate for life.
    They talked about what was going on in the war then, and about Lucy, and before they knew it it was coming up to teatime. The afternoon seemed to have flown.
    ‘What time do you have to go?’ he asked.
    ‘My train leaves at seven so I’m all right for a while yet. It’s only about half an hour back to the station.’
    ‘In that case, let’s go outside and get some fresh air before you leave shall we?’ he suggested, and Annabelle followed him gladly. It took him a while to negotiate the stairs but he stubbornly refused any offer of help and her heart twisted as she saw the sweat break out on his forehead.
    ‘It – it’s good for me to use my leg as much as I can – the doctors told me so,’ he informed her breathlessly. ‘The old muscles are a bit wasted, I’m afraid, after being in bed for so long, but they will get better if I persevere.’
    She gnawed on her lip, wishing he would let her help him, but at last they reached the entrance hallway and emerged into the gardens, which were beautiful. Rolling lawns ran down to the clifftops and he led her towards a large oak tree with a bench placed beneath it in the shade.
    ‘It’s lovely here,’ she whispered as her eyes stared out over the shimmering water, and then her heart began to race again as he gently took her hand in his. Her whole arm seemed to be on fire and it was all she could do not to throw her arms about him. She knew without a doubt that in Joel Ford she had found the love of her life.
    ‘I heard from Lucy last week,’ he told her now. ‘She’s living somewhere in Cornwall and she sounded happy. She’s lodging with a widow, apparently, who has a little girl about the same age as Mary would have been. Needless to say, Lucy is very taken with her and she’s working at the hairdresser’s that the woman owns.’
    ‘I heard from Dotty too,’ Annabelle told him. ‘And she’s looking forward to the birth of her first baby. Robert is really excited about it, and her book is flying, by all accounts. She’s almost finished her second one now.’
    ‘So all’s well that ends well for two of the shop girls,’ he grinned. ‘But what about the third one?’
    ‘Oh I’m all right,’ Annabelle said hastily as he played with her fingers and