Home Front Girls

even now at the mercy of the Nazis, or taken prisoner, or worse still, lying injured or even dead somewhere?
    ‘Do you think this might be the start of the invasion?’ Lucy asked tremulously and Mrs P hugged her wordlessly. Could they have known it, even as they spoke ships and boats of all shapes and sizes were setting off across the Channel to bring back the living and the wounded. There were tugs and ferries, small private yachts, larger ships, fishing boats – almost anything that could float, in fact.
     
    *
     
    Over in Cheylesmore, Annabelle’s mother was reading the same newspaper report and she too was distraught.
    ‘The last time I heard from your father, he was in Belgium,’ she said in a wobbly voice.
    Annabelle was sitting on the rug in front of the fire painting her toenails and she glanced up to say, ‘Well, I’m sure he’ll be all right.’
    Something in Miranda snapped then. ‘Don’t you ever worry about anyone other than yourself?’ she barked.
    Annabelle was shocked. Her mother had never raised her voice to her before and she didn’t like it at all.
    ‘I was only passing a comment.’ She sniffed indignantly. ‘Isn’t anyone allowed to have an opinion around here? Perhaps you’d rather hear me say I’m sure he won’t be!’
    ‘Sometimes you’re just impossible ,’ Miranda retorted with tears trickling down her cheeks, and she left the room with the newspaper firmly grasped in her hand.
    Annabelle shrugged before returning her attention to her toenails. She was sick and tired of the whole blasted war, and when she thought back to the carefree life she had led before it was declared, she felt like crying too.
     
    Meantime Dotty was in a public phone box at the end of her road talking to Robert in London, who was telling her that her stories were proving to be a great success with his readers.
    ‘I’d like you to come to see me again – and this time I want to look at the novel you’re writing,’ he told her.
    Dotty shivered with excitement. ‘If we could make it on a Thursday, I wouldn’t have to ask for time off work,’ she suggested and he was only too happy to agree.
    ‘What about next week then? I could meet you off the train at Euston if you let me know what time you’ll be arriving.’
    ‘That would be lovely,’ she said shyly, and they then went on to speak of some of the ideas she’d had for some more stories.
    When she finally set off for home, she was tingling with happiness. Robert was such a genuinely nice man and he was taking a real interest in her. It was a lovely feeling.
     
    When the girls all met up again at work the next morning the atmosphere was gloomy throughout the whole store. Everyone was worried about the latest war reports and one poor woman from Dotty’s department was absent following a telegram saying that her husband was missing.
    ‘Poor Elsie,’ Dotty said during their morning break. ‘She’s such a nice woman and she and her husband had only been married for three years. They have a baby girl, I believe, whom her mother looks after while she comes to work.’
    Lucy’s thoughts instantly turned to Mary, whom she was missing more than she could say. Thankfully it appeared that she had been placed with a lovely couple in Folkestone, who had written to Lucy shortly after they had taken Mary in. Lucy carried the letter around with her in her handbag and she had read it so many times that the paper was almost falling apart.
     
Dear Miss Ford,
     
I am writing to you at the first opportunity to tell you that your sister is well. My husband is the vicar of this parish and Mary is now staying with us at the vicarage until such a time as it is deemed safe for her to return home to you. We also have another little girl staying with us from the East End who has very much taken Mary under her wing. Mary is healthy and eating and sleeping well, and I am putting my address at the top of the page so that you may write to her or visit her whenever you wish. Mary is a delightful child and as good as gold, a real credit to you. I understand how hard the separation must be for you, my dear, but rest assured that Mary is being very well cared for.
     
Yours sincerely,
     
Susan Manners
     
    Whenever Lucy thought of Mary now, which was often, she would touch the letter, which somehow brought Mary a little closer and gave her comfort – not that there was much to be felt today. Everyone was thinking of poor Elsie and the handsome young husband