A New Day (22 page)

‘Oh, it’s beautiful, Alan, and I wouldn’t dream of changing it.’

‘Good, now we’re engaged shall we go and tell everyone?’

It turned into a lively night of celebration, and when Hanna saw how pleased Jack was, her happiness was complete and the war forgotten, for a short time.

The hopes and happiness of the New Year were soon wiped away as one piece of bad news followed another. In January the U-boats were sinking shipping in the Atlantic at an alarming rate, and in February Singapore fell to the Japanese and they were advancing on many areas. Hitler was boasting that Russia would be defeated by summer. Then a British aircraft carrier was sunk, and the only hopeful news was that the RAF was bombing Germany.

‘What a terrible start to the year,’ Jean said one day.

‘It can only get better,’ Pat, ever the optimist, told them.

‘I do hope you’re right.’ Hanna grimaced, throwing a bail of fodder into the back of the truck.

‘Come on, cheer up, girls.’ Pat gave a cheeky grin. ‘Don’t you know the Americans are here? What are you worrying about?’

‘I haven’t seen any around here yet.’ Jean jumped in the back of the truck.

‘You will soon. I’ve been told that camps are being prepared for them in Suffolk. They’re coming in by the boatload, evidently.’ Pat got in beside Hanna. ‘Off you go, girl. The animals will be getting hungry.’

Hanna couldn’t help smiling broadly as she drove off. It was surprising how easily they had settled into farm work, considering they all came from the East End of London. She knew Pat and Jean were enjoying it as much as she was, and none of them wanted to go back to their former lives. A lot of decisions were going to have to be made when the men finally came home for good.

They finished their work early and Hanna had time to wash and change before going to collect the boys. Taking the engagement ring out of the box she slipped it on, admiring its beauty and what it represented – a future with Alan. It was an old ring and she loved it, but never wore it when she was working around the farm. It was far too precious for that.

George hadn’t been too well for several weeks after catching a bad cold that he was having a job to shake off. But he was improving at last, much to everyone’s relief. Pat, Jean and Hanna had taken on all of his work around the farm, giving him time to recover, and they didn’t mind the hard work at all.

Jane had joined the WVS, and the ladies had a meeting that afternoon in the sitting room, and there was no need to disturb them, because Jane knew Hanna would go and collect the boys on time. There was a chilly March wind blowing, so she stepped out smartly and reached the school ten minutes before the bell rang.

The boys were the first out of the door, as usual, and she marvelled at how quickly they were growing. Their father was tall, over six feet, and it looked as if his sons were going to take after him. They were five now, six this year, and had moved up to the junior school. She had wondered if they would start to look slightly different as they grew, but there was no sign of that happening. They were still identical, even growing at the same rate and height. They had very different characters though, and that was the only way to tell them apart.

She always received a full report of their day as they walked through the village, and she was surprised when they both suddenly stopped talking. Looking up she saw what had caught their attention. Coming towards them were three Americans in their smart, very different uniforms.

‘Hey! Look at this.’ One of them was gazing intently at the boys, and then he stooped down, laughing. ‘You’re identical!’

‘So they are!’ The three men were now clustered around the twins, marvelling at the sight.

‘How do you tell them apart, ma’am?’ one asked.

‘There are slight differences,’ she answered, ‘but you have to get to know them before you can see it. This is Andrew and this is David,’ she told them.

‘Ah, I guess you’d know by being their mother.’

‘She isn’t our mother.’ David had found his voice at last. ‘Hanna’s our nanny.’

‘Your nanny! My, aren’t you lucky boys.’

They both nodded in agreement, smiling up at Hanna.

Andrew studied the men carefully for a few moments more, then said, ‘You don’t sound like us.’

‘We’re from America, and I’m finding it cold here. My name’s Hal and I come from California, you see, and it’s warm there.’

‘Oh, and are you cold as well?’ Andrew asked the one who had spoken to them first.

‘No, I come from New York, and it can get mighty cold there. My name’s Bob, by the way.’

‘Jack’s been there, hasn’t he, Hanna?’ David asked.

‘Yes, and he liked it.’

‘It’s quite a place.’ Bob dived in his pocket and brought out two small bars of chocolate. ‘All right if I give the boys these, miss?’

Andrew and David had their eyes fixed on the sweets, and Hanna nodded. ‘They’ve seen them now, so I can hardly refuse.’

Bob bent down to the boys again and handed over the chocolate bars, smiling with pleasure. ‘I think I’d better give one to your nanny as well, don’t you? We can’t leave her out, can we?’

‘Hanna likes chocolate,’ David told him. ‘But we don’t get much now the war’s on.’

‘Then she deserves a treat.’ He took another bar out of his pocket and handed it to Hanna.

She hesitated, not sure if she should take it, but realized they were just being kind and she didn’t want to offend them. ‘Thank you, but you mustn’t give away all your chocolate.’

‘Don’t you worry about that, miss, I’ve got lots and I like kids. I know you don’t get much here.’

She smiled at him, and then looked at the boys. ‘Thank the kind gentlemen.’

‘Thank you, sir.’

‘What do you think of that, Bob?’ One of them slapped the American with the chocolate on the back. ‘Not only are you called a gentleman, but also sir. You sure have got nice manners here, miss.’

She inclined her head in acknowledgement, wanting to get away, but hesitated. Jack had been to New York quite a few times and told her that they had always been made welcome. These young men were in a strange country and probably missing their homes and families. And the twins clearly thought this was far too exciting to leave at the moment.

‘Our daddy’s the captain of a big ship,’ David told them proudly, ‘and Hanna’s brother was on a ship that got sunk. But he’s all right now.’

The one called Bob stooped down again. ‘That sure is good news, and you must be very proud of both of them.’

‘We are,’ Andrew said. ‘They’re ever so brave, and we’re going to win the war. Have you come to fight the Germans as well?’

‘We sure have, sonny.’

David nodded at that reply. ‘When your ships all got sunk our daddy and Jack were very upset.’

‘So were we, boys. That was a terrible thing to do.’

David and Andrew nodded, their faces serious now, and when they both opened their mouths to speak again, Hanna knew it was time to go. The boys were settling in and the questions would keep pouring out. She took their hands and smiled at the Americans. ‘Thank you again for the chocolate, but we must be getting back now.’

‘Oh, sure, miss.’ Bob stood up. ‘It’s been a real pleasure talking to you and these fine boys.’

When the others agreed, Hanna said, ‘It was very nice to meet you, and welcome to Britain.’

The Americans watched and waved until they were out of sight, and as soon as they arrived home the boys couldn’t wait to tell everyone about their meeting. After dinner the chocolate was shared out so everyone could have a piece.

There hadn’t been much to cheer about as the year dragged on. Jack came home a couple of times, and apart from talking about the new ship he was on, he said nothing about what he was facing at sea. Alan was obviously abroad somewhere because Hanna hadn’t seen him at all. His letters sometimes came in twos and threes, but of course gave no indication of his whereabouts. Captain Harcourt had made fleeting visits home earlier in the year, but they hadn’t seen him for some time either.

‘Cold and wet out there.’ Pete stomped into the kitchen where they all congregated, as it was the warmest place in the house in winter, and the coolest in the summer when they opened the large doors facing the garden.

‘What on earth have you been up to?’ his grandmother exclaimed. ‘You’re filthy.’

‘Been crawling through the woods,’ he grinned. ‘A wet November day is not the time to do that.’

Hanna had to smile. Frustrated that he was too young for the forces, Pete had joined the Home Guard as soon as they would take him, and by the look of him, he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

‘Time for the news. Put the wireless on, Grandad, and see what’s going on.’ Pete removed his boots and jacket and then rinsed his hands under the tap before sitting down.

‘Don’t know that I want to hear it,’ George grumbled. ‘It seems to be all bad just lately.’

‘That will change.’ Pete nodded with confidence.

‘Ah, the resilience of youth.’ George switched on the wireless, tuning it carefully so they could all hear.

What they heard had them all standing on their feet, cheering and jumping around.

‘That’s bloody marvellous!’ George beamed. ‘Begging your pardon, Mrs Harcourt.’

‘Swear all you like, George.’

‘What’s happened?’ The boys were hanging on to their mother, and then they turned to Hanna, not understanding what all the fuss was about. ‘What’s happened?’

‘The British have defeated Rommel and pushed the Germans out of North Africa. It’s a big victory.’

‘Is the war over then?’ the boys asked.

‘No, I’m afraid not, but it is something to cheer about,’ Hanna explained.

When they had all calmed down, Jane said, ‘Do you think that’s where Alan is, Hanna?’

‘I really don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised. If he is then he might be coming home soon.’

Three days later it wasn’t Alan who arrived but Jack, and this was cause for more celebration. He’d walked in just as Hanna was about to go and collect the boys from school, so Jack dumped his bag and went with her. He looked well, if a little tired.

‘How long have you got?’ she asked as they walked to the village.

‘Seven whole days.’ He looked down at her and smiled. ‘You’re looking great, Hanna. This country life obviously suits you.’

‘It does, and I’m not going to want to go back to London when the war’s over, but that will depend on what Alan decides to do. He’ll go back into the police force as soon as he can, and then it will depend on where he is stationed. He has suggested that he wouldn’t mind being a country copper, but we’ll have to wait and see about that. The boys are growing up fast, and in another couple of years they’re not going to need me any more.’

‘Let’s hope the war is over by then, and once Alan is home for good you’ll be able to plan for the future.’

‘It’s hard to look that far ahead because we don’t know what’s going to happen.’ She sighed. ‘Or how much longer this war will last. We’ve had a victory in North Africa, but we’re still a long way from defeating Hitler.’

‘True, but the tide could be turning in our direction at last. In the beginning we had the feeling that the Germans were invincible, but now we know they are not. We won the Battle of Britain in the air, more of their submarines are being detected and sunk, and now we’ve had this victory at El Alamein. I know there’s no end in sight, but these are all hopeful signs.’

‘Yes they are.’ She slipped her hand through his arm. ‘But for the next seven days we’ll forget about the war and enjoy the time you are here. The boys will be excited to see you. Their father hasn’t been home for months and I know they miss him very much.’

‘Yes, it’s hard for them. I’m looking forward to seeing them, and I’ve got them a couple of unusual presents from my travels.’

They didn’t have time to say anything else, because as soon as they reached the school, the doors burst open and the children poured out, David and Andrew at the front as usual. They spotted Jack immediately and, yelling their welcome, they rushed towards him.

The boys were so pleased to see Jack, and had so much to tell him, that Hanna didn’t get a word in all the way back to the farm.

As soon as they walked into the kitchen, Jack said, ‘See my bag on that chair? There might be something in there for you. Why don’t you have a look?’

Giving cries of excitement, they dived in to see what was there.

Jane shook her head as she watched her sons sorting through Jack’s bag. ‘Jack, I’m wasting my time telling you not to spend your money on the boys, aren’t I?’

‘I enjoy doing it, and it’s nothing much.’ Jack’s expression was serious. ‘You have welcomed us into your home and made us feel a part of your family. That means a great deal to both of us. More than you could ever know.’

‘What are these, Jack?’ David asked, staring at the thing in his hands, a puzzled expression on his face, and the same on his brother’s, as he held a similar item. ‘They look like dolls.’

‘Ah, but they’ve got a secret. Can you find it?’

Eagerly setting about the task, Andrew was the first to figure it out. ‘Oh, the top comes off and there’s another one inside.’

‘And another one inside that!’ David laughed, taking out one after the other and lining them up on the table for everyone to see.

‘They’re Russian!’ George murmured in Hanna’s ear. ‘I’ve seen pictures of them. Your brother’s been on the convoys to Russia.’

‘Thank you, Uncle Jack,’ the boys said together, laughing as they put the brightly coloured figures together, then took them apart again. ‘Wait till we show them at school.’

Jack looked taken aback for a moment, and then grinned at Hanna. ‘I seem to have been promoted.’

‘That’s how they think of you now, as an uncle,’ Jane told him. ‘And it’s lovely.’

‘I’m honoured.’

When she saw her brother look fondly at the boys, Hanna was thrilled for him. Jack was so good with children, and she hoped that one day he would marry and have a family of his own. But he had to get through the war first – they all had to get through the blasted war.

The next day Hanna and Jack had been feeding the animals, and all her efforts to get Jack to rest had been swept aside. After a couple of hours she had to admit that not only was her brother very fit, but unbelievably strong. When they found a fully grown sheep tangled in a wire fence, she watched him lift it free with apparent ease, and her mind went back to their father. Her memory of him wasn’t all that clear because she had only been eight when he had died, but she did have a picture of a tall, strong man. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized that Jack was growing up to be just like him.