A New Day (23 page)

He walked back to her. ‘Goodness knows how they get into such a mess. Soppy thing. I’ve fixed the fence so it won’t happen again.’

‘Good job you were here with me. I’d never have been able to free her, and now I think we are due a break and a nice cup of tea.’ They got in the truck and Hanna drove them back to the house.

‘You’ll have to teach me how to drive while I’m here, Hanna.’

‘George is the one to do that. I’m sure he’d love to teach you.’ She grinned. ‘I’m not allowed out on the roads yet.’

Pete and George were already sitting at the table when they arrived. ‘Hanna said you might teach me to drive while I’m home?’

‘We’ll need more than a few days, Jack,’ George told him, ‘but we can make a start if you like?’

‘Thanks, that would be marvellous.’

The kitchen door opened, letting in a blast of cold air as Jane arrived wearing her WVS uniform. ‘Good, I’m just in time for tea. It’s perishing out there.’ After removing her hat and coat, she sat down. ‘The Americans are throwing a big party for all the local children tomorrow afternoon at Bury St Edmonds, and everyone is invited.’

‘Not me!’ George held up his hands in horror.

‘Nor me,’ agreed his wife. ‘We’ll stay here in the quiet.’

‘I can’t come either; I’m on Home Guard duty.’ Pete looked disappointed.

‘Cowards,’ Jane grinned, turning to Hanna. ‘That leaves us, but what about you, Jack?’

‘Count me in. It should be interesting.’

George drove them to the party, and after promising to come back in a couple of hours, hastily left.

The volume of sound that hit them when they stepped through the door was enough to pierce eardrums, and they stood there laughing, knowing exactly why George had driven away in such a hurry. He did love a quiet life.

The place was packed with children of all ages, and also American soldiers and airmen. It was hard to tell who was making the most noise, and Jack gazed around shaking his head in disbelief. ‘They must have gathered every child for miles around. And look at the amount of food they’ve got,’ he shouted. ‘Those tables at the end of the room are about to collapse under the strain.’

‘This is unbelievable!’ Jane was laughing, still holding on to the boys who were taking in the chaotic scene before launching into the scrum as soon as their mother let them go. As soon as they were released they were off.

‘Hey, Nanny! Glad you could make it. I’m Hal, remember?’

She nodded. ‘The boys couldn’t wait to come, so thank you for inviting us. This is Mrs Harcourt and my brother, Jack.’

‘And where are those boys?’ Hal asked, looking around the room. ‘Ah. I see them, and here they come. Swell party, isn’t it?’ he said, stooping down to the twins as soon as they reached them. ‘Did you enjoy your chocolate?’

‘Yes, thank you,’ they said politely. ‘We all had some.’

‘Well, that’s nice, and we’ve got lots here for you to eat. Want to come and have a look?’

When they eagerly agreed, Hal stood up, holding out his hands to each twin, and then he glanced at Mrs Harcourt. ‘With your permission, ma’am?’

‘Of course.’

As they walked towards the tables laden with food, Hal was shouting, ‘Hey! Bob, look what I’ve found!’

Jack was in fits of laughter. ‘Just wait until I tell the crew about this. Who is this party for? It looks as if the hosts are enjoying it as much as the kids.’

‘Hello, Nanny, it’s good to see you again.’

‘Oh, hello. It’s Bob, isn’t it?’ she asked, hoping she had remembered his name correctly, and when he nodded, she introduced him to Jane and her brother.

Bob shook Jack’s hand vigorously. ‘It’s a real pleasure to meet you. I’ve got a brother, Greg, who is a merchant seaman. It’s tough out there.’

‘At times,’ was all Jack said.

He nodded and smiled, clearly delighted to see them. ‘Come on, folks; let’s get you something to eat. You just help yourselves; we’ve got plenty more in the kitchen here.’

The selection of food was a rare sight and Hanna didn’t know where to start, but Jack was having no trouble deciding. ‘Is that real salmon?’ Hanna asked Jane.

‘It is, and sliced beef, chicken, ham, and a lot of things I don’t know. I think I’ll have a little bit of fresh salmon. It looks delicious.’ Jane looked around for her sons. ‘I hope they don’t eat too much and make themselves sick. I’ve never seen so many jellies, trifles and cream cakes.’

‘Nor me,’ Hanna mumbled, filling her plate with the luxuries in front of her.

It was the wildest couple of hours they had ever spent, and they enjoyed every minute. So did the children. Hal and Bob had taken sole charge of the boys, making sure they had a good time, and never letting them out of their sight. Jack joined in with the fun, but Hanna and Jane were happy to watch.

Every child was given a present and a bag of goodies to take home with them at the end of the party. Hal brought the twins back to Jane with another American who said his name was Ed, and Hanna recognized him as one of those she’d met in the village. Bob was still talking earnestly with Jack, obviously having taken a liking to him.

‘Thank you for a lovely party.’ Jane smiled at her sons. ‘Have you said thank you to Hal, Bob and Ed for taking care of you?’

‘Yes, we have.’ Their faces were glowing with pleasure. ‘We’ve had fun.’

‘So I noticed.’ The level of noise had subsided now and Jane was able to talk without shouting. She shook hands with the three Americans. ‘This has been very kind of you. We live at Harcourt Farm, just outside the village, and you would be welcome there if you would like to visit us.’

‘Oh, ma’am.’ They all looked quite overcome. ‘We’d sure love to do that.’ Hal turned to his friends. ‘Wouldn’t we?’

They all nodded. ‘Thank you. When can we come?’

‘Any time. Mildred, our cook, always has a pot of tea on the go.’

‘Ah.’ Ed couldn’t quite hide the grimace. ‘We can’t get used to your tea, so could we bring our coffee with us?’

‘Of course,’ Jane laughed. ‘Tea is an acquired taste.’

At that moment George arrived and tooted to let them know he was there.

On the way home the boys were too tired to talk much, and too full of food to stay awake.

‘What an afternoon!’ Jack prodded his sister playfully. ‘And why do they call you Nanny?’

She grinned. ‘When we met them they thought I was the twins’ mother, but the boys quickly told them I was their nanny, and it seems to have stuck.’

‘It was kind of you to invite them to the farm, Mrs Harcourt,’ Jack said. ‘They’re a long way from home and missing their families.’

‘I got that feeling as well. This blasted war has torn families apart all over the world.’

Two days later Jack was walking across the yard, heading for the house, when he saw Bob the American waving frantically at him. He had a man with him who Jack hadn’t seen before. He went over to them, smiling. ‘Hello, Bob, have you recovered from the party yet?’

‘Sure, that was great. The kids had fun, and so did we.’

‘So I noticed,’ Jack laughed.

Bob grinned and then turned to the man standing beside him. ‘My brother turned up out of the blue, and I had to bring him over to meet you. Greg, this is Jack. I told you about him.’

They were obviously brothers, but Greg was a few years older, taller, and had an easy smile. Jack took to him at once as they shook hands. ‘I’m pleased to meet you. Come into the house where it’s warmer.’

Hanna was there with Mildred and George, and after introductions were made, Mildred put the kettle on to boil. ‘We’ll have a nice cup of tea to warm us up.’

The Americans hesitated, glancing at each other, then Bob said, ‘I hope you won’t be offended, ma’am, but we brought this with us.’

They all stared at the packet Bob placed on the table. ‘Ground coffee?’ Mildred gasped. ‘My goodness, it’s an age since I’ve seen any of that!’

‘I’m afraid we can’t get on with your tea. I’ve tried since I’ve been here,’ Bob told them. ‘I really have.’

They were all laughing at the apologetic expression on his face.

‘Don’t worry about it,’ George said. ‘We do love our cup of tea, and it’s helped us through some tough times. First sign of trouble in this country and on goes the kettle.’

Both Bob and Greg smiled and relaxed. ‘Do you have a coffee pot, ma’am?’ Greg stood up.

‘Somewhere.’ Mildred began to rummage in the back of a cupboard and came out triumphant. ‘Found it! I’ll wash it out first because it hasn’t been used for quite a while.’

Greg soon had the kitchen filled with the wonderful smell of freshly brewed coffee. At that moment Jane walked in and stopped, and a look of delight crossed her face. ‘Oh my, is that real coffee I can smell?’

‘It certainly is, ma’am.’ Bob had scrambled to his feet. ‘I’ve brought my brother to meet you all. Greg, this is Mrs Harcourt.’

He inclined his head. ‘Pleased to meet you, ma’am. I hope you don’t mind us just turning up like this?’

‘Not at all. I told Bob and his friends that they can come any time.’

Hanna was busy putting out the cups, and then handing them round as Greg filled each one with coffee.

‘Oh, what a treat.’ Jane drew in the smell before taking a sip, then sighed. ‘That’s just heaven!’

Bob, Greg and Jack drank it black, but the others added a little milk.

‘Would you like to stay for lunch?’ Jane asked them.

‘Oh no.’ The Americans were both shaking their heads. ‘That’s very kind of you, but we can’t eat your food. We’ve been told we mustn’t because you hardly get enough to feed yourselves. We came to see if Jack would come and have a drink with us at the village pub?’

‘I’d like that.’ Jack drained his cup and stood up. ‘They’ll be open now.’

‘It’s been nice to see you again, Bob, and to meet you, Greg.’ Hanna smiled at them and then at her brother. ‘Enjoy your drink. I’m sure you’ve got a lot to talk about.’

‘We sure have, Nanny.’

‘My name is Hanna,’ she laughed. ‘Not even the boys call me Nanny.’

As the men began to walk out of the kitchen, Mildred caught them and held up the opened packet of coffee. ‘You forgot this.’

‘No, you keep it. We’ve got plenty back at the base.’

‘Nice folks,’ Greg remarked, as they walked towards the village.

‘They’ve been wonderful to Hanna and me. This is the first time we’ve ever had anything like a real home. We were brought up in an orphanage. We went there when Hanna was eight and I was five.’

‘Gee, that’s tough.’ Greg shook his head sadly. ‘We’re lucky. We’ve got great folks.’

‘Er . . . Hanna wears a ring on her left hand. Is she spoken for, Jack?’ Bob asked.

‘Yes, she’s engaged to a fine man. He’s in the army and hasn’t been home for some time, so we believe he might be in North Africa.’

Greg whistled through his teeth. ‘That’s been a real hot spot, but then so have many places. I came through London on my way here, and the bombers have made a mess of parts. I wouldn’t like to be there during a raid.’

‘You’d rather be in a convoy being shot to pieces by U-boats, would you?’ Jack asked dryly.

‘As a matter of fact, I would.’

The two sailors burst into amused laughter, understanding each other.

‘I don’t know how you two can joke about it. I’d be terrified.’

Jack glanced at Bob, his expression serious. ‘Who says we’re not scared? We spend night after night fully clothed in case a torpedo hits and we have to jump overboard – again,’ he added. ‘Is it the same for you, Greg?’

‘Just the same, but I’ve been lucky so far, and hope my luck holds. Have you been to the States?’ Greg asked, changing the subject as they went into the pub and settled at a corner table.

‘Several times to New York, but my last couple of trips have been to Russia. Winter there is so cold that everything gets iced up on the ship.’

‘Yeah, so I’ve heard. I’d rather be in warmer waters. If you go overboard in those conditions you don’t stand any chance of surviving.’ Greg began to write in a little book, then tore out the page and handed it to Jack. ‘Our folks live in New York, so if you go there again we’d be real grateful if you’d drop in and see them for us. It’s tough on them with us both being away, and it would mean a lot to them to talk to someone who has seen us.’

Jack took the address from Greg and tucked it safely into his wallet. ‘I’ll certainly visit them the next time we dock in New York.’

‘Thanks, pal, they would be delighted to see you.’

They spent the next hour talking about many things without touching on the war again, and Jack thoroughly enjoyed their company. When they parted he wondered if he would ever see Greg again. He hoped so, and he would keep his promise to see their family at the first opportunity.

The end of the week’s leave came all too soon, and Jack was once again back on his ship, heading out to join up with another convoy. ‘Anyone know where we’re going?’ he asked.

‘Not yet, but I hope it’s not Russia again.’ Frank blew on his hands. ‘I never knew it could be that cold.’

‘Nor me!’ Bill looked out to sea. ‘Ah, there’s the rest of the convoy. We’ll soon be on our way now.’

Jack borrowed Bill’s binoculars and scanned the ocean. ‘Phew! Big convoy this time. There are at least three Royal Navy ships as escort. If they’re all coming with us then they must be expecting trouble.’

Frank snorted. ‘There’s always trouble!’

‘Let’s have a look. I only saw three.’ Bill took the glasses and said nothing for a while, then pointed over to their left. ‘There’s another one. That makes four, and I’d say you’re right. Wherever we’re going they could be expecting trouble.’

Harry joined them. ‘With a convoy this big the U-boats will be after us like a pack of wolves. Where the hell are we going? Not Russia again, I hope. That was a massacre.’

‘I wouldn’t mind New York,’ Jack said. ‘I met a couple of Americans and they asked me to go and see their parents.’

‘Not this trip.’

The men turned to find the petty officer behind them. ‘Canada is our destination, and we’ve just received orders to take our place in the convoy.’

They all split up to carry out their allotted duties. Because of Jack’s excellent distance sight, he now did regular watches, some at night and others during the day. When they were under attack he was always called upon, and often spent long hours scanning the sea for any sign of submarines or survivors if ships had been hit. No one had any sleep during those times, and Jack was much happier being kept busy. There was less time to think about what was happening.