Day Will Come (24 page)

‘What a lovely surprise!’ Helen hugged Grace and shook hands with Stan. ‘Come in. What are you doing in Paris?’

‘We are on our way to Berlin, but we had to stop over for a meeting. This is only a flying visit, I’m afraid,’ Stan explained.

‘Maurice! Look who’s here,’ Helen called.

When he came into the room, Grace stared at him in astonishment. ‘Harry!’

‘Hello, Grace.’ He held out his arms and she rushed to hug him.

‘You two have been playing games with me, haven’t you? But this is wonderful!’

They were both laughing at the surprise they had sprung on Grace, and Helen said, ‘You promised to tell me what you thought of him.’

‘He’s gorgeous, of course.’

Harry turned to Stan and shook his hand. ‘Good to see you again. Can you stay for dinner?’

‘That isn’t possible, but another time, perhaps.’

‘You will always be welcome, Stan. Bring Bill with you some time.’

‘I’ll do that.’

They could only stay for an hour and were soon heading back to the airfield and on their way to Berlin.

‘There used to be a good cafe just there. It was cheap and the meals enormous. Just what us young boys needed.’

Dan glanced at the man who had come to stand beside him. ‘Bill, I’m pleased to see you made it.’

‘You too. Your office told me where to find you.’ Bill looked around and shook his head. ‘What a mess! It’s hard to find the places I once knew so well.’

‘I agree. I’ve been walking the streets for the last couple of hours and the place is unrecognisable. And to add to the chaos the city has been divided up between the allies.’

‘Churchill and Roosevelt had to come up with a plan acceptable to all of the allies, and you can bet that wasn’t easy. Damned shame Roosevelt didn’t live to see the end of the war.’

‘Yes it is. But dividing the city up like this makes me uneasy. This could be a recipe for trouble in the future.’

‘That’s why I’m staying here for a while. What about you?’

‘I’m on my home soon but I’ll probably be back at some time.’ Dan began walking and Bill fell into step beside him.
‘The rebuilding of Europe is going to be an enormous task. People are scattered all over the place with nowhere to go. It’s tragic.’

‘The cost was high, but the Nazis had to be stopped from taking over Europe. If they had defeated Britain then there was no telling where they would have stopped.’

‘Yes, it had to be done.’ Dan stopped in front of a ruined building. ‘I had a friend who lived here. Wonder what happen to him and his family? They were nice people, but then they might have been seduced by Hitler and become ardent Nazis. I don’t think walking these shattered streets, remembering the past, is a good idea, Bill. Come back with me and I’ll buy you a drink. We can toast our good fortune in surviving.’

‘You’re on!’ Bill grinned. ‘Stan’s on his way here and is bringing Grace with him.’

‘Yes, I know.’

‘Of course you do. Did you arrange it?’

‘Me? Why would I do such a thing?’

‘Remind me never to play poker with you,’ Bill laughed. ‘I see you’ve been bumped up to brigadier and have been given a medal for the way you saved your men and got them back to the rest of the troops.’

‘That medal belongs to a young SOE girl who saved us from being slaughtered. I’ve put in a report to make damned sure she gets one as well. There was also a Frenchman with her who spoke perfect English, but I don’t have any details about him.’ Dan glanced at Bill. ‘I’m hoping you can help me there. He knew you.’

‘That sounds like Harry. I don’t know his real name, but I’ll try and find out for you.’

‘Thanks, I would appreciate that. Let’s get that drink.’

The officers’ mess wasn’t busy and they had just been served with drinks when Stan marched in.

‘Good, you’re here. I’m glad to see you are both in one piece.’ Stan looked at their glasses of beer and grimaced. ‘Mine is a double whisky, Dan.’

Bill was on his feet, staring at the door. ‘Where’s my Grace? You didn’t come without her, did you?’

‘I left her to settle in with the women. You’ll see her tonight – and she isn’t
your
Grace.’

‘I can dream, can’t I? How is she?’

‘The same as ever. Continually asking questions and telling me how to do my job. She’s damned good army material.’

Dan laughed softly and got up to order Stan’s drink and another two beers.

‘That’s better.’ Stan declared when the drink was put in front of him. ‘Tell me who is coming to this gathering tonight.’

‘Representatives of all the allies, their wives and guests. It’s a diplomatic exercise,’ Bill explained. ‘The idea is to get everyone together so they can be nice and friendly over a few drinks.’

Stan gave a cynical laugh. ‘With all of them in the same room it means we shall have to be on our best behaviour. Good job I’ve got Grace with me. I believe she’s been used to this kind of thing when she worked for James. You’d never believe the trouble I had persuading her to let Gregory find her a suitable gown. I thought she was going to throw him out of the office.’

‘Stan! You didn’t? Not Gregory.’ Bill shook his head
before bursting into laughter. ‘I wish I’d been there.’

‘It was quite hilarious.’ Stan was also laughing now. ‘He kept calling her “dear”, and you can imagine how she reacted to that. Dan, you would have to meet the man to understand. Anyway, his choice was impeccable and she looked lovely when he’d finished.’

‘I can’t wait to see her again.’ Bill glanced across at Dan. ‘It will be a pleasure for all of us.’

Stan finished his drink and stood up. ‘I’d better go and unpack now. We’ll see you tonight.’

There was a rap on the door and when Dan opened it he found Bill standing outside. ‘Stan isn’t ready yet so I thought we might as well go together.’

‘I’m part of the reception group so I have to be there early.’

‘That’s all right. It will give me a chance to sum up the situation and perhaps try out my Russian.’

Dan stepped aside to let Bill in. ‘You speak Russian as well? Is there anything you can’t do?’

‘Hmm. Let me see. Oh, yes, I don’t have much luck finding a nice girl who will settle down with me.’

‘You’ll never settle down.’ Dan buttoned up his jacket and made sure his appearance was in order.

‘Perhaps you’re right.’ Bill followed Dan out, and as they marched along he said, ‘How long is it since you’ve seen Grace?’

‘The last time was at a party to celebrate my return to my regiment.’

‘But that was years ago! Are you telling me you haven’t met her since?’

‘I am. I haven’t seen her for four years.’

‘Why, for heaven’s sake? And don’t tell me you’re not interested because I know differently.’

‘I had my reasons,’ Dan replied as they walked into the building. ‘I’ll be busy for a while, but I’ll see you later. You can buy me a drink. I might need it.’

Bill grinned and walked into the room to see who had turned up early.

Grace was nervous which was surprising. She’d done this kind of thing many times before. They had all been lawyers, barristers and judges then. Tonight it would be officers and politicians from different countries, but not something she should find daunting. There would be people there she knew, and Stan had told her George had just arrived. It would be lovely to see him again, and Bill. Would Dan be there? She hadn’t asked, and why would she? Not once in all these years had he bothered to contact her, but she had worried about him, as well as all the others. The fact that he had just walked away without a glance back had hurt. They had worked well together for that short time and had fun. He’d declared that they were friends, but friends kept in touch …

And why on earth was all this nonsense coming into her head now?

There was a knock on the door and Stan called out, ‘Time to go, Grace.’

‘I’m ready. Come in, sir.’

He nodded approval when he saw her. ‘Stick with me tonight. I might need your skill with languages. My French is passable but I never could master German.’

‘I won’t let you out of my sight,’ she promised.

‘I must make the most of tonight,’ he told her as they walked to the venue, ‘because I have just had orders through that you won’t be working for me any more.’

‘Why?’ she asked, not pleased with that sudden news. ‘Where am I going? Why are they moving me?’

‘Questions,’ Stan sighed. ‘You have been transferred to another officer.’

‘Who?’

‘You’ll meet him tonight.’

Grace didn’t like the sound of this, but couldn’t ask more questions because they had arrived.

‘Smile, dear.’ He laughed softly. ‘Gregory would be proud of the way you look in one of his gowns, even if we have had to add a couple of things to make it clear you are an officer.’

‘I still think my dress uniform would have been suitable.’

They stopped by the sergeant major who was announcing the arrivals and Grace looked into the hall. It was already crowded and all the women were wearing evening gowns.

‘See what I mean,’ Stan whispered.

‘It’s hardly appropriate in the middle of war-torn Europe,’ she complained.

‘This evening is purely a diplomatic affair, and I’m sure you know what they are like.’

‘Yes, I do,’ she had to agree, as they reached the sergeant major. He raised his voice to announce the arrival of Major General Haydon and Captain Lincoln.

Pinning a smile on her face, Grace entered the room with Stan.

When he heard the names, Dan slowly turned his head towards the door and was shocked at his reaction to seeing Grace again after so long. He felt as if he had been kicked – hard. This wasn’t the young girl he had laughed with and manhandled over the army assault course. This was a woman who had grown through all she had experienced, and held herself with elegance and confidence. Grace was the right name for her.

She moved along the line, quietly helping Stan with the languages when needed. When she reached Dan, he smiled. ‘Hello, Grace.’

‘Good evening, Brigadier,’ was all she said and continued walking.

At that moment he knew he had made a mistake. He’d been so sure he was doing the right thing. He was a damned fool.

As soon as everyone had arrived and his job on the reception committee was finished, Dan found Bill. ‘I’ll have that drink now, and make it a strong one.’

‘Ah, someone isn’t happy. Doesn’t Grace look beautiful? She was like that in France and the German officers were tripping over themselves to meet her. She provided the distraction I needed to slip away unnoticed. I couldn’t have done it without her. Was she pleased to see you?’ Bill asked innocently.

‘Her greeting was as warm and welcoming as an arctic storm. Are you going to get me that drink?’ Dan snapped.

‘At once, sir!’

Bill soon returned with a large brandy and watched the tall man empty the glass in two swigs. ‘Feel better now?’

Dan gave a wry smile. ‘No, but I’d better not drink
any more of that stuff. I need to keep a clear head.’

‘So, our Grace is mad at you. What are you going to do about it? I only ask because if you are going to give up—’

‘Don’t even think about it, Bill.’

‘Why the devil didn’t you step in when you had the chance, Dan?’

‘That’s just what I’m asking myself!’ Dan looked at his empty glass and grimaced as he put it down. ‘Ah, well, one more battle to fight.’

Dan strode across the room until he reached Grace, Stan and George.

‘Ah, Dan. Quite a crowd gathered here.’ Stan turned to Grace. ‘Meet your new boss.’

Just for a moment her eyes blazed, then her composure returned and she inclined her head in acknowledgement. Dan admired her self-control. She was clearly not at all happy about being assigned to him, but she was in the army and had to obey orders. ‘I’ll expect you in my office by eight o’clock tomorrow.’

‘Yes, sir.’

That night Grace tossed and turned, ashamed of the way she had acted towards Dan. There was no reason why he should have kept in touch with her. They had worked together for only a few weeks and then they had gone their separate ways. She had admired his determination to get fit enough to return to his regiment, and his kindness and understanding had helped her through those painful weeks after Brian had been killed. He had greeted her tonight with obvious pleasure and used her Christian name. And what had she done? She had insulted him. And now she knew why!

She thumped her pillow in exasperation. Over the years she had listened to George, Bill and Stan talking about him and what he was doing and she had pretended not to care. But the moment she had seen him tonight the truth had become clear. Gradually, bit by bit she had fallen in love with him. The first thing she had to do in the morning was apologise without letting him know about her feelings for him. That would be too embarrassing for both of them. If he’d wanted to take their friendship any further he would
have contacted her. Four years of silence told her everything she needed to know.

The morning finally came and Grace followed the instructions she had been given to find his office. A young girl was already there, but before Grace could say anything, Dan came out of his office.

‘Punctual, as always,’ he said briskly. ‘There’s a desk in my office you can use.’

He held the door open for her and closed it behind them. She turned to face him. ‘Sir, I must apologise for my conduct towards you last night.’

He took a step towards her and then stopped, his gaze sweeping over her tired face. ‘Go ahead then.’

He was clearly angry and wasn’t going to make this easy for her. And why should he?

‘I’m sorry I spoke to you so sharply. It was rude of me and I am ashamed. I can offer no reasonable excuse for my lack of manners. I apologise, sir.’

‘Cut out the, “sir”, Grace, and tell me what the blazes that was all about.’

‘For some reason I was angry you hadn’t bothered to contact me even once over the last four years. That was absolutely ridiculous, for you had no reason to do so. I can see that now.’ He’d demanded an explanation and she hoped that was good enough because she really couldn’t say more without giving herself away.

He took another step forward. ‘I couldn’t. I didn’t dare see you again.’

‘That doesn’t make sense. George kept in touch, so did James and Bill. Did I do something wrong when we worked together?’

‘Of course not. I count those weeks as some of the best I have ever spent.’

Now Grace was completely at a loss to understand what he was saying. ‘Then why did you walk away? The last thing you said to me was that we were friends, and I felt as if we had indeed become friends.’

‘Then I had better explain, but you might not like what I am going to tell you. If it embarrasses you, tell me and I will never mention it again.’

Now Grace was worried. ‘Whatever it is, I think you had better tell me.’

‘When you came to work for me I was not happy. I had lost men in France, I was injured and stuck in a desk job, but you worked quietly, efficiently and never once complained. Your husband had only recently been killed, and when I saw how courageous you were in dealing with the pain, it helped me to sort my own feelings out. I very quickly realised something else. I had fallen in love with you.’

Grace gasped. This was the last thing she had expected.

He gave a wry smile at her reaction. ‘It shocked me as well, and I couldn’t do a damned thing about it because you were grieving for the loss of a husband you had loved. When I returned to my regiment I knew I would be off fighting again somewhere and there was always the chance I wouldn’t survive.’ He was right in front of her now. ‘That is the reason I stayed away, Grace. I loved you too much to inflict something like that on you again. This war has made it impossible for me to ask you out, take you to restaurants for intimate dinners or spend long days together. My love for you has not changed over the long years of separation and I want you in my life. Whether it is as a friend, lover
or as my wife, is up to you. I hope it will be the latter, but the choice is yours.’

Her head was spinning. Now she understood why he had kept away. He’d only been thinking of her.

‘Which of the three is it to be, Grace?’ he asked when she didn’t answer.

She looked up at him, moisture filling her eyes. ‘It has taken me a long time to realise that I love you, but I do, and the third option sounds perfect.’

He immediately closed the remaining space between them and gathered her in his arms. When the long, passionate embrace came to an end, he whispered, ‘Thank heavens. I really thought I didn’t stand a chance after staying away for so long, but you had needed a couple of years to recover from your loss, and by then I was in the desert fighting. I had to wait.’

‘You took a chance. I might have married in that time.’

‘It was a risk I felt I had to take. I watched your progress through the war and I must admit you gave me some scary times, but you came through uninjured and still single. As soon as the fighting was over I knew I had to get us together again as quickly as possible.’

‘So you arranged for me to come here?’

Dan nodded. ‘We will be returning to England in two days’ time, and a month later I will be posted back to Berlin. It will be a rush I know, but would you agree to put in for demob so we can marry quickly? As a civilian and my wife I can arrange for us to have married quarters here.’

‘Can you do that?’

‘I’m an officer and good at giving orders.’

‘Ah, I know that only too well,’ she laughed.

He smiled down at her. ‘I’m not giving orders now. I’m asking. How do you feel about leaving the army?’

‘I did consider staying because I had no idea what to do with my life now the war is over.’ She reached up and kissed him. ‘I didn’t know you were going to ask me to marry you. I’ll put in for demob as soon as we arrive home. We have wasted enough time.’

He gave a sigh of relief. ‘Thank you, my love. It’s been a long wait, and I thought this day would never come, but I endeavoured to take each day as it came, and that got me through.’

‘That was the only way to get through the long dreadful war,’ Grace agreed. ‘But, now, this day is ours.’