Opposite Sides (31 page)

“
This
mornin’.” The man wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. “Come
over the wireless. All transpor’ and railways is out. In support of
the miners. Got locked out, y’ know."

“
Scheisse
!” snapped Hans in
annoyance. The word escaped his lips before he could gather his
senses.

“
Pardon?” The
station master did not catch the utterance.

Hans turned on his heel
and threw his hands up into the air.

“
I’ve
got
to get back to
London, today. How am I going to do that if the trains aren’t
running?”

“
Sorry, sir.”
The acting station-master shook his head. His soft cloth cap almost
fell off. “I don’t normally work ‘ere. Just doin’ a
favour.”

Hans spun round to face
Anne again. He almost tripped over the travelling bag he had
unloaded and placed close to his feet.

“
It’s most
inconvenient. I’ll have to think again. I’ve
got
to get back to London by
evening.”

“
You’ll not
make it by train. Or bus, sir. All transport’s down. Have to walk
if you want to go anywhere.”

Hans looked so upset, the
station master suggested he go away and return that afternoon. By
then things may have changed. But by the afternoon nothing had
changed; the situation looked just as grim as before. The town was
as extremely quiet, almost even too quiet for a holiday Monday. No
trams or buses and only the occasional horse and cart passed by.
Hans explained to the Innkeeper that it looked as though he would
require the room for one more night and was at the point of
arranging it, when Anne turned up again. She had brought some
papers over to be given to a gentleman who was staying at the Inn.
She noticed Hans waiting at the counter.

“
Still no
luck, Hans?” she asked him as she handed over the envelope of
papers.

He sighed and shrugged
his shoulders.

“
Nothing’
running. It really looks as if I’m stuck. Everyone’s joined this
strike.”

“
It’s grim,
that’s for sure.” She was about to leave when an idea came into her
head. She smiled a satisfied smile.“Why don’t I take
you?”

He was surprised. If Anne
did take him back to London, it would solve his dilemma. “Would
you?”

“
Of course.
It’s a good sixty miles but if we leave now, we’ll be there for
tea-time. It’s a good excuse to see a cousin of mine. They live in
Belgravia.” She sounded rather excited about the prospect,
especially after Hans had put his bag into the luggage compartment.
Anne gave a slight giggle. “Hop in. You’ll be surprised how fast it
can go.”

With a flick of her
wrist, she threw a scarf around her neck and urged the engine into
a roar. Brakes off and the motorcar turned its massive bonnet in
the direction of London.

CHAPTER
12

Tea at the
Turners

The government declared
the General Strike over on May 12th. During that time, England was
almost brought to her knees. Jimmy Thomas, the Secretary of the
National Union of Railwaymen said:

“
I have never
disguised that, in a challenge to the constitution, God help us
unless the government won
.”

And win, the government
had. But what a struggle! At the end of it all, workers returned to
work and employers pushed for greater production output to make up
for all the hours lost. As a consequence of this drive, Erwin Hans
Resmel made the decision to stay a while longer working for Mr
Scrover in London. All the necessary arrangements were made and the
paper work completed.

Hans wanted to be close
to Caroline. He wanted to be able to cuddle her whenever he felt
the urge. He wanted to kiss her and fondle her and every time he
thought about it, his body reacted as though he could taste her
breath and smell her body and feel the soft silky touch of her
beautiful black hair. It was torment. Being apart from her even for
three weeks made his whole body ache. It was torture to be so
young, so in love and be so far apart.

His mind could think of
nothing else and his letters to her told her of his longing and
thoughts of the day when they could finally be together. He told
her how he would love to take her to Austria and let her see the
beautiful mountains which wore a green coat during the summer
months but became white and glistening during the winter. He
promised to show her Berlin, the lively city where his father had
taken the family to live just prior to the war. He wanted to show
Caroline off to his uncle and aunt, to show them that he, too, had
captured the heart of an English girl. And he wanted Renard and
Axel to be envious, especially Renard.

In the meantime, Hans
made the slow journey from London southwards to the town where Miss
Turner lived. He had promised uncle Karl that while he was in
London, he would keep in touch with Miss Turner but he could not
understand why this should be so. Except that Caroline was a second
cousin to Jan. But his uncle did not know that.

Once a month he knocked
on the Turner door and once a month he took high tea with her in
the afternoon. Sometimes he saw Jan but most times she was not to
be seen. He heard her, in the front room, practising her pieces on
the piano. And each time, Miss Turner lectured him about the
problems of young people setting out in married life when the
country’s economy was beginning to flounder again.

“
I still
maintain you are both far too young. Hardly even adults. That may
be what happens in the lower classes but not here. You’ve not set
yourself up in life properly or secured a position with excellent
prospects. Have you thought about that? As for wanting to take on a
wife, why, Mr Resmel, you won’t have enough savings behind you to
run a decent household.”

“
That won’t
stop Caroline and myself making plans. ”

Miss Turner curtly cut
him off, her eyebrows knitting together in a frown of
disapproval.

“
I still do
not think it’s a good idea. I do not think your uncle would be
pleased and I know for certain that Caroline’s father is very much
against any idea of his daughter leaving the protection of his
home. A longer courting period would be so much better.”

“Caroline’s already said
me she will come to London. She wants to be with me.”

Hans waited patiently for
Miss Turner to answer. He watched as a mixture of shock and disgust
swept over her face leaving her lips in a tight line. Finally, she
managed to speak.

“
Mr Grace has
insisted Caroline remain under his roof. Did you not hear me? She
is far too young and still needs her father’s protection and
guiding hand. London is such a large city and Caroline does not
have the experience to cope.”

“
I can
protect her if she comes to London.” Hans snapped his lips together
in a strong, thin line. He was angry with all these obstacles. How
could these adults ruin his and Caroline’s happiness.

“
Do not dare
think of leading her astray, young man!” Miss Turner waggled a
finger at him. “A young and vulnerable girl like Caroline is easily
be taken advantage of. I can’t see this affair . . . and it is only
an affair . . . lasting. Cannot you see, it is only puppy love.
Teenagers! You’re not mature enough to know what a real love
is.”

“
I say I love
her. She says she loves me. What else is there?”

“
True
commitment together with a good income if you want your love to
last.”

“
I know how I
feel and I know what I want. Money is not important, only our love
for each other. Nothing will stop us loving each other and you’re
not going to stop us, either!”

He was beginning to sound
just like that obstinate boy who walked into her life two years
ago. The idea of living in sin was almost too much for a staid lady
like Miss Turner to even contemplate. The very suggestion shook her
moral foundation just as if she were experiencing an earthquake
full of devastation and she was left speechless and shaken again.
Hans could see why she should feel it her duty to try and save
Caroline from doing such a terrible thing as it would bring
dishonour to the family. She pleaded with him some more.

“
In the end
such wickedness will be punished. God will punish you even if Mr
Grace won’t! Think carefully about it. Think what you would be
doing to Caroline’s reputation. I dread to think of the pathway
where you will drag the poor girl down, especially if marriage is
out of the question. If you leave England, what would happen to her
then? Why, she would be ruined, Mr Resmel, ruined.”

“
If I leave,
Caroline goes with me. She has already said she would.”

“
Today is a
far different world from forty years ago!”

Hans didn’t see the
connection so he did not answer. They stood for another five
minutes in relative silence. Miss Turner offered him the last
butterfly cake. She crumpled up her napkin and he had the
impression that it could have been his neck. Then, she pulled the
bell cord to summon the servant.

“
Mary will
show you out. Now, please excuse me. I’ve got some work to
prepare.”

With those words, she
turned and left him standing in the middle of the room until Mary
entered and escorted him to the front door.

“
Come back
t’morrow mornin’ . . . a’ ten thirty,” she said quietly so that her
voice did not carry back down the hall. “Miss Grace’ll be coming
over to see Miss Janine an’ Miss Turner’ll be busy at the school.
I’ll keep me eye out f’you and let you in. Come round t’ back and
make sure no-one sees you. It’ll only be a few minutes, though.
Now, Mister Resmel, you’d better go.”

She began to close the
door until only part of her face was present.

“
Thanks,
Mary,” he whispered.

“
Now, go!
Bye.” She began to shut the door.

“
Good bye.
Until tomorrow.”

The night time waiting
was unbearable. Hans tossed over and over as his mind thought of
nothing else but the horrible discussion with Miss Turner. It was a
restless sleep so when he awoke, it was much later than
anticipated. When he arrived at the Turner house, it was exactly
half past ten to the second. He remembered Mary’s instructions and
slinked along the side wall and round to the back of the building
where the back entrance was. He knocked, and waited. Slowly, the
door opened.

“
You! What
are you . . . ?”

Jan appeared stunned. His
arrival that morning was unexpected. “My aunt was not expecting
you. And why have you come round to the back entrance?”

“
I . . . I
forgot something,” he mumbled. It sounded awfully weak and
unconvincing.

Jan’s mood changed to one
of suspicion. She shoved her glasses back vigorously hard up
against her face. Hans knew in an instant that he was in for an
attack.

“
If you left
something here, what exactly was it?”

“
It was . . .
er, I think I left . . .”

“
I don’t
believe you!”

Jan slammed the door in
his face before he could say one word more. He stood there fuming,
annoyed with himself for being humiliated and also annoyed with
Mary for not being there to let him in. Then he began to wonder why
Jan had been in the kitchen area anyway and had opened the door in
the first place. Had Mary been forced to tell her that he was there
to meet with Caroline? That would certainly explain the outburst.
He was still standing in the porch looking at the closed door when
it re-opened and this time it was Mary who peered around its
edge.

“What
happened?”

“
Miss Janine
come in ‘ere f’r somethin’ and before I could warn you, you ‘ad
already knocked on the door. She’s gone now but you’ll ‘ave to be
ever so quick. If I’m caught lettin’ you in ‘ere, I could lose me
job. I’ve told Caroline ‘n she’ll be ‘ere in a minute.”

“
Hans!”
Caroline was delighted to see him. She gave him a peck on his
cheek. “I thought you’d already gone back to London.”

“I’ve got another hour
before I catch the train,” he answered, wrapping his arms around
her slender waist and pulling her towards himself so that he could
give her a better kiss. “Jan knows I’m here. She answered the
door.”

“
I guessed
that. She came back into the room looking as though she’d lost a
fortune.”

“
I hope I
haven’t made things too difficult for you,” he said releasing her.
“But I had to see you once more.”

“
I wish we
didn’t have to meet like this. Daddy was ever so angry when I told
him we were going out together.”

“
Why when he
does not even know me?”

“
He says
you’re not Chapel,” she replied.

“
And your
mother?”

“
She says
nothing. She obeys.” Caroline brushed something off her skirt. “I
do wish I could come away with you.” She took his hand. “Don’t be
too long before you come again. I don’t know how I’m going to bear
it if I can’t ever see you again. I think I would curl up and
die.”