Someone Special (40 page)

‘Don’t like fat girls, tall girls or girls with spots,’ Anna finished for her. ‘As if I could forget, Mummy, when you tell me so often!’

‘You may laugh, but it’s true. And I’m only telling you …’

‘For your own good,’ Anna chimed in. ‘Anyway, who wants to get married? I’m sure I don’t!’

This remark had left her mother open-mouthed with horror but mercifully bereft of words, so Anna had made some excuse to leave the room, heartily and healthily annoyed with the marriage obsession which made her relationship with her mother so difficult. Oddly enough, Constance had kept off the subject ever since, though when Anna was enjoying a meal she sometimes felt her mother’s accusing eyes on her, and would put her knife and fork down and refuse a second helping.

Now, Anna tightened the belt she wore to keep her trousers up – they were a relic from fatter days – and went down to the kitchen. She expected to be alone there, but Mrs Pound had the kettle on and was setting ingredients out on the big wooden table.

‘Mornin’, my woman,’ she said, beaming comfortably at Anna. ‘Hungry, are you? You’re quite an early bird today!’

‘I thought I’d get Mummy and Dad breakfast in bed,’ Anna said. ‘Ooh, Mrs Pound, you’ve made golden pennies!’

Jamie had always referred to sliced fried potatoes as golden pennies and the nickname had stuck. Mrs Pound laughed. ‘I ha’nt made ’em yet, my woman, but I’ll put ’em in the pan in a trice. You can make the tea
if you’ve a mind to be helpful – and then take the tray up.’

Anna made the tea, stood the hot toast in the silver toast rack and then, despite Mrs Pound’s laments that the food would get cold, nipped out to the big rose bush by the stable and picked a couple of sweetly scented, half-open buds for the tray. She filled a wine-glass with water, stood the roses in it, and carried the laden tray carefully up to her parents’ room. She knocked on the door, as she had been taught, opening it when a faint ‘Come in!’ sounded.

‘Mrs Pound did the cooking, but I helped,’ she announced as she entered the cool, dark room. The curtains were closed, but the window must have been open for Anna saw her father hunch himself under the covers as the breeze caused by the opening door swirled around him. Anna noticed, though, that her mother was sitting up and seemed to be searching for something, she could not imagine what, down beside the bed.

‘Ah, Anna, put the tray down on the dressing table, dear, and then you can trot off,’ Constance said in an artificially bright voice. ‘No need to pull the curtains back, I’ll do that myself.’

‘All right, Mummy,’ Anna said dutifully. She put the tray down carefully and set off across the darkened bedroom, heading for the door, but as she passed the bed she caught her foot in something and nearly measured her length. ‘Oh crumbs, whatever was that?’

‘It’s all right, it’s … it’s my bed-jacket,’ Constance said, leaning even further out of bed to pick up the flimsy garment now wound around Anna’s ankles. ‘It’s a bit chilly to sit up in bed with nothing round my shoulders. Don’t trample on it, darling … just let me …’

Anna, bending to unravel herself, realised two things. One was that her mother was naked, at least as far as her waist, and the other was that the bed-jacket was a transparent black nightdress.

‘I don’t think it’s …’ Anna began, taking the nightdress from round her ankles and putting it on the bed, but then some sixth sense made her cut the words short and change the sentence. ‘… Umm, if you want more toast, give me a shout,’ she muttered. ‘Only I’ll be leaving in half an hour, it’s a sunny day so Dan is bound to be taking the boat out.’

‘Lovely, darling. Don’t be late for lunch,’ her mother said automatically. ‘And thanks again for our breakfast.’

‘It’s all right,’ Anna said, going quickly out the door. She felt awkward, as though she had put her foot in something even more delicate than a transparent black nightdress. ‘But I won’t be in for lunch, we’re taking a picnic.’

‘That’s fine,’ Constance said. ‘Enjoy your day.’

Anna escaped on to the landing and closed the door behind her. Then she let out her breath in a long, silent whistle. Pheeew! Something odd had been happening – she did not understand it, did not want to understand it, but she was glad she’d delayed carrying up the breakfast tray to put those sweetbriar roses in the little glass.

‘Everything hunky-dory?’ Mrs Pound enquired as she re-entered the kitchen. ‘You all right, my woman? You look a bit on the ’ot side.’

‘Everything was fine,’ Anna said hurriedly. ‘Mrs Pound, I’m going sailing with Dan Raymond, can I take some sandwiches? We’ll be out until teatime if the weather stays fine.’

‘So I picked it up off the floor and it was Mum’s best nightdress, the one she bought in Paris when Daddy took her there last year,’ Anna concluded later, when she and Dan were sitting on the bank beneath a willow tree, the boat moored to a convenient post while they ate their sandwiches and drank cold tea from the flask provided by Mrs Pound. ‘I can’t imagine what it was doing down there.’

‘Not wanted on voyage, I imagine,’ Dan said briefly. ‘Pass me a ham sandwich, would you?’

‘Not wanted on … does that make sense? I mean what voyage?’

Dan clicked his fingers impatiently and Anna hastily handed over the ham sandwiches and watched as he selected one, bit into it and spoke rather thickly through his mouthful. Was he going to enlighten her?

‘My dear Anna, it was a hot night, wasn’t it?’

‘Was it?’

‘Yes, it was. I was hot, I threw most of my bedclothes off in the early hours.’

‘Oh, d’you think Mummy was too hot then?’

Dan, chewing, nodded. ‘Uh-uh, she was hot. But mothers don’t like their kids seeing them with nothing much on, do they? So she tried to pick it up before you noticed.’

‘Oh, I
see
,’ Anna said, her brow clearing. ‘Well, aren’t I silly, to feel so … no, Dan, it can’t be that.’

‘Why not? Chuck us a tomato.’

‘You’ve eaten them all,’ Anna said, examining the brown paper bag which had held the small, sweet tomatoes. ‘Want an apple? There are still quite a few left.’

‘An apple will do. I wouldn’t mind another swig of tea either.’

‘There’s plenty of tea, have all you like,’ Anna said hospitably, handing over the flask. ‘Only, Dan, Mummy said she wanted her bed-jacket because her shoulders were chilly, and the wind was blowing straight in … it was quite cold.’

‘That was
then
,’ Dan said impatiently. ‘It was hot at about two or three in the morning; that’ll be when your mother shed her nightdress.’

‘Oh,’ Anna said thoughtfully. ‘Oh, I
see
. Yes, that’ll be it, of course. I’m glad you explained, because I felt a
bit uncomfortable, as though … oh, I don’t know. Just uncomfortable.’

‘Well there was no need,’ Dan said bracingly. ‘I’ve got some iced buns somewhere, I’ll see if I can find them.’

For a while they munched in companionable silence, but a frown settled on Anna’s brow once more.

‘It is odd though, Dan, because I throw off my covers like you do, I don’t take off my nightdress.’

Dan stared at her, but then shook his head. Chidingly, as though he thought she was being deliberately stupid.

‘You and I sleep in single beds, by ourselves, right?’

‘Right. I suppose you mean we’re cooler, but …’

‘Just listen and stop interrupting! Your mother and father can’t throw off their covers. The other one would feel cold, wouldn’t they?’

‘Oh, I
see
,’ Anna said for the third time, having given the matter some thought. ‘Well, that’s all right, then! Don’t iced buns make you thirsty? Chuck the flask back so I can have a drink!’

Dan stood up and came over to hand it to her. Then, as though he had changed his mind, he stood it down on the bottom-boards and squatted in front of her, staring into her face. Close to, like this, Anna could see how handsome he was, his eyes such a dark blue that at first glance they seemed black. His hair really was black, with a gloss on it like Daddy’s uniform shoes, and a dimple came and went beside his mouth as he looked at her. But she did rather wish he would stop staring – did she have a smut on her nose, or a piece of lettuce stuck in her front teeth?

She asked him straight out in the end, having stared her fill at him. ‘Dan, what’s up? Is there food on my face?’

He laughed softly and put a hand on either shoulder, then swayed slowly towards her.

‘Silly little Anna, no of course there isn’t. It’s just
that you look very pretty and … well, and I felt I wanted to …’

He leaned forward, until she could feel his breath warm on her face. Half of Anna wanted to pull away, to get back her space again, but the other half was breathlessly anticipating whatever it was Dan was about to do and would not spoil things by an unwary move.

He kissed her. Very gently his mouth touched the soft skin to the side of her mouth. She didn’t move at all, surprise and delight – because it must mean he liked her – keeping her totally still. He made a small purring sound and his mouth moved until she could feel his lips very, very lightly, touching hers. He kissed her again, with exquisite care and gentleness. Then he put his arms round her and pulled her close and kissed her again, a tiny bit more firmly. He let her go and sat back on his heels.

‘Darling Anna, how refreshing you are – you really don’t know a thing, do you?’ he said puzzlingly. ‘I bet you’ve never been kissed before, have you?’

‘Of course I have; Mummy and Daddy kiss me, and Jamie kisses me on my birthday,’ Anna said. Her voice was wobbly from tension and excitement. ‘Or did you mean … boys?’

‘I meant … boys,’ Dan copied her hesitation with a laugh in his voice. ‘Well, now you’ve been kissed, albeit rather unexcitingly.’ He picked up the flask. ‘Here, let me pour you a drink.’

‘Thanks. And it wasn’t unexciting,’ Anna said in a rush, feeling the blood rise to her cheeks at her temerity. ‘It was v-very exciting and I – I liked it a lot.’

‘Well, don’t go expecting chaps to keep kissing you, because you’re far too young really, only just out of the egg,’ Dan said disappointingly, pouring the coffee with a steady hand. Kissing her had not affected him the way it had affected her, Anna saw. Dan looked as though he could have poured boiling oil if necessary, whereas
Anna’s hands were still shaking so much that she was afraid to take the cup. ‘You’ll grow up one day though, then I’ll kiss you again, and more excitingly.’

‘Thank you,’ Anna said humbly. ‘That would be very nice.’

She was not offended when Dan put down the cup and roared with laughter. So far as she was concerned he could do anything, provided he went on liking her.

Despite constant reminders that time was passing and the chauffeur would be getting chilly waiting, the short winter’s day was fading into dusk by the time the children had spent their hoarded pocket money to good effect.

‘Come along, my dears,’ the governess urged, while Peggy, shepherding them around the tempting shelves, remarked that war or no war, Woolworth’s still had plenty to offer.

‘Why should war make a difference to Woolworth’s, Peggy?’ the older Princess asked their nursemaid seriously; the younger, hands in pockets, leaned against the nearest wooden counter, at eye level with some fascinating wooden soldiers. ‘The Germans don’t want toys or sweets, do they? No, of course they don’t,’ she added, answering her own question. ‘But the people who make them will want to join the services, so they won’t be able to make toys or sweets any more. Is that why?’

‘Pretty much,’ Peggy said. ‘We’ve all got our identity cards and our ration books, so the government is looking to when things aren’t so easy to get hold of, once the war effort really gets into its swing.’

She looked at Miss Huntley, and the governess smiled and patted her elder charge’s shoulder in its neat tweed coat with the brown velvet collar. The three women who were closest to the Princesses had agreed that it was idle to try to hide the facts of war from their charges; Elizabeth read the newspapers and even Margaret Rose could quote
the headlines, since she was a good reader and always struggling to keep up with her big sister.

‘People are leaving shops and offices not only to join the services but to do war work,’ Miss Huntley pointed out. ‘So factories which used to make dolls will be making uniforms, equipment, radios, all sorts. But, as you’ve noticed, shortages aren’t too bad yet.’

‘They shall turn their swords into ploughshares,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Only in reverse. My cousin Philip’s in the navy, fighting the Jerries at sea. I wrote him a long letter yesterday, but there isn’t much to write about, stuck away from it all up here. I do hope Papa will send for us soon, so that … When do you think the shortages will start, Huntie? Soon?’

‘Soon enough,’ the governess replied quietly. ‘I know nothing much has happened yet – they’re calling it the phoney war down in London – but the Germans won’t just sit back and do nothing, they’ll take their time and then strike when they feel they can do most damage. Now let’s get back to Angus and the car before it’s dark.’

‘I like Aberdeen very much,’ Princess Margaret Rose said solemnly as they left the shop and began to hurry through the grey, nose-nipping chill of late afternoon. ‘But we aren’t usually here in the winter and it’s nicest in the summer, wouldn’t you say?’

Her sister looked around the governess, who held a hand of each, to grin her monkey-grin at the smaller girl.

‘Well of course we like summers best, because Papa takes us and the cousins to the sea, all piled up in the car singing happy songs, and watches us swim, and helps with sandcastles. Anyone would like it best.’

‘And I like Sandringham at Christmas,’ Margaret Rose continued a bit wistfully. ‘The dogs will miss us … it said in the paper the other day that some people were having their dogs put to sleep because they won’t be allowed in air
raid shelters. Can’t they leave them in their own homes, Huntie?’

‘Newspapers often get things wrong,’ Miss Huntley said tactfully. She was very aware of how much their pets meant to her charges. ‘I’m sure most people are keeping their dogs and cats despite the restrictions.’