The Soldier's Daughter (13 page)

‘Oh, darling, of course not!’ Lois’s breath caught in her throat as she stared down at the tears sparkling on the little boy’s lashes. Alfie was at an age when he considered you were a cissy if you cried, but right at that moment he couldn’t help it.

‘I’m sending you away to stay with your grandparents because I don’t want you here where you might get hurt with all the bombs being dropped,’ his mother explained gently.

‘But what about
you?
You’ll still be here so you might get hurt. Why can’t you come with us?’ Alfie’s lip was trembling.

‘I shall be just fine,’ Lois assured him, giving him a loving hug. ‘But I have to stay here to keep the house nice for when you all come home again, don’t I? And Tigger needs me here, doesn’t he?’

He considered what she’d said then sniffed and nodded reluctantly. At least she had said they would be coming home – which was something, he supposed. He’d miss Tigger, though.

Sarah, on the other hand, was almost bursting with impatience and had bragged so much about where she was going to live that Florrie, her little friend at school, who was about to be evacuated to God knew where, was green with envy.

‘’S’not fair,’ she sulked. ‘I ain’t got a clue where they’ll be sendin’
me
.’

‘It’s bound to be somewhere nice,’ Sarah said. She was a kind little girl at heart and despite her bragging she cared about Florrie.

And so the day of their departure raced towards them, and almost before they knew it they found themselves standing on the station platform with their mother, waiting for their train to arrive. They had already said a tearful goodbye to Mrs Brindley, who had promised to help their mum look after Tigger until they got back. Alfie and Sarah had wanted to take him with them, but Briony had managed to persuade them that Cornwall was such a long way away, he would be miserable locked in a cage during the journey.

All three were dressed in their Sunday best and they each had a small suitcase to carry as well as their gas masks and a basket full of sandwiches that their mother had packed for them to eat on the way.

‘Now are you quite sure that you know where you have to change trains, and have you got the tickets safe?’ Lois asked for at least the tenth time in as many minutes.

Briony patted her handbag and smiled. ‘Yes, Mum, I’m
quite
sure,’ she told her indulgently. She just wished that the train would come now so that they could be off. Saying goodbye was proving to be a lot more painful than she had anticipated. Could her mother have known it, she had every intention of coming back once she knew that the children were happily settled, but she hadn’t told her that, of course. Briony was only too well aware of how Lois was prone to fall apart in a crisis and didn’t want to leave her for a moment longer than necessary.

Alfie was clinging to the hem of his mother’s pretty spotted skirt looking very smart in his little grey shorts and a matching blazer. Briony had polished his shoes until she could see her face in them but already one of his knee-length socks had slipped down to his ankle and she wondered what he might look like by the time they arrived at their destination. Alfie seemed to attract dirt like a magnet but then, as Mrs Brindley had always been so fond of saying, ‘Show me a clean lad an’ I’ll guarantee there’s somethin’ wrong with him. Little boys were made to be mucky.’

Sarah, on the other hand, was standing primly, looking a picture in a white smocked cotton dress and a lovely pink cardigan that Mrs Brindley had knitted for her. She had a matching pink ribbon in her hair and was a miniature version of her mother. As Lois looked at her family now she wondered how she had ever managed to produce three such striking-looking children – although no one would ever have guessed at first glance that Briony was related to the other two. Her straight dark hair was a stark contrast to their fluffy blonde curls, and glancing at her now Lois felt a lump form in her throat. It was like looking at a female version of her husband, and the girl’s likeness to James made his loss seem all the more unbearable. But just for today, Lois was prepared to put her children first and she fussed about straightening Sarah’s ribbon and tugging Alfie’s sock up until they heard the train come chugging towards them.

‘This is it then.’ Lois could barely hear herself as the train pulled into the platform in a hiss of smoke. The carriage doors opened and people began to alight, many of them men in uniform possibly coming home on leave and Lois found herself thinking how wonderful it would be if only one of them could be James coming back to her. But then that would be a miracle and she didn’t believe in miracles any more. Just lately, life had knocked all the stuffing out of her. Briony was walking along peering into the carriage windows and when she found one that was empty she beckoned to her mother and the children.

She began to put the cases into the corridor as Lois kissed the little ones affectionately and now Alfie started to howl unashamedly. Cissy or not, he wanted to stay with his mum.

‘Come on, darling,’ Lois urged, knowing that she mustn’t cry in front of him. ‘You’ve never been on a train before. Think how exciting it will be – and when you get there, you can ask Briony to help you write a letter telling me all about it.’

He reluctantly allowed her to lift him aboard before she turned her attentions to Sarah. ‘Now you be a good girl and be sure to collect me some pretty shells from the beach.’

The little girl nodded solemnly before climbing up the step to stand beside her brother, and now there was just Briony to say goodbye to. Lois wasn’t sure how she would bear it. Her heart felt as if it were splitting in two but she kept her voice light as she hugged her beautiful daughter.

‘I love you all, sweetheart,’ she muttered into Briony’s thick silky hair. ‘Now take good care of yourselves and jump aboard otherwise the train will be going without you.’

Briony silently hopped onto the train as the guard hurried past, slamming the carriage doors shut as he went. He then glanced up and down the length of the platform and when he was quite sure that all the doors were closed, he lifted his green flag and blew on his whistle. The train instantly shuddered into life and a billow of smoke floated along the platform as it slowly began to draw away. The children clung to Briony with one hand as they frantically waved to their mother with the other, but within seconds she was swallowed up in the mist. Sarah was very quiet and Alfie was still crying, but as they stared from the window at the passing fields he wiped the tears and snot from his cheeks on the sleeve of his blazer.

‘Cor, the train don’t ’alf go fast, don’t it?’ The excitement of his first train-ride was kicking in now, and Briony smiled indulgently as the two children pressed their noses to the window and stared out in awe. She wished that their mood could last until they arrived in Cornwall but she doubted that it would. They were not due to reach their destination until very late that evening and she guessed that they would be tired and fractious by then. Still, for now at least she felt able to sit back and relax and that’s exactly what she did.

Having lived in a town all their lives the children were enchanted by the sheep and cows that were dotted about the fields that they passed. Another field full of horses had them shouting with pleasure, and Briony began to hope that being away from home for a time wouldn’t be as bad as she had feared. The children were certainly enjoying their first-ever journey on a train. The novelty began to wear off shortly after they changed trains at Exeter in the afternoon. By then they were getting tired so Briony gave them some of the sandwiches and squash her mother had packed, and encouraged them to lie down on the seats and have a nap.

The day had started as a beautiful misty September morning but now the mist had been burned off by the sun and it was uncomfortably stuffy in the small enclosed carriage. Once the children had dropped off to sleep Briony opened the small window and tried to read the book she had brought with her, but found that she was too apprehensive about what lay ahead of them to concentrate. Would they be greeted warmly, or were their grandparents only taking them in on sufferance? They would soon find out, and as the train ate up the miles her nervousness increased. Very late in the afternoon they changed trains again for the final leg of the journey. The light was fast fading by then and the children had become irritable after their long confinement.

‘How much further is it?’ Alfie asked every few minutes. And then suddenly they glimpsed the sea from the window and they were instantly excited again. Even in the fading light it was a deep shade of blue and Sarah hopped from foot to foot as she pointed to it.

‘Cor,
look
, Briony – it just goes on
forever
!’

And then Alfie babbled hopefully, ‘Will we have time to go an’ have a paddle when we get there?’

‘I doubt it,’ Briony answered patiently. ‘It’s going to be very late by the time we get to Penzance. But I’ll tell you what – if you’re both really good I’ll try and get you onto the beach tomorrow.’

Alfie pouted but then asked, ‘Have we got anything else left to eat? I’m starving!’

Briony wondered if he had hollow legs. He always seemed to be ‘starving’, but thankfully after a quick rummage in the basket she found two more potted-meat sandwiches and handed one each to the children. ‘I’m afraid that’s it now until we get there,’ she warned them. ‘But I’m sure they’ll have a meal ready for us.’

Again she tried to envisage what The Heights might be like. After what her mother had told her she had no doubt that it would be very grand indeed and she hoped that they wouldn’t feel too out of place there. The scenery was changing now and Briony was soon as enchanted as the children. By peering from the window, she managed to make out majestic cliffs and could see waves breaking on the beach in great white sprays. It really was a different world to the one they had left behind, and she wondered how their mother had ever managed to settle in such a built-up area after being accustomed to having all this space about her. Slowly as they travelled further into Cornwall the children began to rub their eyes wearily.

‘Not much further now,’ Briony told them encouragingly as Alfie yawned. It was too dark to see anything out of the window now. It felt as if they had been on a train for days and she would be as pleased as the children to get to their destination. At last the train began to slow. Briony nudged the children, who had fallen asleep again, and urged them, ‘Get your cases and put your coats on. I think we’re there.’

Sarah and Alfie blearily did as they were told, and minutes later the train lurched to a halt. They found their way to the nearest door and Briony helped them both down onto the platform where they stood for a moment feeling totally out of their depth. They were the only ones to alight from the train, but as Briony peered along the dimly lit platform she saw the door of a waiting room open and an elderly man step out. He was a giant – well over six foot tall, Briony estimated – and he had a ruddy complexion, as if he spent a lot of time outdoors. As he walked towards them she saw that he was dressed in thick cord trousers, heavy boots and an old tweed jacket.

‘Be you the Valentine children?’ he asked in a broad Cornish accent, and Briony was suddenly so nervous that all she could do was gulp and nod.

‘Arr, good. Then come along o’ me. Your grandparents sent me to meet you. I have the trap outside.’ She saw that his face was kindly as he smiled at the two younger ones, and she felt slightly better. But what had he meant by ‘the trap’?

Clutching their suitcases, they followed him from the station and soon found themselves in a charming little cobbled street full of higgledy-piggledy thatched cottages that looked as if they had come straight off the cover of a chocolate box. Before they had gone more than a few steps Alfie sniffed at the air and asked nervously, ‘What’s that funny smell?’

‘That be the sea salt you can smell, sonny,’ the man said affably. It was then that Briony spotted a pony and cart and she suddenly realised that this must be their transport to The Heights.

‘I er . . . thought we’d be going by bus or car,’ she ventured as she eyed the horse warily and the man threw back his head and gave a throaty chuckle.

‘’Fraid not, my little maid,’ he answered. ‘There be a shortage of petrol even here in Cornwall, so you’ll have to make do with Old Meg here.’ He took a carrot from his pocket and fed it to the mare as he stroked her mane affectionately, and then suddenly remembering something he said, ‘I’m Caden Dower, by the way. Worked for your grandparents for years, so I have, an’ I knew your ma when she was just a little girl. In fact, that little ’un there gave me a rare shock when I first glimpsed her. Double of your ma when she were that age, so she is.’ He patted Sarah’s head gently and Briony felt herself warming to him.

‘But come along now,’ he went on. ‘No doubt you’re all hungry as hunters after your long journey, and the wife has got some food ready for you all.’ He lifted their cases into the back of the trap then swung Sarah and Alfie up beside them, telling Briony, ‘You can climb up in front with me if you’ve a mind to, young lady. ’Twould be a bit of a squeeze with you all in the back.’

Briony obediently clambered up beside him to sit on the hard wooden bench seat, then clung to the edge of it as the horse began to move away.

‘Giddyap, there,’ he said encouragingly, shaking the reins, and Old Meg broke into a trot that had all their teeth chattering as they rattled across the cobbles. Briony stared about with interest although there was very little to be seen, for even here in Cornwall the blackouts were in force and the whole place was shrouded in darkness. After a time they left the town behind and the road became smoother as they began to climb a steep hill. Soon they were on the cliff road and Briony shut her eyes at one point as she stared down at the sheer drop onto the beach at the side of them, lit by moonlight.

‘My mate Jimmy reckons there are sharks in the sea here,’ Alfie said at one point. ‘Is that right, Mr Dower?’

‘Arr, we do get the odd one from time to time,’ the man replied genially. ‘But don’t you get worrying about that now. There’s nothing better than a dip in the sea to blow the cobwebs away on a nice bright day.’