The Dover Cafe On the Front Line, page 21
‘Jimmy has? Why?’
Charlie shrugged. ‘I dunno. I don’t speak to him much, but he seems angry with her about something.’
Lily sighed. ‘Jimmy’s been angry since Dunkirk. He didn’t used to be like that. But I hoped now he’s got Reenie he’d maybe start to feel a bit better.’
‘Reenie’s your friend at the allotment?’
She nodded.
‘Mm. Yes. I’ve spied them walking round the Heights once or twice.’
‘Really?’ It seemed while she’d been looking the other way, Jim and Reenie’s relationship had been deepening. ‘Maybe I’ll find out more at Marianne and Alfie’s wedding in a couple of weeks.’
‘It’s that soon?’
‘Yes.’ She hesitated a moment. ‘Would you like to come?’
‘Shouldn’t the bride or groom do the inviting?’
‘They won’t mind. We’re having a party here afterwards, and everyone round here’ll be coming. Mum’s been collecting contributions for the food, and been feeding an enormous cake with brandy for the past two weeks. And before you ask, I’d rather not know where she got the ingredients.’
Charlie grinned. ‘In that case, I’ll do my best. It all depends on . . .’ He waved his hand around vaguely. ‘But I’d like to see you before then. I didn’t just come down here this morning to give you the books and have breakfast, you know. I wanted to ask you . . .’ He hesitated a moment. ‘Would you have dinner at the Grand with me?’
Lily flushed with pleasure. ‘No one’s ever taken me to dinner before! Usually it’s fish and chips on the seafront or the pictures. And I’ve never had dinner at the Grand.’
‘So that’s a yes?’ He grinned, his dimples cutting deep lines down his cheeks.
‘That’s a yes,’ Lily whispered, suddenly feeling shy.
‘Then I’ll pick you up at seven thirty tomorrow. But now I think you need to sleep. And so do I.’
Lily yawned widely as she stood and followed Charlie out of the café, suddenly realising how exhausted she was. Charlie paused and contemplated the black cobbles for a moment. ‘Promise me you won’t get into any more trouble before then? I’m beginning to realise that Mavis was right about your family.’
She laughed. ‘I’ll do my best,’ she said as he took her hand and bent to kiss her cheek.
‘Tomorrow can’t come soon enough,’ he murmured.
She smiled softly at him then watched as he walked across the square and up Cowgate Hill, hugging her arms around herself with excitement at the prospect of the following evening. Then, yawning again, she turned and made her way upstairs, already counting the minutes until she’d be with him again.
Chapter 26
The ward was quiet as Lily sat beside one of the injured German pilots, attempting to get him to drink some water. The lamp above the bed cast a glow over the boy, emphasising his pallor. She put a hand on his forehead. It was cold and clammy, his lips cracked and dry. He shouldn’t be this cold, she thought.
‘Nurse Castle,’ Sister Mackenzie called. ‘I’m going to spend a penny. Corporal Stanmore is just outside, but I’ll be back in a jiffy.’
‘I need another blanket for the boy,’ Lily said.
‘Take one from the cupboard. I’ll check him when I’m back.’
Lily went to the cupboard at the end of the ward where extra linen was stored, then returned to the bed and tucked the blanket she’d found securely around him. She felt his pulse. It was weak. Perhaps she shouldn’t wait for the sister to return and should call the doctor now.
She stood by the bed, dithering about what to do before finally deciding to ask one of the soldiers on guard outside if they could go. Opening the door, she found only one man there, which was unusual. ‘Can you call for the doctor?’ she said. ‘One of the patients has taken a turn for the worse and I’m not sure he’ll make it.’
The man threw down his cigarette. ‘You’ll have to wait. I’m on my own at the moment.’
‘I’m not sure he can wait,’ she said. ‘I think he’s about to die.’
‘I remember you,’ the man said. ‘Last time I saw you, you sat and shared a fag with one of them. And the answer’s no. Not until I have cover.’
Lily huffed with annoyance. Although he did have a point, she supposed; he couldn’t leave the hut unguarded. As she closed the door, the sound of retching made her sigh; Felix was being sick again. He was the enemy, but even so her heart went out to him. Dr Ramsay had been administering treatment, but he had told her privately that he thought it was only a matter of time before the cancer killed the man. She grabbed a bowl from the nurses’ station and walked swiftly towards Felix’s bed. But when she got to him, instead of leaning over the bowl as she had expected, the man’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist with surprising strength. She cried out in alarm as he pulled her arm behind her back and thrust her forward. ‘Shut up,’ he said, twisting his body and somehow managing to push her down onto the bed. Lily fell with a grunt, her heart hammering as she let out another muffled scream. He slapped a hand over her mouth. ‘Silence,’ he hissed, and Lily’s breath caught in her throat when she felt the prick of a knife at her neck. ‘You scream, I kill.’ The hoarse voice sent shivers down her spine and she nodded. His grip loosened and she managed to turn her head to look up at him and was surprised to see a thick jersey poking out under his pyjamas. Where had he got that? The prisoners weren’t allowed clothes, but someone must have given him the jumper. Then, to her horror, he raised his arm, his hand curled into a fist, and brought it crashing into her jaw. Pain exploded in her head and for a moment, Lily saw stars, then everything went black.
*
Lily opened her eyes as pain lanced through her head. It was pitch black and she lay, trying to remember what had happened. Then it all came flooding back to her and she groaned. Had Felix really just knocked her out? The relentless throbbing in her jaw told her clearly that he had. Her hands tingled with pins and needles and, as she attempted to move, she realised they were bound securely behind her back. She struggled against the bonds, wincing as the rough rope cut into her wrists. How long had she been unconscious? she wondered. And, more importantly, where were Corporal Stanmore and Sister Mackenzie? Had Felix killed them? That terrifying thought galvanised her and she started to struggle against the ropes in earnest, her head shaking from side to side, her eyes wide open with panic. She felt as if she was suffocating, and her wrists were burning where the rope had rubbed the skin raw.
‘Calm down, Lily,’ she whispered to herself. ‘Calm down, calm down, calm down!’ Her voice had been rising in pitch as she repeated the mantra to herself, failing miserably to bring her fear under control. She inhaled deeply and forced herself to lie still, holding her breath for a moment before releasing it. It seemed to help and soon her mind cleared as she realised that though she was in a desperate situation, the man had left and she wasn’t in immediate danger. Her best bet was to shout as soon as the door opened.
Time lost all meaning as she lay in the darkness, eyes staring and wrists burning. She closed her eyes and began deep breathing again. Soon they would come. Soon she would be released and all would be well.
The sound of the door opening and a scream brought her eyes wide open again. ‘Nurse Castle! Nurse Castle!’ Sister Mackenzie sounded on the verge of panic.
Lily let out a shout. ‘I’m here!’ She kicked her legs.
At last the blankets were pulled off and Nurse Mackenzie’s pale, shocked face appeared above her. The woman looked as terrified as Lily felt. ‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph!’ she exclaimed. ‘What’s gone on here? Where’s Muller?’ She looked around the ward. ‘Corporal Stanmore’s been stabbed! If you’re unharmed I need to get back to him.’
‘Please can you—’ But Sister Mackenzie was gone before Lily could ask her to cut the ropes, and once again she was left helpless, tears leaking out of her eyes. Corporal Stanmore had been right all along: you couldn’t trust the prisoners as far as you could throw them.
Sister Mackenzie’s screams had woken the other patients who were now sitting up, gazing at Lily in wonder and calling incomprehensibly to each other. One of the men limped over and stood looking down at her reflectively, making no attempt to undo the ropes. Finally, he let out a cackle of laughter as he limped back to bed. Cheeks flaming with anger and humiliation, Lily shouted, ‘You bloody bastard! I hope you all bloody die.’
A commotion at the door made her turn her head as Corporal Stanmore’s colleague arrived accompanied by several other soldiers and an officer. One of them ran up to the patient who’d laughed at Lily. ‘Where is he?’ he screamed in his face. But the man just shook his head. ‘Fuck!’ the officer shouted before running out again.
‘Can someone please untie me!’ Lily shouted. ‘Help!’
The man stopped at the door and turned to stare at her before calling, ‘Can one of you useless bastards release the bloody nurse! And don’t let her go anywhere.’
A soldier came over to Lily and cut the ropes with a knife. ‘What the hell happened?’ he demanded.
Lily shook her head. ‘I-I don’t know. I thought the prisoner was being sick and I brought him a bowl—’ she indicated the discarded tin bowl lying a few feet away ‘—and then he pulled me on to the bed and—’ Lily put a hand to her throbbing jaw, wincing as her fingers brushed over a large lump.
‘Why didn’t you scream, for God’s sake? Give the guys outside some warning.’
‘I did! But then h-he held a knife to my throat and h-he said he’d kill me. Then he punched me and I blacked out.’ Lily started to shake uncontrollably as the shock caught up with her. ‘It was so quick. I didn’t know what was happening.’
‘Bloody useless woman,’ he ground out. ‘The prisoner was meant to be near death, for God’s sake!’ He looked at her narrowly. ‘He obviously had inside help.’
Lily’s eyes widened as his implication became clear. ‘You think I—’ She gulped, unable to finish the sentence.
‘Did you?’
Nurse Mackenzie came up to them then. ‘That’s enough! I will not have you harassing one of my nurses. Can’t you see she’s in shock? This was not her fault; she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.’
The odious man turned his suspicious gaze on the sister. ‘Whereas you, it seems, were in the right place at the right time. How could you leave a young girl like this in a room full of prisoners?’
Sister Mackenzie looked outraged. ‘If you must know, I had to visit the necessary. What I want to know, is why you’re trying to blame my nurse, when the fault is clearly on your inept soldiers!’
The room was getting crowded now as more military came in, followed by Matron and Dr Ramsay. ‘What on earth is going on?’ Dr Ramsay shouted. ‘Nurse Castle,’ he said, seeing her sitting on the bed. ‘Are you all right?’
‘I’ll tell you what’s going on! This man is accusing our nurse of helping a German prisoner escape!’ Sister Mackenzie said indignantly.
Dr Ramsay’s head whipped around and he stared at the man. ‘How dare you! Our nurses deserve protection, not accusations. Look at her! The poor girl’s been punched in the face and is clearly in shock. She needs comfort, not the baseless accusations of a man who should know better!’
He took Lily’s arm and helped her up. ‘Come on, Nurse. Let’s get you a hot, sweet cup of tea, and some ice for your jaw. Then you can tell me what happened.’
Grateful for Dr Ramsay’s support and sympathy, Lily allowed him to lead her from the hut. His arm tight around her waist felt comforting, and if she was honest, her legs were so shaky, she would have fallen if he hadn’t been holding her up.
He took her to his office, where he poured a small tot of brandy into a glass and handed it to her. ‘What a bloody awful thing to have happened. Drink it all up, now,’ he said, as she choked on her first sip. ‘You’ll feel better after. Then you can tell me all about it.’ He perched on the edge of his desk.
Once again, Lily went through the events, while Dr Ramsay listened sympathetically.
‘I thought he was near death,’ she said eventually. ‘But he was so strong.’
Dr Ramsay ran his hand through his dark hair. ‘I just don’t understand it. The man’s been sick as a dog for weeks. I was so sure . . .’ He shook his head. ‘Now, much as I know you need to go home, I’m afraid after an incident like this, the police will need to be involved. They’re on their way, but I’m sure you have nothing to be concerned about.’
Lily gasped in dismay. ‘Why would I be concerned? I haven’t done anything wrong!’
‘Of course you haven’t, but this is serious, so they’ll need to ask you some questions. Just sit quietly and they’ll be with you shortly. But if you don’t mind, I need to go and talk to the sergeant.’
Lily nodded dumbly, staring into the amber liquid in her glass. Why was it moving like that? she wondered, holding it up. Then she realised her hands were shaking so much, it was a wonder she hadn’t dropped the glass.
*
Lily wasn’t sure how long she waited but she was aware of frantic voices outside the door. She wondered if everyone knew what had happened. Did Pauline? Dot and Vi?
Her question was answered soon enough when the office door was thrust open and Pauline ran in followed by Dot and Vi.
‘Lily! Are you all right?’ Pauline stopped abruptly as she caught sight of Lily’s face. ‘Oh my God! Your face!’ She rushed forward and put a comforting arm around her shoulder.
Tears gathered behind Lily’s eyes as she leant in to her friend; there was a faint smell of alcohol coming off her, and she wondered briefly if Pauline had broken her promise about not drinking at work. But what did she care? She had far worse things to worry about right now.
‘What happened, Lily?’ Dot asked, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in hers. ‘Oh, you poor love, your hands are freezing.’ She started to rub them, running her fingers briefly over the weals on Lily’s wrists caused by the ropes.
‘Blimey, Lily, the whole hospital’s talking about how you helped a prisoner escape!’ Vi exclaimed.
Lily’s head shot up. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I heard it from Dick Brown. He said you tried to get the soldiers to leave their posts and the only reason you would have done that was to help the prisoner escape.’
Lily stared at her in horror. ‘But—’
‘Shut your mouth, Vi!’ Pauline shouted. ‘How could you believe anything that man says?’
Vi looked shamefaced. ‘I didn’t say I believed it.’ She patted Lily’s shoulder in an effort to comfort her. ‘I just said that’s what folk are saying.’
The door opened again and Dr Ramsay walked in with a couple of policemen who Lily didn’t recognise, stopping short as he saw the other girls. ‘What the hell are you all doing in here? Get out now, before I report you to Matron.’
At the door, Pauline looked back at Lily. ‘Don’t worry,’ she mouthed.
But how could she not worry when the policemen were staring at her as if she was no better than dirt, and Vi had just suggested that everyone believed she’d helped Felix escape. Nausea swirled in her stomach as she waited for someone to say something. Finally, once the door was shut, one of the policemen stepped forward and, taking her by the arm, he pulled her forcibly to her feet.
‘Lily Castle, we are arresting you on suspicion of aiding and abetting a prisoner of war.’
Lily was so shocked that though she tried to protest, she found she couldn’t get a word out as the man hustled her to the door and into the corridor, where a crowd of people were standing, staring open-mouthed at the sight of her clutched between two policemen. She dropped her eyes to the floor, unable to look at her colleagues. Did they believe she’d done it? she wondered faintly.
Dimly, through the buzzing in her ears, she heard a voice shout. ‘Hey!’ Pauline was running up behind them. ‘What do you think you’re doing? She had nothing to do with any of this!’
‘If you would kindly step away, miss,’ one of the policemen said.
But Pauline ignored him as she followed, shouting admonishments.
Through the shock and humiliation, Lily couldn’t make head or tail of what she was saying, but, as she was thrust into the back seat of a police car, she managed to turn and stare out of the back window. Through it she could see Pauline standing in the driveway staring after them, her mouth gaping open in shock. Dick Brown came up to her then and murmured something in her ear, and she turned, slapped him round the face and ran inside the hospital.
Chapter 27
‘Two plates of egg on toast, four bacon sarnies, and a bowl of porridge. And make it snappy!’ Nellie shouted at Marianne through the hatch.
She turned around and took a step back in shock as she noticed a tall pilot looming over her. His hair was light blond and his eyes were the brightest blue.
‘Does Edith Castle live here, ma’am?’ he said.
Nellie’s eyebrows rose at his accent. ‘Who’s asking? And why?’
‘Pilot Officer Greg Manning,’ the man said. ‘I have a letter to give to her.’
‘Leave it with me and I’ll see she gets it.’
The man shook his head. ‘I’d rather give it to her myself. It’s sort of personal.’
Nellie’s nose was practically twitching with curiosity. ‘Edie don’t live here, love. You’ll find her up at Pearson’s Garage. Top of Castle Hill just by the castle, you can’t miss it.’
He smiled his thanks and turned to leave.
‘Hold on,’ Nellie commanded – there was no way she was letting him leave without getting some answers first. He stopped and turned. ‘Sit, have breakfast. Any friend of Edie’s is a friend of mine.’
The man smiled, his teeth bright against his tanned face. ‘Well, that’s an offer I can’t refuse,’ he said.
She led him to the table where Jasper was sitting finishing off his breakfast. ‘This is . . .?’
‘Greg Manning.’ The man held out his hand to Jasper.
‘Here to give Edie a letter.’ Nellie’s eyebrows rose suggestively. ‘But wants to give it personally.’ She winked at the man, who blushed.
