Hetty's Secret War Read online

  ‘Yes, I know. It gave me nightmares for days, but now I can relax for a while, thank goodness.’

  ‘You’re sure the letter came from Hetty?’

  ‘Yes, of course. She mentioned something only she and I know – about Mother actually. She says she’s met a lady who would put Mother in her place in five seconds flat, but that she’s brave and wonderful and she likes her very much.’

  ‘She doesn’t tell you who this lady is?’

  ‘No – she doesn’t give any names. I’m not sure what she’s up to, Georgie. I’ve been told the French are forming a secret resistance to fight against the Germans.’

  ‘Who told you that?’

  ‘A friend of Paul’s actually. I don’t suppose it’s all that secret really. That French general – De Gaulle – was on the wireless telling his people to carry on fighting and he is forming an official resistance with others.’

  ‘Yes, that’s rather different though, isn’t it? He’s over here and Hetty is there. I hope she has the sense not to get involved in anything like that, Annabel.’

  ‘Hetty has always been brave. It took a lot of courage to run away as she did with Henri. I think it would be just like her to help with the resistance if she could – and the letter that came, well, it didn’t get here through the usual channels.’

  ‘No, that sounds pretty much as if…’ Georgie heard the doorbell ringing and frowned. ‘This always happens to me when you telephone, Annabel. I shall have to go. I’ll ring you back later if I can.’

  ‘Well, I’ve told you my news. I’ve been trying to get Ben, but I haven’t managed it yet. Bye for now.’

  The bell was ringing again. Whoever was there was very persistent, Georgie thought as she went to answer it. Opening the door, her heart caught and she stared in surprise as she saw him.

  ‘Ben… what are you doing here?’

  ‘I thought you might be pleased to see me. I have nine days’ leave, Georgie. I thought we might spend some of it together.’

  ‘Ben, yes, of course…’ She felt breathless, the excitement rising inside her in an overwhelming tide. ‘Come in, please. I was on the telephone to Annabel when you arrived, that’s why I was slow to answer – she’s heard from Hetty at last. She’s out of Paris and staying with friends.’

  ‘That’s a relief,’ Ben said and gave her one of his special smiles. ‘I’ll ring Belle later so that she can tell me the good news herself – but I thought we might go for a little holiday together, Georgie. Just throw a few things in a case, get in the car and drive, probably to the sea somewhere as the weather is so nice at the moment.’

  ‘Yes…’ Georgie had been longing to see him again. She might feel guilty afterwards, though there was no real reason why she should. ‘Yes, I should love to come away with you, Ben. I’ve been hoping you might telephone.’

  ‘I thought about it,’ he admitted, ‘but there didn’t seem much point until I could get away for a few days. The training has been pretty tough and that was only the beginning; they’re sending me somewhere else at the end of my leave for more training. I can’t tell you much about it…’

  ‘Don’t even try to tell me,’ Georgie said and held out her hands to him. ‘I’ll put the kettle on and while it’s boiling I’ll go and pack my case. Geoffrey had a few days at home with me at the end of term, then went to stay with his school chum two days ago and he won’t be back for three weeks, because they’ve all gone up to Scotland. I see no reason why we shouldn’t enjoy ourselves as we please for the rest of your leave.’

  ‘We’re both adults and I think we would be mad to let our consciences dictate to us now, Georgie. We made a mistake years ago. If I’d gone to bed with you then, I should never have let you go again. I’ve been thinking of you constantly. I was afraid that if I rang, you might tell me I shouldn’t, so I decided to come and carry you off by force if need be.’

  ‘No, I shan’t tell you to go away,’ she said and reached up to brush her lips softly over his. ‘I’ve been missing you. I love you, Ben. It was always you I loved and I shouldn’t have married. If I’d waited, you might have divorced Helen in time.’ Ben’s marriage was all but over and she was no longer prepared to sacrifice both his and her happiness for a woman who had made his life miserable.

  ‘That’s another thing I want to talk about,’ Ben told her. ‘It can’t happen while there’s a war on, Georgie – but I’ve made up my mind that I’ll sort things out when it’s all over. I refuse to waste the rest of my life in a relationship that is meaningless and empty. I love you and I want you to be my wife. It won’t be easy, but somehow I’ll do it. I promise you that, my darling. Do you believe me?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said. She believed him, but it wouldn’t be easy and she wasn’t sure he would be able to carry it out, but she believed he meant it and that was what counted. ‘I believe you, my darling.’

  *

  Georgie knew she would always remember those eight precious days spent with Ben. They had decided not to stay at one place all the time and drove as far as they wanted each morning, stopping at country pubs for bed and breakfast and in a caravan at Flamborough for two days.

  Set high on a chalk headland, it was a village rich in folklore about the sea and the people who had served it for generations. For more than two thousand years, the headland had seen duty as a fortress, guarding against the invader, and Danes Dyke stood testimony to the vigilance of the villagers throughout the centuries.

  The weather was perfect for much of the time and they walked a lot – on the beach where they could or in quiet woods – seeking out beauty spots away from the crowds who flocked to the more popular resorts just up the coast on the Bank Holiday weekend.

  ‘It would have to be this weekend,’ Ben had groaned when they were turned away from one small hotel.

  ‘We’ll choose out-of-the-way places in future,’ Georgie promised him and they had.

  Remembering, Georgie drifted off into a dream and she was back with Ben, back in his arms, reliving the precious time they’d spent together.

  ‘I thought it couldn’t always be like this,’ she whispered as they snuggled closer in bed, where they had been for three days, ‘but it just seems to get better.’

  ‘That’s because we’re in love,’ Ben said and touched her hair. ‘We were always right for each other. We both knew it at the start, but we made a foolish mistake. At least I did, because you wouldn’t have if I’d broken off my engagement.’

  ‘We’ve come to our senses just in time.’ Georgie raised her head to kiss him. ‘So many years wasted, but that’s all over, Ben. We’ll be together as often as we can in future and one day it will all work out right for us.’

  ‘This war is a damned nuisance,’ Ben said. ‘But in a way it brought us together. I’m not sure when we’ll be able to be together again, darling.’

  ‘But you’re going to be doing some sort of office work, aren’t you?’ She felt him go still and a prickle of fear started at her nape. ‘Or has that changed?’

  ‘I can’t tell you,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry, but it’s a part of the job. All I can say is that I’ll telephone you as much as I can, Georgie.’

  ‘Are you going to be in some sort of danger?’

  ‘It’s best you don’t ask. For the moment, I’m simply going for more training.’

  Which meant that the job was dangerous, Georgie realised. She felt the fear seep into her bones. She’d believed that Ben would be safe in a nice little job at the War Office or something, rather like Beth’s boss; now she realised that it wasn’t going to be like that at all.

  A surge of rebellion went through her. Ben must have been singled out for this special work, whatever it was. She wanted to protest, to tell him he mustn’t let them use him. All those wasted years and now… But she was being foolish and selfish! She couldn’t wrap Ben up in cotton wool and keep him safe any more than thousands of other women could keep their men safe. No matter how unfair this all was, the war was happening and she cou
ldn’t do anything to stop it.

  ‘Oh, Ben,’ she said and pressed herself against him as if she wanted to imprint the feel of his flesh so deep that she would never lose it. ‘I do love you so very much.’

  ‘I love you, darling. I promise I’ll keep in touch and if I get more leave before… we’ll meet in London next time. Go to a show or something?’

  ‘Yes, that would be nice.’ She clung to him, knowing that she had to pretend that everything was fine. She wasn’t the only woman who felt this way. There must be thousands of others all over the country in the same situation. ‘I’m hungry, are you?’

  ‘Yes.’ Ben laughed and kissed her. ‘Get out of this bed, woman. You promised to cook me a meal if we took the caravan, and I’m not in the mood for going out this evening. It wastes too much time – time we could spend more pleasurably.’

  ‘I’ll do steak and chips with mushy peas, onion rings and mushrooms shall I?’ she teased. ‘Or will you settle for bacon and eggs – and I do have some mushrooms I picked in the wood.’

  ‘Are you sure they’re edible?’ he grimaced. ‘They look a bit odd to me.’

  ‘Trust me,’ she said. ‘I know my mushrooms and fungi, Ben. I shan’t poison you.’

  ‘I’ll trust you,’ he said. ‘After all, you sweet-talked that farmer into selling you the eggs.’

  ‘Duck eggs too. I’m going to make a delicious omelette. Just stay where you are and I’ll call you when I’m ready.’

  Georgie came out of her dream, still remembering. She’d left him in bed, walking naked into the kitchen area of the caravan. She’d drawn the curtains earlier; besides, there was no one else around. The farmer who owned the van lived some distance away. He’d told them that the field had been full of tents and caravans earlier in the week, but everyone had gone back to work now.

  Georgie blinked back her stupid tears. Their holiday was over, and Ben would soon be gone somewhere he couldn’t tell her. Then it might be ages before she saw him again – if she ever did. It was possible that he might be killed doing… whatever it was he couldn’t tell her. And how was she going to feel then?

  *

  ‘Oh, Drew,’ Beth said as she ran to greet him outside her lodgings that afternoon. It had just started to spit with rain and was cooler than it had been of late. ‘I thought Arnold was never going to let me leave. I told him you had just forty-eight hours and he agreed to my having the time off, but then he just kept finding things for me to do.’

  ‘Well, you’re here now,’ Drew said and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her hungrily. ‘And we’ve still got forty-seven hours and twenty minutes – and I don’t want to waste a second.

  ‘Drew?’ Beth felt a little shiver of apprehension as she looked at him. His expression was so serious that it frightened her. ‘Is something wrong?’

  ‘I’m being transferred to active service. A chap who has seen action and been injured is taking over my job and I’m being moved on. That’s why I got the two-day pass. I want us to get married, Beth. I know we were going to wait until Christmas, but we’ve got all the necessary paperwork in hand and I don’t see why we should wait any longer. I’m sure of my feelings – aren’t you?’

  ‘Yes, of course I am,’ Beth said. ‘You know I am, Drew. We were only waiting because Annabel and Paul wanted to give us a nice wedding at the hotel.’

  He frowned slightly. Beth knew it was because his mother had wanted to give them a big wedding too, and it was awkward, because Beth wanted to please Annabel – and his mother didn’t understand.

  ‘You can telephone them, tell them to save it for when I get leave. We can invite all our friends to a reception then if you like.’

  ‘Yes, of course we can,’ Beth said and smiled at him. ‘What do we have to do? Don’t we need a special licence or something?’

  ‘I’ve had that for a while,’ Drew told her. ‘And I rang to make sure it was possible – the registrar can fit us in tomorrow morning at ten thirty.’

  ‘Oh, that’s lovely,’ Beth said and swallowed her disappointment. She’d been looking forward to buying the material for her wedding dress, saving the coupons until she had enough for her needs, but now she wouldn’t have to.

  ‘I know it isn’t what you’d hoped,’ Drew said. ‘But I want us to be together, Beth. We’ve waited even though we’ve both wanted to make love, but we’ve held back – and now I don’t want to wait any longer. I love you and I want you very much.’

  ‘Yes, I know. I want you too, darling.’

  Beth knew he’d been marvellously restrained and patient. A lot of the girls she saw at the office talked about sleeping with their boyfriends quite openly. They didn’t seem to see anything wrong with it.

  ‘Got to give him something to remember – something to make him keep his head down and come back in one piece,’ were frequently used phrases in the tearoom.

  Drew hadn’t wanted that. He loved her and respected her and wanted to wait despite their growing frustration. Kissing and heavy petting wasn’t enough for either of them any more.

  ‘You aren’t too disappointed about not having a big wedding, Beth darling?’ he asked.

  ‘No, of course not,’ she said and smiled at him. ‘Annabel will be disappointed, but all I want is to be your wife.’

  Especially if he was being sent abroad! Beth felt a sudden chill of fear as she realised what that meant. They had always known it could happen, but she hadn’t expected it so soon.

  ‘Why don’t we spend tonight at a hotel?’ she said. ‘It’s only a few more hours to our wedding and we haven’t got that long, have we?’

  ‘If you’re sure?’

  She could see that it was what he wanted and she smiled lovingly, lifting her face for his kiss.

  ‘Yes, of course it is, Drew. I suppose we’ve been old-fashioned and silly to wait all this time. All the other girls I know sleep with their boyfriends.’

  ‘I don’t want to marry them,’ Drew told her, his eyes warm with love. ‘You are sweet and precious, Beth, my darling, and I want you just the way you are.’

  After that, Beth would have been stupid to regret the glamour of a big wedding. She knew how lucky she was to have found Drew, because she’d never felt in the least like this about anyone else.

  They were fortunate to have this little time together and they had to make the most of it. She wouldn’t think of anything else but being with him, loving him. It would be time to think of the future when he’d gone.

  ‘Let’s go and find that hotel,’ Drew said and held out his hand. I’ve got a present for you, Beth. I was going to give it to you tomorrow, but I want you to have it now, my darling.’

  ‘But you’ve given me lots of presents,’ she said, her eyes bright. ‘What is it this time?’

  ‘Ah…’ He laughed as she pouted. ‘It’s something rather special – but you are just going to have to wait and see…’

  Five

  ‘Why did you show me the secret caves, Pierre?’ Hetty asked as they were walking back towards the house. She had been in the woods picking berries and he had met her, taking her basket from her. ‘Don’t you realise I could sell your family to the Germans and get rich?’

  He quirked an eyebrow at her, seeming amused at the suggestion. ‘Somehow I don’t see that happening, Hetty. Why did I show you? I suppose because Grand-mère needs you to stay with her. She pretends to be strong and independent, and she means it when she says she would rather die than give into them, but I don’t like the idea of her being alone here. I know her people are devoted to her, but she needs someone she can talk to sometimes. Besides, there is a possibility that I might die and someone will need to do something about the caves after the war. Grand-mère won’t be around forever.’

  ‘Supposing you were both dead?’ Hetty asked. ‘What would you want me to do with all those treasures? You told me you didn’t have much money, Pierre – but that stuff must be worth a fortune.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose it is,’ he said and pulled a f
ace. ‘A lot of it is family heirlooms and Grand-mère would never part with it simply to repair the roof, but I had planned on making changes. Hopefully, I shall, when it’s all over.’

  ‘And when do you suppose that will be?’

  ‘A long time I daresay, unless the British fold under the pressure and let the Germans win – and somehow I doubt that. But it could happen, of course. Now that France has fallen, Hitler is bound to turn his attention on them.’ Pierre sighed. ‘But I didn’t answer you about what you should do with the stuff. I have lawyers in England. I shall give you their names before I leave and hope that you will get in touch with them if both Grand-mère and I are no longer here. They will know what to do, but they don’t know where to look for the stock – I didn’t dare share the secret with too many people. But someone ought to know in case of my death.’

  ‘Please – don’t talk that way,’ Hetty pleaded. ‘You’re going to fight them, Pierre. You shouldn’t be fatalistic. In all probability you will find that your unit has surrendered and then you can come back to us and join your grandmother’s fight against them here.’

  ‘The secret resistance?’ Pierre smiled wryly. ‘It sounds brave and wonderful doesn’t it? But what do you think a few men and women can do to halt them? They are ruthless, Hetty. Grand-mère talks of defying the enemy, but she doesn’t realise what kind of retribution will fall on those who get caught.’

  ‘But they have to catch us first,’ Hetty said, a naughty smile curving her mouth. ‘And you might be surprised what a few women can come up with if they put their heads together, Pierre.’

  ‘Nothing you did would surprise me,’ he said and turned suddenly towards her, pulling her hard against him, a hungry light in his eyes as he gazed down at her. ‘You’ve only known me a short while, but there’s something between us – don’t you feel it, Hetty? You’re a special woman and I want to make love to you.’

  ‘Do you, Pierre?’ She looked into his eyes. ‘Tell me, honestly, is it really me or would any woman do to fill the emptiness inside you? Isn’t it just physical?’ Something inside her was warning her not to get involved, and yet he was going away and might be killed. Hetty had stayed away from physical relationships since she left Henri, bruised and hurt, not wanting to risk her heart again – but this attraction was different. She wasn’t in love with Pierre, but she wasn’t averse to taking comfort from a man’s arms about her.