Читать книгу Always In My Heart - Freda Lightfoot, Freda Lightfoot - Страница 11

Six

Prue had been astonished to discover how much she loved gardening. It was far more interesting than parading herself at some fancy social function organised by Melissa, her supremely glamorous sister currently living in London, a city she considered far more appropriate for her. But then relations with her siblings, save for dear Jack, had always been thorny. Prue felt as if her family now were the serried rows of vegetables that lined the kitchen gardens, her pride and joy the tomatoes and cucumbers growing in the glass-house against the south-facing wall, or the new autumn variety of raspberries she’d cultivated.

It amazed her to see how quickly a precious plant could grow to full maturity, or just as easily die if it fell into neglect. Gardening was all about life and death, preserving and reproducing. Prue still felt a bit nervous of making mistakes, of pulling up a prize plant thinking it was a weed, of watering too much, pruning too fiercely or not pruning at all. But she was learning all the time. She loved the hens and sheep too. Were it not for the war Prue would have chosen to attend horticultural college, but at least she’d learned a great deal from the land girls who’d helped on the farm. They were now gone, and in their place the farm had been allotted a Prisoner of War.

His arrival had changed her life completely.

There had been times in the past when Prue would ask herself if she truly was content to live here in the Pennines, largely alone, and devote her entire life to tending the garden. What about her future? Didn’t she yearn, like every other young woman or war widow, to preserve and reproduce herself as well as the plants and animals? Didn’t she long to love and to be loved? Was that the reason she’d rushed into that stupid marriage, her father and siblings seeming most uncaring? Now she would sit in the small cottage she occupied on the edge of the estate, the ache in her heart not for her dead husband, but an entirely different young man.

This morning Prue was happily pruning raspberry canes, working hard as usual, when she spotted him approaching and her heart skipped a beat. He was at her side in seconds but before he could steal a kiss, a flippant breeze whipped her hair across her mouth, robbing him of its sweetness. She laughed out loud at the look of disappointment on his face.

‘I love the softness of your skin,’ he said, trailing his lips over the curve of her throat, sending a quiver of fierce passion through her as he found the sensitive hollows beneath her ears. ‘And you always smell so wonderful: of strawberries or flowers.’

‘And sometimes cow muck,’ she giggled. ‘Oh, Dino, am I allowed to tell you again how much I love you?’

‘The more often you say that, the greater my heart explodes with happiness. Ti amo troppo la mia cara, and I will always love you. How fortunate I was to be sent here. It is as if I have been waiting for you all my life.’

‘You must have suffered so much, being held in that prisoner-of-war camp,’ she said, stroking the crisp tufts of his dark hair, which had a slight curl to it. He was tall and fit, with powerful shoulders, long lean legs, and the gentlest brown eyes she’d ever seen.

‘More of an internment camp. At least now they are allowing me to get out and work, even though I’m taken back to a camp in Gorton, Manchester, each night. I love working here,’ he said with a grin.

‘And we love having you.’

‘At least you do. Not so sure about your brother. I’ve lived in Ancoats since I was a toddler and, unlike my parents, I hardly speak a word of Italian, apart from being able to say how much I love you. It didn’t seem right for me to be arrested. I feel British to the core, even if I might look foreign.’

‘You look wonderful to me,’ Prue said, kissing him, and he softly laughed.

‘You do appreciate that, however much we might feel as if we belong together, it is not going to be easy. Before being transported to the Isle of Man, I was taken to a reception centre in Liverpool. I vividly remember hundreds of us being made to walk to the docks, the roads lined with soldiers armed with fixed bayonets. Crowds filled the streets to jeer at us, hurling insults, all because Mussolini had decided to link up with Hitler’s Germany, perhaps in the belief that it was only a matter of time before Britain surrendered. I heard someone shout: ‘Hang the buggers.’

‘Oh, how scary!’

‘I just kept my head down and did not say a word. There are people who now welcome PoWs into their homes, especially at Christmas. But sadly, much of the nation still holds us in contempt. When the war is finally over, waiting for our release could well take time.’

‘I’ll be happy to wait for you, darling, however long it takes. I will, of course, make every effort to help get you freed as soon as possible. I’m an optimist, so I have every faith we can achieve that, then we can be together forever. Although, I admit, my family may well create problems. I’d like to think Hugh might come round to accepting you. I’ll speak to him.’

‘That would be very brave of you, cara mia,’ he said, giving her such a dazzling smile that Prue melted into his arms yet again. It was then that she heard a door bang and quickly pulled away.

‘Look out, someone’s coming.’

‘Ciao!’And placing a kiss on her small turned-up nose, Dino grabbed a spade and marched away with it propped upon his shoulder, an expression of tranquil happiness on his face. Giggling, Prue ran to the dairy.

*

Brenda found Prue happily humming ‘Don’t Fence Me In’ as she washed the floor in the dairy. Standing at the door Brenda watched and listened with a smile on her face. Prue was a small lithe young woman with strongly muscled arms and golden blonde hair, and being Jack’s much-loved younger sister had always been a good friend. Glancing up, her lids widened to gaze upon Brenda in stunned disbelief. Dropping the hosepipe, she ran over to her, which caused water to spray everywhere, soaking Prue to the skin in seconds. Laughing, she dashed to the tap to turn it off, before flying back to hug her friend. ‘Brenda, I can’t believe it. How wonderful to see you again. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?’

‘I wanted it to be a surprise.’

‘It’s most certainly that. I thought you were still in France. Oh, I’m so glad to see you.’ Prue’s soft grey eyes slid over her, narrowing a little in concern. ‘Are you all right? You’re looking a bit skinny and tired. I dare say you’re still grieving for our lovely Jack?’

‘I’m afraid that will always be the case. He was a wonderful husband.’

‘Ah, so you did marry?’

‘Indeed we did, although I haven’t yet convinced Hugh of that fact.’

‘He is in the depths of despair himself right now, as we all are.’

‘I fully understand and offer you my sympathies, darling, as I did to Hugh. Although that failed to calm his temper.’

Prue gave an amused little smile. ‘He probably hasn’t forgiven you for robbing him of his best pal. They were almost like twins, those two, there being only a year between them. I hope he made you feel welcome. And is he prepared to let you stay? He never even told me you were here.’

‘I arrived only yesterday evening, but I’ll be staying only a day or two at most.’ Were it not for the fact that he was Prue’s brother, she might well have explained how Hugh had accused her of seducing and running off with darling Jack. Very sensibly, she remained silent on the subject. ‘But that’s fine, as I must return to Castlefield, hopefully to find myself a job.’

‘Oh, I do wish you could stay longer, but I’m sure you’ll succeed in finding one; you’re a hard worker. And the city centre is not too far away—an easy train ride—so you can always pop over for the odd weekend. I would love to see more of you, lovey, as I’ve missed you so much,’ Prue said. Tucking her arm through Brenda’s, she led her out along the garden path while tossing sticks for the dog. ‘So did the members of our staff, although I wouldn’t say that was a feeling generally shared by my father or siblings,’ she added with a rueful grin.

‘I’m fully aware of that fact. I missed you too, and am just glad to be here,’ Brenda said, recalling how Prue’s married sister, Melissa, had always been distinctly unfriendly and disapproving. Despite her anxious need to find her beloved son, Brenda had returned with some degree of reluctance to the family fold. She’d had few expectations of welcome, having been thrown out simply for falling madly in love with a wonderful young man. Would Jack’s grand sister still hold that against her?

Today, however, having found her dear old friend, she was feeling much more optimistic. The sun was shining, a beautiful bright day, which made Brenda feel much better. She’d long believed these hills possessed personalities of their own. Sometimes they appeared sullen and brooding, at others alight with promise. Now they were aglow with purple heather, which was so good to enjoy before the snows of winter blanketed them. She’d suffered enough from freezing snow to last a lifetime.

‘Did you enjoy staying with darling Mama?’ Prue asked. ‘I badly missed her when she left to return to France, but I’m so glad she helped you.’

‘It was thanks to your mother that I got this job in the first place. She was always so kind and generous. I came to love her dearly while caring for her in France. When did you last hear from her?’ Brenda asked, striving to curb the fear in her tone of voice.

Giving a slight frown, Prue shook her head. ‘I can’t remember. We received very few letters from her, probably because of the German occupation. But then Melissa received a telegram from a hospital telling us of her death. It was so heartbreaking I had no wish to even read it. It was a difficult time for me. My husband had been killed too, at El Alamein,’ Prue told her, then pulled her face. ‘We married in something of a rush because of the war, and spent one week together before he was sent overseas. I never saw him again.’

‘Oh, how dreadful. I’m so sorry to hear that.’

Prue gave a little shrug. ‘I’m not sure marrying him was the right thing to do. We hardly knew each other. I just fancied him, I suppose. Or else, deep in some secret part of me, I felt the need to rebel against my father for constantly ordering me to marry someone rich. And you know how impulsive I can be. I’m sorry he died, poor man. But even the week we spent together wasn’t exactly a happy one. If it wasn’t so tragic, it would almost seem like the plot of a Victorian melodrama.’

Brenda giggled. ‘Your family does seem to live in the past, and it must be quite lonely at times for you in this remote countryside.’

Hugging her arm closer, Prue whispered in her ear, ‘Actually, I do have a new friend. Earlier this year a PoW was placed with us. He was so pleased to be allowed out to work on the land, being originally interned at the Palace camp in Douglas, among other places in the Isle of Man, simply for being Italian.’

‘Oh, my goodness! I too was held in an internment camp, simply for being British,’ Brenda admitted.

Prue stopped walking to stare at her friend in horror. ‘Was that part of the traumas you’ve had to face? Please tell me more. What kind of a life did you and Mama live in Paris, and how on earth did you cope when the Germans arrived? Oh, do tell me everything, I need to hear all your news.’

Brenda brushed aside these questions with a sad little smile. ‘Maybe later. It’s a long story and not a pleasant one, thanks to the war. But Camille was very happy to be back in her home country. Sadly, in 1941 she had to leave her beloved apartment to live somewhere in the Loire Valley with her cousin, as I’ve explained to your brother. But I don’t know where.’

‘Why would she do that?’

‘Because of the dangers involved in staying in Paris. It was a complete nightmare.’

Prue’s eyes darkened as they met her friend’s gaze with deep sympathy. ‘This dratted war has ruined the lives of entire families.’

‘Indeed it has, including yours and mine.’ How could she be sure that her little Tommy was safe? The chill within Brenda worsened as images and memories she preferred to block out returned yet again to haunt her. ‘I like to think that all the traumas I’ve had to deal with have made me so much stronger. I’m sure the same is true of you too.’ Putting her arms about her friend, she gave her a warm hug. ‘So what is he called, this PoW?’

‘Dino, and we’re becoming quite close friends,’ Prue said, her cheeks turning slightly pink. ‘He’s a lovely man.’

‘Sounds as if it might grow into something more than friendship,’ Brenda commented with a smile.

‘It already has, not that I’ve revealed this fact to Melissa or Hugh. I know they would never approve. If they believed for one moment that I was falling for one of the enemy, I’m quite sure they’d send Dino straight back to the prison camp. And were it not for the fact that I’m their sister, they’d toss me out too, just as they did with you. So please don’t say a word to them on the subject, not till I’ve explained to Hugh how we feel about each other.’

‘Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.’ Brenda chuckled. ‘I firmly believe that we women should be free to make our own decisions in life, particularly when there’s a war on. So go for it, girl. Do what is right for you, as I did by marrying your lovely brother. At least we had some happy months together, if not the lifetime we’d hoped for. But the war will soon be over and we must then look to the future.’

‘We certainly will, and must help each other as much as we can. I can feel an anguish in you, sweetie, and I believe the only way to deal with such pain is for you to talk about it. I’m happy to listen.’

Looking into her dear friend’s eyes, Brenda realised she might well be right. She’d struggled so many times to do that in the past, sadly with little success. It was hard to find the right words to express her emotions. Some elements of the various traumas she’d suffered were now lost to her, shut out forever, perhaps because the stress and strain of remembering was far too painful. She really had no wish to dig down too deep and open that locked box again. But perhaps she could tell a little, if only in the hope that it might help her to sleep better and bring her back into the real world.

Sitting on a bench beneath an old oak tree, Brenda began to speak of what had happened to her following Jack’s death. But she resolutely made no mention of the birth of her son. There would come a time when she must reveal more facts, but not right now. She simply couldn’t cope with everything at once.