Gracie's Sin by Freda Lightfoot Page A

their first placement. Qualified candidates would be formally enrolled into the Timber Corps and sent to some job or other, which could be anywhere in the country. It might involve felling, doing a census, measuring the girths of trees, driving or haulage, or simply being involved with paperwork. They weren’t given much say, but were allowed to put forward their preferences and, encouraged by Lou, who was determined to remain close to Gordon, the squad had requested to be posted together somewhere in Cornwall.
    Enid too was keen to stay in the county, since she’d met an airman from St Mawgan and was always slipping out to meet him. On at least two occasions both girls had arrived back dangerously late, having stuffed their kitbags beneath the blankets to make it look as if they were asleep.
    ‘You’ll get found out,’ Gracie worried, seeing that the pair were again making preparations to break the curfew.
    ‘Then you’ll just have to sweet talk the old goat some more, won’t you?’ Lou teased, then more seriously, ‘You never did explain exactly how you persuaded Matron to let me go out with Gordon that time, or on so many occasions since, come to that.’
    ‘That would be telling.’
    ‘Aw go on. I thought we were mates. No secrets.’
    ‘This is one secret that is shared between myself and Elsie.’
    ‘And who’s Elsie when she’s at home?’
    ‘That would be telling too.’
    Jeannie said, ‘Gie over worrying about what’s past, girl. It’s what happens next that matters. There’s some of us might like to move further north. I wouldna mind goin’ back to bonnie Scotland meself. Though I’m told there are few billets out in the wilds of the highlands, so it’d be more camp life. And a pretty cold one, I’d say.’
    Lena pulled a face. ‘I’d prefer working for a timber merchant myself, or in a nice warm sawmill. More civilised.’
    ‘Dinna ye believe it. There’s some randy buggers run these sawmills.’ Which made them all laugh.
    ‘What about farmers? Don’t they have a reputation too, Jeannie?’ Lou asked, brown eyes shining.
    ‘Awch aye, but they’re old, so they can’t run so fast as me.’
    Gracie said, ‘Have you got a boy friend back home in Scotland then? Is that the real reason you want to go?’
    The Scot began patting and searching in her pockets for a cigarette. Sliding out the packet she pulled out a dog end and lit it, taking her time to draw in a long, satisfying drag. ‘Not any more. I had a fiancé. He was in the RAF, but he was shot down.’ The silence was long and sombre. It was Jeannie herself who broke it. ‘Don’t say anything. There’s nothing to say. Such is war. So, it might as well be Cornwall as anywhere, I suppose. I’m game.’
     
    Lou was out with Gordon on the afternoon that Gracie’s parents came to take her home. In fact on this, their last Saturday, all their plans seemed to go awry. It had been arranged that tonight they would take up Eddie’s invitation to supper, then Gordon arrived unexpectedly and Lou begged Gracie to go without her.
    ‘Offer my apologies but say I got called away. A relative came to visit. Long lost Aunt Mathilda. Anything you like.’
    ‘Relative? Don’t you mean husband?’
    Lou shrugged her shapely shoulders and pouted her lips to carefully apply a second layer of lipstick. ‘Tell him the truth if you like. I don’t care. He may appear to be smitten but he’ll get over it. Don’t worry, I’m a one man girl, me. It’s just that I do love to tease. I was only having a bit of fun. I’d’ve let him down gently.’ She rolled up her bangs, smoothing them back from her face and pushing in a couple more kirby grips to hold them in place.
    ‘Playing with fire more like. Why do I feel I’m drawing the short straw here,’ Gracie moaned.
    ‘Stop fretting. You’re not the one he’s after.’
    ‘Thank God.’
    ‘You’ll have Rose for company, and get well fed for once. That can’t be bad. Anyway, you’re