within seconds I was lost in the scrum. My head was throbbing and lights were going off like fire crackers in front of my eyes. Had I missed them?
I shoved through the crowd until I was level with carriage B.
‘Fannella! What on earth?’ Lucca caught hold of my arm and span me around.
‘Your coat—’ He stopped when he saw my face. ‘What has happened to you?’ He reached out to wipe something from my brow and I saw red on his fingers. The engine – our engine – whistled again and another bank of steam roiled up.
‘Did you find them?’ My head was whirling. I felt like I’d taken in a skinful of Old Peter’s noxious stuff myself.
‘Kitty!’
I heard Joey before I saw him. Seconds later two young men, one tall and dark, one slight and fair, emerged from the smoke and hurried towards us. They were dressed in dull workwear the colour of French gravy, and both of them wore mufflers and caps.
Between them they carried a trunk strung on looped leather handles set on either side. They came to a halt just in front of us and set the trunk down carefully. I felt, rather than saw, Lucca stiffen in surprise.
‘You’re bleeding.’ Joey reached out to touch my forehead just as Lucca had done. I saw him dart a look at David, who was reaching into the pocket of his jacket.
‘Here. Take it.’ David handed me a white square. ‘What happened to you, lass?’ He bent to examine my face, brushing the tips of his fingers gently across my forehead and down the right side of my face.
The whistle shrieked again and the guard clapped his hands. ‘ S’il vous plaît, monter à bord .’
I took the ’kerchief and gripped it tight. ‘There’s no time to explain. We have to go aboard.’
‘First class, number 24?’ David took up the strap again.
‘It’s that one.’ I pointed at a blank train window several foot away. The blind was pulled down. I bit my lip as I looked down at the trunk. My ears were ringing again.
‘Joey, take it up, quickly, man.’ Without looking at me, David and Joey lifted the trunk. I made to follow them aboard, but Lucca pulled at my sleeve. ‘Fannella?’
He glanced up at the two men who were just disappearing from view into the train corridor running alongside the compartments. He frowned and jerked his head in question.
‘No time.’ I gripped the brass rail and hauled myself up the steps. My head felt like a cracked egg.
I was surprised that Lucca didn’t follow straight behind.
‘ Monsieur! Le train quitte maintenant .’
The guard barked again as Lucca dithered on the platform. He scanned the crowd one last time and then, finally, he climbed the steps to follow me along the narrow corridor to our compartment.
The trunk was now in the middle of the floor between the seats. David and Joey stood in the dim passage outside. I could feel the throb of the engine through the polished boards beneath my feet.
‘I must thank you, bonny Kitty, from the bottom of my heart. I won’t forget this.’ David swallowed the words, took off his cap and twisted it about in his hands. He looked wretched. There were great bags beneath his eyes.
‘Until we meet again.’ He leaned forward to kiss my cheek and my skin burned.
‘Robbie loves his poppet, don’t lose it.’ He whispered the words and then, before I could ask what he meant, he pushed roughly past. I knew it was because he didn’t want me to see him crying.
Joey caught my hand and stared at me. I couldn’t read his expression at that moment – there was such a stew of confusion, pain, fear and relief simmering through me I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening. I thought he looked sad, but looking back now it was fear I saw in his eyes, I’d stake Paradise on it.
‘Thank you.’ He mouthed the words and hugged me tightly.
‘Joey. I . . . I wish. Yesterday . . . I wanted to say—’
He put a finger to my lips. ‘There’s nothing to say. We’ve found each other again and I must thank you, for everything .’ He
I shoved through the crowd until I was level with carriage B.
‘Fannella! What on earth?’ Lucca caught hold of my arm and span me around.
‘Your coat—’ He stopped when he saw my face. ‘What has happened to you?’ He reached out to wipe something from my brow and I saw red on his fingers. The engine – our engine – whistled again and another bank of steam roiled up.
‘Did you find them?’ My head was whirling. I felt like I’d taken in a skinful of Old Peter’s noxious stuff myself.
‘Kitty!’
I heard Joey before I saw him. Seconds later two young men, one tall and dark, one slight and fair, emerged from the smoke and hurried towards us. They were dressed in dull workwear the colour of French gravy, and both of them wore mufflers and caps.
Between them they carried a trunk strung on looped leather handles set on either side. They came to a halt just in front of us and set the trunk down carefully. I felt, rather than saw, Lucca stiffen in surprise.
‘You’re bleeding.’ Joey reached out to touch my forehead just as Lucca had done. I saw him dart a look at David, who was reaching into the pocket of his jacket.
‘Here. Take it.’ David handed me a white square. ‘What happened to you, lass?’ He bent to examine my face, brushing the tips of his fingers gently across my forehead and down the right side of my face.
The whistle shrieked again and the guard clapped his hands. ‘ S’il vous plaît, monter à bord .’
I took the ’kerchief and gripped it tight. ‘There’s no time to explain. We have to go aboard.’
‘First class, number 24?’ David took up the strap again.
‘It’s that one.’ I pointed at a blank train window several foot away. The blind was pulled down. I bit my lip as I looked down at the trunk. My ears were ringing again.
‘Joey, take it up, quickly, man.’ Without looking at me, David and Joey lifted the trunk. I made to follow them aboard, but Lucca pulled at my sleeve. ‘Fannella?’
He glanced up at the two men who were just disappearing from view into the train corridor running alongside the compartments. He frowned and jerked his head in question.
‘No time.’ I gripped the brass rail and hauled myself up the steps. My head felt like a cracked egg.
I was surprised that Lucca didn’t follow straight behind.
‘ Monsieur! Le train quitte maintenant .’
The guard barked again as Lucca dithered on the platform. He scanned the crowd one last time and then, finally, he climbed the steps to follow me along the narrow corridor to our compartment.
The trunk was now in the middle of the floor between the seats. David and Joey stood in the dim passage outside. I could feel the throb of the engine through the polished boards beneath my feet.
‘I must thank you, bonny Kitty, from the bottom of my heart. I won’t forget this.’ David swallowed the words, took off his cap and twisted it about in his hands. He looked wretched. There were great bags beneath his eyes.
‘Until we meet again.’ He leaned forward to kiss my cheek and my skin burned.
‘Robbie loves his poppet, don’t lose it.’ He whispered the words and then, before I could ask what he meant, he pushed roughly past. I knew it was because he didn’t want me to see him crying.
Joey caught my hand and stared at me. I couldn’t read his expression at that moment – there was such a stew of confusion, pain, fear and relief simmering through me I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening. I thought he looked sad, but looking back now it was fear I saw in his eyes, I’d stake Paradise on it.
‘Thank you.’ He mouthed the words and hugged me tightly.
‘Joey. I . . . I wish. Yesterday . . . I wanted to say—’
He put a finger to my lips. ‘There’s nothing to say. We’ve found each other again and I must thank you, for everything .’ He
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