the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, addressed the nation, struggling to keep the anguish from his voice:
‘This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a formal note stating that, unless we heard from them by eleven o’clock this morning that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.’
Chrissie had been holding her breath, but now let out a huge sob. Billy wrapped his arms around her and she turned and clung to him. Dr Skinner calmly lit up a cigarette and blew the smoke across the table.
‘Well, that’s that then,’ he declared. ‘Better get your bags packed, Billy.’
‘Samuel!’ shouted Mabel. ‘Stop it. Can’t you see Chrissie’s upset?’
Billy stood up. ‘It’s alright, Mrs Skinner. Come on, Chrissie, let’s go for a walk.’
As they wandered down the path, Chrissie gazed up at the skies. ‘Do you think it will be safe?’
Billy laughed. ‘I don’t think the Luftwaffe could get here that quickly.’
The streets were almost empty, save for a few mothers clutching their babies tightly. They were off to church to have their infants baptised immediately. The panic in the air was tangible and Chrissie clung to Billy’s arm.
‘I’m sorry about my father.’
‘You’ve been apologising for him since the day we met. He’s never going to accept us as a couple so we might as well get used to it. Anyway, he’s right. I will have to go away.’
Chrissie stopped in her tracks and covered her face with her hands.
Billy put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. ‘I don’t know what to say, Chrissie. It’s terrible, I know, but there is nothing I can do.’
They had reached the park and Chrissie plonked herself down on a bench.
‘It’s worse than you think,’ she said miserably. Her hands trembled in her lap. ‘Can I have a cigarette, please?’
Billy widened his eyes in astonishment as he held out a packet of Woodbine.
She pulled one from the pack but her shaking hands couldn’t keep hold if it. ‘Can you light it for me?’
‘Of course.’ He expertly lit the cigarette and took a long drag before handing it to Chrissie.
She placed it between her lips and sucked at the tip.
‘You’re not doing it right. Breathe from your lungs.’
Chrissie took a deep breath and felt the smoke fill her chest. She immediately spluttered and coughed violently as the smoke travelled down her nose, making her eyes water.
‘Thanks,’ she managed, handing the cigarette back to Billy. ‘I feel better for that.’
Billy laughed and kissed her forehead lightly. ‘We’ll get through it, you know.’
Chrissie fell silent and gazed at the children running round the park. She wondered if they had understood what had happened that morning. War probably seemed like the most exciting adventure in the world to them. They would soon be evacuated though, separated from their families for months, even years. Chrissie shuddered at the thought. Billy lay back on the bench, with his hands clasped behind his head, face up to the sun, eyes closed. She laid her head on his chest and could hear his heart beating gently, and she welcomed the warmth of him, the scent of his freshly-laundered shirt and the feel of the tight muscles in his stomach. She did not know if she could endure being parted from him.
‘Billy?’ she whispered eventually.
‘What?’ he replied, without opening his eyes.
‘I’m pregnant.’
Billy froze for a second and Chrissie felt the change in his heartbeat. He pushed her away slightly so he could look into her eyes.
‘What? How? I mean, you can’t be. It’s not possible.’
She watched the blood slowly drain from his face as he waited for an explanation.
‘ Well, it obviously is possible,’ replied Chrissie, somewhat indignantly. ‘Because I
‘This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a formal note stating that, unless we heard from them by eleven o’clock this morning that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.’
Chrissie had been holding her breath, but now let out a huge sob. Billy wrapped his arms around her and she turned and clung to him. Dr Skinner calmly lit up a cigarette and blew the smoke across the table.
‘Well, that’s that then,’ he declared. ‘Better get your bags packed, Billy.’
‘Samuel!’ shouted Mabel. ‘Stop it. Can’t you see Chrissie’s upset?’
Billy stood up. ‘It’s alright, Mrs Skinner. Come on, Chrissie, let’s go for a walk.’
As they wandered down the path, Chrissie gazed up at the skies. ‘Do you think it will be safe?’
Billy laughed. ‘I don’t think the Luftwaffe could get here that quickly.’
The streets were almost empty, save for a few mothers clutching their babies tightly. They were off to church to have their infants baptised immediately. The panic in the air was tangible and Chrissie clung to Billy’s arm.
‘I’m sorry about my father.’
‘You’ve been apologising for him since the day we met. He’s never going to accept us as a couple so we might as well get used to it. Anyway, he’s right. I will have to go away.’
Chrissie stopped in her tracks and covered her face with her hands.
Billy put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. ‘I don’t know what to say, Chrissie. It’s terrible, I know, but there is nothing I can do.’
They had reached the park and Chrissie plonked herself down on a bench.
‘It’s worse than you think,’ she said miserably. Her hands trembled in her lap. ‘Can I have a cigarette, please?’
Billy widened his eyes in astonishment as he held out a packet of Woodbine.
She pulled one from the pack but her shaking hands couldn’t keep hold if it. ‘Can you light it for me?’
‘Of course.’ He expertly lit the cigarette and took a long drag before handing it to Chrissie.
She placed it between her lips and sucked at the tip.
‘You’re not doing it right. Breathe from your lungs.’
Chrissie took a deep breath and felt the smoke fill her chest. She immediately spluttered and coughed violently as the smoke travelled down her nose, making her eyes water.
‘Thanks,’ she managed, handing the cigarette back to Billy. ‘I feel better for that.’
Billy laughed and kissed her forehead lightly. ‘We’ll get through it, you know.’
Chrissie fell silent and gazed at the children running round the park. She wondered if they had understood what had happened that morning. War probably seemed like the most exciting adventure in the world to them. They would soon be evacuated though, separated from their families for months, even years. Chrissie shuddered at the thought. Billy lay back on the bench, with his hands clasped behind his head, face up to the sun, eyes closed. She laid her head on his chest and could hear his heart beating gently, and she welcomed the warmth of him, the scent of his freshly-laundered shirt and the feel of the tight muscles in his stomach. She did not know if she could endure being parted from him.
‘Billy?’ she whispered eventually.
‘What?’ he replied, without opening his eyes.
‘I’m pregnant.’
Billy froze for a second and Chrissie felt the change in his heartbeat. He pushed her away slightly so he could look into her eyes.
‘What? How? I mean, you can’t be. It’s not possible.’
She watched the blood slowly drain from his face as he waited for an explanation.
‘ Well, it obviously is possible,’ replied Chrissie, somewhat indignantly. ‘Because I
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