it.’
Freddie almost seemed to want Cecil to know he was back, as though he wanted to force things. But he didn’t know Cecil, he didn’t know what Cecil might do. Harriet did. And because of that she wasn’t going to let Freddie coerce her into anything.
‘Why did you come back, Freddie?’ she demanded and even though she could see the sudden hurt in his eyes she couldn’t hold back. After all, it was his fault, all this, not hers. He had brought it on himself. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to see you, Lord knows, but for God’s sake why didn’t you stay in Canada? You had a life there. You said you had a new life.’
Freddie said nothing. He didn’t have to. He reached over and took her hand and held it and they sat like that for a long time until Mr Pashkint had stood up and offered his wife his arm and tottered back with her through the gate and away.
Chapter Six
OCTOBER 1952
Anne was proving to a be something of a handful.
It was Monday morning. The smell of bacon wafted up from below and Mr Wallis could be heard, distantly and petulantly, complaining that there was no newspaper. The Times came some mornings but not others—for no adequately explained reason. Julius was up, Jean could hear him rummaging about in his room, flinging open doors and banging them shut again. But from Anne’s room there was silence.
‘Good morning, Anne. Oh, you still in bed? Come on, then, let’s get your things together for school.’
Jean came into the room, pulled Anne’s school uniform out of the wardrobe and handed it to her. Anne reached out to take it then withdrew her hand at the last minute so that the tunic fell to the floor.
‘I don’t want you going through my wardrobe, Nanny,’ she announced getting out of bed and flouncing over to the window.
Jean looked down at the uniform where it lay on the floor.
‘Oh. So how am I to get you ready for school then, Anne?’
‘I can get my self ready.’
‘Suit yourself. I’ll go and see if breakfast’s ready. Don’t forget your hat,’ and Jean indicated the St Lydwina’s straw hat hanging on its hook on the door. It was the third such hat Anne had had this month. The previous two were now at the bottom of the school pond and Anne was on double report with her teacher.
‘I did it on purpose,’ Anne had declared after the first incident. ‘My friend Patricia Pritchard said I was stupid because I’d done it while everyone was watching. She said they can’t get you if you do it when no one’s looking. But what’s the point of doing it when no one’s looking? She’s the one who’s stupid.’
What was the point of doing anything if no one was looking? That appeared to be Anne’s motto.
Downstairs The Times had made a miraculous, if tardy, appearance and Mr Wallis could now be heard exclaiming indignantly from the breakfast room. As Jean passed the door, Mrs Wallis looked up from her cup of coffee and saw her.
‘Nanny, where’s Anne got to? Her father will be leaving for the office soon and she must come and say goodbye.’
‘She’s coming down directly,’ replied Jean, though Anne had indicated no intention to do any such thing. It was strange, this insistence on saying goodbye to their father each morning, the three of them—Anne, Julius and Mrs Wallis—lined up at the front door as though Mr Wallis were going off to war rather than simply catching the Piccadilly Line to Holborn.
‘Oh. Goodfellow’s resigned,’ she heard Mr Wallis remark. ‘Harriet, your old school chum Daphne’s husband has resigned from the Ministry, ‘… in order’, it says here, ‘to concentrate on his electorate’. Wonder what that means?’
‘Anne, come and say goodbye to your father,’ Jean called up the stairs and, getting no response, went back up to the girl’s room.
‘I said goodbye to him last night,’ replied Anne and she got out of bed and wandered over to the window. ‘Father prefers it that way.’
There was silence while Jean
Freddie almost seemed to want Cecil to know he was back, as though he wanted to force things. But he didn’t know Cecil, he didn’t know what Cecil might do. Harriet did. And because of that she wasn’t going to let Freddie coerce her into anything.
‘Why did you come back, Freddie?’ she demanded and even though she could see the sudden hurt in his eyes she couldn’t hold back. After all, it was his fault, all this, not hers. He had brought it on himself. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to see you, Lord knows, but for God’s sake why didn’t you stay in Canada? You had a life there. You said you had a new life.’
Freddie said nothing. He didn’t have to. He reached over and took her hand and held it and they sat like that for a long time until Mr Pashkint had stood up and offered his wife his arm and tottered back with her through the gate and away.
Chapter Six
OCTOBER 1952
Anne was proving to a be something of a handful.
It was Monday morning. The smell of bacon wafted up from below and Mr Wallis could be heard, distantly and petulantly, complaining that there was no newspaper. The Times came some mornings but not others—for no adequately explained reason. Julius was up, Jean could hear him rummaging about in his room, flinging open doors and banging them shut again. But from Anne’s room there was silence.
‘Good morning, Anne. Oh, you still in bed? Come on, then, let’s get your things together for school.’
Jean came into the room, pulled Anne’s school uniform out of the wardrobe and handed it to her. Anne reached out to take it then withdrew her hand at the last minute so that the tunic fell to the floor.
‘I don’t want you going through my wardrobe, Nanny,’ she announced getting out of bed and flouncing over to the window.
Jean looked down at the uniform where it lay on the floor.
‘Oh. So how am I to get you ready for school then, Anne?’
‘I can get my self ready.’
‘Suit yourself. I’ll go and see if breakfast’s ready. Don’t forget your hat,’ and Jean indicated the St Lydwina’s straw hat hanging on its hook on the door. It was the third such hat Anne had had this month. The previous two were now at the bottom of the school pond and Anne was on double report with her teacher.
‘I did it on purpose,’ Anne had declared after the first incident. ‘My friend Patricia Pritchard said I was stupid because I’d done it while everyone was watching. She said they can’t get you if you do it when no one’s looking. But what’s the point of doing it when no one’s looking? She’s the one who’s stupid.’
What was the point of doing anything if no one was looking? That appeared to be Anne’s motto.
Downstairs The Times had made a miraculous, if tardy, appearance and Mr Wallis could now be heard exclaiming indignantly from the breakfast room. As Jean passed the door, Mrs Wallis looked up from her cup of coffee and saw her.
‘Nanny, where’s Anne got to? Her father will be leaving for the office soon and she must come and say goodbye.’
‘She’s coming down directly,’ replied Jean, though Anne had indicated no intention to do any such thing. It was strange, this insistence on saying goodbye to their father each morning, the three of them—Anne, Julius and Mrs Wallis—lined up at the front door as though Mr Wallis were going off to war rather than simply catching the Piccadilly Line to Holborn.
‘Oh. Goodfellow’s resigned,’ she heard Mr Wallis remark. ‘Harriet, your old school chum Daphne’s husband has resigned from the Ministry, ‘… in order’, it says here, ‘to concentrate on his electorate’. Wonder what that means?’
‘Anne, come and say goodbye to your father,’ Jean called up the stairs and, getting no response, went back up to the girl’s room.
‘I said goodbye to him last night,’ replied Anne and she got out of bed and wandered over to the window. ‘Father prefers it that way.’
There was silence while Jean
Similar Books
