brandy.’
‘I don’t want no brandy. I want Ernie. Oh, Gawd, I’ll never forgive meself if ’e’s been ’urt.’
Peggy gently stroked the hair out of Sally’s eyes and held her face. ‘Stop it, Sally. You’ll make yourself ill. Ron is with the boys and he’ll make sure they’re safe. They’ll be home in a minute, you’ll see.’
‘But the plane come from up there where they’ve gone. I saw it.’
‘It was too busy shooting at everyone down on the seafront to bother with an old man and three boys,’ she soothed, taking the glass of brandy from Anne with a nod of thanks. ‘Drink this, Sally. It will make you feel better.’
Sally took a sip and screwed up her face. It tasted horrible – but the shock of it seemed to calm her.
Anne came and sat beside her. ‘Did you get caught in it all, Sally? Is that why you’re so frightened?’
Sally nodded and sniffed and had to borrow yet another of Mrs Reilly’s handkerchiefs to blow her nose. ‘It were awful,’ she hiccupped. ‘It come out of nowhere and just started shooting everyone. Some bloke grabbed me and shoved me under one of them seats, otherwise I’d’ve been killed too.’
‘Whatch’a crying for Sal? Yer ain’t ’urt, are yer?’
‘Ernie? Oh, Ernie.’ Sally flew across the room and grabbed hold of him. ‘I thought you was shot,’ she said against his neck. ‘I was out of me mind with worry.’
He squirmed away from her grip. ‘Granddad Ron made us all hide in the bushes,’ he said. ‘I weren’t frightened,’ he added defiantly.
‘Thank you, Mr Reilly, for looking after ’im. I were that worried.’
Ron shrugged off her thanks, muttered something about feeding the ferrets and went back to the basement.
Ernie was frowning as he tugged at Sally’s arm. ‘What ’appened to yer coat, Sal? It’s all dirty and yer got a cut on yer knee and all.’
Sally hadn’t noticed. ‘I fell over,’ she said, smoothing back his hair from the little face that was still rosy with fresh air and excitement. ‘Weren’t looking where I were going, as usual.’
‘Cor,’ he yelled. ‘Is that a real bullet-’ole in yer bag? Is the bullet inside? Can I ’ave it?’
She took her bag from him, eyed the neat hole in the side, and realised there was another in the bottom. ‘It must ’ave gone right through,’ she said. ‘Sorry, Ernie, there ain’t no bullet.’
His little face looked mournful as he stared at the handbag. ‘Are you sure?’
She realised she had to distract him. ‘Look what I got, Ernie.’ She pulled the bag of humbugs out of her coat pocket.
‘They’re all squashed,’ he complained.
‘Sorry, luv, I must have fell on ’em. But I reckon they’ll still taste all right. Mind you share ’em now.’
She watched him sit on the top stair to the basement and bump his way down on his bottom before she sank into the chair by the fire. Her legs were shaking, and she felt as if the stuffing had been knocked out of her.
‘How can I go to work and leave ’im?’ she asked Anne. ‘What if there’s another attack and I can’t get to ’im? I thought we was supposed to be safe ’ere.’
Anne put her arm round Sally’s shoulder. ‘We can’t stop going to work, or keep the children from school, or not have any fun, and just sit about waiting for the next raid, just because there’s a war on,’ she murmured. ‘If we do that, then we’re letting down all those brave boys who’re risking their lives for us.’ She gave a deep sigh. ‘Like those pilots today. They knew what had to be done, and they did it with no thought for their own safety.’
‘I saw a poster today.’ Peggy put the kettle on the hob and rattled teacups. ‘It said something like, “Your Courage Will Bring Victory”, so that’s the attitude we’re going to have in this house,’ she said, with quiet determination. ‘No matter how bad it gets, or how frightened we are, we will keep our heads high, roll up our sleeves and keep going
‘I don’t want no brandy. I want Ernie. Oh, Gawd, I’ll never forgive meself if ’e’s been ’urt.’
Peggy gently stroked the hair out of Sally’s eyes and held her face. ‘Stop it, Sally. You’ll make yourself ill. Ron is with the boys and he’ll make sure they’re safe. They’ll be home in a minute, you’ll see.’
‘But the plane come from up there where they’ve gone. I saw it.’
‘It was too busy shooting at everyone down on the seafront to bother with an old man and three boys,’ she soothed, taking the glass of brandy from Anne with a nod of thanks. ‘Drink this, Sally. It will make you feel better.’
Sally took a sip and screwed up her face. It tasted horrible – but the shock of it seemed to calm her.
Anne came and sat beside her. ‘Did you get caught in it all, Sally? Is that why you’re so frightened?’
Sally nodded and sniffed and had to borrow yet another of Mrs Reilly’s handkerchiefs to blow her nose. ‘It were awful,’ she hiccupped. ‘It come out of nowhere and just started shooting everyone. Some bloke grabbed me and shoved me under one of them seats, otherwise I’d’ve been killed too.’
‘Whatch’a crying for Sal? Yer ain’t ’urt, are yer?’
‘Ernie? Oh, Ernie.’ Sally flew across the room and grabbed hold of him. ‘I thought you was shot,’ she said against his neck. ‘I was out of me mind with worry.’
He squirmed away from her grip. ‘Granddad Ron made us all hide in the bushes,’ he said. ‘I weren’t frightened,’ he added defiantly.
‘Thank you, Mr Reilly, for looking after ’im. I were that worried.’
Ron shrugged off her thanks, muttered something about feeding the ferrets and went back to the basement.
Ernie was frowning as he tugged at Sally’s arm. ‘What ’appened to yer coat, Sal? It’s all dirty and yer got a cut on yer knee and all.’
Sally hadn’t noticed. ‘I fell over,’ she said, smoothing back his hair from the little face that was still rosy with fresh air and excitement. ‘Weren’t looking where I were going, as usual.’
‘Cor,’ he yelled. ‘Is that a real bullet-’ole in yer bag? Is the bullet inside? Can I ’ave it?’
She took her bag from him, eyed the neat hole in the side, and realised there was another in the bottom. ‘It must ’ave gone right through,’ she said. ‘Sorry, Ernie, there ain’t no bullet.’
His little face looked mournful as he stared at the handbag. ‘Are you sure?’
She realised she had to distract him. ‘Look what I got, Ernie.’ She pulled the bag of humbugs out of her coat pocket.
‘They’re all squashed,’ he complained.
‘Sorry, luv, I must have fell on ’em. But I reckon they’ll still taste all right. Mind you share ’em now.’
She watched him sit on the top stair to the basement and bump his way down on his bottom before she sank into the chair by the fire. Her legs were shaking, and she felt as if the stuffing had been knocked out of her.
‘How can I go to work and leave ’im?’ she asked Anne. ‘What if there’s another attack and I can’t get to ’im? I thought we was supposed to be safe ’ere.’
Anne put her arm round Sally’s shoulder. ‘We can’t stop going to work, or keep the children from school, or not have any fun, and just sit about waiting for the next raid, just because there’s a war on,’ she murmured. ‘If we do that, then we’re letting down all those brave boys who’re risking their lives for us.’ She gave a deep sigh. ‘Like those pilots today. They knew what had to be done, and they did it with no thought for their own safety.’
‘I saw a poster today.’ Peggy put the kettle on the hob and rattled teacups. ‘It said something like, “Your Courage Will Bring Victory”, so that’s the attitude we’re going to have in this house,’ she said, with quiet determination. ‘No matter how bad it gets, or how frightened we are, we will keep our heads high, roll up our sleeves and keep going
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