Where Bluebells Chime

‘Eighteen. Nineteen next March. But can we dance again, please?’

All at once it wasn’t enough to be sitting beside him, her hand in his. She needed to be closer, his arms around her. She needed it especially because he was right; not only did aircraft go missing, but even when they got back the rear-gunner was sometimes dead. Tail-end Charlies they were called. Luftwaffe fighter pilots always shot up the gunner first.

He took her in his arms and she moved closer. ‘I think I’m falling in love with you,’ she whispered in her best Imperial Russian.

‘What did you say?’ he laughed.

‘I was speaking in Russian.’ She lifted her eyes to his. ‘I said I think – I think you are a very good dancer.’ Her cheeks flushed hotly because she had almost said it; had wanted to say it.

‘Thanks. You’re no’ bad yourself.’

He drew her closer still and rested his cheek on her head and she relaxed against him and let go her indrawn breath in a sigh of contentment.

She wanted tonight never to end. She wanted to stay in his arms until the war was over.

‘Will you ring me tomorrow?’ she murmured, suddenly bold.

‘If we aren’t flying. No one can phone out if we’re going on ops. Security, you see. But if there’s no call, wish me luck when I fly over?’

‘I will, Tim.’ With all her heart and soul she would wish him luck; will him safely back. He had to get back. He couldn’t get killed; not when they had only just met. Not when she loved him so much.

‘Sssh. We’ll wake them up,’ Daisy breathed as their feet crunched the gravel drive that led to Denniston House.

‘Can you see all right, Tatty?’ Drew whispered as she fumbled her key into the lock.

‘Fine, thanks.’ Carefully she swung the door open, then turned to fold her arms round Drew, kissing him fondly.

‘G’night, coz. ’Night, Daisy. It’s been just great. Thanks for getting me in, Gracie.’

‘No bother. I’ll let you know next time they send us an invitation.’

At an upstairs window, Anna Sutton pulled back the curtain, peering into the moonlit night. She needn’t have worried. Her daughter was safely home. She watched as Drew and Daisy and Rowangarth’s land girl waved a silent good night, then slipped back into bed, listening to the sound of the closing of the front door, the slipping home of the bolts, the creaking of the second stair from the top as Tatiana crept to her room. The knob of the bedroom door turned slowly, carefully.

‘I’m home,’ Tatiana whispered.

The light from the landing fell on Anna’s closed eyelids. Her mother was asleep. Gently she closed the door.

Anna’s eyes flew open and a smile tilted the corners of her mouth. Dear, innocent Tatiana. She hoped she’d had a lovely time.

They said good night to Gracie at the bothy gate, then Daisy slipped her arm through Drew’s.

‘Are you coming in for a drink? Mam said she’d leave a tray for us.’ She pushed open the door, still unlocked, then switched on the kitchen light, her eyes automatically turning to check the blackout curtains. ‘Sit down, Drew. Won’t be a minute. My, but you had a good time – danced with Gracie most of the night, didn’t you?’

‘Mm. I like her. She’s fun. She’s a good dancer, too. Taught me some new steps. She says there’s a dance in Creesby on Wednesday night – shall we all go?’

‘Drew Sutton, I believe you’re sweet on her! You haven’t fallen for her, have you?’

‘Of course not!’ Drew’s cheeks coloured.

‘You kissed her good night …’

‘I kissed Tatty good night and I suppose I shall kiss you good night too, Daiz, but I haven’t fallen for any of you!’

‘Then you disappoint me. Here you are, almost twenty-three and still heart-whole. Are you going the way of all sailors with a girl in every port?’

‘Sorry, Daiz, no. I’d like to have just one special girl – fall in love with her. I like Gracie. She’s pretty and she’s great to be with. And could you lend her a dress, do you think, for the Creesby dance; just until her mother sends her one from home, and her dancing shoes? She says it’s awful going to a dance in breeches and a shirt and tie.’

‘Course I will, but are you sure you aren’t just a little bit in love?’

‘I like Gracie a lot – I’ve just said so – but she isn’t the one. I’ll know the minute I kiss her when the right girl comes along. And when she does, you’ll be the first to know, Daiz, I promise you!’

Julia lay still in bed, not wanting to move lest she awakened Nathan. Her mind buzzed with silly thoughts and tired as she was, sleep would not come.

She supposed she should try counting her blessings as her mother did. ‘Better than counting sheep, dear.’ And blessings Julia Sutton had aplenty. Drew was home and her husband had no fear of call-up. Nathan was fifty-two, next; her brother Giles’s age, had Giles lived. Giles would’ve been pleased she and Nathan were married.

Why had she waited so long? Why hadn’t she known Nathan loved her, had always loved her, even when he assisted at her wedding to Andrew?

Almost two years, now, since she and Nathan had been married quietly in York, yet even on their first night together she felt she must surely be cheating him; that never again could she love as she had loved Andrew.

That first, long-ago loving had been deep and passionate because for an army doctor and a young VAD nurse there were no tomorrows; just here and now and living wildly their moments together. Yet in all the three years she and Andrew had been married, only ten nights were spent in his arms.

Yet being married to Nathan was equally good, but in a different way. This time it was gentler and sweeter and safer, somehow, because for her and Nathan there was a tomorrow.

She swung her feet to the floor then padded to the window to pull aside the curtain. Delight washed over her at the sight of trees silvered by a bright, full moon, gilding the stable block and the outline of the bothy behind the wild garden; making a mockery of the blackout.

She stood, breath indrawn. Not a sound outside. No bombers airborne tonight. Unsafe for aircraft to range the skies silhouetted darkly against the brightness, easy targets for hunting night-fighters.

Tonight the crews at Holdenby Moor were grounded and doubtless dancing without a care because tonight at least they could be sure of one tomorrow. Drew had put on his uniform and gone to that dance with Daisy and Tatty and the new land girl. Now it was almost midnight and he wasn’t home yet.

‘Julia …’

‘Sorry, darling. Did I wake you?’

‘I wasn’t asleep. Come back to bed. Drew’s a grown man now. Bet he stays out later than this at Plymouth.’

‘Yes, but he’s at the aerodrome and outside it’s like daylight.’ She pulled back the covers and lay down beside Nathan. ‘On nights like this, German fighters come nuisance raiding, remember; flying in low out of the moon and shooting up our aerodromes and –’

‘Julia, for goodness’ sake! Drew is all right and Daisy and Tatty, too.’

‘Y-yes. I suppose so. But how did you know I was thinking about Drew being out?’

‘Of course you were. I know you so well that knowing what you are thinking comes easily.’

‘It does?’ She turned to face him, kissing him gently, her breath soft on his cheek. ‘Then tell me, what am I thinking now?’

‘You are thinking,’ he said huskily, drawing her closer, ‘that you want me to make love to you.’

‘Mm.’ She kissed him again. ‘My darling – how well you know me …’