A Time of Peace (24 page)

‘Bed,' Sam ordered the women. ‘You both need to get your strength up for Paris. And I need to see how much I have in the bank.'

This made them laugh, and Kate felt quite excited about their proposed trip.

She kissed Maria goodnight and hugged Sam and Jacques.

Sam spoke softly. ‘Sleep well, chérie. No more nightmares.'

It was nine o'clock in the morning before Kate opened her eyes the next day. The sun was shining; the only sound was the chattering of birds in the large tree outside her window. She watched sunlight casting shimmering patterns on the wall and sighed with contentment. That had been the most restful and untroubled night's sleep, and she felt more like her old self. She hadn't enjoyed Sam's grilling when she'd first arrived, but he'd known what he was doing. He'd obviously been very well informed about the state she was in, and she could see her Aunt Annie's hand in this. Her aunt would know he was the right person to give her a jolt. Sam knew how to deal with trauma. She was glad she'd come.

‘What do you want to do today?' Maria asked, when she finally wandered downstairs.

‘We could go for a drive, if you like,' Sam said.

Kate broke open the light croissant and spread jam on a piece. ‘Oh, that's delicious.' She swallowed and smiled at them. ‘Would you mind very much if I borrowed one of the bikes? I'd like to ride around and enjoy a quiet day.'

‘You do exactly what you want,' Sam told her.

‘Of course you must,' Maria agreed. ‘Jacques will be home around five o'clock, so we will have dinner at six.'

‘I'll be back long before then,' Kate told them.

Kate kept away from the main road to Saint-Omer and headed for the open country she always visited with Jacques when she was here. After about two kilometres, she dismounted and walked along pushing the bike. She
passed some farm workers who greeted her politely. After that it was empty countryside.

A movement in a field on her right caught her attention. Something was thrashing about in a clump of rough bushes. She propped the bike against the low wooden fence and clambered over. It was a scrubby piece of land and what she saw filled her with fury. A rabbit had one of its hind legs caught in an old piece of chicken wire that had been dumped there. When it saw her, the poor animal went frantic trying to escape. Afraid it would injure itself, she caught hold of it and held on firmly with one hand while she eased the leg free. When that was done, she examined the animal carefully to see that it wasn't badly hurt. After assessing that no great damage had been done, she released it. It shot off into the middle of the field, then turned to look at her as if to say thank you. It gave a little dance of joy and dived down a hole to safety.

Kate sat back on her heels and laughed. She agreed with the little animal – freedom was a wonderful thing, and so very precious.

Everyone was in a happy mood as they set off for Paris the next day. Maria had clearly made a good recovery from the operation and was looking forward to the trip, explaining what she intended to buy. Kate had made up her mind to find an outfit in the latest fashion. She would also keep her eyes open for something unusual for the boys. Although Ed was her special favourite, she never wanted the others to feel left out.

Kate enjoyed the journey – especially deciding what
kind of clothes she wanted. She had been brought up to be wise with money and was not usually a lavish spender, but for the next few days she was going to forget caution and, like that little rabbit, rejoice in her freedom.

After ordering coffee in a café on Boulevard Saint-Germain, Jon found himself a table outside on the pavement, underneath the shade of a small tree. It was a lovely day again, with just enough breeze to stir the air and add a touch of freshness. The café was busy with some people reading newspapers, while others, like himself, just watched the people walking by. He found the relaxed atmosphere restful, and that was what he needed after the party last night at the British Embassy. It had been some affair, he thought, gingerly sipping his coffee. He'd been surprised to find himself in his own bed, but how he'd managed to get back to his hotel was a mystery. He couldn't remember much after midnight, but the notebook in his pocket held copious notes, so at some point he must have been sober enough to get some work done. Thank goodness for that, he thought with a wry smile, the place had been crowded with politicians from all over and he'd have hated to have missed such a chance. He had enough material to keep him going for several days, so he intended to have an easy day.

He spent a lot of his time trying to interview prominent people and chasing around the city after politicians. It was a small price to pay for such a comfortable assignment. He hoped Andrew Stevenson didn't find him another war too soon.

The waiter refilled his cup, and he sat back with a
contented smile on his face. Suddenly he jerked upright, his gaze riveted on the girl walking on the other side of the street.

Kate Freeman?

He surged to his feet, threw some francs on to the table and ran across the road after the girl. Was it her? If she'd had a camera bag on her shoulder, he wouldn't have doubted it. If it was her, then she had obviously been shopping, because she was carrying packages and laughing with the petite woman beside her.

He followed, almost sure it was Kate. No one had hair that black, or such long shapely legs. He remembered those attributes very clearly from the first time he'd met her.

He saw them stop at a café further along the street, to be greeted by a middle-aged man and a young boy. He wished she would turn round so he could see her face …

At that moment she did just that and looked straight at him. It was her!

‘Hello, Kate.' He walked forward, and she shook hands with him politely, not looking very enthusiastic about meeting him again. A little thing like that didn't bother him, though. He was so pleased to see her, and besides, he encountered that attitude every day in his work. ‘Are you on holiday?'

‘Yes, I'm staying with friends.'

The other three people were eyeing him with interest as she introduced him.

‘This is Jon Devlin,' she told them. ‘He's a war correspondent with the newspaper I worked on for a few months.'

‘The one that kicked you out?' the boy asked, ducking quickly as she turned on him.

‘Unfortunately I kicked myself out.' Then she smiled at Jon. ‘These are my friends, Maria and André Riniou and their son, Jacques.'

Jon shook hands with them. The boy was slightly younger than her, and his arm was around her shoulder in a possessive way.

The man smiled. ‘We were just about to have lunch – will you join us, Jon?'

‘Thank you.' He didn't feel like eating, but he was curious about Kate's relationship with this young man, so he agreed readily. Maria obviously didn't speak much English. But his French was adequate for the occasion.

Jacques pulled two more chairs over to the table. ‘Shall I take all those parcels back to the hotel?' he asked his mother.

‘No, just pile them on a spare chair for the moment.'

‘Be careful with that one, Sam,' Kate said, as he put one on the top of the heap, causing it to wobble. ‘It's delicate.'

Maria took it from her husband and placed it carefully under the chair. ‘Sit down everyone, we are hungry after all that shopping.'

‘I should think you are.' Sam raised his eyebrows. ‘I hope you've finished for the day.'

‘Well, almost.' Kate burst into laughter. ‘Don't look like that, Sam. We promised we'd only take one day to go round the shops.'

Jon was puzzled. ‘Why does Kate call you Sam when she introduced you as André?'

‘Confusing, isn't it?' Jacques said. ‘All Kate's family call
him Sam because that's what they knew him as during the war. It was his code name.'

‘Really?' Jon thought this was getting more interesting by the minute. As a reporter he had an inquisitive nature.

‘Yes.' Jacques continued, ignoring the warning look from his father: ‘The only one who ever knew what he really did was Kate's Aunt Annie. They worked together through most of the war, and that's how we know the Freeman family.'

Jon was about to ask more questions when Maria stopped him. ‘And what are you doing in Paris, Mr Devlin?'

‘I've recently returned from Algeria, and I'm working from here for a while.'

‘Ah, there is great trouble out there.' Maria shook her head sadly. ‘One would have thought that the last war would have cured the world of fighting. However, it seems not.'

‘If we all stopped fighting and learned to live in peace, this planet would become a Garden of Eden.' Jon grimaced. ‘But then I would be out of a job.'

‘I shouldn't think there's any danger of that for a long time to come.' Sam studied him thoughtfully. ‘You have the reputation of a man who goes into places others are afraid of.'

‘I go after a story that needs telling and the best way to do that is to be in amongst the fighting groups.'

‘I agree that is often the only way to find out what is really going on.' Sam smiled. ‘You have a more peaceful assignment at the moment.'

‘Paris, yes.' Jon had almost forgotten his hangover in talking to this interesting man. He had the feeling there
was a great deal more to him than you saw on the surface. He turned to Kate and said jokingly, ‘Don't tell the Chief I'm enjoying myself, or he'll soon find me another trouble spot to visit.'

‘I won't tell anyone I've met you,' she said, the corners of her mouth slanting upwards.

He looked deep into her eyes and was relieved to see her less withdrawn. The first time he'd met her there had been coldness in those glorious dark eyes. There was more warmth there now. She had inherited her mother's beauty, but he'd doubted that she had the same strength of character. Now he knew he'd been wrong. Kate Freeman had a lot of inner strength; he could almost feel it, and see it in her steady gaze.

‘Have you seen Eddie lately?' he asked, and watched her expression soften. The change was so marked that he felt it go right through him, almost robbing him of breath.

‘Yes, I took him home to have Sunday lunch with my parents and brother. Dad and James played football with him, and Mum filled him up with her suet pudding and treacle. He said he'd had a
luverly
day.' She chuckled softly at the memory.

‘Give him and the rest of the boys my love when you see them, and please tell them that I'll take them all out when I can get home.'

‘I will.' She gazed into space for a moment. ‘We have a house in Wales and I did think of taking the boys there, but they haven't finished school for the summer yet, and it is a long way.'

‘What, all of them?' Jon looked horrified. ‘They'd wreck the place. How big is this house anyway?'

‘A modest size,' Sam told him. ‘But it was a haven during the war and always full. Everyone was welcome.'

‘And there's a lovely cottage in the grounds.' Maria gave her husband a loving glance. ‘We were married there.'

Sam slipped his arm around his wife's shoulder. ‘They have been our dear friends ever since.'

‘You were all there during the war?' Jon asked.

‘No.' A brief moment of anger flashed across Sam's face, then it was gone. After I found Jacques and managed to get him out of France, Rose looked after him for me and I visited when I could. The war was almost over before I found Maria. Again Kate's family came to our aid. We all have so much to thank them for – they are a caring family.'

‘You sound as if you had a rough time.' Jon looked at them with respect. He knew that after the war there had been thousands of displaced people, and the task of reuniting families had been enormous. Many had never found their loved ones.

‘We did,' Maria agreed, ‘but many were not as fortunate as us. We survived and are together.' Her expression was compassionate as she gazed at Jon. ‘Don't be too eager to throw your life away for a story, young man. It is too precious.'

‘I'll try to remember that the next time someone's shooting at me.'

That made everyone laugh, and Sam stood up. ‘It has been a pleasure meeting you, Jon. Any friend of Kate's is welcome at our table. Now, if you will excuse us, Maria must rest before they set out on the second half of their shopping trip.'

Jacques dragged Kate out of her chair. ‘Come on, let's go for a trip on the river while the old ones sleep.'

‘Just a minute, what about all these parcels?' Maria scolded her son for wanting to dash off. ‘You're not going to leave your
ancient
parents to carry them all, are you?'

‘I'll help you.' Jon picked up the heaviest of the parcels.

‘Thanks.' Jacques shook hands with him. ‘It was good to meet you.'

Kate only had time to smile at him before she was towed away by the young man.

Sam watched them with a rueful expression on his face. ‘He still treats her like the small girl he met during the war.'

‘Do you think she'll be your daughter-in-law one day?' Jon asked in amusement, watching the two running across the road.

‘Good heavens!' Sam tipped his head back and laughed. ‘A lovely idea, but I doubt it. They are more like brother and sister.'

For some strange reason Jon was quite pleased with that piece of information.

The hotel where Sam and Maria were staying was only ten minutes away, and, while they made their way up to their room, Jon told them about the help Rose had given him with the children's home.

‘Ah, you went to the right person,' Sam told him. ‘If you want something done quickly, then Rose is the person to contact.'

Jon changed the subject. ‘I've read what happened to Kate. It must have been terrible for her. She looks happy enough, but is that just a front? Do you think she'll be all right?'

‘Yes, she'll come through it okay.' Sam sounded confident.

Jon helped them to their room with the parcels. He noticed Maria only carried a couple of very light ones and appeared rather tired. She clearly needed to rest, so he turned to leave.

‘We shall be here for the next two days,' Sam told him, ‘so if you have time, would you have dinner here with us tomorrow?'

‘Thank you, I'd like that.' He was delighted with the invitation.

‘Seven o'clock suit you?'

‘That's fine. I'll see you tomorrow, then.'

It was more than two hours later when Kate and Jacques returned to the hotel, sagging under the weight of their purchases. They went straight to his parents' room, giggling like a couple of kids. It was impossible to open the door, so Jacques knocked with the toe of his shoe.

‘What the blazes have you got there?' Sam exclaimed as two piles of parcels walked in.

Kate peered around the side of her stack and grinned. ‘We've been shopping.'

Maria was now viewing the strange apparitions, with only the legs visible. ‘We can see that. Come on, drop them on the bed and show us what you've bought.'

The top parcel was unwrapped and Jacques held up an orang-utan on strings.

‘Puppets!' Sam quickly counted the boxes. ‘You've bought twelve large puppets?'

Kate pulled out a cat with huge eyes and began to
make it dance. The monkey joined in as Kate and Jacques sang – very out of tune.

Sam and Maria were roaring with laughter at their antics.

‘What on earth do you need those for?' Maria managed to compose herself enough to speak.

Kate stroked the cat and made it roll its eyes and shiver in excitement. ‘They're for the boys at Wilkins House. There are twelve of them living there, so I had to get one for each of them. Do you think they'll like them?'

‘They will love them,' Sam assured her. ‘It will make them very happy.'

‘How are you going to get them home?' Maria asked. ‘You already have as much luggage as you can carry.'

Kate's eyes opened wide. ‘Oh, dear, I was so excited about finding them that I never gave that a thought.'

‘Ah, Kate,' Sam's look was full of affection. ‘You've never done anything without first giving it careful consideration, and it's wonderful to see you act so spontaneously.'

She sat on the edge of the bed, the animal on her knee, and bounced it, deep in thought. ‘You're right. I've always known what I wanted to do with my life, so sure it would go the way I'd planned. I know now that things don't happen like that. Life is unpredictable, like my job, for instance. For years I had one aim, and that was to work for the
World Explorer.
It didn't work out, and I can see that it wasn't the right place for me.'