Some Lucky Day (28 page)

They turned and fled straight into the sheet which Suzy and Anthony dropped on top of them.

‘Quick,’ panted Anthony, ‘stand on the corners, make sure they’re trapped.’

Peggy shot round the bed to help, and just managed to put her foot on an opening before one of the creatures escaped. She looked down at the squirming ball of fury beneath the sheet. ‘Now what?’

‘Um.’ Anthony had clearly run out of ideas.

‘If we quickly gather up the two ends, we can slide the bottom bit under them and make the sheet into a sack,’ said Suzy. ‘But we’ll have to do it together.’ She waited for their nods of agreement. ‘Right, then. On my count of three. One. Two. Three.’

The sheet slid beneath the fighting, squirming ferrets and knocked them off their feet. Before they could retaliate or attempt to escape, the sheet was tightly knotted like a bag and the animals were securely trapped in a heap at the bottom.

Peggy was hot and a bit out of breath, but there was a certain air of triumph between them of a job well done. ‘Thanks, Anthony,’ she panted. ‘I couldn’t have done that on my own.’

‘It was a rather different problem to the ones I usually have to solve for the MOD, but I’m glad to have been of help.’ He eyed her with concern as he pushed his glasses up his nose again. ‘Are you all right, Auntie Peg? You didn’t get bitten, did you?’

She swept back the damp curls that were sticking to her forehead. ‘I’m fine,’ she said briskly. ‘But Ron will get the sharp edge of my tongue when he gets back. I’ve told him time and again to fix that blasted latch on the cage.’

‘I’ll fix the latch while you make us all a cup of tea,’ Anthony replied as he lifted the sack with its squirming, hissing cargo and carried it out of the room.

Peggy glanced round Rita’s bedroom then closed the door on the mess. She’d be having words with that young lady, too, she decided as she approached the bathroom door.

Monty was howling as if trapped in hell, his paws scrabbling at the door and no doubt scratching all the paint off.

Peggy opened the door a few inches, reached in and grabbed his scruff. Holding him tightly in her arms, she put the mop back and then went downstairs.

Delighted to be free, Monty licked her face and gave little whines of pleasure, but Peggy was in no mood to pet him, however endearing he might be. She carried him into the kitchen and clipped his lead onto his collar, then secured it firmly beneath the table leg. He was in disgrace.

Monty had definitely inherited Harvey’s talent for drama, she noted with some amusement, for he slumped down, nose on paws, his ears and eyebrows twitching in distress, as his soulful brown eyes watched her every move.

‘Don’t feel sorry for him,’ she warned Cordelia, who’d come in from the garden. ‘He’s let the ferrets loose again and has to learn when he’s been naughty.’

Cordelia’s bright blue eyes widened in horror. ‘You can’t possibly leave the poor little mite there until he’s forty,’ she gasped.

‘He’s been NAUGHTY,’ snapped Peggy, with unusual impatience.

Cordelia sniffed and sat down at the kitchen table. ‘Well, there’s no need to shout in that rude manner,’ she said crossly. ‘I’m not deaf.’

Peggy gave a deep sigh of exasperation and slammed the kettle onto the hob just as Harvey came bounding up the steps. Monty perked up immediately, she noticed, and with little whines and yips of pleasure, the puppy happily allowed Harvey to lick him all over.

‘Well now,’ said Ron as he tramped into the kitchen in his filthy wellingtons and threw his cap on the table. ‘There’s a fine sight. To be sure, Harvey’s a good father.’ His beam of delight faded as he realised the puppy was tethered to the table. ‘Ach, Peggy, that’s not right.’

‘You’ll leave him tied up, Ron,’ said Peggy. ‘He’s being punished.’

He frowned at her as Monty’s paws scrabbled up his legs. ‘And who’s that banging about in me basement? Honest to God, Peggy, I go out for a few hours and . . .’

‘Don’t you
dare
complain, Ronan Reilly,’ stormed Peggy. ‘That’s Anthony down there fixing the catch that I’ve asked you over and over again to sort out. As for Monty and your blasted ferrets, they’ve run me ragged and I’ve had enough.’

Ron looked alarmed. ‘Me ferrets? Are they all right?’

‘Oh, they’re just
fine
,’ she retorted with heavy sarcasm as she folded her arms and glared at him. ‘Don’t mind about
me
, and the mess they’ve left on Rita’s bedroom floor.’

Ron’s expression was wary as he slowly retreated towards the stairs. ‘Well, I’ll just be going down to give Anthony a wee hand, so I will.’

‘You’ll go and clean up Rita’s floor first,’ she said flatly.

Ron was still edging towards the cellar steps. ‘Ach, Peggy, to be sure I will, but Flora and Dora will be upset, and I need to see . . .’

‘Do it, Ron. Now.’

Peggy’s glare could have stopped a rampaging bull at ten feet, and Ron knew better than to argue. He reluctantly collected the old newspapers, cleaning rags and dustpan and brush from under the sink and mournfully traipsed out of the kitchen.

‘And take those boots off before you go tramping muck into my stair carpet,’ Peggy shouted after him.

‘Goodness me, Peggy,’ muttered Cordelia. ‘What you need is a cup of tea and a good sit down while you cool off. I’ve never seen you in such a temper before.’

‘Maybe not,’ muttered Peggy as she slumped onto a kitchen chair and lit a cigarette. ‘But that man and his animals are enough to try a saint.’

‘Well, it is hot,’ Cordelia said with a frown, ‘but I don’t think it’s the right time to go out for a can of paint. It’s after five and the shops will be shut.’

Her tantrum over, Peggy smiled weakly back at Cordelia as she placed the cup of tea in front of her. There were times when she’d have given a week’s ration for peace and quiet and a bit of sanity – but there was as much chance of that in this house as a snowstorm in August.

Harvey had quietened the puppy and now it was snuggled up next to him under the kitchen table, still tethered to the leg. They both looked up as Ron came back but didn’t move as he put the soiled paper into the range fire and then washed his hands.

‘Is it safe to sit down for a cup of tea now?’ Ron asked.

Peggy puffed on her cigarette. ‘After you’ve helped Anthony with the job you should have done weeks ago,’ she replied more moderately.

‘No need.’ Anthony came up from the cellar, swiftly followed by Suzy, who bustled about with cups and saucers. ‘It’s all fixed, and if the pup manages to get that undone, then you should rename him Houdini.’

Peggy smiled. ‘Thanks, Anthony.’

‘I’ll go and check on Flora and Dora,’ rumbled Ron.

‘No, wait,’ said Anthony. ‘Suzy and I have something to tell you.’

Peggy’s bad mood was instantly swept away as she saw the glow in Suzy’s face and the proprietorial way that Anthony was holding her hand. It was good news, she could tell – and that could only mean one thing.

‘Suzy has given me the honour of agreeing to be my wife,’ said Anthony with a shy smile.

‘Oh, Suzy, Anthony, I couldn’t be more thrilled,’ said Peggy as she raced across the small kitchen and threw her arms about them. She kissed them both. ‘Well done, oh, very well done. Now, let me see the ring.’

Suzy blushed and held out her hand to show off the beautiful solitaire diamond which flashed fire in the sunlight.

‘Well done, Anthony,’ said Ron with a beaming smile and a heavy-handed thump on the younger man’s shoulder. ‘You won’t go wrong with this wee girl. She’ll make a fine wife, so she will.’

‘Oh, Anthony,’ twittered Cordelia. ‘The ring is utterly beautiful.’ She looked up into Suzy’s radiant face. ‘And so is your bride. You’re a lucky man.’

Anthony softly kissed Cordelia’s cheek and then put his arm round Suzy’s shoulders and held her to his side. ‘I know I am, Granny Finch. And I’ll spend the rest of my life taking good care of her. You can be sure of that.’

‘So, when’s the wedding?’ asked Peggy excitedly.

‘We’ve decided on December,’ said Suzy, blushing prettily. ‘Then we can spend our honeymoon and first Christmas in the darling little house Anthony bought for us.’

‘Oh, how lovely,’ sighed Peggy. She blinked away the tears. ‘Have you told your family yet, Suzy?’

She shook her head. ‘We thought we’d drive up there and tell them this Sunday. We’re both off duty and Anthony has been promised the loan of a pool car.’

Peggy turned her attention to Anthony. ‘And Doris?’ she asked warily. ‘How has she taken the news?’

Anthony cleared his throat and a silent look passed between the engaged couple before he replied. ‘Father is invited for supper tonight, and as Mother’s evacuees are on the night shift, we thought it would be the ideal time to break the news.’

He pushed his glasses up his nose and ran his fingers through his brown hair. ‘We’re rather hoping that she and Father will have settled things between them by December so they can both attend the wedding and be pleasant to one another.’

‘Let us hope so,’ murmured Peggy. She looked at Suzy. ‘I know you’ll want to keep things fairly low key because of the war, but it might be an idea to get Doris involved in some small way.’

‘Yes, I’d already thought of that,’ the girl replied. ‘Because travelling is so difficult, we’ve decided to get married at the church round the corner from here and have the reception at Havelock Gardens, if Doris agrees. She loves entertaining and is an absolute whizz at organising food and tables and such-like.’

‘That sounds like a splendid idea,’ said Peggy, ‘but just make sure she doesn’t try and take over completely, because before you know it, she’ll be discussing wedding dresses and bridesmaids.’

Suzy laughed. ‘She hasn’t met my mother, who is certainly no pushover and more than a match for Doris. Don’t worry, Auntie Peg. Everything will turn out just fine.’

‘I wish I had something stronger to offer than tea,’ said Peggy fretfully to Ron. ‘We should be toasting the happy couple.’

Anthony grinned and opened the larder. ‘I’ve come prepared,’ he said as he pulled out a bottle of champagne from the marble shelf. ‘This is from my father’s cellar, and I’m reliably informed it is a very good vintage.’

‘Then what are you waiting for, Anthony? To be sure, it’ll do no good sitting in that bottle much longer,’ said Ron as Peggy scuttled about to find clean glasses.

The champagne cork popped delightfully and the frothing, pale gold liquid was carefully poured into the glasses.

‘To the happy couple,’ said Peggy.

‘Aye, may all your blessings be little ones,’ said Ron with a wink.

Suzy blushed scarlet, Harvey barked, Monty yapped, Cordelia twittered like a flustered sparrow, and Peggy was all smiles. The shadows of war had been chased away for a few hours during this happy day – and it seemed that the future was looking much brighter.

IT WAS JUST
after nine in the morning and very quiet in the smaller of the two physiotherapy rooms, and as Kitty watched the middle-aged doctor carefully bandage her stump and pull on the padded sock, all she could hear was the thud of her heart. This was a hugely important day, for all the exercises she’d done and the pain she’d endured had led to this single defining moment.

She glanced across the room to the nurse who was holding the ugly metal leg with its leather straps and wooden foot, and tried very hard to see it as something she must learn to accept as an intrinsic part of her life from now on. But accept she must – for it was her ticket out of this hospital, and perhaps, if she was very lucky, back into a plane.

‘Now, I’m just going to fit the prosthesis,’ said Dr Thorne. ‘Watch carefully, because you’ll have to learn to do it on your own soon.’

As Kitty felt the top of the leg cup her knee joint and watched him carefully adjust it and begin to buckle the leather straps, she experienced a strange emotional mixture of excitement and dread. What if it didn’t bear her weight? What if her stump was still too soft to put up with all that rubbing? What if . . .

She had to stop being so negative, she silently berated herself. This was a positive step, a new beginning, and she should damned well face the fact and stop whining.

‘How does that feel?’ he asked as he set the wooden foot on the floor.

‘Odd.’ Kitty stared down. It looked so ugly and alien compared to her lightly tanned leg, and she took a wavering breath as she blinked back the sudden tears and forced herself to be brave.

‘It will feel odd for a while,’ he said quietly, ‘but you’ll be surprised at how quickly you get used to it.’ His rugged face creased into a smile as he patted her shoulder. ‘You aren’t the first, and unfortunately you won’t be the last young woman to have one of these fitted, Kitty. But I can assure you that science in the development of prosthetics has come a long way in the past few years, and this is the Rolls-Royce of legs.’

Kitty shot him a brave little smile. ‘It looks more like the landing gear of a Spitfire.’

‘Either way, it will help to get you where you’re going. Now, let’s put on this shoe and then we can get you onto your feet.’

As he knelt before her and fitted the unflattering shoe, she giggled. ‘I feel like Cinderella.’

He smiled back at her as he tied the laces. Once this was accomplished, he stood and held out his hands. ‘Then, as your rather ancient and grey-haired Prince Charming, I’m inviting you to join me in our first waltz.’

Kitty eagerly gripped his warm, sturdy hands and slowly pulled herself up, keeping her weight firmly on her good leg.

‘Now even out your weight,’ he said quietly. ‘Let your knee joint settle more firmly into the cup.’

Kitty tentatively shifted her weight and winced as her stump was pressed into the cup. It still felt very tender, and she was beginning to have serious doubts as to whether she’d ever be able to manage to walk on it. ‘I think the waltz will have to wait,’ she breathed.

His grip tightened on her hands as she teetered on the unfamiliar leg. ‘Try again, Kitty,’ he coaxed. ‘I know it must feel quite tender, but the more you use the leg, the tougher your stump will get.’

Kitty warily pressed down again, but the weight on her stump still made her take a sharp breath. ‘It hurts,’ she gasped. ‘I can’t do it.’