Some Lucky Day (37 page)

Kitty had finished the porridge and toast and washed up her dishes and cutlery. It was quite easy to move around in this crowded kitchen with just one crutch, for there was always something close at hand to cling to. Now she was drinking her second cup of tea as Peggy cleaned Daisy’s face of the remains of her breakfast, and then set her on the floor to crawl about for a while.

Ron had come up from the basement and taken both the dogs for a walk, Sarah had rushed in, grabbed a bit of toast and headed straight out again for the WTC office on the Cliffe estate, and Cordelia was taking her time over her porridge as she read the newspaper. It was a very normal scene, and Kitty felt relaxed and perfectly at home.

Rita came stomping up the basement steps in her heavy boots. After greeting everyone and giving Daisy a tickle under the chin, she poured herself a cup of tea.

‘The van’s at the end of the twitten,’ she said as she slathered margarine on a slice of toast and added a small dollop of Peggy’s blackberry jam. ‘I’ll be taking you this morning and John Hicks will pick you up at five.’ She grinned. ‘You should be very honoured, you know, to have the boss chauffeuring you about. I bet he wouldn’t do it for any of us.’

‘Everyone’s being terribly kind,’ replied Kitty on a sigh. ‘I do hope it’s not too much of an inconvenience.’

Rita shook her head, making the dark curls bounce around her face as she chewed on her toast. ‘He offered to do it straight away,’ she said after she’d swallowed. ‘He lost a leg too, you see, when he was with the fleet that went to rescue our boys from the beaches of Dunkirk.’

‘Really? Goodness. But doesn’t he find that hampers him as a firefighter?’

Rita laughed and took a large slurp of tea. ‘Not a bit. He marches about shouting orders and is a right slave-driver when it comes to keeping the engines clean and ready for service.’ She regarded Kitty solemnly. ‘He might not actually climb ladders and go rushing into burning buildings like he used to, but he’s most definitely in charge – and we count ourselves very lucky to have him. He’s a good bloke.’

‘He married Sally, my first evacuee from London,’ said Peggy as she topped up the teapot with hot water. ‘She runs a home dressmaking business that’s doing very well, and their little boy will soon have a brother or sister to play with.’

Peggy’s smile was one of sweet contentment. ‘She and John make a lovely couple, and it’s heartwarming to see how happy they are together.’

Kitty and Rita grinned at Peggy’s customary pleasure in other people’s happiness. ‘Come on,’ said Rita as she pushed back from the table. ‘We’d better get going or you’ll be late.’

Kitty quickly swallowed her pills with the last of her tea, checked that the small shoulder bag held everything she would need for the day and then grabbed her gas-mask box and crutches. ‘You will ring the hospital if you have any news, won’t you?’ she asked Peggy.

‘Of course, dear.’ Peggy patted her arm and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before lifting Daisy out of the way of the crutches. ‘Try not to overdo things today,’ she murmured.

Kitty grinned, said goodbye to Cordelia and Daisy, and then, using her crutches to steady herself, hopped down the cellar steps and out into the garden.

The sun was shining, a blackbird was singing in a nearby tree, and there was the promise of another beautiful day in the cloudless blue sky. Kitty took a deep lungful of the glorious fresh air and then followed Rita down the path, through the gate and along the twitten to the bright red truck that waited by the kerb.

‘Ready for take-off?’ asked Rita as she climbed in beside her and slammed the door.

‘More than ready,’ Kitty replied happily.

‘Then let’s get this show on the road,’ said Rita as she turned the key in the ignition, rammed it into first gear and jammed her foot on the accelerator.

Kitty grabbed the edges of her seat as the truck shot forward with a screech of tyres and they roared up the hill. Rita was clearly the sort of driver who relied solely on her brakes to avoid trouble – but the speed was exhilarating, and Kitty relaxed her grip on the seat and settled back to enjoy the ride.

It had felt strange to be back in the rarified atmosphere of the hospital, even after such a short space of time, and it rather reminded Kitty of school holidays when she’d gone to stay with Charlotte and her family. After the large, echoing rooms, bare floorboards and constant noise of school, it had always taken a while to get used to calm and quiet and lovely deep-piled carpets.

Matron Prior-Jones had greeted her warmly, and after enquiring how she’d settled in at Beach View, had left her to get on with her day. And it had been a successful day, for during her final session in the gym, Kitty had managed to get from one end to the other of the parallel bars on her new leg.

‘Can I take the leg home so I can practise?’ she asked Dr Thorne as she sat down to rest after this marathon.

He shook his head. ‘It’s far too soon, Kitty.’

‘But I feel so much stronger,’ she protested. ‘And I’m sure that if . . .’

‘Patience is a virtue, Kitty Pargeter,’ he said firmly. ‘And I’m afraid it’s something you will have to learn if you’re to succeed with this. You’ll damage the scar tissue if you do too much too soon – and perhaps even cause an infection. If you do that, you will set your progress back by days if not weeks.’

Kitty had to concede that he was talking sense, but it was frustrating not to be able to do more now she felt so well and able. ‘So how soon will it be before I can take it home?’

He shook his head and gave a weary smile. ‘Not until you can walk without the aid of the bars or the crutches. And definitely not before you can walk out of this room and down the corridor onto the terrace, where I will expect you to go from one end to the other without stopping.’

‘That far, eh?’ she breathed, rather daunted by this challenge. She thought about it for a moment and then grinned back at him. ‘What’s the quickest time anyone achieved that?’ she asked.

‘I’m not going to tell you,’ he said firmly as he unstrapped the leg and checked her stump for bruising or redness before the nurse reapplied the dressing and sock. ‘Because if I do you’ll only try and beat the record.’

‘That’s not fair,’ she protested.

‘I’m the doctor,’ he said mildly, ‘and I’ll decide what’s fair or not.’ He smiled down at her as the nurse finished dressing her stump. ‘Now get out of here and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.’

Feeling rather disgruntled, Kitty thanked the nurse and left the gym. She didn’t like to admit it but she was utterly exhausted, and although she felt a warm glow of achievement, she was longing to lie down for a rest.

She checked the time as she passed the clock in the hall. There was half an hour before John Hicks was due to pick her up, so she would find a quiet corner in the library where she could finish her letter-writing. With luck, she could put them with the rest of the post in the box in the hall before they were collected at five.

Everyone who could be out of bed was outside enjoying the sun, so Kitty found a comfortable chair in the deserted library and finished off her letter to her parents. She’d mentioned nothing about Freddy but had described, in full, her arrival at Beach View, and the speedy progress she was making with her new leg.

Her letter to Charlotte had been harder to write, but she tried to keep it hopeful, and added Peggy’s telephone number so she could call.

She had just sealed the letter when the door opened and a handsome, dark-haired man came in. ‘Kitty Pargeter?’ At her nod, he came into the room with the all-too familiar gait of someone who had a false leg. ‘Hello. I’m John Hicks. Are you ready for your ride home?’

‘Yes, thank you,’ she said as she looped the straps of her bag and gas-mask box round her neck and reached for her crutches. ‘I just need to put these in with the rest so they don’t miss the last post.’

He walked with her into the hall and waited while she checked they all had stamps before dumping them into the box. ‘Rita tells me you’re from Argentina,’ he said as they headed for the front door. ‘How does it compare to dear old Cliffehaven?’

‘It’s very different,’ she replied as she stepped out onto the gravel drive. ‘But Peggy has made me feel so welcome, it feels very much like home.’

John grinned. ‘Yeah, she has that way with her. I know my Sal was very happy when she lived there.’ He opened the van door and stood back, his brow raised in a question.

‘I can manage, thank you,’ she said as she clambered in. ‘And thanks for this. I really appreciate it.’

‘I had an enormous amount of help when I lost my leg,’ he said nonchalantly as he took his place behind the steering wheel. ‘So I’m glad to do it.’

He looked across and smiled. ‘And I know just how frustrating it can be when people – out of kindness – try to do everything for you and make a fuss. It can be quite a lonely journey to get back on your feet again, for it becomes a bit of a battle, and only those who’ve gone through it can fully understand what it means to be self-reliant.’

‘Yes,’ replied Kitty, remembering Fran’s offer of help this morning and Peggy’s fussing. ‘I’m beginning to learn that.’

John turned the ignition and drove the truck sedately down the driveway. ‘Peggy only wants to mother you,’ he said above the engine noise. ‘But if you explain how you feel, she’s wise enough to understand and let you find your own way. She’s a good woman, and has only your best interests at heart.’

Kitty smiled inwardly at the careful way John was driving, for it was a far cry from the journey up here with Rita. ‘Peggy said you’re about to be a parent again,’ she said as they trundled slowly down the hill towards Cliffehaven.

His face lit up in a smile as he negotiated the hump-backed bridge and drove down the High Street. ‘Our little boy is two now, and a bit of a handful, but I’m sure Sal and I can cope with another little one.’

Kitty laughed. ‘I don’t think you’ll have much choice in the matter.’

John proudly told her all about his handsome, very talented baby son as he drove down Camden Road past the fire station, the uniform factory, the hospital and the row of small shops.

‘That’s the Anchor,’ he said, pointing to an ancient pub with leaning walls, sway-backed roof and tiny diamond-paned windows. ‘Ron can be found in there most days. He’s courting the rather voluptuous and very glamorous landlady, Rosie Braithwaite. Though that is the worst kept secret in Cliffehaven,’ he added wryly.

Kitty wasn’t really surprised to learn that Ron, despite his age, was courting. There was a twinkle in his eye and a robustness about him which spoke of a lust for life – and clearly a lust for the voluptuous landlady of the Anchor. Harvey was certainly not the only old dog that still had some life in him, she thought with a smile.

‘Here we are,’ said John as he made a three-point turn and drew up to the kerb. ‘Would you like a hand getting down that rough path?’

She shook her head. ‘I can manage. But aren’t you coming in? I’m sure Peggy would love to see you.’

‘Can’t, I’m afraid. I have to be on baby-sitting duty while Sal goes for her check-up at the clinic.’ He opened the door for her and waited until she was balanced on her crutches. ‘Give Peggy my regards and tell her I’ll pop in next time.’

Kitty smiled and thanked him, and as she made her slow way over the ruts and potholes, she heard the truck’s engine fire back into life and then the sound of it fading as John drove it back down Camden Road to the fire station. It had indeed been a very good day, and all she needed now was the news Freddy was alive to make it even better.

THERE HAD BEEN
no news of Freddy, and as an entire week went past, Kitty was beginning to despair. Martin and Roger had been very thoughtful in the way they’d telephoned each day to reassure her that everything possible was being done to find out what had happened to her brother – but neither of them voiced their deepest fear that the chances of Freddy being found alive had dwindled with each passing hour of silence.

Charlotte had telephoned a couple of times, but she’d been tearful and mostly incoherent, which made Kitty feel depressed and even more helpless. As the first week drifted into the second and there was still no news, Charlotte threw herself into work and didn’t phone again. Their letters went back and forth, but they offered little comfort to either of them, for only the news of Freddy’s fate could ease the torture of this terrible state of uncertainty.

Following Charlotte’s lead, Kitty pushed herself even harder in the gym. She used the weights to strengthen her arms and thighs, and did more and more sit-ups to tone her stomach muscles, and with every exercise she did and every step she took, it was with a prayer for Freddy.

‘That’s more than enough for one day,’ said the retired army instructor as he took charge of the weights and stored them away.

‘But I have to keep going,’ she replied as she towelled the sweat from her face and chest. ‘I haven’t finished my twenty lifts.’

‘Killing yourself by lifting too many weights and doing endless sit-ups won’t get you out of here any quicker,’ he said as he folded his arms over his well-defined chest. ‘It will merely put you back into a hospital bed.’

Kitty bit down on an angry retort. He didn’t understand that it was essential to carry on with this punishing routine, for if she exercised hard enough and prayed long enough, Freddy would come home. A small part of her mind told her it was illogical, but she refused to listen just in case she was right.

She slung the towel over her shoulder and grabbed her crutches. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she muttered. Letting the door swing shut behind her, she headed for the showers. She had an hour before her next session with the doctor.

Peggy had been at the station for the past hour, handing out sandwiches, hot tea and cigarettes from the WVS mobile canteen to the young servicemen who were on their way to their next posting. Daisy had caused quite a stir among them, she’d noticed, and being the star of the show, she’d beamed and giggled delightfully as she was petted and praised. But Peggy’s feet were hurting now, and she was looking forward to getting back to the Town Hall.