Some Lucky Day (44 page)

He poured her a cup and set it beside her, then sat with his arms propped on his knees as he smoked his cigarette and stared out towards the Channel.

The silence was companionable, but Kitty still felt a bit unnerved by her earlier thoughts, so she was glad to just smoke her cigarette, look at the dazzling view, and say nothing.

‘You know, Kitty, I admire you,’ he said finally as he crushed the cigarette butt beneath his heel. ‘Not only for the way you’re handling this present situation, but for your energy and perseverance. There are very few women brave enough to be a part of the ATA, and,’ he paused as his lips twitched, ‘even fewer who can eat as much and never get fat.’

Kitty burst out laughing. ‘You rotten . . .’ She hit him with a cushion.

He sat up sharply, and before she knew what was happening he’d flung her to the ground and was lying on top of her.

‘Roger, get off,’ she protested. ‘What
do
you think you’re doing?’

‘Keep still,’ he rasped.

‘Don’t you dare . . .’ Then she heard the unmistakable sound of a 109 coming from the east, and the answering rattle of anti-aircraft guns from all the cliff-top emplacements.

She froze beneath him as the powerful fighter plane roared overhead with a salvo of gunfire. They were horribly exposed up here in the open, with a bright yellow umbrella marking the spot. But worst of all, Roger had to be in full sight of the Jerry pilot.

She clung to him as if by pressing him to her, they could melt into the ground and be out of sight. But she was finding it hard to breathe, for Roger was very heavy, and she was beginning to get a sharp pain in her chest.

As suddenly as it had appeared, the 109 was gone and the guns fell silent.

Kitty and Roger waited tensely to see if it would come back, and when it didn’t, Roger finally lifted his weight from her chest and looked down at her with deep concern. ‘That was a very close shave,’ he said softly. ‘Are you all right, Kitty?’

She nodded, mesmerised by his eyes and the nearness of that well-defined mouth. ‘I’m fine, really,’ she murmured.

He didn’t roll away from her as she’d expected, and there was a tender look in his eyes as he gazed at her. ‘Oh, Kitty,’ he breathed.

She felt dreamy and floating as she returned his gaze, but when he hesitantly brushed his lips against the corner of her mouth, she felt as if she’d been hit by a thunderbolt.

But this was Roger, her shocked mind was telling her. Roger her friend, and he shouldn’t be kissing her – and she shouldn’t be enjoying it so much.

But as, with the utmost tenderness, he captured her lips, she felt any resistance melt away and she became languid and pliant in his embrace, giving herself up to the intoxicating sensations he was stirring within her. She had never imagined a kiss could be like this, had never before experienced such a profound desire to be loved and held and cherished. She opened her lips to his soft, searching tongue, and with a groan of desire she was lost.

Peggy was all in a dither as she kept glancing at the clock. ‘The picnic must be going well,’ she said joyfully to Cordelia. ‘It’s nearly five o’clock and there’s still no sign of them.’

‘I’d advise you not to jump to conclusions, dear,’ said Cordelia as she grated the cheese and prepared the sauce to go over the fresh vegetables from the garden. ‘And if she comes home all glowing and ruffled, don’t badger the girl with questions. Let her tell you in her own good time.’

‘I’ll know the state of play the minute she comes through that door,’ said Peggy firmly as she threaded the green beans and sliced them. ‘And of course I won’t badger her, Cordelia. I’m not that tactless.’

‘If you say so dear,’ she replied with a knowing smile. ‘But young love is a tender thing, and the slightest bit of poking and prying might bruise it.’

Peggy felt rather put out by this little lecture, so she changed the subject. ‘How did your lunch party go?’

‘It was very nice, thank you.’ She abandoned the cheese and grater and folded her arms, but there was an unmistakable twinkle in her eye. ‘And before you ask, Peggy Reilly, his name is Bertram Grantley-Adams. He’s a retired solicitor who was widowed three years ago and he came to Cliffehaven just before the war. He lives in a very nice house just down the road from your sister Doris, has a touch of arthritis in his hips, and his hobbies are golf, bridge and more golf.’

‘He seemed very attentive,’ said Peggy, a bit peeved by having the wind taken out of her sails.

‘He’s like that with everyone,’ said Cordelia dismissively. ‘So don’t even think about trying to matchmake again. Men my age are only looking for a nurse to see them through their last years, and I have far better things to do with my time.’

Daisy gave a yell and began to bawl because she’d pulled herself up and hit her head on the underside of the kitchen table. Peggy rescued her and gave her a cuddle. Once the tears had gone, she put her back on the floor and returned to her conversation with Cordelia.

‘I never suggested you were courting,’ she said defensively. ‘I just asked about your lunch. But it seems to me you rather enjoyed Bertram’s company, regardless of what you just said.’

‘Oh I did,’ Cordelia twittered. ‘There might be snow on the roof, Peggy, but there’s still enough fire in this old heart to enjoy a bit of mild flirtation.’ She returned serenely to her grated cheese.

Peggy shook her head and grinned. Cordelia’s zest for life rarely deserted her, and it was lovely to know that she’d enjoyed her lunch party.

Roger slowly drew away from Kitty, his expression regretful. ‘It’s time I took you home, my dearest, sweetest girl,’ he murmured.

‘Do you have to? Can’t we stay for just a while longer?’

‘We’d better not,’ he said gruffly. ‘A chap can get too carried away, and I seem to have rather overstepped the mark already by kissing you.’

She smiled up at him and traced his lips with the tip of her finger. ‘I have no objections, Roger,’ she murmured. ‘In fact, I wouldn’t mind you kissing me again, if you don’t mind.’

He kissed her thoroughly and then crushed her to him. ‘Oh, Kitty,’ he breathed. ‘You have absolutely no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment.’

‘And I had absolutely no inkling of how much I would enjoy it,’ she said against his shirt. She giggled. ‘Why didn’t you say something earlier?’

‘I was going to, but then you had your accident, and Freddy went missing, and I thought you had enough on your plate without me stepping on your toes with my great size twelves,’ he said ruefully.

He drew back from their embrace and looked earnestly into her eyes. ‘Do you think you could possibly love me just a little, Kitty? I know I’m a bit bluff and hearty, and probably not the sort of chap you might think of as suitable, but I do adore you.’

Kitty was still overwhelmed by all that had happened this afternoon, and she knew that Roger deserved an honest answer. ‘I need time to get over the shock,’ she said, making light of her words with a smile. She reached out her hand and cupped his smooth cheek. ‘But I’ve never been kissed like that before, and never felt the way you make me feel. When you put your arms round me, it was as if I was always meant to be there.’

‘So you think you could love me?’ he asked earnestly.

‘I think I’ve always loved you,’ she admitted, ‘but I just didn’t realise until today. It’s going to take a bit of adjusting to get used to it all.’

He cupped her face in his hands, his voice raw with emotion. ‘I swear to you, Kitty, that I will love and cherish you until I draw my last breath. My sweet, sweet girl.’

Kitty melted back into his arms as his tender kiss confirmed how right they were together and how this was meant to be.

It was quite a long time later that he drew the car in to the kerb by the alleyway. ‘Do you want me to come in with you?’ he asked as he opened her door.

She shook her head and smiled up at him. ‘Peggy will be waiting like a hawk to pounce on us the minute we walk through that garden gate. It’s probably best if I go in on my own.’

‘If you’re sure?’ he murmured with a frown.

She lightly kissed his cheek. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Sweet dreams, Roger.’

He gave her a swift hug and then stood at the end of the alleyway until she’d reached the gate. Blowing her a kiss, he was almost skipping with delight as he returned to the car and drove away.

Kitty knew her face was radiant and that it would take only a second for Peggy to know what she’d been up to during the afternoon, but she found that it didn’t matter. She could have shouted her news from the rooftops for the world to hear, she was so happy.

‘Hello, dear,’ said Peggy from the top of the basement steps. ‘Did you have a lovely picnic?’

Kitty leaned on her crutches and took each step slowly and carefully until she’d reached the kitchen. ‘I had a wonderful picnic,’ she replied and smiled at Cordelia as she sat down. ‘And before you both ask, Roger is utterly wonderful, and I feel as spoiled and pampered as a princess.’

‘Oooh,’ said Cordelia with a little shiver of pleasure. ‘So Peggy was right all along. I’m so pleased for you, dear.’

Peggy laughed. ‘I’m very rarely wrong,’ she said, ‘and I knew that sooner or later you’d realise he was far more than just a friend. I’m so happy for you both, Kitty. Roger seems to be a very dear man.’

‘Yes, he is,’ Kitty replied with a soft sigh of contentment.

‘I’m sure Freddy will be absolutely delighted,’ said Peggy. She poured the cheese sauce over the vegetables and put the large stone dish in the oven.

Kitty grinned. ‘He’ll probably roar with laughter at the thought of his best friend getting gooey-eyed over his sister, and then the pair of them will probably get sozzled in the mess bar.’

Daisy came drunkenly towards her, gripping the table leg before she grabbed hold of Kitty’s knee and laughed up at her.

Kitty picked her up and gave her a cuddle. Then she plucked one of Daisy’s rag books off the table to keep her amused while she told Peggy and Cordelia where they’d gone for their picnic, what they’d eaten, and how they’d been the victims of a surprise attack by the 109. The more intimate details were carefully left out, but she could see they’d filled in the gaps on their own.

‘So I won’t be needing any supper,’ she said as she put a wriggling, restless Daisy back on the floor. ‘But I do need to wash and rest for a bit. It’s been rather an exciting day.’

‘What did the doctor say about your leg?’ asked Peggy.

‘He was optimistic that I’d be back at the Memorial and reunited with my prosthesis by the end of the week.’ She smiled at both of them, and before they could question her further, she left the kitchen.

Ron had been clock-watching all day, and once he’d helped Rosie clean the bar and prepare for the evening rush, he couldn’t stand the waiting any longer. He left Monty with Rosie at the Anchor and strode purposefully down Camden Road, his thoughts focussed entirely on Harvey.

The vet’s surgery was on the other side of the High Street and overlooked the northern entrance to Havelock Gardens. It was a big Victorian house set back from the quiet, leafy street, and was next door to the doctor’s surgery where Peggy’s one-time evacuee, Julie Harris, had worked as a midwife.

Ron stomped over the gravel driveway, heading for the side door into the surgery, and as he stepped into the waiting room, he realised there were already a number of people waiting with their dogs, cats, budgerigars and other assorted pets.

‘I’ve come to collect Harvey,’ he shouted above the barking, yipping and caterwauling to the vet’s elderly mother who helped out behind the reception desk.

‘Oh, yes. My son needs to speak to you about Harvey,’ she said as she looked at the notes she’d scrawled on a pad. ‘If you’d like to sit and wait, he shouldn’t be long.’

Ron felt a sharp pang of fear, and cold sweat beaded his forehead. ‘Why does he need to speak to me?’ he rasped. ‘What’s happened?’

‘I really have no idea,’ she said distractedly above the racket. ‘Go and sit down, Ron. He’ll see you as soon as he can.’

Ron slumped down into the nearest chair, his heart thudding as his mind whirled with all the dreadful possibilities. He fidgeted for a while and then began to pace back and forth, unable to contain the rising terror that something had happened to Harvey, and it had been his fault.

Jack Barham stuck his head round the door. ‘Ron, come in.’

Ron stepped into the small examination room, and before Jack could close the door, he bombarded the younger man with questions.

‘He’s absolutely fine, although he’s still a bit groggy from the anaesthetic and feeling rather sorry for himself,’ said Jack hurriedly. ‘The reason I need to talk to you, Ron, is because I’ve discovered he’s got a bit of a heart murmur.’

‘His heart?’ Ron had to lean on the examination table as his legs went weak. ‘But he’s strong and as fit as a dog can be. To be sure, it was only this morning he was dashing about in the hills with his wee pup, so he was.’

Jack nodded and smiled. ‘I have no doubt of it, Ron. There’s nothing like a puppy in the house to liven up an older dog. But there is a definite murmur, and he’ll need regular check-ups from now on.’

‘I can’t believe it,’ muttered Ron. ‘There’s been no sign of him getting out of breath or being tired.’

‘It’s a minor murmur, Ron, so don’t imagine he’s about to keel over,’ Jack replied reassuringly. ‘I’ve given him a thorough examination and everything else is in good working order, so you really have very little to worry about.’ He flicked through his notes. ‘How old is Harvey now?’

‘Six,’ muttered Ron.

Jack smiled. ‘Then he’s got several very good years ahead of him. Just carry on as before, but bring him in twice a year so I can give him the once-over.’

He regarded Ron with understanding. ‘You left it very late to get Harvey neutered,’ he said, ‘so it would be best if you brought Monty in next week to get him done too. Prevention is better than having unwanted puppies, and you have enough to cope with already.’

‘Aye,’ sighed Ron. ‘You’re right, Jack. To be sure, he’ll be in when Harvey has his stitches out.’

‘Good, I’ll see them both next Tuesday at nine o’clock.’ Jack noted this down in his appointment book and then opened a door to the rear of the building. Ron followed him past rows of cat baskets and several bird cages until they finally came to the large dog enclosures.