The Lost Years (41 page)

She had also left her suitcase on the floor. Anticipating her request, Perys lifted it to the rack above her head.

‘Merci, Monsieur Captain . . . I thank you. You are very kind.’

She spoke English well, but with a strong French accent that he found quite charming.

‘I see you are a pilot, Captain - and a brave pilot. You are going back to the war?’

The young woman smiled at him, ignoring the quite evident disapproval of the two nuns for her forwardness.

‘I am,’ he replied.

‘Ah! It is so sad. My friend . . . the colonel. He too was in the war. Now he is teaching others to fight, here in England. He invited me to London for a few days. It is a wonderful city and we had great fun. It is good to be away from the war for a while, is it not?’

Perys agreed that it was. He guessed that the lieutenant colonel must have paid the young woman’s fare. Her clothes were not those of someone used to first-class travel. Indeed, they were unsuitable for the present cold weather. She wore only a lightweight coat over a simple and not particularly warm dress.

During the journey to Dover, Perys learned that her name was Gabrielle and that she lived in the town of Amiens, where Perys had taken the pilots of his squadron to celebrate the gift of money and property he had received from his grandfather.

Gabrielle was due to catch the same night ferry as Perys and she chattered quite happily all the way to Dover.

In view of the fact that they had travelled together on the train and would both be boarding the same ferry, it seemed natural for Gabrielle and Perys to remain together and that he should pay for a meal for her before boarding the dimly lit boat.

The temperature dropped even further with nightfall, and once on board the ferry it was immediately apparent there was a heating problem in the lounge where they sat on a padded leather seat.

It was not long before Perys became aware that Gabrielle was shivering. He was wearing a greatcoat and, standing up, he removed it and gave it to her. ‘Here, it is not exactly chic, but it will keep you warm.’

‘But no! I cannot take it. If I do, you will be cold.’

Despite her words, she shivered again, this time more violently, and she said, ‘If you insist, we will share your coat. Come, sit. I will cuddle up close and it will keep us both warm.’

Perys sat rather stiffly beside her and she smiled up at him. ‘I think it will be better if you put an arm about me so I can cuddle closer. Otherwise your coat will not cover all of both of us.’

Perys followed her suggestion without protest, aware of envious looks from the many other officers in the lounge. As Gabrielle snuggled up to him he was very aware of her perfume. He knew little of such things, but felt it was probably one of the more expensive makes.

Once the cross-Channel ferry nosed out into the waters of the English Channel, the other passengers soon lost all interest in Perys and Gabrielle. The sea was rough and those who were bad sailors were soon in trouble.

Perys was not particularly uncomfortable with the motion of the vessel and his only concern was to keep a tight hold on Gabrielle.

The French girl was so indifferent to the weather conditions that she fell asleep. Without Perys’s support she would probably have fallen from the padded bench seat.

The journey to Boulogne took almost three hours, by which time conditions in the lounge had deteriorated considerably as more and more passengers succumbed to violent movements of the ferry.

None of this made any difference to Gabrielle. When Boulogne was reached and the ferry was sailing in more sheltered waters, Perys had to wake her.

‘We are there . . . so soon?’ Seemingly reluctant to move, she smiled up at him. ‘I felt very safe with you, Captain Perys.’ Sitting up, she produced a powder compact, looked at herself in the small mirror and gave a sound of disapproval. ‘I look terrible!’

Making no attempt to do anything about ‘looking terrible’, she closed the compact and put it away. Smiling at him once more, she said, ‘You have been very kind, and a charming companion.’

He left the ship with her, carrying her suitcase in addition to his own bag, and as they walked to the station, she asked, ‘Have you ever been to Amiens?’

‘Once. I went there with the pilots of my squadron.’ Amiens was, in fact, on the same railway route as Arras, but he would not be travelling directly to the Arras airfield. He first needed to go to St Omer, to report his arrival and possibly pick up a replacement aeroplane to take to his squadron.

‘You must come to Amiens to sees me . . . please! You will find me at the Restaurant Eugenie. It is where you will enjoy the best food and entertainment.’

‘Thank you, I will try to pay you a visit,’ he promised.

The warmth of her farewell when they reached her train quite literally took his breath away and as she waved to him from an open carriage, he grinned, remembering she had been equally effusive when waving farewell to the artillery colonel at Victoria station.

Chapter 66

Gabrielle was quickly forgotten when Perys returned to his squadron and picked up the routine once more. Rupert would not be returning for a while as he was attending a senior officers course in England.

Meanwhile, new tactics were being planned for the next phase in the air war - and it was becoming increasingly apparent that they were necessary. The Germans were making a determined attempt to regain control of the air over the front-lines, seemingly able to concentrate large numbers of aircraft in specific areas at will. Perys’s squadron had already been involved in some savage fighting with German planes.

To counter this very effective tactic, the RFC began carrying out their raids over enemy territory with fighter escorts in similar strength, making whatever odds they were likely to meet more even.

Then, in March 1918, while the British and French generals were trying to reach agreement on the next attempt to break the stalemate in the war, the Germans took the initiative and launched a major offensive. They attacked on a wide front that encompassed the former Somme battle-field south of Arras.

So successful and unexpected was this attack that the German armies fought their way forward for some forty miles before being brought to a halt. They stopped not so much as a result of the efforts of the opposing armies, but because they had advanced faster than their supplies could keep pace. This was due largely the state of the ground over which they had to be carried. It was a landscape of mud and water-filled craters, the result of more than three years of constant warfare.

Nevertheless, the German advance caused a great deal of panic on the British-held side of the front-line. A number of airfields were hastily evacuated for safety.

Perys’s squadron moved first to St Pol, then, when the German advance ground to a halt, it was re-sited on an airfield a few miles to the west of Amiens.

For a while, the fighting on the ground almost ceased as the Germans sought to consolidate their gains, but in the air it increased in intensity, both sides suffering heavy losses in men land machines.

In April 1918 one of the greatest pilots of the war was killed. German ‘Ace’ Baron Manfred von Richthofen, with eighty confirmed victories to his name, was himself shot down.

Not until late May did a spell of bad weather bring about a temporary lull in the savage air war.

Rupert had returned to the squadron some weeks before and he now decided the pilots of his squadron should have a night out together - in Amiens.

The idea was put to them over lunch and it received an enthusiastic response.

‘Good!’ declared Rupert. ‘I’ll lay on the transport, but does anyone know Amiens? Is there somewhere we could be guaranteed a good evening?’

There was silence for a few moments, then Perys remembered Gabrielle. ‘Does anyone know the Restaurant Eugenie?’ he asked.

His question provoked shouts and whistles from a number of the pilots and one of the young lieutenants commented, ‘It’s probably the best-known restaurant in this part of France. Good food, fine wine, hot music - and even hotter women!’

The acclaim that greeted this assessment of the Restaurant Eugenie decided the issue.

‘Right,’ Rupert said, ‘I will telephone the restaurant now and make sure they can accommodate thirty noisy, thirsty pilots.’ Giving Perys a quizzical look, he added, ‘One day you can tell me how you learned of such an establishment.’

* * *

The pilots travelled to Amiens in two lorries, into which Rupert had thoughtfully placed a number of crates of beer.

He travelled in the cab of one of the lorries and, as senior flight commander, Perys travelled in the other. The laughter and singing in the back of both vehicles was an indication that the pilots intended taking full advantage of this rare opportunity to enjoy a celebration.

Had anyone asked them what they were celebrating, they would have received thirty different answers. The only reply that would not have been given was the true one. They were celebrating the fact they were still alive. ?

It was enough.

The lorries drew to a halt outside the Restaurant Eugenie and the pilots quickly crowded inside. It was a large establishment by French provincial standards, with a stage on which was assembled a sizeable band. It also boasted a well-stocked bar and a restaurant area in which a number of tables stood empty, awaiting the arrival of the English pilots.

There was also a disproportionate number of waitresses and ‘hostesses’. Dressed provocatively, the latter were eager to share the tables of the pilots and accept drinks which contained very little alcohol, but for which they would receive commission from the restaurant owner.

Perys expected to find Gabrielle among these women, but she was nowhere to be seen. He shared a table with Rupert, the naval flight commander and one of the senior squadron pilots.

It was about fifteen minutes after they arrived that Perys looked up and saw Gabrielle enter the restaurant from a door at the back of the room. She was dressed, not as a hostess, but in a shimmering, pale blue, shoulderless evening dress.

Her entrance was the signal for applause from the restaurant’s customers, but Gabrielle had seen Perys. Hurrying across the room towards him, she cried, ‘Captain Perys! How wonderful to see you.’ Giving him a hug, she presented both cheeks for him to kiss, then beamed at the others. ‘And these are all your friends . . . ’

She encompassed the other pilots with an expansive gesture, smiling at the remarks they Were throwing in Perys’s direction as a result of the familiarity she had shown towards him.

Speaking to Perys, she said, ‘I will sing my first song especially for you. Afterwards, I will sing for your friends.’

It was apparent that Gabrielle was very popular with the customers of the restaurant. A few minutes later, Perys understood why. She had a fine, rich voice that charmed Frenchmen and Englishmen alike.

She sang for perhaps half-an-hour, mixing English and French songs, much to the delight of her audience. When she eventually left the stage to great applause, she came to Perys’s table and sat beside him, giving him a degree of attention that made him the envy of his RFC colleagues.

Perys and Gabrielle chatted for a while before she said to him, ‘Captain Perys, it is so hot in here, would you mind if we went to the garden at the rear of the restaurant? It is where we eat in the summer, but the weather is not yet suitable.’

The couple walked to the French doors at the rear of the restaurant, ignoring the raucous and envious shouts of the pilots, who were consuming wine in vast quantities.

Behind the restaurant they entered a very Pleasant enclosed and paved garden. Closing the door behind them, Gabrielle turned to Perys. ‘I am so happy to see you again. Ever since we parted at Boulogne I have wondered what you were doing. I hoped we would meet again one day - and now here you are.’

As she spoke she moved closer to him until she was looking up into his face. Then, putting her arms about his neck, she kissed him full on the lips. However, when he began to respond, she suddenly moved away.

‘No, Perys, not here and now. I must go back inside and sing once more in a few minutes. Afterwards I will go home. When you see me leave the restaurant, follow me, but do not attempt to speak to me. I will lead you to my home. Once inside the house - ah! There will be no one to see us. Such precautions are for my reputation, you understand?’

‘Of course.’

Gabrielle was a very attractive woman, Perys had no ties, and he had come to Amiens half-hoping to meet with her again.

At that moment, the door through which they had left the restaurant was flung open and a thin, sharp-featured woman stood in the doorway. She gave Perys a withering look, but when she spoke it was to Gabrielle, and in French.

‘What are you doing out here with the Englishman? Do you have no shame?’

‘You are early tonight!’ Gabrielle replied, also in French. ‘I have sung once and came out here to breathe in some fresh air. Had I remained inside I would have been able to do no more than croak like a frog when the time came to sing again.’

‘Is it necessary that you must always have a man with you when you come out into the garden - and that it should be an Englishman?’

‘The English officer is not a complete stranger. We met when I was returning to Amiens after my last visit to my mother in Paris. Surely I told you about it? It was in that very cold weather. The train had no heating, I was shivering and the gallant captain loaned me his greatcoat. He is a true gentleman - and he is a hero, look at his medals.’

The thin woman looked at Perys suspiciously and said, bitterly, ‘My son is a hero too, but now he lies at home in bed, more like a vegetable than a man.’

Although he had been taken aback by Gabrielle’s lies about where they had first met, he said, in perfect French, ‘I am sorry to hear of your son, madame. This war has destroyed the lives of far too many men, but what Gabrielle says is quite true, we have met before. It was then she said that if ever I was in Amiens I must pay a visit to the Restaurant Eugenie. My squadron recently moved here, so when my friends decided we must have a party, I thought it should be here. When Gabrielle and I met again we chatted, but there was so much smoke in the restaurant she needed to come out here for some air before she sang again. It was my idea that I should accompany her.’