‘Aye, that’s what I said.’
‘And your decision would be the same? About my future with the magazine if I was a married woman?’
‘Let’s say it would.’
She was silent for a moment.
‘I’d say yes,’ she said quietly.
‘I know you would, lass.’ He patted her arm as he passed to go back to the parlour. ‘I know you would.’
Chapter 35
June became July and July seemed to race along in a blaze of sunshine until it became August, however, and there was still no end to the war in sight. While the Germans had thus far failed to capture Moscow or Leningrad, neither had the Soviets been able to launch a counter-offensive that would decisively flatten their enemy as Reg had so optimistically predicted they might. Aid for Russia became the cause of the moment, and the war machine chugged eternally on.
Time had done little to settle Bobby’s mind either, nor had it provided balm to the other organ in her chest that had been giving her so much trouble recently. She tried to put thoughts of Charlie Atherton out of her head – keeping herself busy with work, her ARP duties, visits to her friends in the village and the two Polish airmen over at Sumner House, now a thriving hospital of twenty patients – yet still she thought of him.
She no longer even pretended to disguise her eagerness for his letters. Whenever she saw Gil delivering post to the farmhouse, she hurried over in the hope that if a letter had come from Charlie, Mary would allow her to read it alongside her.
They were a special sort of torture, Charlie’s letters. By the time the first week in August arrived, he had reached the end of his initial eight-week training. That meant he would be beginning elementary flying training and might very soon be in the air. Before the Bowside crash, Bobby would at least have felt secure in the knowledge that he was safe. After all, it was only training, with no German guns attempting to destroy him. Now, even the idea of training flights filled her with fear.
Then of course there were his dates. He hadn’t mentioned a steady girlfriend but he often seemed to be out at nights, usually keeping company some pretty friend of a pal’s girl at the pictures or a dance. It felt like a knife in Bobby’s stomach, every time, and even worse was that she knew she had no right to feel that way. Why should she be jealous, when Charlie’s current state of carefree singleness was all her own doing? Still, she did feel he might have had the gentlemanly decency to grieve for just a little longer. He could at least have pretended he missed her.
‘What do you write back to him, Mary?’ Bobby asked one Saturday afternoon when they had perused the latest letter together. ‘Do you tell him about me?’
‘I tell him about all of us here,’ Mary said. ‘Aye, you included.’
‘I’m almost tempted to go on a date myself, just so that you may write him about it.’
‘But you won’t, will you?’
She sighed. ‘No.You could pretend though.’
Mary tapped her arm. ‘Lying is a sin, young Bobby. Now you can hoist your sleeves up and roll out the pastry for this evening’s pie, since you’re here.’
‘I will, but I can’t stay long. I need to pack the cases for me and Dad ready for our trip home tomorrow, then I’ve got an engagement at two.’
Mary raised an eyebrow. ‘You mean you actually do have a date?’
‘Nothing so exciting as that,’ Bobby said with a smile. ‘Piotr was released from the hospital three days ago to convalesce at home. He and his wife have invited me to the hunting lodge for afternoon tea. Topsy and the other young airman, Teddy, are to go as well. Teddy is still quite frail, but his doctor feels a trip out will do his spirits good.’
‘It sounds a regular party.’ Mary handed her the rolling pin. ‘What is she like, this Polish wife of Piotr’s?’
‘I haven’t met her, but I have seen her paintings. I must take you to see the one Topsy has in the cottage sometime, Mary. I’m no judge of art – certainly not compared to you – but she seems to have a rare skill as a painter. I understand her work sells for considerable sums.’
‘I wonder how she manages, with a child of two tugging at her skirts perpetually.’
‘So do I.’ Bobby smiled as she rolled out the pastry. ‘Piotr’s terrifically proud of her. Whenever he talks about her, his chest swells so much that I worry he’s going to pop every button off his hospital uniform.’
‘They sound like a devoted couple.’
‘Yes, they seem very happy together.’ She paused, concentrating on making sure the pastry she was rolling was an even thickness. ‘The girl Charlie mentioned in his letter today – Ruth. That’s the same one he talked about having a date with last time, isn’t it?’
‘I believe so,’ Mary said vaguely.
‘Do you think they might be… that she’s a steady girlfriend?’
‘I really wouldn’t know, Bobby. He doesn’t say so.’ Mary glanced at her. ‘He says he’s requested some leave though. He could be coming home soon.’
