Edie felt a sudden wriggle of excitement in her tummy. Although she was going to miss Fliss dreadfully, she couldn’t believe she was really going to see Three Chimneys for herself. She had grown up hearing so many tales about her mother’s time at the house beside the railway and the adventures the three children had all those years ago, back before the Great War.
“I’ll do the same,” said Edie excitedly. “When I get to Three Chimneys, I’ll wave to the Green Dragon and ask it to send my love to you.”
Fliss smiled. “I won’t actually be in London, of course.” She glanced anxiously over her shoulder at the poster on the wall. CARELESS TALK COSTS LIVES, it warned. She leant closer and whispered in Edie’s ear as if a German spy might be sitting on a bench right behind them. “I’ll be living on the airbase from now on. On the south coast.”
“I know. Then you’ll be flying planes up and down the country,” Edie whispered back, although she didn’t want to think about it. “The smoke from the train will float up into the sky like a cloud. It’ll find you and bring you my love, wherever you are.”
“Oh, sweetie, that’s a wonderful idea!” Fliss threw her arms around Edie and kissed her cheek.
“Excuse me. Mind your backs,” said an official-looking lady in a green hat, although there was plenty of room to get by anyway. She strode off along the platform like the Pied Piper, leading a straggly line of evacuees with luggage labels tied around their necks. Edie felt a surge of pride that she’d be travelling alone with no one to look after her. But the feeling vanished as a tall blond-haired boy raised his eyebrows as he passed her on the end of the line. Edie blushed, guessing at once that she’d have a bright red lipstick mark from Fliss’s kiss in the middle of her cheek. She spat on her fingers and rubbed her face.
“Come on! Keep up, will you!” The blond boy turned and shouted over his shoulder. For a moment Edie thought he was hollering at her. Then she saw a tiny girl struggling towards them. She couldn’t have been more than about five years old – her suitcase was almost as big as she was.
“Brute! Why doesn’t he help her?” frowned Edie. It was obvious they were brother and sister. The girl had the same bright blonde hair, except hers fell in tight curls around her hot, red face. She was stumbling along with the suitcase banging against her knees. In her other hand, she was clutching a little woollen elephant. She had to stop every three or four paces to swap sides.
Edie couldn’t stand it. “Here! Let me help you.” She scooped up the suitcase before the little girl could say a word. Fliss leapt forward too and picked up her coat, which was dragging behind her. The girl beamed up at them with delight. As she smiled she showed two big gaps where she must have recently lost some wobbly teeth.
“Thank you!” she grinned. “I could manage myself. Honest I could. It’s only that Mr Churchill wanted to hold my hand and he did make such a fuss.” She waved the tubby knitted elephant in the air. Clearly he was the Mr Churchill she was talking about. Edie wondered if the other Mr Churchill, the busy important prime minister, would mind sharing his famous name with a cuddly toy.
“I expect Mr Churchill is very heavy to carry.” Edie laughed.
“Of course he is,” said the girl, her face deadly serious. “He’s an elephant.” Without waiting to be asked, she slipped her hand into Edie’s and skipped down the platform beside her. Edie didn’t even mind that the little girl had squeezed in between her and Fliss in their last moments together. She had always wanted a little brother or sister of her own, and for a moment she secretly imagined they might all be one family, setting off for a holiday together at the seaside, perhaps. But when the older boy turned round again he scowled furiously.
“Don’t make a nuisance of yourself, Greta,” he huffed. “You can carry your own case perfectly well.”
“It’s no bother!” said Edie and Fliss at exactly the same time. They grinned at each other.
But the boy walked back and snatched the suitcase from Edie’s hand. “We can manage, thank you,” he said stiffly, and he bustled Greta away, following the Pied-Piper woman down the platform.
“Why don’t you join them?” suggested Fliss. “It might be nice to have some other children in your carriage.”
Edie shook her head. She wouldn’t have minded chattering to little Greta, but her big brother looked so grumpy and stuck-up and all the other evacuees seemed to know each other.
“I’ll be fine here, honestly,” she said, spotting an empty compartment and opening the carriage door. “I’ve got my book.”
She knew she was going to have to be very grown-up from now on. She was going to have to manage by herself.
“All right, then,” said Fliss encouragingly. “Spread your things out a bit and you might even have it to yourself. The troops can get a bit rowdy.”
“I’ll be fine,” said Edie again, though she wished her voice wouldn’t crack like that. “If there’s any trouble at all, I’ll go and find the Pied Piper.”
“Who?” said Fliss.
Edie put her nose in the air and imitated the snooty woman in charge of the evacuees.
“Ah!” Fliss laughed and wagged her finger. “Just one thing. Do make sure you look after your ration book,” she said seriously. “It’s in the pocket of your suitcase, with your socks. Give it to Aunt Roberta when you arrive or she won’t be able to feed you so much as a slice of bread and dripping until the end of the war!”
“I will,” said Edie. “But,
