Dottie stops on the corner by the church and unfolds the telegram. Why did Thomas have to come to Norfolk and make a mess of everything? She takes a deep breath and tears the telegram in two. She’s about to tear it again when she stops.
No, Dottie. No, you never know when it might come in handy. Ellie would never want Poppy to see it. Trying to keep everything a secret, weren’t you, Ellie?
She folds the two pieces of paper together and slides them back into her pocket. She’ll keep the telegram. Put it in a safe place. You never know when it might come in handy.
Chapter 35
Tippy’s Tickle – 16 September 2001
Emmett grasps the jagged rock at the face of the cave and pulls himself up the cliff face until he secures a foothold on the cave floor. He clambers into the cool dampness, the safe place.
He’d had to come the long way today, and hide the boat behind some rocks on the far side of the headland at Seal Point, what with Sam coming out this way on the cruiser with the others later. Tricky manoeuvring that, what with the waves, but luckily the wind wasn’t up too much. Another couple of weeks and the waves would make getting to the cave impossible. Winter was hard. No place to escape to. No place to go where he couldn’t be bothered by anyone. Eight months before he could get back to his cave.
Everybody’s a busybody in a small place like Tippy’s Tickle. Sam’d said once you could disappear in a big city like Boston. People keeps to themselves. That’d suit him just fine.
Unlooping his brown leather satchel, he takes out a paper bag and two of his mother’s white linen napkins. Spreading one of the napkins out over a flat rock at the mouth of the cave, he unloads the paper bag: a chicken sandwich, a dill pickle, a piece of blueberry duff, a bottle of Molson’s Canadian. He tucks the other napkin into his shirt collar and settles back to eat.
***
Emmett wipes his face with his handkerchief and rolls up the paper bag and the two napkins and stuffs them back into his satchel. Reaching into the bag, he removes a stack of papers. He slides out one of the papers and reads.
Something out on the water below the cliff catches his eye. The cruiser. He shrinks back against the cave wall. He can just make them out. Sam at the wheel with Becca, his mother and that Englishwoman. The boat comes to a stop. Florie totters from the stern to join the others just as a humpback breaches near the boat. Becca jumps around, clapping her hands.
Relief floods over him, like the warmth of the sun breaking through a thundercloud. Becca seems all right for all she went through yesterday. The fairies must’a just wanted to play.
He takes a swig of beer and slides out another piece of paper. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he settles down to read.
Chapter 36
Norwich, England – 13 November 1942
Ellie reaches into the drawer and lifts out the folded pink nylon negligee. She sits on the bed and runs he hands over the silky fabric. It had been dear, a week’s wages and eleven clothing coupons from the ration book, but she’d wanted to look special on her wedding night. The wedding night that hadn’t happened.
Thomas, why didn’t you telegram me like we’d agreed? I was ready to jump on the train to London. What happened? Did you change your mind? Are we still engaged? What am I to think, Thomas?
She carefully unfolds the negligee. Her heart jumps in her chest. She drops to her knees, searching under the bed and the chest of drawers. Nothing.
Where’s her engagement ring?
She roots through the underwear and nighties in the drawer. She’d put the velvet box in here, folded inside her negligee. She knows she did.
She closes the drawer and stands up. She looks into the mirror sitting on top the chest of drawers. Drumming her fingers on the lace doily, she draws her eyebrows together in a frown.
Dottie.
***
‘Ellie? What are you doing in my room?’
Ellie looks up at her sister from the window bench, the navy velvet jewellery box in her lap. She holds out the telegram. ‘What’s this?’
‘You shouldn’t have been looking in my room!’
‘This is my telegram. What are you doing with it?’
Dottie rushes forward and snatches for the sheet of yellow paper. Ellie jerks it away. ‘It’s my telegram, Dottie! I was supposed to go to London to marry Thomas. He’ll think I … he’ll think I—’ She presses her hand against her mouth. ‘Oh, Dottie, how could you? This is an evil thing you’ve done.’
Dottie stamps around the room, her arms wrapped around her body. ‘I’m going to tell Poppy you went through my things.’
‘Dottie! What’s got into you? You stole my engagement ring and you hid a telegram meant for me. A very important telegram. Poppy would be appalled! Poor Mummy must be spinning in her grave.’
‘Don’t you talk about Mummy like that!’
‘Well, it’s true, Dottie! It’s shocking what you did. It’s theft, pure and simple. It’s a sin.’
Dottie throws herself onto the bed and bursts into tears. ‘You’re awful, Ellie! You’re awful! You were going to just run away!’
‘I wasn’t going to just run away. I was coming back. I was only going to be gone a few days.’
‘You were! You were running away! You were leaving me and Poppy behind!’
‘I wasn’t, Dottie!’
‘Wait till I tell Poppy!’
‘No, don’t do that. Don’t tell Poppy. Promise me. This whole thing will only upset him. I’m still here. Nothing’s
