“I have some idea.” Derek’s sarcasm stung but she refused to rise to his taunting.
“Please Derek, get to know the children. In time you will love them as much as I do. Liesl is such a gentle, sweet-natured child, always looking to please. She brightens up every room. Tom is a lovable rascal. He gets into trouble at school for saying exactly what’s on his mind, but he has a heart of gold. He’s an intelligent chap; you should see how well he can repair things. And Harry… well, he is different. You can’t love him like a child, as he’s an adult now. He won’t be back for a long time. He’s on a mission to hunt down the man who murdered his father. Until he finds him, he says he won’t be back. But he writes regularly.
Sally stopped babbling; conscious her husband had remained silent. When she glanced at him, she saw he was staring out the window, deep in thought but she’d no way of knowing what it was he was thinking about. Then he turned. His words surprised her.
“I need a bath and a kip. Is there hot water?”
“I can heat some up. The range has been on since early, so it won’t take long. Tom found some wood for me, so I was able to make the coal last a bit longer.”
She busied herself preparing his bath but didn’t offer to scrub his back. Instead, she made herself scarce. She didn’t want to see her husband or give him any ideas of resuming marital relations. He was a stranger. She needed time to adjust.
“I’ll leave you to it then. See you in a while.” She was gone before he could react
32
She turned right, instead of left, as she left her house. Enid could manage the children for a bit longer, she needed time to herself. To get used to the shock of Derek coming back. All her prayers for him to return had been answered. She should have been over the moon, skipping down the street instead of feeling like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She didn’t even see Maggie until she almost walked into her.
“Sally you were away with the fa… Oh goodness, whatever happened to your face.”
“I fell,” Sally lied, automatically protecting Derek. Whatever issues they had between them he was still her husband.
“You’re as white as a sheet and shaking like a leaf. Come inside and have a cup of tea. I have some broken biscuits. A rare treat these days. Callaghan’s shop got some in and Mrs. Callaghan kept some back for the children. Kind old dear she is.” Maggie prattled on, as she guided Sally up the path and into the rectory. Sally didn’t resist. Her insides were frozen but not from the cold. She was reluctant to face Enid, never mind the children. Maggie wouldn’t press her for details but would wait for Sally to tell her when she was ready.
They sat over a cup of tea and a plate of uneaten biscuits. Maggie filled in the silence with tales from the village. So, and so was expected home soon and somebody else had a letter to say their son was injured, not seriously and would shortly be moved to Botley’s Park. On and on Maggie chatted, while Sally stirred her tea. Finally, Maggie leaned forward and took the spoon away.
“Drink the tea, can’t afford to waste good leaves.”
Sally lifted the cup to her mouth and drank. Only then did she meet Maggie’s gaze to see the concern her friend held.
“Is it the children? Have they found their family?” Maggie whispered, as if by saying the words out loud, she would make them come true. Maggie knew how much Sally loved the kids.
Sally shook her head.
“Harry? Has he been injured? Worse?” Maggie prompted.
Again, Sally shook her head.
“Look love, I know something dreadful is wrong but if you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t push you. I’m here for you, though and you know you can trust me. I won’t breathe a word to anyone.”
Sally knew that but still, she found it difficult to put into words the events of the morning.
She whispered, “Derek, he’s home.”
Maggie’s eyes widened as she processed the news.
“That’s a surprise.”
At the understatement, both women exchanged glances and burst out in a nervous laugh.
“Maggie, it’s everything I ever wanted. I prayed so hard for a miracle. You knew I didn’t believe Derek was gone, that I felt I would have known he was dead. But now…”
“Where was he? How come they didn’t tell you he was alive?”
“I don’t know why. He doesn’t either. He lost his dog-tags on the beach at Dunkirk. Lost his memory too, due to a head injury. It took a long time to come back, by which time he was a prisoner of war somewhere. I haven’t asked him. I left him having a bath.” Sally couldn’t bring herself to say more.
Maggie took her hands and pulled her into a hug. Then she gently rubbed her back.
“Sally, I don’t know what happened but remember it’s early days. You and Derek, you’ve lived completely different lives and it’s bound to take a while for things to settle down.
33
Sally felt a bit better, as she walked back up the path into her cottage. She loved her home just as much now as she
