‘It’s useless Leo,’ breathed Aunt Minnie as if he could hear her. ‘The cottage is gone.’
‘It can’t be!’ gasped Mother and covered her face with her hands. ‘I … I’m seeing things. This isn’t real - ‘
Daisy felt a kick of panic in her stomach as Mother’s tears broke through her trembling fingertips.
Then as if a messenger from the gods arrived to announce the futility of a search, the open car door shuddered. A sudden gust of smoke-filled air covered them all in ash.
Daisy couldn’t ever remember quite how they all managed to scramble outside at once, but they did, scraping the thick grey dust from their clothes and coughing, so that the scene was simply chaos.
Daisy choked a breath and covered her mouth with her coat collar. This was - or rather - used to be, Grandma and Aunt Pat’s cottage. This ruin was once the family home that had stood for a century at least. It had existed through wind and rain and storms and freezing winters and sultry, scented summers.
The cottage was a place of safety and welcome, a retreat from a city that was slowly burning. Now, Wattcombe was on fire too.
Where were Aunt Pat and Grandma? They couldn’t be - she gulped, they couldn’t be there, under all that.
CHAPTER 61
UNCLE LEO APPEARED, his hair and beard spattered with tiny particles of grey ash. Shaking his head, he confirmed he had found no one. Muffled sobs came from Mother, Aunt Betty and Aunt Minnie as they hugged each other.
‘It’s useless,’ he gasped. ‘There’s nothing left at the back, nothing at all. Just - just a jungle of burned shrubbery.’ He swiped his smarting, red-veined eyes. ‘And the air is like poison.’
‘Nothing?’ protested Mother. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Only the stove and that’s - well, mangled, I suppose you could say.’
This word made everyone gasp again. The stove was the heart of the cottage and had breathed warmth and life into its character. To think of it as mangled?
Daisy looked at Bobby who met her gaze and moved close beside her. She knew the shock was affecting him too. It was only Will who wandered off to the wood, apparently unconcerned.
‘Will, come here,’ barked Uncle Leo in an unusually stern voice. ‘It’s too dangerous to go out of sight.’
‘There’s big tracks,’ called Will, pointing to the ground. ’The Germans have captured Grandma and Aunt Pat and put them in a tank.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ said Uncle Leo impatiently. ‘I won’t tell you again. Come here.’
Daisy heard Aunt Betty inhale a sob. ‘Leo, when do you think this … this happened?’
‘Going by the warm embers, within the last twenty four hours, I reckon.’
‘But why didn’t someone alert us?’ protested Mother. ‘Why weren’t we told and why - ‘ she stopped as grief overcame her.
Daisy blinked back her own salty tears. Grandma and Aunt Pat’s cottage was just like the shattered buildings in London, completely unrecognisable. And worst of all was the thought she would never see Grandma and Aunt Pat again.
‘Do you think … do you think Grandma and Aunt Pat are under all that - ‘ she blurted to Bobby whose eyes were trained fiercely on the devastation. ‘Could they be … ’
‘How should I know?’ he bit back, but added more softly, ‘It does look bad, though.’
They watched Uncle Leo make another search, avoiding the glowing embers and leaping obstructions. Once again he disappeared into the haze and his voice echoed desperately as he called out for Grandma and Aunt Pat.
Everyone waited with bated breath, as if hoping for a miracle or at least, some indication that life had not been completely extinguished. Minutes later, he returned, shaking his head again and pushing his dirty hands over his face.
Daisy heard a pitiful whimper come from Mother. Then a choked howl from Aunt Minnie. They were the most heartbreaking sounds she had ever heard.
‘There’s a chance someone got them out,’ soothed Uncle Leo, in a not very convincing tone as he too, stood aimlessly to one side. ‘I mean, the cottage might have been empty when it happened - ‘
‘Mother’s never out,’ shrieked Aunt Minnie as tears glistened on her cheeks. ‘She’s not been well, Leo, you know that. And as for Pat, who hates even walking to the shops - ‘ Her cheeks flared scarlet as she fumbled for words.
‘But I - ‘ began Uncle Leo spreading out his arms. ‘I didn’t mean to - ‘
‘How could anyone survive this inferno?’ continued Aunt Minnie, hopelessly. ‘How could you possibly think it? We’ve got eyes, we can see … there’s not a chance - ’
Daisy watched her aunt suddenly crumple into Uncle Leo’s arms. He held her against him to soften her sobs, but Daisy could bear it no longer. She ran to her aunt and uncle, throwing her arms around them. Very soon, everyone was huddled together, trying to contain their shock and grief. Daisy tried not to imagine the terrible thing that had happened to her grandmother and aunt. Would they have suffered? Did they hear the bomb coming?
‘It was definitely the Germans,’ called Will. ‘They’ve taken Grandma and Aunt Pat prisoner.‘
‘Will!’ yelled Uncle Leo, turning impatiently to frown at his son. ’Come away from that mess.’
‘But Dad, look down there, the Germans have left their tracks.‘
Daisy watched Uncle Leo reluctantly peel himself away from the group and with defeated shoulders, amble across to where Will stood. ‘Why do you insist on spouting such rubbish, Will - ‘ he began, only to halt mid-sentence as he followed Will’s gaze.
‘See?’ said Will eagerly. ‘It’s the tracks of a tank.’
Uncle Leo went down on his haunches and examined the ground. ’Good grief, you’re right, Will. Not a tank, but certainly a large vehicle. And what’s that over there?’ He
