A Rose and a Promise, page 11
Kitty’s blood ran cold as realisation dawned. The man threatening to snap her neck had to be one of the Finnegans. Clueless as to what had gone on with Cadi, all Kitty could do was nod her head, as the tears trickled down her cheeks.
Pushing her roughly away, Kieran still kept a hold of her wrist, preventing her from running back to the safety of the kitchen. He wagged a warning finger under her nose. ‘And don’t even think about reportin’ me, cos if you do, I’ll return the favour.’
Kitty glared at him, angered by his empty threat. ‘By reportin’ me? Go ahead. I’ve not done anything wrong.’
Kieran tutted irritably. ‘Do you not remember settin’ fire to my house?’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘That’s the favour I was referrin’ to.’
Kitty swallowed. ‘I – I didn’t mean to.’
He pulled a face. ‘Too little, too late; or as some might say, an eye for an eye.’
Shoving her roughly away, he swaggered back to his lorry, leaving Kitty to dry her tears on the backs of her hands. She knew if she went back in now it would be obvious that she had been crying and people would want to know why, so she quickly headed to the ablutions where she could wash her face and gather her thoughts.
Standing over the nearest sink, she began throwing cold water on to her face. The Finnegans weren’t the sort to make idle threats, but what had Cadi done to infuriate them so, and how had they found out where Kitty was based? She would have to speak to Cadi and find out exactly what was going on.
She frowned at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. Why on earth hadn’t Cadi warned her that the Finnegans were back and that one of them at least was serving in the RAF? It wasn’t like her friend to be complacent, yet surely she must have realised the danger they posed? Kitty knew that she would get in trouble for using the phone when she was meant to be on duty, but she had to try to speak to Cadi.
Hurrying over to the NAAFI, she telephoned RAF Coningsby to find out where her friend was currently based, and was disappointed to find that Cadi had gone on a forty-eight. Thanking the Waaf for her help, she asked for a message to be passed on, and for Cadi to telephone her as soon as she returned.
It was the first morning of their weekend away, and Cadi and Jez were just finishing their breakfast.
‘Not as good as the one Maria serves in the Belmont, but not far off,’ remarked Jez, as he mopped the last piece of toast around his plate.
‘When we have a pub of our own, we shall have toast racks and butter dishes,’ said Cadi, ‘and I shall curl the butter with one of those fancy spoons.’
Jez drained the tea from his cup before speaking. ‘You’ve obviously been giving this some thought.’
‘From the napkins to the bedsheets,’ said Cadi. ‘And I want the pub to have a thatched roof and hanging baskets above the door come summertime.’
He rubbed his chin. ‘You’ve just described the Coach and Horses back in Rhos.’
‘Only our pub will be somewhere like Formby,’ said Cadi, ‘close to the city and the sea.’
Jez’s brow shot towards his hairline. ‘I didn’t know you did the pools.’
Cadi shot him a wry smile. ‘So maybe I’m reaching for the stars when we can only afford to bathe in their light, but it’s lovely to dream, don’t you think?’
‘I do indeed,’ he agreed. ‘There’s nowt wrong with aiming high, and who knows? We might fall lucky.’
Cadi crossed her fingers. ‘Here’s hoping.’
‘As good a method as any,’ chuckled Jez. Standing up, he held his hand out to her. ‘Where would you like to go today?’
Cadi slipped her fingers through his, allowing him to pull her to her feet. ‘How about the cathedral?’
He nodded approvingly. ‘Good choice.’
As they made their way out of the pub, they began to climb the steep hill across the road from the tavern.
‘That was certainly a good way of working off our brekker,’ said Jez, as they completed the ascent.
Cadi turned to him as they entered the cathedral. ‘I wish we’d married sooner; it feels as if we wasted so much time.’
‘Being married any earlier wouldn’t have made an ounce of difference to the amount of time we spent together,’ said Jez reasonably.
‘No, but I let my fears and superstitions get the better of me, and I shouldn’t have. All that worrying over what might happen stopped me from following my heart.’
He kissed the back of her hand. ‘You can’t live your life with regrets. We’re together now and that’s all that matters.’
Cadi tucked her arm into the crook of his elbow as they continued to walk through the church. ‘It’s so peaceful in here – it takes you away from the madness of war.’
He squeezed her arm in his. ‘I reckon we’re nearing the finishing line; I can feel it in my bones.’
She whipped round to look him square in the eye. ‘Have you heard summat?’
He tapped the side of his nose. ‘No one’s prepared to say too much, but the general feeling amongst the pilots has lifted, so I’m guessing they know summat we don’t.’
‘Has Aled said anything?’
‘No, but I’ve noticed a difference in their attitudes when they’re going off on operations: they seem more confident somehow. I guess they must see more than we do because they cross over into Europe.’
Cadi felt her heartbeat quicken in her chest; the very thought that the war might soon be coming to an end was music to her ears. ‘I hope you’re right.’ She hesitated as a thought entered her mind. ‘What do you suppose your mam will do when the war’s over?’
‘Last time we spoke, she said she’d go back to work for Maria.’
Cadi mulled this over. ‘When you stop to think about it, there’s going to be a lot of people looking for employment when peace is declared.’ She nodded thoughtfully as she continued, ‘A lot of women will find themselves back where they started when the men return to their jobs. No work, no money, no independence. All that freedom whisked away in the blink of an eye.’
‘That’s a bit of an exaggeration,’ said Jez. ‘The Chinese laundries will still be employing women.’
Cadi shook her head. ‘Women’s work, Jez; thankless tasks that hold no prospects.’ She turned to face him. ‘I’m a sergeant in the WAAF, but if I were to go back to Rhos I’d be on the line with all the others.’
‘But you won’t be going back to Rhos,’ Jez pointed out.
‘No, but others will, because they won’t have a choice – either that, or they’ll be returning as war brides, and a lot of them will be living with men they barely know. We were lucky because we got to know each other before the war. I know that I’m a different person in the WAAF from who I am on civvy street.’
Jez was about to disagree when he remembered what Aled had said about Marnie being in love with a hero who flew off into the sunset. He said as much to Cadi.
‘There you are: case in point, and I’m afraid Aled could well be right. Farming isn’t a glamorous lifestyle – far from it.’ She smiled as she remembered the day Aled had driven past her in a dirty great tractor, accidentally covering her in a substance she’d rather forget. ‘I’m pretty sure that’s why Aled wanted to join the RAF in the first place.’
‘So the end of the war is going to bring troubles in itself,’ said Jez; ‘something I’d not thought about until now.’ He placed his arm around her shoulders. ‘Thank goodness we’ve got each other.’
Saying goodbye to Jez was always hard, but today’s parting had been made a little easier when he presented her with a surprise gift.
Taking the jewellery box, she peered at the exquisite locket inside before opening the tiny clasp and gasping at the photograph of herself and Jez on their wedding day. ‘Oh, Jez, it’s beautiful, but what’s the occasion?’
He shrugged. ‘Does there need to be one?’
Placing the chain around her neck, she turned so that Jez could fasten the clasp. With the locket in place, she continued to admire it before tucking it out of sight. ‘I didn’t realise we were doing presents, or I’d have got you something,’ she said.
‘It’s my job to shower you with gifts,’ said Jez, ‘not the other way round.’
‘I love it,’ Cadi cooed, ‘and I shall treasure it always.’
Seeing the train approach, he pulled her close. ‘I believe this one’s yours.’
Cadi wrapped her arms around his waist. ‘Why is it they’re always late setting out, but they’re bang on time when it comes to going back?’
Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her with such love that Cadi felt as though the world around her had come to a stop. So lost was she in the kiss that it seemed as if no time had passed when the guard called for the last of the passengers to board.
Breaking away from their embrace, Cadi looked ruefully along the platform, which had almost emptied since the train’s arrival. She turned back to say goodbye, but the words caught in her throat.
Jez picked up her kitbag and walked her over to the train. ‘Chin up, queen. It’s not as though it’s for ever.’
‘I know, but …’
She stopped short as the guard bellowed for everyone to board the train. Giving Jez the briefest of kisses, she whispered, ‘I love you, Jeremy Thomas.’
It was dark by the time Cadi arrived back in Coningsby. She flashed her pass to the airman on the gate and headed for her billet. Stifling a yawn, she stopped as a Waaf trotted over with paper in hand.
‘The caller said it was urgent,’ said the Waaf, before ripping off a salute and walking away.
Hoping that it wasn’t bad news, Cadi read the note asking her to telephone Kitty as a matter of urgency. She turned on the spot and headed for the NAAFI, where she kept her fingers tightly crossed as she called Little Snoring.
‘Kitty! I just got your note after a weekend away. Is everything all right?’
Kitty got straight to the point. ‘I don’t know what you’ve done to annoy the Finnegans, Cadi, but they’re out for blood.’
Cadi stood in stunned silence before finding her tongue. ‘I haven’t done anything to them, I haven’t even seen—’ She stopped short as the image of Micky behind the steering wheel of a lorry came to the forefront of her mind.
‘Cadi?’
Licking her lips, Cadi swallowed. ‘I thought I’d seen Micky a while back, but when I asked around, everyone said I was mistaken, and that the feller I’d seen was called Kieran O’Connell.’
‘The feller I saw definitely wasn’t Kieran O’Connell, whoever he might be. He told me that you were to stop asking questions, or he’d let everyone know what Raquel used to do for a living. He also said that if I reported him he’d – he’d …’ She faltered, unable to repeat his threat.
‘He’d what?’ cried Cadi.
‘He’d return the favour. He was talking about my accidentally setting fire to Hillcrest.’
Cadi gasped out loud. ‘Bloody hell!’
Her mind raced whilst Kitty continued to talk. ‘You must’ve said or done summat, Cadi.’
‘I swear to you, all I’ve done is ask if anyone knew of a Micky Finnegan, and that’s it.’
‘Well, he’s really worried that you’re goin’ to keep askin’, otherwise he wouldn’t have come and threatened me.’ Kitty hesitated. ‘Which brings me to another point …’
Cadi voiced the question before Kitty had a chance. ‘How did he know where to find you?’
‘Not just me. He must have guessed that Raquel’s in the WAAF, and if he knows about her, then he’ll know where to find Ronnie, Poppy and Izzy.’
Cadi clapped a hand to her forehead. ‘I wish I’d kept my big mouth shut.’
‘Hardly your fault,’ said Kitty. ‘You were only asking what any of us would’ve asked had we thought we’d seen him. Question is: do we tell Raquel?’
Cadi heaved a miserable sigh. ‘I told Jez that I thought I’d seen Micky, and he said not to mention it to his mam because she’d go spare. I’d rather talk to Jez first, see what he thinks, then go from there.’
‘As you can imagine, I’ve given the matter a lot of thought, and I reckon Micky would walk the other way if he saw her,’ said Kitty helpfully. ‘He’s as much to lose from this as she has, if not more. As far as I’m aware being a you-know-what isn’t grounds for dismissal, but lying about your identity? That’s bound to raise a few eyebrows.’
‘Which is why he’s bandying threats around,’ agreed Cadi. She hesitated. ‘Did he mention his brother?’
‘No, probably because you’d only been asking about him and not Paddy.’
But Cadi didn’t think this to be the case at all. ‘When they came outside to threaten you and Ronnie, they did it together, which suggests to me that one never goes far without the other. Yet he only wants me to stop asking questions about him?’ She shook her head. ‘Summat’s gone on there, summat we don’t know about. Whatever it is has got Micky running scared.’
Kitty’s lips parted. ‘So there’s more to this than meets the eye?’
‘A lot more,’ said Cadi.
‘It certainly would explain why he went off the deep end,’ said Kitty. ‘So what now?’
‘I’m going to telephone Jez and tell him everything. It’s too late to call him now, so I’ll do it first thing in the morning. I’m so sorry Micky decided to pick on you.’
‘Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry you had to come home to this news, and so late at night too.’
‘I’d rather know no matter what time of day or night, so I’m glad you told me. I’ll telephone you when I get to my new base tomorrow.’
‘Right you are. Goodnight, Cadi.’
Bidding Kitty goodnight, Cadi replaced the handset and headed for the ablutions, where she had the briefest of washes before continuing to her billet and getting ready for bed. As she stripped, she tried to shake the image of Micky – or should they be calling him Kieran? – out of her mind. The cook and her assistant had seemed to think highly of him, but the feller in the queue behind her hadn’t reckoned much to him at all. Snuggling between the sheets, she pulled the blanket over her. How she wished that Jez was cuddling her to sleep, as he had done the previous night. As her eyelids began to droop, she wondered what he would say when she told him Kitty’s news. When she fell to sleep, it was only to dream of Micky standing in front of a burning hut, a wicked grin on his face.
The following morning Cadi was up betimes, hoping to catch Jez before he started his shift. As she waited patiently for him to come to the phone, she was still trying to imagine how he was going to react when his voice came down the line.
‘Can’t keep away, eh?’ he chuckled.
Cadi sighed heavily. ‘I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.’
He stopped laughing in an instant. ‘What’s happened?’
Cadi caught him up on everything Kitty had told her, finishing with, ‘So it was Micky I saw.’
Deep in contemplation, Jez was silent for a moment or so. ‘What the hell is he doing in the RAF?’
‘I don’t know, and what’s more, I don’t think we should ask,’ said Cadi. ‘But I do think we should tell your mam, and the others.’
Jez heaved a reluctant sigh. ‘Forewarned is forearmed. Mam’s going to be devastated when she hears.’ He hesitated. ‘How the hell did he know where to find Kitty?’
‘Not the foggiest,’ admitted Cadi. An image of herself arguing with Daphne entered her mind. ‘Oh God.’
‘What?’
‘Daphne knows where Kitty is, because that’s how we got to find out about Aled. It must’ve been her that told him.’
Jez was aghast. ‘Why on earth would she do that? I know she hates us, but surely she’d not tell him?’
‘More to the point, why would she tell him?’ mused Cadi. She tapped her forefinger against her chin as she tried to come up with a plausible explanation. ‘The only people I spoke to about Micky were Officer Harris – and I can’t see him gossiping – and the two cooks. I never mentioned him to Daphne, because I’d not seen him by that stage.’
‘Then the answer’s simple: it must’ve been one of the cooks who gave Micky the heads-up.’
‘Then where does Daphne come into it?’
‘Search me.’
‘So where do we go from here?’
‘First things first, tell me mam.’ He paused. ‘I hate to ask, but is there any chance you could tell her? Only you’ve spoken to Kitty, and you were the one who saw Micky, so …’
Cadi was already nodding. ‘Leave it with me, although I won’t be able to contact her until I get to my new base. I’m running late as it is.’
‘Where are you off to, or don’t you know?’
‘Hopefully not miles away,’ said Cadi, ‘but they don’t tell me until I’m ready to leave.’
‘Well, take care, and let me know what happens after you speak to Mam.’
‘Will do. Ta-ra, Jez.’
‘Ta-ra, queen.’
Heading out of the NAAFI, Cadi ducked into the office to get her orders.
The Waaf looked down at the paper in her hands. ‘You’re off to RAF Fiskerton.’
Cadi stared at the woman, a wide smile splitting her cheeks. ‘How long for?’
The Waaf glanced at Cadi’s instructions again before handing them over. ‘Looks like you’re going to be there for the foreseeable, which is why they want you to catch a train, rather than drive.’ Seeing Cadi’s smile widen even further, she added, ‘I take it you’re happy with their decision?’
‘I am indeed,’ said Cadi. Grinning like the cat that got the cream, she pocketed the paperwork and headed out of the office. After hearing the worst news possible, it was a refreshing relief to have some good tidings. She had asked to be posted to Lincoln as soon as she came back from Liverpool, but not for one moment had she thought they’d grant her request. The whole business with Micky would be much more easily sorted out with her friends beside her, and her husband just over an hour away.
Poppy drummed her fingers against the steering wheel as she waited for the train carrying their new sergeant to arrive. Hearing the squeal of brakes as the approaching train entered the station, she checked her reflection in the rear-view mirror. The last thing she wanted was some stuffy officer giving her a dressing down for having a crooked tie.
