A Rose and a Promise, page 15
Marnie was itching to say that there must have been more behind Jez’s assumption than Aled was admitting, but pushing for an answer now might make her out to be as jealous as Jez had been. On the other hand, she was only asking these questions because she had seen the way Aled looked at Cadi during the funeral. Granted he and Cadi had been through a lot, and they were good friends, but there was something in the way that Aled was looking at her which seemed to be deeper than friendship. She briefly considered speaking her thoughts, then cursed herself inwardly. She’d never been the type to be jealous, until she’d found her former beau in the arms of another. Was it her own insecurities that were making her see things that weren’t there? True, her cheating rat of an ex had taught her to be on her guard, but up until now she had thought Aled to be true blue. She tutted to herself. The affection which Aled was showing for Cadi was only to be expected after everything that had happened. She felt a shiver run down her spine as she imagined how awful it must’ve been for the two of them to find Cadi’s husband. She knew the experience had prematurely aged Aled; if anything he was probably feeling kinship with Cadi because of the trauma they had shared.
As they walked, Aled found himself wondering why Marnie had brought up the subject. She’d never asked him about Cadi before, so why now? Surely it couldn’t be down to hair colour? Had he said or done something to make Marnie feel insecure? He glanced down at her. ‘Is everything all right? Only you’ve never really been interested in Cadi before.’
‘Just curious, I suppose,’ said Marnie, crossing her fingers deep within her pocket.
Aled found this doubtful, but with nothing further coming he would have to take her at her word. He knew her ex had cheated on her with another woman, but surely Marnie wouldn’t think Aled capable of doing the same thing? Especially not with his friend’s widow? Admittedly there was a time when Aled would’ve jumped at the chance to be Cadi’s beau, but that was a long time ago, and a lot of water had passed under the bridge since then. Now, he saw Cadi as no more than a very good friend, and he loved her as such.
Chapter Six
July 1944
Just as she had every night since Jez’s death, Cadi had woken to find herself covered in sweat, with her heart pounding in her chest, and her stomach churning itself into knots.
The girls had told her to go and see the doctor, and Cadi had done just that, only to be told what she already knew: the nightmares would fade in time, and she should start looking after herself before she became too ill to drive. But how could she eat when her heart still ached for the man she had loved with all her heart? The doctor had also told her to take some time off, but Cadi had said this would just make her worse, and that keeping busy in the WAAF was the only thing that kept her going. Bill had been correct when he said that time to think wasn’t necessarily a good thing, which was why she was currently in Scotland.
Swinging her legs out of bed, she put her greatcoat over her shoulders and headed for the ablutions. Being on a remote airfield, far away from everyone she knew, held one big advantage. Nobody knew her from Adam, so she didn’t have to suffer sympathetic looks, or get special treatment, or have people ask her how Jez was doing, only to apologise in embarrassment when she explained what had happened.
Filling the sink with water, she washed briefly before drying herself with a towel. Seeing her face in the mirror above the sink, she hastily averted her gaze rather than acknowledge her gaunt cheeks and pasty complexion. Remembering her conversation with Aled the previous evening, she gazed cautiously up at her reflection. Aled’s voice had been full of concern, wanting to know if she was all right, and asking if she needed anything, just as it was every time he rang. Cadi had done her best to convince him that she was coping well under the circumstances, but when he offered to come and see her she had used her constant travelling as an excuse, saying that meeting would be too difficult. She could hear by the hesitation in his voice that he wasn’t altogether convinced, but, ever the gentleman, he had respected her wishes, saying that he would come and see her when she was more settled.
Aled wasn’t the only one on her case. Poppy and Izzy were constantly trying to persuade her to eat, saying that Jez would be worried if he could see her now, but all they had achieved was to make Cadi hide away from her friends as well as everyone else. She tutted irritably to herself. It wasn’t as if she didn’t eat anything; it was only breakfast that she skipped, and she’d rather skip breakfast than try to force it down just to please her friends. She grimaced as she recalled the few times she’d eaten breakfast in order to please them, only to end up spending the morning with her head down the toilet.
Having washed and dressed she headed to the cookhouse, where she grabbed a quick cup of tea before heading out to the car. Today she would be making the long journey to RAF Ilfracombe. A beautiful part of the country where she wouldn’t be asked questions by anyone who knew her.
She was a good way into her journey when she pulled over to let a lorry through. As it passed by, she found herself checking to see whether the driver was Kieran O’Connell. It was the first time she had thought of him since she’d lost Jez. She tapped her finger against the steering wheel as she drove on. If she remembered rightly, the plan had been to tell Daphne what Kieran was capable of, so that she could warn his belle – if he had one, of course. Since losing Jez, the whole debacle had paled in significance, which was only to be expected, but it didn’t take away from the fact that they were allowing Kieran to get away with murder if they did nothing to stop him.
She imagined the map in her mind’s eye. Ilfracombe wasn’t far away from Chivenor; if time allowed she’d be able to call in on her way to her next destination.
She reached Ilfracombe just as the sun was setting. Shattered after the long drive, she quickly checked in at the office before heading over to the ablutions, where she had a quick wash before retiring for the night. As she snuggled between her sheets, she went through the conversation she would have with Daphne the following day. Doubtless the other woman would be curious as to why Cadi wanted to speak to her, but would she see Cadi’s request as being helpful or interfering? Would she even listen to what Cadi had to say, or would she walk away before she’d had a chance to finish? Might she accuse Cadi of interfering in Kieran’s life the way Cadi had accused Daphne of interfering in Aled’s? Or would she heed Cadi’s advice and speak to the other woman? If she did, Cadi would have to warn her to be careful of Kieran’s temper. She pursed her lips, thinking. She supposed she was asking Daphne to do something pretty risky, when you considered what type of man he was. Could Cadi really ask her to get involved? Only what choice did she have? She hesitated. There was one alternative, of course. If she approached Daphne, she could find out who Kieran’s belle was and talk to her herself. Quite frankly, she’d welcome an outburst from Kieran, as it would give her the perfect opportunity to get rid of some of her anger by telling him what she thought of men who bullied women.
As she drifted off to sleep, images of Kieran shouting the odds formed in her mind. A fleeting smile of satisfaction crossed her lips as she imagined herself with a megaphone announcing to the entire base that Kieran O’Connell was a toerag, as he left the RAF with his tail between his legs. Within moments of her drifting off to sleep, however, the vision had morphed into that of Jez, but this time he wasn’t the only one who’d been struck by bullets. Cadi twisted in her sheets as her sleeping eye fell on Annie’s bloodstained body lying next to her master’s.
Haunted by her nightmares, Cadi woke early the next morning and was up betimes, ready for the day ahead. After the usual cup of tea to start off her day, she headed to the office, where she was given a package to take to RAF Okehampton. Pleased that Chivenor was en route, Cadi headed off.
Arriving in Chivenor some twenty minutes later, she showed her pass to the guard and was let through. Once parked, she quickly called in at the office to say that she had come to visit Daphne, and asked if some-body could point her in the right direction.
‘Go to the motor pool. Someone’s bound to know where she is,’ said the Waaf on duty.
Thanking the girl for her help Cadi wandered over to where she could see numerous vehicles all parked in the same spot. As she made her way between them, she kept an eye out for Kieran as well as Daphne. She definitely didn’t want to bump into him unawares. As she tried to decide what she would say to him if she did, she spied him in the distance, and tutted beneath her breath. He was talking to Daphne. Should she approach Daphne with him there, or would it be better to wait until she could get her on her own? She nodded to herself. It would be better to wait; that way, Kieran couldn’t bully Daphne into silence as soon as Cadi had left. Tucking herself out of sight, she jumped as a voice spoke to her from behind.
‘Can I help you?’
Turning, she smiled briefly at a man who was watching her with mild interest. Embarrassed that he might think her to be spying, she explained her presence. ‘I’m waiting to speak to someone.’
He looked over to Daphne and Kieran. ‘Let me guess: it’s summat to do with Kieran O’Connell?’
She eyed him sharply. ‘What makes you say that?’
He looked thoughtful. ‘There’s summat shifty about him, and rumours are rife concerning his dealings.’ He jerked his head towards Daphne. ‘But the women fall at his feet. They’re like putty in his hands.’
Cadi’s jaw flinched. ‘Only because they don’t know him as well as I do. If they did, they’d steer well clear.’
‘You know him, then?’ he said, his voice rising with intrigue. ‘What did he do before signing up, do you know? Only no one here seems to, and he’s very guarded when it comes to life before the war.’
Cadi smiled grimly. ‘I’m not surprised. Let’s just say he hasn’t the rosiest of pasts, and if you know what’s good for you you won’t delve too deeply.’
He raised his brow. ‘So we were right to be suspicious?’
She nodded. ‘Only that hasn’t come from me.’
He glanced back in the direction of Kieran and Daphne. ‘Are you here to warn his fiancée?’
Cadi’s eyes grew round. ‘He’s engaged to someone? Looks like I got here in the nick of time.’ She faced the man squarely. ‘You say you thought him shifty, and mentioned something about his dealings, but what makes you think he’s up to something illegal?’
‘His attitude,’ replied the man simply. ‘And he’s work-shy. He’s always making excuses why he can’t do summat or other, and he doesn’t seem bothered when people point it out to him. You get the feeling he’s here because he has to be, as though he’s got no other choice. Yet when you try and quiz him for answers, he’s vague with his replies.’ He adjusted the cap on his head. ‘He always seems to have plenty of money, but where does it come from? One of the corporals told him to sod off back to Ireland if he didn’t want to do his bit, and Kieran flipped his lid. Started shouting the odds, saying that the feller didn’t know who he was talking to, cos if he did he’d know to keep it zipped.’
‘Kieran was speaking the truth for once,’ said Cadi darkly. ‘Your friend doesn’t know exactly what kind of man he’s talking to.’
‘You seem to know an awful lot about him,’ said the man. ‘What’s he done?’
Seeing that Kieran was walking away from Daphne, Cadi brought their conversation to an end. ‘My advice would be to treat him as though you’re playing with fire, because if you get involved with Kieran O’Connell that’s exactly what you’re doing.’
Without giving him a chance to quiz her any further, she hurried after Daphne, who was heading towards one of the huts. Cadi waved to get her attention, and Daphne visibly deflated. ‘Oh, for God’s sake. I don’t know what you want, but I’m not interested.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Cadi, ‘it’s nothing to do with you.’
‘Makes a change,’ said Daphne tartly.
‘It’s about that feller you were just talking to. Kieran O’Connell.’
Daphne was shaking her head. ‘Whatever it is you have to say, I suggest you don’t bother, because I’m not interested.’
‘Well you should be,’ snapped Cadi. ‘He’s bad news, and from what I hear he’s engaged to one of the girls on your base.’
‘You know full well who he’s engaged to,’ said Daphne fiercely. ‘That’s why you’re here, so that you can plunge the knife in, and give it a good twist. Well, I won’t let you do it! You’re just jealous, you always have been and you always will be.’
‘If I knew who he was engaged to I wouldn’t be standing here wasting my breath on you,’ said Cadi. ‘The only reason why I’m involving you in any of this is so that you can point me in the right direction. Kieran O’Connell is dangerous, and he’s only after one thing, which is money. And Kieran isn’t the only name he goes under.’
Daphne shook her head, her eyes narrowing. ‘Don’t even pretend that you know him. You think his name’s Micky, which is complete poppycock!’
Cadi gaped at Daphne. ‘How do you know?’
‘I know that you’ve been asking questions, because the cook told me.’ She glared at Cadi. ‘Why can’t you leave sleeping dogs lie? Is this your sick idea of revenge for me spilling the beans to Jez? If so, then you can forget it. I’ve had a gutful of your interfering, and I’m not prepared to listen to a damned word that leaves your lips.’
‘I’m trying to help,’ said Cadi. Keeping her tone lowered, she tried to make Daphne see sense. ‘This has got nothing to do with you, so I fail to see why you’re being so obnoxious.’
Daphne stamped her foot. ‘If you don’t leave this minute, I’m going to telephone Jez and let him know that his wife’s being an interfering witch – yet again!’ Seeing the stunned look on Cadi’s face, she continued, ‘Although I dare say I’m not telling him anything he doesn’t already know. I honestly don’t know what he sees in you—’
Before Daphne could go any further, the words bolted from Cadi’s lips. ‘Jez passed away in May.’
Daphne’s defiant attitude dissipated, leaving her momentarily speechless. Her cheeks flushed with colour as she stammered an apology. ‘I’m – I’m sorry. I didn’t know.’
Cadi spoke in leaden tones. ‘Just tell me who Kieran’s engaged to, and I’ll do us both a favour.’
Daphne continued to stare at Cadi. ‘What I don’t understand is why you came back, after the cook told you you’d got it wrong?’
‘Because he turned up at RAF Little Snoring and started bandying threats around, saying that if I didn’t keep my mouth shut he’d make Raquel’s life a living hell.’ Not wanting Daphne to know the ins and outs concerning Raquel’s past, she had deliberately fudged this bit. She eyed Daphne beseechingly. ‘Daphne, you’ve met Kitty: she wouldn’t say boo to a goose. He scared the living daylights out of her. God only knows how he knew where to find her.’
Daphne’s cheeks grew warm. She’d told Kieran where Kitty worked, and it was possible that Cadi was speaking the truth, at least in some part. Kieran had said something about stopping Cadi and her pals from upsetting Daphne; was this his idea of protecting her from them? She wondered what it was exactly that Kieran had said to Kitty.
Not wishing to admit that she had been the one to give away Kitty’s whereabouts, she tried to deflect Cadi with a different question. ‘But why would he go to all that trouble?’
‘Because he wants to marry his way into money, and he’s worried I’ll scupper his plans before he’s got his foot through the door.’
Daphne rolled her eyes. ‘Well, you’ve obviously got that wrong, because I’m flat broke.’
Cadi’s jaw practically hit the floor. ‘You?’
Daphne tutted impatiently. ‘As if you didn’t know.’
‘I really didn’t,’ Cadi gasped.
Daphne heaved an impatient sigh. ‘Well, now you know the truth you can do one, because Kieran loves me for me, not my money!’
Cadi was utterly flummoxed. They’d obviously got hold of the wrong end of the stick, but even so, she couldn’t stand by and watch Daphne make yet another mistake. ‘You can do better than him,’ she said softly. ‘I know we’ve not always seen eye to eye, far from it, but I’d not wish the likes of Kieran on my worst enemy.’
Believing that Cadi was talking out of grief, Daphne took several deep breaths before speaking. ‘I’m sorry that you’ve lost Jez, really I am, but you can’t go round interfering in other people’s lives just because yours has gone wrong.’
Cadi lifted her head to say that that wasn’t the case, but what was the point? She had told Daphne what Kieran was really like, and she still didn’t want to listen. Besides, Cadi could hardly argue her point when Daphne hadn’t a penny to her name.
With nothing more to say, she rounded the conversation off. ‘I dare say you’re going to tell Kieran that I paid you a visit, so whilst you’re about it, can you pass on a message? Tell him that everyone knows about his trip to Kitty, and that Raquel has a threat of her own. If he should try to cause trouble, she won’t hesitate to tell all.’ Cadi half-turned before addressing Daphne over her shoulder. ‘And Daphne, if he ever gives you cause to pause, don’t hesitate. Get out whilst you can.’
Hearing Daphne’s retreating footsteps, Cadi made her way towards her car, wondering all the way why Kieran had set his sights on Daphne. Could it really be that he’d decided to turn over a new leaf? Maybe the fire had caused him to see the error of his ways, and he was making amends for all he’d done wrong? After all, with Ireland remaining neutral, he could easily have gone back to his homeland, just as the corporal had suggested. She supposed that Paddy might have done just that, whilst Kieran had stayed to fight. Raquel was keen to hide her old life; maybe Kieran was the same. They reckoned that stranger things happen at sea, and maybe in this instance they were right. Remembering the corporal’s words, she shook her head. Kieran wasn’t the sort to turn over a new leaf, because he didn’t think he’d done anything wrong in the first place. The men had all seen through him, but not the women, and there could only be one reason for that. Kieran was playing his cards close to his chest, whilst securing himself a lucrative future. Just what part Daphne had in that, she couldn’t be sure, but at least she’d warned her.
