A Rose and a Promise, page 16
When Daphne entered her billet she turned to close the door, and saw that Cadi had gone. Sitting down on her bed, she took a moment to gather her thoughts. Jez’s passing had clearly affected Cadi, which was why she was acting so irrationally. Misery loves company, Daphne told herself. That’s why she’s come all this way, because she wants you to be as miserable as she is.
There were just one or two sticking points. Why did Cadi think Kieran was called Micky, and why had he supposedly threatened this Raquel – whoever she may be? And just how did he know Cadi? He certainly wasn’t from Rhos, or Liverpool. Kieran was from … she paused. Kieran had never actually said where he was from, just that he had been moving around quite a bit before signing on. With him being Irish, Daphne had immediately asked whether he was a traveller, but he had laughed, saying that he had dealings up and down the country, all of which he’d put on hold for the duration of the war. He’d never actually said what he’d been dealing in, but neither had Daphne asked. As far as she was concerned, Kieran relished the idea of running a farm, and that was all she needed to hear. With hindsight, though, maybe she should have asked more questions. She pursed her lips to one side. If she were to tell Kieran that Cadi had called by, she would have to tell him what Cadi had said, including the part about him going to see Kitty in RAF Little Snoring. Her tummy turned a somersault, because she felt certain that this bit, at least, was true. It seemed obvious that Kieran had taken her words to heart when she’d said that Kitty was part of the reason why she and Aled had split up. The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Kieran had gone to warn Kitty off, and Kitty had vastly exaggerated the tale to Cadi. Just where this Raquel came into it was a mystery to Daphne, but she supposed that was what happened with Chinese whispers.
If she were to get to the bottom of this, she would have to speak to Kieran. Rising to her feet, she set off in search of him, and it wasn’t long before she found him helping to unload a wagon full of kitchen supplies. When he saw her approaching, he stopped what he was doing and leaned against the tailgate of the wagon.
‘Can’t keep away, eh?’
She smiled. ‘I’ve had a visitor.’
‘Anyone I know?’
Daphne paused. ‘Cadi Thomas, the one I told you about.’ Not wishing to appear totally naïve, she added, ‘Kitty’s friend.’
His face impassive, Kieran barely hesitated before replying. ‘Let me guess: she’s here to defend her little pal?’
Daphne gave an inward sigh of relief. At least he wasn’t going to try to deny that he’d been to see her. ‘So, what happened?’
Kieran continued to lean casually against the back of the lorry. ‘Harris asked me to take some stuff to Little Snoring. As soon as I heard the name I remembered what you’d said about that Kitty woman and how she’d ruined things between you and your ex. I probably shouldn’t have, but I thought I’d call in on her, just to give her a friendly warning to keep her nose out of our business.’ He held his hands up in a placating fashion. ‘I know I shouldn’t have interfered, but you’ve got to be careful with people like that, and I was damned if I was going to stand by and let her ruin what we have.’
Daphne was positively beaming. Cadi had blown things out of proportion, probably jealous that Kieran would go to such lengths to protect their relationship. ‘I knew it was a pile of old tosh the moment she started speaking.’ She tutted angrily. ‘She even pretended she didn’t know we were an item.’
Kieran thought on his feet. ‘I don’t know what Cadi said to you, but I told Kitty that we were together,’ he lied. ‘I can’t believe she wouldn’t tell Cadi.’
Daphne’s eyes narrowed. ‘I knew she knew, but she kept denying it. What is wrong with that woman? I know she’s lost her husband, but even so.’
Kieran’s brow shot towards his hairline. If Cadi’s husband was the same feller who’d come to Hillcrest the day Kitty had set the place on fire, then Kieran could only assume he must have been killed whilst on duty. ‘I did hear a few of the airfields had been targeted. I’ve always said we’re like sitting ducks.’
Daphne shrugged. ‘She didn’t go into detail, and I didn’t ask …’ She gazed thoughtfully at Kieran. Daphne hadn’t mentioned that Jez was in the RAF, and whilst it was pretty much a given that most young men were in one of the services, Jez could’ve been in the Army or the Navy for all Kieran knew. She shrugged it off. Cadi’s poison was causing her to overthink things.
‘I think the whole matter is best swept under the carpet,’ Kieran went on. ‘This Cadi’s obviously still mourning the death of her husband, and hitting out in any way she can.’
‘You’re right,’ conceded Daphne. ‘I only told you because I’ve learned the hard way not to keep secrets.’
He waved a dismissive hand. ‘Idle gossip between folks who have nowt better to do with their time. I blame myself for going there in the first place. I should’ve kept well clear, then she wouldn’t have had any reason to call in.’
‘Shall I see you later?’
He nodded. ‘Of course.’
She was about to turn away when she changed her mind. Throughout the whole business, Cadi had spoken about Kieran as though she’d known him from somewhere else, yet Kieran had never done the same. Why? She eyed him sheepishly. She didn’t want him to think she didn’t trust him, but on the other hand, she didn’t seem to know Kieran as well as Cadi did.
‘Cadi thought your name was Micky, and she seems to think she knows you from somewhere. In fact, she talks as though she knows quite a lot about you. Are you certain you’ve never met her before?’
She had expected him to be upset with her for questioning him in such a fashion, but she hadn’t expected him to look so angry. Taking her by the elbow, he jostled her away from the lorry so that the others might not hear what he had to say.
‘As I’ve already told you, my name’s Kieran and I don’t even know anybody by the name of Micky. And whilst I’m about it, I think I know who I have or have not met, and I’m telling you straight, I’ve never met Cadi or any of her cronies before. But if you’d rather believe them over me, you only have to say, and we’ll call the whole thing off.’
Daphne had gone quite pale. The last thing she wanted was to have Kieran break off their engagement. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.’ She shook her head. ‘This is what people like Cadi and her pals do. They whisper in corners, and cause people to question themselves. I’m sorry if it sounded as though I doubted you, because I really don’t. I just thought she might’ve bumped into you somewhere, perhaps seen you from a distance, and concocted some farcical tale as a result.’
Removing his cap, Kieran smoothed his hair down before placing it back on his head. ‘Well you should’ve said so then, instead of making me out to be a liar,’ he said in sulky tones. ‘Either that or kept your mouth shut.’
‘I promise I’ll never mention them again,’ said Daphne earnestly, ‘not one single word. I don’t want this to come between us.’
‘Neither do I,’ said Kieran, ‘but I won’t be questioned over my integrity, and if you can’t trust me we should call it a day now, before we get wed.’
Daphne wrung her hands anxiously. ‘I do trust you, and I’ll swear it on a stack of bibles if you want me to. I can’t apologise enough, Kieran. I don’t know what came over me.’
Relenting a little, he put his hands into his pockets, whilst a faint smile settled on his lips. ‘Fair enough. Sorry if I got a little heated, but it seemed like a real smack in the chops after I went out of my way to defend you.’
Cursing herself inwardly for ever broaching the subject, she smiled gratefully at him. ‘How about we go for a meal tonight, by way of an apology?’ she suggested. ‘My shout.’
He rubbed his hand back and forth over his chin, pretending to consider her proposal. ‘I suppose that would be all right.’
Grateful that the matter seemed to be behind them, Daphne bade him goodbye and headed back to her hut. Kieran watched her go before returning to the lorry. When Daphne had mentioned Cadi, he’d known that Kitty must’ve spilled the beans despite his threats. If he’d denied the encounter Daphne would have been sure to smell a rat, so he had decided to play along and see where it took him. After all, if he and Daphne were to split, it would be inconvenient, but there were plenty more women in desperate need of the attentions of a sympathetic Irishman. He hadn’t pressed Daphne for details of her conversation with Cadi, but it sounded to him as though Daphne had sent the other woman off with a flea in her ear. Whatever went on, Kieran told himself, Daphne must have made it plain that she didn’t believe her, and Cadi obviously didn’t spell out how she knows me, probably because she doesn’t want Daphne knowing what Raquel used to do for a living. He grinned. They were so busy trying to contain their own skeletons they couldn’t tell Daphne the whole truth, which is why she was confused. You’ve got away with it, Kieran congratulated himself, they’ll not come bothering you again. Seeing Kitty was the best thing you could’ve done, because they’ve made themselves look untrustworthy. He whistled softly beneath his breath as he continued with his work. Nothing could stand in his way now. As far as he was concerned, the future was looking very rosy indeed.
As Daphne headed back to her hut, she chastised herself for questioning him. She knew that Cadi and her pals were nothing but troublemakers, so why on earth had she taken any notice of what they said? She winced as she recalled Kieran’s suggestion that they break off their engagement. If I’d allowed that to happen, it would’ve been two men which Cadi had seen off, thought Daphne bitterly, and this time, I’d only have myself to blame. I knew she spoke falsely, so why on earth did I listen to her at all? She sighed heavily as her treacherous inner voice spoke over her thoughts. Because there’s more to this than meets the eye. Cadi speaks without hesitation when it comes to Kieran, yet when I ask him a plausible question he blows his lid. Which would suggest that he does know her. Question is, why is everyone being so secretive about their past encounters?
An older Waaf entered the hut. Saying a brief hello to Daphne she had started to walk to her own bed when Daphne stopped her.
‘If you knew a friend of yours was courting a wrong ’un, would you tell them?’
The woman, whose name was Abigail, nodded. ‘Course I would. Why d’you ask?’
‘Because that’s what I’d do too,’ said Daphne, ‘but I’d also let them know why I believed him to be a wrong ’un.’
‘It would be odd not to,’ conceded Abigail. ‘You can’t go making accusations unless you’re prepared to explain yourself.’
‘So, under what circumstances would you not give them the full story?’
Abigail gave a knowing smile. ‘That’s easy. If you’re only getting half the story, it means they’ve got summat to hide.’
‘That’s what I thought,’ said Daphne, before lapsing back into silence. She’d established that Cadi was telling half-truths, but what could have happened that would cause her to clam up? She hesitated. Cadi had asked Daphne to pass on a message from a woman by the name of Raquel, but if she’d relayed the message she would’ve been confirming that she thought Kieran was a liar. Maybe that’s it, she thought. Maybe the secret surrounds this Raquel. That’s when it hit her like a ton of bricks. Raquel must be Kieran’s ex. Ex-what she wasn’t exactly sure, but it made sense that whilst Kieran didn’t know Cadi, Cadi could know of him through this Raquel woman, and it must be Raquel who was filling Cadi’s ear with poison, saying all kinds of rubbish about her ex because she wanted to pay him back, probably for dumping her. And Cadi was stupid enough to take the woman at face value, thought Daphne. I bet this Raquel is so besotted with Kieran she keeps a photograph of him, and that’s how Cadi recognised him, only she got the name wrong … unless of course he’d changed it in order to escape from a possessive woman, and he couldn’t admit it even to me, because he doesn’t want to risk word getting out. She nodded slowly. Should she warn Kieran that Raquel knew of his whereabouts, or should she leave sleeping dogs lie? She envisaged Kieran’s wrath and her mind was made up. She would keep quiet, and hope Cadi and Raquel stayed away.
August 1944
Several weeks had passed since Cadi’s confrontation with Daphne, and now her travels had taken her to RAF Fiskerton, where she had already arranged to meet up with her friends. The nightmares had almost stopped, and she was pleased to hear the approval of the guard on the gate when she pulled up outside the base.
‘Good to have you back, Sergeant Thomas. Life on the road seems to suit you down to the ground, or at least you look a lot better than you did the last time I saw you. Are you here for a while?’
Cadi shook her head. ‘Fleeting visit, as per usual.’
He waved her through and Cadi lost no time in seeking out Poppy and Izzy. ‘Let’s go to the NAAFI for summat to eat,’ she suggested. ‘I’ve got heaps to tell you.’
Eager to hear her news, they followed her to the NAAFI, where Cadi ordered a plateful of liver and onions with mashed potato, along with a slice of Victoria sponge for pudding.
Poppy grimaced as she sat down opposite Cadi. ‘I’m pleased to see that you’ve got your appetite back, but I don’t know how you can eat that stuff. It makes me go green around the gills.’
‘Nowt wrong with mashed potato,’ Cadi smiled.
‘Oh, ha ha. You know full well that I was referring to the liver.’
Izzy frowned. ‘I thought you hated liver and onions?’
Cadi gathered her cutlery. ‘I did, but nowadays it seems to be the only thing that whets my appetite.’
Poppy nodded knowingly. ‘Liver is full of iron. I reckon it’s your body’s way of letting you know you need more energy.’ She hesitated, before adding tentatively, ‘Does this mean the nightmares have stopped?’
‘Kind of, or at least I don’t have them as often as I used to.’ Cadi hesitated momentarily before snapping back into the conversation. ‘But back to the business at hand. When I was in Devon a few weeks back, I thought I’d pop in to see Daphne.’
Izzy eyed her with intrigue. ‘I’d forgotten all about her.’
‘So had I, but when I pulled over for a lorry it reminded me of the day I saw Micky – or Kieran, I should say.’
‘So, what did she say?’ asked Poppy. ‘Did she know his fiancée?’
Cadi laughed. ‘She should do, seeing as it’s her.’
Poppy’s jaw dropped. ‘You’re kidding?’
‘Nope. I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.’
‘But why is he with Daphne?’ queried Izzy, ‘I didn’t envisage her as being wealthy.’
‘Your guess is as good as mine,’ said Cadi, ‘not that it matters, considering she didn’t believe a word I said.’
‘She probably thought you were only saying it to get your own back for what she did to you and Jez,’ said Poppy.
Cadi finished her mouthful whilst nodding. ‘You’ve hit the nail on the head, because that’s what she said, more or less word for word.’
‘There’s no helping some people,’ said Izzy.
‘Was that it?’ asked Poppy. ‘Or was there more?’
‘Not really, because our theory of his marrying for money kind of fell flat on its face after I knew he was engaged to her.’ She shrugged. ‘Even Daphne thought it was laughable. I did wonder whether he’d seen the error of his ways—’
Izzy choked on a mirthless laugh, cutting Cadi short. ‘Men like Kieran never see the error of their ways. They’re just like my dad, always out to diddle someone or other. I wouldn’t trust him if he swore it on a stack of bibles.’
‘That’s what I figured,’ said Cadi, ‘not that it makes any difference to the outcome. So I left her to it.’
Izzy puffed her cheeks out. ‘I would say she’s reaping what she sows, but no one deserves to be with someone like that.’
‘I agree, which is why I warned her to be careful, no matter whether she believed me or not.’
Poppy grimaced as she watched Cadi take a slice off the liver. ‘Did she ask how you knew him?’
‘No, because I didn’t want her spiteful tongue judging Raquel.’
Poppy pulled an uncertain face. ‘So you told her that he was bad news, but you didn’t tell her why? No wonder she was sceptical.’
‘I’m not having her know my family’s business. She should’ve taken me at my word. I’ve never lied to her, or given her cause to distrust me,’ said Cadi flatly.
‘Daphne’s judging you by her own standards,’ said Izzy. ‘Without proper explanation, she assumes you’re lying.’
‘I know,’ said Cadi softly, ‘but if she knew that your mam used to be a you-know-what, I just know that she’d relish poking fun and drawing comparisons between myself and Raquel. It shouldn’t matter, but it does.’ She hesitated before adding, ‘More so now than ever.’
‘I’d like to think that Daphne wouldn’t be so petty,’ said Poppy, ‘but I’m afraid you’re probably right. She would use the knowledge as payback, and tell anyone who stood still for long enough that your mother-in-law used to be a prostitute.’
‘I’m still glad I went, though,’ Cadi concluded, ‘because at least I can look myself in the eye and say “I tried”.’
Izzy folded her arms on the table. ‘You never know, your words might’ve planted a seed of doubt in her head. If she’s lucky, the penny’ll drop before she says “I do”.’
Poppy spoke her mind. ‘Even if you told her the truth, she’d say you’d got it all wrong and that Kieran was an innocent landlord, and Raquel and Dolly were using his premises for prostitution without his knowledge.’
Cadi gaped at her. ‘You’re right! That’s just the sort of thing she’d do.’
‘Not only would you be left looking like a troublemaker, but Kieran would come out of it smelling of roses, whilst you, Jez and the rest of us would be painted as the bad ones,’ said Izzy.
