While the Storm Rages, page 23
‘But they aren’t the same, Mum.’
‘Of course they are.’
‘They aren’t! Because I made a promise to Dad, didn’t I? Swore blind I’d keep Winn with me, and that she’d be safe. We made a deal. And if I don’t keep my part, then how do I know that Dad will keep his? How do I know that he’s definitely coming back?’
That’s when it hit him. All the worry and fear and not knowing, not to mention the tiredness that made his bones ache.
He cried. And he cried because that was the moment that Mum allowed her anger to slip a little, and she pulled him close.
‘It’s a beautiful thing you promised, Noah. A beautiful, beautiful thing. But it won’t have any bearing whatsoever on what happens next. To Dad, or to any of us. There are certain things, I’m afraid, that we just can’t control. And this, death, is one of those things.’
‘I just want him to come home, Mum. I just need him to come home.’
She held him even tighter. ‘We all do, love. We all do. So we have to do our best to stay well and healthy and safe. Starting with you, once you’ve had some more rest.’
‘You’re still sending me away, aren’t you? Till it’s over?’
He saw her head nod slowly. ‘There’s not one part of me that wants to, but I know it’s what I have to do. So you need to promise me, Noah. There’ll be no running away or funny business, do you hear? I want a letter every week and good school reports. You need to show your new family that I’ve brought you up proper.’
He nodded, and tried to make himself relax further into her. But he couldn’t, as the same problem remained. He would be evacuated, but what on earth was going to happen to Winn?
He wanted to ask her, he really did. But suddenly, he felt tired again. So very, very tired. So nothing more was said. He just allowed his mum to rock him gently back and forwards, until slowly, his brain unravelled, and blissful sleep pulled him under.
62
Two days later, Noah felt considerably better. Or he did until he opened the door to the kitchen and there was a small suitcase, alongside a gas mask box. Both bore a brown cardboard tag with his name on, written in his mother’s best hand.
Noah groaned. He’d known this was coming, but he hadn’t expected it quite so soon. He’d tried to speak to her the day before about what was going to happen next: to him, and more importantly, to Winn, but she had remained steely and silent. Which was a deadly combination where Maudie was concerned.
The image in front of him told him everything he needed to know. He would be evacuated, as planned, and he would have to board the train without his two best friends.
Clem might well be waiting for him at the other end, wherever he was heading, but he would still feel hopelessly alone without Winn nestled as usual at his feet.
He knelt to fuss his dog, and she fussed him right back, but aside from that the house felt empty and lifeless. It was darker than he was accustomed to as well: like Autumn had wrestled control overnight without telling anyone to prepare themselves first.
His mother appeared from the backyard, apron tied neatly in place, hair plumped up like Dad was taking her dancing.
‘I thought I was going somewhere, not you,’ he said.
‘Watch your lip,’ she replied. ‘But yes, you are going today. I’ve got you all packed. So eat your breakfast. It’ll be a good few hours till you get anything else.’
Noah eyed the steaming porridge on the table, but there wasn’t a dirty pot to be seen anywhere else. Instead, the mirror had Mum’s full attention, as she stood in front of it, applying and reapplying her lipstick.
‘I presume Winn’s coming with me then?’ he said. He knew he was more than pushing his luck, but he felt he had nothing to lose.
‘You presume too much. Eat.’ And that was that.
So, he sat and picked at the skin on his porridge with his spoon.
‘You’ve ten minutes by my reckoning. So be quick smart about it. We need to be ready.’
Noah sagged. ‘Please, Mum, what’s going to... ?’
But before he could finish, a car horn sounded on the street. A long, tuneless toot that had Mum pulling at her apron strings with great ferocity.
‘Mum?’ he asked, but she was already at the window, pulling rather than twitching the net curtains.
‘Tie your shoes, Noah, for goodness’ sake,’ she replied, before darting through the front door, patting her hair one final time.
Noah wondered if he was actually still asleep and immersed in some elaborate dream, but did as he was told, stumbling on to the street to find a small gaggle of neighbours, gawking at a car parked there.
Cars were rare in their part of Wapping. Horses and carts were bountiful, but this was a proper car – long and shiny and sleek.
His jaw dropped open, and fell even further when he realised his mum was standing by the kerb, as a man in a black suit stepped from the driver’s side.
Noah’s head span. This couldn’t be their ride to the station. They didn’t know anyone with an automobile.
He took it all in, how the wing-mirrors shone despite the gloom of the day. The door handles too, glinting like the crown jewels. None of it made sense, not even as the man approached his mum, and after a polite smile, opened the passenger door.
Noah didn’t recognise the woman sitting there. She was wearing a wide-brimmed grey hat that covered not only her hair, but the majority of her face. Her clothing was immaculate, pressed and expensive. Noah saw his mum smooth down her own clothes, front and back. He’d never seen her look so flustered in his life.
As the stranger got out the car, the shadow over her face lifted, and Noah took in her features properly for the first time. He recognised her. Clearly he did, it had only been days after all, but this time there was no hay sticking untidily from her hair.
‘Hello, Noah,’ she said, warmly.
‘Hello, Mrs...’ he replied. He wanted to be polite like his mum had always told him to be, but he realised he hadn’t clue what her name was. Certainly not Duchess Douglas-Hamilton. That was for sure.
Fortunately Mum came to his rescue. ‘This is Mrs Donnelly-Brown, Noah.’
‘Hello, Noah,’ repeated Mrs Donnelly-Brown. ‘And hello again, Mrs Price. Let me introduce my husband, David.’
The man held out his hand rather stiffly to Noah, but when he shook it, it seemed genuine enough.
‘Pleased to meet you,’ Noah said. It all felt very formal, and odd, and Noah wondered if he should bow a bit.
Fortunately, Noah had Winn there to break the ice, bounding up to the Donnelly-Browns and delivering the friendliest of licks to each of their hands.
‘And this, David, is Winn, isn’t it, Noah?’ said the woman. ‘How is she? She looks so much brighter after a good rest!’
‘She’s... well,’ replied Noah. He wanted to add something about not knowing how long things would remain that way, but he knew his mum was watching him closely.
‘Well, that is good news. Because I... we,’ she seemed a little flustered, ‘David and I, that is, we wanted to talk to you about the other night.’
Oh no. What had he done? Had he damaged the gates when he tried to climb them? He hadn’t meant to, he was desperate.
He shuffled from foot to foot, fingers scratching at the scabs on his hand as he searched for the right answer.
‘Stand still, Noah,’ Mum hissed.
‘I’ve been thinking about you, Noah,’ continued Mrs Donnelly-Brown. ‘We both have, about what you did.’
This did little to ease his nerves. It felt like the preamble to a huge dressing down.
‘And what has struck me, is the fact that everything you did, every hardship you endured, if they are true...’ she fixed him with a stare that could freeze a waterfall, ‘you didn’t do for yourself, but for your dog. Is that true?’
Noah nodded.
‘Speak up, Noah!’ said Mum from over his shoulder.
‘Yes... that’s true.’
The lady adjusted her stance, before looking at her husband one final time. ‘Then we come to you with an offer. One that you are absolutely free to refuse if you wish. We have a son, Oscar. Older than you. Nineteen. But he’s not with us at the moment. Like your father, he’s away fighting. And like your father, he will be back soon, I’m sure.’
Her husband squeezed her arm reassuringly, which made Noah like him even more.
‘And the thing is, Bramble, our dog, well, he’s Oscar’s dog really - misses him. Doesn’t want me or David walking him. Wants someone who can exercise him properly until the war ends. Which is where you come in.’
Noah leaned forward.
‘We’ve spoken with your mother while you’ve been recovering, and we have agreed, should you wish, for you to come and be evacuated to us, in our care, while the fighting goes on.
She took a deep breath, which allowed David to speak.
‘Now, it won’t be a holiday camp, Noah, nor will it be any kind of adventure, despite you seeming to be so very keen on such japes. What it will be is hard work: looking after the dog and our other animals, not to mention your schooling. And should standards drop beneath an acceptable level, our agreement will come to an end. Work hard, listen hard and I think you’ll be very happy with us until the war ends, or until your mother wishes for you to return.’
Noah couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He looked to his mother, who was nodding vigorously whilst somehow managing to warn him not to mess up this opportunity. He then turned back to the Donnelly-Browns, feeling a surge of confidence swell in him.
‘This offer, it’s very kind of you, it really is. But can Winn come too?’ he asked, feeling his mother’s glare burning into him, before adding a very grovelly, ‘please?’
‘Well, of course!’ said Mrs Donnelly-Brown. ‘I should have said that. You are both being evacuated to us, though we can’t have you sleeping in the same room. Humans sleep upstairs and animals in the kitchen. Those are the rules for Bramble, so they’re the same for Winn too.’
Noah nodded ecstatically, though he couldn’t help but wonder if there might be some bend in that, over time.
‘Then...’ he said, ‘I’d love to accept your offer... though I’d like to ask you one more favour. If I may?’
He saw his mother tense in fear.
‘You can ask...’ said Mr Donnelly-Brown with a smile. ‘We’re listening.’
‘I was wondering,’ Noah said, ‘how you felt about snakes. Well, pythons, more specifically.’
But the couple never answered. They didn’t have chance. As Maudie cuffed him around his ear, hard enough for Noah to know to shut up.
‘You’ll get used to his sense of humour, you really will,’ she laughed. ‘In the end... eventually.’
Noah smiled and shrugged. He didn’t regret asking the question one bit.
63
The sun shone down on Noah and he allowed it to, tipping his head back so the rays permeated his skin.
The day had started early, just as every day had for almost as long as he could remember now. It didn’t matter what time of year it was: Bramble and Winn needed walking, though the distances they had to cover were decreasing as the dogs grew older.
After their exercise there was breakfast to clear up, as well as all the other animals to feed, including the chickens. They’d been Noah’s idea, and although Uncle David had been difficult to persuade at first, he didn’t regret it now, not when they laid so regularly. It had scored Noah many a brownie point, and saw him get away with some of his other indiscretions.
After chores, there was school, and the Donnelly-Browns had been true to their word on that matter. Noah had to work hard, was given no other option, but as his time at school neared an end, he was reaping the rewards. He had no real idea what he wanted to do with the knowledge he’d accrued, which infuriated Uncle David no end (never mind his mother), but he also knew that he would have choices. That was what hard work had taught him most clearly.
Today though, was an especially good day, as it was Saturday, and he and Winn found themselves walking, pail in hand, towards the chicken coop, which sat beside the gates, where he had first arrived over five years ago.
He often thought about their adventure, had written about it to Clem on many occasions since, though her recollections were often quite different to his.
There were things they both agreed on though, such as how scared they’d been at times, and how brave Col had been, saving them with Delilah like he had. Col never joined in the letter writing, though that wasn’t a surprise to either of them. Noah often thought (with a smile) that it must be hard to receive letters when you were part of a travelling circus.
Noah never forgot about Dennis either, in part because of where he was living. Whenever he was walking the dogs in the woods or by the river, he looked for him, hoping that every rustle in the trees might be a wild-haired man, gathering wood for his fire, or nettles for his soup. He hoped to God they’d never found him and forced him into uniform.
‘Come on then,’ Noah called behind him. ‘Let’s feed the chickens.’ And up trotted his shadow, Winn: her fur a lot whiter at the muzzle now and her legs definitely stiffened by the years of country running.
Noah knew what she wanted, and reached into his pocket for it.
‘Here you go. Ready?’ he asked, but didn’t wait for a reply. Instead, he launched the ball in the direction of the gates, just as he had thousands of times before.
And that was it, Winn was off, practically a pup again as the ball scythed through the air.
But this time was different. The ball landed and rolled to a stop, but Winn did not.
She sprinted on, past the ball, not hesitating once.
Noah loved to see her run at full tilt, but it surprised him, this break from the norm.
Where on earth was she going?
He watched, eyes following the path all the way to the gates, which, unusually, stood slightly ajar.
Winn did not have her eyes on freedom though, but on two figures standing on the path, their own eyes staring up at the house.
Both were smartly turned out. The woman in a two-piece suit and brown hat, with handbag clutched to her stomach. But it was the man who caught Noah’s eye.
He was dressed in army uniform, beret tucked neatly beneath an epaulet, polished boots attracting kisses from the sun.
Noah squinted into the light and saw two things.
Firstly, he watched Winn speed up, head thrust forward as she sprinted like a thoroughbred in the newcomer’s direction.
And secondly, he saw the man fall to his knees, without a care for the stains that it would leave there. His arms stretched wide in welcome, and as the dog let out a howl of delight, the man released a shout of his own.
‘Wiiiiiin!’ he yelled. ‘My Winn!’
The dog and the man collided, and tumbled on to the grass. There was laughter, and barking, and cries of delight.
Noah gasped and let go of the bucket of feed in his hand.
He was sprinting too, before the pail even reached the ground.
The End
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I’d like to thank the following people who have helped me with the writing of this book, and for their support over the past year.
Tony McGowan, August Sedgwick, Tom Palmer, Chris Mould and Sarah Crossan – for being excellent human beings.
Levente Szabo for creating another cover that takes my breath away every time I look at it.
Dr Jess French and Jim Sells for their expertise in all things reptilian and WW2 respectively.
The booksellers and librarians who have made my tenth year as a published writer the greatest I could have asked for, in particular the Booksellers Crow, Sarah at the Book Corner, Florentyna Martin and Gary Deane.
The teachers who have embraced my work this past year. Your dedication to your students is inspirational.
Jodie Hodges for continually guiding my career with such kindness and dedication. And to Emily and Molly too, I really do appreciate all your help.
My publishers, Andersen Press – Klaus, Mark, Chloe, Eloise, Sue, Kate, Sarah, Rob, Liz, Sarah and Elena – thank you for making me so welcome.
Paul Black – if you’ve tired of seeing my name ping into your inbox, you’ve never shown it. Thank you so much for everything, you legend.
And to Charlie – you’re a terrific editor, but an even better pal. The finest.
Thank you also to the sales team at Walker, for their expertise and tenacity – Jenny, Ed, Peter, Trippy, Ellie, Jan, Bridie and Conor.
My parents, Ray and Anita, I share this with you.
And finally, to my family on the hill: Louise, Rufus, Albie, Bebe, Elsie and Stanley – thank you for being alongside me for the ride. How lucky am I?
Hebden Bridge, December, 2021.
Phil Earle, While the Storm Rages
