Nancy caught sight of herself in the mirror hanging on the wall of the quiet pub and thought that she looked all right, or as good as she was likely to manage these days. She was pleased. She’d wanted to appear as glamorous and attractive as she could for Gary, who was treating her to a romantic meal. Her hair shone, she’d used some of her precious reserves of proper make-up, and even her nails were freshly painted with deep red varnish. She felt she should pull out all the stops and show him British women were as good as anyone he might have known on the other side of the Atlantic. Not that he’d ever mentioned having anyone special on the other side of the pond.
She was only too aware that plenty of people resented the American servicemen, and complained they were ‘overpaid, oversexed and over here’, angry that they had more money to spend and better access to luxury goods than the boys from home. They were never short of female company for those very reasons, but Nancy wasn’t with Gary because of that. Yes, it was nice to have someone who could treat her to drinks and entertainment that others couldn’t, or who gave her little gifts that she couldn’t have hoped to have otherwise. But the real reason she liked being with him was that he was such a gentleman. Some people said all the Yanks were brash and boastful, but she knew Gary wasn’t like that at all.
He made his way back to her, carrying their drinks and smiling broadly. She noted how mature he looked compared to anyone else she’d ever been out with; it was another mark in his favour. She was tired of young men who – when it came down to it – were little more than boys, always thinking of themselves and not treating her right. Gary was a proper man and not afraid of the fact. He was confident in who he was – he didn’t have to put on a show.
There were few other customers to notice his staff sergeant’s uniform, and nobody seemed to object. They had chosen this place because it was away from the city centre and in the opposite direction to Bootle, so lessening the risk that anyone would recognise them. Nancy hadn’t told Gary she was married, and hadn’t mentioned her son Georgie after that first night, but she let it be known that her WVS colleagues might frown on her being taken out by a soldier who had used their services, particularly when he was an officer. Gary had accepted this and had praised her discretion and modesty. That had made Nancy smile. Not many people had used those two words to describe her behaviour before.
Now she raised her glass to him. ‘Thank you, Staff Sergeant Trenton.’ She flashed her most brilliant smile and was careful not to spoil her lipstick as she took a sip of lemonade.
‘My pleasure, Nancy.’ He was tall, even when sitting at the old wooden table, which the landlady had polished to a bright sheen to compensate for all the cuts and scratches on its surface. His eyes danced with anticipation as he raised his pint of beer. ‘Your very good health.’
‘I hope so,’ she said. ‘And yours.’
‘I hope so too.’ He paused and seemed to be thinking. ‘Well, I might be in need of a bit of luck soon. Not that I can say why, of course.’
Nancy raised a carefully plucked eyebrow. ‘What do you mean, Gary? Is there something I should know?’
He shifted in his seat and looked around. Nobody was close enough to overhear them. He reached out and took her slim white hand in his large tanned one. ‘The thing is …’ He hesitated. ‘Goddamn it, Nancy, sitting here with you is enough to put a fellow’s mind in a bit of a spin. You got me saying things I shouldn’t.’
Nancy bit her lip. ‘Oh, Gary, you know I won’t repeat a thing. You can trust me, you know you can. Not that I want you to get in trouble or anything like that.’ She curled her fingers in his, suddenly aware of the warmth of his touch. She pushed to the back of her mind the uncomfortable fact that she’d slipped off her wedding ring earlier that evening, dropping it into her coat pocket wrapped in a hanky, after leaving Georgie with the Parkers once more.
‘Nancy.’ Gary’s face grew very solemn. His eyes were still bright but they had lost their humour. ‘You know what the rumours are. You’re in downtown Liverpool and all those soldiers around you all day long. You’re a sharp lady, you’ll know that something’s up.’
Nancy looked at him and nodded slowly in acknowledgement. She’d tried her best not to take any notice, recognising that there were always rumours and you couldn’t live your life according to what they said or you would drive yourself crazy. However there was no denying it, they were all saying the same thing these days: that there was to be a major offensive into northern France. It was what she’d overheard Eddy and Jack say when they’d been home on leave. The one thing at home about being the ditzy sister was that nobody expected you to understand veiled hints and vague conversations, so they just carried on talking when she was in the same room. But she wasn’t stupid. She could put two and two together as well as the next person.
‘Sort of,’ she admitted.
Gary held her hand even more tightly. ‘Nancy, I gotta tell you. We’re being moved out tomorrow.’
‘Oh!’ Nancy couldn’t stop herself from gasping. ‘Where? Or shouldn’t you say?’
He made a rueful face. ‘More like I can’t. I don’t know my whereabouts in England so the names don’t mean much. But it’s down south somewhere. There, I’ve told you far more than I ought to.’
Nancy stared down at the polished table top as the reality hit her: this might be her last evening with Gary; this lovely, strong, caring man who made her feel cherished and protected in a way nobody else had ever done. How bitterly unfair, when she’d really only just met him and was still getting to know him. ‘Oh, Gary,’ she breathed. ‘You’ll take care of yourself, won’t you?’
‘Of course I will,’ he replied, stroking her fingers. ‘Now I know you’ll be thinking of me, I’m gonna make extra sure I get back safe and sound. You will be thinking of me, won’t you, Nancy?’
‘Of course I will!’ Suddenly she thought she was going to cry. She mustn’t. Gary would be putting his life on the line. She just knew he was brave in the face of danger. She couldn’t let him leave with the sight of her in tears. She would shed them in private once he’d gone.
‘I’ll be thinking of you,’ he said, his voice completely serious. ‘I’ll see your pretty face before me and it’ll give me a reason to keep fighting and get back in one piece. You’ll be my comfort and my inspiration, Nancy.’
Nancy gulped. Nobody had ever said anything wonderful like that to her before. She struggled to keep the tears from her eyes and the tremble from her voice. ‘Am I, Gary? Am I really?’
‘Would I lie to you, Nancy? Over something as important as that? On my life, it’s the truth.’ He held her gaze. ‘You’re a very special lady, and I thank my lucky stars that I met you. The thought of you will give me hope in whatever’s to come.’
Nancy could not take her eyes from his face, the eyes full of solemn meaning, his strong but soft mouth, the little creases around his eyes and frown lines on his forehead that showed he was no inexperienced boy but a man who had seen real life. ‘I’m glad I met you too,’ she breathed. ‘What a funny thing, wasn’t it, fate bringing us together like that? Just imagine, if either of us hadn’t gone out that evening, we’d never have met each other.’
He squeezed her hand again. ‘I can’t imagine it, Nancy. Can’t imagine not knowing you. Even though it’s only been a few weeks, they’ve been the most important weeks of my life.’
‘And mine,’ said Nancy, realising that she meant it. To think that she’d taken Sid’s clumsy courtship for the real thing, and then she’d been stuck with having to marry him. Well, she’d paid the price for that all right. And Stan Hathaway, the smooth-talking local boy made good, who’d given her the push without a second thought, after having led her on good and proper. How wet behind the ears they seemed. They’d known nothing of the world or how it worked. They were full of hot air. Here before her was a man who was worth far more than the two of them put together. Not to mention all those callow young soldiers she’d gone for drinks with since then – and sometimes a little more besides. They didn’t begin to compare to Gary Trenton.
‘Gary,’ she began, wondering if she was going to sound too forward. ‘You mean everything to me, I know that now.’
‘And you to me,’ he replied. ‘Don’t upset yourself, Nancy, I’d do anything not to upset you; that wasn’t what I meant to happen at all.’ He ran a gentle hand across her cheek. ‘Give me one of those big smiles of yours. If this is our last evening together for a while, then show me that happy face so I can remember it.’
She looked up at him from beneath carefully mascaraed eyelashes. ‘Would you really like something to remember me by, Gary?’ The rest of the room seemed to be far away, and she felt as if it was just the two of them, cocooned from the world for one intense moment.
‘Of course … ah, Nancy.’ He suddenly caught on to what she meant. ‘Nancy, really? Are you sure? I don’t want to pressure you into doing something you don’t want to, something that you might regret in the morning. I didn’t tell you to try to make you do that. You know me better than that, don’t you? I’d never force you to do anything you didn’t want to, anything you weren’t sure about.’
She held his gaze. ‘Gary, you’re wonderful and kind and a real gentleman. That’s why I liked you to begin with. I know you’d never try to trick me into bed, and that’s why I admire you.’ She knew she was blushing in the low light of the pub room. ‘But I’m sure. I’ve never been more sure of anything. That’s if … if you’d like to, that is.’ Suddenly she was afraid she’d been too bold, been too fast too soon. Yet if not now, then when? What if this really was their last evening together? The alternative, of not spending a night together ever, would be far, far worse.
Slowly he drained his pint and stood up, coming around the table and taking both of her hands and lifting her to her feet. ‘Nancy, that’s an invitation I’d be mad to refuse. I’ve wanted to hold you properly ever since I saw you, but I never dreamed I could. Oh, Nancy, my lovely Nancy.’ He leant close and gave her a tight hug, swiftly running his fingers through her soft red hair, the dull light glinting off it. Then he drew back before anyone noticed, mindful not to embarrass her. ‘You’ll make me the happiest, luckiest man in the world.’
‘Danny, I swear, if I have to sit through many meetings like that he’s going to drive me mad.’ Kitty slammed through the front door and threw down her handbag on the floor by the foot of the stairs. Her brother stood in the doorway to the kitchen, watching her. His shift had finished before hers, and he was trying to work through a pile of crosswords he hadn’t had time to do earlier in the week, but now it looked as if his peace was going to be disturbed.
‘Steady on,’ he said mildly. He wondered what this was all about. Kitty didn’t lose her temper very easily, but she’d gone and lost it now all right.
‘He’s so particular about everything. Wants exact figures for this, that and the other. Puts everyone on the spot. Won’t listen to reason.’ Kitty shrugged off her uniform jacket, which was too warm for the June weather, even midway through the evening. She’d strode back from the bus stop at a great pace, trying to walk off her annoyance, and now she was hot and bothered on top of it all.
Danny raised his eyebrows. ‘Are you talking about Frank, by any chance?’
‘You see!’ Kitty cried. ‘You knew at once who I met. Clearly he’s got a reputation for being difficult at work. You might have warned me.’ She pushed past him and made for the kitchen sink to pour herself a glass of water, to cool down. She was more flustered than she’d been for a long while, and it was all thanks to being cooped up in that stuffy meeting room with Frank Feeny. She felt he’d singled her out for extra-strict attention, cutting her no slack at all. She’d just about batted back his requests, but hadn’t been in the job long enough to be fully on top of everything, and she hated any such weakness being exposed. He really was the limit.
Danny followed her, pushing the newspapers to one side and exposing the old, well-scrubbed kitchen table. ‘Not a bit of it,’ he protested. ‘Nobody thinks like that apart from you. Everyone else respects and admires him. It’s just that he gets under your skin, then you come back here like a bear with a sore head.’
‘I do not,’ said Kitty hotly. She downed half the water in one go, then stood with her back resting against the wall. Its cool stone helped to calm her. ‘Danny, really. No one else has to sit on those training committee meetings. If they did, then they’d soon see what he’s like when it comes down to it. I don’t know why I said I’d do it.’
Danny smothered a grin. ‘You did it because you were asked to, as one of the best-qualified Wrens, and the whole point of you being back here is to help with training, and you’re the best woman for the job. So you’ll just have to get on with it, Frank or no Frank.’
Kitty sighed. It was too hot to be cross, and it wasn’t fair to take it out on Danny, who’d had his own tough day at work. Besides, they were all on edge. Last night there had been a broadcast by the king telling them all that the Allied troops now faced their toughest test, and everyone was keen to have news of what was happening. She glanced at her watch and saw it was nearly nine o’clock.
‘Better switch on the wireless, Danny,’ she said, steadier now. ‘The news will be on in five minutes.’ She shook her head, trying to get thoughts of Frank Feeny from her mind. It had been a shock to realise she was expected to sit on the same committee as him, closeted in a small room in the underground complex of Derby House. He’d sat there, immaculate in his uniform, seeming to know exactly what he was talking about, fully in command of his brief, and had made her feel like a total newcomer with no idea about anything. All her years of work and hard-earned expertise seemed to desert her. She’d have to be more careful in future – she hadn’t been posted all the way back up here to fall at the first fence. She had to get a grip and maintain her professional attitude, not let it be waylaid by Frank’s cool and commanding presence. She had to do better next time – the more junior Wrens depended on it and she couldn’t let them down.
Danny turned to the old wooden Pye wireless set and switched it on, but all that came out of it was a hiss of static. ‘Damn, I must have knocked it earlier on and lost the station,’ he said, turning the dial.
‘Let me, I’m better at it than you,’ Kitty offered, and then it was Danny’s turn to grow annoyed.
‘Don’t be daft, our Kitty. How do you think I managed all those years when you were hardly ever here?’
Kitty groaned. ‘Well, never mind, just hurry up, the headlines will be on in a couple of minutes now.’
There was a tap at the back door and Sarah let herself in, her expression revealing that she’d overheard their heated discussion. ‘Give over, the pair of you. We’re all listening at home, so come across now and you’ll catch the news. I was coming to ask to borrow a loaf tin, but it’ll wait.’
‘Thanks, Sar,’ said Danny, abandoning the dial and switching off the set, the hisses and buzzing stopping as swiftly as they’d started. If he was honest, it was true that Kitty had the knack of finding the Home Service more quickly than he could, but he wasn’t going to admit this now.
The three of them hurried across to the Feeny household, where Pop and Dolly were standing by their large wireless in the kitchen, while Violet peeled potatoes for tomorrow’s stew at the sink, her faded apron splashed with muddy water. Dolly looked anxious. ‘You’re just in time,’ she said. ‘Sarah, did you get that tin—’
‘Hush now,’ said Pop gently, putting his hand out to Dolly.
At that moment a clear and calm voice filled the room. ‘Here is the news, read by Joseph Macleod.’
They all stood totally still to take in Churchill’s statement about what had happened that day in France, and what was still going on. The big offensive was under way at last, on the beaches of Normandy. Violet put down her peeler and leant against the sink, her hands clasped tightly, the last of the evening light falling through the kitchen window and on to her anxious face.
Kitty stared at the floor, wondering where her friend Laura’s boyfriend was now – somewhere in the thick of it, most probably. She thought about Marjorie, setting off so steadfastly, unsure where she would be going or what she’d have to face. Maybe she was in Normandy too. They had no way of knowing. Despite her earlier mood, she found herself relieved that Frank Feeny wasn’t caught up in the action but was safe in the underground bunker in Liverpool’s city centre. No doubt he’d still be at work, just in case information came through that he was best placed to deal with, even though his shift should have ended by now.
Nobody spoke until the broadcast drew to a close, then they let out a collective sigh of breath.
‘Sounds as if it’s all going as well as it could do,’ said Pop staunchly. ‘Better than some might have hoped, in fact.’
Danny nodded. ‘Well, like he said, they’ve reached inland as far as Caen already. And there hasn’t been much loss of life.’ Of course he knew that the reality behind the headlines might not be so rosy, but he wasn’t going to say that here, not in front of this group of people, who meant more to him than just about anyone else in the world. He was acutely aware of those missing from the company: Eddy and Jack.
Dolly nodded solemnly, her face etched with worry, but saying nothing about her fears.
‘Right, then.’ Violet pulled down the blind on the back window as Sarah moved to light the gas lamp. ‘I’ll get back to the spuds.’ She picked up her peeler once more.
Danny looked at Kitty. ‘We’d best get back – we’ve got work in the morning. Thanks for fetching us, Sar.’ He took a moment to observe her face, checking to see how she felt about the latest news.
Sarah smiled, taking it in her stride. ‘You’re welcome. Shall I pick up that tin tomorrow, Kitty?’
The women made arrangements for the following day, while Danny rerolled his shirt sleeves. He was heartened by the news and to see normal life resuming – but his thoughts were far away, over the sea in France, with the brave fighters now embarked on their biggest operation yet.