The Grafton Girls - Annie Groves [69]
‘Billy…’
‘Yes?’
She hadn’t really been going to reach out and grab hold of his hand and beg him not to put himself at risk, had she?
‘Nothing. Just don’t you go talking to my uncle about me and Walter, that’s all.’ She began to walk on and then stopped and turned back. ‘When are you going to be doing it?’ she asked him, unable to hold back the question. ‘When are you going to be looking for this unexploded bomb?’
‘I’m on me way now. What do you want to know for? Want to come along and watch me blow meself up, do you?’
Jess could feel the blood draining out of her face, and then storming back in again, the ferocity of it making her feel sick and dizzy.
‘That’s a wicked thing to say,’ she told him shakily, turning away from him again before he could see how close she was to tears, and hurrying down the street, ignoring him when he called out to her to wait.
FOURTEEN
The papers were full of the news of the loss of the convoy. Two-thirds of the ships had been sunk: twenty-three merchant ships and one rescue ship out of the thirty-six merchant ships and three rescue ships that had sailed.
Some of those ships had sailed originally from Liverpool, and many of the seamen on board them had been from the city. The weight of that loss was apparent in the grim faces of the people stopping to buy their newspapers and read the headlines.
‘Bloody First Sea Lord – what the ’ell does he know now about the life of them wot sails under the Red Duster?’ Diane heard one man saying bitterly as she paid for her paper. ‘Ruddy nowt, that’s wot.’
A pall of bleak disbelief filled the corridors and offices of Derby House. Susan had been given leave of absence because her husband had now been officially reported as missing in action and Jean had taken over the team temporarily.
‘Captain said to remind you that you’re to stay on after your shift finishes today for this welcome party she and the C-in-C are giving for the new lot of Americans. Not that anyone is going to feel like smiling nicely at a load of green-as-grass young Americans after what we’ve all just been through.’
‘No,’ Diane agreed sombrely. ‘Do we know yet how many…?’
‘We know that four ships have made it to Archangel harbour,’ Jean told her grimly. ‘I don’t envy you having to attend this do tonight, I really don’t.’ She shook her head. ‘There’s already a lot of resentment at the fact that the last shift had to cope with a group of Americans down for tactical training who couldn’t stop talking about their Fourth of July celebrations and didn’t seem to understand why none of us feel like celebrating right now. I even heard one of them boasting that they’d been showing our RAF a thing or two by piloting British planes on a daylight raid on some Dutch German airfields.’
‘Yes, I saw that in the papers,’ Diane replied. ‘They lost two of the planes, and a third was damaged, so that hardly suggests they have a lot to boast about.’
Too late, Diane realised that her sharp words had been overheard, and by her personal bête noire, Major Saunders. She shrugged inwardly. What did it matter what the major thought of her?
‘I wonder if the Wrens’ favourite American pinup will be there tonight,’ Jean commented, giving Diane a nudge and looking pointedly at the major’s broad back.
‘The Wrens’ what?’ Diane queried in disbelief.
‘They’re all mad for him,’ Jean assured her, ‘and I have to admit I can see why.’
‘Well, I can’t.’
‘It wouldn’t do you any good if you could,’ Jean said. ‘Word is that he’s married and that he’s let it be known that’s the way he intends to stay. So it’s definitely hands off that particular piece of US property.’ Jean pulled a wry face. ‘I don’t suppose we should blame him for feeling he has to make the point. The way some girls are acting around the Americans, it’s no wonder they think that we’re all cheap and easy. My fiancé is in radio ops up at Burtonwood where they’re stationed, and he says you wouldn’t believe the things some of the local girls are getting up to: standing at the roadside