The Serial: The Pepper Girls At War Day 13

“Having a nice dream?” he asked. Nancy’s eyes flew open in concern, as she tried to understand what was happening.

The sandwiches were awful. Winnie had described them as some kind of fish paste on cardboard bread and as for the tea – ugh! But everyone quickly ate them, before being hurried back to their billet by Corporal Samson. “Wake-up buglecall at 7 o’clock, then we’ll get you checked and decked and signed up. You’ll be pleased to know that I’ll be looking after you during basic training and before you know where you are, you’ll be ready to join the fight.” Everyone shuffled nervously. “ANY QUESTIONS?” The silence was deafening. “Good,” said the corporal, “Sleep well ladies, the fun is just beginning.”

“Fun?” Winnie whispered, after Corporal Samson had gone, “I can’t wait.”

The girls introduced themselves to one another, each calling out their names from their beds. Winnie, Lexie, Mary, Daisy, Jean and Pearl.

“Goodnight all,” said Jean, pulling on her fleecy pyjamas as the others did the same. “Tomorrow will be better, I’m sure,” she added, “at least I hope so.”

So much danger Annie and Euan walked slowly away from the station. Waving Lexie goodbye had been heartbreaking for Annie. Since Alex’s death, Lexie had been the focus of all her motherly love and not being able to see her every day was going to be painful.

Euan linked her arm into his. “She’ll be back in a few weeks,“he said encouragingly “and things will be better by then, you’ll see.” But Annie wasn’t so sure. There was so much danger in the world and her wonderful daughter would be in the midst of it all.

“She’ll be safe, won’t she?” she asked Euan for the umpteenth time. Euan squeezed her hand. “She’ll be fine,” he said, “just fine.”

They were nearly home when they met Billy Dawson. He could see at once that Annie was upset and he knew the reason why. He nodded to Euan before turning his attention to Annie. “She’s gone then?”

Annie nodded. The silence became uncomfortable as words seemed inadequate. Billy knew how much Lexie meant to her and how she had suffered at the hands of Alex Melville. He looked at Euan.

“Take care of her,” he said, grimly. “This damn war will be over soon and Lexie will come back home fit and well before we know it.”

He took Euan’s hand and shook it. “If there’s anything I can do to help,” he said, “just let me know.”

He and Billy had joined forces to make Billy Donnelly see sense when he’d refused to marry Billy’s pregnant daughter Nancy and had a mutual respect for one another and their place in Annie’s life.

Annie kept her eyes fixed on the pavement as the men talked. Although Euan knew about Annie’s illegitimate son John and had met him, he didn’t know that Billy Dawson was the father and never would.

Annie had made sure of that when she had given Billy the news that he had fathered her son.

As always, when Billy was around Annie, he wanted to take her in his arms and hold her to him, more than ever now, since knowing of their son. But Annie had chosen Euan and that was how it had to be.

“And how’s our Mr Donnelly?” Euan asked Billy as Annie excused herself and disappeared into the close. Billy’s lips formed into a thin line.

“I just don’t know Euan,” he said, “we met in the Thrums Bar a couple of nights ago and I have to tell you, he’s a troubled man.”

Foolish “Didn’t he join the Scots Guards?” Euan asked. “He did and he’s on embarkation leave this week, so who knows where he’ll end up.”

Both men considered the possibility of Nancy’s husband surviving the war. “And how’s your Nancy dealing with things?”

“She’s working at the mill and seems fine but there’s word about that she’s taken to going to the dance halls with some pal of hers. I just hope wind of it hasn’t reached Billy and that he doesn’t do anything foolish, like he did before.”

“Gladys Kelly,” Euan said, pointedly. Billy shrugged his shoulders. “He’s a full grown man now Euan,” he said, “fighting for king and country, his decisions are his own but I just hope they both weather this storm for the sake of the bairns.”

The men went their separate ways, Euan home to Annie and Billy to the Masonic Lodge.

It was gone midnight when Billy Donnelly finally returned home. He had walked the darkened streets, letting his anger abate. He knew Jim Murphy and what he was capable of and the thought of him sniffing round Nancy was driving him dangerously close to the edge.

It didn’t matter to him that he was seeing Gladys Kelly, Nancy was his wife and though there was no love left between them, no other man could even look at her in that way, never mind bed her.

He sat staring at her in the darkness, her dark hair spilling onto the pillow and her lips slightly parted, breathing softly. He switched on the light and shook her awake. “Having a nice dream?” he asked. Nancy’s eyes flew open in concern, as she tried to understand what was happening. She pushed herself up on her elbows and squinted her eyes at her husband. “Billy?” “You looked so happy lying there,” he told her, “I thought you must be dreaming about something nice... or someone.”

Nancy felt a chill of anxiety. She picked up the clock sitting on the chair beside their bed. “It’s nearly one in the morning,” she said “and I’ve the mill to go to tomorrow morning.”

Uneasy Billy flexed his fingers and slowly picked at the dirt under his thumbnail.

“So you do,” he muttered to himself, “but then tomorrow’s Saturday and you’ll be getting your wages and wanting to spend them on something nice or go somewhere nice, what do you think?”

Nancy began to feel uneasy. What was Billy on about?

“I’ll be spending them, as usual, on the bairns and if I don’t get back to sleep there’ll be no job to go to.”

“So, no dancing this Saturday then?” he asked. So this was what Billy’s questions were all about. Nancy quickly realised somebody had told him of her trips to the Palais with Diane.

“No, no dancing,” she said, treading carefully and choosing her words.

“Di Auchterlonie asked me to keep her company at the Palais a few weeks ago, so I did but it was too much bother, so we didn’t go back.”

(More tomorrow.)