Chapter 40

Babs was upstairs letting Helen know it was safe to come down for lunch. They had decided to eat early and agreed that only Bobby would have breakfast today, to help stretch their rations. Peggy went through to the living room to light a fire as a treat to cheer them up. As she entered she smiled to see the hard work her mother and sister had done the previous evening putting up Christmas decorations.

They had used the ones they had put up every year for as long as she could remember. The familiar scene cheered her slightly. The pine cones she and Babs had collected many years before when walking with their parents up at Noirmont were her favourites. Her mother had given her and Babs paints and glitter to decorate the cones There had initially been eight but only four remained today and, although most of the glitter had been rubbed off over the years, they had pride of place on the mantelpiece.

There was no real tree this year but a small handmade one standing on a side table. She walked over to it and on closer inspection saw that it used a triangular cushion that she vaguely recalled seeing amongst all the junk in the attic before they had tidied it up for Helen and Bobby. Pins were inserted into the material, holding coloured glass baubles against it. It was imaginative and pretty and made Peggy smile.

‘What do you think?' her mother asked behind her.

Peggy turned, her arms outstretched. ‘It's inspired, Mum. I always love seeing those.' She pointed to the pinecones. ‘And I think we should always have this as our Christmas tree.'

The smile on Ida's face slipped slightly. ‘I'm hoping this is the one and only year we don't have a real tree.'

Peggy hoped for the same thing but having picked up Allied news – until private radios had been confiscated in mid-June – she doubted it. Until then the news had been grim and seemed to worsen with each passing day. It would take a miracle for the war to end in the next twelve months, but Peggy had no intention of dampening her mother's spirits by saying so.

She spotted their tatty angel made of a ping-pong ball with a face drawn on it, strands of yellow wool for her hair and a body made of a cardboard tube covered in slightly torn crepe paper. They had used the same one for a long time, and although her father used to moan about it whenever it was brought out, none of them had the heart to throw it away. She was about to remind her mother about their father when there was a knock at the front door.

‘Who can that be?' her mother asked clasping her hands together.

Seeing Ida's panicked expression, Peggy rubbed her upper arm. ‘It's fine, Mum. You stay here and I'll go and see.'

She opened the door expecting to see one of their neighbours and instead saw the captain standing stiffly waiting to speak to her. She noticed he was holding a bottle of wine in his right hand. He looked uncomfortable but determined as he raised the bottle and held it out to her.

‘For your family.'

Why was he bothering her this way? she wondered, wishing his attention could be paid elsewhere. ‘I can't accept this, Captain. You must know that.'

‘I do not understand.'

Not wishing to antagonise him, she changed the subject. ‘Your English has improved.' She decided a few visits ago to try and discourage him by whatever means she could, including not conversing with him in German. If he was living in Jersey and wished to speak to her then he could speak English. It seemed that he had taken note and had been practising the language.

He smiled at her proudly. ‘I am happy you think this is so.'

How was she going to make him leave? She knew it would be good manners to invite him inside but she had already noticed someone she recognised vaguely, walking along the opposite pavement, who kept looking in her direction, no doubt wondering why there was a German officer on her doorstep talking to her and holding out a gift.

‘Who's that you're talking to, Peggy?' her mother asked from the hallway.

Peggy suspected her mother knew full well who it was and was trying to get rid of him. The door opened further, and her mother came and stood next to her, her arms crossed over her chest. ‘Oh, it's you again, Captain. We heard your celebrations last night.'

His eyes turned finally from Peggy as he cleared his throat. ‘I hope we do not…' He struggled to find the words.

‘Interrupt our sleep?' Ida snapped. ‘You did, as a matter of fact, but I suppose it is Christmas.'

He lifted his gaze from the floor to Ida. ‘I am sorry for this, Frau Hamel. I shall report to my Kameraden. It will not happen again.'

Not happen again? Peggy gave her mother a sideways glance, staggered that her petite mother had shamed this tall, imposing officer. Unsure what to say next, she kept quiet, enjoying her mother's control of the situation and seeing a hint of the woman she had been before she had retreated into herself, trying not to be noticed by the Germans.

‘Was there something you wanted, Captain?' Ida asked pleasantly.

He hesitated then held out the bottle towards her. ‘I wish for you to have this. It is French wine,' he added as if knowing that her mother might either refuse a bottle of German wine or take it and pour it down the sink.

Her mother thought for a moment then took the wine. ‘If this is by way of an apology for last night, then I shall accept it.'

Peggy held her breath. Her mother was pushing her luck now, she thought anxiously. But when she looked at the captain's face, instead of seeming angry with her, there was a fondness in his expression that took her by surprise.

‘I wish you a good Christmas,' he said. Then added, ‘Mrs Hamel, forgive me, but you remind me of my mother.' Without another word, he clicked his heels together, gave them a curt nod, turned and walked down the steps, then up the steps on the other side of the metal handrail and into number 2.

Ida pulled Peggy backwards into the house and closed the front door. Neither spoke for a few seconds.

‘Mum, what were you thinking, speaking to him like that?' Peggy didn't know whether to be impressed or concerned.

Her mother shrugged. ‘He didn't seem to take offence. Anyway, they did keep us awake last night and it's not right.'

‘Maybe not, but you really shouldn't do that again. Who knows how he might react next time?'

‘Are you insinuating I was impertinent?' Ida asked with an amused glint in her eyes.

Worried that her mother might get into trouble if she continued to act this way, Peggy grimaced. ‘I wouldn't put it quite like that, but we both know it's not the way these soldiers expect to be addressed.' She placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. ‘I couldn't bear it if something happened to you.'

She hadn't meant to worry her mother, only to try to warn her before she confronted the wrong officer, who might take umbrage and retaliate in a less friendly way.

‘Don't worry, lovey. I enjoyed that exchange, but I'm not silly enough to try it a second time. I saw the shock in his face before he thought of his mother. He's probably still a bit hungover from last night, and even I know his reactions could be different if he was in a less convivial mood.'

Relieved, Peggy smiled. ‘That's good to hear. Now, let me have a look at that wine. I think we're going to enjoy drinking it while we toast our absent friends.' She couldn't bear to mention her father, aware that it might be too much for her mother when she was doing her best to make sure they had the best Christmas possible.

‘That's a wonderful idea, Peggy. We'll do that.'

They had only been in the kitchen for a few minutes, looking at the unappetising meat that was to be their Christmas lunch, when there was another knock on the door.

‘For pity's sake.' Ida pushed the sleeves of her cardigan up to her elbows and went to leave the kitchen. Horrified to think her mother might be about to do something reckless, despite her protestations a few minutes before, Peggy grabbed her arm.

‘No, Mum. Let me get this.'

They stared at each other for a moment before her mother relented. ‘Fine. You go but don't get drawn into another conversation with that man.'

Drained by the thought of yet another awkward conversation on their doorstep, Peggy braced herself before opening the front door. Her forced greeting died on her lips when she saw Tony standing there holding something wrapped in newspaper.

‘May I come in?' he asked eagerly.

Peggy immediately stepped back and ushered him inside, closing the door behind him. ‘Of course. I wasn't expecting you.' She leant forward and kissed him lightly on his lips. She looked at the item he was holding. ‘What's that?'

‘A chicken.'

‘A real one?' Babs asked, running downstairs to join them. ‘For us?'

‘Yes.' Tony laughed. ‘A real one. It's fresh, too, and I'm hoping you'll accept it for your Christmas meal.'

‘We haven't had such a treat for ages.' Babs pressed her hands to her cheeks. ‘This is so kind of you.'

‘I also have a small gift under my arm for you, Peggy, if you want to take it,' he said, turning sideways to her so she could remove the brown paper bag with something soft inside. ‘It's not much but my mother knitted it when I said I wanted to give you something to keep you warm.'

‘That's kind of her.' Peggy was about to have a look inside when her mother interrupted.

‘Bring that chicken through to the kitchen, will you, son?' She led the way while Peggy took out a pretty red and blue knitted hat with matching scarf and gloves. ‘The wool is lovely and soft. Please thank your mother for me,' she said, following them into the kitchen.

‘She'll be thrilled you like them.'

She could tell by the look on his face that it meant a lot to him that she liked his gift. ‘I have a little something for you. I'll just fetch it.' She ran through to the living room where she had left his gift and returned to the kitchen and handed it to him. ‘It's only a book that I found in the attic and thought you might like it. Don't worry if you don't.'

He took the book out of the newspaper wrapping and beamed at it. ‘Thank you,' he said, smiling as he looked at the detective novel she recalled him saying he wanted to read. ‘I look forward to reading this.'

‘I'm pleased.'

‘Well, I can't wait to have lunch, now that I know we're going to be treated to something delicious,' Babs said.

‘Me, too.' Ida motioned for them all to leave the kitchen. ‘Why don't you join the girls in the living room?' she suggested to Tony.

‘I'm afraid I can't stop for more than a couple of minutes,' he said. ‘My parents are expecting me home soon.'

‘That's a shame.' Ida held up the bottle for him to see. ‘Do you have time to join us for a glass of wine?'

‘French? Where did you get that?'

Ida tapped the side of her nose. ‘Ask no questions and I'll tell you no lies.'

‘This is turning out to be a far better day than I expected,' Babs said before glancing up at the ceiling.

Peggy realised she was asking if it was safe to let Helen join them. ‘Yes, it's all right for them to come down now.'

‘This is so exciting,' Babs enthused, immediately running back upstairs to fetch their friends.

Helen walked into the room holding Bobby's hand. ‘Merry Christmas, everyone.'

‘Tony's brought us a chicken,' Babs announced.

Helen beamed at him. ‘Did you hear that, Bobby? That's so kind of you.'

‘I hope you enjoy it.' He stood. ‘I'd better dash. Mum will be expecting me for our Christmas meal, and she'll never forgive me if I'm late.'

‘But where did you get it from?' Ida asked.

He tapped the side of his nose, a wide grin on his face. ‘Don't ask me questions and I won't have to lie to you, Mrs Hamel.'

‘You didn't pinch this from somewhere, I hope?'

Peggy knew her mother was teasing but saw by the look of shock on Tony's face that he didn't realise it.

‘It was one of Dad's patients, a farmer who gave him the chicken in payment for helping his family.'

Peggy hated to think they were taking good food from Tony's family. ‘But why are you giving it to us?'

He smiled. ‘Because another patient gave him a goose and that's what we're having for our lunch. I thought it greedy for us to enjoy both so I asked if I could bring the chicken to you. Dad was thrilled to give your family something for Christmas.'

She thought of her boss and what a kind-hearted man he was. ‘I'm so lucky to work for your father, Tony. Please thank him from us, and your mother, too. We're very grateful and it will make all the difference to our day.'

‘It certainly will,' Ida assured him.