Chapter 4

Peggy held Tony's hand as they walked along St Aubin's Road on their way back to Villa Millbrook. Discussing hiding the silver was one thing, but physically digging a hole while trying not to alert the guards was going to be difficult. Her nerves increased with every step she took closer to Villa Millbrook. She was beginning to wish she hadn't been so quick to volunteer to help.

‘You're trembling,' Tony whispered. ‘If you want to change your mind, just say so. I'm sure I'll be fine doing this with Tommy and Helen.'

Feeling guilty for allowing her concerns to be obvious, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. ‘No,' she said, determined to see it through. ‘I'm just a little nervous, that's all. I'll be fine and I know I'll be glad I've done something to help.'

He leant over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. ‘You're a brave girl, Peggy, and that's partly why I love you so much.

He had told her he loved her. She gave him a gentle nudge as she tried to recover from the surprise. ‘The feeling's mutual,' she admitted happily.

‘You two still fine to do this?' Helen asked, slowing and turning to them.

‘We are,' Peggy reassured her, now more determined than ever to see it through.

‘Absolutely ready,' Tony said. ‘The housekeeper and gardener don't know we're coming, I assume?'

Helen shook her head. ‘I considered telephoning the house but didn't want to alert the officers in any way. I've never phoned before so it might look suspicious. I'm just hoping Mrs Edwards will still be there.'

‘What about Tommy, though?' Peggy asked, doubting the gardener would still be at work that late in the evening.

‘It's fine,' Helen said. ‘He lives in a cottage across the road from the park. I'll point it out to you, Tony, so you two can go and speak to him and tell him our plans while I go into the house and speak to Mrs Edwards.' She had a thought. ‘In fact, he'll be able to let you into the garden. He rarely comes into the kitchen and never the house, so he must have a shortcut from his cottage.'

Tony nodded. ‘Then we'll do that and wait for you in the garden whenever you're ready.'

They reached the corner where St Aubin's Road veered off to La Rue de Haut and watched Helen walk towards the entrance of the imposing house where she worked, before continuing down the main road towards Tommy's cottage. At the first of three cottages they stopped and, opening the iron gate, walked up the short pathway and into the porch. Tony knocked on the front door. Peggy marvelled at the vivid red shards of light streaked across both their bodies by the setting sun shining through the coloured glass in the porch.

The door opened after a few seconds and a wizened man with a suspicious look on his face glared at them. ‘Yes?'

‘May we come inside for a moment, please?' Tony asked. ‘We have a message from Helen, er, Miss Bowman. She's with Mrs Edwards as we speak.'

‘You'd better come this way.' Tommy frowned and stepped back to let them in. ‘I'm not sure what this is about,' he said, softening slightly towards them.

Tony explained about their plan. Tommy brightened and within a few minutes was leading them along a through way to the side of his cottage. ‘This is the best way to get into the garden without being seen,' he said keeping his voice low. ‘But we need to be careful. They're crafty buggers, those Jerries.' He stopped and peered past Tony to Peggy. ‘Sorry about the language, Miss.'

‘Please don't worry,' Peggy said, liking the man and relieved she had offered to help him.

‘You're very good to help us out like this,' Tommy continued. ‘I'm not sure what her ladyship would think if we didn't manage to keep her precious things safe for her. She's always been very good to me. She's nearly eighty, you know.'

Peggy thought of Florence Boot and how she and her husband had always been so generous to the people of the island. She was glad to think the elderly lady didn't have to witness all that was happening to the island and its people that she loved so much.

They reached the garden and once inside crept silently along the border among the trees to the vegetable patch. Tommy stopped once and pointed up at a balcony stretching the width of the house and overlooking the long, immaculate lawn to their right.

‘They go out there for a sneaky ciggie sometimes,' he warned. ‘There's others at the entrances to the house and at the front. There'll also be a couple patrolling the garden every hour, so we don't have time to waste.'

‘What about spades?' Tony asked when they reached the vegetable patch and were standing in the shadows next to a carefully trimmed hedge that blocked anyone's view of them from the property.

‘I'll fetch them now.'

Tony slipped his arms around Peggy while they waited. ‘How are you holding up?'

Her legs were like jelly and she wasn't sure they were strong enough to keep her from falling over, but she had no intention of letting him know how terrified she was. ‘I'm fine,' she lied, forcing a smile. ‘I'm glad we're doing this together.'

He pulled a face. ‘I can't say I am. I'd feel much happier knowing you were safe at home.' He kissed her lightly. ‘But I have a sense that we'll remember this night for the rest of our lives and it's something we can bore our grandchildren with during family gatherings.'

‘You think we'll have grandchildren?' she asked, delighted to think he saw a future for the pair of them.

‘Don't you?'

She slipped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. ‘I do now.'

Hearing footsteps, they broke apart and Peggy held her breath, terrified in case they were about to be discovered.

Tommy stepped out between two bushes holding two spades, closely followed by Helen carrying two more.

‘I found Miss Bowman waiting for me at my toolshed.' He cocked his head towards a bed of spinach. ‘It's under there.'

‘And where's the bonfire?' Tony asked.

‘Over that way.' Tommy pointed to the right of where they were standing. ‘The ground will be harder there, so I reckon the ladies should probably dig up the spinach here, while we tackle the bonfire and dig that hole. We're going to need to be careful to keep the ash and bits of burnt wood and stuff away from the soil so that we can put it back on top of the stash when we've covered it up.'

‘Good idea.' Tony nodded, then addressed Peggy and Helen. ‘Will you two be all right to dig up the silver? We'll come back to help you move it as soon as we're done.'

‘Of course,' Helen whispered. ‘Mrs Edwards has called them into the dining room for a tasting of some bottles of sloe gin she's been keeping in the cupboard for a special occasion. She's going to pretend that she's only just discovered it and do her best to keep them away from the west of the house, where we are.'

‘That's clever of her,' Peggy said. ‘Right, let's get on with it.'

Peggy watched Tony leave with Tommy and took a spade from Helen. ‘I hope you're feeling strong,'

Helen grinned. ‘So do I.'

It was a warm evening and Peggy was perspiring after fifteen minutes' digging. She and Helen had carefully placed the spinach they had dug up to one side, away from the mound of soil that now stood next to the hole. ‘Look, that's one of the bags,' she said spotting a khaki canvas bag. ‘Help me lift it out, will you?'

She hoped the silver was well wrapped to dull any sound as they lifted the first three bags they discovered.

‘Shush,' Helen said, grabbing Peggy's right wrist tightly.

Peggy immediately stilled, horrified to hear heavy boots walking somewhere nearby. She stared into Helen's eyes, wide with fear. Neither of them dared to lower the heavy bag in case they made a sound. Hearing another voice, then laughter, Peggy willed them to go somewhere else. Where were they? she wondered. Following the voices, she spotted a red glow through the bush behind them. They were having a cigarette on the balcony, just like Tommy had warned.

She grimaced, desperate to lower the bag, and saw that Helen was struggling, too. There was no sound coming from where she had heard the men digging earlier and for the first time Peggy realised how dark it was. The only light was coming from the full moon.

‘Would you gentlemen like a top-up?' she heard a lady ask.

‘Mrs Edwards,' Helen mouthed, relief on her face, when the men's voices receded into the house and they heard the balcony door closing. ‘Thank heavens for that,' she murmured, lowering the bag next to the mound where the other two were placed.

‘Right,' Tony said, joining them with Tommy. ‘We'll take these bags and bury them while you two refill that hole.'

‘You'd better replant the spinach as best you can,' Tommy said. ‘Don't worry too much, I'll straighten them out when you've gone.'

Peggy was relieved that refilling the hole was much easier and quicker than digging it had been. As soon as they had replaced the spinach, they hurried to join the men and help them at the bonfire site.

‘This is such a good idea.' Tommy said, clearly impressed. ‘No one will ever think of looking under this lot.'

The moonlight lit the patch where they were stamping on the soil to harden it before scattering debris and ash on top. It was incredible, she thought, and couldn't help smiling.

‘I'm impressed. You'd never know this had been moved.'

‘You wouldn't,' Tommy agreed, holding out his hand for the spades. ‘I'll be out here first thing to set another fire, so that even if they do fancy coming this way with their search they'll be put off by the smoke and flames.'

‘We'll go the way we came in,' Tony said, patting Tommy on the back. ‘Good luck tomorrow, and don't forget to let me know if you need help with anything else.'

‘I will, lad,' he said, giving Tony a smile, displaying more gaps than yellowed teeth. ‘You're a goodun and no mistake.'

‘I'm glad you think so.'

Peggy followed Tony and Helen through the shrubbery and back to Tommy's cottage. They wiped soil from their shoes before brushing it from their hands and straightening their hair and clothes.

‘We'll have to do,' Peggy said, aware that if they weren't careful they'd wouldn't be home before curfew. ‘We need to get going.'

She and Helen left Tony to make his way home and walked the last part together.

‘That was frightening,' Peggy admitted. ‘But now it's done I can't help feeling exhilarated, don't you?'

‘I do,' Helen agreed. ‘I'm so glad we were able to help them out of this sticky situation.' She sighed. ‘I feel as if I've really done something worthwhile tonight.'

‘Me, too,' Peggy agreed as they reached the bottom of their front steps. ‘See you tomorrow then.'

‘Yes,' Helen said. ‘And thank you again.'

‘There's no need to thank me. What are neighbours for if not to step in when needed?' She gave Helen a wink and ran up the steps and into number 3, feeling more alive than she had done in a year.