Chapter 66

2October 1944

Peggy heard Tony's knock. She greeted him with a smile that disappeared the instant she saw his face. She stepped around her desk to reach him as quickly as possible and took his hands in hers. Her heart ached. ‘It's not your mother, is it?' she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

He shook his head. ‘No, thank heavens, but it's not good.'

‘Tell me.'

She listened, barely able to breathe, as he shared what he knew about Daphne. ‘The poor woman died of a heart attack while at work.' Shocked, Peggy was about to ask what impact this would have on Helen and Bobby's safety, but he continued before she could. ‘And that's not the worst of it,' he said, fear in his dark brown eyes. ‘She died three days ago.'

‘Three?' How must Helen be coping? ‘Do you think Helen knows?'

‘How could she? I only found out because my father was contacted as the executor of her will.'

Peggy covered her mouth with her hand, not wishing her anguish to be heard outside her office, as the implication of what he was telling her sank in. ‘We have to go to Helen and let her know. Check that she and Bobby are all right.' She whimpered as her mind raced. ‘She relies on Daphne for everything. They'll have no way to get food.' She began to panic. ‘Tony, they must be terribly frightened.'

He put an arm around her shoulders. ‘Which is why I'm here. I need you to go home straight away and ask your mother to prepare the attic for them.'

She stared at him, unable to grasp what he was saying for a moment. ‘But surely they're safer where they are, as long as we take them food?'

‘If only that was true. Maybe if Daphne hadn't worked where she did, then we might have time before they discover her home isn't empty.'

She wasn't sure what he was getting at. ‘Are you worried the soldiers will go to Sans Souci searching for food?'

He groaned. ‘I am, and whatever else they might hope to find there. Tools, bedding, who knows. The most important thing is that we make sure they don't find Helen and Bobby.'

Peggy's heart leapt to her throat. She had been frightened many times over the past four and a half years, but this really was a matter of life or death. ‘We won't allow that to happen,' she said, determined to rescue her friend and the little boy they all loved.

She covered her typewriter and dumped her paperwork into the top drawer of her desk before slipping on her coat. Tony pulled her to him, kissing her hard on the mouth with an urgency she suspected was filled with love as well as fear that they might already be too late.

‘You'd better hurry. I'll meet you at your house, then we'll go together.'

He left the room and Peggy followed, closing the door behind her and running down the stairs, desperate to get home as soon as possible. Tony would do quickly whatever he needed to do. She walked fast, trying not to look flustered and draw attention to herself. She arrived home in half the time she usually took and ran up the front steps, ignoring Leutnant Müller's figure standing at the front room window next door.

‘Mum?' She didn't bother taking off her coat but ran through to the kitchen, then, when her mother wasn't there, called upstairs for her. She was relieved when her mother appeared at the top of the stairs.

‘What's all the panic for?' Ida asked, scowling down at her. ‘Please don't tell me something's happened, I've had enough of that already today.'

‘What?'

Her mother shook her head. ‘Only the usual. Friends being arrested for silly little mistakes.' She narrowed her eyes and began walking down to join Peggy. ‘Something's badly wrong, though, isn't it?'

Peggy explained what had happened to Daphne and about her and Tony needing to rescue Helen and Bobby before it was too late. ‘I just pray we get them out of there in time.'

‘You will.' Her mother turned to go back upstairs, then, as a thought struck her, stopped, rested her hand on the banister and turned to Peggy. ‘You must. But how do you expect to smuggle them back here? When Tony took them last time it was winter and Bobby was much smaller than he must be now.'

‘That's what's worrying me,' Peggy admitted. ‘Maybe we'll wait until it's dark because that's bound to be safer, but I don't know if that'll be too dangerous. We'll have to see.'

There was a knock at the front door.

‘That'll be him.' She leant forward and kissed her mother's cheek. ‘Try not to worry. We'll be as quick as we can and hopefully by tonight the pair of them will be safely back in the attic again.'

‘I'd better get on and freshen it up then, hadn't I?'