Poppy's War (32 page)

Poppy had no answer for that. It was no good arguing with Mabel. Once she had formed an opinion she was unlikely to change her mind. Poppy was putting the clean plates away in the cupboard when the doorbell rang.

‘Who can that be at this time in the evening?’ Mabel said, glancing at the wall clock. ‘It’s almost nine thirty.’

‘If it’s Dennis, I don’t want to see him.’

Wiping her hands on her apron, Mabel shook her head. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t let him in. I’ll say you’re on night duty or something.’ She hurried out of the
kitchen
closing the door behind her.

Poppy waited, holding her breath. After the emotional and physical journey she had experienced during the day she could not bring herself to face Dennis. She could hear Mabel’s feet pattering over the linoleum in the hallway and the door opened.

‘There’s someone to see you, Poppy.’

‘It’s not Dennis, is it?’

Mabel shook her head. ‘No, it’s a chauffeur. He says the lady in the car wants to speak to you on a matter of importance. That’s his words not mine. He says it won’t wait.’

Chapter Sixteen

EVEN IN THE
twilight, Poppy could see that it was the Pallisters’ limousine parked at the kerbside. Hector’s chauffeur was standing by the rear door, holding it open.

Pamela’s pale face stared at her through the window as Poppy hurried down the path. She climbed into the car. ‘Mrs Pallister, you’re the last person I expected to see here.’

‘I must speak to you urgently.’ Pamela dismissed Harper with a wave of her hand.

‘Is there something wrong?’ It was a rhetorical question as Poppy could see by Pamela’s fraught expression that she was not the bearer of good news. ‘It’s not Guy, is it?’

‘Guy?’ Pamela’s full lips formed a small circle of surprise. ‘Why would it be anything to do with him?’

‘I don’t know, I just thought …’

‘Just listen to what I have to say, Poppy. I haven’t time to play games. It’s a long drive down to Squire’s Knapp and I have to return this evening.’ She gazed out of the window, gazing abstractedly at the chauffeur’s back as he leaned against the bonnet, lighting a cigarette. ‘I’m not supposed to be using
Hector’s
petrol coupons for private business but this is a matter of life and death. Daddy’s car was in an accident during the blackout last night.’

Poppy laid her hand on Pamela’s arm. ‘I’m so sorry. Is he …’

‘It’s touch and go. He was on his way home from the court and I suppose he was in a hurry to get back to Mummy.’ Pamela’s voice broke on a sob. ‘You don’t know, of course, but Mummy collapsed at one of her meetings a week ago and was rushed to hospital.’

Poppy found it almost impossible to imagine Marina Carroll laid low by anything other than a severe blow to the head, but it was obvious that Pamela was genuinely upset. ‘She’s all right though?’

‘Not really. Apparently she’d suffered a massive stroke and now she’s paralysed down one side and can barely make us understand what she’s saying. She’s at home but she needs constant attention. We’ve hired a nurse but Mummy makes it obvious she loathes the woman and throws things at her. I’m at my wits’ end.’

‘I’m truly sorry, but without wishing to sound uncaring, what has this got to do with me?’

‘I wouldn’t blame you if you told me where to go, Poppy. I know we didn’t treat you terribly well, but I was hoping that you’d come back with me and look after Rupert. He’s running wild and I can’t do anything with him.’

‘But he’s such a sweet little boy.’

‘He was once, but he’s really naughty these days. We’ve gone through two nannies since you left and with most of the village girls either in the forces or doing war work, it’s almost impossible to find a reliable person who can cope with a lively four-year-old. Jean told me that you’re a trained nurse and I thought you might help me look after Mummy as well as Rupert.’

‘A probationer nurse,’ Poppy said quickly. ‘I’m not qualified yet, and I won’t be for another three years.’

‘Darling, that doesn’t matter a bit. I need a helping pair of hands and someone with commonsense who knows the household routine and won’t be upset by Mummy’s little tantrums.’

‘I’d like to help, I really would, but if I leave in the middle of my training I might never get another chance. What would I do when you no longer need me?’

Pamela grasped both her hands. ‘We need you now, Poppy. If Guy were here he’d beg you to come down to Squire’s Knapp and help out. If it’s money you’re worried about …’

‘No.’ The word escaped from Poppy’s lips in a sigh of despair. She wanted to tell Pamela Pallister to go to hell, but invisible cords were tugging at her heartstrings. She remembered the way that Rupert used to cuddle up to her in bed, and wake her up by jumping on her and tugging at her hair. The nursery should be filled with children, not one sad
and
lonely little boy who would grow up to carve his name on the wooden desk lid, just as Guy had done all those years ago. Guy would expect her to answer his sister’s genuine plea for help, and there was no doubting Pamela’s sincerity or her deep distress.

‘Please, Poppy,’ Pamela whispered. ‘We need you desperately. Apart from the land girls, there’s only Mrs Toon left out of all the servants. She copes splendidly with the help of a daily woman from the village, but we need someone living in the house whom we can all trust, and who understands Mummy’s little foibles. If you can’t bring yourself to do it for Mummy and me, please think of Rupert. He needs you terribly.’

Staring out of the window, Poppy was suddenly alert as she saw Dennis lumbering towards the car. Harper stood to attention as if ready to ward off an aggressor.

Dennis was a complication that she could well do without. She was fond of him and that was the trouble. With his ‘never take no for an answer’ attitude she was afraid that one day she would simply give in, and in a moment of weakness agree to marry him. She came to a sudden decision. ‘All right, Mrs Pallister. Give me a few days so that I can give some kind of notice at the hospital …’

Pamela shook her head. ‘No, Poppy. You must come with me now. I simply can’t cope, with Daddy at death’s door and everything.’ She fumbled in her
handbag
and brought out a scrap of lace that served as a hanky.

Not knowing what to say, Poppy gazed out of the window. Dennis had stopped and was speaking to the chauffeur. She could not hear what he was saying but she could tell from the set of his jaw that he was going to be difficult, and she knew that he would not let her leave without putting up a fight. The thought of a confrontation made her decision easier. ‘All right, I’ll come with you, but only if you write to the hospital explaining why I had to leave so suddenly.’

Pamela mopped her eyes leaving smudges of mascara on her cheeks. ‘Darling Poppy, you won’t regret this. I’ll get Hector to have it written on government headed writing paper to make it look official. We’ll be eternally grateful to you.’

‘Yes, well, I’d better go indoors and tell my sister-in-law. I’ll need to pack some things.’

‘Yes, of course, but please hurry.’ Pamela glanced up and recoiled as she saw Dennis peering at them through the window. ‘Who is that fearful oick?’

In any other circumstances Poppy might have laughed outright at Pamela’s shocked expression, even though she was appalled by this overt display of snobbery. ‘Don’t worry about him. He’s an old friend of the family.’ She opened the car door and stepped out onto the pavement. ‘Come away, Dennis. You’re frightening Mrs Pallister.’

‘What’s going on?’ Dennis demanded as he
followed
Poppy up the garden path and into the house. ‘Who’s that posh bird in the Daimler?’

‘I’m sorry, Dennis. I haven’t got time to chat right now.’ Poppy hurried into the kitchen and closed the door, leaving Dennis outside in the hall. ‘Mabel, I’ve got something important to tell you.’

‘What’s going on?’ Dennis banged on the wooden panels. ‘I’m coming in.’

Poppy leaned her back against the door. ‘Go away, Dennis. This has nothing to do with you. I want to speak to Mabel in private.’

‘Good God, what’s happened?’ Mabel demanded. ‘Shut up, Dennis. I can’t hear myself think with you making that noise.’

‘What’s going on, Dennis?’ Uncle Fred’s voice echoed round the hallway.

‘That’s what I want to know.’ Dennis gave the door one last thump. ‘I’ll be in the front room when you’re ready to talk, Poppy.’

‘You’d think he owns me,’ Poppy said crossly. ‘I thought I’d made it plain that there’s no future for us, but he won’t take no for an answer and that’s another reason why I’m leaving tonight, Mabel.’

‘You’re what?’ Mabel leaned against the sink, clutching a cup of tea in her hands.

‘It’s Mrs Pallister outside in the car. You know, Mrs Carroll’s daughter.’

‘What does she want?’

Poppy explained as quickly and simply as she could, but Mabel was at first shocked and then
angry
. ‘How can you even think about going back there after the way they treated you?’

‘I’m going for Rupert’s sake as much as anything. He’s a dear little boy and I love him. I can’t bear to think of him shut up in that miserable nursery with a grumpy nanny who doesn’t give a damn about him, and Mr Carroll was always kind to me. He’s in a bad way according to Pamela.’

‘But they’ll treat you like a servant and the only difference is they won’t pay you. She’s taking advantage of your good nature. Anyway, you can’t just walk out on your nurse’s training. What will Sister McNally say?’

‘Mr Pallister is going to write an official letter explaining why I had to leave without notice. It’ll be all right, Mabel.’

‘I don’t know about that. I don’t like it, and Joe wouldn’t either. I doubt if he’d let you go.’

Poppy slipped her arm around Mabel’s shoulders. ‘I love you, Mabel, and you’ve been good to me, but we’re packed in this house like sardines in a tin. It’ll be much more comfortable with just you and your family.’

‘That’s it, isn’t it?’ Mabel’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. ‘This is all because you don’t feel at home here, especially now you’ve found out about your real dad. Honestly, Poppy, it doesn’t make any difference to me or Joe. He won’t care if you’re only a half-sister: he loves you and he’ll be mad at me for letting you go.’

‘Then don’t tell him. I’ll probably be back in a few weeks anyway. Once I’ve settled young Rupert and helped out with Mrs Carroll, I’ll come home again. Hopefully Uncle Fred will have found them somewhere else to live by then, and I’ll be able to go back to work at the hospital. I’m going to finish my training no matter what.’

‘That’s easy for you to say.’ Mabel wiped her eyes on her apron. ‘You might find yourself out of a job, or the Carrolls will keep you hanging on until you’re an old maid with no chance of training for anything.’

‘It won’t happen like that. This is just a temporary arrangement until Mr Carroll is fit and well again after his accident. You’ll see.’

It was one thirty in the morning by the time the Daimler purred up the drive at Squire’s Knapp. Pamela dismissed Harper with a casual instruction to garage the car in the coach house before turning in.

‘Where will he sleep?’ Poppy asked anxiously. ‘You don’t expect him to spend the night in the back of the car, do you?’

Pamela started up the stone steps leading to the front entrance. ‘Heavens no. I wouldn’t want Harper to put his size tens on the upholstery. Don’t worry about him, Poppy. He’s been here often enough to know the ropes. He’ll wake Jackson and they’ll muddle in together.’ She rummaged round in her
handbag
and produced a key. ‘I’m ready for bed, I don’t know about you.’

The house was in darkness as Poppy followed Pamela indoors. A sliver of moonlight formed a pathway across the parquet floor ending abruptly at the foot of the grand staircase. The scent of beeswax and lavender polish was endearingly familiar.

‘You’ll have to use Guy’s room,’ Pamela whispered as they made their way upstairs. ‘It’s the only one with a bed that’s been aired, although I doubt if the sheets have been changed since he was here a fortnight or so ago, but you won’t mind for one night, will you, Poppy?’

‘Can’t I sleep in the nursery?’

‘Not until I’ve given Miss Stokes the sack, unless you want to share a bed with her, and she has whiskers growing out of her nose and on her chin. I don’t think she’d make a very exciting bedfellow.’

‘Thanks,’ Poppy murmured. ‘I think I’ll take Guy’s bed.’

Pamela led the way to a room on the first floor. ‘You’ll have a nice view of the lake in the morning. I’m afraid there’s no hot water. The beastly fuel shortages mean we only have the boiler going twice a week. It was miserable in the winter without the central heating, but I only came down a couple of times. Now it looks as though I’m going to be stuck here for the duration; such a bore. Anyway, goodnight, Poppy. I hope you sleep well.’

The door closed and Poppy was alone in Guy’s room. The faint and achingly familiar scent of him assailed her senses. Moonlight slanted through the square windowpanes, making trellised patterns on the carpet. She felt that she had walked into a surreal world where everything was painted in shades of silver and grey. The furniture was undoubtedly Edwardian: heavy, masculine and uncompromising. A desk stood against the wall between the two tall windows, and a leather captain’s chair was set at an angle as if the person who had been sitting in it had risen and left the room without bothering to put it straight. Moving like a sleepwalker, Poppy went to the window and looked out at the ploughed field which had once been grassy parkland with the glassy shimmer of the lake beyond. A shadowy black shape slunk across the carriage sweep, its telltale brush warning that the fox was on the prowl for its supper. She drew the curtains and was instantly plunged into darkness.

Feeling her way across the room she switched on the light. The eerie dreamlike quality of moonlight was replaced by the glow of a hundred-watt bulb, and the room was suddenly bathed in colour. The soft shades of blue and old gold in the curtains, carpets and bed covers were exactly what she would have imagined in Guy’s room. Whether or not he had chosen them for himself she had no idea, but the subtle hues suited his character: conservative, reserved and understated.