‘But there aren’t any Communists here.’
‘No, but They might commandeer it, like Pendenys.’
‘For goodness’ sake, Tatty, don’t be so miserable!’
‘I can’t help it. It’s my Russian soul.’
‘Don’t be daft! You’re as English as I am.’
‘Half-English. I speak the mother tongue, don’t forget.’
‘Y-yes.’ Daisy was forced to admit it. Tatiana Sutton spoke the politely correct Russian learned from her mother but she was fluent, too, in the dialect spoken by Karl, a Georgian by birth. Tatiana, when provoked, had the advantage of being able to let fly a string of Russian swear words – learned from Karl – and get away with it. ‘But tell me – how was London?’
‘Poor old place – it seemed a bit bewildered. Barrage balloons in all the parks and sandbags everywhere. And it’s so completely dark now at nights. The shops haven’t a lot to sell. Mother didn’t buy a thing except a lipstick, and she had to stand in a queue for half an hour to get it. And there are uniforms everywhere. Such gorgeous men, and all of them going to war.’ She sighed loudly and with regret. Such a waste when she, Tatiana Sutton, hadn’t even been kissed yet – leastways, not with passion. ‘It makes you want to join up, doesn’t it?’
‘I suppose so. As a matter of fact,’ Daisy took a deep breath, ‘I have joined up.’
‘Wha-a-t? You mean you’ll be leaving, too? But, Daisy, you can’t! Drew’s gone, and Kitty and Bas can’t visit any more, and Keth’s stuck in America! If you go, there’ll be only me left out of the entire Clan!’
‘I know, and I’m sorry I did it. But don’t worry overmuch. They haven’t even acknowledged my application yet, and not a word about my medical. I could be months and months waiting.’
‘So what are you joining?’ Tatiana was piqued.
‘The Wrens, if they’ll have me. It’s got to be, you see, because of Drew. I hate working in that shop and I thought that if anything I could do would shorten the war by just one week, then I should do it. I want Keth home – but not till the war is over.’
‘Then that does it! If you can volunteer, so can I! I think I might go for the ATS. Well, the Suttons have always joined the Army, haven’t they?’
‘Until Drew – yes. But you can’t, Tatty! Have you thought about what your grandma would say?’
‘Oh, bugger Grandmother Petrovska!’ Tatiana could swear in English, too. ‘I’m sick of her and her everlasting black! Imagine – she’s still in mourning for Czar Nicholas and him dead more than twenty years!’
‘But it won’t be a bed of roses. Don’t expect it to be fun – in the Forces, I mean.’
‘Anything would be better than having Grandmother living at Denniston, because London will get bombed and she will have to leave.’
‘But your mother wouldn’t let you. You’re not twenty-one yet.’
‘Neither are you. Did your father give his permission? My mother will say I can, anyway.’
‘She won’t, and you know it. Dada didn’t sign for me to go. I sort of did it for him. He hit the roof!’
‘Then I shall sign Mother’s name. Aleksandrina Anastasia Petrovska Sutton. I know exactly how she does it.’
‘Oh, don’t let’s talk about the war! I’m afraid, really, about the invasion.’
‘So am I. They might treat us like they treated the Poles. And Grandmother wouldn’t help. She’d shout at them, if they came – all sorts of insults. We’d end up against the wall, being shot!’
‘Don’t say things like that, please. Let’s talk about Drew. Aunt Julia says he might be home on leave soon.’
‘He might?’ Tatiana brightened visibly. ‘There’d be half the Clan together again.’
‘Mm. And I could ask him for a few tips about the Wrens – what to say, I mean, if they ask me what I want to do.’
‘So they won’t put you in the cookhouse, you mean?’
‘Sort of. And in the Navy they call it the galley.’
‘Whatever,’ Tatiana shrugged. ‘But they do that, you know. If you can cook, then they’d put you in an office and if you can type –’
‘Which I can.’
‘Exactly. They’d probably put you on a barrage balloon, or something. They do it on purpose.’
‘It wouldn’t be that. I think the Air Force looks after all the barrage balloons. But I stood in a queue in Woolworth’s, yesterday, and guess what?’ She was anxious not to talk about the war any more. ‘I got a jar of cold cream.’
‘Lucky dog! Tell you what – let’s go back to Denniston and have a root through Mother’s make-up. She’s out do-gooding for the war effort. She won’t be back till late.’
‘Could we? What if she caught us?’
‘She won’t. Come on!’ An aircraft flew low overhead and Tatiana squinted up into the sky. ‘Ooh, just look at that! It’s a Whitley.’ Tatiana was good at recognizing aircraft. ‘They’ve got some at Holdenby Moor to replace the old Hampdens. And don’t you just love those aircrew boys? Aren’t they marvellous? I could fall head over heels for every one of them!’
‘No you couldn’t, Tatty. They’re very young – most of them not old enough to get married. And they get killed – all the time. But no more war talk – please.’
‘Oh, dear. Whatever next?’ Helen Sutton looked up from the evening paper she was reading as her daughter came into the room. ‘Our allies, Julia, yet we’ve sunk the best part of the French fleet. They were anchored somewhere in North Africa and our navy just turned their guns on them. Sank them, and more than a thousand killed. Well, I hope,’ she breathed, tight-lipped, ‘that Drew will never be called on to do anything so awful!’
‘You’re right. It is awful. But did we have any choice, Mother? We couldn’t let Hitler get his hands on those ships.’
‘But the French captains wouldn’t have let that happen. A lot of their ships have already sailed into British ports – and the French fought alongside us last time, remember.’
‘I know – but there’s another war on now and we can’t afford to use kid gloves, these days – not when we’re up against it, like now. But I think I might have some good news for you. You know I said I wanted to get help for Jack Catchpole? Well, I just might be lucky. I think we’re getting a land girl.’
‘But I thought land girls worked on farms.’
‘They work on the land, whether it’s farmland or Rowangarth kitchen garden. They’re there to help grow food and we could send no end of stuff to the Creesby shops. And a land girl could look after some hens for us. I went to the bothy – well, they call it a hostel, now – and I was lucky. Both the warden and the forewoman were in, and both of them thought Rowangarth could qualify. They were very nice and told me who to contact to get things going. We might have one before the month is out. Couldn’t be in better time, either, for the soft fruit.’
‘But how will Catchpole take it? He wouldn’t be getting an experienced gardener, would he? I believe some land girls come from towns and can’t milk a cow, even.’
‘But we haven’t got any cows. Anyway – can you milk a cow, Mother?’
‘No. But I could learn if I had to, I suppose …’
‘There’s your answer then. She’ll