‘Plenty of cuddles and stories, just not with her.’ All of a sudden, Scarlet felt uncomfortable talking about her childhood. She adored her mother and had always thought they were very close. But she only had the experience of girls from families like hers to compare with. All of their parents were the same. Although she guessed the children of the servants were treated very differently by their parents, cared for by their mothers rather than anyone else. As much as she was enjoying Ellie’s company, she realised they were from very different backgrounds.
‘Heavens, that’s dreadful,’ Ellie muttered. ‘At least I know how the other side lives now. We all sat around our dinner table, my brothers and me, with Ma and Pa, and at night Pa’d read to us in front of the fire. We didn’t have a lot, but we had full bellies most of the time and there was plenty of laughter and hugs.’
Scarlet met her new friend’s gaze. ‘I never really thought about it before, the differences between some families.’ Although she wished her mother had visited their quarters more, she’d always felt so loved by Nanny, and she’d had her older sister for company, so it wasn’t like she’d been miserable. Far from it.
The loud noise of a train chugging into the station made Scarlet turn, her heart leaping. It was almost time. They’d been so busy talking and now they were about to go to London. For someone used to chaperones and chauffeurs, Scarlet was starting to feel well out of her depth.
‘Is this us?’ Scarlet asked.
Ellie looked as apprehensive as Scarlet felt. ‘Hmmm, I think so.’
Scarlet sat up straighter, rolling her shoulders back. Her hand was slippery as she grabbed the handle of her bag, nerves sending ripples through her body.
‘Don’t you go changing your mind now,’ Ellie cautioned, linking her arm with Scarlet’s. ‘We’re in this together.’
Scarlet gulped. Part of her wanted to flee, to go home with her head hanging and admit her failure before her journey had even begun, but one glance up into Ellie’s chocolate-brown eyes made her steel her resolve and nod instead.
‘Looks like it’s time to board,’ Ellie said.
The noise and bustle around them amplified, made it impossible to think of anything else as they stood, bags in hand, and made their way towards the train. It had been cold outside, but now it was muggy from all the people crammed into one space and Scarlet felt flushed as she held out her ticket and finally stepped up and into the train. She’d half expected luxury, but this was anything but.
They both sat down with bags clutched to their chests, resting on their thighs. There were other women, many in pairs now, some alone, and a smattering of soldiers and civilians. Scarlet wondered what their stories were, where they were going and why, if they were searching for someone they loved. Most of all she wondered whether they’d even return.
‘We’re going to be fine, I promise,’ Ellie said, patting her arm as a whistle blew.
Scarlet knew it was a promise Ellie couldn’t possibly keep, but she took some comfort in the confident way she said the words.
‘You sound so sure,’ she replied.
‘Or maybe I just want to make you feel better so you’ll share some more food with me.’
Scarlet burst out laughing and Ellie joined in. Thank goodness for Ellie. She’d be a basket case without her seated beside her wheedling for food!
‘Half an apple,’ Scarlet said in a low voice. ‘That’s all we’re having or we’ll be out of food before we even get to our lodgings.’
CHAPTER TWO
Ellie
Ellie wasn’t sure if her stomach was protesting more now that it had actually had some food than it had been when empty. She’d been hungry for so long that it was almost a shock to eat anything nice at all; the empty, hollow feeling was one she was starting to get used to. Her mother did her best, but making hearty meals wasn’t exactly easy any longer, and Ellie was so tired of eating vegetable pies and stale bread, which was all they seemed to feed the nurses where she’d been training.
The motion of the train had made her sleepy, but she forced her eyes to stay open and stared out the window. She might be putting on a brave face for Scarlet, pretending like she was happy to be doing her bit, but inside she was scared. The thought that something could happen to her and to her brothers was all-consuming, that her mother might be left grieving for all four of her children. It was unbearable.
‘I think we’re almost there.’ Scarlet’s low voice jolted her from her thoughts.
‘It’s going on a boat I’m worried about. I just know we’ll be going on one to somewhere,’ Ellie confessed. In truth, it worried her more than the actual nursing, although she knew she might change her mind once they arrived.
‘It’ll be fine. I’m sure we’ll be given decent food on board if we do get shipped anywhere. And surely we’ll be able to sleep a lot,’ Scarlet said.
Ellie doubted it. She’d been living hand to mouth for what felt like for ever now. She could tell Scarlet had lived a very privileged life, but she didn’t care about that type of thing. It was the least of her worries because if Scarlet was nice then it didn’t matter. They were all going to be rolling their sleeves up and getting dirty, poor or rich.
‘So tell me more about this chap of yours,’ Ellie said, settling back into her seat.
‘Now?’ Scarlet asked.
‘Yes, now!’
Ellie glanced up when a soldier walked past them – the motion of the train making him unsteady on his feet. Either that or he’d had something to drink that he shouldn’t have. He smiled, and she flashed him a beamer back. Poor boy was about to go to war, the least she could do was give him a grin to make his day.
‘Well, he’s very handsome,’ Scarlet said, a pink blush taking over her cheeks as Ellie watched. ‘He’s tall and he looked very charming in his uniform.’
‘Kind of like that handsome soldier?’ Ellie raised her eyebrows when Scarlet looked away, before laughing and shaking her head. ‘Well, where did you meet? How long have you been engaged?’
Scarlet sighed and Ellie sat back. ‘It was at a garden party when I was presented. I didn’t go to Queen Charlotte’s Ball like my sister.’ Scarlet had a faraway look in her eyes. ‘I was wearing my white dress. I felt like a princess; and he was there and then . . .’
‘He took your hand and you ran away?’ Ellie knew she was being silly, but she liked making Scarlet laugh. Besides, it was all just so foreign to her. ‘This is like a fairy tale for me. I want all the details.’
‘No! I mean, no to running away, not to telling you all about it. My parents liked his family. They approved of him immediately and he was allowed to visit me, but before that we saw each other at different events while he was on leave. He was my only boyfriend. We sneaked out once to go dancing. We were back before two in the morning and no one even noticed we were gone,’ Scarlet shared. ‘We went on some dates, with a chaperone of course, but the best night was when Thomas was visiting when we were staying in our town house. We had to rush to the shelter during an air raid. He helped my mother and sister, but I got to sit next to him. He held my hand under the blanket and Mother didn’t even know.’
Ellie listened, hanging off every word. ‘And what happened? After that night I mean? When did he propose?’