The Chestnut Tree by Charlotte Bingham

Author:Charlotte Bingham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Transworld

Private Mathilda Eastcott sat at the wheel of her Humber staff car waiting for General Michael Rafferty to reappear after his meeting with the Heads of Staff. She had been the tall, laconic North American’s personal driver for some months now, taking him from pillar to post whenever he was in London. One of several high-ranking officers sent to Britain by the US government, he was engaged, Mattie imagined, on work that was both top secret and highly influential. But that was all she could do – imagine.

At first he had barely addressed a remark to her. In fact so involved had the general been with military matters that on their first few journeys he had addressed Mattie, on several occasions, as son. It was either that or driver, and finally rather more correctly Private – until that evening, the Friday evening when after a long and exhausting meeting in Whitehall General Rafferty flopped into the back seat of his staff car and instructed Private Eastcott to recommend a movie.

‘I’ve had a bad day on top of a hard week, Private,’ he’d told her. ‘So let’s go see something good and light and entertaining. None of this big Russian stuff they keep showing, and none of that Mrs Miniver type of nonsense either. Let’s go see a cartoon – or a musical, you hear me?’

Mattie had deliberately ignored the implicit invitation to accompany her distinguished charge to the cinema, preferring to imagine that General Rafferty liked to think of and refer to himself in the plural in the same way as royalty. She had recommended Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby, which she knew was showing at the Odeon Leicester Square. General Rafferty readily agreed with her choice, saying that sounded just fine.

‘I’ll need to go home and change first,’ he’d said. ‘You want to do the same?’

‘I have to get the car back, General,’ Mattie had replied, buying time. ‘I’m still on duty, sir.’

‘Long as you’re with me you are, Private. And I’m certainly not in the mood to go to the movies alone.’

‘If you would like to arrange for someone to accompany you, sir, I can certainly drive you to the cinema. And wait for you, if needed.’

‘You’re too pretty to be left outside sitting in the car – Private.’

At this Mattie had glanced at him in her rear view mirror and seeing him smiling, cajoling, she had relented and taken him back to his rented flat in Marble Arch, waiting in the car while he changed, having politely refused the invitation to go upstairs. However, at the general’s behest the staff car was finally locked up and left in the street while they took a cab to the cinema.

Almost before they were settled into their seats in the smoke-filled fug of the picture palace, the red lights went on by the screen to indicate that the sirens were sounding to warn of an impending air raid.

‘You want to go to the shelter?’ The general carefully and calmly placed his folded mackintosh under his seat.

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