The Irish Nanny: An absolutely heart-wrenching Irish WW2 story by Sandy Taylor

Author:Sandy Taylor [Taylor, Sandy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bookouture

For most of January, London was covered in a blanket of snow. One morning, Alice appeared in the kitchen, where me and Raffi were eating our breakfast. She was all smiles and she looked beautiful.

‘Who’s up for sliding down a hill?’ she said.

Mrs Berry started laughing. ‘Well, you can count me out.’

‘I’m up for it,’ said Raffi.

‘And Rose?’ said Alice. ‘Is Rose up for it?’

‘Of course she is,’ said Raffi, before I could answer.

Alice was so excited that you couldn’t help but be excited too. She just sort of caught you up in her happiness.

Sometimes when I looked at Alice, I thought she was far too beautiful for this world. Winnie adored her and joined our little circle of protection. ‘She’s like an angel, ain’t she, Miss Rose? She’s like a proper angel, come down to earth, to give us poor buggers somfin’ nice to look at.’

‘I think you’re right, Winnie,’ I said, thinking back to the first time I’d seen her.

‘Okay,’ said Alice, ‘warm coats, boots, scarves and gloves and Raffi, the sledges are in the basement.’

David poked his head around the door. ‘So, are they up for it, my darling?’ he said.

‘Of course they are. It’s a snowy day and snowy days are made for sliding down hills and rainy days are made for books.’

Raffi came upstairs dragging the yellow wooden sledges behind him.

‘What about Miss Winnie?’ he said.

‘But Winnie has to look after Sarah, darling,’ said Alice. ‘The baby is too young to be going out in this weather.’

‘I don’t mind staying,’ I said, ‘if Winnie would like to go.’

‘No, Rose,’ said Raffi. ‘You have to come with us.’

‘Not if she doesn’t want to,’ said Alice, frowning.

‘Of course she wants to. Don’t you, Rose? You want to come with us?’

When Raffi was anxious, he had a habit of lifting his shoulders so high that they almost reached his ears and that’s what he was doing now.

‘Of course I want to be with you, Raffi, I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.’

‘You can all go,’ said Mrs Berry. ‘I’ve made a big pot of soup for lunch, so I’ve nothing else to do. I’d love to spend some time with that little angel.’

‘I’ll tell Winnie,’ said Raffi.

Winnie was delighted to be joining us and kept thanking Alice. ‘It’s awful good of ya, Miss Alice, thinking of me like this. Me mum says I’ve proper landed on me feet here and she’s right, I proper have.’

‘Well, we’re proper glad to have you with us, Miss Winnie,’ said Alice, smiling.

Winnie laughed out loud. ‘I still can’t get used to you calling me that. Miss Winnie, indeed! Whoever heard the like?’

To everyone’s surprise, Raffi had really taken to Winnie. When it wasn’t too cold, the pair of them would wheel the pram down to the bottom of the garden and sit on the bench, chatting. I had worried that Raffi would be jealous of the new baby but that seemed never to be the case. Sarah was such a happy little girl and I think this was why he could love her.

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