Victory for the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker

Author:Betty Walker [Walker, Betty]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2024-03-20T17:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Pearl woke with a start. It was pitch-black in her poky little bedroom at the back of the boarding house. Though that was hardly surprising, given how tightly she’d covered the window with the blackout curtain before going to bed. In the same instant, she realised what had woken her and her heart began to thud with sickening fear. The air-raid siren was going off in the town, its piercing wail too horribly familiar.

Sitting bolt upright, she slipped her bare feet into slippers and lurched forward, fumbling for her dressing gown on the back of the door.

On the shadowy landing, she found Dr Tyson, also in slippers and dressing gown, shepherding his kids towards the stairs. The two children were stumbling and yawning, blankets draped around their shoulders, a library book clutched in the girl’s hand. The boy was complaining.

‘Hush, Toby. You know the drill, so let’s have no more nonsense.’ Freddy’s voice was strained, showing his concern at the sound of planes in the distance. Nonetheless he remained calm, no doubt not wanting to alarm his children. Scooping up the boy, Freddy helped his daughter down the stairs. ‘Besides, next door’s cellar is a huge improvement on those draughty tube stations we had to sleep in while we were still in London. Do you remember those days, Clara?’ he asked the girl, clearly trying to distract her. ‘Some nights, we were packed in like sardines.’

Clara said nothing, looking pale and frightened.

‘I’m tired,’ the boy whined.

‘You’ll soon get back to sleep once you’re settled.’

Pearl followed them out of the back door and towards the basement in the next-door building, where most of the street sheltered during night-time air raids.

As they trailed after the others down rickety steps into that dusty, dimly lit space beneath the neighbour’s house, Pearl took Clara’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. ‘Don’t worry, honey, we’ll be safe down here.’

Clara gave her a wan smile. ‘My friend Bobby says bombs can still kill you underground, if one lands right on top of the shelter.’

There was enough truth to that claim to make Pearl uncomfortable. But she could hardly agree, could she? She was trying to ease the girl’s fears, not confirm them.

‘Well,’ she said awkwardly, ‘I’m not sure about that. And I don’t think they drop many bombs along this coast. We’ve barely seen an enemy plane over Bude since D-Day. So it’s probably another false alarm. At the worst, it’ll be a few Jerries passing overhead on their way somewhere else.’

‘Quite right, Miss Diamond,’ the doctor agreed with what struck Pearl as forced cheerfulness, setting the boy on his feet. ‘Now, Clara, be a brave girl and look after your brother for me during the air raid. Can you do that?’

‘But I want to stay with you this time, Dad,’ the boy pleaded.

‘Sorry, son, but you should try to get some sleep. You’ve school in the morning.’ The doctor pointed to the mattress strewn with blankets and cushions where several other local kids were already camped out, whispering and giggling.

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