Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
L ondon, Summer 1940
Lizzie inhaled the crisp morning air as she entered Regent’s Park, opposite her new London home.
She closed her eyes and allowed herself to forget the war for just a moment as the heady scent of roses in bloom teased her senses and the sun warmed her skin. Even the war couldn’t dim the wonder of summer—the flowers swaying in the breeze, boldly proclaiming their autonomy.
Lizzie slipped through a tall ornate iron gate as she hurried to work. Things at the office were growing more hectic each day, but she didn’t feel like taking the bus and decided on a long walk instead.
Her heels clip clopped on the hard surface as she darted across the wide road and made it safely to the other side. Growing up on a tiny island had done nothing to prepare her for the busy London roads, which were becoming increasingly chaotic with wartime traffic.
‘Good morning, miss,’ said the cheerful uniformed doorman she met every day.
‘Good morning, John,’ she replied, beaming at him as she entered the imposing stone building on Whitehall, the heart of the British government.
Lizzie enjoyed her job immensely. This had come as quite a surprise, considering that if it weren’t for the war, she would be expected to find a suitable husband like her sister, Juliet.
The war had set her life on an unexpected trajectory. She had accepted the offer of a translator’s post shortly after arriving in London and was grateful to have something worthwhile to do.
Whenever she stopped to think about her grandparents back home in Jersey, her imagination ran riot. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking the worst. They had received no word from Nan and Pops since the Germans invaded, and all they had to go on were the snippets of news they could glean from wireless broadcasts.
Their worst fears were realised soon after France fell. The proud islanders hadn’t believed the Nazis would reach Jersey, never mind, occupy it. The invasion and the sound of marching jackboots on the narrow roads had come as a terrible shock.
Her father said even the government hadn’t expected the Germans to invade the Channel Islands. In a dangerous miscalculation, for which the islanders were now paying a heavy price, Jersey had been demilitarised. British troops were quietly withdrawn and redeployed, which left the island defenceless. The Nazis, unaware of the demilitarisation, had attacked the islands by bombing and arrived on their shores shortly after without facing resistance .
It was hard to grasp, but the Germans now occupied a strategic piece of Britain. The news said they saw it as a stepping stone to the mainland, which was a chilling thought.
Lizzie dreaded to think of her beautiful island in the hands of the enemy, and some nights she couldn’t sleep for worrying about her grandparents.
She had heard her parents talking in hushed tones about the possibilities of Seagrove being requisitioned. During those troubled nights, Lizzie calmed herself by thinking that the war would be over soon.
Wouldn’t it?
Lizzie’s family was still reeling from the speed with which their tranquil lives had been shattered. After a steady stream of letters from Reginald urging them to join him in London, they had finally made plans to leave.
The danger to the tiny islands that were mere dots in the Channel, nestled between the North of France and the South of England, was all too apparent. France surrendered soon after, and many islanders evacuated. Lizzie and her mother and siblings left Jersey only just in time and arrived in London in early June.
‘I’m not leaving my island for anyone,’ Nan had said, a fierce expression on her lined face. Pops had been equally determined to stay when he refused to join them in London. It was just as Lizzie had predicted.
Surely the Germans would leave the elderly alone, and no harm would come to them. She could only hope and pray. And do her bit for the war effort.
Seagrove had been in her father’s family since he was a boy. It seemed like a world away now, and a wave of nostalgia washed over Lizzie. She missed home so much.
Were her grandparents safe at Seagrove, or had the German army requisitioned their beautiful home? There was no way of knowing, and the lack of news was torture. They couldn’t telephone or write as all lines of communication to and from the island had been cut.
They were all so worried, but what could they do? It was too late for their grandparents to leave now, even if they had changed their minds.
Lizzie sorted through the pile of papers on her desk and let the task absorb her. There were documents to translate from French into English and English into French. The work was easy enough with her level of fluency, but it required concentration. It was a welcome respite from the whirring thoughts about her grandparents’ fate, and what was happening to their cousins in France.
She worked until early evening, with only a brief break for lunch. By the time she arrived home, her mother and sisters had already finished supper and were sitting around the dining room table talking.
‘You’re getting later and later. You’ll be like Pa soon,’ said Juliet.
Their father rarely made it home in time for supper, and they knew better than to ask questions. He was deeply involved in war work which he couldn’t discuss.
‘Nothing that exciting, I’m afraid,’ replied Lizzie, pulling out a chair next to Juliet and tucking her legs beneath the heavy oak table. ‘How was your day?’ she asked, scanning first her mother’s face, and then Juliet’s and Evie’s. How they didn’t go quite mad waiting around all day, she didn’t know.
‘Busy as always,’ replied her mother, smiling. ‘I’ve been learning how to cook some new dishes to make the most of these rations. You’ve got to get creative in times like these.’
Rose always did her best to wear a smile for them, but even she couldn’t hide how worried she was about their family and friends in Jersey and the boys who had gone off to fight.
Lizzie’s brother Archie, true to his word, had signed up as soon as they arrived in London and was already posted God knows where. Oliver, Juliet’s fiancé, had signed up too, and she had heard nothing from him in weeks.
‘That’s good,’ Lizzie said, in between bites of bread and a small piece of hard cheese.
‘Let me get you some soup,’ Rose said, standing.
Lizzie could see her mother was enjoying running her own kitchen for a change. She said she was in no rush to hire help, even though they had always had a housekeeper who cooked for them in Jersey. Everyone was adapting to their new life in their own way.
‘No, no, it’s fine, Ma. Sit down. I ate lunch in the canteen, so I’ll just have a nibble before bed.’
Juliet looked pale, and Lizzie worried about her. It must be dreadful to watch your fiancé go off to war and not know how or even where they were. ‘How about you, Jules? How was your day?’
Her sister told her they had all been to the market to get what provisions they could. Supplies were low and they had to queue for ages. ‘I still can’t believe we need ration books to shop for food. It’s the Jersey butter I miss most,’ she said longingly, as if she could still taste it.
‘Oh, me too,’ said Evie, smacking her lips. ‘What wouldn’t I do for a warm, fresh baguette just out of the oven, slathered with a huge dollop of butter? And fried plaice fresh off the boat, and new potatoes coated in butter and sprinkled with mint for dinner.’
‘Oh, do stop,’ said Juliet, laughing. ‘You’re making me hungry again.’
After supper, the women listened to the radio in the drawing room. They had fallen into the habit of sitting there most evenings since moving into the elegant, buttermilk-hued town house that overlooked the park.
‘Turn it up a little, Ma,’ Juliet said, straining to hear .
A battle was raging in the skies of the south coast. Oliver had volunteered for the Royal Air Force—it was no wonder Juliet looked pale.
Lizzie squeezed her arm. ‘He’ll be fine, Jules. One of the senior chaps in my office said he predicts the war will be over by the end of the year. We’ll all go home to Seagrove soon.’
Even as Lizzie said the words, conflicting feelings ripped through her.
Was she enjoying the war a bit too much whilst so many others were suffering? The excitement of being involved in something bigger than herself and being needed in the workplace was intoxicating.
She’d never been encouraged to get a job before and hadn’t expected to have any kind of career . Archie was training as a lawyer and worked in their father’s office since graduating from Oxford.
To be fair to her parents, Lizzie hadn’t been interested in studying for a degree, but if she had, they wouldn’t have held her back. It was a rare thing for a woman to attend university, especially a Jersey girl who would have to move to England to attend. She wasn’t particularly academic, although she enjoyed reading and had a flair for languages.
Juliet couldn’t wait to leave school, so further education wasn’t an option for her either. She loved being outdoors. Oliver’s family owned a farm, and that life would suit her perfectly.
This was the way of things. The girls were expected to marry and spend their days raising a family, running a home, and contributing to the community, just like their mother.
But everything changed with the war—almost overnight. As much as Lizzie missed their wonderful life in Jersey, she wasn’t ready to return to it just yet.
She had discovered a whole new side of herself, which she liked. The routine of going to the office each morning and coming home in the evening was invigorating.
She relished her newfound independence and not knowing what each day would bring. Whilst Britain fought for her freedom, Lizzie was discovering hers and the irony wasn’t lost on her.
They all heard the front door close at the same time and looked up to see Pa enter the room.
‘Ah, all my girls together. How lovely,’ he said, kissing them one by one, and settling on the sofa between his wife and Evie.
‘Something to eat, darling?’ Rose said.
‘No thank you, I ate at work. A snifter of whisky would hit the spot though, and then I’d better turn in. Got an early start again tomorrow.’
‘Just as well that you only like a snifter or we’d be out of whisky by now,’ Rose replied.
‘You look tired, Pa,’ said Lizzie.
‘I’m fine. Just need a good night’s sleep and I’ll be right as rain. How’s it going with your job?’
‘Very well,’ she said. ‘Thank you for arranging it for me.’
‘Honestly, I’m not sure I would have thought of it myself, so I won’t take the credit. It was my colleague who jumped all over the idea of bringing you in once I mentioned how proficient you are in French. Can’t get enough French translators apparently, with so much going on over there.’
‘Maybe I should apply for a job too, although my French isn’t half as good as clever clogs’ here,’ said Juliet, poking Lizzie in the ribs and pulling a face.
‘Ouch! What nonsense. You could do my job standing on your head, but I doubt you’d like being cooped up in an office. Although I didn’t think I would either, but I’m enjoying it. Perhaps we can find you something too, Jules?’
‘Women are increasingly in demand, with so many men away. I’ll keep my ears open for you. There are all sorts of driving jobs, you know. That would be perfect for you, Juliet. And you too, Evie. We need all the help we can get to win this war,’ said Pa, downing his whisky in one.
‘What about Ma?’ Lizzie asked.
‘Ma? I didn’t know you were interested in a job, Rose. But of course, if you want to do your bit, there are plenty of opportunities.’
‘No, of course I don’t want a job. Doing my bit is looking after you lot, and it is quite job enough, thank you,’ she said, rolling her eyes.
Lizzie thought she glimpsed a look of relief cross her father’s amiable face. She wouldn’t have minded if her mother wanted to get out of the house with some kind of job, but it was comforting to know she was waiting for them at the end of each day.
Not that war jobs were dangerous. London was quite safe, so driving people around and delivering supplies would be right up Juliet’s alley.
They chatted a while longer before retiring to bed. Despite being worried about absent family members; they did their best to keep their spirits high.
As Lizzie rested her head on the pillow before drifting off to sleep, she wondered what other surprises her wartime London life had in store for her.