Page 88 of Neighbors at War

She hoped he was. She would hate to think of Bobby being anywhere near as frightened as she was at that moment.

‘What’s that?’ Tony hissed.

Helen tensed. ‘What?’

‘It’s a military engine.’ He grabbed her sleeve and without saying anything else pulled her into an entrance and switched off his torch. ‘Don’t move, or speak,’ he whispered as they slunk back into what she assumed must be a hedge.

She was too terrified to utter a word. She hoped Bobby wouldn’t be woken by them suddenly stopping. She held her breath as headlights lit up the lane. A vehicle was making its way past where they were hiding. The two soldiers inside were arguing about something she couldn’t understand.

They waited for about thirty seconds until the danger had passed and Tony took her hand to help her out of their hiding place. Helen realised she had dropped her bag in her panic. ‘Oh no.’

‘What is it?’

‘My bag. I must have dropped it somewhere.’

He muttered something under his breath, turned on his torch and waved it back and forth slowly until its beam rested on her bag lying just inside the entrance, thankfully out of the soldiers’ line of vision.

‘There it is,’ he said, keeping the light on it so Helen could pick it up.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I just panicked.’

‘It’s fine,’ he said, his voice gentle. ‘I think we’re nearly there now. Only a bit longer.’

She caught sight of his face in the torchlight and saw him wince. Bobby wasn’t heavy but carrying him under all those clothes for over half an hour now must be tiring. ‘Are you all right?’

‘I’m fine. Come along, there’s no time to waste. We don’t know if that vehicle will come back up this way and it’s too cold out here to wait to find out.’

After another few exhausting minutes, Tony shone the torch on a sign on a gatepost. It was the first house they had come across since the driveway they had taken refuge in.

‘This is it.’ He sounded as relieved as she felt.

Helen read the house name. ‘Sans Souci.’ She wondered what it might mean.

‘“Without worries”,’ he said, reading her thoughts. ‘Very apt for a place of sanctuary, don’t you think?’

‘I do.’

She followed him up to the front door, desperate to be safely inside. Tony gave a single knock. Seconds later the door opened and Helen followed him in, waiting for Mrs Edwards to lock the door after them and draw across a thick velvet curtain to block out the light.

‘You made it,’ she said, pressing her hands together in front of her chest. ‘I was worried when I heard that vehicle go past a while ago.’

‘We hid in someone’s drive. Thankfully we were right next to it.’

Her eyes moved to Tony’s front. ‘Better come into the living room. I have a small fire in there and it’s the warmest room in the house. There’s a tray of something for the three of you.’

They thanked her and followed her into the prettiest living room Helen had ever seen. Even if it hadn’t been lovely, she would have thought it her favourite place, she was so relieved to finally be out of the cold and somewhere safe.

Tony pulled off his hat and scarf and unbuttoned his coat. Helen stepped forward, ready to help free her little boy. He stirred and opened his eyes. He’d been in darkness ever since they left number 3, but now he could see in the firelight. He looked around him, his gaze settling on her.

‘Are we there, Mummy?’

‘We are, sweetheart. Hold on while I help undo these straps.’

‘I’ll do that,’ Mrs Edwards instructed. ‘You take hold of Bobby.’

Relieved to finally have her small son in her arms once again, Helen kissed the top of his head, forgetting it was pressed to Tony’s chest and her action might not be entirely appropriate.

‘Sorry,’ she mouthed, looking up at the man who had carried her child to safety.