Page 99 of Neighbors at War

‘The first man I helped hide.’

‘What happened to him?’

‘That’s not something I can tell you.’

Helen wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t know or because it wasn’t her business. She assumed it was the latter. She was stunned. Had she really been the one to instigate Pawel’s rescue? ‘You really mean that I helped that man?’

He nodded. ‘I promise you it’s true.’

‘I’m sure you have no idea how much of a difference the information we received from you and from Peggy has made to quite a few people. And because of my involvement this gentleman also has a chance of a future.’

She was staggered and happy to be able to put a human face to what she had done. ‘I’ve done so little. It’s people like you and your friends in the underground groups who’ve put their lives at risk.’

Tony gave her a pointed stare. ‘Helen, information is key, and you’ve made the difference between life and death for Pawel. Hopefully, he’ll continue to be safe until this nightmare is finally over and can have a chance of locating his family.’ He hesitated for a moment. ‘Or, probably, what’s left of them.’

She wiped away tears she had only just realised were running down her face. ‘This means so much to me.’

‘To all of us.’ He rested a hand on the back of one of the chairs.

She looked at the abused man sitting at the table. ‘What about Tomás?’

‘I’m planning to move him on somewhere else, but he’ll need to stay here for a little while until that’s possible. They have search parties out looking for him and, as you can see, we need to do all we can to change his appearance so that he’ll have more chance to blend in. I’ll be back tomorrow with whatever food I can find.’

‘Come with me,’ Daphne was saying to Tomás, mimicking washing her arms. ‘I’ll run the bath while you fetch those clothes, Tony.’

‘I really hate putting the three of you in danger,’ Tony said.

Daphne shook her head. ‘We all need to help each other,’ she said. ‘Now, shall I show you where to find the loft for those clothes?’

* * *

Helen guessed she might have slept for an hour or two but no more than that. She wasn’t sure what had been worse, hearing imaginary footsteps and fearing that German soldiers were storming into the bungalow, or her nightmares that they had come. It was a relief to see daybreak. And now she was sitting in the living room, the curtains half drawn, with Tomás sitting to the side of the room in case unexpected visitors arrived to see Daphne. Thankfully, it was the weekend, and Daphne was at home with them – not that Helen didn’t trust Tomás, but he was a stranger, and she couldn’t be too careful where Bobby was concerned, despite the two of them getting on so well.

She watched as he played with Bobby’s toys, making him laugh. She was amused that although neither of them understood the other they seemed to communicate well.

She was relieved when the sun set and they could sit in the relative darkness and it was less likely that anyone might call at Sans Souci, or even drive past and look in the window. Tony didn’t come all day and she assumed he must have been detained elsewhere.

Hearing footsteps outside, the three adults tensed and stared at each other, but an agreed pattern of knocks at the back door told Helen that Tony had arrived.

He was out of breath and seemed more stressed than usual. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, glancing at each one of them in turn. ‘I was hoping to be able to move Tomás this evening, but the place I was taking him to was raided this morning.’

Helen saw Tomás had picked up on Tony’s words despite not understanding English. She gave their guest a reassuring smile. ‘You will be safe here,’ she said hoping to help him feel a bit better.

After Tony left, Helen wished there was more she could do to help but being in hiding herself made going out too risky.

It was three days before Tony was able to arrange another safe house for Tomás and he moved on. Helen reflected that she would never forget the man who had spent five days with them. She hoped she might one day hear that he had been reunited with his family.

Half an hour after Tomás had left a sobbing Bobby, who had to be persuaded to let go of his hand, Helen and Daphne had cleared away any sign of him and sat in the living room, lost in their own thoughts.

‘I almost feel as if we imagined Tomás being here,’ Helen admitted eventually, wondering what would happen to him now.

‘Me, too.’ Daphne sighed. ‘Poor man, I hope he eventually manages to get home.’

So do I, Helen thought, glad to have been able to help him in some small way.

Chapter Sixty-Four

PEGGY