Mansion - December 31st, 1943
Emerald collapsed back into the wing-backed armchair that was usually considered as belonging to Actor, with a big sigh. "Thought being a land girl was tough, but at least we finish when it gets dark. Here it's 24x7. I knew we'd be running around for the lads, but I didn't think we'd have to do the cleaning too."
Amber laughed. She was perched on 'Chief's chair', pulling back an old sweater and rewinding it to make a ball of wool that could be reused to make something new. She wasn't sure just what - knitting wasn't a skill she'd learned as a child, but it kept her hands occupied and forced her to sit still.
"The ATS girls will be back in on Monday. It wasn't their fault Will gave them one week passes thinking this place would be empty." And at least they'd avoided the virus, thought Amber. "How are our patients?"
"Asleep again, but I managed to persuade both of them to have a drink before they dropped off."
"It's hit Actor hard, his breathing's still pretty bad, but he's not getting worse at least and the fever's dropped a little."
"Are you still giving him the sulfa pills?"
Amber nodded. "I'm not sure they're doing much good though. It's a shame we can't get our hands on penicillin yet. From what I've heard it would fix him in hours, but the doctors think it'll be another month or so before the labs can manufacture enough to send it out to the bases."
"Goniff doesn't seem too bad. I think he's just sleeping so much because he was exhausted and half-starved. Aunt Molly says for a small guy he eats way more than the others."
"Tapeworm?"
"Aunt Molly's already wormed him, she told me," replied Amber. "She was doing the dogs and decided to do Goniff as well."
"She gave him dog wormer?" Emerald sounded shocked.
"I doubt it, but she did get it from the vet. Said it was easier than trying to get it from the British Army. I'm going to have a chat with one of the base doctors when I get back to work. An over-active thyroid can cause weight loss. I don't know if it's ever been checked, but it might be worth a look."
"It's New Year's Eve tonight. Looks like it's going to be a quiet one for us this year. I doubt Actor or Goniff will be up for first-footing, which only leaves Will - he's not your quintessential tall dark handsome stranger."
"Chief would have been perfect, or the other one, Diesel. Shame they got dragged off back to Italy. We could have had a nice party. This place would be perfect - push the furniture back, put a gramophone in the corner." Amber sighed deeply. Whilst it had been nice spending a few days with her sister, she was looking forward to getting back to her life at the hospital.
A thump from one of the bedrooms attracted their attention. "My turn." Amber put the wool down on the floor and headed out. A quick check of Goniff's room showed him still sleeping quietly, so he wasn't the cause of the noise. She tapped gently on Actor's door but didn't wait for a response before opening it and going in. The conman was sitting on the edge of his bed, slippers on his feet and a belted dressing gown over his pyjamas. At first sight it wasn't obvious what had caused the crash."
Actor looked up at the nurse with a somewhat supercilious expression on his face.
Amber saw the look for what it was - he was guilty of something. She tipped her head to one side and gave him her sternest nurse's face.
"I would like a bath, then to join with everyone for midnight." Actor coughed slightly and winced at the discomfort, but continued nevertheless. "I know I am not well yet, but I think I can manage that much with help."
"Tell me first what the noise was."
"One of the drawers fell out of the chest. I was simply trying to retrieve some clean clothing."
"Actor, you're an idiot, you know that don't you. Em and I are meant to be here to help you. You could have just asked."
"I prefer not to have ladies rummaging through my personal items."
Amber burst out laughing. She didn't know what he was hiding in there. If it had been Goniff she would have bet on girlie magazines, but somehow Actor didn't seem the type. Suddenly the pieces dropped into place. "Actor, you're not just an idiot, you're crazy. You have a spare pipe in there don't you? You know what it'll do to your lungs?"
The Italian looked totally crestfallen. He took the pipe and tobacco out from under his pillow, where he'd pushed them when the young nurse had barged into his room, and reluctantly handed them over.
Amber sat on the bed alongside the conman and gave his hand a squeeze. "I know it's tough. How many cigarettes do you smoke a day?"
Actor shrugged. "I've never counted."
"I'd guess based on the ashtrays we cleared out when the others left it's twenty or thirty. When was the last time you went this long without a cigarette or your pipe?"
"I can't remember. Even on missions someone's always had a packet."
"And if you have to go longer you get antsy and bad-tempered. You must be climbing up the wall now. Well, since I doubt you're up to stopping right now I'll do you a deal. You can have your pipe to see in the New Year if you're still awake by then. In the meantime, bath, dinner and a nap. We'll wake you up at 11. How does that sound?"
"You're a very hard woman, Amber."
She got to her feet. "I'm a nurse, Actor. I'll run that bath for you. Do you think you can walk that far?"
"Yes."
"Well give me a call when you're ready to get into the tub. I don't want you falling. No ifs, buts or other excuses... I'll leave you a towel to protect your modesty... though why it should bother you I've no idea. I think I've seen pretty much everything God gave to man. I doubt yours is any different."
"Perhaps not, but I would prefer not to become part of your reference collection." Actor sounded offended.
Amber couldn't help but laugh. He might be an arrogant son of a bitch, but she liked him. Such a shame it hadn't been the young Indian that had got sick... she stopped her thoughts quickly. You're a wicked young woman Amber, she told herself, having thoughts like that. She placed an old sheet in the bottom of the tub to make it less slippery, set the water to running, then when it was ready went to check on Goniff whilst Actor readied himself.
The Limey was half-awake and raised an inquisitive eye as Amber stepped into his room.
"Fancy getting up for midnight?"
"Yeah, would be a nice change. Anyfink special for dinner?"
Amber was pleased to hear that Goniff was getting his appetite back. He must be on the mend. "Whatever Aunt Molly brings us over. Be back in a min - need to get Actor in the bath."
"Don't suppose I could have one too, luv? Don't mind sharing 'is Lordship's water if I 'ave to. Used to it, see."
"I'll see what we can do." Privately Amber thought the old boiler might be persuaded to deliver enough for a second load though she and Em would have to do with a stand-up wash with water from the kitchen copper.
Actor was breathing like he'd run a marathon, but he was perched on the closed toilet seat, sans pyjamas, bathrobe around his shoulders and with a towel discreetly placed across his lap. With a steadying arm he made it into the tub and stretched out as pleasurably as he could, given his long legs and the fact that the bath was quite short.
Amber trotted back to the common room to update her sister.
"I'll do Goniff if you like, whilst you get Actor back to bed. Shall I have a word with Will? See if he and Aunt Molly want to join us. What about Saf?"
"We can ask her, but I doubt she'll want to take the risk, having just told us she's expecting."
Amber looked at her watch. Time to recover Actor before he drowned. "Better give me a hand Em. He'll be weak as a kitten."
In fact, Actor had dozed off, but based on the grey scum in the water had managed some sort of wash before it happened. "OK, Beautiful, on your feet." It was a bit of a struggle, but the two girls managed to get the man upright and wrapped toga-like in a second sheet. He was, as predicted, rather shaky on his feet, but managed a dignified shuffle back to his bedroom where he closed the door firmly in their faces.
"He didn't like you calling him Beautiful, where did that come from?" asked Amber.
"Aunt Molly said Casino calls him that all the time. Thought it might wake him up a bit," replied Emerald, rounding up the detritus of wet sheets. "You get the bath running and I'll get Goniff. There are some benefits from heaving hay bales around all day. I'd never have been able to manhandle Actor like that a few months ago." She laughed ironically.
Goniff's bath went much more easily, testament to how much less ill the little Cockney was. He made it down the corridor under his own steam, his modesty protected by a small towel.
"Good thing he's not any fatter," commented Amber, watching his progress. "I think we'd better find him a bathrobe, don't you?"
The flush of the old toilet alerted the girls to the fact that it was safe to approach. Em stuck her head around the door, to find the little Cockney already in the tub. "Give us a call if you need a hand out."
"Will do," was what she thought she heard, but it was hard to be sure as the little blond was pouring jugs of water over his head.
The bang of the back door heralded the arrival of Aunt Molly with supper.
"I'll see if she and Will want to pop over to see in the New Year." Em shot down to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later, shaking her head. "Didn't think it would be fair on Saf, says she'll see us in the morning. Just me and you then sis. Thought we'd be partying the night away at the Air Base tonight with a pack of USAAF aircrew. Funny how things pan out, isn't it." Em gave a wry smile. "Let's get Goniff before he turns into a prune."
GG GG GG GG
Tired by their baths, both men slept until they were offered supper - the remnants of a ham hock, much padded with root vegetables to make a tasty, salty stew that was an excellent foil for chunks of crusty bread.
Amber brought a couple of bottles of beer to the table and handed one to Em. "Will said we could have them, said we deserved a treat. Just don't tell Goniff."
By the time the clock chimed eleven, both girls were ready for their own beds but were determined to stick it out for another hour.
"Time to wake the boys up?" Em had been dozing, lulled by the warmth of the fire.
Amber yawned widely and tried to transfer some energy to her tired limbs. "Will they notice if we don't?"
"Absolutely they will."
Amber cocked an eye towards the corridor as a rich voice cut through her stupor. Actor was standing on the landing, supported by a cane on one side and the small Cockney pickpocket on the other. He was dressed in silk pyjamas and a brocade dressing gown. Goniff's striped cotton nightwear was much less salubrious.
"Whisky, coal, a ginger biscuit and one tall dark stranger." With a flourish, Goniff placed the gifts on the small table in the middle of the room then guarded Actor as the Italian carefully made his way to his armchair. Once the conman was safely settled he went to the display cabinet and retrieved four glasses, filling them all with measures of the spirit. "Don't suppose I can have a ciggy, love? It being New Year and all that."
Amber pulled a velvet shoe bag from under her chair and ceremoniously returned pipe and tobacco to Actor and a packet of cigarettes to Goniff. "On your heads be it and, under pain of death, don't let on to the doctor or I'll lose my job."
Em passed matches to both men. She was holding their lighters hostage until the two men got the all clear from the medics.
"We wouldn't do that love, would we Actor?"
The conman was reverently packing his favourite briar with tobacco, making the process last as long as possible. He knew he was being foolish, but it was hard to deny the cravings. He lit the pipe, taking care to savour the smell and not inhale deeply. He suppressed the urge to cough, knowing that Amber would probably snatch his treat away from him.
The four sat companionably, thinking their own thoughts, listening to the crackling of the fire, sipping the scotch.
"Shall I put the radio on?" asked Goniff not long before midnight. He went to the set and clicked the switch, waiting for the valves to warm up. Some Scottish clergyman was just finishing up a short service. The chimes of Big Ben would be next.
"Wonder what this year will bring?" surmised the little Cockney. "Couldn't have guessed what forty-three had to bring this time last year, sat in my cell in Sing-Sing."
"Me neither, Goniff. I was bored stiff working as a clerk in a solicitor's office, with everyone telling me it was about time I got married like my sisters. War brings opportunities for people like me we'd never get in peacetime," responded Emerald. "Work was seen as just a way to pass the time until I became some man's housewife."
Goniff actually looked quite shocked. He'd never really thought about what life might be like for middle-class women. People like his mum worked 'cos they needed to. He hadn't realised that girls like Em and Saf were not only expected not to work but actually looked down on for doing it.
Actor had been more aware, but like Goniff he hadn't spent much time with girls like Emerald. "What does your father do?"
"He was a lecturer in European Politics at Oxford, but now he's an analyst at Bletchley Park. Mum never got a chance to do anything much. She was the daughter of one of the Fellows, met dad, got married, produced kids..."
Actor detected a hint if bitterness in Em's little explanation. "You think she wanted something more?"
"If I'm honest, I hadn't thought about it until war broke out, but watching her now, I'd have to say yes."
Actor had barely puffed at his pipe, which had gone out. Now, as the chimes of Big Ben rang out, his eyes were starting to close. By the time the twelfth bell rang out, he was fast asleep. Carefully Em took the abandoned pipe and put it safely to one side. She gave a kiss to Goniff, switched off the radio, hugged her sister and returned to the Italian. "Come on Beautiful, on your feet, your bed beckons."
"We could just leave him here," muttered Amber as it took all three of them to hoist the man to his feet and steer him to his bedroom.
"I'll manage him from here," Goniff said. Actor was just about moving under his own steam now and he could see the girls were out on their feet. "Thank you for a luverly evenin'."