She nodded. ‘I suppose so. Nevertheless, so many lives were lost, and moreover at sea – a terrible way to die.’
‘War is terrible in a great many ways.’
Dynes moved towards the fireplace.
‘Your work at Bletchley Park made up for that incident hundreds of times over. You must remember that also, Hilda.’
She nodded. Then a wicked thought came to her head.
‘Bletchley Park?’ she asked. ‘I’ve never heard of it. Where is it?’
They both laughed. They needed that occasional surplus of nonsense after discussing the horrors of war.
Hilda left for Helsinki two days later. She knew the world was coming together cautiously. She recalled that six days after the atomic bomb fell on Nagasaki, the war in the far-east ended. It signalled Japan’s capitulation and the end not only of the war in the Pacific, but also of Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean peninsula, its influence in South East Asia and its attempt to dominate China and the Asian mainland. That gave her further hope as the United Nations had been established in the October with a clean slate to start its important work of pacifying belligerent nations.
She approached the plane in a sombre frame of mind at first but then her step quickened. The purpose of her flight filled her with delight.
Fortunately, although her bags were in excess of the stipulated allowance, the plane was not full and the cabin crew turned a blind eye. Francis would meet her at Helsinki airport; a long and rather clearer telephone conversation the previous evening had confirmed.
To fly freely over what had been a war zone for so long gave hope to the world, Hilda felt. They were flying so high that she saw little of either land or sea. Each time the cloud broke she looked out and sometimes saw only white clad mountains and fields, no fractured towns or tortured cities. It seemed the land was unscathed.
Four hours after take-off the plane touched down and her heart fluttered as if she was a young girl once again. She saw birds on the grassy runway pecking at the stubble. She saw the obligatory fire engine stand down. The plane had made a safe landing.
Hilda left the plane and followed the line of twelve passengers to the terminal. They awaited their baggage, which soon arrived on airport trucks and was deposited on the ground to be reclaimed. Next, they passed through Customs; she had nothing to declare but was asked to show what was in her black case.
‘It’s my oboe. Do you wish me to play it?’ she offered playfully.
‘No, ma’am, but I wish you and your fiancé well.’
She looked at the man curiously. ‘You know him?’
‘I have no idea who he is, but I see you are wearing an engagement ring.’ She smiled.
As she passed through the door marked Welcome To Finland, she saw Francis for the first time in almost a week. He looked immaculate in his dark blue suit.
She dropped her baggage and ran into his outstretched arms. They hugged for a long moment, planted kisses on each other’s cheeks, then she turned to pick up her cases. However, they were gone.
Francis laughed at her look of consternation. ‘My driver will be packing them in the boot of the car. Come on, time to get you home.’
Outside the airport, the first thing she noticed was the Union Jack which hung limply on the bonnet of a Daimler. The car was polished black and shone in the sunlight, and Francis opened the door for her. They sat together on the rear seat. A glass partition separated them from the driver.
‘Are you hungry?’ he asked.
‘Yes, I am as a matter of fact. Shall we go somewhere for lunch?’
‘I have somewhere in mind.’
It was a fifteen-minute drive to the residential and diplomatic district of Helsinki. They drove up the driveway, and she saw a guard of honour outside the main entrance.
‘Goodness me, Francis, what’s going on here? Are you expecting someone important? I mustn’t keep you from your duties…’
‘Oh, it’s nothing much. Just an official welcome party for the ambassador’s fiancée.’
It was a very fine welcome indeed.
That night Francis and Hilda sat in the front lounge by a crackling log fire which gave off a pleasant aroma.
‘Well, my dear, you have been engaged for several days now. How does it feel?’ he asked.
‘I must be honest with you. I did not wear my engagement ring at the trial. I worried that it might reflect on you if I incriminated myself, or said too much. It was a huge responsibility doing my bit to convict Eicke, and I’m afraid there wasn’t much time to think about you. Except at night, of course. That’s when I indulged in some pleasant dreams.’
Francis took from his pocket a pristine white handkerchief and polished his glasses. ‘Doing your bit, you say?’
‘Yes, Francis. You couldn’t be with me, but Otto, Renate and Karl were there beside me, giving me courage. It may not make sense to you but I needed them.’
Francis moved closer to her and stroked her arm gently. ‘It’s all over now, Hilda. The war, the espionage, the trial; it’s finally over. It is a new era, darling. A time for new beginnings.’
He was right of course. She had reached the end of her war and all the demands it had made. Nevertheless, it had left an indelible mark on her life. Its repercussions would not fade from her mind for some considerable time.
Francis stroked her hand, running his fingers over her engagement ring.
‘So we’re engaged. The next step is marriage,’ he said.
‘Have you any thoughts on the subject?’ she asked.
‘Well, I don’t think we should wait for any length of time. Do you?’
‘I agree,’ she said. She had no wish to be the woman in the back attic for very long at all.
‘How would a couple of weeks suit you?’
‘Goodness. That doesn’t give us much time,’ she said, but realised she had no guests to invite from anywhere at all.
‘How much time do we need? The Lutheran pastor here says he will marry us, and the staff are beside themselves with the prospect of a reception at the embassy.’‘And the guest list? I assume you’re thinking of a small wedding, as it’s the second wedding for us both.’
‘Darling, if you like we can fly all our distant cousins over. I’ll be content with just a few.’
She found she was slightly disappointed at the thought of such a small affair, but she detected a crease in his eyelids, then a broad smile. Had he been teasing her?
‘There will be enough guests, I assure you. Some of the other national embassy staff has already been invited, with the staff of our own embassy. I suspect we will have about one hundred and fifty all told. We will dance to the music of the Finnish military band, and there will be a few smorgasbords for everyone to enjoy.’
‘My goodness, have you been planning this since your return to duty?’
‘Well, yes. I have had some time on my hands – work has been quite quiet ever since I arrived. Mind you, I have had some very helpful administrative assistance too – one of the rewards of the job.’
She smiled and kissed his cheek. Francis was a man who got things done, and she was tired of responsibility. It was good to have someone in her life who knew how to take charge. At last, she could look forward to the future.
She looked up at him and kissed him on the chin. He let his hand slide down her dress and he caressed her right breast. He held her firmly, and she found the feeling reassuring, a sensation missed for too long. Then she tapped his hand.