CHAPTER12
“Did you hear about the dance on Saturday?” Marlene asked eagerly the minute Polly put her foot inside the door that night.
Still flushed from the kiss Sam gave her before he dropped her off at the house, Polly had to collect her thoughts a bit before she answered. “Dance? What dance?”
Marlene waltzed down the narrow hallway to the kitchen, her red hair swinging above her shoulders. “Her ladyship is putting on a dance at the town hall and guess what!”
Polly followed her, intrigued by her older sister’s excitement. “Clark Gable is coming.”
“Not bloomin’ likely, silly.” Marlene pushed open the kitchen door and disappeared inside.
Polly hung her coat up on the hallstand and rushed into the kitchen behind her. “So tell me what!”
Marlene grabbed her startled mother and swung her around, spraying water from the potato peeler she held in her hand. “Go on, Ma, tell Polly about the dance!”
Edna Barnett sighed. “Rita and the rest of us all had tea with Lady Elizabeth this afternoon, and-”
“What?” Polly gaped at her in astonishment. “What, up at the Manor House? I didn’t see none of you up there.”
“Not at the Manor House,” Edna explained patiently. “At Bessie’s tearoom. Her ladyship paid for everything.”
“Why’d she do that?”
“Because she wanted to ask us if we’d help decorate the town hall tonight. The council is putting on a dance on Saturday night.”
“Ah,” Polly murmured, nodding her head, “so that’s why she had me pull out all that stuff from the storerooms. I thought she was going to spruce up the Manor House a bit.”
Marlene gave her mother a hefty nudge. “Go on, tell her who’s invited.”
“You already told me it weren’t Clark Gable.” Polly flopped down on the nearest chair. “I’m not much interested in anyone else.”
“What about if we told you that the soldiers from Beerstowe have been invited, as well as all the Yanks?”
Polly frowned. “The Yanks won’t come. They came that once to the village hall dance, remember? They stayed long enough to eat up all the sandwiches, then they left and went down the pub. Never danced one dance, they didn’t. Just stood around looking like a bunch of strays caught in a storm.”
Marlene bounced onto the chair next to her. “They didn’t stay because no one can dance to Awful Ernie’s music. But what if they had real American big band music that they could jive to and jitterbug? They’d bloody well come then, wouldn’t they?”
“Watch your language, Marlene,” Edna warned, still busily peeling potatoes.
“Sorry, Ma.” Marlene leaned forward and dug her nail into Polly’s arm. “You could ask your Sam to come. He’d bring his mates, wouldn’t he?”
Polly felt a shiver of excitement. “He might. I could ask him.” Her smile faded. “Too bad about Clay. You could have asked him, too.”
Marlene’s face sobered, too. “I know. Poor bugger. I keep thinking about him, wondering what happened to him.”
“Probably picked up by the Germans now,” Polly said, feeling sorry for her sister.
Marlene nodded. “Well, that’s war, I suppose. At least he won’t have to fly those planes again. Not like Sam. You must feel ill every time he goes up in them.”
Polly shrugged. “I do, but what’s the use of worrying? If it’s his time, then there’s nothing anyone can do about it.” Her words hid the cold dread she felt every time she thought about Sam taking off with a load of bombs sitting underneath him. He’d been lucky so far. He’d come back in one piece. She refused to think about the unwritten law that said the more times he went up, the more likely his number would eventually be up.
Thinking about Sam reminded her of something. “Well, I’ve got big news meself tonight,” she announced.
Edna spun around with a look of alarm on her face. “I hope it’s good news,” she said, shaking her potato peeler at Polly. “I hope you’ve been behaving yourself.”
Polly snorted. “’Course I have. Haven’t had much chance to do anything else.”
“And you’d better not do anything else, or your father will hear of it.”
“Aw, Ma, would you shut up nagging at me.” Polly leaned back in her chair. “You should be proud of me for what I done.”
Edna immediately looked suspicious, while Marlene’s eyes lit up. “Go on, what did you do, then?”
“I got hired to be Lady Elizabeth’s secretary, that’s what,” Polly proudly declared. “So what do you think of that, then?”
“You never did!” Marlene slapped her palm down on the table, making Polly jump. “I don’t believe it.”
“Is this true, Polly?” Edna demanded. She looked pleased in spite of the doubt in her voice.
“’Course it’s true.” Polly hooked her thumbs into her hair and pulled it back from her face. “Now I’ll have to put my hair up proper all the time.”
“Are you getting paid more money?”
Polly pulled a face at Marlene. “Not yet, but I will when I learn everything.”
“When did this happen?” Edna asked, still sounding suspicious.
“This morning.” Polly sat up straight again. “I asked Lady Elizabeth if I could help out in the office, and she said yes.”
“Instead of cleaning the house?”
“No, I’ve still got to clean, but at least I’ll be doing secretary’s work some of the time.”
Marlene grinned. “You must really like that Sam.”
“Just who is this Sam?” Edna demanded.
Polly scowled at her sister. “The American officer who gives me a lift home at night. He’s staying at the Manor House, and he’s a friend of Lady Elizabeth’s.”
Edna’s eyes narrowed. “Just how old is this Sam?”
“Aw, Ma, I don’t know, do I. He’s just someone her ladyship asked to give me a lift ’cause she’s worried about me riding me bike past the woods at night.”
“Doesn’t sound so innocent to me. How long has this been going on? What about your bike?”
“Just last night and tonight. He puts me bike in the back of the Jeep so I have it for the mornings. It’s all right, Ma. Sam’s a proper gentleman. He wouldn’t do nothing, honest.” Polly crossed her fingers under the table. Maybe it wasn’t exactly the truth, but she was scared to death her mother would forbid her to see Sam again if she knew just how much her youngest daughter cared about the handsome officer.
“Well, just make sure there’s no hanky-panky going on between you,” Edna muttered, turning back to the sink. She lifted the pot of potatoes and dumped it on the stove. “Are you two girls going to help us decorate tonight? I think most of Rita’s group is helping out.”
“I’ve got to wash some clothes,” Marlene said, getting up from the table. “I want to hang them out on the line tonight now that it’s stopped raining.”
“Me, too,” Polly said, getting excited again about jitterbugging with Sam. “I wonder if I can talk Sam into getting us some nylons for the dance?”
Marlene grinned. “Play your cards right, me girl, and you can talk him into anything you want.”
“Here!” Edna said sharply. “I don’t want none of that talk in this house.”
“Oh, go on, Ma, you worry too much.” Marlene slapped her mother playfully on the back as she went past her. “I’m going to sort out some clothes before supper.”
Polly sprang to her feet. “Me, too. I have to decide what I’m going to wear on Saturday.”
“Just don’t bring trouble home to this house,” Edna muttered. “Neither of you. Or I’ll wash my hands of you.”