How would Mrs Grant fare in a camp? Persey wished she knew which kind of camp it might be. Would it be like the internment ones she’d read about in Britain where Austrian and German residents had been held as enemy aliens? Stefan’s aunt and uncle would be in one, surely. Stefan. What was he doing? Where was he now? She cared far more than she wanted to. She cared far more than she told herself she should. But the fact was undeniable: she cared.
It was Dido who brought Persey to her senses. ‘I may as well get a wriggle on to the club,’ Dido said emotionlessly as she stood. ‘I’m practising some different songs with the band before tonight. Might as well be early for once. I can’t believe she’s gone.’
Persey took her hand. ‘I can’t believe they’ve all gone. I don’t understand why they’ve ordered so many to leave.’
‘Because they can,’ Dido said bitterly.
‘Does Jack ever come and watch you sing?’ Persey asked, trying to fathom what kept Jack out all hours. How he’d missed all this – his mother’s sudden departure.
‘No. He won’t come. Won’t be anywhere near the Germans who come along. He’ll be distraught he’s missed his mother leaving and who knows how long for?’
Persey nodded. She knew the enormity of what had just happened would strike her soon. ‘Do you know where Jack goes?’
‘I have my suspicions.’
‘Do you?’ Persey asked.
Dido nodded, wrapping her cardigan tighter around her.
‘Are you going to tell me?’
Dido looked around to see how many soldiers were nearby and sat back down again. ‘I think he surveys the coastline. Watches the timing of the patrols.’
‘What for?’ Persey asked.
Dido was obviously choosing her words carefully and she said, ‘Has he spoken to you about escaping?’
‘Escaping?’ Persey said far too loudly and then glanced around in fear.
Dido said, ‘Shh, keep your voice down. He hasn’t said as much, but he comes back stinking of the beach. You know, that salty smell that lingers on clothes. Waits ’til it’s dark, mostly. He’s taking such a risk.’
‘Yes,’ Persey said darkly. ‘Yes, he is. He can’t be serious.’
‘I’m guessing,’ Dido added, ‘but on the occasions I’ve seen him traipse back in with ankles wet with seawater he’s never got anything useful. Never got any limpets to eat or driftwood for the range. I did actually point that out to him,’ Dido said. ‘It would be a better cover should he get caught, if he had an armload of driftwood.’
‘Oh, Jack,’ Persey moaned, closing her eyes for a moment. ‘How do we tell him what’s happened? How do we tell him his mother is gone?’
Dido’s arm came out and she placed her hand on her sister’s. ‘It’ll all be all right, you know.’
‘Will it?’ Persey asked hopelessly. ‘Mrs Grant’s just been carted off to God knows where. Jack’s nowhere to be seen and probably planning some sort of escape. He’s completely missed his mother’s departure. The Jews are being taken away too, or didn’t you know about that?’
‘I did, yes,’ Dido said sadly. ‘One of the officers was talking about it to me in the club.’
‘Really?’ Persey asked in shock. ‘That was indiscreet of him.’
‘Do you know,’ Dido started, ‘I’m not sure there are that many officers who completely agree with Hitler’s ideology. I’m not saying that none of them agree. But a few of them, with a drink inside them, do rather spill the beans about their lack of love for their Führer. Shame I’m not a spy actually, I’d have plenty to take back to tell Churchill.’
Persey thought of the soldier who smiled while the deportees and their friends and families sang earlier that day. And then she remembered the thinly veiled excitement yesterday from that awful soldier who had chased her through the woods, the one who had delivered the deportation notice. The one who knew who she was. ‘I think it’s only the odd few, Dido. Do be careful, won’t you.’
‘I’m not falling in love with him or anything like that,’ Dido said quickly.
‘With who?’ Persey said dumbly and then: ‘Not a German. Tell me, Dido. Not a German, please.’
‘Of course not. Well, he’s German but we aren’t … we aren’t doing anything inappropriate. I’m not a Jerrybag.’
Persey’s breath caught in her throat. ‘Dido, no. You can’t.’
‘I know,’ Dido said forcefully. ‘Don’t tell me what to do, Persey. You know I don’t need to be told what to do.’
