Page 52 of Neighbors at War

Helen shook her head. ‘It’s not that. I love the idea of being here with you. I’d feel much safer than anywhere else, and it’ll be,’ she thought for a moment, ‘comforting to be in a family environment again.’

‘Then what’s worrying you?’ Peggy asked, confused.

‘What if Bobby cries or misbehaves and they overhear him next door? I can’t risk your safety,’ she explained, her voice cracking with emotion. ‘And have your lives, most probably, on my conscience.’

‘We hadn’t thought about the noise side of things, Mum.’ Peggy turned to her mother for an answer.

Ida waved the comment away. ‘Nonsense. These walls are thick enough not to let any sound travel through them. Well, not too much. The only difficulty I can see is having to keep the window closed in the summer when Bobby is awake or upset, but that’s something we can worry about when we need to.’

Helen bit her lower lip and closed her eyes briefly. ‘Thank you all ever so much. I’d rather come here than go anywhere else. I admit I’m terrified of being deported to one of those camps in Germany.’

Relieved that Helen hadn’t turned down their offer, Peggy went to comfort her and put an arm around Helen’s shoulders. ‘I promise you we’ll do our best to make sure that never happens.’

‘We will.’ Ida rested her palms on the table and stood. ‘I doubt we have much time before those devils return. We need to start moving you in here as soon as we can.’

Peggy listened as her mother began instructing Helen about what to do next.

‘You need to pack up any essentials for you and Bobby. I’ll send my girls over to you shortly and they’ll bring your bits back here.’ She turned her attention to Peggy. ‘You’ll have to be careful none of the neighbours or other passersby spot you bringing things here.’

Peggy wasn’t sure how they could manage that and said so. ‘It’s daytime, Mum.’

‘We can’t help that. I’m worried about how soon those soldiers may return. We can’t move Helen and Bobby once they’re back there, so we have little choice but to bring them here as soon as we can.’

‘I’m afraid I’m a little stunned by everything that’s happened in the past few hours.’ Helen gave a weak smile. ‘But I’m very grateful to you all for helping us in this way.’

Ida rested her hands on her hips. ‘I know you and Sylvia would have done the same if things were the other way round.’

‘What about Aunt Sylvia’s belongings?’ Helen asked her as the enormity of what she was about to do began to register. ‘I can’t leave her things there. Not for those…those men to take.’

Ida leant forward and Peggy sensed her mother was getting impatient. ‘You listen to me, my girl. Now is not the time for sentiment. We’re talking about saving your lives. You need to be brave and move fast. Choose the most precious of your aunt’s belongings – jewellery, favourite family photos – that sort of thing.’ She thought for a moment. ‘And maybe a scarf of hers, or a warm coat you might find useful for next winter. Some meaningful and some useful things.’ She chewed her lower lip briefly. ‘And anything that Bobby can make use of over the next few months.’

Peggy thought of the meagre stock in their pantry. ‘And bring whatever food you have. Also don’t forget your identity card.’

‘They’re good suggestions, Peggy,’ her mother said, her voice softening as she turned her attention back to Helen. ‘I don’t mean to be harsh, my dear. All I want is for you both to be here and safe.’

‘Yes.’ Peggy immediately backed up her mother’s words. ‘Leave the house looking as if you’ve hurriedly packed up and run away. Maybe leave a few drawers open that sort of thing. Hopefully then they’ll assume you’ve gone into hiding elsewhere.’

Ida agreed. ‘We need them to be too busy rounding up the poor souls who won’t be able to hide from them to spend too much time worrying about you two.’

Helen wiped her eyes and got to her feet. ‘I know you’re taking a chance helping us and I really am grateful. I’ll take Bobby home now and start putting our things together.’

‘You have too much to do already without having the little one with you. Babs can watch him while you go and pack.’ Ida tapped her lips thoughtfully. ‘I’ll send my girls over in an hour to help bring back some of your things. We’ll have to make it look as if you’re not doing anything suspicious,’ she said. ‘Pack things under your coat, that sort of thing. I’ll expect you whenever you’re ready, but,’ she said, pulling Helen into a hug, ‘don’t take too long, dear. You don’t want to still be there when they return.’

Chapter Thirty-One

HELEN

Her legs shook as she stepped into her hallway for the last time. Leaning back against the door, Helen studied the familiar area with its tiled floor leading to the kitchen, and doors to the living room and back parlour. As she stared at the highly polished mahogany banister her aunt must have run her hands along hundreds of times as she walked up or down the stairs, it dawned on her that her decision to leave the house that held so many memories for her was now not one she had the luxury of making.

Helen could barely comprehend that she might never again enter this house that had always meant so much to her.

There wasn’t any time to spend reminiscing though; she needed to sort out her and Bobby’s things and return to him as soon as possible. She decided to pack necessary items first and have them ready for Babs and Peggy to collect in case the Germans returned earlier than she expected. Deciding to start in the bedrooms, she ran upstairs.

She tried to picture what they would need for summer and for winter. For the first time, she was grateful that she didn’t own many clothes and that it would be easy to move everything to number 3. She pulled her case from the top of her wardrobe and placed it on her bed. She opened her chest of drawers, scooped up her underwear and night clothes and dropped them into the open case. The ridiculousness of what was she doing occurred to her. Hadn’t Ida explained the need for discretion? She quickly tipped the clothes from the case, closed it and pushed it back on top of the wardrobe. No, she needed to be cleverer than that.

Unsure how much bedlinen the Hamels had, she decided to pack some for her and Bobby. Going to the linen cupboard, Helen took several sheets and pillowcases, ensuring she left enough so that it wasn’t obvious she had taken any, then packed what she and Bobby needed into them, tying the sheets carefully so she could then tie them around her waist under her coat and give them to the Hamel sisters to do the same. The thought of imposing on the Hamels troubled her but she had little choice now, and if she had to be hidden by anyone Helen welcomed it being her lovely neighbours.

Pleased with her ingenuity, she ran into her aunt’s room, bracing herself for the usual slap of emotion that hit her each time she entered it. She opened her aunt’s wardrobe, the bedside cupboards, dressing-table drawers and the chest of drawers, carefully taking things she knew to be most valuable to her aunt, not wanting to leave them behind. She chose photos her aunt always had around her, most of her jewellery, several scarves and a half-empty bottle of perfume, wanting to keep the scent of her darling aunt with her for as long as possible and placed them on the dressing table ready to collect after she had taken the other items downstairs for the Hamel sisters to take.