nodded. “I think so, too, Emmeline. I know it’s not your home. And I wish there weren’t a war. But I do want you to feel it
is
your home for as long as it must be such for you.”
Her words were heavy with the weight of what could happen. No one knew how long the war would last orhow long England could defend herself. But Emmy refused to give in to such negative thinking on the first day of the evacuation.
“I’m sure it won’t be for very long,” she said.
“I hope you’re right. I really do.”
The three of them were silent for a few seconds.
When Charlotte spoke again, her voice was bright. “Now, then, would you girls like to call me Mrs. Havelock or Aunt Charlotte?”
“I like Aunt Charlotte,” Julia answered.
This woman, kind though she was, was not Emmy’s aunt. “I prefer Mrs. Havelock,” she said.
Charlotte regarded Emmy for a moment, taking her eyes off the road ahead for a second or two. “You know, Emmeline, you’re very nearly an adult. How about you call me Charlotte?”
“Fine with me.”
“Right, then. That’s settled. So here’s Stow.”
They entered a village that was what Moreton might have been like fifty years before. Stores and offices made of Cotswold stone lined both sides of the street that led into the center of town, some with thatched roofs, some with shingles. They passed a town hall, a pub, a grocer, a bank, a butcher, a dentist. There seemed to be one of everything needed for a town to survive on its own without any interaction from the outside, ever.
“There’s the hardware store,” Charlotte said, pointing to a toast brown building with a shiny red sign with black lettering in front. “It’s called Browne and Sons Hardware now. Used to be Havelock Hardware. We sold it the year Ollie retired. I used to have tea with him Saturday afternoons before Rose came. I’d bring it down in the basket of my bike. Down that way is our train station, soif your mum wants to come see you, she can come straight here. Oh, and there’s my church.” Charlotte nodded toward a castlelike structure with a bright blue door and a steeple arrowing past the treetops. “And down that way is the primary school. The secondary school is back behind us a bit. I’ll show them to you sometime if you want.”
“That’s all right,” Emmy said as politely as she could. She didn’t see much purpose to that. It was June. The school term was three months away.
Then they were back in the countryside, on a narrow, treelined lane.
“This is the Maugersbury Road,” Charlotte said. “The village officials had to take all the road signs down because of the war, but everyone here knows this road leads to little Maugersbury. Rose and I live on the edge of both towns. Maugersbury is small, just a few houses, some farms, and the manor, really. Now, tell me about you. What do you girls like to do when you’re not in school?”
Emmy nodded to Julia so that she could answer first. “Well, I like going to the park and playing with my paper dolls and I like Thea’s cat and kittens and I like going to my friend Sybil’s house because she has lots of toys. And her own tea set.”
“Well, how lovely.” Charlotte beamed. “My back garden is sort of like a park. I’ve lots of fruit trees and a little pond and a vegetable garden and chickens. And I have the tea set that was mine when I was a little girl. I’ll have to get it out for you.”
“Do you have a pony?” Julia said, as animated as Emmy had seen her since Thea’s kittens were born.
“I don’t have a pony. But my neighbor has two goats. Edgar and Clementine. And my other neighbor has a miniature horse named Jingles.”
Julia whipped her head around to face Emmy, her eyes bright with anticipation and an “I told you so” gleam.
“How about you, Emmeline? What do you like to do?”
“Emmy draws brides,” Julia said before Emmy could answer, her attention fully back on Charlotte.
“She draws brides?”
“Their
is
your home for as long as it must be such for you.”
Her words were heavy with the weight of what could happen. No one knew how long the war would last orhow long England could defend herself. But Emmy refused to give in to such negative thinking on the first day of the evacuation.
“I’m sure it won’t be for very long,” she said.
“I hope you’re right. I really do.”
The three of them were silent for a few seconds.
When Charlotte spoke again, her voice was bright. “Now, then, would you girls like to call me Mrs. Havelock or Aunt Charlotte?”
“I like Aunt Charlotte,” Julia answered.
This woman, kind though she was, was not Emmy’s aunt. “I prefer Mrs. Havelock,” she said.
Charlotte regarded Emmy for a moment, taking her eyes off the road ahead for a second or two. “You know, Emmeline, you’re very nearly an adult. How about you call me Charlotte?”
“Fine with me.”
“Right, then. That’s settled. So here’s Stow.”
They entered a village that was what Moreton might have been like fifty years before. Stores and offices made of Cotswold stone lined both sides of the street that led into the center of town, some with thatched roofs, some with shingles. They passed a town hall, a pub, a grocer, a bank, a butcher, a dentist. There seemed to be one of everything needed for a town to survive on its own without any interaction from the outside, ever.
“There’s the hardware store,” Charlotte said, pointing to a toast brown building with a shiny red sign with black lettering in front. “It’s called Browne and Sons Hardware now. Used to be Havelock Hardware. We sold it the year Ollie retired. I used to have tea with him Saturday afternoons before Rose came. I’d bring it down in the basket of my bike. Down that way is our train station, soif your mum wants to come see you, she can come straight here. Oh, and there’s my church.” Charlotte nodded toward a castlelike structure with a bright blue door and a steeple arrowing past the treetops. “And down that way is the primary school. The secondary school is back behind us a bit. I’ll show them to you sometime if you want.”
“That’s all right,” Emmy said as politely as she could. She didn’t see much purpose to that. It was June. The school term was three months away.
Then they were back in the countryside, on a narrow, treelined lane.
“This is the Maugersbury Road,” Charlotte said. “The village officials had to take all the road signs down because of the war, but everyone here knows this road leads to little Maugersbury. Rose and I live on the edge of both towns. Maugersbury is small, just a few houses, some farms, and the manor, really. Now, tell me about you. What do you girls like to do when you’re not in school?”
Emmy nodded to Julia so that she could answer first. “Well, I like going to the park and playing with my paper dolls and I like Thea’s cat and kittens and I like going to my friend Sybil’s house because she has lots of toys. And her own tea set.”
“Well, how lovely.” Charlotte beamed. “My back garden is sort of like a park. I’ve lots of fruit trees and a little pond and a vegetable garden and chickens. And I have the tea set that was mine when I was a little girl. I’ll have to get it out for you.”
“Do you have a pony?” Julia said, as animated as Emmy had seen her since Thea’s kittens were born.
“I don’t have a pony. But my neighbor has two goats. Edgar and Clementine. And my other neighbor has a miniature horse named Jingles.”
Julia whipped her head around to face Emmy, her eyes bright with anticipation and an “I told you so” gleam.
“How about you, Emmeline? What do you like to do?”
“Emmy draws brides,” Julia said before Emmy could answer, her attention fully back on Charlotte.
“She draws brides?”
“Their
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