"Morning, Bryn." " Morning." "No Miriam?" "She's been up all hours writing letters for the WI's friendless soldier campaign." "She does seem to have taken a real lead on that." "And when she does get to bed, the air-raid siren tests don't help, so..." "I gave her the morn..." "Poor, poor girl." "You all right with chops for supper tomorrow?" "I know the very thing to do with chops." "Tell me what it is and I'll be happy to do it." "Or we could cut out the middle woman and I could." "You?" " You said that with a hint of trepidation." "No..." " More like a large pinch of trepidation." "With a sprinkling of outright disdain." "No man has ever offered to cook me supper before." "I find that hard to believe." "Surely Adam..." " Adam?" "Adam attempted to boil an egg for breakfast once and... burnt the water." "Why don't you allow me to cook you supper?" "Very well." "I have the ingredients for Welsh rarebit on standby just in case." "Oh, ye of little faith." "Actually, of almost no faith." "But, then, best keep that between ourselves." "I hope she's nice." " No reason why she should be." "The unpleasant have as much right to be evacuated as the pleasant." "That's not her, is it?" "I mean, she's not a child." "And she's blind." "One advantage of me not being blind is that I can see quite clearly that she is." "It doesn't look as if anyone else is getting off." "Excuse me..." " Excuse me, my dear." "Are you, by any chance Isobel Reilly?" "How many other blind women were you expecting to meet?" "I wasn't expecting to meet any." "Oh, I don't believe this." "Not again." "Sorry..." "Again?" "You'd think they wouldn't make the same mistake twice." "You were at least expecting an evacuee from Liverpool?" "Oh, yes." " But not a blind one?" "Or a grown up one." "Uh, you'll have to telephone the billeting officer." "Perhaps it will be a case of third time lucky." "Why not second time?" "Do you have to go back again?" "Oh, I appreciate the sentiment behind thinking you can take me on, but are you entirely sure you know what you're doing?" "Only time will tell." " Oh." "But I assure you we will..." "certainly give it our all." "Er, "we"?" " Oh, um, Claire and Cookie." "She can't see that." "Oh." "I'm Claire." "Oh." "Cookie and I work for the Bardens." " I'm Cookie." "Hello." " Welcome to Great Paxford, Isobel." "Thank you." " It's a pleasure to meet you." "May I?" "Thank you." " And we'll... just take a short walk home." "Oh, is it nearby?" " It's about five or ten minutes." "Don't rush." "You need to be accurate, not fast." "How's that?" "Excellent." " Brilliant." "One down, hundreds to go." " But she can do them now, Stan." "However long it takes, your mum can do them." "And just your signature." "When Stan does his, it's fast and joined up." "It doesn't have to be like that." "What is it?" "I've never written my name on anything before." "More letters?" "Shouldn't lads with no-one to write to them have their spirits kept up?" "It's gone midnight." "Everyone's doing their bit for our boys." "This is mine." "Don't wait up." "Breakfast is ready." "Bob?" "Bob?" "Bob?" "Dr Campbell, there's something wrong with Bob!" "He's not moving!" "I'll get my bag." "Bob..." "Bob." "Bob?" "Please wake up." "What's happened?" "I've been giving him a teaspoon of the remedy, as Erica instructed." "It was doing him so much good that I've given him a little more recently." "What do you mean, "As Erica instructed"?" " When she gave it to me." "Erica gave you a remedy?" " To settle his system, after his food poisoning." "Do you still have it?" " In the kitchen." "Can you get it for me?" " Now?" "Immediately!" "Will?" "While you were out, Pat came round in a blind panic, convinced she'd killed Bob by giving him a double dose of this, instead of the single teaspoon you'd advised." "Double?" " Rendering Bob unconscious." "After considerable effort, he started to come round." "Sit down, Erica." "Will, let me explain." "If she'd given him any more, I dread to think of the conversation we'd now be having." "What's in the bottle?" "Bob told us Pat had slipped one evening, serving supper." "I don't care what Bob said." "Only what you've done." "But she hadn't slipped." "We stood on their doorstep and he lied to us." " Erica..." "We've both heard him shouting." " Couples occasionally shout at one another." "I may soon be shouting at you if you do not tell me what is in this bottle." "I've seen him grab hold of Pat and drag her into the house." "None of our business." " None of yours, perhaps, but she's my friend." "What's in the bottle?" "It's very dilute." "What is?" "Lithium salts." "Have you utterly lost your mind?" "The dose was very dilute." " Well, not dilute enough for me not to lose my medical licence or for you not to go to prison for sedating a man against his will." "Lithium salts!" " I had no idea she would give him double." "How could you be so stupid?" "We could lose everything." "When she gave him the right amount, it was working." "Bob was calm, Pat was happier." " Don't sit there and try and justify this." "This stops now." "And you have to tell Pat what you've done." "And hope to God she doesn't go to the police." "...four, five, six, seven ten, eleven." "Left or right?" "Um..." "I think it was..." "left." "She's going wrong." " She might correct herself." "Where's she going?" "...seven and... um..." "At this rate, into the garden." "Go and retrieve her, Claire." "If this is her fourth attempt to get down to the shelter unaided..." "I'm aware of that." " We might be all out." "She'll have to find her own way down to the shelter from anywhere in the house." " I'm also aware of that." "You sure you haven't bitten off more than she can chew?" "Am I doing something wrong?" " On the contrary." "You're doing splendidly." "Thank you." "By way of a... thank you how would you like to have dinner with me, one evening next week?" "Dinner?" "There's a restaurant in Chester that I've been meaning to try... in a hotel." "The food is, reportedly, top notch." "You deserve a treat." "Say yes." "Yes." "That sounds lovely." "Wing Commander Bowers' office." "Could I speak to my husband, please?" "Good afternoon, Mrs Bowers." "I'll just put you through." "Charlotte?" " You haven't forgotten" "I'm taking the children to my mother's?" " No, I hadn't forgotten." "I doubt we'll be home until after supper." "Well, I hope you and the children have a lovely time." "Thank you." "Bye." "Just you and me." "Together." "I can't think of anything I'd like more." "He's not gonna get far on this." "Serves him right." "You've missed a bit." "He deserves it." "Disgraceful." "Quite a job." "Must've took some time, all this." "You deserve it." "Coward." "You're a coward." " Where's your loyalty?" "Coward." "You're a disgrace." " How do you sleep at night?" "Coward." " You should be ashamed of yourself." "Run along, Spencer." "You should be ashamed of yourself." "Stop this!" "Stop this at once!" "The young man may or may not be a coward but what is a mob that bays at a man behind his back?" "I suggest we all go about our business." "Come along." "Thank you, Mrs Cameron." "If the Nazis are teaching us one thing, it's how not to behave like them." "Now, if this goes well, it won't be the last meal I cook for you." "Oh, don't tell me you know more than one dish." "I know several." "Some of them foreign." "Now... pass me your plate, please." "Anything to eat?" "I'm starving!" "I've got a 36-hour pass before we're mobilised to France." "One of the lads dropped me off." "I couldn't tell you..." "A nice surprise?" " The most wonderful surprise ever!" "Hello, Nick." "How's tricks?" "Increasingly tricky, as I'm sure you're aware." "I'm certainly getting a sense of it." "You mentioned you were starving." "Would you like a chop?" "A chop?" "A whole chop?" "I haven't had any meat resembling part of an actual animal for weeks." "You've lost weight." " Well, you've got 36 hours to fatten me up." "Well, I'll fetch another plate." "Oh, I can't tell you how good it is to see you." "If it's a white feather you want to deliver, stick it back on the duck's arse where it belongs!" "No, it's Claire." "I..." "I'd like to talk to Spencer." "Came in the blackout so you wouldn't be seen." "It's not like that." "I've just finished work for the day." "Leave... my son... alone." "No..." "Not here." "Look, I wasn't standing with those people." "I'd come out of a shop and I wanted to see what they were looking at." "I didn't even realise it was your bicycle until you walked up." "When you heard Jenny call me a coward." " I don't think you're a coward." "But..." "I don't understand why you won't fight." "There's something I want to show you." "Here." "Ernest Wilson." "That's my father." "One of the Glorious Dead." "The night I got my call-up papers, my mum brought me a stack of letters that he'd sent from the front, all written in the two months before he died." "Every one spoke of his regret at having to kill a German soldier with his bayonet." "When he'd go to sleep, he couldn't get the man's face out of his head." "The begging and screaming haunted him constantly." "He was still writing about it in his last letter before he was killed." "How did he die?" "Officially... fighting in action." "Unofficially, according to a pal who made it back he walked directly into enemy fire without rifle or helmet." "That's terrible." "I don't want to kill anyone, Claire." "It destroyed my father." "I agreed to sign up for the Auxiliary Fire Service and do my duty that way." "Now, if that's not enough to convince some people, so be it." "I am glad I told you." "So am I." "Spencer..." " Good night, Claire." "Time to wake up, Mim." "I thought you were still upstairs." "Well, I was catching up with some much-needed sleep, but then I woke with a desire to catch up on some much-needed time with my wife before I go back." " Oh, I hate that you're going back so soon." "So do I." "We should use our remaining time together wisely." "I agree." "I don't suppose you'd be interested in exploring how much life remains in an ageing padre." "Adam!" "It's not even nine o'clock yet." "Well, the RAF have gone." "God clearly has his hands full elsewhere." "Why not strike while the iron is hot?" "What, here or?" "Upstairs." "We're not French." "Hello, miss!" " Hi, miss!" "Hello, Timothy." "Julia." " Miss Fenchurch." "Miss Fenchurch?" " Miss Fenchurch?" "Are you all right?" "Did you see what happened?" "Right." "See you shortly." " Cheerio." "Get your coat." "I'm taking you to lunch." "I still have typing to get through." " It can wait." "But I have to get it..." " It can wait." "I thought we'd go to that hotel I mentioned." "The hotel?" "I thought we were going for dinner next week." "I can't wait that long." "I've also booked a room... for the afternoon." "Come on." "We need to be seated by 1.30." "Lovely." "Hello?" "Ah, I wanted to um... pop by and thank Will for all of his help with Bob." "I don't know what I'd have done without him." "How is he now?" " Getting back to his old self." "I can't tell you how stupid I feel." " Pat..." "I want you to know that when I gave you the remedy, it was for the very best of intentions." "Oh, of course." "Oh, it's me who gave him too much." "I suppose I wanted to try to protect you." "Protect me?" "What do you mean?" "The remedy was for Bob's health, not mine." "Yes." "It wasn't quite what I said it was." "It was something that would take the edge off his moods and give you..." "His moods?" "Yes." "What do you mean "take the edge off his moods"?" "I know why you didn't come to Kate's wedding." "I told you why." "I hurt myself and it took longer to recover than expected." "What was in the remedy?" "Erica." "A mild solution of lithium salts." "Lithium?" "Oh, my God!" "I could have killed him." "I didn't know what to do." "I couldn't talk to you." " There was nothing to talk about." "Oh, come on, Pat." "I understand why you'd want to defend him, but let's not pretend Bob doesn't hit you." "Bob hits me?" "Is that what you think?" "Well, not just me." " Who else?" "Who else?" " Well, how did you come by this bruise?" "I banged it." " How?" "What have you been telling people?" " I haven't told anyone anything." "But people aren't blind, and they're not deaf." "Well, whatever you think you've seen and heard, you're wrong." "All of you." "All in order, Mrs Farrow." "Thank you." "No mistakes?" " No." "We keep the farm?" " You keep going like this... and you most certainly will." "It's good to have you on board." "It won't be easy to begin with, but it's needs must for the foreseeable future." "If we can't feed our fighting men, like your husband, then we won't win this war." "It's as simple as that." "Well, good day to you both." "And good luck." "Thank you." "And... sorry for last time." "Oh, when you've had a bull set on you, a haystack toppled on top of you, an irate woman threatening to box my ears is nothing." "You'll be fine." "I'm proud of you, Ma." "And Dad would be, too." "Drink that." "Lots of sugar." "Thank you." "What a terrible shock." "It was the same with George." "I know exactly what you're going through." "I'm just so very sorry." "Teresa." "I know how hard this news has hit you." "But I need you to be honest with me." "Because I've taken you into my home in all good faith." "Please, tell me honestly what was Connie to you?" "We taught at the same school." "We became good friends." "Is that all?" "We were lovers." "I see." "I'm sorry for your loss, Teresa." "Genuinely." "But... you've put me in an invidious position." "I have a reputation in the village and in the local business community." "You've really no idea." "You seem to have your hands rather full, Mrs Barden." "Dropping off items for the WI's friendless soldier scheme." "I understand... that the communal shelter is ready for use." "The Institute is hosting an open house this evening for the village to see for itself." "It would mean a great deal if you would come." "Thank you." "But in the event of aerial bombardment, we've made our own arrangements." "You're held in high esteem by many." "Your stamp of approval might encourage many to use the shelter who otherwise might not." "I'm sure that's not true." "You know it is, Joyce." "Good day, Mrs Barden." "Good day, Mrs Cameron." "Come in, Mrs Barden, and..." "I'll just see where she is." "Thank you, Bryn." "Hello, Frances." "Oh, I've just brought round some more gloves and things." "I'll see they get properly assigned." "Is there anything else?" "There is, I'm afraid." "I've just been reading some of the letters you've been writing to friendless troops." "There isn't one in which you haven't told the recipient to... keep out of danger and get home safely to his mother." "We're writing to soldiers, Mim." "Men whose job, whether we like it or not, is to... face and embrace danger, not... hide from it." "You're not a mother, Frances." "So you wouldn't understand." "Simply because Peter and I have been unable to have children... doesn't mean I can't understand and empathise with how you or... any other mother might feel at this time." "How can you?" "I've known David all his life." "I know what he means to you both." "I saw it the day... you first showed him to us all." "I'll never forget the look on your face." "Or Bryn's." "I've never seen two new parents radiate so much love for their child." "So, please, do not presume to tell me I can't understand how you must feel to have him out there." "But these letters go out under the banner of the WI and I cannot... and will not give my approval for what you have written." "I..." "I..." "I've written what any mother would write to her son." "I daresay that's true." "The problem is... you're not their mother." "What's all this in aid of?" "A wife can take care of her husband." "Can't she?" "If you'd been doing that properly, I wouldn't have suffered the collapse I did." "Instead, you've been neglecting me while you fritter away your time at the WI and that telephone exchange." "I've never once neglected you, Bob." "Perhaps you should see things from my perspective." "I look at everything from your perspective." "So much that I've lost my own." " I'm not interested in having a debate." "You never are because then you'd have to acknowledge that there's two human beings in this house, not just you and your punch bag!" "Hey!" "What in God's name has got into you?" " I do so much for you." "More than you'll ever know, and what do I get in return?" "I'll show you what you get!" " By hitting me again." "Kicking me." "Throwing something at me." "Pulling my hair so hard it comes out with the roots." "You know what you really hate?" "That you need me... more than I need you!" "That's not true." " I loathe this life you've forced on me." "I hate what you've turned me into." "Come back here." "Come back here, I said!" "I said get back here!" "Get back here now!" "Don't ignore me!" "I will not be ignored in my own house!" "Do I make myself clear?" "The way you treat me..." "has not gone unnoticed!" "What, are you going somewhere?" "I... cannot... stand this... any more." "Where will you go?" "Hm?" "With no money." "No experience." "No family." "No talent." "You won't survive five minutes." "Without me, you cease to exist in any meaningful way." "Come on." "I'll show you." "Look at you." "Write every day." "Even if nothing's happened or you have nothing to say." "Just tell me that." "Isn't that the Campbell girl?" " Yes." "Apparently she visits his grave every morning." " Yes, I've heard." "I'll just be a moment." " Very well." "This cottage was going to be yours and your husband's, wasn't it?" "I'm not equating the two in any way, but when my son went to Canada 15 years ago I thought I'd never get over it." "Not a day goes by when I don't think of him." "But life has a way of seeping in." "New events, new experiences, new people." "New things to consider." "You'll never forget your husband, Kate." "But life will seek you out and seep through once more." "And when it does let it." "Thank you." "What are you doing?" "I think it's for the best." " Oh, Teresa." "I never intended to deceive you." "When I moved in I didn't tell you everything... for the simple reason that I had no intention of it ever becoming known." "You've shown me such great kindness, Alison, in so many ways." "The last thing I would want to do is put you in a compromising position." "I was reminded this morning of something George once told me." "He said..." ""It can never be a sin to love another human being."" "Your husband sounds like someone I would have liked to have met." "Well, that would have been impossible, I'm afraid." "Why?" "Well, George was certainly my better half..." "but he was never my husband." "George and I fell in love while he was married to someone else." "She refused to grant him a divorce, so we took the only course open to us and... presented ourselves as Mr and Mrs Scotlock." "I still do." "They don't know?" "We all have secrets." "Then... and now." "You've become a friend." "And I haven't had many of those over the years." "I enjoy your companionship." "As does Boris." "I'd like you to stay." "If you can keep your secret as well as I've kept mine, then we need never speak of this again." "Come here." "How long have you been like this?" "I barely sleep since David left." "And when I do, I I have terrible nightmares." "I can give you something to help you sleep." "But you're clearly suffering from exhaustion." "If you don't mind, I'd like to run some tests." " Tests?" "Purely routine." "Ladies and gentlemen." "It's so lovely to welcome so many of you here this evening to the opening of what the Great Paxford Women's Institute hopes will become a vital communal asset in the days ahead." "The shelter you're about to enter has been fashioned in the reinforced cellar of our house but exists for everyone." "I'm somewhat surprised to see you here, Mrs Cameron." "Due to the extent of my influence within the village, your sister has invited me to come to the shelter to give it my seal of approval." "So... without further ado..." "Is this a drill?" " It wasn't on the noticeboard." "Well, then it's for real." "Ladies and gentlemen, stay calm and make your way to the shelter in an orderly fashion." "There's room enough for all." "Follow me." "Isobel." "Where is she?" "I'm all right." " Oh." "This way, Mrs Cameron." "I..." "I don't think I can go down there." "You have to." " No, you don't understand." "That siren means you don't have a choice." " No." "There are too many people." "If anything happened, I'd never get out." "Hold my hand and I promise I will lead you to safety." "Take it." "Follow me." "Come down, please." " Nice and orderly, ladies and gentlemen." "Everyone find somewhere to sit as quick as you can." "Get to a shelter!" "Immediately!" "Spencer!" "Spencer, it's Claire." "Spencer!" "Come to the shelter!" "You'll be safe." " We'll be all right here." "You go back!" "No!" "I want to be with you." "The WAEC man gave us his approval." "That's wonderful." " Thanks to you." "You did all the hard work." " I had a brilliant teacher." "I enjoyed every minute of it." "I'm so glad you came to our village." "I won't say anything." " About what?" "You and your boss." "There's nothing to say." " That's not true, is it?" "Stan." " I know what I saw." "Stan..." "I asked at the base." "He's married." "Did you know?" "Boys should keep their noses out of the affairs of grownups." "You're not that much older than me." " Not in years." "But in terms of experience, you're just a child." "Pat thinks I told everyone about her and Bob." "Is she likely to go to the police?" "I've never seen her so angry." "So do you think she actually might?" "Bob's behaviour towards her would inevitably be made public and that's clearly the last thing she wants." "Everything we've worked for could have been swept away in an instant." "Are you all right, Dad?" "The air in here's a little stale, that's all." "Ripped By mstoll"