dancers. About a dozen officers were sitting around chatting to about half that number of women, most of whom appeared to be in their late thirties or early forties.
‘Come and meet the girls,’ said Sally, just as one of ‘the girls’ was homing in on Andrea.
‘Three cheers, a new face! And who are you , dear?’
‘She’s my new pal,’ cried Sally. ‘Andrea, say “how do” to Elspeth.’
Elspeth was wearing a black satin bow in her hair and a lace collar that hid her throat. Andrea guessed that her real age was forty-five, though she looked considerably younger. The youngest of the men appeared to be under twenty and was wearing a naval uniform with magenta patches on his lapels. Andrea was taken round and introducedto everyone, though several minutes later she could not connect more than one or two names with their owners. Most of ‘the girls’, she learned, lived within a radius of fifteen miles and were either widows, spinsters, or had husbands serving at sea. Andrea supposed that the virtual absence of young females was because most would inevitably be in the services and stationed far away from rural backwaters .
Sally returned from the bar with a gin for Andrea. ‘Come with me,’ she commanded, ‘and meet James the Divine.’ Andrea allowed herself to be led across the room towards a young man in RAF uniform standing by the window. She had sensed, despite the jocular introduction – and even before Sally had slipped an arm through his – that she was in love with this man, who looked incredibly young, with his dark curly hair, peachlike skin and long lashes. He blushed when Sally murmured, ‘James flies Hurricanes and is terribly brave.’
‘Darling, I wish you wouldn’t say things like that,’ he muttered.
‘Why not?’
‘Because you know I’m like all the rest.’
‘What are they like?’ asked Andrea softly.
He twisted the stem of his wine glass between finger and thumb. ‘Scared witless but making out they’re not.’
Sally’s exalted eyebrow shot up further. ‘Jamie, that definitely won’t impress my chum.’
Andrea found it disconcerting that Sally was clearly so confident that she would not disapproveof her for having a young lover. Never having met Sally’s husband, she couldn’t feel sorry for him, except in an abstract way; but it crossed her mind that some of the people present would be his patients. As a doctor’s daughter, Andrea found this possibility depressing.
A sallow, fine-featured naval officer came up. ‘Sallikins, you can’t go on hogging this gorgeous redhead.’
Sally made the introduction and Andrea exchanged stilted small talk with the officer, answering questions such as, why was she in the area, was she married, and did she have children? And her replies did not even slightly dampen the man’s interest in her. ‘Aren’t you going to ask about me?’ he murmured , soon volunteering that he was a bachelor, and then, drawling like a matinée idol, ‘I’m serving in a very fast and menacing ship, Mrs Pauling. I might have to put to sea at any moment.’
‘And what might you be expected to do then?’
‘I can’t possibly tell you that.’
Since Andrea had already been told by Sally that all the naval people present were serving in coastal forces, she guessed that this man’s duties were confined to rescuing ditched airmen and looking for submarines in places where he was most unlikely to find them. Soon after accompanying him to the buffet table, she tried to give him the slip by visiting the ladies, but he was waiting for her outside, and asked her sneeringly why America was ‘still sitting on its fanny’. She was tempted to say, ‘Because Englishmen like you aren’t worth getting excitedabout’, but instead murmured something about President Roosevelt’s problems, before walking away.
During the next hour, two other officers – one in the RAF and one in the army – talked to her in a sociable, ordinary way, making her feel
‘Come and meet the girls,’ said Sally, just as one of ‘the girls’ was homing in on Andrea.
‘Three cheers, a new face! And who are you , dear?’
‘She’s my new pal,’ cried Sally. ‘Andrea, say “how do” to Elspeth.’
Elspeth was wearing a black satin bow in her hair and a lace collar that hid her throat. Andrea guessed that her real age was forty-five, though she looked considerably younger. The youngest of the men appeared to be under twenty and was wearing a naval uniform with magenta patches on his lapels. Andrea was taken round and introducedto everyone, though several minutes later she could not connect more than one or two names with their owners. Most of ‘the girls’, she learned, lived within a radius of fifteen miles and were either widows, spinsters, or had husbands serving at sea. Andrea supposed that the virtual absence of young females was because most would inevitably be in the services and stationed far away from rural backwaters .
Sally returned from the bar with a gin for Andrea. ‘Come with me,’ she commanded, ‘and meet James the Divine.’ Andrea allowed herself to be led across the room towards a young man in RAF uniform standing by the window. She had sensed, despite the jocular introduction – and even before Sally had slipped an arm through his – that she was in love with this man, who looked incredibly young, with his dark curly hair, peachlike skin and long lashes. He blushed when Sally murmured, ‘James flies Hurricanes and is terribly brave.’
‘Darling, I wish you wouldn’t say things like that,’ he muttered.
‘Why not?’
‘Because you know I’m like all the rest.’
‘What are they like?’ asked Andrea softly.
He twisted the stem of his wine glass between finger and thumb. ‘Scared witless but making out they’re not.’
Sally’s exalted eyebrow shot up further. ‘Jamie, that definitely won’t impress my chum.’
Andrea found it disconcerting that Sally was clearly so confident that she would not disapproveof her for having a young lover. Never having met Sally’s husband, she couldn’t feel sorry for him, except in an abstract way; but it crossed her mind that some of the people present would be his patients. As a doctor’s daughter, Andrea found this possibility depressing.
A sallow, fine-featured naval officer came up. ‘Sallikins, you can’t go on hogging this gorgeous redhead.’
Sally made the introduction and Andrea exchanged stilted small talk with the officer, answering questions such as, why was she in the area, was she married, and did she have children? And her replies did not even slightly dampen the man’s interest in her. ‘Aren’t you going to ask about me?’ he murmured , soon volunteering that he was a bachelor, and then, drawling like a matinée idol, ‘I’m serving in a very fast and menacing ship, Mrs Pauling. I might have to put to sea at any moment.’
‘And what might you be expected to do then?’
‘I can’t possibly tell you that.’
Since Andrea had already been told by Sally that all the naval people present were serving in coastal forces, she guessed that this man’s duties were confined to rescuing ditched airmen and looking for submarines in places where he was most unlikely to find them. Soon after accompanying him to the buffet table, she tried to give him the slip by visiting the ladies, but he was waiting for her outside, and asked her sneeringly why America was ‘still sitting on its fanny’. She was tempted to say, ‘Because Englishmen like you aren’t worth getting excitedabout’, but instead murmured something about President Roosevelt’s problems, before walking away.
During the next hour, two other officers – one in the RAF and one in the army – talked to her in a sociable, ordinary way, making her feel
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