Wednesday
Limedale
Dearest,
I can never write properly to you in other people’s houses so this is just a note until tonight. I didn’t intend to stay the night here but I did manage to get a seat for the show this afternoon, so this seemed the easiest arrangement. I sent a phone message through last night to Crosby with instructions to Mrs Gardner about the cat and milk etc. I’ll get back as early as possible this evening. These days of sudden drafts it always makes me anxious when I’m away from the home letterbox.
We went out for a drink last night and I actually had a Guinness, but as it was so long since I’d had one, could only manage one. I’m right out of practice.
Chris has just this moment been on the phone to the hospital and they’ve told her to take Jen down right away so she’s very worried. Christian didn’t want his morning feed so will wake up famished in about an hour. Harold is trying to persuade Jen to go with him and she’s telling him where he gets off. So everyone is trying to sort it out.
Home.
Jen eventually agreed to go to the hospital with Harold providing Wendy went too and at that, of course, Michael decided he wanted to go, so I thought I’d better go to give a hand! Very complicated but there you are. The X-ray showed a fracture but it is in a good position and they are to see the specialist tomorrow. It cannot be serious because she is dashing around full of beans and it isn’t causing any pain now.
They didn’t keep us long and I was back in time to have lunch and go to the Royal Court. I enjoyed it [‘There Shall Be No Night’] immensely – those two are quite unique and her voice is fascinating. There is a perpetual bubble of laughter behind her words. The play, like so many plays and books today, sets out to portray the gradual change of feeling in a group of people during the course of the war. Actually the theme was very similar to the first play I saw, though the setting and characters were so different. I’ll try to remember to enclose the programme.
On the way home this evening we looked in at Mrs Garner’s for a while. She was asking about you. She has put on a few stone since I last saw her and is getting really tremendous.
Mother was at the Labour Exchange today and they told her she was definitely next on the list for the Prisoner of War office in Church Road (the Bluecoat School). That is what she has wanted all along as it is so convenient for home, so she is very bucked about it. Unless they send for her in the meantime she is coming here for the Bank Holiday weekend.
The ‘Housewife’ had been returned from Reading so I’ve purloined it until my own turns up. They’ve given me a good position in the paper – the first article following two ‘names’ – L.A. [????] Strong and Tom Driberg. It’s illustrated with a title, sketch and a photograph and it hasn’t been cut or subbed at all, so I’m quite pleased about it. I’m hoping it will be a fiver. I told mother she had, unconsciously, given me the idea for it, and gave her two bob, though we had to have a fight before she would accept it.
Thursday morning.
Many thanks for a nice long letter, love. Being away from home has bridged the gap between your going and the arrival of the first letter. I won’t attempt to answer it now, as we got up late (the clock has stopped so I don’t know how late!) I am worried about the chain and disc. It is not on the window-sill and, quite honestly, I can’t remember seeing it this leave. My first thought was that you had left it in the bath, but Michael says he thinks he remembers you putting it on again. Can you definitely remember the last time you had it? I’ve looked in all the obvious places but will have a search behind the bath in case it slipped off the sill.
Who do you think has a daughter? And we didn’t even know he was married – Ossie! We got a card today announcing the birth (Aug 1st) of Penelope Joy. I’ll send it to you when the kids have stopped admiring it, and I’ll drop a line of congratulations. Another thing that came this morning was the cheque from Jane – I’ll write to them tonight.
There’s been six knocks on the door since I started this so it’s pretty hopeless. I must find out the time.
All my love, darling,
Stella
P.S. Going to ‘Snow White’ this afternoon.
Aug 021944