“I don’t remember where reverse is,” Audrey moaned. Sailors stood above them on the wall, ready to grab the ropes. The engine sputtered, then died as Audrey struggled with the controls.
“Don’t worry about it,” Eve told her. “I’ll throw them a rope.” It took three tries, but Eve finally managed to toss it high enough for the men to catch. She felt like cheering when the boat gently bumped against the floats cushioning the wall.
“We made it!” Audrey sighed as if she’d been holding her breath the entire way. She slumped forward, resting her arms and head against the wheel. The deck rocked as two young sailors jumped down to help tie the boat fast. The other ships from the flotilla pulled in close all around them.
“Need a hand up, miss?” one of the men asked Eve.
“Let my friend go first,” she said. “But I think she needs a minute.”
“I’m all right,” Audrey said, raising her head. But it took her two tries to stand on the swaying deck. Sailors helped them climb the iron ladder to the top of the wall. Eve’s knees threatened to buckle as she stepped onto dry land. She linked arms with Audrey so they could steady each other.
“We must look like a pair of drunks,” Eve whispered.
“What’s going on with our navy that they have to send women to war?” she heard one of the seamen say. He was an older man in patched clothing, tanned and grizzled as if he’d spent his entire lifetime at sea.
“They didn’t send us,” Audrey told him, her voice surprisingly strong. “We volunteered. We couldn’t leave the men we love stranded across the channel when we happened to have a boat.”
“You must have a shilling or two to own a pleasure craft like that one,” the man replied.
“Yes. I suppose I do.”
Eve’s eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness onshore, and she realized that the shadowy figures she saw jamming the lanes and alleyways around the docks were soldiers in round tin helmets, loaded down with gear. Hundreds of men. Most sat on the ground, leaning against walls and barrels and anything else they could find. Some wore bulky, square life vests. Some smoked cigarettes, shielding the glowing tips with their helmets. Many were asleep.
“Are these our men?” Eve asked.
“The last of them for today,” the seaman replied. “Just got here before dark. They’re waiting for the train.”
“We need to find Alfie,” Audrey said.
“I had the same thought. But right now, we need to sit down and get warm.” Audrey was trembling from head to toe and likely couldn’t walk a single step without Eve holding her up. She had concentrated on her task for more than an hour, half-frozen and rigid with fear.
“You ladies come into my shack and warm up,” the old seaman said. He gestured to a square black shape a short distance away. “Have a cup of tea. Might even find you a sandwich or two.”
“I need to find my brother.”
“Those soldiers aren’t going anywhere. Come in and have a seat.” He led the way inside, then turned up the wick on his lantern once the door was shut. The shack’s only window had been painted black. Eve blinked in the dim light and looked around before sinking down on a low wooden bench beside Audrey. Fishing nets and wooden floats and various other equipment that Eve didn’t recognize filled the tiny space. It smelled strongly of fish, and with her stomach still queasy from the boat ride, she politely refused the sandwich the man offered. But it was warm inside the shack, out of the wind and salt air. A kettle of tea simmered on a hot plate. The man poured them each a cup. It was very strong and very hot—and easily the most delicious cup of tea Eve had ever tasted.
“That ought to revive you,” he said, pouring a cup for himself. “You girls deserve a medal or something. It’s hard enough to navigate in the dark, let alone with waves like those out there. Anything could’ve happened.”
“We’ll suffer a much worse fate,” Eve said, “if England has to surrender and the Nazis take over.”
“You’re right about that, miss.”
She looked at Audrey, still shivering as she sipped her tea, both hands clenched around the chipped cup. Her wonderful, timid, fainthearted friend was afraid of black beetles and sometimes her own shadow. But tonight, Audrey had shown courage in spite of her fear. And Eve had never loved her more.
10
“Thank you for the tea,” Audrey said when they’d finished a second cup inside the seaman’s shanty. “Is there someplace nearby where we can stay for the night? Our car is in Folkestone, you see.” She stopped short of adding that both she and Eve could use a long soak in a hot bathtub, if possible.