Free Jenny's War by Margaret Dickinson Page B

ask Georgie to come indoors, then, shall we?’
    For the first time that morning, Jenny smiled.
    Georgie played with her for the rest of the day. He showed her how to climb on the big rocking horse in the nursery and how to play several of the games stacked on the shelves; Snap, Draughts and even Happy Families, when they roped in Miles and Charlotte to play too. But the little girl’s favourite time was after she’d succumbed to another bath and hair wash and was wrapped up snugly in a brand new nightdress and dressing gown and was sitting on Georgie’s knee reading more chapters of The Wind in the Willows .
    If she had to suffer a bath to be able to sit on Georgie’s knee each night, Jenny decided, then it was a small price to pay.
    When Charlotte had come home in the afternoon loaded with parcels, Jenny’s eyes had been round with wonder as the garments spilled from the wrappings and the bags.
    ‘A’ they all for me?’ she whispered.
    Georgie laughed. ‘Well, they’re too small for Charlotte and I’d look silly in a girl’s dress, now wouldn’t I? How about you try them on and show us how pretty you look?’
    With Kitty’s help in her bedroom, Jenny had tried on everything, each time running downstairs to the morning room to show them. She stood before Charlotte, Miles and Georgie, twirling round.
    ‘They fit nicely,’ Charlotte smiled, ‘but you’ll have to come with me when we buy you some shoes. You’ll need to have your feet measured properly.’
    Jenny stared at her. ‘Yer mean I’ll ’ave to go outside?’
    ‘Yes. Perhaps, Miles will take us in the motor car. Would you like that?’
    Jenny didn’t answer but none of them could miss the look of fear in her eyes. Over the next three days, they found out the cause of the child’s apprehension. Used to the city back streets amidst tight-knit row upon row of houses and buildings, Jenny found the vastness of the sky and the flat, far-reaching landscape frightening.
    Gently, Miles introduced her to the world outside the window as Georgie brought one of the horses from the stables on to the lawn for her to see. Then Miles took her to the front door and out on to the steps. They stood there for several minutes until she got used to the lawn stretching smoothly before them. Then, still holding her hand, he led her down the steps and on to the grass.
    ‘Look what I found,’ Georgie said, grinning as he returned from taking the horse back to the stable. He came towards them, bouncing a football.
    By lunchtime, Jenny was happily kicking the ball backwards and forwards to Georgie on the front lawn.
    Charlotte and Miles stood watching them.
    ‘She seems to be settling in,’ Miles said.
    ‘Mm. But what’s going to happen when Georgie has to go back the day after tomorrow?’

Eleven
    What happened was a tantrum; a proper, full-blown tantrum.
    When Georgie insisted on saying goodbye to Jenny, refusing to sneak off without telling her, Charlotte had warned him there’d be trouble. And trouble there certainly was. Jenny lay on the hall floor, screaming and kicking out at anyone who tried to get near her.
    ‘That’s just temper, that is,’ Kitty remarked sagely. ‘There’s no tears.’ She had a younger brother who displayed the same anger occasionally. She recognized the tantrum for exactly what it was.
    Georgie, Miles and even Charlotte stood helplessly by, not knowing what to do. Georgie squatted down beside her and shouted above the noise. ‘I’ve got to go now, Jen. Won’t you come and wave me off?’
    But the screams only grew louder.
    He stood up, shook his father’s hand and kissed Charlotte’s cheek. And then he was gone.
    At last, when she could see her efforts were in vain, Jenny stopped squealing. She rolled over on the floor and drew her knees up into a tight ball, tensing herself against the smack she was sure was coming. But instead she heard Miles’s deep voice saying gently, ‘Shall we go and see if we can find Ben and help