10 comments/ 24644 views/ 3 favorites Secrets of the Past By: Cromagnonman I was helping my mother clear out my grandmother's house after her funeral. We had taken all of her clothes and furniture that we didn't want to the Salvation Army recycle store and were cleaning through in preparation for me to move in. It was her wish that I should live here as I was her favourite and it was convenient for my work. It was a small by today's standard house, just two bedrooms on one side of the central hallway and the lounge room and kitchen on the other with the bathroom and laundry in the lean-to across the rear. It originally had an outdoor toilet in the back corner of the yard that backed onto a laneway, conveniently placed so that the 'night carter' could remove and replace the pan without entering the yard. It was a typical inner suburban dwelling that had become fashionable over the last decade or so. It was a single fronted row house in a street of attached houses that, apart from cosmetic differences, were identical, with no front yard to speak of, just enough room to swing open the gate before reaching the two steps leading to the porch. The brick wall at the front had been painted many times over the century or so of the house's lifetime and in places where the paint had peeled the colour changes were visible that reflected the fashion of times past. My first recollection of this house was when I went as a young girl to see Granny. That was, let me see, fifty years ago and a lot has happened in my life since then, a marriage, not successful, a divorce, two kids who have both moved overseas with their families to further their careers who I speak to occasionally and email often. My work as an architectural draftsperson had changed over the years from doing everything by hand to doing most of it by computer. I was one of the first to become proficient with the CAD design computers and now was in charge of that section of the business. It was my job to consult with the client and senior architect on the concepts and then put them into the computer to produce the finished drawings and, if required, scale models for a 3D representation. I was successful, I was comfortably well off financially but the only house that I could afford after the divorce was in the outer suburbs an hours drive from the office, so this inherited dwelling was a blessing for me. I could sell my current house and use the money to renovate to my taste, new colour schemes, new kitchen, I don't know how Granny cooked in that old one, new bathroom and new furniture. There was a lot of work to be done and I had decided to draw up plans and redo the kitchen and bathroom before I moved in but to do the rest of the work as an ongoing project, one room at a time. Work had begun on the kitchen and I called by after work on the first day to check on progress. All of the old cupboards had been stripped out and the floor coverings lifted. Someone had obviously been interested in the old newspaper that had been used as an underlay for the linoleum flooring because there was a pile of papers in the corner of the room. I picked up one of the fragile sheets of yellowed newsprint to find that it dated from the fifties, and reading the page I realised that life must have been tough back then what with food shortages and public transport for the average family because of the shortage of motor vehicles and fuel to run them. On the floor was a tin box with a note attached telling me that this was found in a niche behind one of the cupboards and that they hadn't opened it. I picked it up and turned it over in my hands, it was a biscuit tin from Arnott's that had once contained assorted cream biscuits, but it was different from the one that Granny produced when I visited as a child, it was much older. I took it with me and opened it as I sat drinking my after dinner coffee. I found several old sepia photographs, each of them with the same woman who I recognised as my Granny. What did surprise me was that the man in the photos, even though he was in the Australian Army uniform, he was not the same man as in her wedding photos. My grandfather was a Private when he was sent overseas in the early months of the war while this man was an officer. What I knew of my grandparents was sketchy; they were both from Katoomba in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. She had come to Sydney just before the war to work in Mark Foys, one of the big department stores at the time. When the war broke out he had enlisted and was stationed at Holsworthy Barracks west of Sydney. They bumped into each other at the Saturday night dance at the Trocadero, a dance hall near the Sydney Town Hall. They spent most of Saturday night together until he had to catch the last train back to barracks and she caught the tram to the boarding house she was staying in at Surrey Hills. They arranged to meet at the 'Troc' the next time he had leave on Saturday night. They were married a week before he embarked for the battle front in the Middle East and spent his embarkation leave in a small hotel at Kings Cross. The last she saw of Herbert 'Bert' Johnson was his back as he walked up the gangplank onto the troopship. She looked for his face on the deck but he was one of hundreds and she couldn't see him. For a while she got letters from him in which he outlined his plans for them when the war finished and pledging his undying love for her. She wrote to him each week but, apart from his occasional acknowledgment of getting a letter she wasn't sure that he always received them. Then his letters stopped. She heard from the Army that he had been transferred to Singapore at the end of 1941 and had been captured when it fell. She was later to find out that he had been in Changi prison camp for some time before being transferred to the notorious Burma Railway. It was there that he, like so many of his fellow prisoners, died. But who was this in the photos? At the bottom of the tin was a notebook. I opened it and saw that it had been used as a diary. Maybe this can shed some light on the mystery. This much was family history and was confirmed by the early entries in the diary. Where the diary entries differed from family history began in March 1942, a month after the fall of Singapore and was written in Granny's neat handwriting: * * * March 16th. Received telegram from Army; 'Regret to inform you that Private Herbert Johnson was taken prisoner by the Japanese in Singapore.' This was a month after Singapore fell, it has taken this long for the news to reach me. Be brave my Bert, I'll wait for you. Some of the girls here wanted me to go with them to the Cross (Kings Cross) to meet soldiers. I think that they are looking for a good time. I told them that I wouldn't and showed them the telegram. They were all sad at my news but went out any way. March 17th. Went to work but my supervisor (Mrs. Jennings) told me to go home for the day. I would have preferred to stay but I can understand because I kept crying. Went home and washed my clothes. Call Mum and Dad and told them about Bert, they were sad for me and said that they would go and talk to the Johnsons. This afternoon I caught the tram to Bondi and walked along the beach, It was peaceful and I resolved to stay strong and not be too sad for Bert, I know that he'll come back safely to me. The girls didn't ask me to go with them to the Cross tonight although Betty kept prattling on about this soldier she met last night and how she couldn't wait to see him tonight. March 18th. Went back to work today. Mrs Jennings told me that she would have liked to let me have the week off but the store manager told her that I was only allowed one day and if I wasn't able to work there were many other girls who would love my job. Got home from work expecting the girls to want to go to the Cross but Betty was against it because she saw her soldier with another girl and decided that all men were not to be trusted and she didn't want to go anywhere were there would be soldiers. We sat in the sitting room and listened to the music on the wireless. I went to bed at nine and thought of Bert and wondered if he was thinking of me. There was more of the same so I skimmed through it until I came upon something that caught my attention: July 6th. An officer came to my counter this morning to buy some perfume for his mother and we got to talking. I told him about Bert and that we'd only been married for a short time before he was shipped overseas and that he was in Singapore when it fell. This man, Major Bennett was very sympathetic and asked me how I was coping. I told him that I had good days and bad days but I was okay. He told me to keep my chin up. He was a nice man and handsome. There was news when I got home, Betty was pregnant. She had no idea who the father could be and didn't know what to do because she didn't have enough money to have an abortion. The other girls offered advice about how she could be rid of the kid without it costing money but these sounded dangerous. July 7th. Major Bennett came in again this morning and invited me to have lunch with him. I told him that I couldn't because I was keeping myself for Bert. He told me that was admirable but that I could have lunch and still be true to Bert. I declined. He seemed sad. Betty has heard of this woman who does the job for the prossies (prostitutes) and didn't charge much. She was going to see her tomorrow. I said that I thought that it was dangerous. July 8th. Major Bennett came in again this morning. He had spoken to the store manager Mr Foxworth, who said it would be okay for me to have lunch with him. I asked Mrs Jennings who said that she'd been told to allow me an hour for lunch. Major Bennett seems like a really nice man and he knows just about everyone. We were driven in his staff car to this really fancy restaurant that had obviously never heard of rationing going by the food on the menu, there was stuff there that I have never even heard of like Pate de Foie Gras, that was like fancy liverwurst, served with Melba toast. I had lamb chops but they were nothing like my mother cooked, she stews them but these were grilled and had a sauce poured over them instead of mint jelly. He offered me wine but I said no because I have to go back to work. I had coffee that was unlike any coffee I've ever tasted. I felt really special. His staff car stopped outside the store and he leant over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I felt as if my face was burning. He said he would see me again tomorrow. Betty is going to the woman's house on Saturday to get done. July 9th. Major Bennett was waiting for me outside the store and took me to another fancy restaurant. He has asked me to call him Roger because he says it sounds silly for me to call him Major Bennett now that we are friends. I wonder what Bert would say if he knew. It was a pleasant meal and he is nice company. He has told me about his family, especially his mother who is doing a good job of looking after the family farm while the men were at war. He told me that his father was killed in the early days in Europe. I felt sad for his loss. I know how he must feel losing family. We didn't talk about what he was doing in the war, or how he could manage to get the free time to take me to lunch. He told me his work was 'hush, hush' and he couldn't talk about it. He kissed me again when he dropped me back at the store. This time his kiss lasted a little longer than yesterday, and his hand was resting on my thigh. While I felt uncomfortable having his hand there, a thrill went through my body. Betty asked me if I wanted to buy her dressing table set because she was still a little short of the money she needed. I said that I would. It must have been really nice at one time, but it was showing signs of a hard life. Some of the other girls, especially Judy, have been trying to talk her out of doing this, while others like Lizzie want her to do it so that she doesn't have a kid crawling around cramping her style. My faith would stop me from going ahead with it but then I'm not her. July 10th. Major Bennett didn't take me to lunch today but he sent me flowers and a card telling me how sorry he was that he couldn't get away and how he missed our time together. Part of me was relieved because I feel guilty seeing him when I'm a married woman, but another part of me had been looking forward to seeing him again. Betty has enough money now and is going to have it done tomorrow. I'm sad for her baby but at the same time I wonder what sort of life it would have with a mother that didn't want it. July 11th. Betty is dead. She came back from having her abortion and she looked really pale and weak. She was bleeding badly and it wouldn't stop. The girls and I tried to stop it and when Mrs Simpson, out landlady, heard the commotion she came up and told us that we would have to take Betty out of here because she wasn't going to have her dying in her boarding house. We tried to get a taxi to take her to the hospital but the only one that came took one look at Betty and drove away. Betty died on the footpath. The police came and took us all to the police station where they asked us questions but none of us could tell them where the woman that did this was. I suspect that some of the girls knew but weren't talking. I sat in my room and thought about this and what I would have done if I was in her situation. I haven't heard from Major Bennett and I don't think I would have been good company for him. * * * I put the book down and my thoughts went back to what I remember Granny telling us about those years, about how girls would go with soldiers that they hardly knew and how many of them fell pregnant as a result. She didn't condemn them for their actions because she said that they were under a lot of pressure from men who were going off to war with a good chance of not coming back, and who needed any form of female companionship in their final days at home. My imagination began to put me in Granny's place. I was seated in a room at the police station, across from me was a policeman. He had a pad and pencil in front of him on the desk. "Your name is Dulcie Lawson, is this correct?" "No, my name is Dulcie Johnson, Lawson was my maiden name." "And you live in Mrs Simpson's boarding house?" "Yes, I have lived there since I moved down from Katoomba eighteen months ago." "Are you employed Dulcie?" "Yes." "Where?" "I work in the perfume department at Mark Foys." "You knew the deceased, Elizabeth . . . Jones, is this correct?" "Who?" "You probably know her as Betty." "I knew her to talk to but I didn't associate with her socially, or any of the other girls for that matter." "Did you know that Betty was pregnant?" "Yes, I heard some of the girls talking about it." "Did you know that she had planned to have an abortion?" "She asked me if I wanted to buy her dressing table set because she needed the money, and I overheard her talking with the other girls about being pregnant and an abortion was mentioned. I assumed that she might have needed the money for that." "Were you aware that procuring an abortion is illegal?" "Yes." "Then why didn't you come to us with your suspicions, we might have been able to save her life?" "I just thought . . " "That's the problem, you didn't think. Do you realise that we could charge you with aiding and abetting a murder?" "No! I did nothing wrong!" "You didn't tell us about it so that we could stop her going ahead with the abortion." I burst into tears, why is he doing this to me? "We could show some leniency toward you if you co-operate with our enquiries." He leaned toward me and I could smell his bad breath. "Who did she go to for her abortion?" "I don't know! She never told me anything and I didn't overhear anyone mention a name. All that I heard was that this woman did it for prostitutes and didn't charge much." "That will be all for now, but if I find out that you have lied to me you will be punished to the full extent of the law. Be warned." Mrs Simpson was angry with us. "You girls have caused me a lot of trouble. I've had the police here for most of the day asking me question after question, you'd have thought that I did it. This is a respectable establishment and I don't want any more trouble." I could imagine how scared Granny would have been, having to sit through this episode, and be accused of involvement, even though she was an innocent bystander. July 12th. I decided to stay inside today, it was cold and wet and I didn't feel like going out in such miserable weather. Lizzie came in and warned me against going out because there were policemen watching the house. July 13th. Monday and off to work. I had only just left the house when a policeman stopped me and asked me where I was going. I told him that I was going to work and opened my coat to show him my Mark Foys uniform. He let me by. I hope I don't have to go through this twice a day. Major Bennett called in and took me to lunch. He told me that he was sad that he missed seeing me on Friday. I told him what had happened on Saturday. He said that I should look for another place to live. I told that it was convenient to my work and all I could afford. When the car pulled up out the front of the store he kissed me on the lips and told me that he would see me tomorrow. When I got home I was told that Lizzie had been taken away by the police, and Mrs Simpson wasn't happy with the situation, the police had been here again today asking questions. She told us that she was going to close the boarding house down and gave us a week to find other accommodation. What am I going to do? * * * On reading this entry I felt sorry for Granny, she must have been scared when confronted by the policeman. Then my imagination took over and I found myself in her life once more. I had just finished serving a customer and was getting ready to go to lunch when Tom, the Major's driver, came up the counter. "Miss, Major Bennett would like you to come with me." I grabbed my purse and followed him outside. He held the back door open for me and I climbed into the rear of the car. The Major took my chin in his hand and kissed me on the lips. "I missed our lunch together on Friday, I was detained in a very important meeting that I couldn't get away from, please forgive me." "There's nothing to forgive. I know that you are a very important person with a very important job and I can't expect you to drop what you are doing just to have lunch with me. I'm not that important." "But you are. I find that my time with you takes the stress out of my life, I look forward to my time with you and just wish that I could see more of you." "I don't think that would be advisable, after all I am married." "I know, and respect that, and that is why I don't want to pressure you, although I do have a favour to ask of you." "Oh?" "What are your plans for Saturday afternoon?" "I have to work in the morning and I finish at twelve, after that, nothing. Why?" "I want to take you to the races at Randwick, my horse is running and I think you'll bring me good luck. Will you come?" "I'd like to, but I'd have to go home and change, I couldn't go to the races in my work uniform." "That's not a problem. I'll get Tom to pick you up and we can drop you off at home so that you can get changed." "That may not be a good idea." "Why not?" "The police are watching the boarding house and you probably wouldn't want to be seen outside." "We can always drop you off around the corner. Why are the police watching the house?" "One of the girls that lived there died on Saturday from loss of blood after she had an abortion. The police are trying to find out where she had it done. They even asked me why I didn't tell them about it before she had the abortion. They told me that I could be charged with aiding and abetting the abortion. I'm scared of them." Secrets of the Past "Don't be. I'll see what I can do." "What can you do, it is the police after all." "I'll speak to someone and let them know that you are a friend and should be left alone." "Then there's another problem. I have nothing suitable to wear." "That's easily fixed. Just pick out what you want and let Mrs Jennings know that it's to go on my account." "I couldn't, it's not right that you should give me presents." "Think nothing of it. I'll talk to her to confirm that you're to charge it." He kissed me again when we got back to the store. "Don't worry Dulcie, everything will be taken care of. Good-bye my dear, I'll see you tomorrow." Mrs Jennings came over to my counter just as the store closed. "Dulcie, Major Bennett has told me that you are to select clothes suitable to a day at the races followed by dinner, so we'll have to select casual clothes for the races and a formal dress for dinner. Do you want to do it now or will tomorrow be fine?" "Tomorrow will be fine, thank you." "Good, would you like to come in early so that we can get it over with before the store opens. I'll select several garments for you to try." "Thank you very much Mrs Jennings, I'll be here early tomorrow." I didn't feel right accepting clothes for the races, I felt even less right about a dress for dinner. As I walked up the street to the boarding house the policeman touched the peak of his cap. "Good evening Miss Johnson, I trust you had a pleasant day?" "Good evening, I did, thank you." The Major really must have friends in high places. Judy was coming from the other direction and had seen me walk straight past the policeman but the one on her side of the house stopped her and asked her several questions and got her to open her purse so that he could look through it. We entered the building at the same time. "How come you didn't get the third degree and get your purse searched?" She was a little put out by what had happened. "I don't know, he just asked me if I'd had a good day and let me go through." * * * July 14th. The policeman was standing just up the road when I left for work this morning. He commented that I was leaving early and I told him that I'd been asked to start early. Mrs Jennings met me in the fashion department where she had laid out several casual outfits for me to try. They were very nice and very expensive. I chose a slack suit with a matching overcoat in case the weather was cold. I also chose shoes and accessories to match. I felt like a film star in these clothes but when I tried on the evening dress I felt like a princess. It was a floor length royal blue silk gown that hugged my body to the waist and then flared out into a full skirt that seemed to float around me when I moved, and with matching shoes and gloves I couldn't help catching my breath when I saw myself in the mirror. I had never felt this special in my life. I couldn't wait until lunch time and when I got into the car I kissed Roger and thanked him for the wonderful presents. He told me that he couldn't wait to see me in the dress. It was a wonderful lunch, I felt really excited and special. The policeman was still there and again I walked straight past him. It was then that I remembered that I was going to tell Roger that I had to find somewhere else to live because Mrs Simpson was kicking all of us girls out. I'll talk to him tomorrow. July 15th. The policeman said 'G'day' to me this morning as I passed him. The morning dragged on, I was wishing it to hurry so that I could see Roger. Over lunch I told him about having to find somewhere else to live and how difficult it was because I couldn't get time from work. He told me not to worry, that if I couldn't find a place he would find a hotel where I could stay while I looked. He's being so nice and helpful. I can't wait until Saturday, Roger won't tell where we're going for dinner. The policeman was still on duty outside. July 16th Roger didn't come today, he sent Tom with flowers. The girls at work kept asking me who my beau was. It's fun being mysterious. July 17th Lunch with Roger. He apologised for not meeting me yesterday so I told him I understood. The food was very nice and his kiss when he dropped me off was even nicer. He told me that he'd see me after lunch tomorrow. I'm getting excited, I'd never been to the races before, and it seemed exotic for a country girl like me. July 18th. Saturday at last. I was on cloud nine all morning and the girls at work guessed that I had a hot date tonight. I just smiled my most enigmatic smile and kept them wondering. This is so much fun. Tom met me as I left work and told me that the Major was already at the track. He drove and I changed in the car. Tom dropped me outside the Members entrance to Randwick racecourse and Roger was waiting for me. He kissed me and put his hand on my waist as he led me inside. There were thousands of people at the track and the noise coming from the betting ring was very loud. Roger's horse Ricochet was running in the fourth race and he took me into the betting ring and placed a ten pound bet for me. We stood in the stand and cheered as Ricochet won his race and Roger led me to the enclosure where the jockey was weighed and the trophy was presented. Then we collected my winnings, I had never held so much money, it was about six month's wages for me. We stayed until the last race and, when we left the course it wasn't Tom that picked us up, but Roger had his own car, a Rolls Royce, and we drove to a hotel in Macquarie Street. He took me to his suite and we both changed for the evening, Tom had delivered my dress to Roger's suite. He looked handsome in his dinner suit. When I walked into the living room he just stood and stared at me. He told me that I looked gorgeous, then he took a burgundy velvet box from a drawer. He opened it and took a glittering necklace from it and placed it around my neck. He then placed a matching bracelet around my wrist and took a pair of earrings and placed them on my ears. Now I really did look like a princess. He kissed me before we left. We had dinner at a fancy restaurant at Mosman before he drove me to his holiday house at Palm Beach. From the front of the house I could look out over the ocean and hear the roar of the surf while the rear of the house looked over Pittwater. The view at night was pretty, it must be spectacular during the day. Roger came and stood behind me as I looked out the window. He put his arms around me and held me tight. I turned to him and he kissed me. I stayed the night. July 19th. What a way to start the day, breakfast in nothing but a silk robe with a view on both sides. Life doesn't get much better than this. After breakfast Roger produced clothes for me and we strolled hand in hand along the golden sands of Palm Beach watching the waves crashing on the sand. It was too cold for swimmers so we had the beach to ourselves. Lunch was at the local hotel, freshly caught fish and vegetables and I had a glass of wine. Then the big surprise. He drove me back into the city but instead of dropping me at my house he drove me down a narrow street in Glebe. He stopped the car outside a small house in a row of small houses and led me to the door. As I walked inside I saw my photos on the mantelpiece. This was my new home. He told me that it was mine, rent free for as long as I needed it. This got me thinking about Bert and for a moment I was quiet. He guessed what I was thinking about and told me that I could stay there after Bert got home if I needed to. I kissed him to thank him. He dropped me at work on his way to change. * * * Holy cow! What is happening here? My mind entered Dulcie's again. Tom was waiting for me as I walked out the staff entrance. "I am to take you home so that you can change, the Major will be waiting for us at Randwick" "If you promise not to look I can change in the car and we can go straight there." Even if he did look he wouldn't have seen anything. I pulled my slacks up under my skirt and fastened the waistband before slipping it off, this was followed by my blouse that came off to be replaced with the one from the outfit before slipping into the jacket. The most that he would have seen during the whole changing process would have been a flash of brassiere. Roger was waiting for me at the Members entrance and as I got out of the car I put my overcoat on and walked to him. He looked even more handsome out of uniform. He kissed me. "I've been looking forward to this moment from the very first time I met you, you look very nice. Come." He led me to the Members stand that wasn't as crowded as the other stands. It seemed as if everyone in Sydney was here, and the noise from the betting ring was almost deafening. "You're just in time fro the fourth race, my horse Ricochet is running in it." He pushed his way into the betting ring and placed a ten pound win bet for me. "He's starting at ten to one, the odds mean that when he wins you'll get a thousand pounds." "Wow! That's more money than I've ever had in my life!" So of course I was excited standing in the Members cheering like mad as he flashed past the winning post yards ahead of the second horse. Roger led me down to the enclosure where he accepted the winner's cup and first prize cheque. We then collected my winnings from the bookmaker. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the stand watching the rest of the races. Several men came over and spoke to Roger. I noticed them casting an eye over me but nothing was said. After the final race we walked to the Members car park. I half expected to see Tom waiting for us so you can imagine my surprise when Roger opened the door of a shiny black Rolls Royce for me. I sat in the front seat running my hands over the soft leather and the polished wood. This car was so luxurious, I didn't even hear the engine when he started it, I just felt it move as we drove out of the car park and headed to the city. A man in uniform took the keys from outside a hotel in Macquarie Street and we walked into the foyer. "Wait, my dress, I left it with Tom." Roger chuckled. "It's all taken care of." He nodded to the Concierge as we walked to the lifts. The uniformed lift driver didn't have to ask him which floor, he just swung the lever to the top floor and the car shot up. "Thank you for the tip sir. I had a couple of bob (shillings) on him. That'll keep me in smokes for a while." "That's all right Freddie. He's running again in two weeks, we'll see how well he pulls up after this race and if everything's okay I'll let you know." "Your floor sir, madam, and thank you sir. Have a good night." I don't think he meant for me to see his wink, but I did. Roger opened the door to the most luxurious room that I have ever seen, there was polished wood and leather everywhere. He pulled back the curtains and I could see over Hyde Park and down below us was the bustle of cars driving along Macquarie Street, but from up here I couldn't hear the traffic noise. It was as if I was in a different world. He came and stood behind me with his arms around me. "It's spectacular isn't it?" "Yes, I feel like a princess standing up here with you." "Come, we must change for dinner. You can have the master bedroom, I'll take the second bedroom." He showed me to the bedroom and I found my dress laid out on the bed along with the shoes, gloves and purse and undergarments, panties, stockings and a garter belt. I quickly stripped off and slipped the panties on, they were silk and felt so much better than my usual ones. The stockings too were silk and I loved the feel of them as I pulled them carefully up my legs and clipped them to the garter belt. I looked at myself when I had finished dressing and found myself looking at a stranger, I had never looked this elegant in my entire life. I brushed my hair, I contemplated for a moment about putting it up into a chignon or something like it but decided that the natural look suited me best. Roger looked very handsome in his dinner suit as I walked into the room. He stood looking at me and then walked over to a cabinet and took from it a burgundy velvet box. "This will complete the picture of your perfection." He opened it and took from it a diamond necklace that glittered under the lights. Placing it around my neck, he kissed me. "You look spectacularly beautiful my dear." Next he took a matching diamond bracelet from the box and placed it on my wrist. I held my arm up and watched the sparkling lights dance before my eyes. Finally he took a pair of earrings from the box. "I'm glad you have pierced ears, you wouldn't look complete without these." He slipped the hooks through my lobes and stood back to admire the finished product. "Yes, you are a princess, my princess." He took me in his arms and kissed me again. I clung to his neck, tears of joy trickled down my cheeks. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed them away. "Come, dinner awaits us. As we walked through the foyer I saw his car pull up out front and the attendant get out. "Enjoy your evening sir, madam." "Thank you Bill, we won't be back until tomorrow." "Very good sir, when you bring her back I'll give her a wash and wax and check the oil and water, if that's okay with you." "Excellent, you keep her in tip top condition for me. Good night." I expected that we would be going to a restaurant in the city somewhere but soon found myself looking at the harbour from the Harbour Bridge. There were few cars on the road and I wondered how it was that Roger was able to get fuel for his car when so many were unable to. We pulled up outside a restaurant in Mosman and the Maitre D' led us straight to our table. The room was full of customers, all immaculately dressed and watching as we were seated. With a flourish we were presented with a menu. "Would you like me to order for you?" "Yes, would you." I had glanced at the menu and was confused by what I saw, I'd never even heard of half the dishes and I didn't dare look at the prices. He perused, is that the right word, the menu. "We'll have the Bisque ou coulis d'écrevisses to start then the Caneton a L'orange and for dessert the Crème Broulee. We'll have the Château Le Tour de Mons Margaux with the main course and a Chateau d' Yquem to finish." He handed the menu and wine list back. He is the most sophisticated man I've ever met. He reached across the table and took my hand in his. "You are the most beautiful woman here and I'm going to make sure that you enjoy your evening. The first course arrived and it was the first time that I'd tasted a lobster soup and I found it very nice although a little spicy for my taste. The main course was a small duck covered with a orange flavoured gravy, although Roger told me it wasn't the same as gravy, he called it a demi-glazed sauce, with thin strips of orange peel and quartered oranges on the side. The wine was very nice and full bodied, I was used to beer and cheap Australian wines, what did we call it, Red Ned, so this was another new experience. (Note: Australia didn't begin to produce its pre-eminent wines until the 1980's and is now one of the world's top producers of premium wines.) The dessert was like a small cylinder of thick custard with toffee on top. It was nice with the sweet white wine and topped off a pleasant meal. We left and instead of driving back to the city we drove North over the Spit Bridge and along the Northern Beaches to Palm Beach. Here Roger pulled into the driveway of a two storey house. He opened the garage doors and I waited while he parked the Rolls, it looked like he didn't intend to drive home tonight. We went in through the front door and climbed the stairs to the top floor. There were picture windows on both sides of the room, one looking over the ocean and the other looking West over Pittwater, not that you could see much. I stood looking out over the sea, listening to the surf and feeling just a little tipsy when Roger came and stood behind me, his arms around me. I turned in his arms and he kissed me. I think I kissed him back and he held me to him for some time before releasing me but I wasn't going anywhere. I looked up into his eyes and stood on my toes and kissed him, his hands were gently caressing my bare shoulders. He slipped the shoulder straps over my shoulders and pushed my dress down over my hips to the floor, I was powerless to stop him, a small part of me wanted to but I ignored that part, especially when he kissed my breast, another new experience in a night of new experiences, and I was tingling all over. He was caressing my breast as he kissed the nipple and it was all that I could do to stay on my feet. "Come." He led me into the bedroom and to the bed and when he turned down the covers I could see that the sheets were silk. He took my stockings and garter belt off leaving me in only my panties. Bending, he lifted me and lowered me gently onto the cool silk sheets, they felt so soft and smooth against my skin that I just wanted to lie there and writhe around, to feel them against my body. Roger stripped off and climbed into bed but not before I noticed that his penis was erect and big. I went readily into his arms and we kissed, his tongue pushing between my lips and his hands roaming my body. My week with Bert had been nothing like this, shit why am I thinking about him now? Roger must have felt me tense because he stopped. "What's the matter Darling?" "Nothing." Even I wasn't convinced. "You're worrying about Bert, aren't you?" "A little I guess." "Let me take your mind off that, just relax and enjoy." He returned to his roaming and it wasn't long before his hand slipped under the waist of my panties and pushed them down so that his fingers could explore me. He pushed a finger inside me and moved it in and out until I could feel my juices flow and my hips begin to jerk. He took my hand and placed it on his penis and I began to stroke him. I felt him pushing my panties down until they were off and he spread my legs apart and lowered himself on me and pushed himself into me, deep into me. Roger was making love to me, a naive little shop girl from Katoomba was being made love to by this handsome, debonair, dashing, and sophisticated army officer, Major Roger Bennett, my Major Roger Bennett. The sensation of the silk against the skin of my back and Roger inside of me was quickly bringing me to another orgasm, coming, that was how the girls at the boarding house described it, I had a cock inside my cunt and I was coming. They said that it felt good, but I disagree, it feels sensational! My hips rose from the bed as the convulsions took control of my body and then I felt him flooding my insides with his sperm, the sensation of this blotted out all other thoughts from me, I was in love with this man. I had felt my feelings for him grow for some time but now I was certain that I loved him and, as if to seal my fate I heard his voice, "Darling Dulcie, I love you." I am complete. The sun rose out of the sea and shone through the window. I stirred lazily, feeling once more the sensation of the silk on my body, then I felt a hand on my breast. "Good morning sleepy head. How are you feeling?" "I feel like I've died and gone to heaven." I purred, "Now I know what a princess feels like, waking in this luxurious bed with the man of my dreams beside me, ready to make love to me again. You are ready to make love to me, aren't you?" "I've been ready for hours, I've been waiting for you to wake up." His hand reached down to my vagina, I can't call it that, it sounds so formal, it's my cunt, no that sounds crude. What can I call it? "Your pussy feels good this morning." He bent down and began to lick me. So it will be my pussy from now on. The sensation of his tongue in my pussy was nearly as good as his cock, but I could wait for that. It wasn't long before he was inside me again and I was coming, again. Secrets of the Past If I thought that last night was luxury, this morning was even more luxuriously decadent, sitting at the table wearing nothing more than a silk gown that insisted on opening far enough for Roger to get a good view of my breasts and falling away from my thighs so that he could almost see my pussy. He prepared Eggs Benedict which we had followed by coffee followed by a stroll arm in arm along the beach, after a shower and change into fresh clothes. Being July and winter, there were no swimmers in the water and very few people walking on the beach, the waves crashed onto the golden sands sending spray up into the air to be caught by the wind and blown onto us as we walked. It felt so exhilarating that I wish the day never to end. Roger drove towards the city, stopping at a hotel in Newport for a lunch of freshly caught fish and vegetables. I had a glass of a very nice white wine with him before we resumed our journey. "Where are we going?" I asked as we turned and headed west once we had crossed the bridge instead of east. "It's a surprise." That's all he said. I couldn't think what the surprise could be and I was still wondering when he turned into a narrow street in Glebe and stopped outside a small cottage. "Come." He held out his hand for me and led me through the front gate and up to the front door where he took a key from his pocket, opened the door and led me inside. "Welcome to your new home." "What? You must be joking! It can't be." "It is. It's yours, rent free for as long as you need it." He must have noticed my worried look, how could I explain this the Bert when he came home? This is your new home, you don't have to worry about living in a boarding house that was run by a woman who also runs brothels, which is why the police were so interested in her after Betty's death. It was she who told Betty about the backyard abortionist that she went to, that was why she insisted that you and the others take Betty out of the house, she was protecting herself." "Mrs Simpson owned a brothel, I never knew." "Consider yourself lucky to be out of there. Apparently what she would do would be to open a perfectly legal and above board boarding house, fill it with girls and then raise the rent until they couldn't afford it. Then she would offer them a deal, they work for her and they get the room rent free. You were different from the other girls because you had a good job and could afford the higher rent. But you're still lucky to be out of there, the police would have kept threatening you until you revealed who it was that told Betty where to go for her abortion." "But where, how, why are you doing this for me?" "Because my Darling Dulcie, I love you, and I don't want you to have to worry about anything, including the uncertainty of living in rented accommodation." "Oh Roger, I don't know how I can repay you." "By loving me." "But I'm married. Nothing can come of our love." "Dulcie, I know that, but I'm happy with what I have right now." He kissed me and I began to repay him. He dropped me off at work the next morning. * * * July 14th. I am so happy!!! Roger and I made love this morning before he dropped me at work. We had lunch together and Mrs Jennings kept smiling at me whenever she walked past the perfume counter. The other girls wanted to know why it was that I was so happy. I couldn't tell them that I was counting the minutes before meeting again with my knight in shining armour, my lover. * * * I found that as I read her words I immediately became her. I had just changed out of my work clothes into something more casual when I heard a key turn in the front door. I ran to him and threw myself into his arms and we kissed as only lovers can. "Are you ready?" He asked me when we finally separated. "For what?" "Dinner. I thought that we'd go to the Maxim's to celebrate, after all it's where I took you the first time." "I thought that I should cook dinner for us tonight, I even picked up some groceries on my way home. Please let me cook for you." "Very well my dear. Can I do anything for you?" "No, I have everything under control." Who was I kidding. I was as nervous as can be cooking my first meal for him, what if I mucked it up? I lit the gas stove and put on a saucepan of salted water for the vegetables. I peeled and diced two potatoes and some pumpkin and placed these in the pot. On another ring was a separate saucepan for the beans that I quickly topped and tailed and sliced. Then on a third ring I placed a heavy cast iron frying pan. When it was hot I put a small piece of dripping (fat) into it and placed two steaks into it. They sizzled away for a few minutes before I turned them over and when they were seared on both sides I turned the gas off and let them rest in the cooling pan. While this was happening I drained the potatoes and pumpkin and, adding a knob of precious butter and some milk, mashed them until they were creamy, I drained the beans and placed them on the plates along with a spoonful of the mashed vegetables and the steak. I quickly made a sauce from flour, the pan juices and some Worcestershire sauce. Roger cut into the steak and I was relieved to see that it was still pink in the middle, the way that he liked it. He wiped the plate clean with a slice of bread before standing up and walking around to my chair and lifting me out of it to kiss me. "That was the best meal that I've had since I left the farm. Those fancy restaurants are all well and good but you just can't beat a good hearty, home cooked meal. I have really missed that. I am going to be looking forward to more of this." "You could always move in with me." "Much as I'd like to, that would be impossible. Because of my job you would have to have a security clearance and you would have a security guard with you at all times when I'm not with you, and that means at work. I can't see Mr. Foxworth putting up with that. You do understand don't you?" "Yes I do, and I'll be happy seeing you whenever you can make it, and we'll always still have our lunches together." "Yes we will, my favourite time of the day, apart from when I'm with you and we're making love." He led me to the bedroom and we made love. * * * There was more of the same, sometimes he would stay overnight with Dulcie, usually once or twice a week, while others they would only see each other for lunch. He spent each Sunday with her, sometimes they stayed home, usually in bed, while on other occasions they travelled into the city and went to different places. That was until the 12th of October. October 12. Well it's official, I'm pregnant. I had missed my last two periods and have just received the news from the doctor. The rabbit has spoken and I'm pregnant. I told Roger tonight and he didn't take as well as I thought he would. I asked him how I could explain the situation to my parents and to Bert's given that Bert had been overseas for months before I fell pregnant. Roger said that he'd take care of that but he wouldn't tell me how. For the first time since Palm Beach he left straight after dinner. Whenever I cooked for him he'd stay the night and we'd make love. I don't know what I'm going to do. * * * Nothing more was said about her pregnancy other than Roger saying that he would make sure that she'd be okay. Then the bad news. * * * November 5th. I am officially a War Widow. The telegram arrived telling me that Bert had been killed in an accident on the Burma Railway. Heavy rain had caused a landslide and he had been crushed under tons of falling rock. When Roger told me the details, the telegram only said that he was dead, I could think of only one thing, I was free to marry him. That was when he broke the really bad news, he told me that he loved me, really loved me, but couldn't marry me because he was already married and that his wife lived on the farm with his mother. That was the last time that I saw him alone and I was worried. Would he honour his promise that I could stay in the house as long as I needed to, and I would have to give up work soon and apply for the War Widow's Pension. Would it be enough to live on after the baby was born? * * * Dulcie stayed at work until she began to show in late November. She spent her time getting the things together in readiness and worrying about how she could break the news to her parents about her pregnancy. Then in December help came from a totally different source. * * * December 19th. I noticed a woman walking back and forth in front of my house as if she was looking for something. I was coming back from the shops with my weekly groceries and as soon as I opened the gate to go in she spoke and introduced herself as Roger's wife. I thought that she would be a nasty vicious woman accusing me of stealing her husband from her but nothing could have been further from the truth. By the time she left we had my future mapped out. * * * Here I am inside Granny again. "You must be Dulcie?" "Yes, can I help you?" "May I come inside and talk with you?" "Yes, of course." We went inside and I put my groceries on the kitchen table. "Would you like a cup of tea, I'm going to have one." "I should introduce myself, I'm Alexandra Bennett, Roger's wife, my friends call me Alex. I understand that it has been some time since you've seen my husband." "Yes it has." I busied myself making the tea wondering what was going to happen, would she accuse me of stealing her husband from her? Would she tell me that she was going to divorce him and name me as a co-respondent and I'd have my name splashed in all of the newspapers that took great delight in trumpeting the wrongdoings of the rich and famous to the world? I could see the headlines now; 'Officer and the shop-girl in love triangle.' "Please Dulcie, don't be afraid of me, I am here to help you, but first we have to get our facts straight. I have no intention of divorcing Roger, like you I love him and don't want to lose him. You are a spot of bother with your pregnancy, I understand that you were married and that your husband is dead, the problem being that there is a discrepancy between the date of when you last saw your husband and when my husband made you pregnant. I have a solution that I've discussed with him and he has agreed to it, along with his promise that he'll never see you again, unless I am there." "What do you mean? How can there be a solution to my problems?" "First things first. This house is yours, I have made him sign the title over to you, it is yours to keep, there is nothing owing on it so you can never be kicked out of it. Secondly, the official military records will show that Private Herbert Johnson came home on leave in July 1942 and that while he was here you made love and you fell pregnant. I know that he was supposed to have been overseas at the time and a Prisoner of War but this has been arranged so that when your baby is born the Birth Certificate will show Herbert Johnson as the father." "How can this be done? I don't understand." "Roger never explained to you about his job did he?" "No." "Let us just say that he has pulled strings because he could, he had to because I told him to. I threatened, that unless he did this, he would lose both of us." "I don't know how to thank you." I was confused, grateful, and, in a way happy and sad at the same time. This woman that I'd never met, and who should hate me, is making things right for me, and the only thing that we have in common is our love for the same man. "There is one other thing." "What is that?" I was worried again. "As Roger and I have not been able to have children. . . " "No! I am not going to give my baby to you." "Will you wait until I finish. What I was going to say was that I want Roger and I to be the child's Godparents, and I want to be able to come and visit whenever I feel like it, I may even bring Roger with me as long as you don't get any ideas about more children." We finished our tea and she left. * * * The diary continued up to the birth of my mother and her christening. My great-grandparents, all four of them, were there and her father asked her who Roger was. He was introduced to them as friend who helped her out after she was told of Bert's death. I rang mother and asked about her Godparents and she told me that they were a very nice couple who helped out from time to time and Aunt Alex was particularly helpful in making it easy for her to get into university. True to her word, when mother was old enough to go to school, the fees and other costs were paid for her to attend Alex's old school, the Methodist Ladies College at Burwood (this was a time of gender separation in private schools in Australia) and when she graduated high school they paid for her university fees and stood proudly beside Granny at her graduation. I asked her about her Birth Certificate and she told me that it was perfectly normal and when I asked, that her father was listed as Private Herbert Johnson (deceased) Granny, if you can hear me, your secret is safe with me.