The House by the Fjord Read Online Free PDF Page B

came, but then in desperation Gunnar called in the medical officer, whom Vanessa knew well. He told her brusquely that she was pregnant, but even that might not have jolted her out of her lethargy if a few days later she hadn’t felt the baby give a flutter of movement or imagined that she did.’ Molly gave a laugh. ‘That did the trick. She left her bed and ate three scrambled eggs with four pieces of toast!’
    â€˜How is she now?’
    â€˜Still thin as a rake and not really settled, but she is not likely to leave Gunnar or die, as he had begun to fear. They have the ground floor of this house as their apartment.’ She paused on the stairs again to impart some more information. ‘Sally Brand, whom you’ve just seen, is Canadian and financially the most well-off of all of us, because her father is a very successful businessman and sends her a generous allowance every three months. She can afford to have almost anything she wants and is the only one of us with a part-time nursemaid. Sometimes she even takes a shopping trip over the border into Sweden where – not having been occupied by the Nazis – the shops do have more goods to sell. She is generous and usually buys us all a gift – sometimes a lipstick or chocolates, and once we all had a bracelet, each one different. You should see her wardrobe! She has some lovely clothes that she brought with her from Canada.’
    Molly had spoken without envy, simply setting the scene for Anna. They had reached the open door on the landing and a hush fell as they entered to face a circle of eight smiling young women, all of them curious to meet the newcomer arriving in their midst. One of the two toddlers playing on the floor turned quickly to his mother in shyness.
    â€˜This is Anna Vartdal!’ Molly announced. ‘My friend through thick and thin and more air raids than I care to remember!’
    They laughed and greeted Anna while Sally poured coffee into a fresh cup. ‘Do you like milk or cream in your coffee, Anna?’ she asked. ‘We buy our dairy products from local farmers. They are not supposed to sell off ration cards, but they do and charge us a little extra for it.’
    â€˜Cream will be a great treat,’ Anna replied. ‘I cannot remember the last time I had it.’
    â€˜Have one of Jane’s sugared cookies with your coffee. She is the best cook among us.’
    Jane, dark-haired and tall, gave Anna a welcoming grin and offered the plate of cookies. ‘It’s good to have you aboard.’
    â€˜You sound as if you were in the Navy,’ Anna replied.
    â€˜Yes, I was a Wren, stationed at Portsmouth for most of my time.’
    Anna had found the cookie to be crisp and delicious. ‘Did you bake these for the sailors, Jane?’ she said jokingly.
    â€˜I did once for a sailor who was special to me,’ Jane answered on a quiet note, ‘but he was lost on convoy duty when his ship was torpedoed.’
    â€˜Oh, I’m so sorry,’ Anna said, distressed that she herself should have been the one to make a thoughtless remark.
    Jane waved a forgiving hand. ‘That was about two years before I met Per on a train. We started talking and that was it. I thought I could never love a second time, but he showed me that it was possible and I’m grateful to him for it.’
    Anna thought to herself that Jane was unaware of being a little tactless herself in advocating second love to a widow, but she put it from her mind as she was introduced to Vanessa, who was still pale and very slim from the time homesickness had made her ill. Her appearance was not helped by her thin pointed features and her pale golden hair, which gave her an ethereal look. Anna hoped that she was eating more now than scrambled eggs and toast.
    â€˜We’ll do our best to make you happy here,’ Vanessa said quite shyly. ‘I’ve found everyone in our group to be very