Under the Apple Tree Read Online Free PDF

And there was no question of a wedding yet,
    with Sean going back to sea the very next day.
    For most of the past eight months, Sean had been in the
    Northern Atlantic, off Norway and Iceland. During that
    time, he had sent letters — none for weeks, and then a dozen
    all arriving at once. Letters that were now buried beneath a
    heap of rubble in Friday night’s blast.
    How did you tell your fiance the sort of things that had
    happened during the past twenty-four hours? Judy sighed
    and sucked the end of her grandmother’s fountain pen, and
    started to write.
    Dear Sean,
    We had a bit of trouble in Pompey last night. There were
    a lot of aircraft and we got badly bombed. We ‘re all OK
    but Mum and Dad and Polly and I are staying with
    Gran up in April Grove. I hope things are OK with you,
    as they find me here. I’m too tired to write any more now
    and will close for tonight.
    From your loving Judy.
    It didn’t seem much, but she felt that if she started to tell
    him what it had really been like, she would still be there
    come morning.

Chapter Three
    Polly got up early next morning and found Judy already
    downstairs, lighting the fire.
    ‘I know Gran wouldn’t usually have a fire in the morning,
    but there’s no other way of making any tea. I wanted to get
    everyone a hot drink before I go off to work.’
    ‘You’re going to work?’ Polly looked at her niece in
    surprise. ‘But it’s Sunday.’
    ‘Doesn’t matter. We’ve got to get the new offices sorted
    out. People will be flooding in wanting help, and we can’t
    just tell ‘em to go away and come back on Monday. There’s
    all the Emergency Centres to be seen to, and people
    evacuated or found new homes - any amount of things to be
    done.’ Judy held a sheet of newspaper in front of the fire to
    make it blaze up. ‘It’s a good thing you went and got our
    coal. I don’t know how long it’ll be before we get the gas and
    electricity back.’
    ‘It’s not just that, either. They were going round telling
    people to boil water for ten minutes before drinking it in
    case of typhoid.’ Polly put some plates on the table and
    began to slice the rest of yesterday’s loaf. ‘Well, at least Jerry gave us a quiet night; we’ll all feel better for a few hours’
    sleep. Me and your mother have got to go round the
    Emergency Centre again this morning, get new ration books
    sorted out and see what money they’ll give us. They were
    too busy yesterday, so once we’d registered we just came on
    here. And there’s people we ought to let know - your
    Auntie May and Uncle Fred, and your mum’s friend Mrs
    Walker. One of us ought to go round and see Jean Foster
     
    too, let her know where we are. She’s Terry’s girlfriend
    after all, almost one of the family.’ She stopped and stared at the loaf in her hand. ‘I wish I could go out and see Sylvie.’
    ‘Oh, Polly! She must be wondering if you’re all right.
    They won’t know what’s been going on, out there in the
    country.’ Judy lowered the newspaper just as it was
    beginning to scorch in the middle. ‘Why don’t you go on the
    train?’
    ‘I don’t suppose they’re running, do you? Anyway, I
    don’t feel I can leave your mum and dad, not with the way
    Cis is, and your dad was wheezing all day long yesterday.
    There’s such a lot to see to here. I did send a telegram
    yesterday, just to say we were all well, but she don’t know
    nothing about the house, of course. There’s not much point
    in telling her, is there - not straight away. She’s only seven
    and I don’t want to frighten her.’
    ‘She’ll have to know, though, because of addressing her
    letters.’ Judy stood up, irresolute. ‘Perhaps I shouldn’t go
    into work, after all …’
    ‘No, no, you go, you can’t let the office down. We can
    manage here, and what Sylvie doesn’t know won’t hurt her.
    I’ll try and go out sometime next week if the trains are
    running again, and I’ll write her a letter. Now, is that