it in the tin and gave him the right money back.
‘You will please explain these coins to me?’ He spread them on the table.
Peggy sorted through them. ‘This is a shilling, what we call a “bob”, and this is sixpence – that’s half a shilling, but it’s usually called a “tanner”, and these are threepenny bits. These big ones are half-crowns – they’re worth two shilling and sixpence. The sixpenny bits go in the meter.’
Aleksy frowned, clearly still baffled.
She tipped some pennies and farthings from the tin to help her explain more clearly. ‘So,’ she said, ‘there’re four of these farthings to the penny. Twelve pennies to the bob, and twenty bob to the pound – or what some call a “quid”.’
He reached into the breast-pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small notebook and a stub of pencil. As Peggy went through it all again, he noted it down before returning the pad to his pocket. ‘Thank you. It is most complicated, I think. I will learn like schoolboy, as with my English, eh?’
She liked his smile: it lit up his eyes and took the sadness away. He must be lonely so very far from home where everything from the language to the money was strange and confusing – but then her home seemed to be a magnet for the lost and dispossessed these days.
‘Don’t feel you have to go,’ she said, as he gathered up the coins and rose from the chair. ‘I was just going to make some cocoa – it will have to be powdered milk, I’m afraid; the boys finished the fresh at teatime.’ She smiled up at him warmly. ‘Would you like some?’
‘Ah, the famous English cocoa. I have heard of this. Thank you. I would like to try.’ He sat down again, his long legs stretched towards the warmth of the fire as he lit a cigarette.
Peggy measured out the powdered milk and added water to the pan before setting it on the hotplate. Stirring in the cocoa powder, she was aware of him watching her closely. ‘It won’t really taste the same without proper milk, but needs must.’
‘I am certain it will be delicious,’ he murmured.
She waited for it to thicken and carefully divided it between the two mugs. To her annoyance, her hand slipped as she was carrying it to the table, and she splashed hot cocoa on to the cloth.
‘I will clean.’
Before she could protest, he’d leapt to his feet, fetched the cloth from the sink, wiped away the spill, rinsed out the cloth and hung it over the tap. This was such an unusual sight that Peggy could only stare at him.
‘I am sorry,’ he said with a frown. ‘You not like me to do this thing?’
Gathering her wits, she gave an uncertain laugh. ‘You can do any job you like about the place,’ she said. ‘It’s just a surprise to see a man lend a hand, that’s all.’
His frown deepened. ‘Your husband, he does not do these things?’
‘It would never occur to him,’ she muttered. Realising she was being disloyal, she swiftly added, ‘But then he’s good at other things.’ What these were, she couldn’t quite recall, and she covered her embarrassment by taking the proffered cigarette from the packet of Park Drive and letting him light it.
‘I like this cocoa,’ said Aleksy, after he’d taken a sip. ‘It is very good.’
‘That’s good,’ she replied, fishing a shred of tobacco from her tongue. ‘You’ll probably get quite a lot of it if you’re staying in England a while.’
‘I am here for as long as the RAF needs me,’ he said. ‘But of course I will not always be permitted to remain in your delightful home. I will soon be sent to the airbase barracks to help instruct the Polish fliers.’
She laughed and shot a glance over the battered furniture, worn lino and draughty windows. ‘I’d hardly call this delightful,’ she replied. ‘The whole kitchen needs a coat of paint, new windows and lino – and I don’t know what else.’
His handsome face grew solemn, his eyes darkening with some inner pain. ‘It is delightful, Mrs Reilly,
‘You will please explain these coins to me?’ He spread them on the table.
Peggy sorted through them. ‘This is a shilling, what we call a “bob”, and this is sixpence – that’s half a shilling, but it’s usually called a “tanner”, and these are threepenny bits. These big ones are half-crowns – they’re worth two shilling and sixpence. The sixpenny bits go in the meter.’
Aleksy frowned, clearly still baffled.
She tipped some pennies and farthings from the tin to help her explain more clearly. ‘So,’ she said, ‘there’re four of these farthings to the penny. Twelve pennies to the bob, and twenty bob to the pound – or what some call a “quid”.’
He reached into the breast-pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small notebook and a stub of pencil. As Peggy went through it all again, he noted it down before returning the pad to his pocket. ‘Thank you. It is most complicated, I think. I will learn like schoolboy, as with my English, eh?’
She liked his smile: it lit up his eyes and took the sadness away. He must be lonely so very far from home where everything from the language to the money was strange and confusing – but then her home seemed to be a magnet for the lost and dispossessed these days.
‘Don’t feel you have to go,’ she said, as he gathered up the coins and rose from the chair. ‘I was just going to make some cocoa – it will have to be powdered milk, I’m afraid; the boys finished the fresh at teatime.’ She smiled up at him warmly. ‘Would you like some?’
‘Ah, the famous English cocoa. I have heard of this. Thank you. I would like to try.’ He sat down again, his long legs stretched towards the warmth of the fire as he lit a cigarette.
Peggy measured out the powdered milk and added water to the pan before setting it on the hotplate. Stirring in the cocoa powder, she was aware of him watching her closely. ‘It won’t really taste the same without proper milk, but needs must.’
‘I am certain it will be delicious,’ he murmured.
She waited for it to thicken and carefully divided it between the two mugs. To her annoyance, her hand slipped as she was carrying it to the table, and she splashed hot cocoa on to the cloth.
‘I will clean.’
Before she could protest, he’d leapt to his feet, fetched the cloth from the sink, wiped away the spill, rinsed out the cloth and hung it over the tap. This was such an unusual sight that Peggy could only stare at him.
‘I am sorry,’ he said with a frown. ‘You not like me to do this thing?’
Gathering her wits, she gave an uncertain laugh. ‘You can do any job you like about the place,’ she said. ‘It’s just a surprise to see a man lend a hand, that’s all.’
His frown deepened. ‘Your husband, he does not do these things?’
‘It would never occur to him,’ she muttered. Realising she was being disloyal, she swiftly added, ‘But then he’s good at other things.’ What these were, she couldn’t quite recall, and she covered her embarrassment by taking the proffered cigarette from the packet of Park Drive and letting him light it.
‘I like this cocoa,’ said Aleksy, after he’d taken a sip. ‘It is very good.’
‘That’s good,’ she replied, fishing a shred of tobacco from her tongue. ‘You’ll probably get quite a lot of it if you’re staying in England a while.’
‘I am here for as long as the RAF needs me,’ he said. ‘But of course I will not always be permitted to remain in your delightful home. I will soon be sent to the airbase barracks to help instruct the Polish fliers.’
She laughed and shot a glance over the battered furniture, worn lino and draughty windows. ‘I’d hardly call this delightful,’ she replied. ‘The whole kitchen needs a coat of paint, new windows and lino – and I don’t know what else.’
His handsome face grew solemn, his eyes darkening with some inner pain. ‘It is delightful, Mrs Reilly,
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