Code Red (WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 5

The girls entered a dark house, Chrissy brushing the wall with her hand in search of the light switch once Waverly had closed the door. Mavis emerged at the far end of the hallway, carrying a tray with a teapot, cups, saucers and a plate of biscuits. Chrissy's eyes lit up.

"I'll put these in the room. Is Miss Haught with you?" she asked, struggling to open the door to the lounge. Chrissy rushed forward to help. Waverly was initially concerned she was going for the biscuits, but seeing her open the door for the housekeeper, breathed a sigh of relief. "No, she's still at work," Waverly replied, not sure how much this woman knew about where they worked.

"Dinner is at 7pm," putting the tray down on a small table just inside the room.

Waverly sat on her bed. Tired from another long, hard day. She missed home, missed the familiar sounds of her family moving around her house. She missed her older sister the most. She would dearly love to be able to tell her all about the work at Station X, but knew it was against the rules. But, oh how she would be fascinated to know what I'm doing, Waverly mused.

The evening meal was everything Chrissy had hoped for. She tucked in to the chicken pie with relish, polishing off her portion in a matter of minutes. Waverly sat quietly eating her selection of vegetables. Nicole hadn't returned home. The house felt less cosy without her presence. Chrissy broke the silence. "So, have you never eaten meat?" she asked, clearly the thought of someone not playing on her mind.

"Oh, I did for a while," Waverly replied. "I just don't agree with killing animals and eating them for our benefit."

"I'm not sure I could go without meat," Chrissy continued, a look on her face to say she was trying to work out what it would be like.

They sat in the lounge after dinner, listening to the radio. Waverly heard the front door open then close just before 9pm. She wanted to rush into the hallway to see if it was Nicole. Thinking better of it, she remained in the armchair, listening intensely. She heard footsteps on the wooden floor. The door to the study open and close. More footsteps in the hallway, a knock on a door. Nicole's voice say 'come in.' Muffled conversation. A door close. Footsteps retreating to the kitchen.

Chrissy decided she needed her beauty sleep and headed off to bed. Waverly sat for a while, hoping Nicole would come into the lounge. After fifteen minutes she realised this probably wasn't going to happen and she should make her way upstairs. She picked up the book she had started, moving towards the door. As she left the lounge Mavis was coming along the hallway with a tray of food, headed for the study. They said goodnight to each other as they passed.

In her nightgown, she sat in bed reading another chapter of the story. A love affair set in the Midlands, the industrial heart of England. A little more risqué than she was used to reading, it made her stomach flutter, as a couple in the story begin their affair. A knock on the door startled her. Nicole was holding a mug. Still in her uniform, she looked exhausted. Waverly desperately wanted to ask her in, ask her about her day, offer some comfort. She thought better of it, merely smiling, waiting for Nicole to speak. "I thought you might like some warm milk," offering the mug to Waverly. "Don't tell Chrissy," she winked.

"Thank you, that's so sweet of you," Waverly blushing at the realisation what she said may have sounded a little too familiar. Nicole smiled, turning towards the stairs. "I borrowed a book if that's alright," Waverly added, studying Nicole's back.

"Which one did you choose?" Nicole enquired, pausing at the top of the stairs.

"I think it's called Lady Chatterley's Lover."

Nicole turned, studying Waverly's face intensely. "Interesting choice," she replied after a few moments, heading downstairs.

The girls sat eating breakfast. Nicole joined them briefly, taking a slice of toast, lost in thought. "I need to work here this morning," she announced after several minutes of silence. "Alan will take you in. I'll see you later," getting up from the table.

There was no sign of her that day. The uniformed gentleman, who had given the presentation on the first day, sat at the top desk busy making notes. The girls continued their translations, Waverly looking up every time a messenger entered the room. The tea trolley came and went. Lunch came and went. The afternoon dragged for Waverly. The six o'clock siren was a welcome sound. She and Chrissy deposited their unfinished work on the top desk, the uniformed gentleman smiling at them. They made their way to the railway station.

"What do you think Haught has been doing all day?" Chrissy asked, as they sat in one of the carriages.

"No idea. She seems to be working very hard on something right now," Waverly replied, equally curious as to what this work might be.

They could hear Nicole on the telephone as they entered the house. Her voice strained. "Look, the calculations are fine. It's all in hand. No, Alan, I'll handle it. It's fine. Goodnight."

Waverly sat alone in the lounge after dinner, Chrissy upstairs writing a letter home. The door opened. Nicole entered, wearing a similar outfit to the one she had on the first evening in different colours. Still stylish, still modern. She plonked herself on the sofa, a glass of whiskey in one hand, an unlit cigarette in the other. "You don't mind if I join you?" she asked, taking a sip, playing with the cigarette.

"Please do. Long day?"

"Very," Nicole replied, exhaling sharply. "Sorry, forgive my bad manners, would you like a drink? I have brandy, whiskey, gin."

"Thank you, no," Waverly replied. "I'm not really much of a drinker."

Nicole sat quietly for a few moments, lost once more in thought. She took another sip. "How are you finding the book?"

"Oh, it's, well, it's rather risqué," Waverly replied, embarrassed at having chosen one with such explicit content.

Nicole laughed, a sound that made Waverly smile. It was the first time she had heard her laugh since arriving. She felt strange.

"Forgive me, but how did you come to be at Station X?" Waverly asked, desperate to move the conversation away from that book.

Nicole studied Waverly's face for a moment, unsure how much to tell her. "Cambridge, double First in maths, never awarded the degree mind you. Bloody sexism. Only men get awarded." She took another sip. "Gordon recruited me. Sorry, Gordon Welshman, Hut 8. I must introduce you to him. Lovely chap. Heard about the work I was doing on radar for the RAF. Knew me at Cambridge. Knew I could add up."

There it was again, Waverly realised, that flutter in her stomach as Nicole laughed at her own joke.

"I'm sorry if I'm a little distant at the moment. We're working on something and it's taking longer than we'd hoped. Nearly there, last push. If we succeed this could really help our work." Finishing her drink, she stood, stretched, placing the empty glass on a side table. "Let me know what you think of the book," she winked, as she left the room.

Waverly felt another flutter.