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Spring was beginning to give way to summer and all across Hedgley Gate the flowers and trees had come out in full bloom. This was when the village looked its best. The change in seasons brought with it longer, sunnier afternoons and sunnier outlooks for everyone. It was the perfect time for picnics in the park, village fetes, and beautiful surprises of all kinds.
When Janie had first arrived in the village, the weather was just like this - with the sun high in the sky, surrounded by puffy white clouds that held no threat of rain. She had travelled a long way by train from her London home and was the only evacuee over the age of twelve to be sent to Hedgely Gate (small as it was). Unfortunately, back then the weather had done nothing for her spirits. A lot of the younger evacuees felt as though they were on a great adventure, and were unaccustomed to life outside of the busy capital. When they arrived at the station they were in a world completely new to them, and gazed about at the scenery in awe - they had only seen such places in paintings. But Janie had attended boarding school in the country all her life and regularly holidayed by the coast; Hedgley Gate was nothing special. In fact, she barely noticed her surroundings on that first day. Her head was too full and she felt too sick to enjoy anything. Saying her goodbyes to her mother and father had been bitter, and only days before her departure they had received the dreaded news that her brother Teddy was among the long list of casualties lost on the battlefield. The last thing on her mind was the scenery. Many evacuee children had been put to work on farms or in big country manor houses by way of earning their keep. But Janie was lucky in this regard, for the pair that took her in had neither a farm, nor an estate, but rather a pretty little cottage covered in wisteria. They did have a small chicken coop out the back which Janie was encouraged to take care of, but that was about the extent of her responsibilities. This couple was Mr and Mrs Elliot; lifelong residents of Hedgely Gate who had been married some forty-eight years but never had children. Originally they had been looking to house a child much younger than Janie, but she suited them down to the ground and neither party was sorry their paths had crossed. Mr and Mrs Elliot quickly became very fond of their newcomer and she considered them like a great aunt and uncle.
One sunny day, when spirits were high, Mrs Elliot was out in the front garden applying a fresh coat of white paint to the picket fence that ran the length of their property. She was trying to focus on her work, but her mind kept wandering back to Janie, who had been troubling her for some weeks now. She had noticed a change in the girl, as though she were withdrawing into herself once again. At first, Mrs Elliot had been baffled by it, but she thought it best not to pry and let Janie come to her in her own time. Eventually, at breakfast one morning, Janie said, "Do you know, it's almost been a year since I arrived in Hedgley Gate. A whole year since I saw mother and father." She gave a hefty sigh. So that was the problem, and small wonder.
"Hello, Mrs Elliot!" A cheery voice called over the sound of bicycle tires crunching gravel. Mrs Elliot looked up from her paintbrush to see Alison and Katy, two of Janie's friends from the Spitfire Patrol, pulling up next to her. "Hello, girls," she said with a warm smile, "I suppose you're looking for Janie?" "Yes, is she in?" Alison asked, "We're all going down to the river for a swim, we thought she might like to join us." "I expect she will! You can go in and get her, if you like, she's in her room at the top of the house." The girls dropped their bicycles outside the gate and hurried in, only to emerge not two minutes later looking downcast. "What is it?" Mrs Elliot asked, "Doesn't she want to go?" Katy shook her head, "She's reading," she said, "But she wasn't herself at all." "Very standoffish." Alison commented, "Almost as bad as when she first arrived, though not quite as rude." "She's been that way of late," Mrs Elliot said with a furrowed brow, "It's that old homesickness creeping back in. I had thought of surprising her with something to cheer her up, but there's only one thing that would make her happy and that's going home." "Could she go home and visit for the weekend?" Alison asked, "There's not much harm in staying a night or two, is there?" Mrs Elliot shook her head, "I wouldn't hear of it. London is still too dangerous and it would be silly to risk it." "Then why not bring her home here!" Katy replied. "Whatever do you mean?" "Well, if she's homesick then I suppose she's missing her mother and father. I know I should miss mine dreadfully after a year. If Janie can't go to London, maybe her parents can come to Hedgely Gate!"
And so it was decided. Mr and Mrs Elliot were to have a couple of very special London visitors by the end of the month. The first thing to do was dash off an invite and send it to the capital, which seemed like a very exciting and far away place to the country girls who knew nothing of the city. The reply came quickly and brought with it wonderful news - the invitation was accepted and within a week Janie would be reunited with her family!
Work began at once, preparing for the big day and responsibilities were doled out amongst the patrol. Naturally, quartermasters Betty and Olave were to oversee the menu - for an afternoon tea had been planned on arrival. Violet, who was rather adept in the kitchen was put in charge of making little cakes and scones. Alison and Anne were to sort out decorations to spruce up the Elliot's dining room, something Mrs Elliot was very keen to be involved in. The three of them worked to pull together a lovely-looking table which did credit to both Alison's skills as a hostess and Anne's artistic eye. All of this had been funded by the little money the Spitfire girls had in their patrol tin. They had been saving to go away to camp but thought this was a much nobler cause. The little they had left at the end of the week went to cover Mr and Mrs Doran's train fare.
