A Rose and a Promise
Following the main character, Cadi, as the Second World War continues through the spring of 1944, initially there are many threads simmering just outside the reader’s vision. Cadi has been working in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, usually known as the WAAF, constantly moving from base to base with the remit of preparing bases to accommodate other young women supporting their RAF colleagues across the country. She has been separated from her true love Jez, and the young couple snatch whatever together-time they can when leave permits it. The ever-present threat from enemy attack ensures that every person, whether military or civilian, is on high alert when the air raid warnings sound. Tragically, Cadi’s beloved is in the wrong place when an enemy aircraft strafes the runway. His greatest friend, Aled, dashes to find him while Cadi, who has coincidentally arrived at their base in the immediate aftermath of events, desperately searches for her husband. In those early days and months after Jez’s death, Cadi is a lost soul. As the weeks go by, she feels physically sick, loses her appetite and with her weight plummeting, her friends become increasingly concerned about her, but Cadi refuses to slow down in her efforts to escape the raw emotions that are burdening her. Aled, the only person who knew Jez as well as Cadi did, and who had been with her when they found his damaged body, is the one she turns to most often, despite her friends unstintingly trying to support and comfort her.
As the hidden story strands gradually unfold, Cadi strives to rebuild her own health, all the while doing her utmost to protect others, even when they don’t want to listen to her well-meant warnings. It is a gripping, if sometimes confusing tale that brings some heart-warming moments. It is an easy-to-read novel that trips along pleasantly in an undemanding fashion.
