Mrs Kenneth Penman
MAYCOT
12 COMMONSIDE
KESTON
KENT

5.1.40

Darling

Thank you so much for your letter and which I received this morning. I intended that you should let me know what you thought about their letter before we did anything in the matter. I thought however that in paying them the £3-5/- you acted for the best. They should by now have received my letter of acknowledgment. Do you think I might write to them again – saying that the £3-5/- represented a token payment whilst the matter is in dispute?

I can also point out that you have a letter from Mrs B offering reduction, that I am agreeable to remaining bound by the old lease if they so desire, also that when the reduction was first suggested it was in no way linked up with the condition of the requiring of a new lease.

Darling one, I enclose for you to read a most mysterious letter I received from Mother. When I went down there whilst on leave you will remember I intended to ask for a further £1, but the opportunity didn’t arise and I decided that I would borrow it from Tony when I got back, he being the wealthy member of our little unit. I think we all owe him money by pay day. You asked me I remember if I had been successful in my quest at Hayes and I said “yes”; not very wicked of me, was it darling?

Well naturally I borrowed £2 from Tony and early this week thought it was about time I paid him back and also that it being nearly three weeks since my last remittance from home, I rang Mother up, she was quite pleasant about it on the phone, in 3 mins one cant go into long details so I told her I owed Mrs M the money setting Tony out of the transaction all together.

From her letter she has apparently gone to your with the tale, very much magnified and I am afraid judging from her letter worried you with it, the P.S. is I consider a damned impertinence, marred indeed, what the devil does she know about it? It’d break my heart, I think, if I thought she was right! I suppose it’s silly to think like that knowing how happy we were together down here, but when you’re a long way away and one is lonely and fed up and broke a letter like that takes a lot of getting over. I think I’ll only open yours in future. My only one. K.