Windflower Wedding. Elizabeth Elgin

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ miserable because a letter had come from her father and she didn’t want to open it.

      Nor would she, she thought defiantly, taking a kept-warm plate from the serving hatch. She would not open the letter until Daisy came back from leave; pretend it had arrived only that morning. And then, because Daisy knew all about what had gone on in Kenya, and before Kenya, reading what her father had written wouldn’t seem so bad.

      She speared a chunk of meat on the end of her fork, looking at it distastefully.

      ‘Roll on my leave,’ she said out loud to no one in particular. Roll on October when she would collect her travel warrant and her leave pass, and a seven-day ration card, and go to stay with Auntie Blod in Llangollen. At least in Llangollen there would be no chance of accidentally meeting Drew Sutton – with Kitty.

      She began to mull over the idea of volunteering for overseas service and knew at once she would never do it; knew that she lived daily in the hope of seeing Drew, even with Kitty, because she loved him that much.

      She would always love him.

      Tatiana Sutton left the Underground at Knightsbridge and turned left into Brompton Road, thinking with pleasure of the rabbit, already skinned, and the pheasant, already plucked and wrapped in newspapers, in her leather bag. Daisy’s father had given them and Daisy’s mother prepared them, sending with them her very best love to Sparrow. And not only meat enough for four meals, but two large brown eggs given by Gracie, fresh from the nest only that morning and not weeks old like the rationed shop eggs Sparrow had to break into a cup and sniff suspiciously before using.

      Sparrow would be pleased too with the bunch of Michaelmas daisies and chrysanthemums sent with Julia’s love, and the grave instructions to take care of herself now that the nights were drawing in, and to keep warm.

      Dear Sparrow. So full of love and caring and cosseting. She had made life bearable again, and when the war was over and she had to return to Denniston House, she would miss Sparrow a lot.

      She smiled as she crossed the road into Montpelier Mews, once upon a time the stables belonging to the big houses in the square. The little white house with its red tiled floors and shining brass doorknobs and handles was home to her now and Sparrow her best-loved person – apart from Tim, that was. It shamed her, sometimes, that if asked to place her right hand on the Bible and state who was most precious to her, she would in all conscience have to answer that it was Sparrow, hurt though her mother would be to hear it.

      ‘I’m home,’ she called, banging the outer and inner doors behind her. ‘Have you missed me?’

      ‘I’ll miss the peace and quiet now that you’re back. Are those flowers for me?’

      ‘You know they are. Aunt Julia picked them herself. She sends love and says you are to look after yourself.’

      ‘And is the dear lady well?’

      ‘She is.’

      ‘And happy?’

      ‘Very happy, Sparrow, and chasing around the parish doing her vicar’s wife bit and looking after Bas, who’s on leave for a couple of days.’

      ‘Your Aunt Julia should have had children of her own,’ Sparrow sighed, ‘but she left it over late. I suppose, now you’re back, I’d better make a pot of tea.’

      Truth known, she had been waiting this hour past to make one and would have, were it not wasteful of the tea ration to use a precious spoonful for one person only, when that same spoonful could provide tea for two.

      ‘Yes, please. You put the kettle on whilst I unpack my gifts, food gifts! I tell you, Sparrow, you and I will be eating like lords this week!’

      ‘Hm. Well, I hope the food was honestly got, and not black market.’

      ‘It was – honestly got, I mean. Daisy’s father said he was sorry he couldn’t supply the butter to roast the pheasant in. And did any letters come whilst I was away and did Uncle Igor phone?’

      ‘No letters and no phone call – leastways, not from your uncle. But our Joannie rang to ask if you’d be busy on Tuesday night and I told her you wouldn’t be.’

      ‘But I’m doing escort duty with Sam from the convalescent home. We’re going up West to see The Dancing Years.’

      ‘She knows that. What she rang for was to see if you could manage an extra one. She thought the music might cheer him up. He’s at the same convalescent home as Sam, and waiting his turn to go for treatment.’

      ‘And is he –?’ There was no need to finish the sentence; no need to say the word.

      ‘Yes. Like all the others and in need of a kind word and a smile. Those smiles mean a lot, Joannie said. I’ll ring her back when we’ve had our cuppa and tell her you don’t mind taking one extra.’

      ‘No trouble at all, Sparrow.’

      ‘You’re sure, now, ’cos what I didn’t tell you is that he’s not only got burns – this lad got blinded as well.’

      ‘Hell!’ She shuddered, covering her face with her hands.

      ‘You don’t have to take him if it’s going to upset you.’

      ‘But of course I will. I want to. It was just that it doesn’t seem fair, does it?’

      ‘Life never is, girl.’

      ‘You don’t have to tell me. And I’ll manage all right. Sam will give me a hand, tell Joannie.’

      ‘You’re a good soul, Tatiana Sutton. You’ll get your reward in heaven.’

      ‘I’d rather have it here on earth. I’d swap all that heaven nonsense just to have ten minutes with Tim; say a proper goodbye.’

      ‘What do you mean – “heaven nonsense”? Blasphemous, that is!’

      ‘Well, I don’t believe in heaven and sometimes I don’t believe in God either – only in Jesus,’ she added hastily.

      ‘Well! I’m surprised at you! And what would your mother think to hear you say that?’

      ‘Nothing, because I wouldn’t say it in front of her.’

      ‘And you’d best not say it in front of me again either! Do I make myself plain?’

      ‘Yes, Sparrow, you do. And I won’t say it again if you’ll promise not to go on about it and try to convert me.’

      ‘Convert you? Now would I do that, and you so bitter inside that you can’t see the wood for the trees? Come here and let’s you and me have a cuddle because Sparrow understands. She really does.’

      ‘I know you do, and I’m sorry if I upset you,’ Tatiana whispered, hugging her close. ‘And I ought to be ashamed, shouldn’t I? At least I’m not injured, nor blind.’

      ‘No, girl, you aren’t.’ Sparrow shuddered even to think of that beautiful face burned and blistered and those big, brown eyes never to see again. ‘And that’s something to be thankful to God for, ’cos it’s all in His hands, СКАЧАТЬ