Read Online All I Have to Give by Mary Wood - Free Book Online Page B

offend yer, but I
think I am falling in love with yer.’ Ha! Imagine him using such fancy words. If she had been one of his own kind, he’d have said, ‘Cor, I don’t ’alf fancy you,
girl’ in the good old London way. But she wasn’t, and he knew how to speak proper when it was called for.
    She’d blushed and looked down at the ground.
    He’d been mortified and tried to explain. ‘I’m sorry, Edith, I ’ad no right to speak out. Yer come from a different world ter me, but I might die any day and I’d do
so a lot ’appier knowing you knew ’ow I felt.’
    She’d raised those lovely hazel eyes of hers and told him, ‘Albert, I am very attracted to you, but it is difficult.’
    He’d nearly jumped for joy. She’d said she was attracted to him! But her saying it was difficult had dampened his spirits, as it had highlighted the gulf between them. And that was
as wide and almost as hard to cross as the Somme. But then, what did all that matter now? Leaning towards her, he’d said, ‘Love can conquer all, they say, Edith. Besides, people are
changing – all this is changing us. And it’s likely that me being a cockney lad and you a lady won’t make a difference. Go with your feelings, Edith, not with bloody
convention.’
    Still looking into his eyes and stumbling over her words, she’d sealed his happiness by saying, ‘I – I’m not used to baring my soul, Albert, but I do have feelings for
you. I can’t explain it, and it is something I never dreamed would happen, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I . . . it’s just. Oh, I don’t know, I . . .’
    His heart had hurt with the way he longed to take her in his arms. But he couldn’t. He didn’t care what would happen to himself, but he couldn’t bring that trouble down on
Edith. No fraternizing was the rule; and, besides, she might have been upset by such an action. He had to remember that she wasn’t his usual type. He had to act differently with her. Take his
time.
    But he hadn’t left her without gaining something. Besides knowing she had feelings for him, she’d agreed to a date with him! He’d told her his rest period was due and had asked
her if she would meet up with him. He had three days owing to him, and they were scheduled for the last week of July – a time that seemed would never come and now felt like years away, as his
longing for them had increased, knowing that he was to spend some of it with Edith. Well, at least she had said she would like to, and would try to arrange a day off. He was ignoring the fact that
she’d added, ‘But only as a friend. Please do not read any more into this, and you must understand that it has to be a secret, as my reputation is at stake.’
    Albert had taken her acceptance as confirmation that her feelings were deeper than she’d admit to.
God, please let me live to make that meeting. Just this one is all I ask, as
I’ve no right to ask you to spare me. Not when so many around me are dying. But while I’m speaking to you, can you look after me lads today? Bring them all back and in one piece.
His ‘Amen’ went into the sound of an almighty crash, the biggest blast of the offensive. As it died away, the shrill sound of a whistle pierced the air around him.
This is
it!
    Waving the lads up the ladder, he told each one, ‘Good luck is with yer today. The Germans ’ave ’ad their defences blown to kingdom come, so go get ’em, son.’
    They went over without protest. Some didn’t get far before they were caught in machine-gun crossfire and had the life blasted out of their bodies. Others made a few yards’ progress
before they too fell; dead or injured, he did not know, but by the time he went over the top himself, he knew his face to be awash with tears, as his feet trod the bodies of his lads deeper into
the caked mud. But there was no time to zigzag between them.
    Those still standing were moving slowly forward, snipers picking them off as they went. This wasn’t