Read Online Harvest of War by Hilary Green - Free Book Online Page A

bastard.’
    The word struck her like a blow in the face. She drew back and stared at him.
    He sighed deeply. ‘I am responsible. This is my fault. I must take my share of the blame.’
    â€˜Don’t look like that,’ she begged. ‘We should be rejoicing.’
    He gazed at her bleakly. ‘You have been completely irresponsible. You are risking your life, and the child’s. I am afraid I can see very little to rejoice about. I’m sorry, I cannot . . . cannot . . .’ He faltered, then turned about and left the room.
    She called after him but he did not respond. She would have followed him, but her legs gave way under her and she sank down on to the pile of sheets and wept.
    All the rest of the day she waited, expecting to hear his voice or his footsteps, convinced that when he had time to think he would come back and apologize and comfort her. But he did not come, and the next morning she learned that he had left at dawn to rejoin his troops.

Eight
    The days passed and Leo continued to work at her usual tasks in spite of pleas from her colleagues to rest. Work was the only way she knew to stop herself brooding over her last conversation with Sasha. Then one day Dr Leseaux came into the ward where she was helping to serve the midday meal and drew her aside.
    â€˜It’s bad news, Leo, I’m afraid. A message has just come in to say that Sasha has been wounded. We don’t know how badly, but I am leaving immediately to fetch him. Try not to worry too much. It may be something relatively minor . . .’
    â€˜Where is he?’
    â€˜Lavci. It’s a village in the mountains, a few miles away.’
    Leo was taking off her apron. ‘Give me two minutes. I’ll get my coat.’
    He shook his head. ‘No, you are in no condition to go out there in this weather. Wait here, and we will bring him back to you.’
    Leo shook her head. ‘I’m coming with you.’
    He frowned. ‘Leonora, I forbid you to risk yourself like this. Stay here.’
    Leo’s jaw set. ‘You are not in a position to give me orders. If you refuse to take me with you I shall follow on horseback.’ Then, in a different tone: ‘Please, Pierre. We parted on bad terms. I must see him again. I couldn’t bear to wait here, in case . . .’ She left the sentence unfinished but they both knew what she meant.
    He made a gesture of surrender. ‘Very well. But wrap up warm . . .’
    â€˜I’ll be back in a moment.’
    It had snowed all morning and the oxen drawing the ambulance wagon plodded fetlock-deep, their breath steaming in the cold air. It seemed to Leo that they were scarcely moving up the narrow mountain road and she began to wish that she had carried out her threat and taken to horseback, though a residual thread of common sense told her that it would have been foolhardy in the extreme in her advanced state of pregnancy. The slow pace was driving her to distraction and she longed to seize the goad from the driver’s hand and thrash the unresponsive beasts into a greater effort. Beside her, Patty, the Canadian nurse, took her hand and squeezed it.
    â€˜Try to keep calm. I’m sure his men are looking after him. We’ll be there soon.’
    As the wagon rocked and jolted Leo became aware of an intermittent pain in her abdomen. She wondered vaguely what she might have eaten to cause it.
    The winter evening was closing in as they came to a small village in a steep-sided valley. All along the route they had heard the sound of the guns drawing closer but with darkness falling the firing had stopped and camp fires were beginning to flicker around the outskirts. The air smelt of gun- and wood smoke. As the wagon drew up in the village square the door of the largest house opened and a man, whom Leo recognized as one of Sasha’s officers, came out. Leseaux jumped down and the man crossed quickly to meet him.
    As she clambered clumsily down