Read Online Until We Meet Again by Margaret Thornton - Free Book Online Page B

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    They stopped by the gate, looking at one another unsurely. Tilly had known she would be shy when it came to saying goodnight, but she was surprised by Dominic’s reticence. After a moment or two he leant towards her and kissed her gently on the cheek. She was relieved, this first time, that he was not being more daring. She had never been kissed by a boy and had wondered just how one went about it. Maybe next time…she thought to herself.
    ‘I’ve had a lovely evening,’ said Dominic, ‘and I’ve really enjoyed your company, Tilly… Would you come out with me on Saturday…or is that too soon? I mean…you might have other plans for all I know.’
    ‘No, I haven’t,’ she said, smiling. ‘Saturday would be lovely. There’s a concert of light classical music at the Spa,’ she went on, deciding to give him a little encouragement. ‘I noticed it on a billboard on the bridge. That would be…well…it would be right up my street.’
    ‘Mine too,’ he replied, his blue eyes alight with enthusiasm. ‘I’ll get tickets then, shall I?’
    ‘Yes, please.’
    ‘And…is it all right if I phone you, to tell you what time I’ll call for you?’
    ‘Of course it is.’
    ‘Well…goodnight then, Tilly…’
    ‘Goodnight, Dominic. And…I’ve enjoyed it too; ever so much.’
    ‘Toodle-oo, then.’ He fluttered his fingers in a casual wave, more like the cheeky Dominic she had been used to, before striding away.
    Tilly smiled to herself. She knew she would have to put up with her brother’s teasing when he found out about her date. But she didn’t care. Life, at the moment, was full of promise, despite the grim news that threatened to envelop them all.
     
    The visit to the Spa Pavilion on the Saturday evening was followed by another meeting of the two young people the following week. Dominic, as he had promised, went to hear Tilly play the piano at the church social evening. He walked home with her afterwards and this time he kissed her gently on the lips as they said goodnight. There was a noticeable difference between his behaviour towards her and the jolly camaraderie he displayed with her brother and his other friends. It was good, though, to be treated with respect and as though she was special to him. She hoped he would realise soon, though, that she was not made of delicate china; that she was, rather, a girl on the brink of womanhood, with a woman’s warm thoughts and feelings.
    Very soon it was accepted in the family that Dominic was Tilly’s young man. He was invited to stay for meals now because he was Tilly’s, as well as Tommy’s, friend.
    ‘The first of many boyfriends, I should imagine,’ William remarked to his wife. ‘They are very young and they have years of studying to do yet, the pair of them. But he’s a nice lad and he seems very fond of her. None of us knows what lies ahead, though. It’s not looking any too good. Happen it’s best to make hay while the sun shines…’
    As the summer advanced, so did the news of war become more and more urgent. By August 17th the British Expeditionary Force had landed in France, and it was believed by a patriotic nation that the Germans would quickly be put in their place.
    But this spirit of optimism could not continue for long, as the German armies swept through Belgium and into France. A week later the British and French troops were forced to retreat from Mons. The vain hope that it would all be over by Christmas died on the lips of those at home as they read the grim casualty figures; British casualties at the Battle of Ypres had totalled a hundred thousand. By the end of the summer there was a line of trenches and barbed wirereaching from the Swiss border to the Channel ports.
    And still Lord Kitchener’s face and pointing finger were seen on posters all over the land, proclaiming, ‘Your Country Needs You’.

Chapter Six
    O n Monday, December 16th, the week began just as any other week at the Nicholls’ family home, with Maddy,