Rectory from London to say he was going down to Cuffley to see the remains of the Zep on the Sunday, much to Father’s disapproval. Caroline had borne the brunt.
‘It was history,’ George had pointed out, much aggrieved when she tackled him. ‘I had to be there. It wasn’t just me going, you know. There were whole armies of sightseers on the trains from King’s Cross, and everyone was looking for souvenirs for miles around.’
‘Like the dead bodies of the crew?’ Caroline had asked quietly.
George had had the grace to blush. ‘They’d been taken away to the local church,’ he muttered. ‘Don’t be such a wet blanket, Caroline. This is important. It means something. Think of all the bombs they’d dropped before we got them.’
We , Caroline noted. He was right, of course. The shooting down of SL11 had been a rally call. Since then everyone had been more hopeful that the Zeps could be beaten and one day the Kaiser overcome. All the increasinglybad news from the Somme battlefields needed an antidote to lift morale, and this had been it.
Chu Chin Chow was her antidote. As they entered the vestibule of His Majesty’s Theatre, Caroline was intrigued to see a familiar face. Captain Luke Dequessy came forward to greet them, and it was obvious he was to be in the party; she noticed a distinct flush on Felicia’s normally pale cheeks. He was still limping, and was clearly not fully recovered yet.
‘I believe you’ve met Captain Dequessy, Caroline,’ Felicia said levelly.
‘Indeed, we have met.’ Caroline bowed, as Luke grinned cheerfully at her, and followed suit.
‘Before you ask,’ Felicia hissed crossly, as Luke went to chat with Aunt Tilly, ‘no, I’m not going to marry him just because he’s coming to the theatre with us. If you must know, Daniel was invited and backed out at the last moment, when he realised I would be coming.’
‘Oh.’ It wasn’t much of a response, but Caroline could think of nothing positive to say. ‘Perhaps he is self-conscious about his leg,’ she ventured.
‘He’s not, and you know it. He doesn’t want to see me.’
‘He loves you, I’m sure of it.’
Felicia immediately whisked round and marched towards the ladies’ retiring room and, uncertain of her welcome, Caroline followed. Once there, Felicia turned on her. ‘You don’t understand, Caroline, that’s the trouble. No one does. Daniel is stubborn, and can’t see I want him on any terms, because my life without him has no purpose.’
‘So why Luke?’ Might as well be bold, Caroline decided.
Felicia hesitated. ‘He says he still wants to see me, although I’ve told him I love someone else. The ridiculous thing is that he seems as obstinate about me as I am about Daniel, but I can’t see why.’
Can’t you? thought Caroline, looking at her sister’s madonna-like face. All the rough life on the front could not obscure or harden Felicia’s beauty. Indeed, indications of her hard life, etched on by experience, seemed to intensify it, and the old black evening gown that Caroline had seen countless times before, set it off. Only her uncared-for hands and sunburned arms betrayed how gruelling her work was. Or so she thought until she saw Felicia pull off her old-fashioned tulle cap, in order to conduct a painstaking examination of her hair in the mirror.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked, astonished.
‘Lice.’ Felicia peered even more closely. ‘Life at the front presents hygienic surprises that even Mrs Dibble’s powers can’t solve. Especially for women.’
‘How do you manage?’ Caroline asked curiously, since the subject had been raised.
‘Tilly brings back supplies of these new disposable ones and I burn them when I can. If I can’t, I bury them. Don’t look so horrified, Caroline. That’s the least of my problems. It’s war and war is my job at present, not Daniel. Love has to be a luxury. Now, tell me about Fred.’
Felicia had always had an affinity with Fred, often
‘It was history,’ George had pointed out, much aggrieved when she tackled him. ‘I had to be there. It wasn’t just me going, you know. There were whole armies of sightseers on the trains from King’s Cross, and everyone was looking for souvenirs for miles around.’
‘Like the dead bodies of the crew?’ Caroline had asked quietly.
George had had the grace to blush. ‘They’d been taken away to the local church,’ he muttered. ‘Don’t be such a wet blanket, Caroline. This is important. It means something. Think of all the bombs they’d dropped before we got them.’
We , Caroline noted. He was right, of course. The shooting down of SL11 had been a rally call. Since then everyone had been more hopeful that the Zeps could be beaten and one day the Kaiser overcome. All the increasinglybad news from the Somme battlefields needed an antidote to lift morale, and this had been it.
Chu Chin Chow was her antidote. As they entered the vestibule of His Majesty’s Theatre, Caroline was intrigued to see a familiar face. Captain Luke Dequessy came forward to greet them, and it was obvious he was to be in the party; she noticed a distinct flush on Felicia’s normally pale cheeks. He was still limping, and was clearly not fully recovered yet.
‘I believe you’ve met Captain Dequessy, Caroline,’ Felicia said levelly.
‘Indeed, we have met.’ Caroline bowed, as Luke grinned cheerfully at her, and followed suit.
‘Before you ask,’ Felicia hissed crossly, as Luke went to chat with Aunt Tilly, ‘no, I’m not going to marry him just because he’s coming to the theatre with us. If you must know, Daniel was invited and backed out at the last moment, when he realised I would be coming.’
‘Oh.’ It wasn’t much of a response, but Caroline could think of nothing positive to say. ‘Perhaps he is self-conscious about his leg,’ she ventured.
‘He’s not, and you know it. He doesn’t want to see me.’
‘He loves you, I’m sure of it.’
Felicia immediately whisked round and marched towards the ladies’ retiring room and, uncertain of her welcome, Caroline followed. Once there, Felicia turned on her. ‘You don’t understand, Caroline, that’s the trouble. No one does. Daniel is stubborn, and can’t see I want him on any terms, because my life without him has no purpose.’
‘So why Luke?’ Might as well be bold, Caroline decided.
Felicia hesitated. ‘He says he still wants to see me, although I’ve told him I love someone else. The ridiculous thing is that he seems as obstinate about me as I am about Daniel, but I can’t see why.’
Can’t you? thought Caroline, looking at her sister’s madonna-like face. All the rough life on the front could not obscure or harden Felicia’s beauty. Indeed, indications of her hard life, etched on by experience, seemed to intensify it, and the old black evening gown that Caroline had seen countless times before, set it off. Only her uncared-for hands and sunburned arms betrayed how gruelling her work was. Or so she thought until she saw Felicia pull off her old-fashioned tulle cap, in order to conduct a painstaking examination of her hair in the mirror.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked, astonished.
‘Lice.’ Felicia peered even more closely. ‘Life at the front presents hygienic surprises that even Mrs Dibble’s powers can’t solve. Especially for women.’
‘How do you manage?’ Caroline asked curiously, since the subject had been raised.
‘Tilly brings back supplies of these new disposable ones and I burn them when I can. If I can’t, I bury them. Don’t look so horrified, Caroline. That’s the least of my problems. It’s war and war is my job at present, not Daniel. Love has to be a luxury. Now, tell me about Fred.’
Felicia had always had an affinity with Fred, often
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