The beekeepers war, p.11
The Beekeeper's War, page 11
‘It’s not your fault, Jack.’ Pru sobbed, desperately trying to calm herself, not wishing to make him feel badly when there was nothing he could do about it. She wished they could have met at another time in their lives when the urgency to make the most of every single second didn’t continually haunt her. Each time he left she felt the sting of his departure more.
‘I know I’ve mentioned marriage before,’ he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion, ‘but I’ve never proposed properly to you.’ He bent down on one knee. ‘Pru Le Cuirot, love of my life, I don’t have a ring to offer you yet but I need to know, will you marry me?’
Pru took his beautiful face in her hands and, unable to stop tears streaming down her face, bent to kiss him. ‘Yes, Jack. I’ll marry you the first opportunity we get.’ Her emotions overwhelming her, Pru lowered her face into her hands.
‘Hey,’ Jack soothed, taking her hands in his and gently lowering them. She felt his lips on hers and, wanting to cling to him, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. After a while they stopped and gazed at each other.
He grinned at her. ‘You’ve made me the happiest man alive, Pru Le Cuirot, soon to be Pru Garland.’
She sighed happily. ‘I love the sound of my new name.’
‘Good, because it’ll be yours for many, many years, God willing.’
They kissed again, then walked a little.
Jack bent to pick several daisies and handed them to her. ‘Not much of a bouquet,’ he said, smiling. ‘But after this war is over, I’ll make sure you have fresh flowers every day.’
‘They’re perfect.’
‘Now,’ he said, taking her hand in his. ‘As I mentioned, I need to show you something.’ He led her to the other side of the woods, through the huge wildflower meadow and down to a walled garden she hadn’t noticed before.
‘Is that where we’re going?’ she asked.
‘Yes. I hope you’re not disappointed by what I’m going to show you. It’s not very exciting but it’s something that has meant a lot to me since I first came to Ashbury.’
‘Then I can’t wait.’
They reached the garden and he pushed open the blue painted gate, stepping back to let her see inside. Pru gasped. ‘It’s beautiful in here. Why is it so far from the house though? I thought walled gardens were near kitchens.’
‘They are,’ he said. ‘There’s one at the back of the house. It’s smaller than this one.’
‘But why have two?’ She was fascinated.
He led her inside and down one of the paths with neat beds on either side packed with flowers of every colour.
‘It’s magical.’
‘I’m glad you think so.’ He picked a strongly scented pale pink tea rose for her. ‘You can add this to your bouquet but don’t tell the head gardener if you see him.’
Pru shook her head. ‘I wouldn’t dare get you into trouble.’
‘It was Monty’s grandfather who had this garden built. He loved flowers and wanted somewhere special to keep his hives.’
‘Hives?’
‘Yes, that’s what I’ve come to show you really. The beehives.’
They walked to the far corner of the garden where three stood peacefully. ‘Did you ever help with them? Before the war, I mean?’
‘Yes. Monty never understood my delight spending time down here with the head gardener, but he taught me most of what he knows about beekeeping. I loved helping him extract the honey from the hives and putting it in jars. If you haven’t tried some yet, you should.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘If you like honey, that is. I presume everyone does, which I shouldn’t.’
‘I love honey. My mother always buys jars from an old man who lives about half a mile away from our home. He says it’s the flowers that give the honey its distinctive taste.’
‘He’s right.’ He waved his arm across the expanse of the garden. ‘It’s why most of these flowers have been chosen for planting in this garden.’
‘Really? But that’s so clever.’
‘I thought so too.’
He seemed pleased that she was keen to learn more and hear about the bees. It was good to see him smile and know she had made him happy.
Twelve
Pru
August 1917
They left the walled garden and walked hand in hand through the woods towards the manor house, stopping every few minutes to kiss. Pru didn’t think she had ever felt so loved or been so happy. She forced any thought of his leaving in a few hours from her mind, determined to make the most of their day.
Suddenly Jack stopped walking. Pru glanced up at him and saw he was listening for something.
‘What’s the matter?’ she whispered, not wishing to alert anyone he might have heard somewhere near them.
‘Something’s wrong.’ He began walking and pulled her along with him.
Concerned, Pru walked quicker to keep up with him. She heard a shout but couldn’t make out what the person was saying. There was another shout and then another person calling to them. ‘Jack? What do you think has happened?’
‘I’ve no idea,’ he replied. ‘But I think we need to hurry.’
They broke into a run and Pru stumbled on a tree root, grateful when Jack slowed to grab her so that she managed to right herself without falling.
‘Fire!’ a voice called out.
She gasped. ‘Oh, Jack,’ she said, barely able to stop a sob escaping.
He took her hand and they soon ran out from under the cover of the pine trees and stopped, staring upwards at the steel-grey smoke billowing from one of the upstairs windows.
‘The patients!’ she cried, picturing Jean and Milly who were still on duty. ‘Jack, we have to save them.’
He let go of her hand and sprinted around to the front of the house with Pru following as closely behind as she could manage. The chaos that greeted them shocked her like a slap to her cheek. Orderlies carried out stretchers, and nurses pushed beds out of the front door one after the other. Lady Ashbury was pointing for her staff to push wheelchairs towards the lawn area in front of the house, the patients’ faces ashen.
‘The west wing is on fire, Jack,’ Pru cried. ‘That’s where Ward Two is.’
‘I know,’ he replied, his voice low. ‘I’m going in.’ Jack raced into the building without a further word.
‘Jack, no!’ She reached out to grab his arm but he was too quick for her. Without giving herself a chance to think, Pru followed him inside. As she suspected he might, he immediately made himself useful, carrying a lighter patient outside, returning moments later as she was helping another patient with a broken ankle hobble out of the building.
She settled him near Lady Ashbury and ran back inside. She had looked around for Jean or Milly but couldn’t see either of them looking after the patients who were already outside. They must still be in the building, Pru thought, hurrying back inside. This time she could taste the smoke as it worked its way through the corridors. She covered her mouth with her forearm.
‘Come along,’ she urged when the patient she was helping stopped to get his breath, wincing in pain. ‘We have to keep going. We’ll be outside soon enough.’ He grimaced as she pushed him gently sideways against the wall, out of the way of orderlies and nurses racing back inside. She noticed one was Jean and willed her friend to take care.
Pru passed the patient over to two of the housemaids and returned to the ward. Where was Jack? She helped a man into a wheelchair before pushing him outside to the lawn where she saw many of the servants setting down chairs and blankets ready for the patients.
Hearing glass shatter nearby, she spun around, staring in horror at the west wing of the manor, which was now almost entirely consumed by flames. Her heart pounded and panic coursed through her. She scanned the groups of nurses, doctors and patients desperately searching for Jack, Jean or Milly’s faces but couldn’t see any of them.
A bell rang frantically and she realised it was coming along the driveway towards them. Within moments firemen from the village began running into the building. Pru followed, determined to find those she loved, and just inside the front door she collided with Jack.
‘Where the hell do you think you’re going?’ he shouted.
‘I have to find Jean and Milly,’ she explained, relieved to see he at least was safe.
‘No, you don’t.’ He grabbed her, picked her up and carried her back outside, placing her on her feet near to the others.
‘Jack, you don’t understand, I have to go and help.’
‘No. I don’t want you back in there again,’ he said, his face red from exertion. ‘It’s far too dangerous.’
‘But Jack…’
‘No, Pru. I can’t let you.’
Frustrated with him for stopping her from doing what she needed to, she slammed her hand against his shoulder. ‘You can’t stop me. I work here, Jack. It’s my duty to help. I can’t stand here doing nothing,’ she said, gasping as more firemen ran past them into the burning building.
‘Then stay out here and look after the patients.’ He took her by the shoulders and kissed her forehead. ‘I can’t let you go back in there. Anyway, I believe most of the patients are accounted for out here anyway.’
‘They are?’ Relief flooded through her.
‘I think so.’ He looked around them and she realised he was searching for something. Or someone.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Where’s Monty?’
Fear grew inside her as she realised that she had not seen him since earlier that day.
‘Surely someone will have helped him out by now,’ she said desperately, yelping when a window shattered and razer-sharp needles spilled onto the gravel near where they stood.
Jack moved her further away from the building. ‘You look for him over there,’ Jack instructed. ‘I’ll check this group of men over here.’
They parted ways and both searched for him. Pru asked each nurse whether they had seen him, but no one had. She felt sick and it dawned on her that she hadn’t seen Jean either. Panic coursed through her and she struggled not to give in to tears. She couldn’t leave her friend to die, not while she had breath left in her body. ‘Jean Le Riche? Have you seen her?’
Nurses and orderlies shook their heads in a bewildered reaction. Pru spotted Matron and ran over to her. ‘Matron, have you seen Nurse Le Riche anywhere?’
Matron stared at her blankly for a moment. Then, turning her gaze to the burning wing of the building, she stared for a second before looking back at Pru with a horrified expression on her face. ‘No, I haven’t,’ she said, her usual formality forgotten. ‘I haven’t seen Montgomery Ashbury either.’ Her face paled even further. ‘Nurse Le Cuirot, you need to look for him. Lord and Lady Ashbury have suffered enough loss for one lifetime, they can’t lose him too.’ Someone called out for Matron. ‘Do what you can.’
‘Yes, Matron.’
‘Nurse Le Cuirot.’
Pru turned back to her. ‘Yes?’
‘Don’t do anything reckless. You mustn’t put yourself in any danger.’
‘No, Matron,’ she agreed, happy to agree to anything if only she could go and find her friends.
Jack ran up to her. ‘Anything?’
Pru shook her head, hysterics rising through her body. ‘No, and Jean’s missing too. Oh, Jack, I have a horrible feeling they’re together in there somewhere.’
Without saying anything further she ran as fast as she could towards the front door. Just as Pru stepped into the entrance hall two arms took hold of her and lifted her backwards, taking her back outside.
‘Damn it, Jack. Let me be. I have to look for them.’ Pru writhed, desperate to be let go. ‘We don’t have time to waste arguing.’ She had to find Jean and couldn’t waste a minute, especially now the fire was spreading so quickly. ‘Let go of me,’ she demanded, taking hold of his hands and doing her best to prise them off her.
Jack put her down and turned her to face him.
‘Please let me go,’ she cried in frustration. ‘I have to find Jean, Jack. No one’s seen her since she went back inside. She’s my best friend.’
He took her by the shoulders. ‘You are not going back inside that building, Pru. I simply won’t allow it.’
Enraged, she shrugged him off. ‘Don’t you dare tell me what to do. She’s my friend, and if she needs my help, I’m going to go to her.’
‘At the risk of your own life?’ he shouted, his face puce with fury. ‘You’re not going in there. Arguing with me won’t change my mind but it is wasting valuable time. Now, if you want to save your friend, and mine,’ he added pointedly, ‘you’ll do as I say and let me go and look for them. Alone. I won’t be able to concentrate if I’m worried about you too.’
Realising that she was hindering their friends being rescued, she gave in. ‘Fine. Go find them, but for pity’s sake be careful.’
His expression softened and he pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. ‘I love you far too much to chance you being hurt. Now go and help the men out here,’ he said, indicating the distressed patients and harried nursing staff. ‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’
Before she could say another word, he turned and raced back inside the burning building.
‘Jack,’ she whimpered, willing him to be careful.
‘Nurse Le Cuirot,’ Matron called from somewhere behind her. ‘Did you find her?’
‘No, but the captain is in there looking for them now.’ She knew Jack was a strong, capable man and if anyone could help their friends it was him. She spotted Milly busily trying to comfort a young private who was writhing in pain. Her heart soared to see her friend safely outside and she went to see what she could do to help her.
‘He’s burnt his hand,’ Milly whispered.
Pru wasn’t sure why her friend was behaving so oddly. Maybe it was the shock. ‘Do you need me to fetch something for him?’ she asked, confused.
Milly frowned. ‘No.’ She led Pru further away from him and busied herself sorting through blankets.
‘What are you doing?’ Pru asked. ‘Is something the matter?’
Milly stilled, looked either side of them and then lowering her voice, whispered, ‘I think it was the private who started the fire.’
‘What?’ Pru glanced at the soldier, whom she recognised now as Private Danby. He was muttering something to himself and trembling despite being covered with several blankets. He did have a wild expression in his eyes, Pru noticed, and he had been acting increasingly erratically over the past few weeks. ‘Do you think he’s capable of doing something like that?’
Milly shrugged. ‘I would like to say no, but I can’t in all honesty do that.’
‘But why would he set fire to the manor?’
‘I’m not sure. Maybe it had something to do with the visitor he had today.’
Pru was surprised. She had never known him to have anyone visit before today. ‘We’re going to have to report this.’
‘I know, but to whom?’
They looked over at Matron, then to where Lady Ashbury was busily tending to another soldier, offering him calm words of reassurance.
Pru sighed. ‘I think Matron is the right person.’ She was their superior after all and always calm and authoritative in a crisis.
‘I agree.’
Pru realised she hadn’t seen Jack for a while. Surely he should have come back outside by now? She searched around her frantically. He wasn’t anywhere. The manor was a large building, she reasoned, and there were many places where Jean and Monty could be. Why were they still in there? She hoped Jack would find them and soon.
‘You all right?’ Milly asked, interrupting her frantic thoughts. Pru told her about Jack going back inside to look for Jean and Monty. ‘You didn’t see them anywhere, did you?’
Milly gave her question some thought. ‘No, actually. Not for some time now.’ She stroked Pru’s upper arm. ‘Look, I’ll go and speak to Matron. You stay here and keep an eye on the private. See if you can find out anything about the fire, or his visitor.’
‘Will do.’ Pru looked over at Private Danby and doubted she could nurse someone who had consciously attempted to cause harm to those closest to her. She reminded herself that he was probably suffering from some form of shell shock and probably wasn’t accountable for his actions – if he had in fact started the fire, which, she reminded herself, wasn’t a certainty yet.
She took him a glass of water. ‘How are you doing, Private Danby?’ she asked, glancing over at the front door to see two orderlies carrying out one of their colleagues who seemed barely conscious. Her stomach contracted in fear. Where the hell were Jack, Jean and Monty?
‘She’s gone,’ he said, his voice high-pitched and bordering on hysterical.
‘Who?’ She thought of his visitor.
‘My mother.’ His entire body shook and she grabbed a nearby blanket and laid it on top of the others already about him.
‘Tell me what happened.’
He stared at her, his eyes large. ‘My cousin came earlier,’ he said, staring at his burnt hands. ‘He told me they didn’t know I was here until the other day.’ He stared into space, his teeth chattering.
‘Go on,’ she said, willing him to tell her everything before the shock got too much for him.
‘There was a Zeppelin raid two months ago. My mother was killed when a fire consumed her house and the one next door.’
Pru was horrified. ‘I’m so sorry.’ She pulled a blanket higher up over his chest. ‘Why did they take so long to break the news to you?’
‘He said that the telegram notifying her I was here must have been burnt in the fire.’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t really know.’
Pru thought about what Milly had told her. She needed to ask him now, before he had a chance to think through what he had done. ‘Private?’
‘Yes, Nurse?’
‘Why did you start the fire?’
His eyes darted up to meet hers and for a second she thought he might deny what had happened, shout at her for accusing him of doing such a terrible deed.
