The beekeepers war, p.8
The Beekeeper's War, page 8
Nine
Pru
July 1917
A few days later, Pru waited anxiously with Jean to hear the results of the latest surgery on Monty’s damaged leg. Jean had been desperate to assist Doctor Parslow with the surgery but he wouldn’t agree, instead choosing Milly.
‘How do you think it’s going?’ Jean tugged on Pru’s arm as they strolled through the formal gardens at the front of the house. ‘Do you think he’ll manage to save Monty’s leg?’ she asked without waiting for Pru’s reaction. ‘I couldn’t bear it if Monty wasn’t able to walk again. I know he’d be unable to cope.’
Pru had seen many times how badly patients took the news they had lost a limb, but she believed that Monty, especially with Jean’s love, would find a way to move on with his life and learn to enjoy it fully.
‘We’ve both witnessed Doctor Parslow’s work enough times to know he is an excellent surgeon,’ she said, trying her best to reassure her friend. ‘If Monty’s leg can be saved by anyone then it’ll be him. Even if he can’t save it, though, there are still choices that Monty can make.’
‘A prosthetic, you mean?’
‘Yes. We both know they’re improving each year and aren’t as cumbersome as they once were. They make aluminium ones now, don’t forget. His parents can afford the best and will ensure he’s fitted with the one that suits him best.’
They walked on in silence as Jean considered what Pru had said. ‘I would marry him regardless of what happens today,’ she said almost to herself.
Pru hugged her friend’s arm tightly to her side. ‘I know you would.’ She thought of the fiancées and wives she had seen who had refused to return to visit their men after witnessing some of the more shocking injuries to faces, or missing limbs. Pru never understood their cruelty. How could you turn your back on someone you professed to love? It was unfathomable to her. Maybe, she reasoned, it was different if the future you had envisaged with that man wasn’t to be. No, she thought. There was no excuse as far as she was concerned. ‘I can’t ever imagine not wanting to be with a man I loved, regardless of what happened to him.’ She looked at Jean. ‘Am I being naive?’ She didn’t think so.
‘Let’s talk about something else,’ Jean suggested. ‘I need to take my mind off this while I can.’
‘That’s understandable. What do you want to talk about?’
Jean reached down to pick a couple of daisies. ‘I’d like to know about you and the captain.’
Pru groaned inwardly.
‘I know you said you were on friendly terms with each other, but I know you well enough to suspect there’s more to your feelings for him.’
Pru had forgotten just how perceptive her friend could be. Then again, she mused, Jean had known her since kindergarten at their parish school in Jersey, so it was hardly surprising she saw through Pru’s words.
‘He’s nice and I do like him,’ Pru admitted, aware she was holding back from sharing her real feelings for him. ‘I think he keeps a lot to himself.’ She stopped walking and shrugged thoughtfully. ‘I barely know him but I can’t help thinking there’s a haunted look about his eyes. Have you noticed it?’
‘A lot of our patients have that look.’
Jean was right. ‘I know, but this is different somehow. I’m not sure how exactly, but – oh, I don’t know how to describe it.’
Jean looked at her. ‘I’ll have to see if I can spot it when he next visits Monty. Did you say you were going out with him again tonight?’
‘I did.’ Pru couldn’t help grinning, and, not wishing to let her friend see, turned her head away as if finding the small lavender bush near her feet fascinating.
‘Are you looking forward to seeing him again?’
Pru nodded. ‘I am. I just wish I had something decent to wear,’ she said, realising she wasn’t prepared for her evening out. ‘I did ask him not to take us anywhere too smart, but I hate the thought of being under-dressed for an occasion.’
Jean laughed. ‘There isn’t too much around here to take you to.’ She gasped. ‘Unless it’s a private party,’ she said. ‘Do you think he’ll know anyone else around here apart from Monty?’
‘I think he probably does,’ Pru said, worried. ‘He’s stayed with Monty during past summers, apparently. Knowing how friendly Monty is, I’m sure he’d have introduced such a good friend to his social circle.’ She watched Jean giving what she’d said some thought. ‘Anyway do people still have those?’
‘What?’
‘Parties?’ She couldn’t imagine people had the money – or spare food – to hold them anymore. Bigger houses had much fewer staff since many had enlisted, and those that hadn’t and were of fighting age had left the area when conscription had come into force the previous year.
‘I’ve no idea.’ Jean rubbed her gloves together. ‘It’s not as if either of us have ever had that sort of lifestyle to know, is it?’
‘True.’ Pru laughed.
‘You won’t be going anywhere at all if we don’t find you something to wear.’ Jean pulled Pru by the arm and they began walking again. ‘Maybe Milly has a dress she might lend you for tonight?’
Pru pictured Milly’s colourful outfits. ‘I’m sure she will have something.’
‘I’ve got just the thing,’ Milly said cheerfully when Pru approached her later in their room. ‘It’s emerald green.’ She went over to their tiny wardrobe and lifted a hanger out, showing the dress to the girls. ‘What do you think?’
Pru covered her open mouth with her fingers. ‘It’s gorgeous.’
‘I’m glad you like it.’
‘How could she not?’ Jean laughed, her hand going to her neck as she stared at the beautiful silk dress.
Milly tilted her head to one side and eyed first Pru and then the dress. ‘It’s going to look fabulous on you. I think it’ll go perfectly with your dark hair, especially if you add a gold necklace or something.’
‘I don’t have anything like that.’ Pru only had her silver St Christopher that her parents had presented to her before she left Jersey. It was her most precious piece of jewellery, even if it was her only piece.
‘Then you can borrow mine,’ Milly said, immediately going over to the small locker by her bed.
‘No, I couldn’t.’ Pru was horrified at the thought of wearing something precious that didn’t belong to her.
‘Whyever not?’
‘Because I’d spend the entire evening fretting about losing it. I’m already going to be worried enough that I don’t spill something on your beautiful dress.’
Milly shook her head. ‘I suppose I’d feel the same way if it was the other way around.’
Pru put on the dress, Milly helping her by doing up the tiny, hard-to-reach buttons at the back, then pulling her over to their small mirror. ‘See how beautiful you look. The colour of the dress highlights your dark hair and pale skin.’ She looked over her shoulder at Jean. ‘Don’t you think, Jean?’
‘I do.’
Pru wondered what Jack might think of her turning up in such an exquisite frock. ‘You don’t think I look as if I’m trying too hard?’
Jean seemed confused. ‘Too hard for what?’
‘To get the handsome captain’s attention,’ Milly teased.
‘Do you?’ Pru stared her reflection, feeling embarrassed. If she was right and the captain was only asking her out because he needed someone for company while Monty was still recuperating, then how would it look if she dressed up like this? ‘I don’t want him to think I’ve misunderstood his reasons for taking me out tonight.’
Milly straightened one of the straps on Pru’s shoulder. ‘I think you’re the one who’s done the misunderstanding, Miss.’
‘What do you mean?’
She felt Jean’s hands on her shoulders. ‘She means that he’s asked you out because he likes you, not because he’s looking for company and anyone will do.’ Pru stared in the mirror and watched Jean smile at Milly. ‘A man like the captain doesn’t need others for company. I’m sure he’s perfectly happy on his own. He wants to spend time with you, Pru. That’s all Milly’s saying and I happen to agree with her.’
Panic coursed through Pru. She spun round to face her friends. ‘You really think so?’ Could he possibly like her? Really? She looked from one friend to the other as they nodded. ‘Oh dear.’
Milly laughed. ‘What’s the matter? Why are you looking so terrified?’
‘Because I … That is, I…’
Milly went to the locker near her bed and took out a small evening bag that matched the dress perfectly. ‘Don’t think about it,’ she soothed. ‘Just try to enjoy every single moment. Here, take this.’ She hung the bag’s satin strap over Pru’s hand and rested it in the crook of her arm.
‘You’d better take this, too.’ Jean opened the bag and placed a clean handkerchief inside. ‘Now, deep breaths. Try to be calm.’
Pru wasn’t sure she could manage that. She raised her arm and studied the bag. ‘This is so pretty, Milly, but I can’t borrow this as well.’
‘You can.’ She pointed a finger at her. ‘And I’m not having any argument. It’s the one condition I have for lending you my dress.’ She frowned. ‘And that you bring it back to me afterwards. I’m rather fond of this dress. It reminds me of the evening I met my Ronnie.’
Pru winced. ‘I hadn’t realised it was extra special.’
‘It’s fine,’ Milly argued, her voice slightly quieter. ‘It’s not as if he’s around anymore to remember it anyway.’
‘Oh, Milly.’ Pru sniffed to stop from crying. She put the bag on the nearest bed and went to unfasten the dress.
‘What are you doing?’ Milly shrieked.
‘I can’t wear this,’ Pru said, struggling to undo the buttons at the back. ‘I can wear my dress instead.’
‘Nonsense,’ Milly argued, slapping Pru’s hands away from the fastenings. ‘Honestly, I want you to. It makes me happy to think of this dress being part of a romantic evening, even if it can no longer be mine and Ronnie’s.’
Pru swallowed back tears. She hadn’t known Milly when Ronnie had been killed two years before but knew from what her friend told her that he had been gassed at Ypres and like so many other poor soldiers had taken days to die. It had been the reason Milly became a nurse – to help other soldiers like her Ronnie – but she suspected it was also her way of keeping busy while she grieved for a future they would never be able to enjoy.
‘Fine, I’ll wear it.’ Pru leaned forward and hugged her friend, hating that someone so kind and generous had already suffered such a terrible loss.
They spent the next few minutes helping her arrange her hair. Finally satisfied she was ready, Pru draped Jean’s jacket over her shoulders.
‘You’re both so kind,’ she said, grateful to her friends and excited to be dressed so elegantly and wearing heels after being in sensible ankle boots all day. ‘I hope the captain appreciates all your hard work,’ she joked.
‘He’ll appreciate the effect far more if you get a move on and don’t keep him waiting,’ Milly teased.
Pru blew them kisses and hurried down to meet Jack. He was waiting outside the side door, as she knew he would be.
His eyes widened as she stepped out. ‘My, you look stunning, Nurse Le Cuirot.’
Delighted with his reaction, she grinned and gave a little curtsy. ‘Thank you.’
She saw the look of delight on his face and wondered if her friends might be right about him. Her heart raced at the possibility.
‘I’ve brought along a blanket for your legs this time,’ Jack said once they were settled in the motor. ‘You looked so cold the last time we went out and I felt very guilty.’
‘You needn’t have,’ she said politely, yet glad of the warmth when he draped the woollen blanket over her legs.
‘We don’t have too far to go but I thought you might enjoy a bit of dancing this time.’ He gave her a questioning look. ‘Do you like to dance?’
‘I’ll probably be a bit rusty but I love it,’ she admitted. ‘I can’t recall the last time I went. Not properly. We’ve had a couple of dances at the manor for Christmas but that’s about it.’
He took her hand gently in his and her skin tingled. ‘I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again, Pru.’
Her breath caught in her throat and it took her a moment to gather herself enough to reply. ‘So have I, Jack.’
He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. She could get very used to moments like these, she decided. He lowered her hand and rested it on her thigh.
He stared at her in silence and then cleared his throat. ‘I suppose I should start this thing so we can get going.’ He took a metal handle, attached it to the front of the car and cranked it. The engine sprang into life and Jack got into the seat next to her and drove down the long driveway.
She had never imagined meeting someone as different as Jack Garland, let alone hearing him say he had been looking forward to seeing her again. It made her think that maybe Jean and Milly had been right after all. She hoped so. She thought of Milly and her loss, and the loss of other nurses, and that of Lord and Lady Ashbury, and it calmed her excitement. She didn’t want to be one of those heartbroken women. Jack was in the Royal Flying Corps and she was well aware – and had been horrified to discover – that the life expectancy of new pilots was only about eleven days. Jack had already far exceeded that limit and she couldn’t bear to let herself fall in love with him only to lose him.
She realised he was speaking. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I was miles away.’
He changed gear and slowed the car as they came to the end of the lane. ‘Not too far, I hope?’
‘No. Anyway, I’m back now.’
‘I’m pleased to hear it.’ He drove on a bit further. ‘What were you thinking, Pru? Would you tell me?’
How could she?
‘I’d rather not,’ she said quietly. The last thing she wanted to do was put a damper on their evening before it had even really begun.
He reached out and took her hand in his. ‘Was it about me being a pilot?’
Pru gasped. ‘Er, yes. But…’
‘It’s fine,’ he said, letting go of her hand to change gears. ‘Meeting you has…’ He hesitated. ‘I like you, Pru.’ He sighed heavily and glanced at her before returning his gaze to the lane ahead. ‘It’s more than that. I’ve never met a woman like you.’
Pru wasn’t sure what he meant. ‘Like me? How?’
He glanced at her again. ‘A woman who makes me feel like I’m the happiest man alive when I’m with you. But I know that to fall in love with you would be the most selfish thing I could do.’
Pru’s thoughts scrambled around in her head. ‘You like me?’
He turned the car between two wide stone pillars and drove down a long driveway. He didn’t speak and she panicked that she had misunderstood what he had meant. He parked the car and turned to her, taking her hand in his once more. ‘I don’t like you, Pru,’ he said. ‘I love you. I think I loved you from the moment I crashed into your trolley and you were so furious with me.’
What! What had he just said?
‘You … you…?’
‘I know. I’m being selfish telling you this.’
‘Why?’ She couldn’t imagine hearing anything more perfect. Jack. Loved. Her. Pru Le Cuirot. She didn’t know whether to shout it out or burst into tears. Instead she tried to calm her breathing and behave as a twenty-one-year-old professional nurse should.
‘Because, darling Pru, what I do is dangerous. I never know if I’ll come back from a mission, and if I do, what state this body or mind of mine will be in. I can’t do that to a woman I love. It’s too cruel.’ He exhaled sharply.
Pru’s temper flared. He was not going to do this to her. ‘Jack Garland. Are you daring to tell me on one breath that you love me and in the next that we can’t be together?’ She glared at him. ‘Well?’
His mouth moved but no words came out. He stared at her, his eyes wide. Then, when she was about to really lose her temper, his expression softened and he began to laugh.
‘What’s so funny?’ She glared at him, her emotions conflicted – euphoric to discover he loved her, heartbroken that he couldn’t be with her.
‘Pru Le Cuirot, you are the most incredible woman I have ever had the good fortune to meet.’
Pru pictured how she must look at that moment and she felt a laugh rise through her chest. Seconds later, she began laughing.
She felt his hands go around her as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Without thinking, Pru gave into the sensations that his lips sent through her and kissed him back, lost in the moment.
Seconds later, or maybe minutes – she wasn’t sure, neither did she care – Jack loosened his arms around her and moved back. He stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. ‘I have a nagging feeling that you are going to be the first person to shatter my resolve not to become involved with anyone while this war is on.’
Pru could see he was caught between wanting to do what he believed to be the right thing and his feelings for her. She rested a hand on his knee. ‘I know you think this is wrong and I admit that the thought of being in love with a pilot frightens me.’
‘Frightens you?’
‘Jack, I already have feelings for you that I’ve never imagined being capable of and…’ She hesitated, feeling exposed to be so open.
‘Please,’ he whispered. ‘Go on.’
She took a deep breath. ‘I already look for you whenever I’m at work in case you’ve come to visit Monty. I listen out for your voice. When I see you, I don’t quite know what to do. I’m worried I’ll make a fool of myself, or say something silly and show you how much I like you.’ She lowered her voice. ‘Love you.’
‘My darling girl. Every moment I spend with you I fall more deeply in love with you and it frightens me.’
‘You? Frightened?’ She was astounded to hear him say such a thing. This man who Monty looked up to and insisted to be the bravest man he knew.
‘Yes. I want to be with you but in doing so I’m putting your happiness at risk because I have no control over whether or not I survive this blasted war.’
