A Regimental Affair Read Online Free Page A

from?’
    ‘CO’s wife. It’s in my briefcase.’
    Richard fetched his bag as Debbie went into the kitchen and began to dish up their supper.
    ‘It’s spagbol,’ she called through the open door. ‘OK?’ She didn’t wait for her husband’s reply as she dolloped large ladles of spaghetti onto two plates sitting ready on the Formica work surface.
    ‘Great,’ said Richard, returning to the kitchen as he unzipped his document case. He rummaged briefly inside it. ‘Ah, here it is.’ He passed Debbie a stiff cream envelope.
    Debbie wiped her fingers on a tea towel and took it. ‘Nice stationery,’ she commented as she ripped it open. She scanned it quickly and groaned. ‘Oh God. I knew it.’
    ‘What is it?’
    ‘It’s a summons from Alice Davies.’
    Richard couldn’t see what was wrong with that. ‘That’ll be nice, dear,’ he said blandly.
    ‘No, it bloody won’t.’
    ‘Don’t be silly.’
    Debbie chucked the invitation onto the worktop and began to put the Bolognese sauce on the plates. ‘I’m not. I told you what Lou said about her. She sounds awful.’
    ‘I expect Louise was exaggerating. You know what she’s like. No need to spoil a good story with the truth.’ Out of loyalty to his new boss, Richard kept quiet about the stories he’d heard.
    Debbie laughed. ‘Well, maybe. Come on, grab a tray.’
    Richard did as he was told and followed Debbie into the sitting room where they settled down in front of the TV with their supper.
    ‘By the way, we’ve been told that Ginny Turner is being parachuted in, to the post of regimental admin officer. She’s arriving in a couple of weeks.’
    ‘That’s great,’ said Debbie indistinctly through a mouthful of spaghetti. She’d been good friends with Ginny when she had been dating one of Richard’s friends. She swallowed. ‘Poor cow didn’t get much notice though, did she?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Why was that?’
    Richard knew perfectly well but couldn’t say. The regiment needed to be up to full strength by Easter to be ready for preparations for a future event, but if he said anything about that Debbie would smell a rat. Safer to blame the system in general rather than a future event in particular.
    ‘You know what the army is like.’
    A snort from Debbie indicated that she knew only too well. She slurped up more spaghetti. ‘Still, it’s an ill wind.’ She swallowed noisily. ‘Tell her to get herself round here as soon as she arrives. I’ll have a bottle of wine open. Won’t it be great to have Ginny here? Just think, a year with a live wire like her for company.’
    Richard kept to himself the news that he, Ginny and the rest of the regiment would be gone for at least six months of the year that Debbie was so looking forward to.
    At Montgomery House things were rather more formal. Alice was also getting ready for supper but, unlike Debbie and Richard who were happy with trays on their knees, she was putting damask place mats on her mahogany table and lining up crystal wine glasses with the tips of the knives. They might be surrounded by half-unpacked possessions but that was no excuse to allow her standards to slip.
    She glanced at her watch. Good, Bob would be home soon. Apart from anything else, she wanted to tell him about Megan’s latest misdeed and ask his advice about moving the coffee morning to the officers’ mess. Would sending out a note to everyone to say the venue had changed make her look foolish and disorganised? But would that be better than Megan swanning around looking like some sort of punk rocker? God, this was turning into a nightmare. She’d made her plans carefully to make sure she would have the maximum possible attendance of all the officers’ wives, and now she was going to be embarrassed by her daughter in front of them. Really, Megan was the limit! Bob would have to have a word with her.
    Feeling more than a little irritated, she had just finished arranging the table to her satisfaction and was returning to