Harvest of War Read Online Free Page B

my life to the way Sophie nursed me – in fact, I know I do.’
    â€˜You’ve no idea of making it a real marriage?’ his father said. ‘You wouldn’t be the first man to fall in love with the woman who saved his life.’
    Something turned over in the region of Luke’s stomach and he took a quick swallow of the schnapps. ‘Sophie’s a widow, dad. It’s only a few months since her husband was shot by the Turks. The question doesn’t arise.’
    â€˜If you say so,’ his father said. After a pause he added: ‘I guess it was tough out there.’
    Luke hesitated. Should he try to describe the heat, the flies, the insanitary conditions, the suicidal attacks, the incessant sniping? He shrugged. ‘Yep, it was tough.’
    â€˜Good to have you home, son,’ his father said.
    â€˜It’s good to be here,’ Luke responded. He finished his drink and stubbed out his cigar. ‘I’m pretty tired, Dad. If you don’t mind I think I’ll hit the hay.’
    â€˜Of course. You get some rest. See you in the morning.’
    Sophie had been given the spare room, which happened to be just opposite Luke’s, and as he reached his door he saw that hers was slightly open. As he hesitated outside he heard her say softly, ‘Luke?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    He tapped on the door and went in. Anton was asleep in the cot Luke’s mother had dragged out of the attic in readiness and Sophie was standing by the open window. The room was lit only by an oil lamp, turned down as low as it would go, and the pale gleam of a waxing moon. The scent of orange blossom from the orchard his grandfather had planted to remind him of home came and went on the breeze. She was wearing a white cotton nightgown, with a shawl round her shoulders, and her dark hair was loose.
    He went to stand beside her. ‘Can’t you sleep?’
    â€˜I was waiting for you. I wanted to ask you something.’
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜You haven’t told your parents that we are married. Why not?’
    He drew a breath and lifted his shoulders slightly. ‘It’s difficult. I didn’t want to give them too much of a shock. I’ll explain it all tomorrow. Well, as a matter of fact, I’ve just told my father. He sort of guessed.’
    â€˜Was he shocked?’
    â€˜No, not really. He understood the reason.’
    She looked away from him, at the dark shapes of the hills that surrounded the valley. ‘I must start looking for a job. It should not be too difficult, I think.’
    A chill ran down Luke’s spine. ‘There’s no hurry. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like.’
    She shook her head. ‘No. I cannot do that. Your parents are very kind, but I cannot depend on your family’s charity. I must find a way to support myself and my son, and when I am settled you can divorce me, or have the marriage annulled. It should not be a problem, since we have not . . . I don’t know the word.’
    â€˜Not consummated the marriage,’ Luke finished for her. The chill now seemed to have taken possession of the rest of his body. ‘But there is no need to rush things. Take some time to settle in, get used to the place.’
    She shook her head. ‘No. I am here . . . I don’t know how to say it . . .’ She reverted to Serbian and he translated.
    â€˜Under false pretences. No, you’re not, not at all.’
    â€˜Yes, I am. As a guest, who is not really just a guest, and as a wife, who is not really a wife.’
    Her face was a pale blur surrounded by the dark cloud of her hair and he could not read her expression, but he was suddenly acutely aware of her naked body under the nightgown. In that instant, the confused emotions that had been worrying him for weeks crystallized.
    He said, ‘Sophie, I know it’s too soon to ask this. You are still mourning for Iannis. But . . . one day, perhaps one