Heart of War Read Online Free Page B

with his lips slightly curled, the eyes hooded under the heavy lids wandering down her dress, over her breasts, down to her feet, up again, pausing at her loins, up. He smiled at last: ‘Nice day, Miss Merritt – I don’t think.’
    â€˜What else can we expect in February? I only pray it isn’t like this for the poor men in the trenches.’
    â€˜It is,’ Fletcher said.
    Probyn spoke up suddenly, ‘Who be that lady with squire and your dad?’
    His Woman answered before Betty could speak, ‘Mrs Kramer. Mr Merritt’s sister. Widowed. Younger sister, by the look of her.’
    â€˜She’s nine years younger than my father,’ Betty said.‘She has a son about my age at Yale University. That’s in Connecticut.’
    â€˜What’s she doing here?’ Probyn said.
    Betty said, ‘Her late husband’s brother is Secretary of our Embassy in London. She’s been living with him – and his wife – for nearly six months. She likes England.’
    Probyn grunted, and kept his eyes on her Aunt Isabel Kramer, as though suspicious that she might steal the silver ladle out of the huge silver champagne cup bowl.
    Betty turned to Fletcher, ‘I suppose you’ll be going into the Army soon, now that conscription’s been voted.’
    â€˜Maybe,’ Fletcher said. ‘Where will you be staying, now that your dad’s going back to America, and Mr Johnny’s wed to Miss Stella?’
    â€˜I’m going to get an apartment – flat – in Hedlington,’ she said, ‘and work at Hedlington Aircraft. I may have to take a room at the South-Eastern until I can get one.’
    Fletcher nodded, and after a while said, ‘You’ll have a motor car?’
    She said, ‘Oh, I’ll have to, to get to and from work.’
    â€˜On Sunday, some time, you could drive down here and we could go to the sea. I’ve never seen the sea.’
    â€˜Oh, that would be lovely,’ Betty cried. She pulled herself together, and added, ‘It’ll have to wait till I get the car, of course … and for better weather.’
    Fletcher nodded as though what she had said was so self-evident that she had wasted her breath in saying it. Betty thought, I must be careful. He is so handsome, so magnificent a male animal, that he makes my hand shake, almost: but what would Mr Cate say or think of her going out with him, alone? He was, after all, not exactly upper class … Florinda was smiling quizzically at her; Florinda knew what was in her mind. And what did it matter? She was American, not English. She said firmly, ‘As soon as I get the car, and we have a nice day, we’ll go to the sea. It’s only just beyond Hedlington.’
    â€˜Not that way,’ Fletcher said. He pointed through the windows, toward the south – ‘The sea.’
    â€˜Ah, the English Channel. In Sussex, I think it is there.’
    â€˜T’other’s dirty, and full of muck and oil from London. I seen that, by Chatham,’ Fletcher said. ‘I’m going to kiss the bride. There’s some room round them now.’
    â€˜Better hurry,’ the Woman said, ‘they’ll be going upstairs soon.’
    When the others had left him, skirmishing their way towards the bride and groom, Probyn sidled in the direction of Mrs Kramer, who was now talking to Mr Harry Rowland, the bride’s grandfather. Mr Harry, recently elected Member of Parliament for the Mid-Scarrow Division of Kent, was in full cry on the subject of conscription – ‘It was the only fair way, Mrs Kramer. Our best men were sacrificing their lives while others skulked at home.’
    â€˜It’s a big decision for England to make – the first compulsory military service bill in history, my brother-in-law tells me.’
    â€˜That is correct. Mr Asquith was very reluctant to take the step,
most
reluctant, but events and circumstances left