Poppy's War Read Online Free Page B

thought, so he isn’t quite as handsome as Errol Flynn, but he’s not half bad. The girls at school would be green with envy if they knew she was living in the same house as someone who looked like a film star. He strolled through the open French windows into the garden. She realised with a start that Pamela was saying something.
    ‘You haven’t heard a word I said, Poppy. Are you sure your head doesn’t hurt?’
    Poppy gazed up at Pamela, searching for some resemblance to her brother and finding none. ‘I’m sorry, miss. What was it you said?’
    ‘Never mind. I’ll ring for Olive. She’ll know what to do with you.’
    Poppy did not think much of that idea and she scrambled to her feet. ‘I’m all right now, honest.’
    ‘Then you’d better go to the nursery and read a book, or go into the garden and play ball, or something,’ Pamela said with a vague wave of her hands. ‘Just make sure you keep to the servants’ quarters while the shooting party have lunch in the dining room, and that goes for tomorrow as well. In fact the luncheon parties go on until the end of the week and you mustn’t make a nuisance of yourself. If you don’t know what to do, just ask Olive or Mrs Toon.’
    Poppy eyed her warily. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, miss. Who are they shooting if it ain’t the Hun?’
    ‘It’s way past the glorious twelfth, girl. The shooting season has begun. I thought everyone knew that.’ Pamela hurried from the room leaving Poppy none the wiser.
    ‘Ah, there you are, Poppy Brown. I’ve been looking for you.’
    Guy’s voice startled Poppy so that she almost fell out of the tree. She had thought she was well concealed amongst the greenery of the ancient oak where she had taken refuge from the house full of strangers. She had no idea how long she had been perched on the branch, but from her vantage point she had seen the return of the shooting party and the toffs in their tweeds, wearing flat caps that didn’t quite look the same as the ones that Dad and Joe wore when they went to watch West Ham play at home.
    ‘I can see you, kid, so you might as well answer me.’
    ‘How did you know where I was?’ She had bunched her skirt up into her knickers in order to make climbing easier and she was suddenly conscious of the fact that she was showing rather a lot of leg. Gran always said that ladies never showed their knees. She would have a fit if she saw her now.
    Guy pulled himself up into the branches with the ease of an athlete and straddled the bough beside her. ‘This is where I used to hide when I didn’t want anyone to find me.’
    ‘I didn’t know it was your tree.’
    ‘Well now you do, Poppy! But I give you permission to use it as and when necessary.’
    ‘But you’re grown-up. You don’t need a place to hide.’
    The smile on his lips did not quite reach his eyes. ‘Everyone needs a place to hide sometimes, Poppy. Grown-ups are no exception.’
    ‘I see.’ She did not understand at all, but she was flattered to think that Guy had seen fit to confide in her. He seemed to have forgotten her for a moment and he took a cigarette case from his breast pocket, selected a cigarette and lit it with a flick of his silver lighter. Poppy watched him with open admiration as he blew smoke rings up into the branches. ‘I wish I could do that.’
    ‘Don’t even think about it. Smoking isn’t for little girls.’
    ‘I’ll be fourteen next April.’
    ‘That makes all the difference, of course.’
    ‘Now you’re laughing at me. That’s not nice.’
    He shook his head. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I can remember what it’s like to be sort of halfway between childhood and being an adult. No one takes you seriously.’
    His smile would have melted an iceberg and Poppy was ready to forgive him anything. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she murmured, turning her head and hoping he had not seen the blood rush to her cheeks.
    He tossed the butt onto the ground where it glowed for a