Her happiness dimmed slightly, however, when she saw the other letter was from Theo. With everything that had been happening, she’d pushed thoughts of him to the back of her mind. She opened it with some trepidation.
Dear April,
I will be on my way next week and all being well – provided we don’t get torpedoed! – I should be back in England three weeks after that. I’m not yet well enough to go home, so I will be taken to a hospital. Hopefully it will be close to my parents. I can’t wait to be home. The thought of seeing you is one of the only things that is keeping me going.
Pray for me, sweet girl. And, God willing, I will see you soon.
Much love,
Theo
Anxiety and guilt fizzed through her. How on earth would she tell Theo that her feelings had changed? She wondered how she would feel about Theo now if she hadn’t met Crawford. She shook her head. No, she would feel the same, because she’d already been uncertain when they had kissed by the fire so long ago. Could it really only have been last year? She still loved him, he was her oldest friend, but compared to the love she felt for Crawford, it was an insipid, insubstantial feeling. She hoped he would understand, but the thought of hurting him, especially when he was injured, made her feel sick. She decided she would talk to matron about getting leave in a few weeks’ time, so she could go to London and talk to him. It was the only way, and she had promised to come.
*
The next evening at six, April was standing by the window anxiously scanning the street for any sign of Crawford. Mrs Teague stood beside her. Her excitement at the prospect of watching the film was almost as much as April’s was at the thought of seeing Crawford again. When the jeep appeared, April ran to the door, threw it open and dashed down the path. Crawford had just got out of the car when April barrelled into him, throwing her arms around him and burying her nose in his neck, sniffing the distinctive, woody scent of him.
He laughed with delight and hugged her back. ‘Oh, thank God! I swear, April, this has been the longest few days of my life. Did you get my notes?’
‘Yes! Did you not get mine? And how did you manage to get a letter delivered every single day?’
He tapped his nose. ‘I cheated slightly. Made friends with Mrs Jones in the post office and left them all there for delivery. And I got yours today when I got back. And I think the answer to your question is yes, this is what falling in love feels like.’
She drew back to look into his eyes. His were green and intense. ‘You, Crawford Dunbar, are not only devious, but you are also completely wonderful.’
‘I hope that means I get a little kiss as a reward.’
‘That was never in doubt.’ She pressed a kiss on his lips, and he pulled her closer to him. For a moment, everything else was forgotten, until she heard Mrs Teague.
‘April, my dear, it’s raining and you’ll need your coat. Goodness gracious, major, you’ve turned that girl’s head to mush! Now, come on, I don’t want to be late.’
*
When they arrived at the hall, Red was standing outside waiting for them. April was less pleased to notice that Bess was also with him, hanging on to his arm possessively.
As soon as Crawford opened Mrs Teague’s door, she was out of the car and rushing up to Red. ‘Red! My dear, isn’t this exciting?’ Her smile dimmed slightly when she looked at Bess. ‘And Bess. Nice to see you again.’
Bess smiled at her. ‘Hello, Mrs Teague, I hope you don’t mind me joining you. When Red said you were all coming, I simply couldn’t resist.’ She looked at April and Crawford, and her eyes hardened. ‘Hello, Crawford, I am happy to see you again. It’s been a while – we should really catch up some time.’
Crawford smiled absently. ‘Well, hello. It’s Bess, isn’t it?’
Bess’s smile faltered at this, then she laughed insincerely. ‘Of course it is Bess. Who did you think it was? Anyway, come on everyone, let’s go inside.’
Crawford raised his eyebrows at April, then turned to go inside with the others. Bess, meanwhile, was staring across the street, her eyes wide with surprise. She turned to April and caught her arm.
‘April,’ she hissed. ‘Look!’
April glanced in the direction that Bess was indicating. Walking away from them down the street was a tall G.I. and a shorter, red-haired woman. Their hands were linked and their heads bent towards each other. April’s heart stopped. Eunice and A.J.
‘Is that . . . ? Well, she’s a sly one, isn’t she? But why isn’t she with Norm?’ Bess looked over at April. ‘Did you know about this?’
April didn’t say anything, but Bess drew her own conclusions.
‘You did, didn’t you? How come she told you and not me?’
‘She didn’t tell me, I found out. Is Norm back yet?’
‘Don’t think so. Sure it’s tomorrow. At least, Eunice isn’t coming to work for the next couple of days, and she says that’s why.’
‘Oh dear. I hope no one else spots them.’
Bess looked around quickly, checking to see if anyone else had noticed. Suddenly, her face paled. ‘Oh gawd!’
April turned and saw a tall, thin man wearing the uniform of a Royal Navy petty officer walking down the street. He was smoking a cigarette and his gaze was fixed firmly on the couple in front of him.
‘It’s Norm,’ Bess whispered. ‘He must have arrived early. Looks like he’s on the way to the nurses’ home. Quick, we’ve got to do something. I’ll go and speak to him, you go and warn Eunice.’ She gave her a shove.
April didn’t need asking twice as she sped towards Eunice and A.J. As she reached them, she glanced back. True to her word, Bess was talking to Norm and had somehow managed to turn him so he was no longer facing in their direction.
April grabbed Eunice’s arm. Eunice jumped and turned around in surprise. ‘
April! What’s wrong? I didn’t know you were here.’
‘Eunice, you need to get back to the nurses’ home as soon as possible.’ She looked at her meaningfully, indicating up the road with her head.
Eunice looked in the direction she was indicating. ‘What are you . . . ?’ Suddenly she stilled, then looked back at April, her eyes full of panic.
A.J., oblivious, gave April a warm smile. ‘Hey, April. I forgot the film. I’m hoping to go tomorrow, if Eunice will come with me is on tonight. Does this mean that Crawford is here?’ Suddenly his face clouded. ‘And a whole load of other soldiers, I bet. Eunice, honey, we better move on. Let’s go to The Swan.’
Eunice snapped out of her paralysis. ‘Actually, A.J., I’m really sorry, but Bess needs me back at the nurses’ home. I really need to go. I’m so sorry.’ Before he could say anything, she rushed off, practically running up the road.
‘Eunice? What about tomorrow?’ A.J. called after her, then turned to April. ‘What the hell is going on?’ He glanced up the road and saw Bess, and suddenly his eyes turned hard. ‘She lied. Bess is right here. It seems whenever it looks like things are going OK, she disappears on me. Darn it. I love that girl, yet she keeps pushing me away.’ He turned to follow Eunice, but April caught his arm.
‘A.J., I think you should leave her be for now.’
‘Leave her be? That girl is twisting me in knots. One minute she says she loves me and the next she’s running away. It’s breaking my heart, and I’m not sure I can take much more.’
She glanced over to the hall and saw Crawford standing in the doorway, watching her with a puzzled expression. She gestured for him to join them, desperate for his support.
He hurried over and slapped A.J. on the back. ‘A.J. Great to see you, buddy. I didn’t know you were in town. Thought you lot had gone on exercise.’
‘Nope, we leave day after tomorrow. I was just seeing my girl, but she’s run out on me . . . again.’ He looked in the direction that Eunice had gone, but she had disappeared.
Just then, Bess walked over, a smile plastered on her devious face.
‘Hello, you three, look who
I just bumped into. This is Norm, Eunice’s fiancé.’
April shut her eyes in despair. This was not how A.J. should have found out. It was typical of Bess to stir trouble, she must have realised what was going on, but instead of keeping her mouth shut, she had to drop her bombshell and create more drama.
She smiled as best she could and held out her hand to Norm. ‘Hello, Norm.’
Norm didn’t even look at her. His furious gaze was fixed firmly on A.J., who was standing stock still, staring at him in astonishment.
Crawford nudged April and raised his eyebrows. She moved her head slightly, trying to indicate that he should leave with A.J. Luckily, Crawford was quick on the uptake, and he looked over at Norm.
‘Great to meet you, Norm. Now, me and A.J. have to go. Sorry about the film, April, will you be all right?’
‘Yes, you go. Me and Mrs Teague will be just fine.’
He nodded at her, then pulled a shell-shocked A.J. down the road in the direction of his jeep.
‘So, Norm, Eunice said she wasn’t expecting to see you till tomorrow. She’ll be very surprised to see you today, won’t she, April?’ Bess began.
‘So I gather.’ Norm’s tone was cold and before she could say anything else, he pushed past them and jogged off in the direction of the nurses’ home.
Bess and April watched him go. ‘Oh my good God! That’s torn it. What the hell is going on with Eunice and A.J.?’
April shook her head. ‘You’ll need to ask her that. But I wonder if one of us shouldn’t go and check she’s ok? Norm won’t get violent, will he?’
Bess looked worried. ‘He’s never been the violent type, as far as I know, but the way he looked . . . Me and my big mouth, I shouldn’t have said anything, but I didn’t realise it was so serious.’ She came to a decision. ‘I’m going after him. Can you explain to Red? He probably won’t even notice anyway. See you later.’
For the first time in a long while, April felt some warmth towards Bess. The girl might not like her, but she definitely cared about Eunice, and if the situation got ugly, Bess was a much better person to help Eunice than she would be.
*
There was nothing for April to do but go and explain the situation to Red and Mrs Teague, then she planned to make her way to the nurses’ home to check that Eunice and Bess were all right. She had no desire to watch the film now, but she couldn’t expect her landlady to leave, not after she’d been so excited.
The film hadn’t started yet – although April could have sworn she’d been outside for hours – and she pushed through the crowd of people still waiting to take their seats. The hall had been set out as if for a concert, with rows and rows of chairs facing a huge screen. She spotted Red’s distinctive hair towards the front of the hall and made her way towards them.
Mrs Teague looked up at her in delight as she sat down. ‘Ooooh, isn’t this exciting, April? Apparently the film is called Stagecoach and the actor is John Wayne. Stagecoach! Doesn’t that just scream the Wild West to you! I can’t wait.’ Mrs Teague looked behind her. ‘Where’s the major?’
‘He’s had to leave, I’m afraid. I’ll explain everything to you later. Red, can I ask you a huge favour? Me and Bess have to go and help Eunice. Would you mind very much looking after Mrs Teague and taking her home?’
Mrs Teague looked concerned. ‘Don’t worry about me, April. You go and do what has to be done. I can find my own way home. I’m quite old enough, you know.’
‘I wouldn’t hear of it, Mrs T. A gentleman never lets a lady walk home on her own. Of course I’ll take you home. Is everything all right?’
‘Yes, yes, it’s fine. Eunice is just a bit upset. I’m so sorry. I hope it hasn’t ruined your evening.’
‘Of course not, lovely. You get on. I’ll see you later.’
April left hastily and moved off in the direction of the nurses’ home. It was a fifteen-minute walk from the centre of town, and she found herself running, desperately worried about what she would find there.
When she arrived, she ran straight up to Eunice’s room and knocked on the door. ‘Eunice? Are you all right?’
Bess answered the door. She looked strained. Behind her, she could see Eunice crumpled on the bed, sobbing into her pillow, but there was no sign of Norm.
‘What happened?’ she whispered to Bess. ‘Where’s Norm?’
Bess shook her head. ‘It was awful. He was shouting at her about A.J. Saying he’d heard she’d been seen around town with a darky, but he hadn’t believed it. Said he was going to show him what he thought of him, and then he ran off. Didn’t even give her a chance to talk. I hadn’t even realised that she and A.J . . .’ Bess trailed off.
‘I hope Crawford’s taken him back to base. He’ll be safe there. Can I come in and see how she is?’
‘I think it’s best if you just leave her with me. Go and enjoy your evening with Crawford.’
The last was said with a sneer, but April chose to ignore it. She knew how Bess felt about her, but she’d also always known that Bess genuinely liked Eunice – otherwise why would Eunice have stayed friends with her? Maybe that was why Bess hated April so much – she’d moved into their little group and, as Bess saw it, taken away Eunice, and Nancy too, to a certain extent. And then she’d taken Crawford – even if Crawford wasn’t hers in the first place, in Bess’s mind, it seemed he was.
‘All right, I’ll go. Take care of her, won’t you?’
‘What, you think I won’t? I never thought this would happen when I opened my big mouth. I feel like it’s my fault. Instead of telling you, she should have told me what was going on, then all this could have been avoided.’ With that, Bess shut the door in April’s face.
April shook her head. Typical Bess, blaming others for her own failings. Still, she knew she’d take good care of Eunice, and having both of them hovering over her might be annoying for her friend.
Outside the nurses’ home, April dithered. Should she go back into town to see if Crawford had gone to find her, or should she go back to Mrs Teague’s? She decided it was more likely that he’d go to the hall first, so she returned and stood outside waiting. The film had started and she wasn’t able to go in.
She’d been standing there for about fifteen minutes when she heard an engine. Crawford, at last. He parked the car, hopped out and walked up to her, his expression grim.
‘Thank God you’re here! What the hell was that all about? Do you mean to tell me that Eunice is engaged to someone else? Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘How could I? It wasn’t my secret, and Eunice insisted she was going to tell A.J. before Norm got back.’
‘Well, it looks like she didn’t stick to her word.’ Crawford was furious. ‘What sort of a woman does that to a guy? A.J. is one of the most decent human beings I know, and right now he’s crushed. What is it with you women? Leading men around by the nose then dropping them.’
‘Hang on, this isn’t my fault! I’ve been pleading with her to talk to him, but . . . she was too scared, Crawford. Surely you can understand that?’
‘The hell I can! She’s been lying to him, April. God! What she’s done to him – I’ve never seen him like that.’
‘Crawford, please don’t shout at me. It’s not my fault.’
He sighed. ‘I know, honey, I’m sorry. But I’m furious with her.’
‘If you could only have seen the state she’s been in . . .’ She didn’t carry on. There was no way she could betray Eunice’s other secret. A.J. deserved to know about that first. ‘I tried to persuade her, but she bit my head off and I’ve hardly spoken to her since.’
Crawford put his arm around her. ‘Come on, I don’t fancy the film now. In fact, I need a drink. Even if it is one of those disgusting English beers.’
‘Where’s A.J.? Did you take him back?’
‘No, I was going to, but we saw Homer and a few of the guys, and A.J. wanted to join them. I think they’re going to take him for a drink and I figure if anyone deserves
to drown their sorrows, then it’s him. So I left them and came to find you.’
They walked down the road a little way until they came to a pub. Walking in, April went to find a table while Crawford got the drinks. She looked around. Tonight was clearly a night when the white soldiers were barred, which meant she and Crawford would have to leave. She had just stood up when she realised a man was looming over her. She looked up. It was Homer, and for the first time since she’d met him, he was not smiling.
‘Homer! Is A.J. with you? Is he all right?’
‘What do you think? I need to see that girl and give her a piece of my mind.’
‘Please try not to be angry with her. She’s as heartbroken as A.J. I promise you, she loves him. Do you think you can tell him that? She just needs a bit of time to sort some things out.’
‘Right. Like her fiancé? You think A.J. can ever be with her now when she’s lied to him like this?’
‘Please, Homer. Trust me. Eunice wants to be with A.J. She’s been trying to keep everyone happy, and in the process has hurt everyone. Including herself.’
‘My buddy is over in the corner crying into his beer. You think I’m exaggerating? You can go and see for yourself.’ He shook his head. ‘I think you better tell your friend that he’s done with her.’
‘Homer, please . . .’ She put her hand out to stop him, but he ignored her and walked to the back of the pub.
Crawford came over just then with a couple of drinks.
‘How did you manage that? I thought white soldiers wouldn’t be allowed tonight.’
‘Seems he liked my face. Though he said if I caused trouble he’d see it was rearranged.’ Crawford grinned in amusement.
‘Homer and A.J. are here.’
‘What? I better go over.’
‘No, I think you should leave them. Homer’s furious.’
‘A.J. is one of my best friends, of course I’m going over.’
As he walked away, there was a commotion at the door. April looked over to see four men wearing the familiar green uniform of the US Army. She noticed they also wore black armbands with the letters MP printed on in large white letters. Why were the military police here? There was no trouble. Unless it was because Crawford was here when he wasn’t meant to be. She swallowed nervously as the men stormed through the bar, clearly looking for someone.
The G.I. Bride Page 21
