The G.I. Bride

by Eileen Ramsay

  ‘Hello? Mrs Teague, I’m back. Are you all right?’

  There was no answer – she must have gone to the shelter or she was with Mrs Beetie. At least, she hoped that was where she was; she couldn’t imagine that Mrs Teague would have been anywhere near the town.

  April took off her coat and made her way to the kitchen. Her throat was dry and her clothes smelled of smoke. She needed some water. To her dismay, Crawford had followed her inside and watched as she hunted out two glasses and turned on the taps.

  ‘I imagine your throat must feel a bit like mine. Here you are.’

  Their fingers brushed as she handed the glass to him, and she shivered, remembering the kisses they’d shared and how they’d made her feel. Had he made Bess feel like that too? Could it really be possible that he’d dismissed her from his mind so quickly? Considering what he’d written to her, she’d like to think that wasn’t the case, but she couldn’t deny the evidence of her own eyes.

  Crawford took the glass in silence and drank the water. ‘Thank you. I needed that. And, though you may not believe me, I’m so glad to see you, April. I nearly died of fright when I saw your hair shining in the flames.’

  ‘Well, as you can see, I’m quite all right. Although I can’t say the same for Bess.’

  ‘She was a real heroine. She refused to go to the shelter in case she was needed, and when the flames came and she heard screaming, she dashed into that house before I could stop her.’

  Despite the fact that his words were clearly true, April felt a rush of jealousy course through her. Bloody Bess. Yet again sticking in her nose, causing trouble, and now she was trying to win Crawford. It was unlike her, but she wanted to throttle her. How dare she do this to her. Again.

  Trying to keep her thoughts to herself, she forced herself to say something nice. ‘Maybe you should get up to the hospital so you can be there when she wakes up?’

  Crawford let out a short bark of laughter. ‘I doubt she wants to see me, honey. Like I said, it’s not what you’re clearly thinking. I meant every word of what I wrote in those letters. When Bess told me you’d gone to get married . . . Married, April! Can you imagine what that felt like?’ He closed his eyes for a moment, as if remembering. When he opened them, there was such a wealth of hurt in his eyes that April felt herself flush with guilt and sorrow.

  ‘I was never going to get married, Crawford.’

  ‘I know that now, but those words hit me like the bomb that dropped on the hospital. The bottom fell out of my world and I was so furious with you. Why couldn’t you trust me, honey?’

  ‘I’m sorry. I should have explained the whole situation with Theo, but somehow I could never bring myself to do it. I didn’t want you to think badly of me. Although, me and Theo, we were just childhood sweethearts. It had been over long before I met you. But he’d decided he wanted me back. That’s all it ever was.’

  ‘You told me he was like a brother to you. I wouldn’t have minded if you’d told me he was something more. We all have a past. Hell, I had a childhood sweetheart too.’

  ‘I came to see you yesterday, but the guards refused to even contact you. Said you’d told them you weren’t to be disturbed under any circumstances.’

  ‘So it was you! I thought I was seeing things. Oh, honey, it wasn’t you I was trying to keep out, it was Bess. She’d been coming up so often after she told me you were getting married that I had to do something to keep her away from me.’

  ‘But why? I don’t understand. She’d already done the damage; surely she didn’t think she could win you over, did she? Hang on, she told me that she’d been going up to see you to tell you the truth.’

  ‘Another lie, I think. She is a very determined woman. Seems she’d set her heart on marrying an officer, and I was the lucky officer she chose. Red told me she was always asking him questions about me and it made him uncomfortable, so he had to drop her.’ He shook his head. ‘Poor girl. I was harsh on her tonight.’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘She came into the pub all dolled up, like she knew I’d be there. I have no idea how. She sat beside me and started telling me that if I wanted to kiss her, I’d have to be quick as she was joining the military. Well . . . I wasn’t very gentlemanly, I’m afraid. Told her you were worth ten of her. That I wouldn’t touch her if she was the last woman on earth. Then the bombs came, and she was off like a flash. I hope she’s not badly hurt.’

  April’s heart stopped for a moment. ‘Do you really mean that?’

  ‘What, that I wouldn’t touch her if she was the last woman on earth?’

  ‘No. The other bit.’

  ‘Yes, honey, I do. I always knew it. I just needed time to come to terms with a few things. But tonight has forced me to see it quicker. I’m sorry I hurt you.’

  ‘And I’m sorry I hurt you. It’s the last thing I ever wanted to do.’ She stroked his cheek.

  ‘Oh, April. What you do to me. Even when I was angry with you, my heart refused to hate you. Can you forgive me for being such a boar?’

  ‘Can you forgive me for not telling you about Theo?’

  ‘I’m getting there, honey. I overreacted a bit, I know. But these feelings I have are so strong. It was as if someone had come along and ripped out my heart.’

  ‘Does that mean you still want to see me?’

  ‘Will you have me?’

  ‘I told you in my letter, Crawford. I’ll always be here, waiting for you to forgive me.’

  ‘I forgave you long ago. It was my ego that was keeping me from talking to you. Oh, darlin’, we can never fall out like this again. Do you promise?’

  April wound her arms around his neck. ‘I promise, major. Never, ever again will I give you cause to doubt me.’

  ‘Nor I you.’ He kissed her then, a long, sweet kiss that left April feeling breathless. She drew in a breath and started to cough.

  Swiftly he reached for the water. ‘What am I thinking? Look at us! Covered in soot and stinking of smoke. What is it about us being together that sets the world on fire?’

  April started to laugh, then she coughed some more, forcing Crawford to slap her on the back. ‘Come on, honey, now isn’t the time. We’ve got the rest of our lives to make it up to each other for the past weeks. But you need to wash and get to bed. And so do I. Can I see you tomorrow?’

  ‘Come to the hospital at eight. I’ll be finishing then. Can you do that?’

  ‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’ He kissed her again, more deeply this time. Then he pushed her gently away. ‘I need to go. Tomorrow, April. That’s a promise.’

  She walked with him to the door, and as soon as she opened it, the smell of smoke and the noise of sirens came rushing in. She’d almost forgotten it had happened. Being with Crawford always seemed to have that effect on her. It was as if the world disappeared and it was just the two of them again.

  Once he was gone, she walked back into the house, her heart full and, despite the terror of the evening, a huge smile on her face. She should wait for Mrs Teague to return; the poor woman would probably be beside herself. But it was long past midnight and she was too tired. Instead, she wrote a note for her and left it on the hall table, where she would hopefully see it when she got back from the shelter. Then, after washing in cold water, she leaped, shivering, under the covers. How quickly life could change. It was a lesson she’d learned over and over again during this hateful war, and if Crawford truly wanted her, then she would let go of her hurt and grab this love, and pray it wasn’t ripped away from her. Ever again.

  Chapter 35

  For the first time in a very long while, April woke feeling refreshed and happy, she felt completely recovered and she hadn’t had any horrible dreams. As she lay there, memories of the night before slowly drifted back into her mind. Crawford still loved her! He forgave her! She hugged her pillow, wishing he was here beside her, no matter how inappropriate that might be.

  Jumping up, she rushed to get dressed and ran down to the kitchen,
where she could hear Mrs Teague. ‘Oh, thank goodness you’re all right, Mrs Teague. I was worried when you weren’t here last night, but I thought you must be at the shelter. Are you all right?’

  ‘You were worried? Imagine how I was feeling. After the all-clear sounded, I came home and realised you weren’t here. I was beside myself, so I went round to the Beeties in tears. When I came back again I found your lovely note. I have never been more relieved in my life. Tell me everything that happened.’

  ‘Oh, it was the most wonderful night.’

  Mrs Teague arched her brow sceptically. ‘I wouldn’t have put it quite that way, dear.’

  April couldn’t contain herself any longer, and the entire story came pouring out.

  ‘Oh, how romantic! Didn’t I tell you to trust in the major? You should listen to your old landlady, she’s rarely wrong about matters of the heart. I am so happy for you. And once again you’re a heroine. So brave, you are, my love. I couldn’t be prouder.’

  The memory of Bess coughing and spluttering as she came out of the burning building sobered April momentarily. She needed to be at the hospital early so she could check on her.

  Leaping up, she kissed Mrs Teague on the cheek and ran to get her coat. ‘Got to go. See you later!’

  ‘See you later, my dear. And do say I’ll be invited to the wedding.’

  April laughed. ‘We’re not quite there yet! We’ve only known each other a few months, don’t forget.’

  ‘Three weeks! Remember I told you it was only three weeks for me and Isaac. Grasp your chance of happiness while you can, dear. Don’t let a silly little thing like time get in your way.’

  *

  April found herself grinning all the way to the hospital, even though the weather had turned from clear and cold the day before to drizzly and grey again. She had to walk as her bike had been left somewhere in town. Or rather Mrs Teague’s bike. She needed to find that as soon as possible. There was no way she could afford to buy a new one.

  ‘Sara, do you know where Bess was taken last night?’ April asked at reception when she got to the hospital.

  ‘Oh, April, wasn’t it horrible?’ She shivered. ‘Brought back the most awful memories of when the hospital was bombed.’ She consulted the papers in front of her. ‘Ah, here we are. She’s in Nightingale Ward. Apparently she’s doing well. Just a bit of smoke inhalation.’

  April rushed off. When she entered the ward, she greeted the sister with a nod and asked after Bess.

  ‘Go and see for yourself. She’s had a bit of breathing difficulty, but no lasting damage, I don’t think. Foolish girl. You can see she’ll be well-suited to nursing on the front line.’

  April murmured her agreement and walked down the rows of beds until she spotted her, lying propped up against the pillows to aid her breathing, with an oxygen mask over her face. She touched her hand gently, and Bess’s eyes flew open. Removing the mask, she looked at April sullenly.

  ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I just came to check you’re all right.’

  ‘As if you care.’

  ‘Of course I care, Bess. I was terrified when you came running out of that building. You were so brave! You could have died.’

  Bess closed her eyes wearily. ‘I wish I had.’ April was shocked to see a tear trickle down her cheek.

  ‘Hey, what’s wrong? Everyone’s calling you a heroine.’

  ‘Really? I don’t care.’ She coughed and put the mask back in place. When she’d recovered slightly, she took it off again. ‘Honestly, I wish you weren’t so bloody nice all the time. You do know why I was at the pub, don’t you?’

  ‘I have an idea. You went to find Crawford. Why?’

  ‘Why do you think? I want that man, but it seems he doesn’t want me. They never do. My mother did tell me I’d never find a decent man after . . .’ She trailed off.

  April’s heart squeezed. How could a mother be so cruel? ‘After what, Bess?’

  Bess sighed. ‘My mother’s always been a difficult woman, but she threw me out when I was fifteen. I got into trouble with a man. One of the teachers at my school. I thought he loved me and let him do things he shouldn’t have . . . How was I to know the man was married already? I thought if I let him, he’d love me. Turns out I was wrong. I sent him letters, so many letters, and one of my classmates found one when she saw me putting it in his desk. She took it to the headmaster, and I was expelled. He didn’t have to leave, though, did he? He stayed there and no doubt took advantage of some other poor, naïve fool.’

  ‘Oh, Bess. You were so young. He took advantage of you. That wasn’t your fault.’

  ‘Yes, well, I came to live with my nan, God bless her, and my mother hasn’t spoken to me since. I always think that if I just let a man know how much I like them, they might like me back. Just a bit. But it never works. Turns out men find me a nuisance once they get what they want. My mum was right. I’m not really good enough for any man.’

  ‘That’s nonsense. There’ll be the right man for you, you mark my words. You just need to maybe . . .’ April paused, wanting to choose her words carefully. ‘Take it calmly. Maybe make them wait a bit, make them chase you.’

  ‘That’s all right for you to say. You only have to look at someone and they fall at your feet. Girls like me, well, we need to work a bit harder. But your major made sure I was very certain of one thing: he’s not interested in me. No matter what I do or say about you, he still wants you.’

  ‘Oh, Bess.’ April squeezed her hand. ‘I think, despite everything, you’re incredibly brave. Look what you did last night. And look how you managed to rebuild your life after what happened.’

  ‘For God’s sake, April. Don’t you understand? I tried to seduce Crawford!’

  April swallowed. She had known, but she didn’t want to think about it. ‘Well, that’s in the past. You’ve got a brand new and exciting future ahead of you.’

  Bess coughed again. ‘Oh, go away, will you? I can’t stand your sympathy. Easy for you, isn’t it? You’ve got everything you want. Well, good luck to you, but I don’t need to see you again. Once they release me, I’ll stay with my nan before I leave. My time here is over, and I can’t say I’m sorry. The only people I’ll miss are Nancy and Eunice.’ She gave a bitter laugh. ‘Jesus, even Nancy managed to find a man to love her and her behaviour has been even worse than mine. Just goes to show. Some people deserve it and others don’t. Seems I don’t.’

  ‘Well, your friends here will miss you.’ Despite the fact that her heart went out to her, especially as she was looking so frail and sad, she couldn’t quite bring herself to lie and say she’d miss her too.

  *

  For the rest of the day, despite the endless congratulations she received from the other staff, April felt preoccupied with what Bess had told her. She felt desperately sorry for the other girl’s endless search for love and she wondered if she would ever find someone patient enough to help her. She had so much to give, but despite her fiery nature and her loyalty to her friends, April found it difficult to forgive her for the damage she’d almost caused.

  She was mulling things over as she left the hospital that evening when she heard a familiar voice.

  ‘Going my way?’

  ‘Crawford!’ She leaped into his arms. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Waiting to walk my girl home, just like you asked.’

  ‘How could I have forgotten!’

  ‘Yes, how could you? I never forget a word you say.’

  ‘Not one word?’

  ‘Every utterance that comes out of your mouth is burned on my brain.’

  She arched a brow at him. ‘Really? What was the first thing I ever said to you?’

  ‘You said, “This way, major”.’ He grinned, pleased with himself.

  ‘Did I?”

  He smirked. ‘You think I’m that sappy? I can’t remember that, but figured because you wouldn’t remember either it didn’t really matter.’

  ‘
Why you . . .’ She smacked him on the arm and laughed, then linked her hand with his.

  They walked, talking of the night before and what it had meant to them. April told him about her visit to Bess, and Crawford shook his head.

  ‘Poor Bess. I hope she finds someone who can handle her. Though it’ll take a pretty strong and patient guy to put up with all her insecurities. Still, she’s a brave one, I’ll give her that. But, like you, I find it hard to forgive her for nearly ruining my chances with you and putting me through all that heartache. I tell you, April, I was a boar when I thought you’d betrayed me. The men did their best to stay away from me and the colonel had to take me aside and tell me to pull myself together. It wasn’t easy. I couldn’t understand how I could have been so stupid as to let a girl treat me like a fool.’ He sighed. ‘When Bess told me you’d gone to London, I vowed I would never let you do that to me again, so I let my head rule my heart, April. I knew in my heart you weren’t like that. I should remember to always listen to my heart.’

  ‘You most certainly should, major. I refuse to let you push me away ever again. I’ve learned a thing or two about persistence from Bess, and if you do that to me again, I shall sneak on to your base and personally knock some sense into you.’

  ‘Hmm, I like the sound of that. Think I might give it a go.’

  April laughed again and hugged his arm. Just being with Crawford made the world seem a better place.

  As they neared Mrs Teague’s house, April asked, ‘Have you heard from A.J. at all? I saw him, you know, and he was devastated. I tried to persuade him to visit Eunice and talk to her, but I’ve not had the chance to visit. Which, by the way, is your fault. If you hadn’t soaked me by driving through a puddle that day, I might have had the energy to think of something other than my broken heart.’

  Crawford stopped and pulled her into him, kissing the top of her head. ‘Oh, April, please don’t remind me. I’m so sorry. But that soaking was not my fault. That was the driver’s work, and he was very sorry about it. He wanted to stop, but I wouldn’t let him. My stupid pride.’