Teardrops in the Moon

by Crosse, Tania

  Marianne’s heart had missed a beat at the mention of Michael Bradley. She had managed to drive him out of her mind for the most part, but there was still a twinge of pain at times. Such as when she had received a letter from Mary Franfield telling her about her new life at the London training hospital, but also mentioning that she and Michael had been exchanging correspondence. It was not, though, the quickly stifled spurt of jealousy that set Marianne’s pulse racing with dread so much as the thought that he could be in danger.

  ‘I’m so relieved that we’re a farming family.’ Kate unwittingly twisted the knife in her sister’s side. ‘Farmers are going to have a jolly good excuse not to join up, if the government’s going to want them to produce as much home grown food as possible so we’re not so reliant on imports. So Philip’s going to have work harder than ever, especially with Josh running Hillside now. And they’re going to do as much as they can with Moor Top as well.’

  ‘And Richard’s not as young as he was,’ Beth put in with a wistful lift of one eyebrow. ‘He’s pretty fit for seventy-four, but he doesn’t have quite the same energy as he used to.’

  ‘Is that what he is?’ Marianne marvelled. But then, Adam Bradley was remarkable at a similar age, too, although he had that problem with his heart, of course. Marianne wasn’t sure if Beth knew about it, so she decided she should keep quiet on that score. ‘Well, come on, Kate,’ she swiftly changed the subject. ‘Let’s get off on that walk, if it’s all right with you, Beth?’

  ‘There’s always work to be done on a farm, but all work and no play, as they say. So you two enjoy yourselves for a few hours, and forget about this horrible war for a while. And don’t forget those sandwiches we made earlier,’ she reminded her daughter-in-law, since she knew how woolly headed the two girls could be once they got together.

  ‘Thanks, Beth. So, where do you suggest we go?’ Kate asked, grabbing her coat as she and Marianne passed through the rear hallway.

  ‘If it was summer, with the sun out like this, we could’ve gone to swim in the old millpond in the coombe.’

  ‘Like we did with Adam during the school holidays!’

  Yes, like they had with Adam. And Kate had spent all the time with one eye on her son so that he didn’t drown. It was fair enough, since the locals had dug out the pond to act as a swimming pool and it was quite deep. But it would have been so much more fun if they hadn’t had to worry about him at every minute. Marianne forced a smile to her face.

  ‘Yes. That was great, wasn’t it?’ she lied. ‘But we could go up to Tavy Cleave. Might be the last chance we get before winter sets in.’

  Marianne’s soul took wing at the thought. The nascent River Tavy cut a dramatic cleft through the granite hills of the high moorland. Wild and exposed, its savage beauty always seemed to release her from any worries, enthralling her with its spectacular loneliness. It was a place for contemplation down by the shallow, fast running waters that tumbled over boulders worn smooth over millions of years, but also of exhilaration and excitement. It would be exactly what she craved just now to put her turbulent emotions in order.

  ‘Oh, but that’s miles!’ Kate objected. ‘I’m not sure I fancy walking that far today.’

  Marianne felt her enthusiasm deflate. ‘Why not?’ she demanded. ‘We always used to walk all day.’

  Kate shrugged evasively. ‘Don’t forget the military are up that way and could be practising manoeuvres. Why don’t we go down and cross over the brook instead and then climb up to Cox Tor and make a circle around there?’

  Marianne clamped her jaw. It was very close to the route she took to reach Rosebank Hall in the first place, but it was still high up on the open moor with stunning views down towards Plymouth Sound and the sea which would be clearly visible on such a fine day. And she supposed she didn’t want any reminders of the war, which was something she wanted to put out of her mind for the day.

  ‘All right, come on then!’ she cried, and danced out of the door and across the farmyard.

  They chatted about this and that, matters of little consequence, as they made the steep ascent towards the higher part of the moor. Kate told her sister about Adam’s progress at the village school and how Philip was not looking forward to the long winter, but was happy to take over the increased paperwork running the farm now entailed. In turn, Marianne related a couple of gallops she and their mother had enjoyed, and made her sister laugh with the tale of one of her own disastrous attempts in the kitchen when Patsy had been unwell. The conversation inevitably though, turned to the war.

  ‘So neither Philip or Josh have any plans to join up, then?’ Marianne asked as they reached the summit of Cox Tor and paused to admire the magnificent view.

  ‘No. The country’s still got to be fed and farming isn’t something you learn overnight. I mean, there’s a certain amount of labouring anyone can do, but when you’re mainly dealing with livestock, that’s skilled work. And they’ll be working three farms between them so it won’t be easy. But what about Hal? Won’t he feel he ought to enlist?’

  ‘Fortunately our brother has his head screwed on,’ Marianne told her. ‘Did you know we’re training all our horses for the military, and we might be having wild horses from across the Atlantic coming to us for breaking in for the army, as well?’

  ‘Really? Rather you than me. They’ll be real handfuls, won’t they?’

  ‘And the poor things will probably have been terrified cooped up on a ship for over a week. Some of them might be impossible to train. And we won’t have that long to do it in, either.’

  ‘Good job you’re all so brilliant with horses, then.’

  ‘And I hate the idea of sending them off to war. Men choose to fight, but horses don’t. So I’m hoping I can find something else to do to help, instead, although I’m not sure what yet.’

  ‘You could go and work at one of the new munitions factories they’ve opened in Plymouth, making shell cases, I think.’

  ‘I’m not sure I fancy that,’ Marianne grimaced. ‘I don’t think I could do anything where I was shut indoors all day, and I’d rather be doing something to help our troops as opposed to killing the enemy. Making weapons is too, I don’t know, direct, somehow.’

  ‘Yes, I know what you mean. And I’d hate working in a factory, too.’

  ‘Maybe there’s something else we can do together, then. I mean, now that Adam’s more or less off your hands, you’re free to do whatever you want.’

  ‘Oh. Er. . . .’ Kate stuttered evasively. ‘I’m afraid I won’t be doing too much for the war effort. You see, I’m expecting another baby.’

  Marianne’s heart plummeted to her feet. Oh. Just as she had begun to think she and Kate could go back and pick up their hare-brained, tomboy existence where they had left it eight years ago, her sister had gone and got herself pregnant again!

  ‘Congratulations!’ she exclaimed, hoping it sounded genuine. ‘You must be thrilled.’

  ‘We are. But I’m afraid it means you and I won’t be able to go off doing things together for a while.’

  ‘Oh, never mind about that.’ Marianne flapped her hand dismissively. But she did mind. Dreadfully. She shouldn’t, of course. And she was racked with guilt that she did. She should be delighted for her sister. After all, it was the natural thing for a happily married couple to want a second child. It was just that. . . . Oh, she had so longed to be close to her sister again. And now that old emptiness had opened up inside her like a bottomless chasm. Twice in the last few months she had allowed that shield she had drawn about herself to crumble, first over Michael Bradley and now with her sister. She really must stick to her guns – and to her pledge. Never fall in love and instead devote herself to the Fencott Place horses.

  Nevertheless, she felt tossed on an ocean of uncertainty as she rode home later that day, unnerved, resentful and yet torn with guilt. She really must put this new disappointment behind
her. She would surely find other opportunities for fulfilment. Normally, she would have relished the challenge of the wild horses. If only they weren’t destined for the battlefield.

  She was still lost in thought as she and Pegasus clattered up the driveway to Fencott Place. The sight of a strange motorcar parked outside drew her from her ponderings. Her resolution dissipated as she wondered if it might be Michael. . . .

  She hurriedly saw to Pegasus and then raced indoors. She could hear male voices coming from the drawing room and sprang across to the door. But then she paused to take a huge, calming breath. If it was Michael, she must curb her feelings, however powerfully they overcame her.

  She opened the door. Her father and Hal were seated on the couch facing a man in one of the chairs which had its back to her. On seeing her enter the room, all three got to their feet.

  It was not Michael. The stranger was tall, in military uniform and incredibly handsome. So handsome, in fact, that Marianne’s pulse accelerate wildly and she could not take her eyes from the broad forehead, kind grey-blue eyes and well-shaped mouth that broke into a hesitant smile. Marianne melted on the spot and had to force herself to look towards her father for an explanation.

  ‘Major, this is my daughter, Marianne,’ Seth introduced them. ‘Marianne, this is Major Albert Thorneycroft. From my old regiment. He. . . .’ Seth paused, and Marianne instinctively filled with dread. Was . . . was Hal going to enlist, despite what he had said? ‘The major saw Pegasus when he was here before,’ Seth went on in a low voice. ‘And, well, he would like to buy him.’

  Marianne swayed as the blood drained from her head, and she would have fallen had not the major rushed forward to catch her in his arms.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ‘Oh, my dear Miss Warrington, I should never have suggested such a thing had I known it would provoke such a reaction. Your father said you would flatly refuse, but I hadn’t expected this.’

  ‘Nor had I. I thought she’d just fly off the handle and prove to you once and for all that you can’t possibly have the horse. I would have put it more delicately if I’d known this would happen.’

  The concerned voices, one dear and familiar and the other unknown but soft and lilting, swirled in Marianne’s brain. Her eyelids were as heavy as lead and she had to force them open. The grey shroud that had dulled her senses gradually lifted as her mind clawed its way back to reality. Something appalling had just happened that she would prefer to blank out of her mind, but she just had to remember what it was so that she could fight against it.

  The room slowly swam back into focus and she realized that she was lying on the couch. Her father and Hal were looking down at her, both their faces etched with worry, but kneeling beside her, very close, was the handsome stranger she had met a few moments earlier. She had been vaguely aware of him sweeping her off her feet, holding her close as he carried her across the room, her face pressed against the rough material of his uniform. Ah, uniform. Now it all came flooding back. He wanted Pegasus. Well, he couldn’t have him. But it was no reason to dislike the man.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ she muttered. ‘This is most impolite of me—’

  ‘No, I’m the one who’s sorry,’ the gentle voice came again. ‘Don’t get up until you feel better. Perhaps a glass of water. . . ?’

  He turned questioningly towards Seth and Hal, and Hal at once set off towards the kitchen. The stranger turned back, and beneath his mop of sandy curls, the grey blue eyes searched her face earnestly.

  ‘I can only apologise again, Miss Warrington,’ he repeated. ‘Please do forgive me.’

  ‘Marianne, please,’ she answered, although it was still as if her lips were speaking of their own accord. ‘I should only be flattered that you admire Pegasus so much, but I’m afraid he’s not for sale.’

  ‘And I fully accept that. Your father told me last time, and it was really presumptuous of me to have asked again. I could requisition him, of course, but I wouldn’t want to cause you such distress. So, I shall take my leave and drive back to Longmoor in Hampshire where my regiment is based.’

  ‘You’ve come all the way from Hampshire?’ Marianne’s brain snapped into gear. She couldn’t possibly let this attractive young man out of her life so soon! ‘Well, it’s getting late, and you can’t possibly drive all that way in the dark. He could stay overnight, couldn’t he, Dad?’

  Seth gave a surprised shrug. It was the last thing he had expected from his daughter, but he supposed it was the civil thing to do. ‘It’s your mother you need to ask. I think she’s in the kitchen—’

  ‘Oh, Marianne, what happened?’ Rose blustered into the room, followed by an anxious Hal carrying the glass of water.

  ‘I was a little shocked, that’s all.’ Marianne was sitting up now, her embarrassment fled in her desire to have the handsome major stay the night. ‘Major . . . sorry, I didn’t catch your name?’

  ‘Thorneycroft, but do call me Albert—’

  ‘Albert, then.’ She flashed her winning smile at him. ‘Albert was after buying Pegasus, but he quite accepts that I won’t sell him. But he’s come all the way from Hampshire and we can’t expect him to drive back home tonight, so I’ve invited him to stay if that’s all right with you.’

  Rose blinked at her younger daughter. Oh, she was so like herself at that age, words tumbling out of her mouth all in a rush if she had some scheme up her sleeve. So she nodded regally at the stranger.

  ‘You’re most welcome, Major. I’m afraid you’ll find us a little rustic here, though.’

  ‘That really is most kind of you.’ Albert Thorneycroft’s smile revealed a pleasing set of white, even teeth. ‘I have a few days’ leave after a minor wound to my arm and sadly no family to return to, so a night in the peace and quiet of the countryside would be an absolute delight. Especially after the mayhem of the battlefield,’ he added under his breath.

  ‘You’ve been in action, then, since the war began?’ Seth asked him gravely.

  ‘Yes. Which is why I am hugely grateful for your offer of a night utterly away from the military.’

  ‘Then you must treat this like your own home,’ Rose invited him. ‘Marianne will show you up to what we call the blue guest room. And I’ll have Patsy bring you up some hot water so that you can freshen up.’

  ‘We can lend you a nightshirt and anything else you might need,’ Marianne put in, jumping to her feet and taking Albert’s arm as she led him out into the entrance hall and up the grand staircase.

  ‘Is your family always this hospitable?’ he asked, somewhat overwhelmed.

  ‘Oh, absolutely! We quite often have guests to stay. There’s invariably something interesting going on here.’

  ‘I can imagine,’ Albert answered, one corner of his mouth lifted in amusement. ‘It must be the love of animals. Your father shooed two dogs out into the garden, but I have to say I would have no objection to their company.’

  ‘They can be a bit boisterous with strangers. There, will this room do?’ Marianne said, opening the door and striding across to the tall casement window. ‘There’s a lovely view over the moor and you can see the horses in the fields from here. You can help us put their blankets on before you freshen up if you like. There could be a light frost again tonight.’

  ‘I should be delighted. And, well, I know it’s rather forward of me, but if I can’t buy him from you, I should love to have a ride on Pegasus. He’s one of the finest horses I’ve ever set eyes on.’

  Marianne puffed out her cheeks. ‘Unfortunately he’s had a long ride today, but if you don’t need to leave too early in the morning, I’ll take you on a ride over the moor. He has a very soft mouth, though, so if you’re not used to—’

  ‘My dear Miss Marianne,’ Albert chuckled, ‘I was practically born on a horse. And as I say, I have a few days’ leave and nothing specific to do with them, so a ride over this beautiful moor before I leave to
morrow would be, well, you don’t know how good that would be.’

  ‘I’m sure you could stay more than one night if you wanted to.’

  Albert blinked at her in astonishment. He didn’t think he had ever met anyone, let alone a young woman and a stunningly beautiful one at that, with such direct but natural charm. He couldn’t stop himself breaking into a grin. ‘Well, if your parents agree, I can hardly refuse, can I?’

  ‘That’s settled, then. Now come along. We need to get blankets on all the horses while it’s still light enough to see, and there are quite a lot of them.’

  Marianne flitted out of the room, across the landing and down the staircase leaving Albert to follow behind or not, as he chose. The day had certainly taken an unexpected turn for the better. She might have sworn never to allow her heart to be broken again in the same way as she had let it over Michael Bradley. Although to say her heart had been broken was somewhat of an exaggeration, she supposed. But Major Albert Thorneycroft was different. He was clearly not involved with any female, and was more of the right age for her, about thirty she judged. And he was almost as horse-mad as she was.

  Her soul spiralled heavenward as she heard his light footfall on the stairs behind her.

  ‘That was wonderful!’ Marianne heard Albert exclaim as he brought Pegasus to a halt beside her. ‘So exhilarating!’

  ‘The ride or the view?’ she quizzed him, her body moving easily to accommodate the vigorous shake of his head that Hermes gave to show his annoyance at having his headlong gallop interrupted.