Free Remembrance Day by Leah Fleming Page B

doorstep! How dare he shame the family?No doubt it would be one of Angus’s pranks. He was always up for silliness. Had he no respect for his station in life? Just wait until their next exeat: she’d lay down the law. A liaison with a villager was simply unthinkable.
    Guy saw the thunderous look on his mother’s face after church and wondered what was up. She’d been acting strange all morning, silent and severe. Had another under gardener left them in the lurch? She plonked down her Prayer Book and her gloves, and pointed the twins into the cold drawing room.
    ‘Inside…both of you,’ she ordered, out of earshot from Shorrocks, who was hovering by the hall stairs with their coats and hats.
    ‘Now which one of you has been silly enough to pay attention to the Bartley girl?’
    Neither of them spoke but stood together to attention while she choked them off.
    ‘Don’t look at me, Mother,’ said Angus. ‘I’ve not been near the village for ages.’ He turned to Guy. ‘And Guy’s head has been stuck in a poetry book, hasn’t it?’
    Bless Angus for covering for him, but Guy was not ashamed of his friendship with Selma.
    ‘Don’t blame Angus. Selma and I have been walking out, riding Jemima. She’s awfully clever, you know, training to be a teacher. You’ll like her when you meet her.’
    ‘I have no intention of doing any such thing. At your age, walking out with a blacksmith’s daughter and a nonconformist—have you no sense? You should be in school, not gadding about with a girl, giving her false expectations. You are far too young for such matters and there’s a war on. Why didn’t you tell me this was going on, Angus?’ Hester accused.
    Angus shrugged his shoulders. ‘It’s all news to me,’ he grinned.
    ‘Have you nothing to say, Guy? Stop grinning at each other like simpletons.’
    ‘Sorry, Mother, but we’re not kids any more. We’re old enough to volunteer and take up commissions—’
    ‘That’s as may be, in good time,’ Hester interrupted.
    ‘No time like the present.’ Angus threw in his verbal grenade,standing to attention to salute. ‘We’re soldiers now, all signed on the dotted line.’
    ‘You have done what!’ she exploded. ‘Behind my back? I forbid it!’
    ‘You can’t, Mother. It’s done. We’ll be off to training camps in the next week or so.’
    Guy felt sorry for his mother as he saw her bravado crumple. She sat down, pale-faced, deflated for once, speechless at this news. ‘Does your father know about this madness?’
    ‘We’ll write to him. It’s only what he expects of us.’
    ‘But, Angus, you can’t go, not with your recent affliction. You won’t pass a medical, not with your history.’
    ‘Don’t fuss. I’m fine now. It’s going to be such a wheeze. Oh, don’t cry, Mother. We’ll be fine and they might let us join the same regiment.’
    ‘I see you have got it all worked out behind my back. Does this Miss Bartley know your plans too? I dare say she’s behind all this show of gallantry,’ Hester said, her lips composed, her arms crossed tightly against her bodice.
    ‘That’s not fair. Her brother’s going too. Everyone’s going. You both worked hard enough to make sure half the village boys answered the call to arms.’
    ‘But not my sons, not yet, not my two boys at once. Why can’t you wait? There’s no hurry,’ she pleaded.
    ‘The sooner we leave, the sooner our training begins and the sooner we’ll be in action before it all fizzles out. I’d hate to miss it,’ Angus added, his eyes bright with fervour. ‘Guy will keep an eye on me, won’t you?’
    ‘I can’t take this in, all this secrecy and I’m the last to know. Why?’
    ‘Because we knew you’d take on so…You must let us be like all the others and give us your blessing.’ Guy sat down beside her, trying to jolt her out of her maudlin mood. It was not like his mother at all.
    ‘I have a bad feeling about this. It’s too soon. What will I do without