Free Softly Grow the Poppies by Audrey Howard Page B

down at the tailor-made, woollen, button-through frock which, while smart, was not fit attire for a bride who was to marry the man she loved in church. ‘Perhaps we could marry in a registry office but . . .’ Although she knew that had she come to the altar in one of Dolly’s working frocks with a pinny tied round her waist Charlie would not have cared. But he had stipulated to Harry that he wanted to marry Alice in church for all to see their joy, not hiding away in some neutral office with only strangers about them.
    ‘If we marry in church there must be the calling of the banns. What of them?’ Alice had asked but it seemed the new squire had thought of everything in his cool, disciplined mind and had obtained the special licence.
    ‘And who shall give me away, Rose? Do you think I could walk up the aisle on my own?’ looking appalled at the very thought.
    ‘Dear Alice, I know who will give you away. I shall give you away for I feel that you are part of my family now. All of us at Beechworth feel great affection for you and will continue to do so when you become Charlie’s wife.’
    Rose had begun to love this sweet-natured little creature almost from the moment they had met on the road to Liverpool. They all thought the world of her. Dolly, Nessie the cook and her husband Tom, Esther, Rose’s maid, Fanny, Carrie and Polly the kitchen skivvy, plus the men who worked outside who watched over her when she went for a walk about the grounds. Dolly had told her she must not wrap herself in cotton wool just because she was with child. Exercise was what she would need and Tom took it upon himself always to be working where she walked.
    They were all to go back to Beechworth House after the wedding ceremony and share the wedding breakfast that Nessie had prepared. With the captain off to France the next day the new Mrs Summers would move to her position as the mistress of Summer Place with Mrs Philips to
look
after her and Rose would visit her every day. They had tried to persuade her to stay at Beechworth House but Alice had felt it was her duty to live in what had been Charlie’s home and his child would be born there as generations of Summers had before.
    There was champagne to toast the newly married couple and even the outside men and the housemaids were to share in the celebration. It was noticed that soon after their arrival at Beechworth the bride and groom disappeared to the room that Fanny and Carrie had lovingly prepared for them and they were not seen again until the next morning. And who could blame them, for though the captain had been his old self, making them laugh with tales of the funnier side of life in the trenches – he told them nothing of the other aspects of his soldiering and the men he commanded – and drank champagne and kissed his wife and even Dolly, when he came down the next morning, while he was better than when he had arrived, his face was frozen in that expression every soldier wore when he was about to return to France.
    So the year progressed and it was February when Harry turned up at the back door of Beechworth House, putting Corey into the hands of a nervous Fred, for Corey was known to be skittish.
    ‘For God’s sake, man, be firm with him or he’ll lash out at you.’
    ‘That’s all very well fer thi’, sir, but this un’s a bugger, if tha’ll pardon me language.’
    ‘Well, do your best. Is your mistress at home?’
    ‘I think so, sir. ’Er Foxy’s still in’t stable.’
    ‘Right, I’ll go in then.’
    Dolly was sitting by the fire, a cup of tea in her hand, black, strong, with two teaspoons of sugar, just as she liked it, sipping slowly, a calm look on her face which vanished as Sir Harry strode in. Nessie was doing something at the stove, stirring a saucepan and Polly was busy in the scullery scrubbing vigorously as Nessie insisted upon.
    ‘Sir, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were expected.’ Nessie bobbed a curtsey and Polly would have done the same if