Free The Child Left Behind by Anne Bennett Page B

called out, ‘Now he is going to try and have us believe that all he does with his little French number is hold hands.’
    Finn hid his smile for he had done little else. He knew that holding a girl in his arms and kissing her luscious lips would be considered incredibly tame by his comrades. However, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Gabrielle and so, whatever it cost him, he would respect her until he placed that very special ring on her finger. But he said none of this, and he bore the ribaldry directed his way.
    Eventually, they tired of it, as he knew they would, and then he remarked quietly to Christy, ‘Do you fancy doing something together this evening?’
    Christy eyed him speculatively. ‘Haven’t you got bigger fish to fry tonight?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Had words, have you?’
    ‘No, we haven’t had words,’ Finn said. ‘Her parents don’t want her to go out at the weekends because there are too many marauding soldiers about.’
    ‘Funny then that they let her go out with you.’
    ‘Maybe they think that I am not the marauding type,’ Finn said.
    Christy gave a wry chuckle. ‘If they really believethat, then I think they must be truly stupid, for you’re as lusty as any other man.’
    Finn laughed and he clapped Christy on the back. ‘No change there then. So do you want to go out with this lustful man this evening or don’t you?’
    Christy put his head on one side as if considering the proposal, then said, ‘D’you know, I don’t mind if I do.’
    Finn did, however, tell at least something of his relationship with Gabrielle in his letter to his brothers, which provoked much interest and speculation between Tom and Joe.
I have to tell you both, I have met the most wonderful girl and her name is Gabrielle. She is the most beautiful girl in the whole world. She isn’t a camp follower, I don’t want you to think that, but a respectable girl from a decent Catholic family in the town. I saw her and her younger sister, Yvette, walking through the town with their father a few weeks ago. He hardly lets the two girls out of his sight and I can’t say I blame him, with the place teeming with soldiers, but I did manage to sneak a word with her and we are in love and I can’t tell you how happy I am.
    ‘Well, well, well,’ Joe said, folding up the letter and handing it back to Tom. ‘I thought that thepurpose of our young brother going to France was to fight the Hun, not try and bed every girl in the whole country.’
    ‘He has never said he loved anyone before.’
    ‘You know what?’ Joe said. ‘All that means is that this Gabrielle has held out longer than the others.’
    ‘You think that’s all it is?’
    ‘Don’t you?’ Joe said. ‘He’s a boy. What does he know of love?’
    ‘Huh! What do any of us?’
    ‘Well, that’s true, I suppose,’ Joe conceded. ‘I expect you know when it hits you. But you need to have more experience than Finn.’
    Tom laughed. ‘To judge from his letters he has had more experience than both you and me together.’
    ‘I still don’t see where he has the time,’ Joe grumbled.
    ‘Well, they have free time sometimes.’
    ‘In the middle of a battle? It isn’t a matter of saying to the advancing German armies, “Hold your hand, chaps, while I have a quick dalliance with a French damsel.”’
    ‘Sure this isn’t just sour grapes?’ Tom asked.
    Joe sighed. ‘You know. Tom, you could be right. Don’t get me wrong. I know war is a serious business and I do miss Finn and worry about him, and I know he can tell us very few details, but he does seem to be leading the life of Riley at the moment.’
    Nuala knew that her brother was in love,because in his letter to her he had poured out his heart, knowing that she wouldn’t laugh at him. She would be sixteen in the spring of 1916 and it thrilled her that her brother Finn, who she loved dearly, was beginning his very own love story.
    She guessed he would not have said face to face what he committed