Soldier's Valentine Read Online Free Page B

family and it was a family he wanted. A family would obliterate all that had gone before, and Mary Anne could help him achieve that.
    Now, he said to himself. Now is the time to ask her if you’re going to ask her at all.
    ‘I was wondering about next Sunday—’
    Mr Sweet intervened. ‘So were we, my boy. We don’t like to think of you spending Sunday all alone. How about you come for tea again next week? Only if you’ve nothing else to do of course.’
    ‘That would be very nice. I was going to ask Mary Anne if she’d like to go for a walk after we’ve had tea.’
    ‘A delightful idea.’
    They went for that walk. It turned out Henry had been in the same regiment as Edward, though she couldn’t mention him of course.
    She badly wanted to ask him if he’d known Edward, but she’d been sworn to secrecy. Her old love must not be mentioned not even to close friends and certainly not to neighbours or customers at her parents’ shop.
    She had no friends to speak of except Evelyn. They met one day in Carwardine’s and over coffee Mary Anne brought up Edward’s name.
    ‘Shame he died. You two were always sweet on each other. Still, it’s bad luck to talk of the dead I think, don’t you? Now how about buying some dress material. I fancy yellow myself.’
    Evelyn’s brothers had stayed in reserve occupations on the railways throughout the war so Evelyn always skirted any talk of those that had died.
    They both bought material to make dresses that day. Evelyn found a yellow floaty material dotted with tiny white flowers. Mary Anne bought a few yards of mint green silk, enough to make something simple and straight in the latest fashion.
    Bent over the sewing machine, her feet beating the treadle, Mary Anne imagined herself in the mint green dress. Henry will like me in this. The sudden thought brought her up short. Why had she suddenly considered him admiring her in this dress?
    She admitted to herself that she did want to see admiration in his eyes. Henry had been in the same regiment as Edward, perhaps even the same battalion. He was the closest thing in her life to her lost love. They’d had the same experiences, perhaps fought in the same battles.
    She decided to ask him about his experiences on the Western Front; it might do them both good.
    She wore the green dress when he asked her out for a walk in the park. His eyes lit up at the sight of her just as she’d imagined they would.
    Once she judged the time was right, she asked him about the Western Front.
    ‘What was it like? Not the battles. What was it like to endure – all you men lumped together?’
    ‘“Lumped” is about the right word, still, we got over it. In fact we all became great comrades! We were like brothers, all looking out for each other. That’s what the army does for you. I never regretted joining up and I never will. Would have stayed in for the rest of my days if …’
    He paused, his eyes hooded suddenly. She took it he didn’t wish to talk about some hideous slaughter and changed the subject.
    ‘You must have made some good friends. I suppose you would in those circumstances.’
    He nodded and told her that indeed he had. ‘From the very first minute I joined up. Then there was Lewis, of course. He were my mate. We joined up together four years before the war even started. That’s why I made corporal when the war came about. Lewis was a lance corporal. He was always ribbing me about playing second fiddle to my corporal. No offence taken though. As I said, we were great mates …’
    His voice trailed off and his expression was strained.
    ‘Did he …’ Mary Anne’s voice was hesitant. ‘What I mean to say is … he didn’t come back?’
    Henry shook his head. ‘No. He didn’t come back. He was killed in front of me eyes.’
    Since they’d first met, Henry had made a point of carefully pronouncing his words. She deduced his lapse was as a result of his grieving.
    She hugged his arm. That evening she stood on tiptoe and