by Erica Nyden
“I said no visitors. Please respect my wishes.”
“But she’s very upset, sir, and tomorrow she’s off. She’s signed on with the Auxiliary Territorial Service and she—”
Olivia put down her fork. “What if I talk to her, Major, as your nurse? I can calm her fears about your condition and tell her it’s best you don’t have callers right now. Would that be acceptable?”
“Very well.”
In the foyer, an attractive woman with flushed cheeks paced the tiled floor. Her slender frame halted at Olivia’s approach. Dark and shiny, her hair gleamed like a freshly picked blackberry. Silver barrettes glittering with tiny gemstones held the silky strands back from her ears. Under charcoal brows, sapphire-blue orbs sparkled as if backlit. They flitted to Mrs. Pollard, then back to Olivia.
“Hello, I’m Olivia Talbot, Major Morgan’s nurse.” She offered her hand.
The woman took it. “I’m Jenna Werren. I need to see William.” She twisted the life out of her black leather gloves before shoving them into the pockets of her dripping mackintosh. “Is he awake? Will you take me to him?”
“I’m terribly sorry to disappoint you, Miss Werren, but he cannot have callers at this—”
“Can’t you make an exception? I discovered only this morning he was alive. I haven’t heard a word in months! I thought he was dead; we all did. Even the colonel—”
Olivia stepped forward. “Mrs. Pollard, I’d like to sit with Miss Werren for a moment. Would you mind bringing us a pot of tea?”
“Not at all, Nurse Talbot.”
Miss Werren’s black heels clicked behind Olivia’s muffled tread on the way to the receiving room. “Where has he been? What’s happened to him?”
Even distraught with worry, the demure woman radiated a charm that made it hard to look elsewhere. They settled onto a small sofa.
“I understand he’s blind,” Miss Werren said. “What else?”
“He was found in North Africa. He’s blind, yes, and flesh wounds cover his legs and back. He has trouble sleeping and therefore needs much rest.” She didn’t want to intrude, but learning more about the major’s life could better help him back to it. “I assume the two of you were close?”
Miss Werren’s voice dropped. “Yes, we were close—we are close. He was to announce our engagement when he returned from North Africa. His last letter stated he’d be home in June. I didn’t hear from him again.” Quiet tears cut lines down her red cheeks. “I’m leaving for Bristol tomorrow. I don’t know for how long.” She pulled a powder-blue kerchief from her tiny leather purse. Embroidered with a red J, it draped her varnished red fingernails as she dabbed her eyes. “I need to see him.”
Mrs. Pollard returned and placed a tray on the table between them.
“Mrs. Pollard,” Miss Werren pleaded, reaching for her hand, “are you sure William understands it’s me who’s here?”
“He does, my bird, but you must understand he’s not the same. He rarely speaks and when he does, he’s some fair teasy like, cross all the time. I’ve never known him to be so irritable. Seems he’s lost his spirit and love for life, poor man.”
“Perhaps Miss Werren could leave the major a note,” Olivia said. “Miss Werren, have you an address where he could send you a letter? As part of the major’s rehabilitation, I think it best he ease back into his former life.”
Miss Werren took the pen and paper from Mrs. Pollard. “Will he recover, do you think, or will he forever remain this different person?”
“It’s too soon to tell. We’ll see what time brings us, and hope for small miracles every day. Mrs. Pollard tells me he was once enjoyable to be around.”
The young woman’s face was unreadable. “He was.” Head bent, she penned letters and numbers into a sophisticated work of art.
Olivia excused herself and strode back to the sitting room where the major sat comfortably in his chair facing the garden, appearing incredibly at ease. If Miss Werren saw him, she’d think both nurse and housekeeper were frauds.
“What is it, Nurse Talbot?” he asked.
Startled, she rocked forward. “You knew I was here?”
“Of course.” He raised his eyebrows, seemingly impressed with himself.
Surely Miss Werren could find someone more suited to her than this unromantic bore. She stormed toward him. “Why won’t you welcome this woman? She tells me you were to be engaged upon your return home. You’re being extremely unkind. Please, let her see that you are in fact alive after everyone thought you weren’t. If this woman was to be your wife, you at least owe her that.”
The major turned his head toward her, his eyes staring past her right side. “This is none of your business, Nurse Talbot.”
“But sir, you said you had no one left in the world who cared about you except Mrs. Pollard, and here is this woman—your fiancée!”
“She’s not my fiancée.”
“Well close to it, then.” She was seething. Why did she even care?
The major’s face darkened. “I won’t have Jenna seeing me like this. She’s young and has yet to experience the real world. She deserves a better life than the one I can give her. I’ve made my decision.” He faced the window.
“But tomorrow she’s off to Bristol and—”
“And what, Nurse Talbot?”
This was going nowhere. She dropped her head. “Nothing. Never mind.”
Back in the foyer, Olivia collected Miss Werren’s letter, squeezed her hand, and offered her sincerest hopes that once the war ended, relationships amongst those still standing would be restored. But Miss Werren barely met her eyes, leaving Olivia unsure of whom she felt more sorry: her patient or the stunning woman longing to be Mrs. Morgan.
Down the corridor, Olivia’s heart dragged a burden she hadn’t signed up for. Aware that her voice would give away her frustration, she took a deep breath and forced a smile before reentering the sitting room. But from the petering fire to the gray windows, the empty settee, and the chairs in between, the major was nowhere about. Thumbnail trapped between her top and bottom teeth, she racked her brain. Since she’d arrived three weeks ago, he hadn’t wandered anywhere by himself, yet even his cane was missing. At least he’d come round to using it without her nagging.
She scurried back down the passage, charging doors left and right. Those that opened gave onto rooms housing furniture and artwork sheathed in white. In the deserted foyer, remnants of their departed visitor glistened in pools on the colorful mosaic tiles. Olivia avoided the wet spots and stopped at a pair of closed doors beyond the staircase.
An easy twist opened the left side, releasing the stale scent of smoke and leather. Blackout drapes covered the windows and white sheets clothed the furniture, almost glowing in the darkness. Instantly absorbed by the room’s ambiance, she crossed her arms to fight the chill and searched for a light. On the corner of what she guessed was a desk sat a dusty, uncovered lamp. Switched on, it illuminated walls and walls of books. Even the wall encasing the hearth housed books.
As tall as a man, the sooty fireplace stood vacant and cold. A roaring fire and stripped furniture would have changed the room completely, symbolizing everything an ancient house like this should: tradition, majesty, and history. She’d spend every day in here if she could. Gravitating toward the shelves to her left, she traced a row of gold-embossed book spines. She must ask the major if he’d let her borrow one.
Damn. The major.
A white streak emerged from the dark like a blemish amidst the rich reds and browns of the Persian rug. Drawing closer, she peered over the sheathed sofa. There lay the major, a dark tuft of hair resting at one end whilst his feet, shoes on and ankles crossed, rested at the other. On the floor, Jasper thumped his tail happily.
Olivia knelt down and patted the dog’s head.
“Hello, Nurse Talbot.”
“Hello.” Her voice remained calm, though her heart hammered. “I didn’t know where you’d gone. Now that I do, I will leave you with your thoughts
.”
“You don’t have to go.”
“All right, then.” She sat in a covered armchair beside the fireplace. “I left the foyer with Miss Werren moments ago. How did you manage to arrive here unseen—and with Jasper, no less?”
He sat up. “This house is full of secrets, Nurse Talbot. There are ways to stay hidden when one wants to, even when one is blind. Though I may have taken out a small table and vase on my way. Please tell Mrs. Pollard it was an accident.”
“You can tell her yourself,” she said, scanning the room. “I love libraries, especially private ones like this. It’s a shame Mrs. Pollard had it closed.”
“This was my favorite room as a child, a place to lay plans and tell secrets. The mustiness alone alluded to a history I wanted to be a part of. Though my father died in here, I still find the room comforting.”
“Oh, forgive me. I didn’t know.”
Had he been ill, or was the death sudden? She would never ask. Still, her eyes roamed. Despite the tragedy, the room was as the major said: grand yet intimate, even comforting.
“A busy man, my father. I wanted to be just like him growing up. He would lock himself in here for hours. Sometimes I’d spy on him, watching his serious expression as he read over papers and wrote letters. Sometimes I’d catch him laughing.”
“This fireplace must’ve kept the room toasty.”
“Indeed. He received visitors here. From local estate matters to national security, whiskies were poured, cigars lit, and the world’s problems were solved right here next to this hearth.”
“Do you think we could convince Mrs. Pollard to reopen it?”
“I couldn’t say. The place bothers her now. She hasn’t said this, of course, but it’s a feeling I get.” He rested his elbows on his knees and yawned into both hands. “I gather Miss Werren has departed?”
“Yes, and she left you a note. I’ll leave it. I’m sure Mrs. Pollard would be more than happy to—”
“Not at all, Nurse Talbot. Please, you may read me the note.”
She wasn’t keen to intrude on the Miss Werren’s heartache, but then again, women weren’t so different from one another. She already knew what the letter would say.
“Very well. ‘My Dearest William, I’m overjoyed to hear you are alive and home, yet saddened I could not visit you today. Despite your injuries and troubled mind, I still love you. I wish I had known sooner of your survival. I wouldn’t have signed on with the ATS, a commitment I cannot forsake, and instead would have devoted my time to your recovery. Please tell me nothing’s changed between us. And I must know: Did you think of me at all whilst you were away? Your Jenna.’ ”
Her breath caught as she read the last sentence.
“Does the letter upset you, Nurse Talbot?”
She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. “Does it not tear at your emotions in the slightest? She was to be your wife.”
“I learned to shut off my emotions long ago.”
“Well, decide what you’d like to say in response, and I’ll gather your writing utensils. In the meantime”—she stood and tugged on her skirt, straightening it—“I’ll leave you to your afternoon. Do you wish to stay here longer, or would you like me to take you to your room?”
“I’ll remain here with Jasper, thank you.”
Sad to leave, Olivia gave the room one last glance from the double doors. A tapping sound caused her to linger long enough to see Jasper rise and ease his head onto his master’s lap.
“Good boy,” the major said, leaning down to nuzzle the dog’s head with his own. Laughter surged out of him as the black dog licked his face. The crinkles around his eyes and the natural curve of his dimpled smile struck Olivia with another wave of sadness.
Poor Miss Werren.
William had lost the energy it took to argue with his nurse, so when she requested weeks ago that they spend their mornings in the sitting room, he’d yielded, reasoning it would make Mrs. Pollard happy. And too, the room reminded him of his mother. He missed seeing her portrait above the mantel, though. Memory depicted her in a satin gown as shimmering as the turquoise sea in which she loved to swim. They’d spent hours together in this room. Cozied beside him on the settee, she’d tell him troublesome tales of her childhood, expecting him to take them to heart and appreciate all he’d been born to. And he had.
Until lately.
Mrs. Pollard broke his thoughts. “Mr. William, I’m sorry to bother you, but Mr. Peder’s here, and he insists—”
“I say, old boy, you look better than I’d feared.”
“Now, Mr. Peder, I asked that—”
“Now, Polly,” Peder said, fawning over the flustered woman. “I daresay your flushed cheeks brighten your eyes.”
William smirked at the charm Peder effortlessly emitted around Mrs. Pollard.
“Major,” Nurse Talbot whispered in his ear. Like a good girl, she didn’t touch him. “Would you like me to ask your guest to leave? Though I’m not sure he will acqui—”
“William!”
He tried not to cower as two hands clasped his shoulders with the strength of Atlas. Peder enveloped him in a robust embrace that he struggled to receive with civility. He leant into the back of his chair, trapped.
“You’re alive, my friend, you’re alive!” Peder turned William’s head left and right. “What the bloody hell happened to you down there?”
“Excuse me,” Nurse Talbot said. “Mr. Peder, is it? How do you do? I’m Nurse Talbot, and I’m afraid the major—”
“It’s fine, Nurse Talbot,” William said, even as he recovered from Peder’s assault. He cleared his throat and gripped his chair’s armrests. “Peder is Miss Werren’s brother. We’ve known one another for some time.”
“‘Some time?’ Nurse Talbot, the major and I have a long history. Our families have been acquainted for decades.”
A hand returned to William’s shoulder. Surely Peder could feel the tremor beneath it.
“I’m sorry, mate, about your father.”
“Thank you. Sit. Nurse Talbot, you may leave us.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Nurse Talbot, eh? My, my.” The settee squeaked as her footsteps retreated. “Quite the looker, you know. Leave it to you to end up with a stunner of a nurse. And to think you get her all to yourself, lucky bugger.”
“Why are you here, Peder? If this is regarding Jenna, you’re wasting your time.”
“I’m not here because of Jenna,” Peder said, clasping his arm and making William start. “I’m here for you. Tell me what happened in North Africa. We all thought you’d died.”
“I was captured. I escaped. The end.”
“But your eyesight. What the hell did they do to you? Nazis, were they? How did you get out?”
If he sat silent long enough, Peder would end the interrogation. Perseverance wasn’t his friend’s strong suit.
“I joined, you know, the army,” Peder said. “After you left. I’ve always admired your career choice, especially now that I’ve seen a bit of hell myself.”
“Extraordinary. Where is it they’ve sent you?” He strived to picture his friend in uniform. Girls would love the look, but that wasn’t the real Peder. Unlike his sister—tall, dark, and demanding—Peder’s goofy smile and ginger locks the exact shade of his father’s only accentuated his passivity. He could hardly command his own dogs. William questioned Peder’s ability to withstand army life, especially during wartime. Still, Peder was brainy, a trait he needed only capitalize on. Perhaps he’d found his chance.
“I’m a sapper, stationed along the southeast coast, shoring it up against invasion.”
“You’ve joined the Royal Engineers, then? Suits you.” William chuckled. “But what exactly is this ‘bit of hell’ you’re referring to? No cream teas at camp?”
“Mm. I do believe North Africa has made your sharp tongue that much sharper. I’ll not always exist in your shadow, my friend. I too, can do something heroic.”
Maybe, if he wa
sn’t so bloody sensitive.
“Upon my arrival in Dorset, the unit I’d been assigned were returning from Dunkirk in droves. The hell I’m referring to is the condition of these men. But I don’t have to tell you. You’ve been trained to see it, to deal with it. I knew witnessing death would be grim, but to see it up close. To see so many suffer. It can change a man, if not ruin him.”
William pitied his friend’s diminishing morale so early in a war that was expected to last years. The conflict touched everyone now. Money and privilege, two things Peder Werren would never live without, could no longer shield him from war’s unsavory truths.
William could write a manual on the topic.
“It’s good you’ve still got Keldor, William. My parents haven’t been so lucky. Our estate has been requisitioned, and they’ve moved to the dower house. It’s not too tight a fit with Jenna gone, but I daresay the change has taken a toll on my father’s health. And my mother’s worried sick, with her husband ill and her two children in the thick of it.”
The settee squeaked, and William readied himself for another collision.
“I’m here for a few days, staying in the flat above the stables. If you’ve a desire to get out, ring me.”
There came the pat on his waiting shoulder.
“I’ll leave you, but before I do, I must offer a word on your decision to cut ties with Jenna. Though I can’t say I ever liked the idea you two together, I do believe you’ve broken the heart of the one person whose heart we thought unbreakable.”
“Peder—”
“I know you well enough that when you make up your mind, there’s nothing in the world to change it. But she’s overlooked your past, William. Not many women would be willing to disregard the slew you’ve left behind.”
“Peder—”
“And as your closest friend, I say, if ever you’ve needed someone permanent in your life—”
“I said enough!”
Nurse Talbot’s feet scurried across the room. “Excuse me, Mr. Werren, but the major should rest.”
At least she was good for something.