The Flying Cavalier

by Gilbert, Morris

  Later that night when the two had gone to bed, Lance held Noelle in his arms and talked about what the Channel crossing meant.

  Noelle listened contentedly, her head on his chest. When he finally grew silent thinking about all that had to be done in his job, she said, “I have news for you.”

  “What is it?”

  “There are going to be three of us.”

  Instantly Lance gave a great cry of joy. “You mean it?”

  “Are you happy? Is it too soon?”

  “Too soon? Why, what a silly you are!”

  “It will tie you down.”

  Lance held her tightly, joy running through him. “I hope it’s a girl,” he whispered. “Then I’ll have to change my little speech.”

  “What speech is that?”

  “The one where I say if I have you, I have everything.”

  “And what will you say now?”

  He kissed her and held her tightly, then murmured, “If I have you two, I will have everything. . . .”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  No Longer a Child

  Ever since Danielle Laurent had begun planning her trip to England, she had carefully crossed off each succeeding day. Now she leaned forward and made a careful X over the sixth of May and noted the date, 1914. She hesitated for one moment, and her mind went back to another time. She remembered suddenly how when Noelle and Lance had left after their wedding to go to England, she had crossed off day after day on another calendar. Now that time came rushing back to her, and she suddenly straightened up and moved over to the window to stare outside.

  “That seems like a lifetime ago,” she murmured, and a pang came to her that she had thought to be done with forever. She could not help but remember then how as a fourteen-year-old she had wept night after night. Finally after weeks of despair, she had burned the calendar and decided to put her feelings for Lance Winslow out of her mind forever. Now she turned suddenly and walked across the room to the full-length mirror and studied herself analytically. What she saw was a relatively tall, attractive young woman with a wealth of abundant light brown hair, a pair of well-shaped and cool brown eyes set in an oval face. Her eyes went downward, and she noted the trim, womanly figure, more shapely than that of most young women. She was wearing a light green cashmere dress with a wide collar decked with velvet rosettes, and the vest was of oriental silk threaded with gold. She turned to study the skirt that fell to the ground in a bell-shaped fashion, then suddenly shook her head impatiently. “I was just a child then,” she muttered. “Why do I think of those days?”

  Turning quickly she moved across the room and began packing her bag. It was to be a two-week visit, so she packed her undergarments, gowns, and stockings as carefully as she could. She could hear the birds singing outside, and finally when she had finished packing the bag and closed it, she went to look out the window again. It was a favorite view of hers, and she had spent many hours daydreaming here since her family had moved from Paris two years earlier. Her father had done what he had long yearned to do, escaped the pressures of big-city life to live in a small village. Belleville was only twenty miles from Paris, so shopping trips or visits to medical association meetings were simple enough. As for Danielle, she had actually enjoyed being in a small town, to her surprise. The whole family had quickly found their place within the small community, so that now they were well content with their lot.

  A squirrel suddenly appeared in the large plum tree that rose up level with Danielle’s window. A smile touched her lips, and she murmured, “I’ll have to remember to get Georgette to feed you, not that you need it. You’re getting fat.” She smiled at the antics of the squirrel for a time, then a knock at the door caused her to turn around. “Yes. Come in.”

  When the door opened, her father came inside and smiled. “Well, are you ready for your journey?”

  “Yes, Papa. I’m all packed.”

  Pierre Laurent came over and smiled at this younger daughter of his. “That’s a pretty dress for traveling. Is it new?”

  “No. I’ve had it over six months. I just never had an opportunity to wear it.”

  “You don’t get out enough.” Pierre shook his head. “You’ve gotten to be an old woman, Danielle. Why, you ought to be out attending parties and balls every night.” Danielle smiled, for it was an argument they had had often. Her father and mother had been disappointed that she had not thrown herself into the social life of the village. Aside from church and a few parties, she had made few contacts. Now she reached up and patted her father on the cheek. “I’ll have a party every night while I’m visiting Noelle and Lance.”

  “You might look around. I understand there are plenty of young men over in England.” He winked at her and settled back on his heels, adding, “What you ought to do is have a rousing romance.”

  “I will, Papa. I’ll find a young man full of romance who will jilt me incredibly.”

  Pierre laughed. Danielle, though she had grown quieter than he had expected since she was a young girl, was still able to poke fun at herself. “You’ll never be an unmarried spinster!” he declared. “Just not possible.”

  “Do you have the letter for me to take to Noelle?”

  “Yes. Right here.” Reaching inside his coat pocket, Pierre pulled out two fat envelopes, one for Noelle and one for Lance. “And don’t forget the package for Gabby. I don’t suppose I’d know her. We haven’t seen her for two years. Let’s see. She’s how old now?”

  “She’s just turned four.” A wistful look swept across Danielle’s face. “Children change so quickly. She was such a doll when they were here on their last visit.”

  “I wish she could have come more often, but now it doesn’t appear that there’ll be a great deal of visiting. I’m glad you’re going, though. I know Noelle has begged you to come for a long time.” He asked curiously, “Why didn’t you go before this? You’ve had plenty of time.”

  Indeed, Danielle had little excuse for not going to England. She had decided to become a doctor and had qualified as a nurse. Now she assisted her father in his work as a village medical man in Belleville while continuing her studies. Truth was, which she had never admitted even to herself, she did not want to see Lance Winslow. As the years had passed, she had managed to put her feelings for him away, convincing herself they were simply foolish, girlish infatuations. Still something in her had changed in those days when she had first met him. There had been enough young men interested in her that she might have chosen among several very acceptable suitors. Once she had almost reached the point of agreeing to become engaged, but abruptly, without any explanation, she had broken off the relationship. Now she said, “Oh, Papa, it’s getting late, isn’t it?”

  Fumbling with a gold watch that he extracted from his vest pocket, Pierre stared at it and exclaimed, “Yes, indeed! I’ll get your suitcase. The taxi is probably waiting.”

  As they went down the stairs, they were met by Katherine, whose hair in the past five years had become quite streaked with gray. She refused to dye it, however, as many of her friends had, and now said, “Come along. You don’t want to miss your sailing.”

  Danielle turned to say to the short, chubby maid who had come carrying a smaller valise, “Georgette, I’ll miss you.”

  “And I’ll miss you, mademoiselle.”

  “Don’t forget to feed the squirrels and the birds.”

  “No. I won’t forget. They’ll be fat as pigs when you come back.”

  Danielle reached over and patted the maid on the cheek, for she had strong feelings for her. Georgette had been with them for the last couple of years and had taken over when their housekeeper, Marie, had refused to leave Paris for the country.

  “I wish you’d let us take you to Calais to put you on the ship,” Pierre said. He shook his head, adding, “It doesn’t seem right shipping you off in a taxi.”

  “Why, Papa, it will be fine. There’s no point in you and Mother having to make that long ride there and back. We can say good-bye here.” Sh
e reached up and put her arms around him and kissed him, then did the same for her mother. “I’ll be back before you know it. When I come back I’ll bring pictures of everyone.”

  “Try to get Noelle to come on a visit and bring Gabby with her. I know Lance will be too busy, but they could come and stay for a few weeks or even a couple of months.”

  “I’ll try, but you know how it is with them. They can’t seem to survive being out of each other’s sight for a day or two. Good-bye. I love you.”

  Settling down inside the taxi, Danielle leaned out and waved, watching until her parents disappeared from view. She thought ahead to the time when she would arrive and wondered if Lance had changed a great deal. On their last visit he seemed not to have aged at all, and now she resolutely thought, I’ve got to spend all the time I can with Noelle and Gabby. The way things are shaping up here on the Continent, there may be a war soon, and then that will end the traveling back and forth across the Channel.

  ****

  The small ship that plied its incessant voyages from Calais to Dover was not particularly romantic. Danielle had made one extended voyage on the Lusitania. She had enjoyed it more than she had thought, but the Babette bore little resemblance to the floating palace. There were no enormous ballrooms with curving stairs, nor were there ornate dining facilities. She stood on the bow of the Babette enjoying the hot sunshine and the smell of the salt brine. She had always loved the tang of the sea, and now she shook her hair loose and let the breezes blow it behind freely.

  “Enjoying your voyage, miss?”

  Danielle turned to see a tall young man in a uniform who had come up to stand behind her. He was a rather homely young man with an engaging smile and a pair of alert gray eyes.

  “Yes, I am. You do this all the time, I suppose?”

  “Yes, I do. Back and forth just like a tennis match. Dover to Calais, Calais back to Dover. But I won’t be doing it long, I don’t suppose.”

  “Oh?” Actually Danielle was glad for the chance to talk to someone. She had not spoken to anyone on the ship, and now she smiled and asked, “What will you be doing?”

  “Going in the regular navy. I think I’m getting a commission. What with the war coming up, they need lots of men.”

  Danielle’s brow clouded for a moment, and she shook her head slightly. “There may not be a war, don’t you think?”

  “Oh, there’s bound to be a war!” The young officer spoke cheerfully as if speaking of a cricket match.

  There was nothing in his demeanor to indicate anything like fear, and as he chattered on in an amiable fashion, Danielle thought, If the war comes, his ship may be sunk, and he may be dead in the bottom of the sea. But it doesn’t seem to bother him. Cautiously she approached the subject. “War’s a terrible thing, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, of course it is very terrible.”

  “Doesn’t it ever occur to you, Lieutenant, that you might get killed?”

  “Can’t worry about things like that, mademoiselle. Besides, they always told me I was born to be hanged. Can’t drown if I’m going to be hanged, can I now?”

  Danielle shook her head and said, “I don’t think it’s quite that simple, Lieutenant. I don’t know much about war, but I know that men die.”

  “Why, people die every day, miss. A ship went down two weeks ago off the coast of Newfoundland. Two hundred and twenty people went down. What’s the difference between that and war?”

  Danielle was not sure. She had worried a great deal about the war and talked with her father about it. Somehow she knew that this blithe acceptance of a monstrous thing, if it ever came to pass, would put millions in shallow graves, and it disturbed her greatly. “Are you a Christian, Lieutenant?” she asked suddenly.

  Dismay swept over the young man’s face. “Why, I was christened when I was a baby, so my mum tells me.”

  “But that’s a little different, isn’t it? I mean christening isn’t the same as being a Christian.”

  “Ain’t it now? Why, I thought if one just got christened and did the best he could and went to church when it was convenient and was a decent chap, that would settle it. God wouldn’t condemn a fellow if he did all that, would He?”

  Danielle was herself a devout believer. Most French were Catholic, of course, but there was a strong Protestant church that her family had always gone to. It had not been easy, sometimes, to be outside the mainstream of religion, but Danielle had a thorough knowledge of the Bible at her command. She began quietly to give her testimony to the young sailor, who stood there staring at her with astonishment. He had actually approached her, she knew, because it was something he would do with any attractive, young woman on the ship. Now she saw that he was rapidly becoming very nervous, and inwardly smiled. He certainly didn’t come to get a sermon. He wanted a girl, she said to herself. But at least he’ll hear one sermon.

  “Well, that’s very interesting, miss. Ah, excuse me, please. I have duties to perform.”

  Danielle watched the sailor as he rapidly made his way down the deck and disappeared down one of the stairways. “Well, that’s one way to get rid of an unwanted young Romeo,” she murmured, but then she thought again of what might become of this young man if war came. She strolled around the deck of the small ship, and within two hours, she heard one of the passengers say, “Look, there’s Dover. See the white cliffs?” At once she turned and saw a thin line darkening the horizon. Danielle had heard of the white cliffs of Dover all of her life, and now as the ship rapidly approached, she stood there looking at the cliffs that rose up out of the mainland like tall sentinels guarding the coast of England.

  Finally she went below and checked her bags to make sure she had all of her things, then engaged a steward to carry them topside.

  The ship slowed, and she could feel the throbbing of the engines like a mighty heartbeat as the ship moved into the harbor. It was crowded, it seemed, with ships of all kinds, some large, some small, and the white sails of the sailing vessels seemed like the wings of doves as they flew over the blue-green water. The billowy clouds overhead were as white as the sails, and Danielle became apprehensive as the ship came to a stop on a wharf. She made sure that her baggage was being handled and then waited until the gangplank was lowered. She let the other passengers crowd off. There were not a great many of them, not more than thirty or forty, but finally she took a deep breath and moved down the gangplank. Her eyes swept the docks and at once picked out the tall form of Lance Winslow. He stood almost half a head taller than the others around him.

  When he saw her, he smiled instantly and lifted his hands, calling out, “Danielle! Danielle! Here I am!”

  When she stepped off of the gangplank, Danielle found herself suddenly confronted by Lance, who reached out and hugged her, picking her up off the ground.

  “Lance, you’re squeezing me to death!” Danielle protested. He was the same as she had remembered and seemed not to have aged a day except for a few lines around his eyes that only made him look more masculine. “My stars! Look at you! You’ve grown up again! Every time I see you, you get more gorgeous!” Lance grinned. “Here. Are these your bags?”

  “Yes. That large one and the small gray one over there.”

  The two went out past the dock to the street outside, where Lance stored her baggage in a small red automobile. “Get in here,” he said, opening the door. And when he had settled her, he went to the other side and, stepping in, started the engine. It made a riotous roar, and he grinned at her. “Loud, isn’t it? Louder than some of the engines in the planes I’ve been flying.”

  “It’s a beautiful car.”

  “Well, let’s hurry. Noelle and Gabby are chomping at the bit to see you. They wanted to come, but we all wouldn’t fit in this machine of mine.”

  As Lance threaded his way through traffic, which included automobiles, buses, and lorries, as well as wagons and horse-drawn carriages, he peppered her with questions about the trip and about the family.

  Danielle gave him a quick re
view, stating that her father and mother were both well and she herself had never been more healthy.

  Suddenly Lance took his eyes off the road. They had passed through the center of Dover, and now he turned to say, “What about you, Danielle?”

  “What about me?”

  “I mean is there a faint tinkling of wedding bells out there in the future?”

  Quickly Danielle met his eyes and then turned away and looked at the line of shops that were flashing by. “No,” she said, barely audible above the roar of the engine. “Nothing like that for me.”

  An hour later, they arrived in front of a small brick house, one of six in a line, all of them two-story. “Here we are,” Lance said and shut the engine off.

  He jumped out, but before Danielle could get out, she heard her name and looked up to see Noelle coming out with Gabby by her side. As soon as she got out, Noelle hugged her enthusiastically. Then Danielle turned and saw that Gabby was examining her with curious eyes. “You wouldn’t remember me, Gabby, but I’m your aunt Danielle.”

  “I remember,” Gabby said. “You gave me a doll.”

  “You still have that doll? Well, I brought you some more presents, even though it’s not Christmas.” She knelt down and studied the face of her young niece who resembled Noelle so much. Danielle looked up at her sister and smiled. “You’ll never be able to deny her. She’s you all over, Noelle.”

  “That’s a mercy. She could have been a mutt like her dad,” Lance grinned, as he lifted both suitcases out.

  “Well, she’s very pretty. Now, you and I are going to have a wonderful time, aren’t we? You’re going to show me all your dolls.”

  “Oh yes!” Gabby beamed. She was a very outgoing child with a warm smile.

  As they all made their way inside, Noelle suddenly reached over and hugged Danielle. “I’m so glad you’ve come,” she said warmly. “I’ve been so lonesome for you.”

  ****

  “Do you think Danielle has enjoyed her visit?” Lance asked. He was sitting on a high stool watching as Noelle peeled potatoes. “Here. Let me help you with those.”