‘There is a war on,’ Alex reminded him. ‘I know you have high expectations for him, but he would have been called upon to fight, the same as everyone else.’
‘I know that, but I am being selfish in my desire to keep him safe. If he is killed the world will have lost a musician of extraordinary abilities.’
‘You really believe he is that good?’
Joshua nodded. ‘He is as good – no, he is already a more accomplished pianist than Pierre Le Fort.’
‘That’s who he reminds me of,’ Alex declared. ‘It’s been nagging at me ever since I first saw him. The way he sits at the piano, and the tilt of his head when concentrating on the music.’
‘I agree there is a likeness.’ Joshua studied Alex’s thoughtful expression. ‘But most good pianists look similar when seated at a piano.’
‘I suppose they do.’ Alex thought for a moment. ‘Is General Holdsworth Sara’s second husband?’
‘I don’t know. She has never talked about her private life, and I have never asked. The twins bear no resemblance to General Holdsworth and very little of the mother. That family is a complete mystery, but I admire Sara and would not do anything to make her life more difficult. That man she is married to does not deserve such a cultured and charming wife.’
‘Then I wonder why she married him?’
‘That is another puzzle and I would ask you not to probe in to her life. Please do all you can to see that boy survives this terrible conflict.’
‘There is little I can do once he is fully qualified. He will be posted to an active squadron.’
‘I know.’ Joshua sighed. ‘All we can do is pray and hope.’
He picked up the menu. Joshua was already worried about the boy, so he wouldn’t say anything about their fruitless search for the general’s records. ‘I haven’t heard anything about that pianist for some time. Is he still alive?’
‘I think he was in France when the war started, so I expect he is still there.’
‘Ah, then it could be impossible for him to arrange concerts until the war is over.’
‘I expect so.’ Joshua gave a sad smile. ‘I’ve lost nearly all of my pupils to this damned war, but I grieve over the two most talented. I love the twins as if they were my own.’
‘You still see Lillia, surely? She isn’t that far away in Aldershot.’
‘They’ve moved her to one of the auxiliary military hospitals they are setting up in country houses. I don’t know which one yet, but she is too far away to get home easily. They are also terribly busy; the casualties are appalling.’
‘Let’s order, shall we, and try to forget the war for a couple of hours?’
They enjoyed the meal by talking about anything but the conflict, and he soon had Joshua laughing about some of the antics the trainee pilots got up to. He avoided telling him about the young pilots who got killed or injured while learning to fly.
Later that night as he tossed and turned, unable to sleep, he kept returning to the conversation he’d had with Joshua. With both of her children away, Sara must be lonely. It didn’t appear that her husband was much of a companion so he must try to call and see her more often. That family was certainly a mystery, but whatever secrets she was hiding, he didn’t care. He liked her and knew nothing would change that.
He got up and put the kettle on to make a pot of tea. Sleep was impossible so he might as well clear up some paperwork. Every time he closed his eyes he could see Lester at the piano and Joshua standing beside him. The boy’s likeness to that famous pianist was striking, but it must be a coincidence; a strange twist of fate. It was none of his business, of course, and he shouldn’t be concerning himself with the Holdsworth family, but somewhere along the line he had become close to them, which was not sensible. Making attachments while the war was raging was the height of folly. Especially when he knew that a pilot’s survival was counted in weeks. The enemy was more experienced than the young boys he was training. Then there was Lester’s twin sister. What horrors was she dealing with every day? Would she ever sing again?
He poured a cup of tea and sat at his desk, staring at the pile of paperwork. All he saw, though, was a mental picture of the twins when they had entertained everyone at Christmas with the Andersons. The joy on their faces had been lovely to see. Now the music had stopped. Would it ever start again for these talented youngsters?
The days dragged for Sara, and she had kept her word to Lillia and severed her connection with the suffragettes, but that would have happened anyway. They had ceased their militant actions for the duration of the war. The London hospitals were busy and welcomed helpers, so she had volunteered and was working three days a week. It helped to fill her days by supplying patients with books for those who wanted to read, taking round meals and helping to feed patients who needed assistance. A good deal of her time was spent talking to patients, and she found this the most satisfying. It also helped to take her mind off worrying about her children. There wasn’t anything she could do to keep them safe, and even if Gilbert hadn’t forced them to go out into the world, this war would have made them do that. In a way she was now grateful to her husband – because of his actions the children had been much more able to cope with the changes forced upon everyone by the war. The only thing she could do was help where she could and pray that the suffering and grief of so many would soon be over. Moving around the wards had made her conscious that this was no time to be selfish. Help and kindness were needed by so many and not only those she loved, although they were uppermost in her thoughts, of course.
Chapter Sixteen
Spring 1916
‘Phew!’ James grinned at Lester, his eyes glinting with devilment. ‘We are now fully trained pilots of the RFC, and our posting has come through at last. The navigation was the hardest. How many times did you get lost?’
‘None I will admit to.’
The boys looked at each other and burst into laughter. James punched his friend on the shoulder. ‘You are almost as good a liar as me. We’ve got three days off now, so let’s go and see the girls.’
‘They are in Lincolnshire and we won’t have enough time to go there. I must go home and see our mother.’
‘We could fly up there.’
He faced his friend in disbelief. ‘Oh, that’s a wonderful idea. We could get court-martialled before we even join our squadron.’
‘I’ve got a plan to avoid that.’
‘I don’t like the sound of that,’ Lester groaned. ‘I’ve experienced some of your “plans” and it always ends in trouble.’
‘Ah, but this is a good one. Don’t you want to see our girls before we go to France?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘Then listen to my plan. We could get permission from Alex to do one more training run, land at an airfield, stay overnight, and return the next day.’
‘He’ll never agree to that. And it’s Brigadier Stansfield.’
‘Not to me. He’s a friend of the family – and yours as well now. He likes you.’
‘I like him as well, but I don’t like the idea of deceiving him.’
‘We won’t be doing that. He’ll know exactly what we are going to do, and he’s quite capable of bending the rules, like he did for you at the academy.’
Lester nodded, but as much as he longed to see his sister again, he was still uneasy about the scheme, although it would be fun. ‘All right, we’ll give it a try, but if the brigadier refuses then that is the end of it. I’m not going to break any rules after having got this far.’
‘Nor am I,’ James said, not very convincingly. ‘Let’s go and see him, and with a bit of luck we might be able to get off this afternoon. I’ve never been to Lincolnshire. Have you?’
‘No. Do you think you can find it?’
‘Of course we can. Come on, we’re wasting time.’
‘Sit down, gentlemen.’ Alex watched carefully as they settled. He knew James well enough to recognise the glint in his eyes. They were up to something. ‘I
thought you would be on your way home by now. Is there a problem?’
James gave one of his winning smiles. ‘We’ve been talking and felt it would be a good idea if we had another flight to somewhere we haven’t been before, and we would like your permission.’
‘You have already passed the navigation tests, with success I might add. Where were you thinking of going?’
‘Somewhere like Lincolnshire. We’ve never been there before. We could land at North Killingholme Airfield and fly back the next day.’
The urge to burst into laughter was strong, but he managed to keep his expression blank. He looked straight at Lester, who hadn’t said a word yet. ‘You haven’t seen your sister for some time?’
‘No, sir.’
‘And she is in Lincolnshire, I believe.’
‘Ruth is as well,’ James said. ‘She went there two weeks ago.’
‘Really? I didn’t know that. And do you expect me to believe that your choice of area was just random?’
‘Not really, Alex,’ James admitted, reverting to addressing him as a family friend and not his commanding officer.
‘I would like to see my sister and my mother before we join our squadron, sir. The only way I can do that is to fly up to Lincolnshire before going home.’
‘I understand, but you know I can’t authorise a private flight.’
‘Of course not, sir. Thank you for seeing us.’ Lester went to stand up.
‘Stay where you are, we haven’t finished this discussion yet.’
Now they were in trouble, he thought, as he sat down again.
‘Alex! Sir,’ James quickly corrected. ‘This was all my idea. Lester is not to blame in any way.’
He ignored James’s attempt to protect his friend and looked directly at Lester. ‘And do you believe such a flight would be beneficial?’
‘As far as navigation goes it isn’t necessary, but it would ease my mind to see my sister and my mother before I leave.’
Their officer was silent for a few moments, then surged to his feet and left the room. He was only gone for about five minutes, and when he returned and sat behind his desk, he faced two worried youngsters. ‘As you are both so eager to hone your skills, this is what we will do. Two planes are now being fuelled. You will both be in one and I will be in the other. I will follow you, so I expect you to navigate successfully. We will land at North Killingholme, and you will then be free until the next day. I have business to attend to and will return here this evening. I will expect you to arrive back here by midday tomorrow, and this is officially an extra part of your training. Is that clear?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘We take off in an hour, so spend that time working out your route. I don’t want you to mess this up because it will be going on your record.’
‘We won’t, sir.’
The boys broke into a run the moment they were outside and headed for the operations room.
‘He hasn’t given us much time,’ Lester remarked, as he studied the map and began marking their route.
‘No, but he’s damned good at breaking the rules.’ James grinned. ‘I knew he’d find a way to do this officially. We must be thorough, though, and not let him down.’
In less than an hour they were ready and they ran out to the airfield, only reaching the planes a couple of minutes before Alex.
‘Right. Off you go, and remember I will be right behind you watching every move, so I don’t want to see you careering around the sky looking for your destination.’
The weather was clear with only a few high wispy clouds, and they were exuberant when they landed without making one mistake. It had been a textbook flight and they felt confident Alex would not be able to find any fault. They jumped out and waited for the officer to walk over to them. He had been on their tail during the entire flight, making notes, they were sure.
‘Not bad,’ he told them briskly. ‘I will expect you back at Hendon tomorrow, and make sure you are on time. We don’t want to have to send out a search party for you.’
‘No, sir.’ They saluted as he turned to go and check in.
He looked over his shoulder. ‘Oh, and when you see your sister thank her for her last letter, and tell her I will write in the next few days.’
Lester was dumbfounded, but the brigadier was already marching away. He looked at James. ‘He’s writing to my sister?’
His friend shrugged. ‘First I’ve heard of it.’
‘But he’s twice her age.’
James burst out laughing. ‘I don’t think it’s your sister he’s interested in, except as a father figure. It’s the other female in your family he’s taken a special liking to.’
‘Our mother? But she’s married. Look. I like him very much—’
‘He knows that, and you don’t need to worry. I’ve known Alex all my life and he’s a very honourable man. He’s offering friendship and support to a family he clearly likes.’ He gave his friend a knowing look. ‘He’s a good man to have on your side.’
‘You’re right about that. I’ve often thought how different our lives would be if we had a man like that for a father. I’m still going to ask my sister about it, though.’
‘Of course. Now, we had better check in, see where we can sleep tonight and then go to the hospital. Hope we can see the girls for a while.’
The moment they walked in the door a soldier saluted them. ‘When you are ready, sirs, there’s a car waiting to take you to the auxiliary hospital.’
‘We didn’t ask for transport, did we?’ Lester gave his friend a suspicious look.
‘It wasn’t me.’
The soldier sprung to attention again when a familiar voice behind them said, ‘Don’t argue about it, gentlemen.’
They spun round.
‘The girls are both off-duty in an hour, so you had better get moving. The ward sister has told them you are coming.’
‘Thank you, sir.’ Lester was more than surprised as he watched the officer march out to his waiting plane. ‘He’s laughing – when did he arrange all of this?’
‘I told you he was a good man to have as a friend.’ James was uncharacteristically serious. ‘Whatever happens in the war, he’ll look after your family. I reckon that’s why he is keeping a close contact with them.’
‘I’m grateful to know someone will care about them.’
James slapped him on the back, his ready smile in place again. ‘Let’s get a move on. The girls are waiting for us.’
‘Phew! This is quite a place.’ Lester gazed at the imposing building, then at the open parkland.
‘It was someone’s home, but country houses like this are being commandeered for auxiliary hospitals.’
They walked in the door and found the place a hive of activity as a fleet of ambulances was just arriving, and the boys watched as stretcher after stretcher was brought in.
Lester caught the attention of one of the soldiers. ‘Can we help?’
‘Thank you, sir, but we can handle this. We are used to it and everyone knows what has to be done.’
Within thirty minutes everything was quiet again in the entrance hall and a sister swept up to them. ‘Gentlemen, the nurses you are visiting will be delayed. If you would follow me to the canteen, you will be given something to eat while you wait.’
It was another hour before the girls joined them, and as Lester hugged his sister, he could see how fatigued she was – how weary both of them were. ‘Rough day?’ he asked gently.
‘A long one,’ she admitted, and then smiled. ‘What a lovely surprise. When did you get here?’
‘We flew in this afternoon,’ James told them. ‘Can you spend a little time with us?’
‘We’ve finished for the day.’ Ruth poured tea from a fresh pot just arrived at their table, and eyed the empty plates. ‘I see you’ve eaten, but tell us what you have been up to while we have a meal. Did you say you flew here?’
James launched into the story of how they had managed to persuade Alex to let them co
me, embellishing the tale and making the girls laugh.
Lester watched the strain ease from their faces, and asked jokingly, ‘Oh, by the way, the brigadier asked me to thank you for your letter, and he will answer soon.’
‘Thank you. I’ll look forward to hearing from him again; he writes such amusing letters.’ She looked at her brother and chuckled, knowing what he was thinking. ‘Does it bother you that Mother and I are writing to your officer?’
‘Mother as well?’
‘Yes, he asked us if we would the last time he visited. He’s a kind man and we are happy to have him as a friend. Also, letters are so important in this war.’
‘I told you so.’ James then turned to Lillia. ‘I said he was a good man to have looking out for you. And talking of writing, I hope both of you are going to find the time to write to us. We are now qualified pilots and about to join a squadron.’
‘Congratulations on completing your training,’ Ruth told them. ‘Of course we will write to you. Do you know where you will be stationed?’
‘Not officially yet, but we have a good idea where we’re going. We can’t tell you, of course.’ James paused. ‘Hope we can fly over – I’m not a good sailor.’
That was enough to let the girls know it would be France, and the subject wasn’t mentioned again. They spent a lovely evening together, but didn’t keep the girls up late as it was obvious they needed their sleep before facing another hectic day.
When the time came for them to leave, Lillia hugged her brother tightly and whispered, ‘Be very careful, my precious twin. Remember we have a destiny to fulfil when this dreadful war is over.’
‘I will,’ he told her affectionately. ‘I intend to be present for your first performance at Covent Garden.’
Chapter Seventeen
The sight of his home brought a smile to Lester’s face. Learning to fly had been a terrific experience and their flight to Lincolnshire had brought praise from the brigadier on their return. However, inside that house was his beloved piano, and he couldn’t wait to play it again. There had been little time lately to spend on music, but for the next three days he was going to make up for that, no matter what his father said. Within a week he would be in France, and all thoughts of a musical career had been set aside until the war was over – if he survived. He was under no illusions about the risks he would be facing, and neither was his sister. Visiting the hospital had increased his admiration for the medical staff, the girls in particular. They must have to deal with depressing scenes every day and yet they had laughed and joked with them while they had been together. He hadn’t missed the strain and sadness in their eyes in unguarded moments, though, but they hid it well.
When the Music Stopped Page 12