When the Music Stopped

by Matthews, Beryl

  He found them already waiting by the car and they set off immediately. It was a cold day, but the sky was clear when they reached Hendon, and the first thing the boys did was to rush over to have a look at two planes in the field, talking excitedly about the latest designs.

  Lester ran his hands over one and turned to Alex, who had followed them. ‘This is new, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, I’ve already bought these. Why don’t you take them up and let me know how they handle?’

  ‘Can we?’ James crawled out from underneath one of the planes he had been inspecting.

  ‘You’d be doing me a favour. I haven’t had time to test them yet. They’ve got petrol in and are ready to go. Just do a couple of circuits to get the feel of them, then see what they can do, and if you like them I’ll order another one. Three should be enough for us to start with.’

  He watched as they took to the air, and smiled with satisfaction when they began to turn and dive, putting the planes through their paces. Before landing they swooped low and waggled their wings, making him burst out laughing. They were good – very good.

  When they landed and walked over to him all smiles, he asked, ‘How did they handle?’

  ‘Mine flew like a dream,’ James told him. ‘I didn’t notice any problems at all.’

  ‘The one I was in was a bit rough at full throttle, but apart from that it was good. You need to get that looked at.’ Lester shoved his hands in his pockets and gazed around. ‘That was good. Have I got time to wander around?’

  Alex nodded. ‘We must leave in half an hour if we are to get back in time for dinner.’

  ‘That’s fine. I just want to have a look at the old place.’

  James watched his friend walk away and glanced at Alex. ‘He’s having a tough time and I’m worried what is going to happen when he hears all the bad news.’

  ‘He’s closed his mind and shut everything out at the moment. I was hoping that the chance to fly again might have woken him up, and it did for a while, but it didn’t last.’

  ‘I’m afraid not, but it’s done a hell of a lot of good for me. Can I come in with you and help run the school? I’ve got to have something to do, and this is perfect.’

  ‘I’ll be glad to have you and Lester as well, if that’s what he wants. You are both excellent pilots and just what I need.’

  ‘Is he ever going to play again?’

  ‘I honestly don’t know, but if not then I want him to know he has an alternative, something he’s equally good at – flying. However, Sara’s hoping that when Lillia comes home and they are together again, the love of music will surface.’

  ‘I know it’s none of my business, but are you going to marry his mother? I’ve noticed you are very fond of each other.’

  ‘We do intend to marry, but can’t say anything until Lillia returns and they are told what has happened.’

  James shook his head in concern. ‘It’s going to be a terrible shock to them.’

  ‘It is, and there’s no telling how they are going to take it, but it has to be done before any of us can move on with our lives.’

  ‘Ah, here he comes.’ James had a bright smile on his face as he greeted his friend again. ‘Had a good look round? This place holds lots of happy memories, doesn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, and this is the perfect place to start your flying school,’ he told Alex. ‘There’s a building over there that would make a perfect office and classroom.’

  ‘I’ve already made arrangements to hire that, and I’m relying on you two to help me get it up and flying – so to speak.’

  ‘Can’t wait.’ James rubbed his hands together in anticipation. ‘I think I’ll buy myself a car tomorrow, and I’ll need you to help me choose one.’

  ‘I will, on one condition.’

  ‘Name it.’

  ‘Teach me to drive.’

  ‘Done.’

  ‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing?’ Alex laughed. ‘I thought you didn’t think much of his driving?’

  Lester smirked. ‘I was kidding. He’s not too bad, really.’

  ‘Faint praise, indeed.’ James shoved his friend in the front of the car with Alex, and then got in the back. ‘You can sit there and watch the expert.’

  Dinner that evening was a pleasant meal with James and Alex keeping the conversation lively. Alex had to return to Aldershot that evening so he took Joshua home first.

  ‘The boys are excited about your flying school, but it isn’t for Lester.’

  ‘I know that, but I hope we’ve taken the pressure off him by offering an alternative to music. He’s a damned good pilot and I would be more than pleased to have him with us.’

  ‘I’ve watched him carefully since he arrived home, and I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s afraid he won’t be able to play to a high enough standard again. He’s been away from it for too long,’ said Joshua.

  ‘You might be right. All we can do is leave him in peace, and hope when his sister comes home that will help him. Being together will probably help both of them, because we don’t know how much the war and what she’s been through has touched her.’

  Joshua nodded. ‘It will be good to see them together again, and I hope she hasn’t changed too much.’

  ‘I’m afraid change is inevitable,’ Alex pointed out gently.

  Joshua gave him a sideways glance. ‘You haven’t changed.’

  ‘Haven’t I?’ He gave a humourless laugh. ‘Then I’m doing a good job of fooling you. I’m changing my life completely by leaving the army, getting married and taking risks with a new business venture. Have you ever known me be so reckless?’

  ‘Now you mention it, I haven’t. The war has unsettled all of us, hasn’t it?’

  ‘It has, but given time some of us will sort ourselves out.’

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  The next morning the boys set off in search of a car for James, and he was hard to please, insisting that it had to have room for four people. He eventually settled on one he liked, and they returned home with it in the afternoon. It was trying to snow and they were eager to warm up by the fire in the sitting room. Sara was there with Joshua and they weren’t alone.

  Lester stopped as if he had hit a brick wall, and after a moment he reached out and his sister ran to him. Without a word, they wrapped their arms around each other and held tight, then he lifted one arm and Ruth stepped into the embrace.

  ‘Hey, what about me?’ James said, emotion making his voice husky.

  Lillia reached out and pulled him to join the group. The four friends stayed like that for some minutes and everyone in the room had moist eyes.

  ‘So, the healing begins,’ Joshua told Sara.

  ‘I pray to God it does,’ she whispered. ‘I’ve got to get a message to Alex.’

  ‘Leave it to me. I’ll track him down.’ Joshua silently left the room and Sara went with him.

  ‘Is everything all right, madam?’ Adams asked as she closed the door softly behind her. ‘Shall I order refreshments?’

  ‘Not just yet. They need a little time together.’

  Lillia was the first to break from the group, but still held on to her brother’s arm. Their mother had told her that he hadn’t even entered the music room and showed no desire to play again. This had shocked her, but she understood what he was going through. There was also a doubt in her mind that she would be able to reach the standard and power she had gained before the war. She was home now and they would face this together, as they always had done.

  ‘Are you boys out of the RFC now?’ Ruth asked, keeping her voice as free from emotion as she could. ‘I mean the Royal Air Force as it is now called.’

  ‘As good as. We have been given an extended leave and will not have to report back. Our papers will be sent to us,’ James explained. ‘What about you?’

  ‘I’m staying on for a while, but Lillia has already resigned.’

  ‘I didn’t want to waste any more time.’ She smiled at her brother. ‘We have t
hings to do. It isn’t going to be easy starting over again, but we will begin slowly and see how we get on. What about you, James, do you have any plans?’

  ‘Alex is leaving the army and starting up a flying school. He’s going to need pilots and we are two of the best,’ he told her proudly.

  ‘How exciting!’ She squeezed her brother’s arm. ‘You should continue to fly, because I know how much you love it.’

  ‘Yesterday, Alex let us test two of the planes he’s already bought. We really enjoyed it.’

  ‘I’ll say we did. It was wonderful to be up there without the threat of someone shooting at us.’ James grinned. ‘Though I did look for the gun when Lester dived and got on my tail. I’m definitely going to work with Alex, and the other most important thing is to marry you, Lillia.’

  They all burst in to laugher, and she said, ‘I haven’t agreed to marry you, and come to think of it, I don’t recall you ever proposing.’

  ‘I will when the time is right, but what we all need now is time. We can’t just switch off from all that has happened. I’m sure we all have demons we need to cage before we can settle down to normal life.’

  Ruth looked at her cousin in surprise. ‘I’ve never heard you talk like that before. When did you become so philosophical about life?’

  ‘When some nasty sod shot us down,’ he declared. ‘You get a different view on life then.’

  They all nodded, knowing exactly what he meant.

  Ruth stood up. ‘I must go now and see my family, but I’ll be working in London and will be able to see you often.’

  ‘Make sure you do.’ Lillia hugged her friend. ‘And thank you for everything.’

  Ruth then went to Lester and wrapped her arms around him. ‘Everything will be all right, you’ll see. You and Lillia work through your problems together, but take your time. There isn’t any rush, and I’ll be nearby, so you call if you need me. Relax and don’t push yourself to do something you’re not ready for yet. Do you understand what I’m saying?’

  ‘I do.’ He nodded and held her tightly for a moment. ‘We’ll be able to spend some time together, at last, and I’ll try to take your advice, Nurse.’

  ‘Oh, it’s so good to see you again,’ she told him and then turned to her cousin. ‘Go and get your things, and then you can drive me home in that new car sitting outside. I’m assuming it’s yours?’

  ‘It is, and isn’t it a beauty? We bought it this morning.’

  ‘Come along, then; I’m anxious to get home.’

  He looked puzzled for a moment and when he looked at the twins he understood why his cousin had told him to collect his things. Brother and sister needed time together alone. He shot out the door and thundered up the stairs.

  After saying goodbye to Sara, the cousins left, promising to come back soon.

  It wasn’t until they were enjoying a cup of tea after dinner that Lillia asked, ‘Where’s Father?’

  Sara put down her cup and took a deep breath. The time had come. She had wanted Alex here for this, but it couldn’t be delayed any longer. ‘He isn’t here. Lester, do you remember the two policemen who called when you were on leave?’

  He nodded.

  They listened in stunned silence as she told them about the arrest and trial.

  ‘He’s dead?’ Lillia gasped.

  ‘Yes, four weeks after he was sentenced he had a heart attack and died. I think the prospect of facing years in prison was just too much for him.’

  ‘We’re the children of a criminal?’ the twins said together, horrified by the news.

  ‘That is the other thing I must now tell you, as I promised some time ago. When I was eighteen I met a young struggling musician. We thought we were in love, but our families were against us. Pierre’s parents had arranged a marriage for him to a wealthy girl, and my parents objected to me being involved with a penniless boy. They tore us apart, much to my distress. A while after this I discovered I was pregnant and hid it for as long as I could, but by the time I was seven months it could no longer be hidden. My parents were horrified and in order to avoid a scandal, they brought home a man they had made an agreement with. He would be given money and a position in society by marrying me. I disliked him on sight, but as it was to be a marriage in name only, I agreed for the sake of my unborn child.’ She smiled at them with sadness and affection. ‘Then I had twins who have brought me only joy, and when you both showed musical talent at a young age, I was thrilled.’

  Lester ran a hand over his eyes. ‘Then the general wasn’t our father.’

  ‘That’s right.’

  The twins looked at each other and said, ‘Thank goodness!’

  ‘Who is our father?’ Lillia asked.

  ‘Pierre Le Fort.’

  ‘What?’ Lester was on his feet. ‘I went to a concert in France given in his honour. I’m sorry to tell you, Mother, that he was killed in the war.’

  Moisture filled her eyes when she heard about his death. ‘That is so sad, but I am glad you were there. He would have been proud of you.’

  ‘Did he know about us?’

  ‘I never saw him again after we were parted, and his family wouldn’t have told him, even if they knew. As far as I know all communication between the families was cut off completely.’

  ‘You once told me that my piano was a gift from someone. Was it him?’

  ‘Yes, shortly after he was taken back to France it was delivered with a short note saying how sorry he was to have caused me so much trouble. It was a strange gift but he said he couldn’t take it with him, and it was the only thing of value he had at that time and he wanted me to have it.’

  ‘He must have loved you.’ Lillia wiped away a tear at hearing such a sad tale. This was a dreadful thing to have happened to their mother.

  ‘I think perhaps he did, but with money behind him he became very famous, and I hope he was happy.’

  Lester was clearly distressed. ‘You shouldn’t have had to face the unpleasantness of that trial alone. I should have been here.’

  ‘I wasn’t alone, my dear.’ Her children were shocked by what she had just told them, but they were taking it better than she had dared hope. They hadn’t spoken one word of condemnation for her behaviour as a young girl. ‘Alex and his father were with me all the time. Without their support I don’t know how I would have coped. The man I married had hidden his criminal activities under a cloak of respectability, and had fooled us all, including the police, for a very long time.’

  ‘Did he know who our father really was?’

  ‘Unfortunately my father told him.’

  ‘Ah, then now I understand why he disliked us so much, and objected to our musical talent.’

  ‘And as you grew more and more like Pierre, for some reason he couldn’t bear to have you around. I don’t understand why he acted like that, after all, our marriage was a business affair.’

  ‘Perhaps deep down he had come to care for you,’ Lillia suggested.

  Sara shook her head. ‘If he had then he never showed any indication of affection for me. Quite the opposite, I would say.’

  ‘As the general wasn’t our father, and Holdsworth wasn’t his real name, what name do we use now?’ Lester asked, confused.

  At that moment the door opened, Alex strode in and went straight to Sara’s side. ‘I would be honoured if you would use my name after your mother and I are married.’

  ‘Married!’ Lillia jumped to her feet. ‘That’s wonderful, isn’t it?’ She rushed over and kissed her mother, then gave a cheeky curtsy to Alex, making them all laugh. ‘Lillia Stansfield sounds perfect.’

  Lester was more subdued than his sister, but he was smiling when he kissed his mother and shook hands with Alex. ‘We are very happy for you, sir, and know you will take good care of our mother. We will certainly change our names to yours, because we need to sever all contact from that criminal.’

  ‘It will be a fresh start for all of us, and you don’t need to call me “sir”. Alex will be fine.’<
br />
  ‘No.’ Lillia was shaking her head. ‘I want to call you “Father”. May I? We’ve never had a proper father before.’

  Alex was taken aback by the request, and quite overwhelmed by it. He’d had a lingering fear there might be opposition from the twins, and this response was completely unexpected. ‘I would be delighted if you could think of me in that way, but the choice is yours. Address me in any way you are comfortable with.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She gave him a teasing smile. ‘Is it all right to hug a new father?’

  ‘Perfectly acceptable.’

  When she wrapped her arms around him she whispered in his ear, ‘Thank you for loving Mother, and giving her the chance to be happy.’

  ‘I’ll do my best to make us all happy,’ he told her quietly.

  She stepped back and went to her brother’s side. ‘What astonishing news!’

  ‘I agree, and to find out that Pierre Le Fort was our father is staggering.’

  ‘Amazing, but now we know where our love of music came from. He was almost as good a pianist as you.’

  Lester laughed, and with one swift movement picked her up and swung her round, just as he had done when they’d been children.

  ‘Put me down,’ she squealed. ‘Our new father will tell us off for behaving so badly. He’s an officer, you know – a proper one.’

  He put her back on her feet, still laughing, and winked at Alex. ‘I don’t know where you got your talent from, though, because I’m sure Pierre couldn’t sing soprano.’

  Sara watched the teasing and breathed a sigh of relief. This was how it had always been, and they had taken the news in their stride. She shouldn’t be surprised, though, because both of them had nearly lost their lives in the war, and seen things she couldn’t even imagine, and that must have changed their outlook on life. They now knew what was important and what to dismiss. The thing that mattered now to all of them was the future.

  Alex placed an arm around Sara and nodded. The thing they had both been dreading was over, and there had been no need for concern. The twins were mature and experienced enough to handle such life-changing news. With that obstacle out of the way it was time to move forward.