Lucinda

I did not hear from Annabelinda. She rarely answered letters unless there was something she particularly wanted to say.

Aunt Hester came over to see us from Camberley, where she and Uncle Gerald had lived for most of their married life. She was in London to do some shopping, she said, and had taken the opportunity to call.

“It saves writing,” she said. “It’s about this dinner. Gerald can’t possibly come on the twenty-third. Things are moving fast over there. The Germans are approaching Mons and the situation is getting more and more alarming.”

Mons! I thought of Madame Rochère and wondered what she was doing. I had a feeling she would never leave La Pinière.

“I understand, of course,” said my mother. “But what a pity! I did want to let Major Merrivale know how grateful we are to him. I suppose he will be involved with Gerald?”

“Oh, yes. They’ll leave at the same time, I expect. They do work closely together.”

“It was wonderful of him to arrange to get the girls home.”

“Gerald would do a lot for the family. But what I was going to say was…could we have this dinner party earlier? I think—but I can’t be absolutely certain—that Gerald will be leaving on the twenty-second. The nineteenth would be just about the latest he could come.”

“Well, we’ll make it the nineteenth. Why not? That will suit us just as well.”

“I feel sure that will be all right,” said Aunt Hester. “But you’ll understand if we have to cancel. These times are so uncertain.”

“But of course,” said my mother.

My mother decided that it should be a very small party. “Really a family affair. I daresay both Uncle Gerald and Major Merrivale have had enough of functions…in their positions. I shall ask Miss Carruthers and Andrée to join us. After all, they were members of the group and I am sure Major Merrivale would like to know that they are safely settled.”

I was looking forward to it with pleasure and, I have to admit, with a certain amount of excitement. Marcus Merrivale had been in my thoughts a great deal. He was the kind of man who left a deep impression.

I was afraid that the party might be canceled. My mother said we must be prepared for that. Wars made everything uncertain.

However, the nineteenth arrived and there was Marcus Merrivale with Uncle Gerald and Aunt Hester. Marcus looked just as he had during the journey across France.

He took both my hands. “Miss Lucinda! What a pleasure to see you! And Miss Carruthers and Mademoiselle Latour. Well, this is a gathering of the clan, is it not?”

My father said, “I don’t how we are ever going to thank you, Major. What you did…”

“It was nothing but pleasure all the way, I do assure you.”

“I knew Marcus would pull it off,” said Uncle Gerald. “He was just the man for the job.”

“Well, come along in,” said my mother. “I only hope you are not going to be called away. One never knows at times like this with you military people. Anything can happen from hour to hour.”

My mother had arranged that the major should sit on her right hand and I was next to him. Uncle Gerald was between Miss Carruthers and Andrée.

My parents asked the major a lot of questions about the journey, most of which I had already answered; and again my mother thanked him for what he had done. He replied again that it had been a pleasure.

“A change from my usual duties,” he added. “And you know how we all love a change. By the way,” he added, “how is Master Edouard faring? Has he deigned to accept his new home?”

“With supreme indifference,” replied my mother. “Lucinda will tell you all about him. He is her favorite topic. By the way, we call him Edward now. We thought it best to anglicize him.”

“What an excellent idea!” He turned to me. “I am so glad Mademoiselle is with you. She is so happy.” He smiled across at her.

“Oh, I am,” she said fervently.

My father was talking to Aunt Hester about her sons, Harold and George. George had been going into the army in any case, but Harold had immediately joined up. “Of course, he is rather young,” said Aunt Hester.

“We’re going to need all the men we can get,” said Marcus, and then the talk turned to the war.

After dinner, when we had all retired to the drawing room, Marcus was beside me once more.

He asked about Annabelinda. I told him she was in Hampshire with her family and, as he had joined the army, I had not seen her brother since my return to England.

“He’s training on Salisbury Plain,” I added.

“It must be the Royal Field Artillery.”

“Yes, it is. I expect he’ll come and see us as soon as he can.”

“He’s a favorite of yours, is he?”

“Oh, yes. He’s one of the nicest people I know.”

He nodded. “I did not expect to see Miss Carruthers here tonight.”

“She is going to teach me. My parents think I need a governess for a while.”

“Yes, of course. You are very young.” He grinned at me. “Don’t be downcast on that account. It is something which will quickly be rectified, you know.”

“I suppose you will be going away soon?”

“At any moment, by the look of things.”

“I heard the Germans were close to Mons. How close…do you know?”

“Only that it is too close.”

“It’s hateful. I can’t stop thinking of Madame Rochère. What will she do? She will be so haughty and unrelenting.”

“I daresay she will have to submit to the conquerors. She would have been wise to get away.”

“I can’t believe she will ever leave La Pinière of her own free will. Just imagine how it must be for her! Losing her home.”

“Still, better than losing one’s life.”

I was somber and he put a hand over mine. “Don’t be sad, Miss Lucinda. I hate to see you sad.”

“It’s a sad time for so many.”

“Nothing is entirely bad, you know. There is always some little bit of good lurking among the troubles. Just think! But for all this, we should never have met.”

I smiled at him and he went on. “I hope you will think of this meeting as one of the good things in all this.”

“My mother has told you many times how grateful we all are to you, so I won’t repeat it. But I mean it just the same.”

“You overrate what I did. Never mind. I like it. I shall take the first opportunity of coming to see you again.”

“Oh…shall you?”

“It is what I shall look forward to most.”

“What of your family?”

“Ask me what you want to know.”

“Where do they live? Have you a big family? Have you a wife?”

“Sussex. Parents, brother and sister. Not yet.”

I laughed. “You’re very laconic.”

“You asked for answers and you got them.”

“Why did you say ‘not yet’ about being married? It sounds as though you might soon.”

“I shall have to wait until I find the perfect woman…and then would she have me?”

“I feel sure she would.”

“Nothing is sure in this life, but it is nice of you to say so. I fear the perfect woman would look for a perfect man.”

“When people are in love, the ones they love seem perfect in their eyes.”

“How comforting. But the imperfections come to light later. Perhaps after all, perfection is a sort of compromise.”

“Are you a little cynical?”

“Me? Never for a moment. I am a romantic. An optimist. Probably a very unwise man.”

“Well, I hope you find the perfect woman.”

“I shall. Even if I have to wait until she grows up a little.”

He was looking at me, smiling, lifting his eyebrows a little in a quizzical way. I was disconcerted but happy.

Andrée was coming toward us.

“Major Merrivale,” she said. “I have heard the Germans are advancing across Belgium and that they are almost at the borders of France. Is it true?”

“It is not wise to listen to rumors, Mademoiselle Latour. But I fear the advance is rapid.”

“Shall you be going overseas again soon?”

“In a few days, I expect.”