Thunder on the Veldt by Daphne Olivier

Author:Daphne Olivier
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: death, hunger, disease, south africa, suffering, boer war, natal, epic tale, concentration camps, ladysmith, battlefields, australian digger, battle at talana, fathers suicide, goldfields of witwatersrand, imperial light horse regiment, joannesburg mining magnate, leaves her lover, penniless, pepworth hill, summon her courage, thunder on the veldt, under siege
Publisher: Melange Books, LLC

“Yes, you can. You're a strong lady. I've seen you at work in the wards. It takes strength to do what you do.” He stood. “Well now, shall I walk you home? There's no need to report for duty today if you don't feel up to it.”

“No, no. I'd go crazy sitting at home. Nell told me a long time ago that work is the best therapy for worry. And she's right. Maybe keeping busy will take my mind off things—for a while at least.”

Donald smiled. “Nell... ah, now there's a sensible lass. And a first-class nurse too. You'd do well to take her advice.”

* * * *

The days passed, one after another. Long spells at the hospital left Melinda exhausted and drained, yet sleep did not come easily. She lay for hours going over the advice Donald Chadwick had given her but, no matter how she tried to face the fact that Jack might be dead—almost certainly was dead—she would not, could not give up hope that somehow, somewhere, he might be alive.

In Ladysmith, life went on with little visible change. People glanced up at the hills nervously, but shops opened, people went about their business and, on the sports fields, men came out to play cricket or polo. Now and then, a shell whistled down from one of the hills. Each caused a ripple of alarm but, fortunately, few exploded. Most buried themselves in the ground where they were soon rendered harmless. Then, just when everyone was beginning to believe the worst was over, Uncle Tom came home with a newspaper carrying the headlines, “LADYSMITH UNDER SIEGE.”

Aunt Iris gasped. “Oh dear heaven, not a siege! Not here in Ladysmith. Why would anyone want to besiege our little town?”

“It's not our town the Boers want,” Uncle Tom told her. “It's the whole of Natal. And the key to that lies here in Ladysmith. General White and thirteen thousand British troops are stationed here. The Boers hope to keep them buttoned up so they'll be free to march down to Pietermaritzburg and on, all the way to Durban.”

“Oh no, not Durban,” Aunt Iris cried, throwing up her hands. “That's where Jane and Emma are. And Jane about to have her baby. Lord preserve us, not Durban.”

“Ease your mind, my dear. What the Boers would like to do and what they'll achieve are two different things. Jane and Emma are in no danger. The Boers will never reach Pietermaritzburg, let alone Durban. Rest assured of that.”

Cecily pressed a handkerchief to her eyes. “We should never have come here,” she wailed. “We should have gone to the Cape . Oh, if only we'd gone there, we'd have been safe.” She reached into a pocket for her smelling salts and held it under her nose. “Oh my! Oh my. A battle on our doorstep, shells falling about our heads and now besieged. I don't think my heart can stand any more.”

Melinda felt like shaking her. Cecily never lost an opportunity to remind her

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