A Hope Remembered by Stacy Henrie

Author:Stacy Henrie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2015-03-31T04:00:00+00:00

Colin jerked awake. His room was bathed in semidarkness, and except for the ticking of the mantle clock, silence permeated the night. Something had disrupted his sleep, though. He lay still, listening, his eyes staring at the canopy of the four-poster bed.

Just when he’d convinced himself he must have imagined the noise, a shout of pain and agony split the quiet of the house. Colin tore off his covers and shot to his feet. Was something wrong with his mother or father? He pulled on his robe, threw open the door, and paused to listen again. When the loud, anguished cry repeated, he realized it wasn’t coming from his parents’ rooms. It was coming from Lyle’s.

Sir Edward lumbered into the hall, carrying a lamp. “What is the meaning of this, Colin?” Lady Ashby appeared as well, her dark hair arranged in a long braid down her back.

“It’s Lyle,” Colin said over his shoulder. He went to Lyle’s door and knocked. The only response was another shout. Anxious for his friend, Colin opened the door and stepped into the room. “Lyle? Are you all right?”

He heard his parents come up behind him. His father’s lamp cut through the room’s darkness, illuminating Lyle’s look of horror.

“Ashby, I can’t shake them,” Lyle screamed. He sat straight up in bed. “They’re all over me.” He flailed his arms as if trying to bat away a fly. “I’m hit; I’m hit.”

Colin swallowed hard, memories slamming into him at hearing Lyle’s words. The room seemed to fall away and he, too, was back in his biplane, the sky thick with German fighters. He’d motioned for Lyle to get back to base. Miraculously, his friend had, though it was the last time Lyle flew in the war.

A hand on his arm brought Colin back to the present. He glanced down into his mother’s worried eyes. “Is he dreaming?”

Colin nodded. “Go back to bed. I’ll make sure he’s all right.”

She took the lamp from his father and handed it to Colin. “Would you like me to ring for some tea?”

“No.”

Lady Ashby kissed him on the cheek, then followed a grumbling Sir Edward out of the room. Not wasting any more time, Colin strode to the bed and set the lamp on the side table. Lyle was weeping now. Colin gripped his friend’s shoulder and shook him. “Lyle. Wake up. You’re dreaming. It’s not real—not anymore.”

Lyle fought his grasp, but Colin held on. He gave his friend another firm shake. “Wake up, chap. Everything’s okay.”

After another minute, Lyle’s face relaxed and his eyes widened. “Ashby?” he said, his voice heavy with confusion.

Colin sank onto the end of the bed. “You were having a nightmare.”

Lyle ran a hand over his jaw. “Did I disturb the house?”

“No.” He needn’t tell Lyle about waking his parents, and for all Colin knew, the servants hadn’t heard a thing. “Would you like some water?”

Lyle shook his head. “I’m sorry to wake you.”

Colin shrugged off the apology. “Does this happen often?”

The lamplight accentuated the red of Lyle’s face and neck.

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