Love for a Soldier by Mary Jane Staples

Author:Mary Jane Staples
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781446497050
Publisher: Transworld

Chapter Twelve

TIME WAS PASSING, and Elissa thought the day would run away from them all too soon.

‘Major,’ she said, gloved hands gripping the wheel as the car bounced over the death-defying surface of a road that had nothing good to offer the traveller except its eventual end, ‘the morning has gone and I feel we’ve achieved little more than part of a circular tour.’

‘Yes, it’s chastening to discover that keen endeavour can lead us nowhere,’ said Major Kirsten. ‘Apart from finding Sophia’s hat and a farmer who growled at us, we’ve drawn nothing each time we’ve stopped but a large, discouraging blank. We’ve no idea at all whether or not we’ve put ourselves between Douai and our quarry.’

‘We did at least make contact with Colonel Hoffner’s search party.’

‘Comprised of old and grey men, wandering about with an old and grey officer. I’m going to suggest our elusive pair have gone to ground again, that they’re hiding somewhere and waiting for darkness. Yes, of course.’

‘Of course?’ said Elissa, negotiating potholes with care.

‘I’m not yet completely discouraged by my inadequacies,’ said Major Kirsten, drawing in lungfuls of the cold, healthy air. The car was open to allow them maximum observation. ‘I think they’re so close to Douai that that’s the obvious thing to do. They won’t want to scuttle about like rabbits.’

‘You’re quite convinced they’re acting in collusion?’ said Elissa.

‘I’ve a feeling, that’s all. Look, do you see that wood up there?’

‘Yes,’ said Elissa, ‘we passed it on its other side an hour ago. There’s a barn, too. That must be the barn Colonel Hoffner’s men told us they’d searched.’

‘They also told us there was a girl working in the barn, a dirty and impudent French girl. Elissa, have you ever seen any kind of a French girl parading dirt?’

‘Not all over her face,’ said Elissa. ‘The officer said she looked sluttish with dirt.’

‘I’d have liked to see under the dirt myself,’ said Major Kirsten. ‘Pull up and we’ll take a walk.’

‘Another one?’ said Elissa. They had been pulling up and taking walks frequently. But she came to a halt. ‘Major,’ she said, as they alighted, ‘if we leave the car here, is it possible we shall lose the new distributor head?’

‘If that happens, Elissa, I shall dig a hole for myself and leave you to erect a suitable headstone. We’ll risk it. In fact, should our mad friend be around, let’s tempt him. We can keep the car in sight. If he does appear, we might then discover if he and Sophia are running for the car together, or if she’s being dragged.’

They walked to the barn over fields lying fallow. There were a great many fields lying fallow. Everything farmers needed, including seed, was in short supply, and despite the amount of pasture available they had seen nothing in the way of livestock.

Major Kirsten startled Elissa by asking if she had a service revolver.

‘No, we aren’t issued with weapons of any kind, Major –’

‘Don’t be alarmed. I’ve my own revolver in an emergency.

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