The Soldier's Return by Rosie Meddon

Author:Rosie Meddon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2019-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

‘Oh, my dear, I am so sorry. So very sorry.’

To Kate, it seemed to be all that anyone could say to her. Several hours later, and with dusk falling, all anyone seemed able to do was keep saying those same few words, over and over. Already fed up with hearing them, she begged them, in turn, to leave her alone. But would they do that? No, even once she had taken to her bed, people kept coming and going, offering their sympathy; Naomi in particular stubbornly choosing to keep vigil at her bedside.

Raising her eyes to stare up at the ceiling, she wished that her limbs didn’t feel so leaden and useless, a state presumably brought on by the sizeable measure of brandy Mr Lawrence had encouraged her to drink. “For the shock,” he had said, pouring some from the decanter into one of the crystal balloons and handing it to her before pouring an even larger measure for himself. Brandy, she knew, was what you gave people so they wouldn’t feel pain. But what if she wanted to feel pain? Who was anyone else to deny her that right? Her husband was dead. She was a widow. And here she was, “three sheets to the wind”, as dear Nell, back at St. Ursula’s, was so fond of saying about the men who staggered along the towpath considerably the worse for drink. Picturing Nell made her giggle – presumably another effect of the brandy. But then, abruptly, she stopped; Luke would wonder what had come over her – would urge her to behave with some dignity. “For heaven’s sake, Kate,” he would whisper, “someone has just died.”

Luke. Poor, poor Luke. Never again would he have to despair of her wilful ways.

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