Summary: Leon is on the receiving end of gossip. Cecilia see things clearly for the first time.


Saturday, June 1st, 1940

"Leon, is that you?"

It was almost eight o'clock that evening, and Leon Tallis had been working late that Saturday. He had barely gotten through the doorway when he heard his beloved wife's voice ring out. There was an edge to it that he'd learned to identify in his four years of marriage, and it worried him. "Yes, dearest, it's me. Are you well?"

The shape of his wife waddled out from their drawing room. At eight months pregnant, Mary Tallis was nearly bedridden and often tired. Leon's marriage to Mary had been a quick and quiet affair the spring of 1936. Briony had been a bridesmaid, and the first Tallis grandchild, a girl named Evelyn, was born just a year later. Mary's first pregnancy had been difficult, and the second one hadn't been any easier. Their little girl had been whisked away to Mary's parents weeks ago under threat of invasion, while her mother chose to stay in London, close to her doctor and husband. The chief worry of the Tallis household lately had been the health and safety of mother and baby. Leon had been working extra hours in anticipation of the baby's upcoming birth, and his escorting Mary up to Glasgow to remain with her parents throughout the war.

"You shouldn't be up!" Leon scolded. "You'll have false labor again."

"Then come sit with me. I've something to tell you."

"Something's the matter. Is it Emily?"

"No, it's not your mother. Come to the table and I'll have Rose bring your dinner."

His arm around her for support, he led her to the dining room where the young maid had placed a plate of roast beef with boiled potatoes. He sat her down in a chaise lounge, where she often sat these days while he ate his dinner, and took his own place at the table.

"You ordered an excellent one," he complimented as he dug in. Confident that the news she had for him was not dire, but aware she had ordered the cook to make something he loved, he ate a few minutes before he asked. "Now. What's so urgent?"

Mary adjusted herself to sit up. Her feet were elevated and she closed her eyes from the effort. Previously she had been an actress, and she had welcomed the switch from the exciting life of the theater to one more maternal, not anticipating that her body might protest the change. Nevertheless, her circle of friends remained wide and she remained well-connected with the outside world.

She waited for him to finish swallowing before she began. "I'm wondering if you've heard from your sister today."

Leon continued eating. "Briony?"

"No. Cecilia." At this, Leon put down his fork and knife and stared at his wife. She continued. "I've had two visitors and three phones calls in the past four hours, all with the same news. Apparently Harold Blume saw her at an EMS in Morden today."

Leon's face darkened. "Harold Blume is…"

"He's at the Ministry of Pensions. Hangs around the with rowing crowd still. He was in the same college as that Turner fellow, at Cambridge."

"Yes, I think I remember now." Leon twisted his napkin around his fist and nervously dabbed his mouth. His appetite was gone. "Well, it should make sense. Cecilia is a nurse, you know – perhaps she works there."

"She was in civilian clothes, he said, and when he called her name, she stared him down." When Leon didn't respond to this she continued. "He was there visiting his brother, who just arrived from the evacuation from France and was injured. He told Harry also heard about a woman who had come to the EMS earlier that night, because a nurse had recognized her fiancé who'd been wounded at Dunkirk. Said the nurses wouldn't stop talking about how romantic it all was, and that he didn't put two and two together til he saw her."

At the sound of Dunkirk, Leon's face paled and he looked towards his wife. "Robbie's been injured."

"From what I hear."

"And Cee's been to see him."

"That's what everyone's saying."

Leon got up and paced around the room. Mary watched him, pitying her poor husband. His family was complicated enough as it was, but the mention of Cecilia could keep Leon up for nights. Cecilia turning up was another matter entirely. He looked the window, staring at nothing in particular but ran his hands through his hair, debating with himself.

"At what hospital was it?"

"An Emergency Medical Service in Morden," she repeated.

"I need to go there."

"Leon…"

"This needs to stop. She needs to know and…"

"Leon…"

"And we can't just let her suffer alone. She needs to know we care."

"Leon…"

"What good is a family if they won't support you?"

Mary grabbed a hold of his wrist as he paced around her and pulled him to her. "What if it's like last time? She might not want to talk to you."

"I have to at least try."

Mary stroked his hair as she squeezed him tight. "I know. And you're a good man for trying."

"I don't suppose I can go tonight," he said, his words muffled into the fabric of her blouse.

"Louisa said visiting hours end at four in the afternoon. You might go tomorrow and see if you intercept her."

"Suppose she works?"

"I wouldn't know, Leon."

"But I must try," he repeated.

"It might be your best chance," she admitted.

"And you wouldn't mind? I don't want something to upset you, so close to baby coming."

"It'd be a joy for you to reunite with her. I know you miss her so. Then our children would know their aunt."

He cupped her cheek, smiling indulgently. "That's sweet of you, dearest. I mean with everything else. It's not just Cecilia back in our lives, but the mess with Robbie and dealing with my parents. You know how nasty Emily still gets about it."

"I married you," she began, smoothing his hair, "For better or for worse. And it seems in order for things to be better they might be worse for a little while. That's not so bad, is it?

"I suppose not." He sat up and kissed her soundly, his hand falling on her belly. "I was lucky to marry you, my lovely wife."

She smiled and cupped his chin. "I only knew you'd get sweeter with age."


Leon paced outside the hospital. It was nearing six o'clock and he was worried the gossipers had been wrong and it hadn't been Cecilia at all. The front doors had been locked and closed for some time, so there was no way to check if Robbie was still admitted.

He'd already had to explain his predicament to a policeman who'd been sent to ensure Leon wasn't a threat to himself or the hospital. He had tried to sit and wait, but he found that sitting still was further agony.

Dejected, he left the hospital courtyard and made his way towards his automobile. He had just unlocked the door when he saw a head of familiar hair among the throng of people walking along the sidewalk. He followed the head bobbing throughout the crowd when he saw her face – her distinctive face with its angles and fine nose. He slammed the door shut and edged his way along the busy sidewalk. He had a sense of déjà vu as he grabbed her elbow and called out her name.

She whirled around and froze for a moment. Despite her neatly arranged hair and clean dress, Leon had the sense all was an afterthought today. Her eyes showed her exhaustion. She regained her composure and turned away from him, saying softly, "No."

"Cecilia, please."

She began to run and he was not about to lose her again. He yanked her arm again and jerked her to him, cornering her against a shop wall. He heard the gasps around him and met her furious stare.

"Leon, no."

"Please just listen to me."

"I said no."

"Some get the police!" A bystander cried. Leon felt a hand on his shoulder, and he swatted it away though he could feel the mood of the crowd grow uneasy.

"No, thank you. It's just my brother," Cecilia said loudly. To Leon she lowered her voice. "I'm not speaking to you."

"Please just listen to me, Cecilia. I was an idiot. Please, let me apologize properly." She turned her head away and stared at the wall rather than meet his eyes. "At least tell me if he's doing all right. Please, Cee."

This got her attention. She turned to face him. "You know about Robbie."

"One of his university chums saw him."

"Fucking Blume," Cecilia swore, her free hand raised to massage her temple. A hiss rose up from a passerby who put his hands around his companion's ears.

"It's not like you're invisible. Only a dozen people have managed to bother my poor wife about it in the past twenty-four hours."

"Yes, it must be difficult to be the subject of so much gossip again. Tell me what it's like, to have everyone despise you?"

Leon sighed and knew she had a point. "I'm sorry for behaving like a coward. I could have defended him and you and it would have cost me a lot of friends and more. If I knew it'd cost me seeing you, then I'd have done things different."

She broke from where he'd cornered her and walked briskly towards the hospital. "And what of Robbie? You grew up with him. On Briony's word, he wasn't to be trusted?"

He followed after her and kept pace. "I didn't know who to believe at first. By the time I knew the truth it was too late, he was already convicted and parole wasn't even a possibility then."

He thought this might stop her but it didn't. "You meant to tell me you knew who did it, and you chose to let him roam about the house, working for our family? For God's sake, Leon, he could have hurt Briony, too!"

The second mention of the missing sister was surprising to Leon. Briony was a complicated person, but that Cecilia hadn't completely written off her well-being was news enough. "Hurt her? Who are you talking about?"

"You let Danny Hardman keep working for our family even though you knew was no better than a rapist and went after little girls. Do I have to spell it out for you? I've never heard something so daft in my life."

"Oh Cee," Leon breathed, finally understanding where her confusion came from. Her anger was misdirected, and he understood he would have to make her see the world as it was. She heard his change of tone and slowed down to look at him. "I've been trying to tell you. If Robbie hadn't been at dinner that night, it most certainly would have been Danny who received the blame."

They were at the front gates of the EMS now, but they had slowed to halt as Cecilia stood processing it all. "I don't understand. Then who…"

"Let's not talk about it here," he said firmly. He had a good reminder in how fast gossip travelled in London in the past day, and he did not need to be accused of slander in public. Paul Marshall would certainly win against a case of hearsay. He glanced at the hospital building then back at her. "You're here to work?"

"No, to visit."

"Visiting hours are over at four. I've been here since three thirty, waiting for you. I thought you'd be going, not coming."

"I have…permission, I guess it is. I'm working the day shift at a maternity hospital this month so I can't make regular hours, but I think I charmed the matron, so I'm allowed from six til nine at night."

"Oh," was all Leon could say. "I hoped to talk more." She didn't answer, so he pressed on. "I want to hear about him, Cee, and apologize for everything I didn't do. If he's up for it, that is. But that's your choice. Say the word and I'll leave you both alone if it's what you both want. "

A cloud came over Cecilia's face. "He wanted me to make amends with you all. In his last letter." She took Leon's hand and they walked toward the entrance. "Wait inside for a bit. I'm going to check on him quickly and if he's all right, maybe we'll find a bite to eat."

"If he's not?"

"I'll come and tell you and then give you my address and we can…we can discuss things later. Unless Briony's passed that on, too."

"Passed what on?"

Cecilia sighed loudly as they stepped into the receiving room of the hospital. "Briony's foiled me by becoming a probationer. She got my address from the nurse's directory and wrote me last month."

This was obviously news to Leon, who thought about his strange little sister's motives as Cecilia greeted the nurses and went back to see Robbie. The list of messes he was making – with a baby on the way in a month, no less – was growing exponentially. It was too late for a retrial. Leon wasn't sure they had a chance at clearing Robbie's record. He hadn't studied criminal law in some time, but he had friends who did. He could make up to his sister and the man who was as good as brother to him by at least looking into how to undo the damage.

He didn't have the energy to consider how he would break this news to his parents.

Cecilia strode out to where he waited with a grateful smile on her face and tears in her eyes. Leon jumped to his feet. "Good news?"

"He looks good and he's sleeping soundly."

"Oh, thank God," Leon breathed, thankful she didn't push him away when he pulled her in for an embrace. She squeezed him before she broke it off, and they left the hospital .

Cecilia was nearly skipping as they made their way to the street. "I didn't have the heart to wake him, he was sleeping so peacefully. Which made my choice easier – I am quite hungry." She seemed momentarily embarrassed to have let her guard down with her brother so quickly. "I've been so worried the past few days I haven't had an appetite."

They entered a small restaurant and sat a table across from each other. He noticed her checking her purse to see how much money she was able to spend. "Order what you like. I'll pay the bill. It's the least I can do from tearing you away from him tonight."

She sank back into her chair, her euphoria evaporating when she remembered their earlier conversation. They were silent until they ordered, when Cecilia pulled herself back up to the table. "You seem to think you know what actually happened that night."

"I'm certain I now know what happened."

"How long did it take you to realize?"

"A year and a half."

This displeased her. Her eyes narrowed and he pressed on before she could attack. "Listen for a moment. You acted so strange that evening – so strange – that I thought after that there was something foul between the two of you. Remember? You didn't want him to come to dinner that night, not at all, and you were so hysterical afterwards that it made sense that maybe he had threatened you, along with everything else. I couldn't see what was right in front of me. I thought…that he had enchanted you in some way, that it really couldn't be love. That maybe that business in the library," he looked away from her for a moment, preserving her privacy, "was just some business to blame the heat and hormones, so it made…sense, I guess, for Robbie to go and…"

"Rape our cousin?"

"You'll have to admit, the timing of these things really wasn't ideal." She scoffed, but he pressed on. "At first I trusted Briony. She doesn't miss a thing, really she doesn't, but she has this tendency to...embellish where she ought not."

"I know the cost of that."

"I know," he said sorrowfully. "And I'm sorry for my part in it. My version makes little sense without her embellishments, but doesn't hold up without it. And I'm sorry to say it corroborated her version of what happened that day. Emily won't hear a word of it, and I've tried reasoning. She's still convinced you were hypnotized by him, or something like it.

"I'm getting off subject. Months later, I started to hear gossip about him. Girls who had been close to him had disappeared, only to show up years later with a child in tow, or rumor of one. I heard of a few who were committed to asylums. All young, too. He denied it, of course. We all believed him. There were other things, in hindsight."

Thinking he was talking about Robbie, Cecilia's temper flared. "Who said that?!"

He seemed not to hear her as he continued his story. "I never heard from him after that day in June. He wouldn't return my calls, positively avoided me on the street. And we were on the same side of the court room!"

Now Cecilia was looking lost, and her voice was small when she asked. "But Danny wasn't at the trial. Who are you talking about?"

"Paul Marshall." His smile was forced when she looked up at him in shock. She didn't reply, and he could tell she was processing it in her mind. "How much do you remember about that night?"

"Everything."

"So you'll remember that Lola came to dinner with marks on her forearms."

"From the twins," Cecilia said dully, clinging to the story she knew.

Leon leaned in closer. "The twins could not leave marks that noticeable on Lola if they tried. The doctor even wrote it on her medical record – it was about the only evidence against Lola's case. And where was Robbie when, allegedly, the twins beat on Lola?"

"With me, " she breathed, her eyes filling with tears.

Leon smiled, seemingly as a way to mask the pain of the truth. "And the twins, as Emily has grudgingly admitted years later, were chatting on the telephone with their father while everyone else readied for dinner. Danny Hardman was with his father." The smile stayed on Leon's face, but it was strained. "Marshall had every excuse in the book not to talk to me afterward, and I accepted them all. I was a fool, Cecilia. I'm so sorry I never realized it until it was too late."

They were silent for a moment, even as a waitress brought plates of food. Cecilia didn't even seem to see it arrive.

"I am an idiot," she whispered. She looked up at him and blinked, tears falling from her eyes again. She was starting to piece it all together. "I'm an utter idiot. You came to the hospital three years ago to tell me."

He nodded. "I would have come sooner, but Grace was unrelenting. She wouldn't give up your address for anything, and she certainly wouldn't hear me about this."

"No, she wouldn't," Cecilia agreed. Leon offered her a handkerchief and she dabbed her eyes. "She still refuses to discuss it. Oh God. If I had consented to see you then…it could have changed everything."

"Maybe not," he said soothingly. "But it would have been a start."

She was silent for a moment as she played with the food on her plate. "If we're to be reconciled, I have my conditions. This business trying to clear his name is a good start, but you'll need to apologize directly to him when he comes around. I can't have everyone pretending they were innocent in all of this."

"I need to apologize to him, Cee. I can't tell you how many nights of sleep I've lost over the two of you."

"Then I'll let him decide when he's on the mend," she answered.

"Good. Thank you. Now," he said, looking at his plate. "I think I can finish this off in no time."

She nibbled at her food. "It tastes like sawdust," she said, making a face. "I don't think I'm hungry anymore."

He reached over and covered her hand with his and squeezed it gently. "Eat, if only for him. It might be a long recovery, and we can't have you getting ill." She nodded and dutifully chewed, tasting nothing but noting that it quelled the churning in her stomach. She mulled over what he had told her and she still couldn't get over it – all these years, Paul Marshall was the one responsible for her and Robbie's mutual agony.

"I think I owe Able Seaman Hardman an apology," she finally admitted, scrapping the last bit of shepherd's pie from her plate.

"I heard you'd gone down hard on him. They were awfully nervous when Robbie was released to the Army."

"So many years of seeing it all in a particular way," Cecilia began, then shaking her head. "I wanted someone to blame."

Leon then told her of his plan to try and clear Robbie's record. "I don't know much about that part of the law, only that we'll need new hard evidence that could clear his name or implicate Marshall. I doubt we could have the charges dropped, five years later."

"That reminds me," Cecilia said. "I told you Briony's written me."

"Yes, what about?" Leon wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned closer to focus in on their conversation.

"She says she wants to change her evidence. That she's beginning to understand the full extent of her actions. I don't know what she means by that, but it seemed she was intent on making amends."

Leon perked up. "Well, that certainly is a surprise, and maybe even a help. What did you tell her?"

Cecilia shrugged. "It was a month ago. I was waiting to hear what Robbie had to say about it. He had just written about feeling guilty that I hadn't spoken to Emily or the Old Man in so long."

"That was a generous thought."

Her eyes were filling with tears again but warm with emotion. "That's Robbie for you," she said again, sniffling through her tears. "I am so tired of crying. The news could have been so much worse this week. I should be thankful he made it back across the channel, but I can't understand why I keep weeping."

"It's a strange kind of happiness, isn't it? After Evelyn was born, everything about her was too beautiful. I couldn't believe I'd help make something so delicate," Leon offered, taking her hand again.

Cecilia blew her nose delicately into the handkerchief he'd lent her. "So much about me, so little about you. Grace heard you married."

"Yes, that's right. May of 1936. Mary was quite…comforting to me during all the turmoil. It felt good to settle into something stable. Evelyn was born the same time next year."

"She's just turned three, then," Cecilia surmised. She gave a little laugh. "A niece! I had no idea."

"And another on the way."

"You're joking." Cecilia looked at her brother with amazement and tenderness. "My brother Leon, a family man. I can hardly believe it."

"I so want you to meet them," he said, taking her hand and squeezing. "Both you and Robbie. Evie always asks why our family is so small and so sad. She knows something's not right."

"Smart girl. And Mary?" Cecilia asked, dabbing her eyes before folding the handkerchief into her purse. "Mary. The actress, right?" Leon nodded. "She seemed to be quite the socialite. Won't she be embarrassed to be around the prodigal sister and felon lover?"

"She married me during the height of it," Leon pointed out. "I don't think she would mind, though I think she's more worried about this next baby."

"When is she due?"

"Four weeks, likely sooner."

"My God!" Cecilia exclaimed. "And you're out dining while she's home alone!"

"She gave her blessing to have me track you down, plus we have a hired girl to stay throughout the night. Normally I'm right there at her side, lest you think I'm some brute of a husband."

She smiled and checked a small watch that hung from a pocket on her dress. "7:45."

"That's enough time for you to visit him," Leon commented. "Let's get you back. "

That June evening was still bright, thanks to the long days of summer. The green leaves glimmered in a gentle wind, making the neighborhood alight with a special glow that calmed the weary minds of both brother and sister. He left her at the gate. "Write your address and I'll be in touch with you."

"I'm working days right now, but I'll be back to nights next month," Cecilia said, writing on a slip of paper she procured from her purse. "You'll find me here in the evenings til they grow tired of me or Robbie is released."

"What happens then?"

"It won't be for a while," she assured him. "If he's been out cold for almost a full week, they'll surely have him on bedrest for at least one week before they even begin to discuss sending him somewhere to convalesce. Then it's reporting to Aldershot and being at the mercy of an officer."

"But no prison?"

"No prison," she repeated. "That was the deal. Serve in the army and he'd be free once they release him."

"What are the odds of that?"

Cecilia shrugged. "Depends on how well he recovers. They can't promote him because of his felony, but they can't do much with a twenty-eight year old private who's recovering from blood poisoning. "

"But he should recover?"

She stared past him and exhaled loudly. "Things are looking good for now. "

Leon pulled out a card and wrote on the back of this. "This is my business card for the bank. I'm there in the day if you need to get to get in touch with me. Our home address is on the back. You can telephone if you'd like."

She surveyed the address. "Regents Park! My my, Leon."

"It's no Balham," he joked. "Listen, I've kept you too long. Tell him we're all praying for him, Mary and Evie and me, and I'll stop by soon."

"Grace is coming tomorrow," she said. "I'll let you know if she's all right seeing you. She was a little upset by everything when I spoke to her yesterday, but she might be all right if you visit."

"Yes, just let me know. Send a telegram to the house." He pulled her into an embrace and she returned it, hugging her brother with all the love and pain that five years of separation had kept inside her. "Love you, sis."

"You too," she whispered.