July 1915, Westerville
Kurt
Kurt's body sags with relief after reading Blaine's letter. It's one thing for the War Office to report that Blaine is alive and well, but it's comforting to read the words from Blaine himself. Not for the first time, Kurt wishes that he could do something more to help Blaine.
He knows that his efforts on the home front are helping to feed the troops, but somehow it doesn't feel like enough. Not when his love is on the battlefront, attacking the Germans. He's a strong young man and should be fighting for his country. He already finds people staring at him and whispering when he's in the village. He wants to shout that he's not a coward. That his father is recovering from a near fatal heart attack... That the Westerville estate needs him to increase their food production for the troops... That his lover needs him safe so that he can focus on the war.
There are countless reasons why he's still on the home front, but none of them feel right when he's reading a letter from Blaine.
Miss Lopez looks ups from her Photoplay magazine. "I don't see why I have to look after Lady Quinn's baby. All Master Michael ever does is cry, eat, and poop. And drool… How could I forget the drooling? When are his blooming teeth going to grow in?" Miss Lopez complains.
Mercedes rolls her eyes. She's still the one who looks after Master Michael every night. And while Miss Lopez changes his nappies, she's responsible for boiling and sanitizing them.
"There are a lot worse jobs that you could be doing. Think of the men on the front."
"Times are changing, and I could have a new life somewhere else." Miss Lopez holds up her magazine on a double-page spread about Mable Norman. "She was nothing when she started, you know. Her father was a carpenter and they'd no money, and now she's a shining film star. Can't you look after Master Michael during the day?"
"I'm too busy planting vegetables in the gardens to take him on as well," Mercedes replies.
Mrs Hudson interrupts, "Enough, Miss Lopez! How can you possibly complain when my Finn is convalescing upstairs in the ward?"
"At least he's made it to upstairs," Miss Lopez mutters under her breath.
Kurt has had enough of this conversation, which only highlights Miss Lopez's lackadaisical ways. "I have some rather good news."
"We could do with some good news. Go on and tell us," Mrs Hudson urges.
"I've passed my driving test. Even though my lessons with Lady Quinn were rather interesting, to say the least, I've learnt enough to obtain my license."
Mr Hummel smiles. "Kurt, that's excellent news. The family has suffered for long enough with Lady Quinn's driving, and who knows when Mr Hudson will be able to resume his driving duties. You'll be the fill-in driver until Mr Hudson is ready. "
Kurt has noticed that his father tends to be in a rather good mood lately. Why, he's even caught the butler humming a ditty as he was decanting the wine. And Mrs Hudson looks so happy it's as if she's walking on air. He wonders if this means what he thinks it does.
Kurt knocks on the study door before entering with the afternoon tea tray.
The Earl looks up from his papers. "Excellent timing, Kurt. I'm in need of a cuppa. There's something I'd like to discuss with you." The Earl looks at the RAMC officers that are working at their desks. "If you please, I'd like a few minutes alone."
"Yes, Lord Anderson," the officers reply, and they quickly leave the study.
"It seems more difficult each day to find a place in the abbey where I can be alone. I might have to resort to the stables," the Earl laughs.
Kurt pours the tea and serves the Earl a slice of Victoria sponge cake.
"Dr Harrison is dropping not so subtle hints that Hudson will be well enough soon to be removed from the ward. He says that Westerville Hospital is overflowing with patients, and they need the beds here."
"Surely others could be transferred out before Mr Hudson, My Lord?" Kurt asks.
"I agree, if it wasn't for Rachel. She's tirelessly tending to Mr Hudson, and spends each night sleeping on a chair by his bedside. I'm not comfortable with her spending nights in a ward filled with young men, no matter how injured they are."
"I can see your point. There is a spare bed in my room now that Mr Evans is at war. Mr Hudson could move in with me, and I could look after him at night," Kurt offers.
"Thank you, Kurt, but that won't be necessary. It was my first thought as well, to move Hudson to the servants' sleeping quarters. However, when I mentioned that to Rachel, she adamantly disagreed. She said that Hudson still needs someone with nursing skills to look after him. And it wouldn't do for her to sleep in the male servants' sleeping quarters."
"I'm not sure what to suggest," Kurt replies.
"Rachel was quick to propose an alternative solution. She proposes that Mr Hudson take over Blaine's bedroom. This way, she could tend to him during the night as their bedrooms are next to each other, without inconveniencing anyone else in the abbey."
"B-But what about Mr Blaine?" Kurt asks.
The Earl replies, "This war will go on for far longer than any of us had hoped. By the time Blaine returns, Hudson should have made a complete recovery and be reinstalled in his room over the garage."
"What about Mr Blaine's things?"
"This is why I'm speaking to you, Kurt. Could you please pack his clothes and personal items in trunks, and have them stored in Mr Hudson's room in the garage?"
"Yes, My Lord."
"Very well then. When you leave, could you let the RAMC officers know they can return to the study?"
"Yes, My Lord."
After passing the message on to the RAMC officers, Kurt goes to the storage room and retrieves two trunks. He enters Blaine's bedroom and starts to pack his things. Each item he packs fills Kurt with memories - the outfits from the tailor in Exeter, the shaving brush, the top hat that was forgotten in the drawing room the night of the Westerville ball.
Even though Mr Hudson using Blaine's bedroom is a temporary measure, it gives him an uneasy feeling. With Blaine's things packed away, will he fade in everybody's memory? Is this an omen that Blaine won't return to Westerville Abbey?
Kurt has to hand it to Miss Berry. Her solution is ingenious. She now has a plausible excuse to be seen going in and leaving Mr Hudson's bedroom at all hours of the night. Kurt knows that what will go on behind closed doors will be more than what nursing strictly entails.
After completing his nightly duties, Kurt sits down on the old chair in the butler's study, and carefully studies his father and Mrs Hudson. The housekeeper's eyes sparkle and Kurt can practically see her body thrumming as she pours out the tea. His father is smiling as well, and his eyes don't leave Mrs Hudson for a single second.
When Mrs Hudson smooths down her skirt and sits down on the sofa, his father says, "Kurt, we have some important news. Mrs Hudson has agreed to be my wife."
Kurt can't say that he's surprised, but he smiles widely nonetheless, and gets up to give Mrs Hudson a hug. "This is wonderful news. Congratulations to you both. Have you settled on a date yet?"
"No, not yet. There are a few logistics we need to work out first," his father replies.
Mrs Hudson smiles. "I want a simple wedding, after the Sunday service, but your father wants a wedding like the family would do it, with a big reception. But most of all, I want to wait until Finn can walk me down the aisle."
"Will you continue working at the abbey?" Kurt asks.
His father nods. "I told His Lordship our news this afternoon. He was very pleased for us."
Mrs Hudson stands up. "I'll leave you two to discuss the details. I'm going upstairs to tell Finn our good news." Before leaving, she gives the butler a peck on the cheek, and Kurt thinks his father's dopey smile is so sweet. He has never seen this side of his father before.
Mr Hummel turns his attention to his son once Mrs Hudson has left. "I wanted you to be the first to know, after His Lordship. I loved your mother so much... I never thought I would remarry. But I realized how lonely I was when Mrs Hudson came along. She's been such good company, and I've slowly fallen in love with her. It was after my heart attack that I realized I'm not getting any younger, and someday you'll be off living your own life."
"I understand, Father. I really do. I can't imagine being with anyone other than Mr Blaine, but I get lonely too. But mostly I feel so frustrated that I'm not doing my part in the war effort."
"But you are, Kurt. Think of how much more food crops and dairy the estate is producing now," Burt counters.
"That's true, but now that the new system is in place, I'm not needed as much. I've given it a lot of thought, and I want to enlist."
Mr Hummel stares at his son for a few moments and replies, "I'm not happy about it. I don't want you to leave for the front. You're my only child, and I can't imagine losing you."
"But I can't keep living like this."
Mr Hummel says, "I have to keep reminding myself that you are no longer a little boy. You're a man now, and you need to do what feels right for you. Just promise me that before you come to a decision, that you'll think it through and consider what Mr Blaine thinks about it as well."
Kurt sighs. His father knows that Blaine doesn't want him to join the military. He certainly doesn't need either his father's or Blaine's permission to join the Royal Army. But he does need to think through all the factors before coming to a decision.
"I promise," Kurt replies.
"Kurt, I've written to the chemist and the bookshop in Exeter. You are now authorized to put purchases on the Anderson account," the Dowager Countess reports.
Kurt, who is driving the Dowager Countess home from her outing in Exeter, glances in the car's rear-view mirror and catches her eye. "Thank you, My Lady. Mr Blaine wants more soap and shaving cream, and he can never have too many books."
After taking a left turn, Kurt remarks conversationally, "There were a lot of women coming out of the town hall after today's meeting."
"Yes, the Women's Institute's numbers have increased ever since I agreed to be its patron. It's the curiosity factor of being in the same room as me. They probably all thought I was dead."
"Do you think the WI is going to make a difference in the supply of food, My Lady?" Kurt asks. He doesn't know much about the newly-formed institute, but their objectives are to encourage women to get involved in growing and preserving food.
"Absolutely. Women are desperate to help their men on the front in any way they can. Those sign-up sheets you prepared are filled with names. The autumn crop will be harvested in no time at all. There are plenty of women in this county who want to make sure that there is enough food for this nation and our soldiers."
Kurt is pleased that there will be enough labor in the fields and dairy farms. The Women's Institute seems a sensible way to manage the women's efforts on the home front. He frowns when he thinks that he'll be the only young man still working at the Westerville estate.
"Kurt, why the glum face?" the Dowager Countess asks.
"I can't enlist in the Royal Army due to my farmer classification, and neither my father nor Mr Blaine wants me to."
"Your father has no-one but you, and Blaine loves you. Of course they don't want you to enlist. Who can argue with them?
"So, I'm to stand by while the lads on the farms go to war? Even Sebastian is at the front in the medical corps," Kurt insists.
"Ha! That'll come as a nasty shock," the Dowager Countess chuckles.
"Oh, you can make fun of him, My Lady, but Sebastian is fighting for his King and country, and I'm not."
"Well, I daresay you won't have long to wait."
"Well, I hope you're right."
"Do you? Because I don't. I hope very much that I am wrong. I've heard that the Royal Army now recruits men with the special farmer classification."
Kurt thinks this is very interesting news.
As soon as he can, Kurt makes a trip to Exeter to buy things to send to Blaine. After making numerous purchases at the chemist's, he goes to the book shop. He decides not to buy anything too deep and meaningful like Reflections on War and Death by Sigmund Freud or The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford. Instead, he buys the latest novel by P. G. Wodehouse and Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham.
When he exits the book shop, white feathers are thrown in his face.
"Where's your uniform?" one woman sneers.
"You coward! Why don't you enlist?" another shouts.
The handful of women jeering at him disappear when they find a new victim. Kurt brushes his jacket to make sure that all the feathers are off.
I'm not a coward. I'm not a coward.
Kurt heads to the recruitment office around the corner.
One week later...
Kurt packs a box with presents for Blaine. In addition to the toiletries and books, there's cakes, dehydrated beef, chewing gum, hand-knitted socks, candles, and photographs. He takes a deep breath and starts to write the accompanying letter.
My Dearest B,
You can't imagine everyone's shock when they saw Firebird exit the military truck without you. Your father immediately called the War Office to make sure you were alive and well. It was only your letter that reassured me that it's true. I don't know what I would do if you were to die before we saw each other again.
Mr Hudson is back home. His recovery is slow, but it's made sweeter by Miss Berry's round-the-clock attention. Miss Berry has now abandoned the idea of nursing at the war front. She's decided that her efforts are best made at Westerville Abbey, tending to the injured soldiers. Sure, she still gives her nightly vocal performances in the ward, but her other time is spent exclusively with Mr Hudson. I can't believe that nobody else realizes that they're in love.
I have some good news. My father and Mrs Hudson are getting married! It's wonderful to think that they have found love and happiness in their twilight years. It's comforting to know that whatever I plan to do, my father will be looked after by someone who loves him.
No doubt that your grandmother has already written to you about her latest pet project, the Women's Institute. I'm impressed by how the women are working together with the Ministry of Food to get food produced for this nation and its troops. Mrs Hudson is the WI's manager for the Westerville estate. It's an excellent choice - she's smart, sensible, and is no stranger to hard work. Wesley is her assistant, and he's teaching her about the different tenant farms on the estate. She already knows how to drive a tractor, so it won't take her any time at all to learn how to drive a truck.
I've written to you before about this, but I feel I should be doing more for the war effort. The Women's Institute overseeing the crops and dairies on the Westerville estate has made me rather redundant. Now that my father is healthy, and happy with Mrs Hudson, I've been giving a lot of thought to what I should do.
I understand your need to keep me safe, but I'm not a porcelain doll that is easily breakable. Although I'm someone special to you back home, I'm also a man. I have the same overwhelming need to protect those that I love, as you do. When I watch the newsreels at the village cinema each week, I want to fight for my country and loved ones as well.
I went to the Royal Army's recruitment office last week and had an interesting talk with the officer from the Royal Flying Corps. I know that many military officers are sceptical about the use of aeroplanes in the war, but I'm convinced that they do help the troops, like yours, in the trenches. The RFC is mostly used for nighttime observation missions, collecting photographs of the enemy's positions. There's a risk that enemy may spot them and shoot the aeroplane down. However, the RFC is currently equipping their aeroplanes with guns as well. And they use parachutes in the event they need to escape.
After passing a series of tests on my eyesight and reflexes, I enlisted as an RFC pilot. I did this with the knowledge that I won't be on the front, but still helping and supporting you and the Royal Army. I leave tomorrow for a six-month training program somewhere in Great Britain that I can't disclose (I've already had the lecture on writing specific locations in letters). Once completed, I'll have a two-week leave, and then I'll join the war efforts on the continent.
Your family and the staff at Westerville Abbey weren't in the least surprised by my enlistment - although they were surprised that I'm going to be a pilot. Besides Wesley (who's a Chinese citizen and therefore ineligible), I'm the only young male left on the Westerville estate. Your father had me go to the fancy shop in Exeter to buy the best boots they had on offer.
The good news is that I'll be home for Christmas during my leave. My father and Mrs Hudson will get married on December 28th so that I can be the best man. By December, aren't you entitled to some home leave as well? I'm planting the idea in your mind as you might mention December to your commanding officers. I really, really, really want to see you again before I leave for the continent.
Mr Hudson gave me several ideas about what to put in the parcel we're sending to you. I hope you don't mind, but it contains my aunt's lavender soap that I use every day. I also enclosed an undershirt that I've slept in for the past week. I think you sleeping with my shirt is simply adorable. I'm taking the fancy sandalwood soap that you use with me to training. We can be hopeless romantics together.
I know my enlisting will worry you, and I'm sorry about that, but the truth is, it hurts every moment that I'm not doing my part in the war. Please know that I love you so much, and that this is exactly why I want to help the war efforts. Every man is needed to end this war as soon as possible.
You can write me care of the RFC and they will make sure that the letter is delivered to me.
I love you fearlessly and forever.
K
Xoxoxo
Trivia: By the end of WW1, the Women's Institute had helped raise Britain's food self-sufficiency from 35% in 1914 to over 60% by 1918. Nationally, they played a key role in promoting women's suffrage, employment, and education rights, as well as healthcare, and child welfare.
Many thanks to my fantastic betas, Fearlessly and Lilyvandersteen. I also thank Dblmalfunction, who performed a detailed final review, although all mistakes are mine. I'm HKVoyage on Tumblr.
Next up: A glimpse of Sebastian working as a RAMC medic on the front.