More Than Duty Chapter 37
January 11, 1918
The feel of warm hands against her face brought Mary slowly back to consciousness. She briefly considered opening her eyes, but her head felt so heavy that instead she groaned and buried her face further into her pillow. The sound of soft giggles broke through her desire to continue sleeping and she forced her eyes open to see Elizabeth kneeling next to her.
"Mama," Elizabeth said, her little hands on Mary's cheeks. Mary rubbed the sleep from her eyes as reality came rushing back to her through the heavy fog of the sleep tonic she had taken the night before.
"Hello darling," Mary said, as she reached up and pulled to chord. After dropping a quick kiss on her daughter's head, Mary rose from the bed and pulled her dressing gown on. As she was tying the sash, the door opened revealing Anna with Mary's breakfast tray.
"I couldn't possibly eat anything," Mary said. "Is there any news?"
"Not yet my lady, but it is early yet," Anna said, pouring a cup of tea and offering it to Mary as Elizabeth climbed out of bed and hurried toward them.
Mary was about to refuse even the tea, but then changed her mind, thinking perhaps the tea could chase away the lingering effects of the sleeping tonic her mother had given her. "Thank you," she said, accepting the cup from Anna and taking a sip.
"Peas," Elizabeth said, pulling on Mary's robe and pointing to the tray Anna had down on the bedside table. Reaching out, Mary took one piece of toast from the tray and handed it to Elizabeth. Elizabeth took a bite and then made a face. Holding the toast up, she pointed to it and said "peas" again. Mary understood immediately that Elizabeth did not want dry toast and was wanting jam put on it. Mary was about to tell "no" and remind her that jam was too messy for Elizabeth to eat in Mary's room. But in truth, she was not eager to send her daughter away, and whatever Elizabeth got messy could be cleaned.
"Very well Elizabeth. You may have toast with jam in mama's room just this once," Mary said, nodding to Anna to go ahead and accede to Elizabeth's request. As Anna was doing just that, there was a short knock on the door which opened to reveal Cora.
"Did you hear something?" Mary asked.
"Not yet my darling, but I expect we will soon. Carson is still at the telegram office and your Grandmother has called Shrimpy again even before the sun had risen."
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"The sun is up. We need to find a place hide until it is dark again," Matthew said. Although he was eager to make it back to allied lines, it was not safe to travel behind German lines in British uniforms. If they traveled during the day, their risk of capture was heightened, and he had no wish to sit out the rest of the war as a POW.
"What about that barn sir?" William asked, pointing toward a barn on the horizon.
Matthew wasn't comfortable with the idea of a barn where the farmer could discover them. This territory of eastern France was known to have mixed loyalties. If the farmer favored the German's, Matthew and William ran the risk that the farmer could turn them over to the German army. Hell, even if the farmer didn't favor the Germans, he might still turn them over just to prevent bringing trouble down on his roof. No, Matthew didn't like the idea, but all around them were open fields so there was no other viable options.
"We haven't much choice. We will have to find a back corner and hope we aren't noticed," Matthew said as they headed toward the barn.
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Mary was nervously pacing the sitting room when Violet entered the room.
"Oh my dear, I have news," Violet said.
"What happened? Is he okay?" Mary asked in a rush.
"I don't know. Shrimpy learned that Matthew went on patrol four days ago and never returned. The footman William was with him and has not returned either."
Mary gasped, bringing one hand to her mouth as her other hand reached out to grasp a chair to keep her from falling. "Oh God, he's dead?"
"Now my dear, we don't know anything more yet. Shrimpy assured me there are several other possibilities. He could have been captured. Or perhaps he was injured and the field hospital has not notified his unit. Or he could be trapped behind enemy lines. Or he could have deserted…"
"Matthew would never desert," Mary interjected with confidence. Although it would be preferable to Mary than his death or injury, she knew it was not a possibility - not for Matthew. "How will we know what happened? When will we hear?"
"Shrimpy promised to keep up the pressure and will let us know the moment he hears anything."
"So we just wait?"
"My dear, that is what women do during war," Violet said, patting Mary's hand and watching as Mary bit her lip to try to keep from crying.
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"Sorry sir," William said after his stomach had produced an embarrassingly loud growl.
"Don't be. I'm starving too," Matthew confessed. It had been four long days since they had gone out on parol. Four long days without a proper meal - hell without much of anything.
"I saw a cellar door in the ground when we approached the barn. I could sneak in. I don't feel right about stealing though," William said before his stomach growled again.
Matthew thought about it for a moment. He couldn't condone stealing either, but he had a some money in his pocket that they could leave in place of the food. It wasn't as if they could walk up an buy something in their British uniforms. It would be dangerous though. Every time they emerged, they increased their chance of being caught, but truth be told, he didn't know how much further they could walk with empty bellies.
"We will leave payment for it," Matthew said. "We'll go as soon as the sun sets and head out right right after."
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"Has there been any news?" Edith asked when she arrived that afternoon.
"He went on parol four days ago and has not been seen since," Cora said as she took little Henry from Edith's arms while Robbie ran across the room to play with Elizabeth.
"Oh Mary, I am so sorry," Edith said.
"Don't offer your sympathy yet," Mary retorted.
"I wasn't trying to upset you - truly. I only wanted to convey that I know how worried I would be if it was my husband that was missing and I feel for you."
Mary looked up and saw the sincerity on Edith's face and immediately regretted her hasty words. "I believe you. Thank you," Mary said, trying to find a small smile for her sister.
"What will you do about the concert on Friday?" Edith asked.
"I had forgotten about the concert. I suppose we will cancel it," Mary replied.
"I don't think canceling is wise," Violet said.
"We couldn't possibly have it under these circumstances," Mary insisted.
"A cancelation would be noticed. You don't want to alert those vultures in the press to the fact that Matthew is missing. God forbid if they printed something and we had would-be heirs coming out of the woodwork."
The thought of would-be heirs and all that meant brought tears back to Mary's eyes and she reluctantly agreed that the concert would be allowed to continue. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash. As the group turned to look toward the sound of the crash, they saw Elizabeth and Robbie standing near and over turned chair.
"Robbie, for shame. You know better than to play roughly inside," Edith scolded.
"Sorry mama," Robbie said.
"As well you should be. Now you can either play quietly here or I can take you outside where you can have a proper run," Edith offered.
"Go outside!" Robbie exclaimed.
"Go go!" Elizabeth echoed, not wanting to be left behind.
"Would it be alright if I take her outside to play with Robbie?" Edith asked Mary. One look at her daughter reminded Mary why she needed to be strong and keep faith that Matthew would return safely.
"Yes, and I think I will join you. Some fresh air would be good for me. Mama, we won't stray far from the house. You will let me know if we receive any news?"
"Of course darling. You girls go, and I will watch little Henry," Cora assured her.
"Come, Elizabeth. Let's go outside and you can play with your cousin," Mary said, holding her hand out to the little girl.
"Pup?" Elizabeth requested.
"Yes, your puppy can come too," Mary said, before calling for dog who came running to join them.
The short time outside did Mary much good. It allowed her time to gather her thoughts without feeling as though she was being observed by many pairs of eyes. Edith seemed to understand her need for solitude and busied herself playing with the children.
After a while, Mary called out to her sister. "Edith, are you sure you should be running about with them in your condition?"
"I am a bit tired," Edith confessed. At seven and a half months pregnant, she no longer had the energy she usually did.
"Come rest with me. The children can amuse themselves for a bit," Mary said, sliding over to the side of the bench to make room for Edith.
"Mary, I don't know what to say or even if you want me to say anything at all. If you need to talk, I would be happy to listen, but if you prefer silence, then I am happy to give you that too," Edith said as she sat down.
"Why are you being so kind to me?" Mary asked.
"Because what you are going through is the scenario that haunts my dreams every night. If anyone in the family knows how you feel, it is me. And because, even if we don't always act like it, you are my sister."
"You are much nicer than you used to be," Mary replied.
"I was always nice - just not always nice to you," Edith said with a smile.
"I deserved it though. I was rarely nice to you," Mary admitted. "It was Matthew that made me want to be a nicer person."
"It is Matthew - not it was," Edith correct, squeezing Mary's hand. "You mustn't give up hope. I think he weren't okay, we would have heard or you would have sensed it."
Later when the children were all napping, Edith and Mary rejoined the family. There had been no additional news, but Mary seemed to be bearing the uncertainty as well as could be expected. "Mary, maybe we should practice our song for the concert," Edith suggested, seeking to distract Mary for a bit.
Mary had completely forgotten that she had agreed to sing at the concert, but right now any distraction was a welcome one, so she nodded and joined Edith at the piano. Edith settled herself on the bench and began to play.
Mary had picked the song weeks ago. The song - If You Were the Only Girl In The World - was from a record that Matthew had bought when he was back for the recruitment drive. As soon as the familiar tune began, Mary closed her eyes, remembering the day he had brought the recording home when they had danced to the song in the privacy of their own room.
"I think I shall have to speak with your dancing master," Mary had teased when she felt Matthew's hands begin to toy with the buttons at the back of her dress.
"And why is that?" Matthew asked, as he managed to open the top button.
"Because I was taught that a gentleman's hand would find its the spot where it was supposed to be and then remain in place. You my love seem to have forgotten that lesson," she said as his finger elicited a shiver from her when the second button popped open.
"That is interesting because I was always taught that a lady would ignore any mistakes a gentleman happened to make on the dance floor, and you my darling seem to have forgotten that lesson," Matthew replied with a grin as his fingers worked the third button.
"I don't know any lady who would or could ignore what you are doing now - and certainly not on a dance floor," Mary said, making him laugh as he succeeded in opening yet another button and brushed his fingers to lightly stroke her back.
"I would say such wonderful things to you, there would be such wonderful things to do, if you were the only girl in the world, and I were the only boy," he whispered in time with the music as he pushed the strap of her gown off her shoulder and kissed the newly bared skin.
"Mary, that is where the lyrics start," Edith said gently, shaking Mary from her reverie.
"I'm sorry, I can't do this. The concert can go on, but you will need to find someone else to sing," Mary said, hurrying from the room. When she reached her bedroom, she closed and locked the door behind her. She picked up Matthew's picture from the bedside table and fell to her knees, praying fervently that he was safe.
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When the sun had set, Matthew and William had snuck from the back to the cellar William had observed earlier in the day.
"We'll take only what we need to survive for a few days," Matthew said. Working quickly together, they grabbed a small chuck of salt pork, a few apples, and a few cans of beans. As William loaded the items up into his pack, Matthew pulled a ten pound note from his wallet. It was much more than the small amount of food was worth, but he felt guilty about taking it without permission, even though he knew it was necessary to do so. He set the money where it would be clearly visible on top of the barrel of apples.
"Let's get out of here," he said to William who nodded in agreement, but before they act on Matthew's suggestion, they heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked. With a feeling a dread, Matthew turned around to see a man standing in the doorway with a rifle pointed directly at them.
TBC
Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter and that it wasn't too confusing to bounce back and forth between Mary and Matthew's stories. I know I left you with a cliff hanger but I am going to try to have another chapter for you this weekend - feedback will certainly encourage me to meet that deadline :)