Author's note: This chapter includes a scene where Blaine describes his experiences in a German POW camp during WW1. I've tried to achieve a balance between relating what prisoners' lives were like, and not providing too many upsetting details. If you have any concerns, please send me a PM or a message on Tumblr. No anons please - I will only answer privately so as not to spoil things for other readers.
October 1919
Blaine
Blaine pulls at the stiff collar of his military uniform. He's never needed to wear the formal red jacket with black trim used for ceremonial occasions before, and it's itchy and uncomfortable.
"Don't fuss with your jacket," his mother whispers. "Oh look, there are King George and Queen Mary making their entrance."
Blaine looks over and sees the royals, with the Lord Chamberlain following close behind. The crowd in Buckingham Palace's ballroom falls quiet when God Save the King is played. At the end of the song, Blaine promptly joins the queue of other officers.
King George begins the ceremony. "Earlier this year, I created the Order of the British Empire for the sake of honoring the many thousands of people who have served in a variety of roles during the Great War. We are here today to award those who have made a significant contribution to our great nation and empire."
The King picks up a sword, and the Lord Chamberlain announces, "Captain Blaine Anderson will henceforth be known as a Knight Commander of the Order - not only for his heroics on the western front, but also for providing strong leadership to British soldiers in a German POW camp for two years plus their long journey home.
Blaine walks forward to face the King, and kneels on the investiture stool. King George places the sword on his right soldier and whispers, "You had your family worried when we couldn't find you. I'm glad that you made it back home, Captain Sir Anderson."
After the King attaches the decorative silver gilt and enamel medal to the clip previously pinned to his jacket, Blaine joins his parents, grandmama, and Hummel in the ballroom. His grandmama carefully inspects the impressive medal. "This medal is worth a tidy sum of money for the silver content alone."
The Lord Chamberlain continues the ceremony with civilian awardees. He continues to call out people's names, mentioning their contributions, whether it be in manufacturing munitions, caring for those affected by the conflict, or helping British soldiers repatriate.
"There are so many women being honored today," the Countess whispers.
"And you're surprised? We are strong women. Greatness is in the very air that we breathe," the Dowager Countess retorts.
"Mrs Carole Victoria Hummel will henceforth be known as a Member of the Order for her tireless work in managing the farms and dairies in Westerville, Devonshire. Under her capable hands, Westerville was one of the most productive farming estates in Great Britain."
Blaine watches Mrs Hummel proudly walk towards the King, wearing the same suit she had worn for her wedding. King George replaces the sword with his hand, and when he touches Mrs Hummel's right shoulder, Blaine can see the King whispering to her.
When she rejoins the group, Hummel is beaming with pride. "I have a son who's a VC, and a wife who's an MBE. I'm so proud of my family."
"And so you should be," the Earl replies.
"Mrs Hummel, what did King George say to you?" Blaine asks.
"He thanked me for my contribution on the home front and said it had helped feed thousands of soldiers on the Western Front."
When Mrs Hummel giggles, Blaine gives a questioning look. "His majesty also wondered when we would start producing clotted cream again. Apparently, the scones at Buckingham Palace don't taste half as nice without Devonshire's famous cream."
Once the official photographs have been taken, the group heads to Anderson House in Belgravia. Sam and Mercedes greet them at the door, and offer to take their coats and hats.
When Sam takes Blaine's overcoat, his eyes linger over Blaine's red jacket. "That's some fancy badge, Sir Blaine."
Blaine's chest swells with pride. It's the first time anyone aside from the King has called him by his new title.
"Do we call you 'my lady' now that you're a dame?" Mercedes asks the housekeeper.
Mrs Hummel shakes her head. "Only people like Sir Blaine, who are in the top two ranks, are called 'sir' or 'dame'. I'm just a member, the lowest rank. I'm still Mrs Hummel, only I now have some fancy initials after my name."
The Earl gently claps her on the back, "Mrs Hummel, you are quite possibly the most important member of the Order of the British Empire. King George told me people like you are the salt of the earth. Come join us in the parlor for a glass of champagne."
Corks are popped and champagne flows freely. The Andersons and Hummels have two good reasons to celebrate. When the doorbell rings, the Hummels bid their goodbyes in order to help with the visitors.
The next few hours are a whirlwind for Blaine, as family friends arrive to join the celebrations. Everyone offers their congratulations and inspects his large ornate medal. His grandmama is sitting in the corner, surrounded by her old cronies. She's in her element, regaling heroic tales of both her grandson and the former footman, who's a well-known flying ace. He giggles when he overhears his grandmama say, "It must be something in the Westerville water. First a flying ace, then a knight. Even our housekeeper is a member of the Order of the British Empire."
When the last guest has left, Blaine sits down next to his mother on the sofa, and loosens his tie. When Blaine leaves for America, he'll certainly miss these private moments he shares with his mother.
Pamela wraps an arm around her son. "Well, it was nice to entertain once again. I haven't seen people in ages… not since the Spanish flu started. I'm so glad that the pandemic is over."
"Me, too," Blaine agrees.
"Are you sure you want to leave for America before the fox hunt?"
"I've already got my first-class ticket for next week's sailing." Blaine doesn't want to tell his mother that he no longer has any interest in hunting and that the timing was on purpose.
The Earl enters the room, consulting his pocket watch. "I want to get to Westerville by nightfall. We should get moving."
"Can I say goodbye to Evans first? I won't see him again before I go to America."
"Yes, but be quick about it."
Blaine heads downstairs to the servants' area, and smiles when he sees Mrs Hummel hand over the heavily-guarded ring of keys to Mercedes. He quickly finds Sam in the butler's pantry washing the crystal-cut glasses.
"Are you excited about becoming the butler of Anderson House?"
Sam sets down the linen towel and glass, and waggles his eyebrows. "I'm more excited about staying at Anderson House alone with Mercedes. With just the two of us here, it'll be a lot of work, but I'm sure we can handle it. Are you excited for America?"
Blaine is at a loss for words, so he simply hugs his childhood friend, and whispers, "I'm more excited about finding Kurt than visiting America."
Sam pulls back and looks at him in the eye. "When you find Kurt, kick him in the butt for me. He should have been writing to you and to his father!"
Blaine laughs and claps Sam's shoulder, then turns to heads upstairs. Sam certainly is one of a kind, and he'll miss his candor and sense of humor.
They arrive at Westerville just past the dinner hour. When Blaine enters the abbey, his three nephews bound down the corridor to greet him.
"Uncle Blaine! Uncle Blaine! Look at what Lieutenant-Colonel Duval brought us!" Michael shouts.
Blaine is surprised that Duval is at the abbey. He wasn't expecting him to visit. His nephews grab him by the hands and lead him into the study, where a table has been set up with miniature toy soldiers. Young Blaine climbs up onto Duval's lap and starts making a noise that resembles a galloping horse.
"We have to keep the door closed. Mama says that if Elizabeth comes in, she'll try to eat them!" Michael says, which makes Richard burst out in a fit of giggles.
"Lieutenant-Colonel Duval, what a wonderful surprise!" Blaine says in greeting.
"When you wrote to me that you'd soon be sailing to America, I couldn't let you leave without seeing you first, Sir Anderson."
"Uncle B," young Blaine says, gesturing to a toy miniature soldier riding a horse.
"That's right, Blaine. Your uncle B was once in the cavalry. He was the finest horseman in my unit."
Quinn enters the library, clapping her hands. "Boys, it's time for bed. Say goodnight to Uncle Blaine and the Lieutenant-Colonel."
The boys shake Duval's hand, give their Uncle Blaine hugs and kisses, and reluctantly follow their mother out of the study.
"So, how long are you staying?" Blaine asks.
"I have to leave tomorrow after lunch."
Duval rises when the Earl and Cooper enter the study. Cooper heads to the cabinet and pulls out a bottle of port and four glasses.
The Earl shakes the officer's hand. "Good evening, Lieutenant-Colonel Duval. I heard you were here. To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"Good evening, Lord Anderson. I had to see for myself that Blaine is really alive, and to congratulate him on his knighthood."
The Earl takes the offered glass of port. "You must tell me how the military spending cuts are coming along. Are they affecting your battalion?"
As Duval explains the details of the spending cuts and the reorganization, Blaine feels happy to be in the company of his good friend again.
Blaine has a smug smile on his face when Duval finally catches up with him and Firebird. "You're riding like an old man, Valley."
"I'm not a man of leisure who can ride every day," Duval laughs.
Blaine leads them to his special place by the lake, and he sets up the blanket and refreshments under the old oak tree.
"Shrimpy, why did you decide to go to America? Is it because your mother is an American?"
Blaine stares at the lake, wondering how to respond. When Duval stayed at the abbey's hospital ward four years ago, he had figured out that Kurt was the 'K' in Blaine's life. He decides to confide in his friend and tell him about Kurt's departure and the lack of news since. "I'm not sleeping well at night. I keep having nightmares about Kurt being kidnapped and living in similar conditions as I did in the POW camp."
"Do you mind me asking what it was like in the POW camp? I've read many reports, but you're the only one I personally know who has been a POW."
Blaine hasn't whispered a word to anyone about his experiences in the POW camp. But Duval is an old and dear friend and seems to be genuinely interested. They've trained together, they've slept in tents together, they've been in combat together. He can trust Duval.
"When we arrived at the first camp, we found out that it had been placed under quarantine for typhus. The camp only had two doctors, who were POWs as well. They had nowhere else to take us, so we were kept in large tents. Imagine, it's the middle of December and there's snow all around, and you're lying on the ground in a tent. We dug holes to keep warm."
Blaine rubs the nape of his neck. "One day, a few weeks later, we were awoken early and ordered into carts pulled by oxen. It took us days to travel to the next camp. It was set up a little better with wooden barracks huts. Each one housed 250 prisoners with rows upon rows of bunk beds with large sack bags filled with hay. They mixed up the nationalities to reduce the possibility of a mass overthrow or escape. The dozen or so men from our troop were able to stick together."
"What was the worst part of being in a POW camp?" Duval asks.
"Food - there was never enough of it."
"I thought The Hague Conventions set out minimum food requirements?"
Blaine snorts, "The Germans could barely feed their own troops and the general population. Their POWs were low on their priority list. Watery soup with beans, oats, prunes, beets, codfish, or whatever they could find. KK bread made of bran and potatoes. I suspected it contained sawdust, as well. If it hadn't been for the biweekly Red Cross packages, we would have all died from starvation. The Brits were the best fed because people received food packages from home. The Russians were the worst off when their country had the revolution. We would take turns at night guarding our meager food supplies. I made the soldiers share the food parcels from home equally, taking none for myself."
"Blaine, you should have had some too!"
"I wasn't receiving food parcels from home, so it didn't feel right."
"Did they force you to work?" Duval asks.
Blaine nods. "I spent two weeks working in a coal mine. I've never been so scared in my life. It was cold and dank, and the coal dust settled in my nose. There was always the danger of floods, cave-ins, and dynamite blasts."
Blaine looks up at the tree branches and swallows hard, thinking of the poor caged canary in the mine. Although he missed the countryside and the joy he felt hearing birds chirping, working in the mine was the only time he hadn't wanted to listen to a bird's song. Their time together was brief, but Blaine befriended the little bird by often feeding it a breadcrumb or two, which he had saved from his meager meals.
When Duval shifts on the blanket, Blaine returns his attention to the conversation. "I got lucky when a German sub-officer overheard me talking about living on a large farm back home. I was immediately transferred to work as a farmhand. I enjoyed the work - it gave me something to do, and I was outdoors in the fresh air."
"What were the guards like?"
Blaine crosses his arms, hands gripping his upper arms. "On the whole, the guards were everyday people who had a miserable job. They weren't fed well either. It was the director and officers you had to look out for. Some were nastier than others. A new sub-officer had noticed that the British soldiers often looked to me for guidance and reported it to the camp's director. He was a mean bastard. I was accused of organizing an escape. The next thing I knew, I was attached to an outdoor post, hands tied behind my back. I couldn't move at all. I was left there for 24 hours without food or water. The camp director's dog even pissed on me."
"Oh, Blaine."
"Sometimes, I dream that Kurt has been kidnapped, and he's tied to a post like I was." Blaine wipes a tear that falls down his cheek with his forearm. "I know there's a possibility that Kurt hasn't written to me because he doesn't want me to be part of his new life in America, but I need to see him for myself and make sure he's safe. It's the not knowing that is tearing me apart."
Duval hands Blaine his handkerchief. After blowing his nose, Blaine looks at his friend and asks, "Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"
Duval replies, "I've never been in this position before, but yes, I think you're doing the right thing. Finding Kurt will give you a type of closure on the war. You need that."
Blaine feels like a weight has lifted off his chest. He hadn't realized how much he had been bottling up inside. His experiences as a prisoner will always be a part of him. They have changed the way he views certain things, like his basic needs, the value of freedom, and the life-long bonds he made with his soldiers. He hopes that if he finds Kurt, it'll help close this horrendous chapter of his life and that the nightmares will stop.
One week later...
When Blaine enters Dower House, it's with a heavy heart. Although he's excited to leave for Southampton and sail to America, he's also sad to be saying goodbye to his family. Last night, he spent time with his father, going through practical things like banking arrangements. His father has provided him with letters of introduction for his contacts in America. This morning was spent in his mama's bedroom, listening to tales of Uncle Hiram and his American grandmother. Although his mama was weepy, she is now more determined than ever to visit New York City next summer.
Blaine makes his way to the front parlor, where his grandmama sits by the window.
"Are you ready?" the Dowager Countess asks.
"As ready as I'll ever be. My trunks are packed, and Dave and Sebastian have taken them to the car."
"Now, you must send us a telegram as soon as you arrive in New York City. Don't be like Kurt and have us waiting for endless months for a letter. I simply couldn't bear it."
"I wouldn't make anyone bear what I've gone through these past few months. I'll write to you faithfully."
"You better, otherwise I might have to set sail for America myself."
Blaine looks at the painting over the fireplace, and thinks that Kurt has really captured the colors and textures of their special place by the lake.
"The painting will be yours when Dower House passes on to you."
"I hope that won't be for a very long time. Grandmama, I wish I could stay here… Maybe I should reconsider..."
"Really? In my experience, second thoughts are vastly overrated. One doesn't get many chances in life, and if you miss them, they might not be repeated."
Blaine's face breaks out into a huge smile. That was exactly what he needed to hear. "Grandmama, you've always been so kind to me, ever since I was a little boy. Why's that?"
"Even Dowager Countesses have their favorites."
Blaine holds his grandmama tightly in his arms, trying to memorize the scent of rosewater, which he associates with her. "I love you, Grandmama."
The Dowager Countess pulls away and reaches for her lace handkerchief. "I love you too, Blaine. Now, off you go, and remember to write to me."
Blaine wipes the tears from his eyes. When he leaves the front door, he's surprised to see Hummel. "Is something wrong?"
Hummel shakes his head. "Ever since my heart problem before the war, I've been taking daily walks. Today, I decided to take my exercise by walking to Dower House and back. I hope you don't mind, Sir Blaine."
Blaine claps him on the back, and they begin to walk along the path. "Of course I don't mind. I wanted to speak to you anyway. Once I arrive in New York City, my first priority will be to find Kurt."
"I'm rather anxious to hear from Kurt."
"I know you are. As soon as I find him, I'll send you a telegram, and follow it up with a letter."
"You'll tell me the truth? Who knows what Kurt is doing."
"In the very unlikely event that Kurt is down on his luck, I'll be honest in my correspondence. You deserve to know the truth."
Hummel stops them on the path. "Sir Blaine, I like you. You are an honorable man. I'm comforted with the knowledge that you'll find Kurt and will do everything to make sure he's settled. Kurt loves you, just as much as you love him. I hope you find the happiness you both deserve."
"Thank you, Hummel. It's nice to know that there are people who support Kurt's and my relationship. Not everyone is open-minded about two men falling in love with each other."
Before Blaine knows it, they have reached the abbey's main entrance. His family is standing in line to the right, and the servants mirror them on the left. He shakes hands and hugs the servants. Many of them have been an important part of his life at Westerville, and they feel like family. He pauses when he sees Mrs Sylvester extend her arms with a box. "A special treat for the journey, Mrs Sylvester?"
"It's a fruitcake. I doubt any American can make a decent fruitcake, so save it for Christmas."
Blaine gives the cook an extra special hug. When he's finished with the servants' line, he walks towards his father.
The Earl is smiling at him and quickly pulls his son into his arms. "The last time we said goodbye, you went missing for two and a half years. I don't think we could bear that happening again."
"I'll write as soon as I arrive," Blaine promises.
He next sees his mother, who is smiling with tears in her eyes. She gives him a long hug and several kisses on his cheeks. "I'm going to write to my mother and arrange for a visit next summer."
"I would like that very much. Knowing that you'll visit next summer is very comforting. We're not saying goodbye to each other… It's more like I'll see you later."
Blaine is caught off balance when his nephews clutch his legs.
"Uncle Blaine! Can you pack me in your trunk?"
"I want to go to America with you, too!"
"I love you, Uncle B."
Blaine picks up one-year-old Elizabeth who is standing next to her grandmother, clutching her hand for support. She wraps her fingers around her uncle's neck and squeals in delight.
"I wish I could take everyone with me, but I don't think your parents would like that. They would miss you so very much. I'll send you postcards and tell you about all my adventures. Before you know it, I'll be back for a visit."
"Boys, let your uncle go," Cooper reprimands. "Blaine, we better get going if you want to get to Southampton on time."
Blaine gives Elizabeth a wet sloppy kiss on the cheek before setting her back down next to his mother. He slides into the back seat of the Renault, while Quinn settles behind the steering wheel, and Cooper sits beside her.
"I hope it's not an inconvenience for you to drive me to Southampton."
Cooper lets out a loud snort. He turns around and waggles his eyebrows. "A night alone with my lovely wife without four children waking us up? It's not an inconvenience… It's a blessing."
When the car starts down the drive, everyone waves their final farewells. Blaine looks back until Westerville Abbey disappears from the horizon. When he turns around, he looks forward to finding Kurt and hopefully building a new life together.
Author's notes
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: Blaine arrives in New York City and searches for Kurt.
