Chapter 3
"Molly Dawes, you are one cheeky mare!" Jackie greeted me via Skype. My best friend and roommate was currently away on tour in Kenya.
"Hiya, Jackie, what have I done now?" I laughed.
"It would seem that someone fed me a load of codswallop when they told me they were going to London last weekend to visit the little bleeders."
"I dunno what you are talking about," I hedged. I knew gossip travelled fast in the Army, but this fast?
"Oh, you bloody well, do, madam. Bones, fucking, McClyde? Seriously, Molls?"
"I don't know what Chinese whispers you are hearing in Kenya…"
"Shut your gob, Molly. It's all anyone can talk about," Jackie laughed as I found myself turning red with embarrassment. "So, is he as fit as he looks? I hear he's…"
"Jackie," I groaned. "It's not what you think."
"So, you just happened to go swanning off to Hereford for no particular reason?"
"All right, I spent the weekend in Hereford," I admitted somewhat begrudgingly.
"I seem to recall when I left for Kenya, six weeks ago, you were definitely off men. Care to fill me in on how you seemed to have landed yourself the scrummy Captain McClyde?" It was clear Jackie was hungry for details.
"As I said, it's not like that. We're just mates. We ran into one another at Queen Elizabeth a few weeks ago. I hadn't heard from him since Sierra Leone, and we sort of started talking and the lot."
"Unless Bones is giving orders, he doesn't strike me as someone who just 'talks', Dawesey," Jackie retorted, failing to believe my explanation.
"Look, Jacs, we just hung out, ok. There's nothing more too it."
"If you say, so, Molls. Be forewarned, though, McClyde only hangs out with women for one reason, and one reason only. You've had enough rubbish from blokes, you don't need his as well."
"I know," I responded with annoyance. At least I had never told Jackie about how I had been so desperate to feel wanted by a man, after being shattered by him, that I had virtually thrown myself at Bones. "Now, can we please talk about something other than a certain trouser snake?"
-X-
Finishing my chat with Jackie, I was amazed by how fast the gossip had spread about my weekend with Bones in Hereford. Here it was only two days since I had taken the train back to Birmingham, and already the Army rumour mill had made its way to Kenya. Un-fucking-believable.
I suppose I had to give Bones credit, where credit was due. I hadn't been thrilled when he had ordered me to spend my first weekend off in over a month with him. However, there was no getting around him, and I found myself reluctantly agreeing to travel to Hereford.
While he claimed that the purpose of my visit was to work on our backstory as a couple, once again, I had vastly underestimated his cunning, as unbeknownst to me, he had been about to launch a pre-emptive strike.
-X-
Five Days Earlier
Hereford Station
Hereford, United Kingdom
"Corporal Dawes?" I stepped off the train in my combats, not having had the chance to change into civvies after a training exercise that morning, to be greeted by a blond-haired bloke with a scruffy beard. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and was wearing ripped jeans, a grey Henley, black boots, and aviator sunglasses.
"Who's asking? I looked around for Bones.
"I'm Rem," I raised my eyebrows at him. "Or rather, Corporal Law. Bones, I mean Captain McClyde, is stuck in a meeting and asked me to give you a lift."
"I see," I frowned. Bones was off to an excellent start in the boyfriend stakes.
"This your kit?" Law asked, looking at my duffel bag and bergen, clearly unsure as to what he was supposed to do with it.
"I got it, mate," I was used to carrying my own stuff. Hell, during my CMT days I could out carry most of the lads in my section.
"Uh, right," Law nodded awkwardly, making me wonder why my bleeding boyfriend had put me in this uncomfortable situation.
-X-
"Where are we meeting Captain McClyde?" I asked once we were seated in a black Range Rover Sport and exiting the railway station car park.
"Barracks."
"Oh," I was a bit surprised to hear that we would be going to Stirling Lines. The garrison was the headquarters of Bones's regiment, and its activities were highly secretive, even within the confines of the British Armed Forces. Little was known about the garrison outside of the Special Forces. I could only imagine what strings Bones must have pulled to obtain permission for me to visit.
"How far away are we?"
"Fifteen minutes."
"Right," I nodded, trying to think of something useful to say. Rem's monosyllabic answers weren't much encouragement for having a proper chat.
-X-
Soon we had arrived at Stirling Lines, where we went through several security checkpoints before finally pulling into a car park next to an undisclosed building.
Rem, of course, had remained taciturn for the remainder of the drive, and had not exactly been forthcoming once we had arrived at the garrison. He clearly wasn't suited to the role of 'tour guide' to say the least.
"You can leave your kit in the boot," Rem indicated as we exited the Range Rover. "I'll take you to Captain McClyde," he motioned for me to follow him into the building.
-X-
"Is this her?" An excited Sergeant in her early fifties came running up to us once we had entered an office area on the second floor.
"Yes." Rem confirmed.
"Ma'am," I stood at attention.
"Oh, none of that, dear," she smiled warmly. "I'm Elizabeth Roberts, Bones's adjutant, and you must be Molly."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Please stop with the Ma'am. It's Elizabeth, dear, or Robbie as the lads like to call me. You don't know how thrilled I am to meet you!" she gushed with excitement.
"O-oh," I was having difficulty processing what was occurring in front of me.
"Not once in the ten years I have worked with Bones, has he so much as even mentioned a lass until you. I was completely gobsmacked when he asked me to obtain clearance for your visit. I nearly fell out of my chair. Now, we had best get you to Bones. He just finished ear bashing an insolent trooper and will have me up on a charge if I don't get you to him straight away!"
"U-uh, right," I smiled awkwardly, trying not to visibly cringe with embarrassment.
-X-
"Look who's here!" Elizabeth announced with great flourish as she led me into an extremely tidy office with Rem following us from behind.
"Over-the-top as always, Robbie," Bones observed, as he stood up from his desk. He was dressed in combats and was wearing the SAS's signature sand coloured beret. "I see you managed to get Corporal Dawes here in one piece, Rems. Can I expect the same of my Range?"
"I'm not looking for a punch-up right before the weekend, Boss," Rem laughed, before handing the keys to Bones.
"Thanks, mate, you can sod-off now. And you, Robbie," he turned to his adjutant, "you seem proper chuffed with yourself. What do you think my girl, here?" Bones walked over to me and put his arm around my shoulders.
"She's absolutely gorgeous, and so tiny," Robbie smiled at me. "Just wait until everyone sees how cute you two look together," she gushed.
"I think that's enough embarrassing Dawesey for one afternoon, Robbie. I had better not hear any gossip from you come Monday," Bones warned. "Now piss-off," he smirked at his adjutant.
-X-
"Polite as always," I drawled, stepping away from Bones once Robbie had left.
"Cheeky as ever, Dawesey," Bones laughed.
"So, Stirling Lines?"
"I thought you deserved to see how the better half of the Army lives. Don't get too excited, though, the full monty is not on offer today."
"Didn't think it was, not with your secretive lot."
"We can't have you leaving the place in shambles, now can we?"
"Very funny, tosser. You know you're a bit crap at this whole boyfriend thing, don't you?"
"Now this I need to hear. Do enlighten me, Dawesey."
"Well a proper boyfriend would have met me at the station instead of sending some grotty dogsbody in his place."
"Not a fan of Rems, I take it?"
"Seems a bit dodgy if you ask me. Showing up out of uniform, calling you Bones, and what type of bleeding name is Rem anyway?"
"First of all, Dawesey, you'll rarely if ever see us wearing our uniforms off base as that would make us targets. Second, you know I don't buy-into all that ceremonial crap. My lot need to have each other's backs day-in and day-out. My men respect my authority and they don't need to kowtow to me to prove it. I value actions, not words. Third, Rem is short for Remington. You don't want to know what old Rems can do with a Remington 870 pump-action shotgun. Now, what else, Dawesey?"
"How about all that tosh with your adjutant? Was it really necessary for her to make such a bloody fuss?"
"It's all part of the strategy, Dawesey. While Robbie might be an excellent adjutant and maintain the utmost discretion when it comes to the business of the SAS, she's an infernal meddler when it comes to our personal lives. I can guarantee she is on the blower right now telling her cronies all about us."
"Brilliant," I rolled my eyes.
-X-
"Where are we headed?" I asked Bones once we had left his office and headed out onto the parade ground.
"The Officers' Mess," he responded as I stopped in front of an old clock tower with several poppy wreathes resting on its steps.
"Is this some sort of memorial?"
"Yes, it's in honour of those in The Regiment who have lost their lives while on regular duty to our Country," Bones explained. "You'll find the names of each SAS member who died on duty inscribed on the tower."
"May I see it?" I asked.
"I suppose," he took my elbow and led me up the steps to the base of the tower. Immediately my eyes started scanning the names for a particular one.
"It's near the bottom, on the left," Bones murmured.
"What is?" I turned to look at him.
"Harte's name. That is what you're looking for, isn't it?
"H-how did you know?"
"Being that Harte was his mate, I imagine he was your's too."
"More like an annoying older brother," I smiled as my fingers reached out to trace the letters of his name. "He loved to take the piss out of me. It's a shame he died so young…"
"He knew the risk, Dawesey, we all do. It comes with the job. Being part of the Special Forces means accepting one's mortality. He knew he would likely die in action. We all do. It's something we accept when we make our Oath of Allegiance to Crown and Country."
"I know," I gave a sad sigh. "I just wish he'd had more time."
"I know this isn't much consolation, but I think he died the way he always wanted to, Molly," Bones placed a comforting hand on my shoulder from behind me. "He knew there was no greater honour than giving one's life in the protection of Queen and Country."
"Sometimes I wonder if he hadn't been killed would it have prevented the whole sordid mess," I confessed, my fingertips still pressed against Elvis's name.
"There's nothing you can do about that, Dawesey. All you can do is move forward. Harte would have wanted that."
"Were you mates with him?"
"No," came a curt response from behind me.
"I would have thought two rogues like you would have gotten on."
"We knew each other as colleagues. That was enough. You finished?" Bones asked, his voice beginning to show impatience.
"Yes," I said before holding my fingertips up to my lips and placing them on Elvis's name for one final farewell.
"Come on Dawesey," Bones placed his hand on my elbow and led me down the memorial's steps. "I need to shower and change out of this uniform."
"Certainly not in front of me!" I protested.
"You're more than welcome to join me, Dawesey," he gave me a wicked smirk.
"In your bloody dreams, mate," I declared, thoughts of Elvis and the past suddenly forgotten.
-X-
"Do you always break the rules by bringing your conquests here?" I asked as Bones led me into his room at the Officers' Mess.
"Amazingly enough, Dawesey, you're the first woman to ever grace my room."
"Balls!" I didn't believe him for a second.
"I'm not feeding you lines, Dawesey. Aside from the woman who does my laundry and cleaning no other woman has ever set foot in here. Consider yourself honoured."
"Very funny. Your room seems a bit utilitarian even for a barracks' standards," I noted the lack of personal effects.
"It's a place to catch some kip, Dawesey. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Right, I nodded as he went into his chest of drawers to take out what I presumed to be clean clothes.
"Can I trust you to stay put while I shower and change?" Bones gave me a sceptical look. "I can't have you wandering off unaccompanied and being detained by the Redcaps, now can I?"
"Go take your bloody shower, you bellend," I shook my head at him in frustration.
"Sure you don't want to join me?"
"Piss off!" I retorted as he walked out of his room.
-X-
With nothing to keep me occupied, I decided to sit on the edge of his bed and check my text messages while I waited for Bones to shower and change.
"Fucking hell," I muttered with annoyance when I realized I could not get a signal. I should have known that the bleeding SAS would have some-high tech gadgetry to cock-up my mobile. "Now, what am I supposed to do?" I thought before yawning. I was knackered from an early morning training exercise, followed by rushing to get to Hereford, and now putting up with Bones's rubbish. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to lie down on his bed and rest my eyes for a few minutes. It wasn't like I had anything else to do…
-X-
"Oi! Sleeping Beauty! Wake the fuck up!" a rude voice demanded. Unbeknownst to me, I had fallen asleep while waiting for Bones to return. I had missed the look of shock on his face when he had returned to his room to find me curled up on his bed in my combats, grey beret still intact, sound asleep. I didn't see the way he stared at me for several minutes before taking off my beret and covering me with a blanket. Content in a dreamless sleep, I was unaware of him sitting at his desk, taking out his laptop, and letting me sleep for the next hour while he caught up on some work as he kept watch over me.
"No," I grumbled sleepily.
"Come on, Dawesey, I don't have all bloody day to wait around for you," Bones shook my shoulder. "And unlike the fairy tales, I'm not some handsome fucking prince who will kiss your arse awake."
"What time is it?" I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
"18:00. Now crack on, Dawesey, it's time for us to go."
"Go where?"
"To my place."
"I thought this was your place."
"No, Dawesey. As I mentioned before, this is just a place to sleep. My gaff is in Hereford. Get your arse out of bed. Operation Bellend awaits," Bones ordered.
-X-
"I didn't take you for being minted, Bones," I remarked, standing in the kitchen of his four-bedroom detached house on the banks of the River Wye. After arriving at his home, he had shown me to a nicely appointed guest bedroom with its own en-suite. After showering and changing into jeans and a long-sleeved black t-shirt, I made my way downstairs but not before taking in my surroundings. It would seem that Bones was either a spendthrift or more of a Rupert than I had suspected.
"Thinking of nicking my silver, Dawesey," Bones chuckled, before changing the subject. "I took the liberty of making us dinner."
"You cook?"
"Don't sound so surprised Dawesey, even I need a break from the scoff at the Officers' Mess from time-to-time."
"What's for dinner?" I asked curiously.
"Steak. You better not be a bleeding, veggie," Bones warned. Fortunately for him, I was not.
-X-
"All right, Dawesey, it's time to create our legend," Bones announced after we had finished clearing away our dinner plates. Surprisingly enough, Bones wasn't half bad at the whole cooking thing.
"Our legend?" I raised my eyebrows at him.
"Every clandestine operation needs one. It's the relevant background regarding our relationship. It will ensure that people believe we are the real deal and not some dodgy scam to wangle the curtain twitchers. It needs to be completely ingrained into your memory so that it comes as second nature to you once we are in the field."
"Does this mean I get to know what your first name is? It seems to be a state secret in the Army."
"I'm afraid that's classified, Dawesey."
"Bollocks! No, one, and I mean no one, is going to believe that you don't allow your girlfriend to call you by your given name. I cannot for one minute believe that your mum calls you Bones." I shook my head in disbelief. The man had no clue about what being a boyfriend entailed.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Dawesey, but my mum has no problem calling me Bones. She's been calling me that for as long as I can remember."
"Speaking of your mum, does she have a name?"
"Victoria," Bones offered.
"And your father?"
"Arthur."
"Right, mine are…"
"Belinda and Dave," he finished for me.
"How in bleeding hell did you know that?"
"I know everything about you, Dawesey," Bones announced with a smug look on his face.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I challenged.
"It means that I've had you under surveillance for the past two months. What type of SAS officer would I be, if I hadn't vetted you in advance? I needed to know if you were up for what I had in mind."
"You know something, Bones, you are one nasty piece of work," I was absolutely furious at his invasion of my privacy. "Just when I was beginning to maybe tolerate you, you go and tell me that you've been fucking spying on me. Who fucking does that? I know, only a narcissistic, biscuit-arsed tosser like you. Well, Bones or whatever the fuck your name is, get stuffed! You may have saved my life, but I can't be arsed when it comes to being your bloody fake girlfriend!" I yelled, before storming out of the kitchen and running up to my room, slamming the door, and repacking my bag. There was no bleeding way I was staying in his gaff for another minute.
-X-
"Dawes, what are you doing?" Bones came into the foyer as I walked down the stairs carrying my bergen and duffel bag.
"Leaving. I'm going to take the train back to Birmingham."
"The last train left about an hour ago."
"Fine. I'll get an Uber."
"I don't think that's a good idea. It's over an hour's drive to Birmingham, and I don't like the thought of you heading back at this hour with some stranger."
"Since when do you give a fuck about me? All you care about is your bloody promotion," I spat at Bones.
"Molly, I might be a bastard, but out of all the candidates I considered for this operation, you were the only one I found remotely tolerable."
"You think I should be flattered by that load of bollocks?" I scoffed.
"Look, I know I'm mucking this up royally, but there are very few people I find tolerable. That fact that I find you tolerable is evidence that you are more than just a means to an end for me. As I said to you before, I am a man of my word. I didn't pry into your life to hurt you. That was never my intention."
"Perhaps you should have considered how I would feel about you messing about in my business before you went all quids in on your bloody scheme."
"I'm a selfish prick, Molly, and I make no apologies for that. That being said, my intention has never been to hurt you. I think you've had more than enough hurt in your life. Perhaps I overstepped…"
"Perhaps?"
"All right. I shouldn't have treated you like some type of target," Bones conceded.
"Is that your lame arsed attempt at an apology?"
"More like my way of admitting that I was a bit of a git. Now, Dawesey, rather than run out of here with your knickers in a twist, how about you stay the night, and I promise not to get up your goat for the remainder of the evening. If in the morning, you still want to leave, I'll take you to the station."
"And Operation Bellend?"
"If you want out, I'll respect your decision and consider your debt to me paid in full."
"Fine, I'll stay the night, but I'm leaving in the morning, understood?"
"Understood." Bones nodded.
-X-
Several hours later, I was lying in bed feeling restless. I had managed a couple hours of kip after my row with Bones before waking up and struggling to fall back to sleep. It was only half past three, and I still felt knackered after the day I had experienced. Realising I wasn't about to fall back to sleep any time soon, I climbed out of bed and headed down to the kitchen for a glass of water.
I managed to find a glass without too much fuss and turned on the tap. I then wandered in the dark towards the conservatory, only to nearly drop my glass in shock.
"Bloody hell, you nearly scared the life out of me!" I exclaimed at Bones who was seated on a black leather lounge chair with his bare feet propped up on a matching ottoman.
"Trouble sleeping?" he asked, setting the book he had been reading on the table next to him.
"Yeah. You?"
"I'm not much of a sleeper, Dawesey. Ten plus years with the SAS will do that to you."
"What are you reading?"
"The Art of War, one of my favourites. You should try it."
"I think I'll stick to Jane Austen."
"You don't strike me as the Jane Austen type, Dawesey."
"Didn't think I was until I had to read Pride and Prejudice at Uni."
"I can see how Elizabeth Bennett might seem appealing to you. You're certainly a gobbier version of her," Bones smirked.
"You're certainly no Darcy, even if you do find me 'tolerable'," I retorted.
"You probably see me as Wickham."
"No, I've already had my Wickham and he was more than enough to last me a lifetime. I don't know who I see you as, Bones. Perhaps Mr. Collins?"
"I'm glad to see you haven't lost your cheek. Come, Dawesey, instead of standing there drowning in your West Ham United jersey, why don't you sit and finish your drink," he motioned to the settee across from his chair.
"Fine," I sat down and took another sip of my water.
"You're such a short-arse, Dawesey," Bones chuckled at the fact my feet couldn't reach the floor.
"And you're an arse," I rolled my eyes at him. "Bones?" I paused.
"Yeah?"
"Why is this promotion so bloody important to you?"
"Aside from the fact that I've damn well earned it?"
"You wouldn't be acting as mad as a bag of ferrets if it were just that," I countered. Maybe if I understood what was truly motivating him, I could put aside my displeasure with his actions.
"It reminds me of something that happened to me at Sandhurst."
"What happened?"
"It's ancient history, Dawesey."
"Not so ancient if it is driving you to behave this way."
"I always knew I wanted to be in the Special Forces, Dawesey, ever since I was 10 years old. You should have seen me as a cadet at Sandhurst, I was bloody brilliant. No one came close to me in athleticism, military strategy, and academic studies. It was a foregone conclusion that I was going to graduate as the best Cadet in my course. From there I was going to go straight into the SAS recruitment and training process. I was never one to strictly abide by the rules, and I was always down for a night out with the lads, even when it was against the rules. There were two blokes in my platoon that I wasn't too keen on, but had mistakenly dismissed them as being harmless prats. One night, shortly before our passing out, they set me up to be caught drinking on the Academy grounds, and grassed me out. Not only did it cost me the Sword of Honour, it nearly cost me my chance to try-out for the SAS. I swore after that happened that I would never let anyone stand in the way of my success again."
"The past two years must have made you feel like it was Sandhurst all over again," I surmised.
"Exactly. I vowed after I tore my ACL that nothing would stand in between my chance in front of the Promotion Board this time, and that I would leave absolutely nothing to chance."
"Which is why you felt the need to spy on me?"
"Yes. Although I have to say Dawes. Prying into your affairs only deepened my respect for you."
"How's that?"
"Not many people who were dealt such a shitty hand early on would have come as far as you have. You have nothing to be ashamed about when it comes to your background. I could care less that you're a Cockney, grew up on a council estate, have way too many siblings, and that your dad seems to be a bit of a dosser. You're hard-working, brave as hell, and you give a damn about people, Dawesey. That's what truly matters," Bones declared, leaving me surprised that not only did he tolerate me, he might actually have the slightest bit of respect for me.
-X-
The next morning, I awoke to discover that it was already half past nine. My late-night conversation with Bones had left me feeling slightly more at ease. While I wasn't entirely thrilled with what he had done, I think I now had at least some understanding of what motivated him. I could also relate to the frustration he felt. The past two years had been pretty crap for me as well. I suppose it wouldn't kill me to help the man out. I was beginning to suspect that underneath his complete bastard exterior, he might not be all that bad on the inside.
My stomach then began to grumble from hunger which prompted me to get my lazy arse out of bed in search of food.
-X-
While there seemed to be no sign of Bones being about, I managed to find ingredients for an omelette in his refrigerator and fired up his range to make one.
"Good morning, Dawesey. I see you have joined the land of the living." I turned away from the range to see Bones lounging in the doorway wearing nothing more than a pair of Adidas track pants, his bare chest glistening with sweat. He had clearly been working out. It took everything in my power not to gawk at his six-pack. To say the man was fit was an understatement and one I wasn't sure I wanted to contemplate further.
"H-hiya," I stammered, sounding daft in front of him once again.
"What are you making?" he smirked at me. The man clearly knew the effect his bare chest had on the female population.
"An omelette."
"Any chance you can make one for me?"
"Only if you ask me nicely," I countered, trying my best to look at anything but his glistening chest.
"Please, Dawesey?"
"I suppose."
"Only use egg whites for mine. If you're going to be my girlfriend, Dawesey, you should know that I am very particular about what I eat. It's the only way I can maintain my impressive physique. You'll also find a green mixture in the refrigerator. Could you please pour me a glass while I take a quick shower?"
"I saw it earlier. It looks absolutely minging!"
"Yes, but it's full of pure goodness, Dawesey. Spinach, avocado, cucumber, ginger, lemons…"
"Thanks, but no thanks," I cut him off.
"Give me five minutes and I'll be back down to join you for breakfast."
"Oi!" I called out to Bones as he turned to head upstairs for a shower.
"Yes, Dawesey?"
"What makes you think I have agreed to resume Operation Bellend?"
"Well, Dawesey, if you weren't resuming our operation, I have a feeling that instead of making me breakfast, you would be hitting me upside the head with your frying pan," Bones winked, leaving me feeling flustered once again.
-X-
A few hours later, Bones had driven us to the small market town of Ross-on-Wye, which was located on the River Wye and near the Forest of the Dean.
"Perfect day for a stroll along the river, innit, Dawesey?" Bones led me from the car park to a trail along the river bank.
"Haven't you had enough exercise for one morning?"
"And here I was, thinking I was being a proper host by taking you sight-seeing."
"If we're going to do this whole walking thing, the least you could do is slow down. I'm not one of your squaddies," I huffed at Bones, annoyed that he didn't seem to grasp that I was at least a foot shorter than he was.
"Sorry, Dawesey, I forgot what a short-arse you are," Bones smirked, slowing his pace to accommodate my shorter legs.
"So, this legend business…" I decided now was likely an opportune time to resume our discussion from the previous night.
"What about it?" Bones turned and looked down at me.
"Well, since you claim to already know everything about me due to your infernal snooping, the least you could do is tell me something about yourself. You are supposed to be my boyfriend after all."
"Have at it, Dawesey," he welcomed.
"Well we could start with your bloody name," I suggested.
"I seem to recall telling you it was classified."
"I'm seriously supposed to call you Bones?"
"Yes. I'm sure you could spice things up with the usual terms of endearment couples use."
"Like tosser, wanker, nutter, bugger, arse, plonker, and all the other endearments that come to mind when I think of you?"
"Oh, Dawesey, whatever am I going to do with you?" Bones laughed at my retort.
"Since we've established your lack of first name, what about your family? I suppose as your girlfriend, you would have at least told me about them."
"My parents split their time between London and the Cotswolds. However, they prefer the Cotswolds. My father is a solicitor, and my mum has various charitable endeavours. I have one younger brother, Oliver. He is also a solicitor and works for my father."
"Sounds a bit posh, although you didn't initially strike me as a toff."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Bones smirked. "My father is as dull as dishwater; however, my mum is the bee's knees. If you think I am a proper nutter, wait until you meet her," he laughed.
"And your brother?"
"He takes after my father, but he's an all right lad. I would much rather it be him following in my father's footsteps than me."
"What did you do before Sandhurst?"
"I went to the LSE."
"The what?"
"The London School of Economics and Political Science, Dawesey. I did a BSc in Politics and Economics," he explained before unexpectedly reaching his arm across my lower back and pulling me into close contact with his body.
"Oi! What are you doing?" I looked at Bones in shock.
"In about 2 minutes time," Bones looked down at his watch, "We will need to put on a show. So, if you know what's good for you Dawesey, you are going to enjoy having my arm around you, and you will smile at me like you actually enjoy my company. We're two people enjoying a romantic stroll along the river. Got it?"
"Y-yes," I nodded. I hated how he literally threw me into combat without any warning. It made me feel like I was back in the early days of my first tour in Afghan.
Soon, a middle-aged man in shorts and trainers came running down the path towards us with a border collie. If I hadn't been looking, I wouldn't have noticed him do a rapid double-take before giving a curt nod to Bones in acknowledgement as he continued down the trail.
-X-
An hour later, we were seated for lunch at a pub called the Moody Cow.
"Are you trying to tell me something with the name of this fine establishment?" I questioned as he perused the menu.
"Does seem a bit fitting," he gave me his trademark arrogant smirk. "As much as I hate disappointing you, Dawesey, I chose this place more for the food than your mood. They do proper local and fresh food here."
"Who was the man with the dog?"
"That Dawesey, was Colonel Warren from the Royal Signals. He's one of the biggest gossips at the garrison and also friends with one of the curtain twitchers. My informant in his Squadron advised me that every Saturday he walks his border collie on the same path, in the same direction, and at the same time.
"Which is why we just happened to be going for a romantic stroll at the very same time," I surmised. "It seems I'm not the only person you spy on. Do I dare ask what else is on the agenda for this weekend?"
"Well, Poppet…"
"Bloody hell!" I nearly spit out my water. "Did you just call me a bleeding poppet?"
"What's wrong with poppet?" Bones protested in mock offense. "Would you prefer sweetheart, instead."
"What I would prefer, is for you to shut your bloody gob."
"To answer your question, Poppet," he gave me an evil grin, "we have dinner reservations at Madam & Adam in Hereford's historic city centre. It's casual, but it is casual fine dining at its best."
"Somehow I doubt we are going there for merely the scoff."
"I see you're finally catching on, Dawesey. Our targets this evening are Lieutenant Shaw and his wife Amelia. According to my mole among the officer wives, Amelia is great fun, but a few sandwiches short of a picnic. As Shaw is relatively new to The Regiment, she is desperate to ingratiate herself with the other wives. We are going to provide her with just the ammunition she needs. I guarantee, come tomorrow morning, the Officer wives' mobiles will be chocka full of Chinese whispers about us."
-X-
Later that evening, we had only recently placed our order at Madam & Adam when a young couple entered the restaurant.
"She's quite the crumpet," I remarked, taking in the woman's tight fitting minidress and over the knee boots.
"That Dawesey, is our Mrs. Shaw."
"Typical." I rolled my eyes. Of course, Amelia Shaw was the epitome of Page Three material with loads of gorgeous long, blonde hair, proper tits, and endless legs. "Have you shagged her yet?"
"Do you really think I would be arsed enough to get off with one of my subordinate's wives?" Bones looked back at me in exasperation.
"She seems exactly like the type you've been known to chat up."
"Perhaps my tastes have changed."
"Bollocks."
"Perhaps I get turned on by impertinent little madams who refuse to follow orders, insist on keeping their hair plaited, cannot be bothered with bit of lippie, and think going out for a dinner date involves wearing jeans and Chucks."
"We both know that's not true."
"Well, Mrs. Shaw here is about to believe something else," Bones declared before he leaned across the table, reached for my chin, and pulled me in for a kiss.
-X-
"W-what d-did you bloody do that for?" I gasped once he had released my lips.
"It's called, shutting your gob, Poppet."
"And the only way you could do that was by snogging me?"
"It would appear so," Bones confirmed reaching across the table for my hand.
"Do you want me to break your hand?" I tried to pull my hand out of his grasp.
"Careful Dawesey, Mrs. Shaw is watching our every move," he smirked as he began stroking my hand with his fingers.
"I don't care if Mrs. Shaw is watching or not," I seethed.
"It's either this or I could always snog you again," Bones threatened. "Now how about giving your boyfriend a proper smile?"
"You have to be the most infuriating person I have ever met!" I declared, displaying my best fake smile.
"Ditto," he responded, causing my stomach to drop and my heart to fill with gut wrenching pain.
"I-I'm sorry, I-I, I can't do this," I suddenly stammered in panic before fleeing the restaurant and leaving Bones behind in shock.
-X-
"Care to tell me what all of that was about?" Bone sat down on the park bench beside me. After fleeing the restaurant, I wasn't sure where to go, and found myself running into Bishop Meadow, a parkland on the river bank. I sat on the bench, staring aimlessly at the trees as tears rolled down my cheeks, wishing that out of all the words Bones could have chosen, he hadn't chosen the one word that could still destroy me.
"Not especially," I replied, wiping my nose with the sleeve of my jumper. I could only image what a mess I looked like, my face red and blotchy from crying.
Rather than press me, Bones gently put his arm around my shoulders and we sat silently for several minutes as my tears continued to fall.
"It was d-ditto," I sniffled, finally breaking the silence. "It was our special word, a code we used to use with one another. Hearing you say it brought it all back. I'm sorry I ruined things tonight," I apologized, my eyes still full of tears.
"You didn't," Bones assured as he reached towards me and wiped a tear from my cheek. "My being an arrogant arse, likely didn't help matters."
"I keep thinking I'm over him, but then it's the little things that bring it all back. He used to promise to adore me forever, yet look what good that did. Eighteen months later, and one bloody word has the power to bring me to pieces."
"It shows you're human, Molly. I don't think many women would be capable of pulling themselves together after being betrayed in the worst possible way. Yet, you've shown incredible strength and bravery. You experienced a trauma, and it's only natural my using a word that held significant meaning would trigger an emotional reaction. The way I see it, Molly, you should allow yourself to experience whatever it is your feeling as that is the only way you can ultimately heal."
"And here I thought you didn't do feelings," I gave a weak, tear-filled laugh.
"I don't, but I've seen first-hand what trauma does to people," he said before kissing my forehead.
"So, what do we do, now that we've had to abort tonight's mission."
"Leave that to me Dawesey," Bones gave me an actual genuine smile. "I've still got a trick or two up my sleeve. How would you feel about having breakfast at the very café the Officer wives like to frequent after their Sunday morning yoga class? I suspect they will be primed for gossip after Mrs. Shaw fills them in on our little lover's quarrel. What better way to show the ladies that we've kissed and made up?"
"I still think you're a nutter," I gave Bones a weak smile in return. Only Bones could take tonight's cock-up and use it to his advantage.