A New Dawn

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Prologue

She was wearing her one and only black dress, with black stockings and her black court shoes. Today had been one of the hardest and saddest days of her life but it was nearly over now. She drank her tea while looking out over the landscape at the sinking sun. She had always loved this time of day, the colours were darker, richer somehow. Her husband had always loved the sunrise but it was insipid by comparison to what was being displayed before her this evening.

Her husband came up behind her and put his hands around her waist and kissed her head, then putting his chin on top of her head staring into the distance with her

"Is there anything I can get you, do you need anything" he said quietly, staring at the horizon knowing his wife was heartbroken at the loss of her mother.

"No" she replied "She would have been pleased at the turnout, all our friends and family came" and she felt her eyes fill with tears again and putting her cup down. He turned her round and she buried her face in his broad chest, inhaling his familiar scent and getting comfort from the man she had loved for most of her life.

"Of course, they all came, everyone loved her" he whispered cupping her chin to make her look at him "But I think she will be happy she's back with him again."

She nodded giving a watery smile while looking into the soft dark brown eyes of her soul mate, "yes" she nodded "She missed him terribly"

She looked around at the people sitting on chairs and sofas some drinking tea, some coffee and a few were drinking beer. Her brothers looked forlorn particularly John who had travelled all the way from Windsor in England with his wife and children. She couldn't help but smile at the thought he had ended up in the household cavalry; one minute riding a horse and another driving a tank, while he had combat roles he adored the pomp of ceremonial duties and he was already a Captain. Sam was next to him and they seemed deep in conversation, they saw each other often as Sam was now living in Bath with his wife and children and was a GP and partner in a medical practice. Only she had stayed here and she loved this place, her mum was so proud of her that she had done the seven years at university to be a vet, in fact both her parents had encouraged her to be whatever she wanted and to be brilliant. The thoughts and memories while bringing a smile also flooded her eyes with tears again.

"Mum are you OK" asked her daughter Molly, who at 21 she was just starting out on her adventures.

She would be going to England to visit cousins at the end of September an extended European tour as a gap year before knuckling down to a career in corporate finance. Now who would have thought that there would be someone in the family who was good with figures?

Her husband had moved off to offer more drinks to their guests but kept looking over to check on her and for that she would always be grateful, he had always looked after her even when she didn't realise she needed looking after.

She hugged Molly who was starting to sob "I will miss her so much Mum"

"I know you will sweetheart and so will I"

"Before John and Sam go back to England with Sophie and Beth do you think we could go up there, put some flowers there" Molly pleaded "Maybe plant a rose"

"I think that's a beautiful idea Molly" she smiled at her "We can get your Dad to take us and a flask of tea, some sandwiches and sit there for a bit" holding her daughter close and stroking her long dark hair.

"Thanks mum"

A few day later Molly with her parents got into their truck and drove the few miles to the little cemetery, in the end everyone decided to come and brought food and drink with a view that they could reminisce and remember the happy household they grew up in. The cemetery was on a hill which was lined with trees giving shade from the afternoon sun. It was a beautiful view looking down towards their home.

They laid out their blankets and unpacked the sandwiches. They were a big extended family apart from June who was more like her mother than she cared to admit, single minded in her belief that she was equal and as such had decided on a career that didn't involve having lots of children, travelling the world on behalf of the CWGC, making sure that the gardens were always pristine and with technology having moved over the decades arranging web cams for families who were not in a position to travel so far and visit their lost relatives. She loved her job and the satisfaction it gave her, the peace her job gave to relatives wanting to know where their loved ones were. Decades of work to digitise these gardens.

Dawn stood next to her daughter Molly while she planted a rose taken from a cutting from the arbour of the old house near theirs. She couldn't help but smile down at this vibrant young woman who so looked like pictures of her Grandma when she was young, she may have brown eyes but they were just as large and expressive as her grandmothers. Alan walked up to his wife and put his arm around her waist pulling her into his side before whispering "Is she OK" and looking down at their daughter.

"She will be"

The younger children had already wandered off and doing their own thing, while Dawn, Alan, John, Sophie, June, Sam, Beth and Roger all sat with a Tiger Beer.

"Always was Dad's favourite" laughed Alan to his brother and sister

"Well unless my namesake got him smashed on whiskey" said Roger causing the group to laugh

"Hard to believe that they have all gone, they were so full of life all of them. Even bloody Edna could give you a run for your money when she was in her 80's" said John sadly looking out across the cemetery

"Thought your mum might have gone on longer, she was so fit and full of life" said Sophie but John, Sam and Dawn all shook their heads

"Not without dad she wasn't" said Dawn and watched while Molly made her way over to them

"She said to me that she was the last one, never thought she would end up being the last one"

Dawn sighed and stroked her daughters cheek "I think when your Aunty Jacqui passed a couple of months ago" looking at Sophie and June and not wanting to bring up their own very sad day "I think that was her last reason for staying"

"They were very close weren't they?"

"Yes, her Jacqui and your other Grandma Katie" she nodded "They were very close, I think it was what happened during the war that kept them altogether."

"And our dads and good old Roger" laughed John and Alan patted him on the back while Sophie and June sighed remembering the loss of their own parents, part of this happy group they were remembering.

"I'll never forget my 18th" Alan started to recall "He must have been really old then" he laughed "He got that bloody whiskey out, to this day the smell of it makes me feel sick" he shook his head "Dad was furious and told me not to mention it to mum"

"Your own fault" Sam laughed "You had to go and get my dad when he did it to me a couple of weeks earlier" he cackled at the memory "You and Dad had to carry me into the barn so Mum didn't see"

Molly looked at the stones in this small cemetery. Colonel Roger Beck and Edna Beck towards the back and Major Alex Hodgson and his wife Katie to the left and Major Charles James and his wife Molly to the right. She didn't really remember Roger and Edna but had heard tales of them and their exploits, how he had become very enthusiastic about raising horses after her Grandad Alex had taken them all to the races before she was born. Her grandparents always encouraged her to follow her dreams and were special just like her mum and dad.

"Do you know how they met and why they were here" enquired Molly

The brothers and sisters all grinned and nodded.

"Some of it; we were told how they met, why they came here" smiled Dawn "Later we got some of the other stories, like how your granddad got those scars…but that was much later" Alan nodded stoking the back of his daughters head.

"Don't think they liked those memories quite so much and it was only the odd story about what kept them going, but you got the feeling it's what bound them altogether"

"Would you tell me"? grinned Molly, she would love to know more about her Nan whom she was named after.

John laughed "Well as we have beer, food and shade from the sun"

"This is rather a long story I guess we can" he laughed again as his and Sam's own children returned from their walk "Are you sitting comfortably, then I will begin….." he grinned at his audience.

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A/N Don't worry this is just the beginning