Lieutenant Charlie Waverly
Lieutenant Charlie Waverly watched as the horses were going into a sprint with Jamie and James running far ahead of the rest. Charlie didn't try to catch up. He wanted to keep his Bell ready and fit for France and what was to come ahead. Unlike his fellow soldiers who seemed to be convinced that they would all be home by Christmas, Charlie knew from his talks with Sirita Singh, who has recently come from Germany, that Germany had a war machine unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. Charlie had a sinking feeling that the war was going to be more horrible than anything anyone had ever seen before. Glancing at the men around him in full gallop with swords drawn, Charlie shook his head at the display of pageantry that was going to get them all killed.
Turning his horse around, he saw Sirita Singh coming out of the house. She was already dressed for work with her long curls in a bun. She saw Charlie and gave a friendly wave. Charlie turned Bell and trotted toward Sirita. She had an arm full of bandages on one hip and a basket full of thread on another. As the head nurse, she was preparing war supplies and was closely working with sheep farmers all over the county to have enough thread for their unit. Charlie had a great fondness for Sirita Singh as did most of the men in their unit. She was calm, straightforward and incredibly hard working. He had heard rumors that Major Singh wanted to marry his sister off before they went to war. Charlie knew half dozen men in the unit who would be happy to have her hand. He was one of them.
As Sirita and Charlie talked, the unit returned back to formation. Charlie heard his name barked and turned to see Jamie glaring at him, ordering him back to formation. Charlie had to admit his surprise as Jamie never pulled rank before, but shrugged his shoulders at Sirita and trotted back to formation. As the soldiers lined up again, Charlie saw Sirita walk off and Jamie's eyes follow her. Charlie wondered vaguely if Jamie also had feelings for Sirita. Charlie knew he did but was unsure of them. Did he like her because she possessed qualities he found admirable? Did he like her because she was the only marriageable female within a hundred miles? Charlie simply wasn't sure, and it bothered him. He had been passionately in love once, but swore he would never be again. He looked a Sirita's form, fading in the distance, and wondered about his feelings for her. Shouldn't he feel passion if he was truly in love with her?
Perhaps he was afraid. As Bell fell in line with the other horses, Charlie thought about his parents for the first time in years. He knew that his parents had an incredibly passionate relationship, but Charlie also watched the fallout when his mother died. His father ceased to live. He barely ate, spent hours weeping, didn't take care of Charlie or the farm, and finally, when Charlie's aunt and uncle took Charlie to live with them, his father died. The official story was that he drown, but Charlie always believed that he committed suicide.
Luckily for Charlie, he thought, as Bell began to run, he grew up with his aunt and uncle who were kind and stable people. That house became a second home for Charlie, James, and Jamie when they had holidays from school and a refuge when all three joined the service. That is when he met Imogene. For the first time in his life, Charlie understood his parents' passionate love affair. He did everything he could for Imogene: bought presents, flowers, and followed her everywhere. Charlie remembered that Jamie and James warned him that Imogene was not to be trusted, and that they had heard rumors about her with other officers, but Charlie refused to hear them. He even broke off his friendship with them until that night.
Charlie tighten his grip on the reigns as Belle was running. She immediately started to slow down and Charlie had to give her a tap to get her running again. That night, as his thoughts drifted back, Charlie had taken Imogene out and bought her several dresses that took his entire month's salary. He knew that he shouldn't spoil her, but he loved seeing her happy. Then they went to an officer's party where Charlie avoided Jamie and James who pleaded to talk with him. As Charlie pulled ahead of everyone else, with his sword drawn toward the target, he remembered that Imogene disappeared halfway through the party. He went to look for her and found her upstairs with George, a fellow officer. As he captured the ring, Charlie remembered the look on her face. There was no consternation at being caught. She simply looked at him as if to say, "What more did you expect?" He began to slow Belle's pace down as he remembered a hand on his shoulder. It was Jamie with James right behind him. He turned away from Imogene and went back to the base and drowned his sorrows with his friends. Later, he, James, and Jamie found George and promptly gave him a good kicking. Charlie never saw Imogene again. He later heard that she had drifted into prostitution, although he hoped that wasn't true.
Charlie pulled Belle around having won the ring for the first time. He saw James grinning at him and even Jamie gave him a nod of approval. Charlie twirled the ring around his sword as he began to walk Belle back to the formation line. He still felt that the war would be the end to them all, but as long as he was with his friends, then maybe there was a chance to come home safe. Who knows, thought Charlie, maybe he would find his own Sirita Singh.