Disclaimer Apologies to Ian McEwan, who wrote a wonderful book, to Christopher Hampton, who wrote the script. Thank you to Joe Wright for his vision, and to Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Romola Garai and the rest of the cast for bringing Joe's vision to life.
Author's notes
Thank you for your reviews and feedback. I hope to make this story enjoyable. I write it on paper then type it up. So there is room for revisions when I type it up.
All rights to those who own them. I claim nothing.
A "What if...?" Story. "What if Robbie made it home?
Love Never Dies
by
Ninja Elizabeth
Chapter 11: Changes
Mail call. A cattle call was more like it, Briony thought as she stood in the crowd with the other waiting and hoping her name would be called. She never really had any desire to wait in the crowd. Usually she went to the Ward Sister's office later to check if she had gotten mail. But now she was anxious. It had been over two months since she and Cecilia had written to Robbie and they had yet to get a reply. She was beginning to worry. She had even telephoned to house to as Grace if she had heard from him. Nothing. She wondered how Cecilia managed all these years. It was driving her nuts.
Nurse Bennet was in charge of distributing the mail this time. Groans of disappointment came from the crowd when she announced that there was no more mail. Briony heaved a disappointed sigh of her own and started to walk away. Nurse Bennet called out to her.
"Tallis." She called out as Briony turned around. The Head Nurse pulled out two letters from her apron. "This one is yours, and this one is for Sister Tallis. I trust you will give your sister her letter?"
Briony gave a weak chuckle. "Yes, thank you. And don't worry. It will make it into her hands unopened. I have no intention of opening anything intended for my sister again."
With that, Nurse Bennet returned to her other duties. Briony was off duty. She looked around the ward trying to spot her sister whom she knew always made rounds during her shift and she knew that Sister Tallis was supposed to be on duty. She like the other probationers and nurses resented her behavior at first. They thought she was looming, watching them like a vulture waiting to down upon them at the slightest infraction. It soon became evident however that Sister Tallis worked very differently than Sister Drummond and she liked to be on the Ward floor as much as possible, not to watch them, but to lend a helping hand. She was there in the trenches with them. She made herself available for questions and was always willing to help. Briony even had a shift scrubbing bed pans with her sister when the nurse assigned to work beside Briony was called away due to a family emergency. She found it amusing when Cecilia told her that day that she had written to Robbie about her going into nurse's training and how hard it was to believe her with a bedpan. Much to her dismay, the rumors of an affair continued.
Briony turned as she heard her friend's distinct giggle behind her, and sighed.
"If you're looking for Sister Tallis, I saw her run into the loo a few minutes ago while you were waiting for the mail." Fiona snickered. "Sister Drummond ran in after her! I'll bet they are locked in one of the stalls snogging!"
Angrily, Briony looked her friend in the eye. "Will you please stop? Just stop."
"Stop what?"
"The rumors. They are not true. They are not funny anymore. They never were. Maybe it's because Sister Tallis is my sister, but whatever the reason, they are not funny. Sister Tallis is engaged and if you even suggest that she may be cheating on her fiancé, then you do not know how devoted my sister can be." Briony replied.
"Devoted? Ha! She hates you. For what? A simple lie? That doesn't sound like devotion to me." Fiona replied.
"It wasn't a simple lie. I could have told the truth at any moment, but I continued. I even twisted evidence to bolster my lie. I betrayed my sister's trust in many ways that night."
"It's all in good fun. Lighten up, Briony."
"It's not 'good fun' when the rumors hurt people." Briony replied.
Briony left her friend in search of her sister heading for the lavatories.
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Briony entered the lavatory. She saw Sister Drummond standing outside the stall furthest from the door. She was relieved. Although she knew it wasn't true that her sister and Sister Drummond were involved in an affair, there was a small part of her mind that asked 'what if you're wrong?'
"Do you want me to come in and hold your head?" Briony heard Sister Drummond ask the person in the stall whom she assumed had to be Cecilia.
She heard the stall's occupant vomit into the toilet, then shout back. "Christ no!"
"Sister Drummond? It's Briony." A worried Briony responded to the Ward Sister who was so concerned with the last stall's occupant that she did not notice her enter. "Is my sister in there? Is she all right?"
Before Sister Drummond could respond, Briony had rushed over to her and opened the stall.
Cecilia lifted her head to respond only to have her stomach revolt again. Briony watched as her sister vomited again in the toilet. Her sister looked pale.
"Cecilia? Are you all right?" Briony asked wanting to sit next to her sister but there was no room in the small cubicle. She had never seen her sister in the condition she was in now and it worried her deeply.
Finally, Cecilia could sit up. She looked at Marjorie at the door of the cubicle and then her sister behind her. "I'm fine." She replied weakly. "There is no need for concern."
Briony would hear none of it. "Cecilia! You are in the loo, leaning over the toilet vomiting instead of on duty patrolling the ward." She responded. "Don't tell me that's normal and that you are fine!"
"It may be normal for the next couple of months or so." Cecilia smiled looking at her friend. She could see it on her face that she understood her condition. Her sister did not. "I ate something this morning that did not agree with me." It was the truth, but not the entire truth. Cecilia did not wish to elaborate on the floor in a cubicle in front of the toilet.
Briony wasn't buying it.
"Briony," Marjorie replied, "why don't you go with your sister to the office and see that she gets some rest. Cecilia, I'll watch the ward for you. You are off duty, are you not, Nurse Tallis?"
"I am," Briony replied as Marjorie and Briony helped Cecilia get to her feet. "Shouldn't we call for a doctor?"
"A doctor? What for?" Marjorie asked amused that Briony really didn't know what was wrong with her sister.
"To examine her of course." Briony responded.
"I'll be all right, Briony. I just need to rest a bit." Cecilia reassured. Briony glared at her sister with concern. "I've been to the doctor. I'm all right. I promise. I just need some rest."
As they walked out, Briony suddenly stopped causing Sister Drummond to bump into her and Cecilia.
"What's wrong? Why are you stopping?" Sister Drummond asked.
"Um," she stuttered. "Word on the floor is that you followed Sister Tallis in here and the two of you were… are… well… um… uh…"
Both Ward Sisters burst out laughing. It was not the reaction Briony expected.
"Nurse Tallis, rumors of your sister and I having an affair is not new to us." Marjorie replied. "They have been around ever since Cecilia first came to the hospital. I was about three months ahead of her. She and I were paired up and she quickly rose through the ranks as I did. We were very competitive of each other and developed a tight and close friendship. The reasons for our quick ascent became the talk of the ward. Affairs with the Ward Sister at the time, affairs with the doctors, administrators, were the usual rumors. Our friendship did not go unnoticed either and rumors of just how deeply our friendship ran fueled the rumor mills as well. There are many nurses still here who were probationers at the same time as your sister and I who probably will never get promoted. I'm sure they have some resentment. When it was learned that I personally requested Sister Tallis to return to help us, I'm sure they started the rumors all over again. I know how deeply Cecilia loves Robbie. She told me all about him during our time as probationers."
The three of them exited the lavatories and were greeted by quick turn a rounds, and not so indiscreet snickering. Sister Drummond scolded those paying attention to them and not to their work and quickly got the ward back to order. Briony insisted on assisting her sister in walking to the office despite her protests.
Once inside the office, Briony pulled out the hide-away-bed and helped her sister sit down. Cecilia was feeling much better now that she was off the ward floor.
"Briony, will you pour me a glass of water?" Cecilia asked.
As she poured the water, Briony's concern renewed itself. "Cee, please tell me the truth. What is wrong with you? I've never seen you vomit like that before. It's never been like you to fall ill so violently." She hoped her sister would open up now that it was just the two of them."
"There is nothing wrong. Getting sick to my stomach is perfectly normal for someone in my current condition. It was probably triggered by something I ate or even something I smelled in the ward. The doctor said that scents could set off feelings of nausea. I feel much better now that we are in the office." Cecilia replied amused by her sister's panic. "It should pass in a couple of months."
"Your current condition? A couple of months? Cee? What is wrong with you?" Briony asked again.
"I've missed two cycles, Briony." Cecilia answered. "And I've have heard from my doctor that the rabbit died."
"What are you talking about? What do rabbits have to do with anything?"
Cecilia laughed. She was excited. She knew that Marjorie knew her condition without her having to actually telling her but she was anxious to tell someone. "Briony, I'm pregnant."
"What?" Briony exclaimed. "How can you be pregnant?"
"Please tell me that you are merely excited and are not so naïve that you are not actually asking me how." Cecilia replied.
"Of course I'm excited! I'm going to be an aunt!" Briony replied. "But how? I mean Robbie's in prison. It is Robbie's isn't it?"
Cecilia felt a bit hurt by Briony even questioning the paternity of her child, but she had to laugh a bit. Perhaps her little sister was just that naïve that she did not know how one actually got pregnant. "I've never been with anybody else but Robbie, Briony. Let's just say giving him a bath in the Nurse's Lavatory wasn't the only rule I broke before leaving for my holiday and he was taken to prison."
Briony didn't know what else to say. Then she remembered what she had wanted to tell her. "I almost forgot. We got mail, Cee. You got a letter from Robbie! At least, I'm pretty sure it's from Robbie. The return address is the prison." She handed her sister her letter.
Cecilia took the letter and looked at the handwritten address of the hospital with her name 'Ward Sister Cecilia Tallis'. It was Robbie's handwriting. She recognized it and knew it well from reading his letters over and over again. She kept all of his letters in a special keepsake box. She carefully opened the seal and removed the letter, unfolding it and read it to herself.
'Dearest Cecilia, I love you. If you are reading this letter, then it means that we are one step closer to being able to write freely. I am hoping this letter reaches you. I love you. I love you with all my heart. I love you, I love you, I love you. Cecilia, did I mention I love you?'
Cecilia laughed out loud and continued reading.
'I won't lie to you and tell you that I'm all right. It's awful in here. But then again, please do not worry. I'm not in seclusion anymore so it's better than it was before I left to join the Army. I have a cell mate and there is a toilet and sink! Before I had two buckets in the corner. I also have more to hold on to than just a few moments in the library. Most of the polish has now worn off my toes. I got some ribbing about them but much less than I expected. Most I found were a bit jealous that I had a woman like you who loved me and was waiting for me. I told them about us, Cee. My cell mate says I'm a lucky man. His girl left him for another while he's been in here, not that he blames her, but not you. You still love me and are waiting.
I am hoping to qualify for one of the prison jobs they have to offer. There are jobs in the laundry, janitor services, cooking, and grounds upkeep. I've put in a request for the grounds upkeep and stated my experience working for your father. I'm sure I'll be able to get a position but it still all depends. Things in prison are not like the outside world. Nobody cares about what you were out there. In here, no one cares that I am Robbie Turner, only son of Ernest and Grace. I'm just Turner, or 6445891.
I hope that the next step is that they will allow you to visit me. I want to see you again. But if not, Cee, I want you to know that I love you. Do you think you could take a picture and send it to me? Not that I need it to remember you but it would be nice to have it to look at. Other prisoners have pictures and they have asked me about what you look like.
I got a letter from your father. He told me that he has granted me permission and blessing to marry you. In my heart we are married already.
Cecilia, I love you. I hope to hear from you soon. For now, I'm going to find a dark corner to read.
All my heart,
Robbie'
Cecilia had tears in her eyes by the time she finished the letter. They were tears of mixed emotions. While she was excited and happy to hear from him, the reality of the matter was that he was locked away in prison. She was happy to read the words 'I love you' in his handwriting over and over again, but she could not hold him and tell him that she loved him. She could not hear his voice.
"Cecilia?" Briony asked. "Is everything all right? It is from Robbie right? He's written a normal letter right? I told him to write to you, me and your mother and send them at the same time. If one of us didn't receive a letter then we would know that was being monitored."
"I'm all right, Briony. Thank you." Cecilia replied wiping away her tears. "He said 'I love you.' It's just that he's not here to tell me he loves me. I always cry when I read his letters. We couldn't write those words the last time he was in prison."
"I know. Robbie told me about your coded letters. I wish I was that clever." Briony responded.
"You are quite clever. I would never be able to come up with all those characters let alone put them in a story." Cecilia complimented. "You are still writing, aren't you?"
"I am." Briony answered.
"That's good." Cecilia replied. "As silly as some of your earlier work was, I always thought you would make a good writer. You certainly had the determination."
"Cecilia, you are going to write Robbie back and tell him about your pregnancy, aren't you?"
"Not yet."
"But why not?" Briony asked in a bit of shock. "You said it was Robbie's. Don't you want to tell him the wonderful news?"
"Of course I do, Briony. But first I want to make sure that I can write back as openly as he did to me. It's one thing for him to write me and say 'I love you.' But someone writing him, let alone me, writing 'I love you' may be a different matter entirely. My letters could still get censored." Cecilia replied. "And secondly, I'm hoping that I will be allowed to visit him so I can tell him in person and see his face. I've written the prison requesting to see him but I've yet to hear from him. Grace has done the same. She has yet to hear anything. Marjorie has already assured me that she will give me time off to do so when I'm allowed."
Briony nodded. "You don't seem as excited as I thought you would be, Cee." She replied. "You are having a baby! Robbie's baby!"
"I am excited but I've been through too much heartbreak to allow myself to get too excited at the moment. The reality of things, Briony, is that Robbie is still in prison. He's not here to share this moment with me."
Briony sighed. It was her fault. "You have to believe that Robbie will be set free and the two of you will be married one day, Cee. You have too!"
"I do. I believe it with all my heart. I'm not going to give up on him. It's what keeps me going. But it's also what keeps me up at night. I cannot count the many times I've cried myself to sleep thinking of him." Cecilia replied. "Then there is also the fact that even if he is cleared of the charges, there will always be a stain on his name. There will forever be those who will continue to think of him as guilty no matter what the evidence shows or what we can prove. He was convicted and therefore must be guilty. When we marry, I will become Cecilia Turner. I will carry that stain and his 'sins' will become mine."
It made her smile the way Cecilia said 'when we marry' and 'Cecilia Turner'. "I'm sorry."
Cecilia looked at her sister, seriously. "Briony, do me a favor and stop apologizing to me about what you did." She replied. "It's not going to help in my forgiving you any sooner or hate you any less. I accept your apology. Honestly, I do. You are my little sister and nothing has ever changed that. That is why I can sit here, talk to you, accept your apology. But understand that I cannot bring myself to forgive you just yet. What you did to me, whether conscious or unconscious hurt. I know my rejection of you has hurt you as well. We were always so close until that moment. You've spent your time trying to figure out just how much you hurt me, trying to understand just what you did. You still do not fully understand that. I've gotten over my personal pain and have moved on. Accepting you as my little sister again, I have now begun the healing process with mother and father. We just need some time, Briony."
"I'm s—," Briony stopped herself. "Yes, Cee. I think I understand. And thank you for always being my sister. I feared that I had lost you forever. And thank you for helping me to redeem myself, if not for you and Robbie, but for myself."
"You are most welcome." Cecilia replied. "So, tell me, Aunt Briony. Are you excited about your unborn niece or nephew? Will you tell her or him bedtime stories when you babysit?"
"You have to ask me that? Of course I'm excited! I will tell him or her the most glorious of stories!" Briony exclaimed. "I can't wait to babysit. Your child is going to be so adorable and beautiful, if a girl, or handsome, if a boy."
Cecilia smiled. "You are going to have to help change the nappies as well, you know."
Briony laughed. "Shouldn't be so bad. Can't be much worse than emptying and cleaning the bed pans now can it?"
"I don't know about that. Bed pans are metal. Nappies are made of cloth." Cecilia replied. "Here at the hospital we have special cleaners, and gloves."
"Hadn't thought of that." Briony chuckled. "Oh! Can I help choose a name? Or rather suggest a couple of names not to consider?"
Cecilia laughed. "Lola Briony Turner."
The two sisters laughed together. It had been quite some time since the two of them shared a moment of laughter.
"It's good to hear you laugh, Cee. It's been a while. I can't remember the last time we laughed together." Briony said.
"It has been a while, hasn't it?" Cecilia replied. After a brief pause, Cecilia spoke again. "I have always liked the name Helen. In fact I can remember telling Betty when I was little that when Robbie and I got married we were going to have a beautiful princess together and call her Helen."
Briony started laughing again. "Betty? Why would you tell Betty that?"
"I always talked to Betty when I would 'help' out in the kitchen." Cecilia responded.
"You didn't tell Grace?"
"Heaven's no!"
"Why not?" Briony asked. "She's Robbie's mother."
"Precisely why I never told her such things when I was little." Cecilia answered.
Briony laughed. "How about Helen Grace, then if you have a little girl?" Briony suggested.
"Helen Grace. That's lovely. I like that." Cecilia replied.
"So when do you intend on telling mother and father?" Briony asked.
"I don't know. You can tell them if you like. I'm sure a few days off can be arranged for you much more easily than me."
"Oh, can I?" Briony asked. "It would be a way to show them that we have made up and are on speaking terms again as well."
Cecilia smiled. "Just make sure that you tell Grace that I have yet to inform Robbie and wish to possibly tell him in person."
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It was around the beginning of the second week of September when Cecilia finally heard from the Bristol Prison about her inquiry about visiting Robbie. She was in the office when the letter was delivered along with various other bits of paperwork and reports for the Ward Sister to take care of.
Cecilia came across the letter in the middle of the stack. She opened the letter, slowly. After receiving Robbie's letter earlier in the week and reading his words 'I love you' she wasn't sure she could handle the prison saying no. Not now. Not with her emotions getting the best of her lately. Not with her morning sickness making her life miserable. Not with rumors of who the father of her child was spreading throughout the ward with a flurry. There were even several betting pools: Would she miscarry or carry it full term? That one hurt. Was she having a single child or twins? Would she have a boy or girl? She started to cry before she even read the letter. It was good news. The letter stated provided the prisoner, 6445891, continued his pattern of good behavior and stayed out of trouble prisoner, 6445891, would be allowed visitation rights. The decision on whether or not they would be allowed to wed, on prison grounds or another authorized secure site was pending. She cried.
Sister Drummond entered the office to find her friend crying. "Is everything all right?" she asked. "What was in the letter from the prison? Good news, I hope?"
Sister Tallis looked up at her friend and wiped her tears. "Why did you bury the letter in the middle of the stack?"
Sister Drummond laughed. "Because I expected you to react like this. Bursting into tears. If I had placed it on top you wouldn't have gotten any work done, Cecilia. At least I got half a tack out of you.
Cecilia gave her friend a sharp look and shook her head. "You know me too well. It's good news. They are going to allow me to visit as long as Robbie continues a pattern of good behavior which I am sure won't be a problem. A decision is pending on whether or not we will be allowed to marry. But in my present condition and the bombings…" she trailed off. "Even my father does not think it's wise that I travel to Bristol and he doesn't know that I'm pregnant. When I last telephoned him he expressed concerns that it's the beginning of something much larger scale. He's even worried about my traveling to my flat in Balham. My father wants me to come home. I want to see Robbie. I want to see his face when I tell him that I'm carrying his child. But I trust my father's intuition as well. If he knew that I was pregnant he would surely absolutely forbid me from traveling to Bristol."
"You haven't told your family yet?" Marjorie asked.
"No. Briony is going to do it." Cecilia replied. "She's going to tell them. She's gone home for her holiday. It will be assurance to the family to know that we are on speaking terms again."
Marjorie smiled. She knew how close Cecilia was to her family. She was glad she finally found it in her heart to open up to them again. "Are you sure you don't want to go home and tell them yourself? I can give you the time off."
"You have done so much for me already." Cecilia replied. "It's no wonder everyone thinks we're having an affair."
Marjorie laughed. "Let them." She replied. "I know it hurts once in a while but if it keeps their spirits up and in a good mood, then I won't stop the rumors. We need them to stay upbeat about things."
"True. It's the betting pools that are hurting me at the moment." Cecilia responded. "Did you know that there is a pool on whether or not I will miscarry or go full term? I had Nurse Paxton investigate the pools, and that particular one seems to have the highest pay out with miscarriage being the top bet."
"Oh my goodness. That is uncalled for. I will have to put a stop to that one then." Marjorie replied. "I've known about the pools, or at least some of them. The one I found quite humorous is what you will be naming your child. Marjorie is the top female name, and Major is the top male name."
"Major?"
Marjorie shook her head and shrugged. "I guess it's a male version of Marjorie someone came up with? I'm certain no one but you know that I had a twin brother named Martin, or I am sure they would have used that. Edward, James, Richard and Henry are pretty popular. For a girl, Victorie, Hope, Charlotte and Annabelle, are the popular choices. I liked the names Bronson and Ellen. Have you come up with names yet?"
Cecilia laughed. "Bronson? Did you put money on that one?"
"Heaven's no. But I did look at their list when they weren't paying attention."
"Good because it would have been a bad bet. Ellen is pretty close. Helen Grace Turner, if it's a girl. And I was thinking of Jack Robert Turner, if it's a boy. But I want to talk to Robbie about them first."
Marjorie pouted. "You're not naming it after me?" She teased.
"I've always liked Helen. Grace is Robbie's mother. Jack is my father. Robert should be obvious."
"Those are lovely names. You know I'm only teasing you. I'm sure Robbie will like them and appreciate that you are making him a part of the decision." Marjorie replied. "But why don't you go and get some rest. I am going to need you for the first part of the night watch."
Cecilia nodded and went off to the Nurse's Dorms to rest.
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Briony entered the house. She noticed her father's car parked outside. It surprised her that he was home but happy that he would be there to share Cecilia's news. She made her way to the kitchen. She found Betty alone.
"Hello, Betty. Where's Grace?" She asked.
"Oh, hello, Briony." Betty responded. "She's upstairs with your mother in the parlor having tea. Will you be staying for dinner?"
"Yes. I have a couple of days." Briony replied. "I promise not to make obnoxious menu demands or change the menu after I've made a request."
"Argh!" Betty grunted in exasperation. "Cecilia told you about the dinner with the Marshalls, I presume?"
"She did and I can't believe she helped with preparing it." Briony replied.
Betty laughed. "She did help and did a wonderful job." She replied. "She used to help me all the time when she was little, doing little things. She made this savory chocolate sauce for the beef with Marshall's awful stuff. It actually was quite tasty. And the dessert. Now that was a work of art. She managed to make it so that she used the chocolate as demanded but it didn't have to be the star if one didn't want it to be. Your father absolutely loved it, and you know how picky he is about dessert."
"Did he know Cecilia made it?"
"Yes, he did. And he knew about the Marshall chocolate." Betty replied.
"What did she make?" Briony asked curiously.
"She called it 'gin et tonique parfait avec chocolat bruine'. We had a good laugh. No doubt the joke was lost on Mr. Marshall."
"Joke?"
"Dinner was requested by him. 'Filet mignon with pommes boulangere, salade Francaise avec Poires and for an appetizer, Vichyssoise' which is basically fillet steak with a potato onion bake, French green salad with pears and an appetizer of cold potato leek soup. But of course, he had to give it in French. It's a good thing I understand French."
Briony laughed. "What was it Cecilia made?"
"Gin et tonique parfait avec chocolat bruine." Betty replied. "Gin and tonic flavored parfait with chocolate drizzle. It was quite ingenious of her to come up with the flavor layers. She flavored the gelatin with gin, made a tonic infused cake and vanilla lime ice cream. She put the chocolate on the side to drizzle just to satisfy Mr. Marshall's demands but it went nicely with or without the chocolate."
"Wow. She came up with that all on her own?"
"For the most part, yes. She was looking through my recipes. I know I've made all you children a simple parfait at one time or another. I think Robbie asked once if he could have pancakes and oatmeal as layers once. Cecilia laughed at him. She was always fond of yogurt and fruit in hers. Why she made a gin and tonic one that night, I have no idea."
"Gin and tonic is her favorite cocktail." Briony replied. "How she would decide to combine that with dessert I don't know."
Betty laughed. "She definitely is the daughter of Jack Tallis. Your father is very fond of dessert."
"Robbie is going to be one lucky fellow to have her cook for him." Briony responded.
"I'm not so sure about that. She may be fine with dessert, but other stuff not so much. I only assigned her to make the chocolate mustard sauce for the beef because she had tasted it before, and savory sauces are not much different than sweet sauces in their preparation other than some ingredients." Betty replied. "She's pretty hopeless when it comes to making Robbie's favorite foods. I don't think Robbie would be too keen on eating crispy egg wafers and a bowl of lumpy glue every morning despite the fact that he will eat just about everything if you tell him to eat it, especially if Cecilia made it. Grace has volunteered to teach her of course."
"Crispy egg wafers and lumpy glue?"
"Pancakes and oatmeal." Betty answered.
"Hold on. You mean to tell me Cecilia can make a gin flavored gelatin but she can't make something as simple as pancakes and oatmeal?" Briony asked in disbelief. "It's a wonder she hasn't starved herself to death living alone."
Betty laughed. "She's used to working with egg powder other instant foods. With her busy nurses schedule she probably doesn't trust the eggs to keep." She replied. "And I'll just bet she makes dessert over food. Your father would eat dessert for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I would let him. Cecilia can bake just fine. And I'm sure she learn can cook. She would help me in the kitchen all the time. She just has never made breakfast with me. She always woke up late, often missing breakfast with the family. Not until you were born did she start waking early enough to have breakfast with the family. She always wanted to watch your mother feed you, and later give you your bottle. She went away to study at Roedean when she was twelve."
Briony smiled. Betty was telling her things that she never knew about her sister. She didn't remember much about herself before the age of four. She never knew that Cecilia protected her at such a young age. She felt a bit guilty but further understood why Cecilia was hurt so much by her actions. "I should give you a little bit of an advanced warning. I'm sure my mother will be coming in here to request you make a special dinner for tonight. I have some very special news from Cecilia to share."
Betty grinned. "Let me guess." She responded. "You're going to be an aunt."
"Yes." Briony answered with a smile. Leave it to Betty to guess correctly. "And if I may make a request for dinner? I know Cecilia hates them but I like them and it's been a while since I've had yours. Could you make green beans for dinner? The ones at the hospital cafeteria are always too soft. Yours have just the right seasoning and snap."
"I would be happy to. Now why don't you go upstairs and share your news with your mother and Grace."
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Grace sat with Emily as they enjoyed their afternoon tea. Emily was happy that the two of them could once again sit and enjoy each other's company once again. Grace did not find it difficult in forgiving Emily for her defense of her youngest child. Now they sat together with the joy of knowing that her son and Emily's eldest daughter were in love and engaged.
"I hate this stupid war." Emily replied. "I want my daughters with me. I want to know that they are safe. I don't want to have to worry about them night after night. Jack says things are going to get worse."
"I know what you mean." Grace responded. "I was so terribly worried when Robbie was in France fighting. I kept waiting for his letters to assure me that he was all right. I worry about him in prison too. Cecilia told me that when he was first imprisoned they had to write in code and couldn't tell each other that they loved each other. If they said anything of the sort in their correspondence the letters were confiscated and not delivered."
"I did not know that. Of course, I know nothing of those first years. But they did find a way to correspond did they not?"
Grace chuckled. "Yes. Cecilia told me that the first letter Robbie received was a letter in which she wrote in detail about finding Robbie's notes about the vagina in his copy of Grey's Anatomy most helpful and went on to tell him in detail how she was studying the act of human intercourse and the reproductive system in her nurse's training."
Emily burst out laughing. "Oh my. Did Cecilia get to visit him?" Emily asked.
"No. They wouldn't allow her to." Grace replied. "She didn't get to see him until shortly before he was deployed."
"I'm so sorry. Had I known I would have allowed you more time to visit your son."
"Do not worry about it, Emily. We have their future to look forward to and plan. I'm holding onto the hope that Robbie will be freed and my son and your daughter will be married."
"Cecilia hates me." Emily replied sadly. "She visits you, but she's never come to visit me. She only came to the house in June because she wanted to share the news of her engagement with you. If you hadn't told her to talk to my husband and me, she probably would have left without a word. She only wants us to help free Robbie."
"Don't say that. She doesn't hate you, Em. She's just hurt." Grace replied. "She loves you. She always talks about you when she comes and visits. Give her time. If she can find it in her heart to talk to Briony again, she will be able to be close to you again too."
"Did you know while she was here in June she actually cleaned and organized her room?" Emily laughed. "I hardly recognize it now."
Grace laughed.
The door to the parlor opened and both ladies turned to glare at the intruder.
"Briony! Come in. Sit down." Emily responded before realizing that Grace might still harbor ill feelings for her youngest child. "If that is all right with you, Grace."
"It's all right, Em. If Cecilia can talk to her again, than I can try. And she is your daughter."
"Thank you, Grace. I do have some news which you both would be interested in hearing." Briony replied before turning to her mother and taking a seat next to her. "I noticed father's car. Is he here?"
"Yes, he is. He's working on building a case for Robbie's innocence." Emily replied. "He really tries to come home at least on the weekends or one day a week. He's very worried about you and your sister working in town. How are things at the hospital? How often does Cecilia go home to her flat in Balham? He's very worried with the bombings that have started."
"Not too often now. She stays in the dorms. She goes there once in a while to distance herself I think. But with how busy we've gotten lately, she stays close in case she's required to work. We can hear the air raid sirens go off and the anti-aircraft guns."
"Your father says that Cecilia told him that she wants to make a career out of nursing and go to medical school when the war is over. The hospital is going to sponsor her to further her training. Have you given any thought as to what you want to do when the war is over? I can't picture you as a nurse."
"Oh I hate it!" Briony laughed. "Both Sister Drummond and Sister Tallis think I make a horrible nurse. I will probably pursue my writing when the war is over and have time to concentrate. I still write but work makes it so hard to really sit and think about plots and characters. I've submitted a few stories and novellas. So far only rejections but I did get one with a lovely criticism attached. Oh, and I think Cecilia may have a change in her plans."
"Really?" Grace asked. "You know how set in her ways Cecilia can be, Briony. And she's mentioned to me about pursuing nursing as well. Once she makes up her mind about something it takes a lot to change her mind."
"She hasn't changed her mind exactly." Briony teased. "But she may have new priorities that may cause her to rethink her career path, that's all."
Emily looked at her daughter. "You aren't saying that she is abandoning her nursing career to try to prove Robbie innocent and free him are you? Your father is doing his best, working during his free time to do that."
Briony couldn't help herself and grinned. "No. Nothing like that." She replied.
"Has she fallen ill?" Emily asked now very worried. "Briony. What has happened?"
"Nothing has happened. Well, no. That's not true. Something has happened." Briony was having a bit of fun teasing hers and Robbie's mother. "It's just her current condition my cause her to rethink about pursuing nursing. She's probably thinking of quitting soon."
"Her current condition? Briony, what is wrong with my Little Cee? Is she all right? Has she seen a doctor?"
"She's seen a doctor and she's fine. If anybody is to blame for her condition it's Robbie." Briony continued to tease.
Grace turned to Briony. "Why do you always have to blame my son? Robbie would never harm anybody, especially Cecilia."
"I didn't say he's harmed her, only responsible." Briony replied deciding that the ladies had been teased enough. "Grace, mother. Cecilia is pregnant."
"What?" both ladies squealed at the same time.
Emily looked at her daughter. "Briony, are you sure it's all right with Cecilia for you to be telling us this?"
"It is. She said I could tell you." She replied. "Isn't it wonderful? I'm going to be an aunt!"
"Grandmother Tallis, congratulations." Grace responded.
Emily laughed. "Congratulations to you as well, Grandmother Turner."
Grace turned to Briony. "Has she told Robbie yet?" she asked.
"No. She's hoping to be able to visit him and tell him in person. She wants to see the look on his face." Briony replied. "With the bombings, the transit unreliable."
"Perhaps your father can drive her or us out for a visit." Grace replied. "I can still recall the look on Ernest's face when I told him I was with child. I don't blame her wanting to see that look."
"Mother, do you think father would drive Cecilia to Bristol to see Robbie when she gets permission?"
"I don't know about that. He's very worried about the bombings." Emily replied. "But regardless, this warrants a celebration. My baby girl and little girl are on speaking terms again, and my little girl is expecting our first grandchild, your first grandchild, Grace! Go downstairs, inform Betty of the celebration, tell my husband that I wish to speak to him in my parlor, and telephone Leon. Tell him that I would like him to come to dinner tonight."
"My little boy is going to be a father." She smiled.
Grace left the parlor. Briony smiled at her mother. Emily was happy.
Moments later they heard the sound of Jack Tallis' footfalls thundering down the hall and the parlor doors swung open.
"Briony! What has happened to my Little Cee?" Jack responded looking at his youngest child with a worried expression. "Emmie dear, what has happened!"
Emily tried to keep calm. Her poor husband was panicked. She wondered what on Earth Grace had told him to get him so worked up. "Jack darling, take a seat."
Jack sat down quickly. The faster he sat the quicker Emily or Briony would tell him what was going on. "Grace said there was news about Cecilia's medical condition. What medical condition? Is she all right? Please tell me my Little Cee is all right?"
"Jack, everything is fine." Emily chuckled. "I guess Grace thought it was fair to do the same thing to you that Briony did to her and myself."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Cecilia is fine. She's expecting a baby. Robbie's baby." Emily replied.
"What? My Little Cee is pregnant?" Jack responded. "Now I wish I had bought three bottles of wine. We must have the whole family here for a celebration. I assume Cecilia is working and can't make it. Leon must come for dinner. Briony, you do have her blessing to have told us this news?"
"Yes." Briony replied. "It's easier to schedule time off for a mere nurse than a Ward Sister. Besides, she just had a holiday in June."
Jack looked at his youngest. "Wasn't Robbie sent back to prison in June?" he asked.
"Yes."
Jack smiled. "She must have given the boy one hell of a shagging before he was taken away! Good for her."
"Jack!" Emily responded.
"What? If our daughter is pregnant, and her fiancé came home from the war in June, and returned to prison in June, she didn't have very much time with him." He replied. "I'm sure she was working most of the time and didn't spend a great deal of time with Robbie. I'm sure she wanted to give him something to remember her by."
"Well, you don't have to spell it out like that! She's still our little girl."
Jack laughed.
(-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-)
The Tallis family sat around the table along with Grace who was now a regular at the family table and Betty. Betty felt a bit odd.
"Betty, tonight you are most welcome with us tonight. You were very much a part of Robbie and Cecilia's lives growing up, and I'm sure they would want you here. I would have had you at the engagement dinner but it was much more amusing with you serving. That is why I like you so much. You are always so thoughtful in what you prepare for us."
Betty chuckled. "It was and is my pleasure. Thank you, sir."
The food had been laid out on the table, family style ready to be passed around. Emily noticed the beans.
"Betty, why did you make green beans again? You know how much Robbie and Cecilia detest them." She replied. "It was amusing for the engagement and homecoming dinner but not today."
"Briony requested them. You know how much she likes them." Betty answered.
Emily smiled as she looked at her youngest child. It made her happy to know that her daughters were talking again. Whether or not Cecilia could ever forgive her little sister did not matter. What did matter was that they were loving sisters once again.
They were about to begin passing around the food when Leon burst into the dining room. He looked at everyone casually seated at the table and noticed the cook, Betty seated at the table as well. Why was she sitting at the table? "What in the world is going on?" He asked. "Grace said to come home for dinner. There was news about Cecilia, some kind of a medical condition. Is she all right? Why is everyone seated at the table? Aren't you worried about Cecilia?"
Emily turned and glared at her charlady. She had obviously done the same thing to her eldest son as she did to her husband leading the young man to believe that something was wrong. She smiled as Grace looked far too innocent and looked away. "Leon, take your seat." She replied calmly. "There is nothing wrong with Cecilia. I'm sorry, but Grace was having a bit of fun in her excitement to let you in on the wonderful news. I'm afraid I would have probably done something similar. Your sister is doing just fine. Isn't that right, Briony?"
Briony was taken a bit off guard by her mother's question but quickly recovered realizing what she had just been asked. "Oh, yes. She's doing quite well. She's feeling sick and having trouble keeping certain foods down but otherwise normal."
Leon looked annoyed as he took his seat and glanced over at his youngest sister. "What would you know of Cee's condition? She hates you." He responded turning to his father. "Father, what is going on? I cancelled my dinner plans with the Marshalls to rush over here. This had better be important."
Jack looked at his son. "I certainly hope you consider your immediate family better company than your cousin and her husband, young man."
"Paul Marshall is my friend."
"And I am your father." He went around the table introducing everyone. "This is your mother, your baby sister, our charlady and mother of your sister's fiancé who has been with our family since before you were born, and our cook who was on the catering staff at my and your mother's wedding and on my kitchen staff ever since. Now sit." Jack turned to Briony when Leon had taken his seat. "Briony, do you wish to tell your brother Cecilia's news?"
Briony smiled and turned to Leon. "Cecilia is going to have a baby. You're going to be an uncle, Leon! Isn't that exciting?"
Leon turned to Briony. "What?" he exclaimed.
"Cecilia is pregnant."
"I heard you," Leon replied. "Who is the father?"
"Robbie, of course! Who else would it be?" Briony asked. She couldn't believe Leon. She hoped he was only teasing. "You know how much she loves him."
"I thought he was sent back to prison. Did they get married?" Leon asked.
Jack answered. "No, not yet. They are still waiting for an approval from the prison." He knew why his son was asking. He had insisted his son marry the girlfriends he had gotten pregnant. "Your sister and Robbie would be married by now if circumstances had not kept them apart."
"Would you have approved that union if the circumstances been different, father?" Leon asked. "I thought I had permission to invite Paul over to propose to Cecilia."
"You did. However it would be entirely up to her. Your sister is stubborn. I knew she would refuse if I asked her." Jack replied.
"No she wouldn't have. She's your favorite and you know she would do anything you ask of her." Leon responded.
"Then you do not know your sister as well as you think. Cecilia is very opinionated. She will speak her mind and do what she wants. I can give her suggestions, but if I give an order she will do just the opposite." Jack replied. "Going to medical school was not all Robbie had come to talk to me about. He brought up the possibility of asking for your sister's hand in marriage. Since I had already given you permission to introduce her to one of your friends, I told Robbie that I could not grant it. I told him that however that when he returned, if Cecilia was still available he had permission to come to me again."
"Did he ask you for permission to ask Cecilia to marry him?"
"He did not." Jack replied truthfully. "But then Cecilia was living on her own when he proposed and would not have cared if I did not approve. She had come to visit Grace. She often came to visit her."
Leon sighed. "You are always playing favorites. It's no secret that Cee is your favorite, father. Briony, can't you see it? Don't you agree with me?"
Briony shrugged. "I guess so, but I was always in my own little world." She replied. "I for one am very happy for Cecilia."
"Robbie doesn't have any money, father. How do you expect him to provide her?" Leon asked. "Are you going to provide for him like you have all his life? I am your first born, your son, not Robbie."
"And I have provided for you." Jack replied. "I provided for and sent you, Cecilia, Robbie and Briony to Cambridge. It was Briony's choice not to take her place. You did not place high enough in your exams to attend a boarding school. I would have sent Robbie however, Grace refused my offer. I was doing enough already. I insisted she not waste his enthusiasm and allowed me to provide a means for him to attend a university."
"Robbie is in prison."
"And your sister is madly in love with him." Jack replied. "If she wants to marry him, then I will not deny her. Tonight we are gathered to celebrate her joy of expecting a child. She is not here, because her job as Ward Sister prevents. She has sent Briony here to tell us of her news. If you do not wish to share in this joy, then you are free to leave and have dinner with your friends."
"It's not that. It's just lately all everyone seems to talk about is Cecilia." Leon replied. "She left home five years ago; refusing to speak to any of us, ignoring us. And then she returns with news that she is engaged and now expecting and she's welcomed home with open arms. And along with that comes this sudden support of Robbie. He was tried and found guilty."
Jack glanced at Grace, then turned back to his son. "Cecilia would always been welcomed home when she chose to return home. I was encouraged by her devotion to Robbie after all these years regardless of his innocence or guilt. If only I had that kind of devotion to your mother. You should not frown so much on her devotion." Jack replied. He was proud of his son finally showing some kind of back bone, but wished it was for something else. "Now make your decision. Eat with us, or not. I'm hungry and elated to be becoming a grandfather."
Leon sighed and turned to Briony. "Pass the broad beans please, Briony."
Emily looked to Betty. "Why did you prepare green beans this evening, Betty? You know how much Robbie and Cecilia detest them." She asked. "It was rather humorous the evening she returned home but not tonight."
"Briony requested them." Betty answered.
Emily smiled. It was nice to almost have her family back together again. She hoped Leon and Cecilia could settle their differences.