Chapter 2:

Shots, explosions, blood, falling soldiers, wounded screaming for their mothers. He and some other guys were running right into the direction the machine gun shots were coming from.

Beside him a soldier ask: „Sergant orders, what orders"

Robert answered: „Seek shelter and fire…this is suicide, simply suicide", before jumping into a hole a shell had created. In there about 10 other man were lying some injured, some unharmed…. Looking at him with fear, afraid he would shot them for cowardness.

Robert had no idea what was going on. He was trying hard tot hink about an idea to get tot he other side alive…suddenly a rather slim, rather feminine looking soldier ran past him. He could not see the face but something reminded him of somebody. Then a new blast of machine gun fire came from the other side. The soldier fell screaming like a woman. Now lying on the back Robert could see the soldier's pale face, the blue eyes opened.

„NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!", he yelled and started running towards the still body. Then he held the soldier close, not caring what happened around him. Suddenly the pale face showed emothions again. „Robert?! Robert wake up!".

He slowly opened his eyes…."Cora`?" He was still looking in Cora's blue eyes but they looked very alive and at the moment full of concern at him.

He could not help but pull her close to him. „Cora, you are alive, thank god", then he began sobbing.

„Of course I am honey, why shouldn't I be. You had just a bad dream. Would you like to speak about it?"

„I dreamed that I was in France already, in the middle of a fight and then a soldier who had your figure passed me and got shot. And while he fell he turned around and it was you.", he told her between sobbing on her chest. She stroke his hair and motherly said: „Shhhh honey, shh… it's allrihgt. Try to sleep."

Now it was Robert who clinged to his wife till he fell into a deep sleep. Cora for her part stayed awake and imagined Robert in a dugout, dirty all over, waiting fort he whistle that signalled the attack. She did not let her imagination go on,because she knew it would be dreadful and would make her even more worried and frightend.

The following days Robert could see that his girls and Cora were not avoiding him anymore. On the contrary they were nearly clinging on him whenever they could, trying to spend as much time with him as possible. Cora went with him on his walks, talking about everything except his leaving for france that came nearer with big steps.

The night before he left for France his mother came for dinner. Unusally the dinner went by without his mother's sharp comments about Cora or things the girls did wrong. He even caught her squeezing Cora's hand twice reassuringly. There was concern and fear in her eyes. Fear of a mother who could lose her child.

When he lead her out tot he car, she said: „Robert you know you have 4 women in there who love you very much and one is standing right in front of you. Try not to get killed!", then she took his face into her hands, pulled him down and kissed his forehead.

Carson observed the scene at the door and saw the Dowagar Countess raising a handkerchief to her eyes when she had turned to move out oft he door.

Robert waited for his mother to entert he car. Then he returned tot he living rooml It was unusally quiet.

„Where is your mother, girls", Robert asked.

„She excused herself . She said she was not feeling well.", Mary said. She and her sisters kept staring at him. Then all of a sudden all three of them jumped up and hugged him, kissing him on his cheek. Then they too vanished without saying another word out of the room.

Robert now left alone sat in front of the fire and thought about the past and the future. He promised himself and the women he so dearly loved to return from that war.

When he finally went upstairs he caught Cora kneeling beside oft h their bed and pray. He only could hear the last words before she stood up and went to bed.

„Dear Lord, please please bring him home save and unharmed!"

He entered the room as if he did not hear her prayers. „Are you allright? The girls told me you were not feeling well."

„Oh I am fine thanks. I just wanted tob e alone for some time. Not that the girls were in the mood of partying tonight, none of us is but…"

Robert came to bed and hugged her. The hug turned into a kiss and the kiss turned into passion. Both of them knowing that this would be the very last time they made love to each other for months maybe years. Afterwards Robert held Cora in his arms. Neither oft hem slept that night they did not want to spend the last hours they saw each other of a long time sleeping.