Beware This Boy Read Online Free PDF Page B

were bombed.”
    Mason shrugged. “Only just happened. Fortunately the girls are both stationed up in Scotland and Yvonne had gone to stay with her sister in the Lake District. It seems the safest place to be at the moment, and she thought she’d be closer to the girls. Not that she’s seen much of them by all accounts, and last I heard she says she’d rather risk a bomb than the slow death by boredom that she’s currently experiencing.” He winked at Tyler. “Yvonne was never one for the beauty of the unsullied countryside. She says there’s nothing to do there except count sheep, which puts her to sleep.”
    “I’m surprised she even agreed to it, knowing your missus.”
    Mason shrugged. “She’s going to give it a trial period. She’s only been gone for a month. Course, she wanted to come back when the house was knocked out but I talked her intostaying where she was. Everything’s boarded up tight.” He gave a wry grin. “Truth is, I miss her. Wives! You want them out from underfoot when they’re here and can’t stand your own company when they’re not.”
    Tyler smiled in response, although Alf was certainly not speaking for him in this regard.
    “How’s Vera?” Mason asked as he poured some tea from a silver pot on the trolley.
    Tyler shrugged. “Bearing up. She doesn’t say much.”
    Mason handed him a cup. “That must be tough for all parties.” He pointed. “Do you want me to add a splash to that? I’ve got whisky – Canadian Club – only good for livening up the tea. We might as well drink it now; there won’t be much more where this came from. I think those that say the war will be over by Christmas have got their heads up their jacksies. We’re in for the long haul.”
    Tyler nodded agreement and Mason added a healthy shot to each cup.
    “You look done in, Tom. Drink that up and I’ll show you your room. You’ll find it nice and quiet. There’s hardly any of the lads around now and none that you would know. They’re all away trying to shore up cities worse off than us. That or they’ve signed up.” He held up the whisky bottle. “More?”
    “Thanks.”
    “With the tea or without?”
    “Without. That’s goddamn awful char you made, Alf. Did you stew it for a week?”
    Mason laughed. “Almost. We just keep adding tea leaves to the pot. The only way to deal with the rationing.”
    He splashed some more whisky into Tyler’s cup and looked over at his friend.
    “How’re you making out these days, Tom?” he asked quietly.
    “All right. Thanks for your letter, by the way. I appreciated it.”
    “I was utterly stunned when I heard what happened at the internment camp. What a dreadful case! And what came from it must have been hell for you.”
    Tyler nodded. He didn’t want to go into it, not even with Alf.
    They sipped at the whisky in silence for a moment, then Mason put down his cup. “I’ve got to hit the wooden trail or I’ll be useless tomorrow. I’m off to Nuneaton to help sort out some administrative problem. I assume you’ll be going over to the factory in the morning. The BBC reported the explosion. Did you catch it?”
    “No, I didn’t.”
    “They couldn’t say where it had taken place – they never do. It was just called a Midlands town. They said there were three fatalities, but one of the injured girls is in critical condition. It’ll be four dead soon. Endicott’s is closed down tomorrow, so you’ll get a chance to have a gander ’round.” He tried to stifle a yawn.
    “One more thing, Alf,” said Tyler. “Our Mr. Grey is wondering if there might be sabotage involved. Communists and so on.”
    Mason frowned. “I doubt it. All of the workers get security clearance, but we don’t clap somebody in irons just because they’re on the bolshie side.”
    “Anybody I should pay particular attention to? Nationalists, for instance?”
    “Don’t get me started on the bloody Celts. They don’t know which side their bread is buttered on. They’ll