The Fall and Rise of Lucy Charlton Read Online Free PDF

herself into his arms, as she had a habit of doing, not caring who was there. Her mother had reproved her often for her open manners, for her adulation of Joe. From the second they had met at a party she had told him that she adored him. He had loved how she had cared nothing for the stuffy manners which other people thought were right. Her eyes, her whole beautiful face with its perfect features, had shone for him. She was his life.
    Toddy wandered around the room, finally stopping in front of the fire and giving one of the logs a huge kick.
    ‘I’m sorry, but you really can’t expect it, you know. Not after what has happened.’
    Joe frowned. ‘It’s not the first time a man has blown his brains out!’ He was almost shouting.
    ‘You have no money and no consequence. A title like yours is nothing without those.’
    ‘Angela never cared for such things.’
    Toddy finally turned around. ‘But she would in time and you could hardly think her family would allow her to marry into poverty – because that’s what you are now. I daresay you have nothing to your name other than your army pay, and the way that you behave probably not much left of that.’
    Joe had been well known for treating his men to whatever he could come across to make their lives easier amidst the hell of war. Some of the meaner officers thought him stupid. Some followed his example.
    ‘Where is she?’
    ‘My father arranged for her to go abroad. She understandsthat she cannot marry you, so there is no point in trying to do anything about it. I don’t know where she is. And since you should behave honourably, it would be best left alone. You cannot think to ask her to marry you in the circumstances in which you find yourself.’
    ‘I could work.’
    Toddy didn’t quite laugh. ‘Really?’ he said. ‘And what on earth are you equipped for other than a reputation for shooting people accurately and getting common soldiers to go over the top? Now I really must go – I have dinner guests to attend to. Trevors will see you out.’
    ‘No!’
    Toddy hadn’t moved, but his look was full of pity. ‘I’m sorry, Joe,’ he said, ‘but there’s nothing anybody can do. You wouldn’t want her to be miserable, would you? She’s used to the best of everything: you know that. If you’re honest with yourself you know you couldn’t make her happy.’
    Joe couldn’t bear it. ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ he said. ‘She must be here. You’re lying to me.’ He hauled open the door and strode through into the dining room where he and Angela had dined so often with her parents. A dozen pairs of eyes turned as people took in the uniform, the face, who it was, and a frost came over the room so hard that Joe could have sworn he was still in France when things had been at their worst, men dying and horses sinking in mud and confusion and blood. He felt the same numbness he’d had before he led his men out to face the impossible.
    He tried to breathe. He saw Sarah, Toddy’s wife, and their guests, all of them supposed to be his friends. Toddy’s parents weren’t there and neither were Sarah’s. He thoughtback to the last time he had been home when they had had a dinner like this. Nobody held his gaze, nobody spoke; they turned away or looked down.
    He spun around and Toddy, just behind him, stepped back.
    ‘Where is she?’
    ‘I’ve already told you. There’s nothing you can do.’
    ‘You must know where she is.’
    ‘I don’t know anything about it. I’ve told you what happened.’ Toddy gazed around at the dining room behind Joe, obviously embarrassed for his guests and himself and maybe even for Joe. All Joe could think was he wanted to get hold of him and slam him up against the wall. So he did.
    ‘You bastard!’ he said.
    The men in the dining room got to their feet and two of them pulled Joe off. He turned around and hit them, he downed them both; they had come back from war and had gone soft, falling before him so easily. Some woman