A Christmas Promise

Then his world collapsed when he was hit by an on-coming wagon, which almost killed him. His father had him in a top-notch hospital, being waited on hand and foot for months. Not that he knew anything about it, Drew thought now; he had been in and out of consciousness for months, his life in the balance.

Drew was glad his father hadn’t written to Tilly to tell her of his accident, even glad, when he was well enough to understand. He wouldn’t have wanted his darling girl to see him lying helpless in a hospital bed, unable to do anything for himself. He couldn’t bear the thought of her seeing him like that. But now, he thought, as pain clawed at his heart, he wasn’t so sure.

Drew recalled how, on their little holiday, after visiting the village church in the dead of night while the village slept and the moon was high, they crossed the river. Her gaze met his as he held her hand and gently pulled her to the unlocked door. Inside the ancient building, which smelled of dust and neglect, a moonbeam shone through the stained-glass window, casting soft colourful shadows over the worn pews and rested on the ancient stone floor.

He had picked up a dust-covered Bible from the pile near the door and guided his sweetheart over the smooth stone flags to the bare altar where, taking her left hand, and without any need for explanation, they had exchanged solemn vows and promised to love each other for all of their days …

That was when he removed the gold Harvard ring from the chain around her neck, which he had given her earlier, and put it on the third finger of her left hand, and then after sealing their vows with a chaste, respectful kiss, he promised that nothing could part them. He told her that he loved her and he always would. And he meant every word. And Tilly had said the same.

She had begged him to love her in the way a married couple loved each other, she told him she wanted to show him how much she adored him by giving him the most precious gift a woman could give – and he had refused! Damned fool that he was.

If he and Tilly had consummated their love that night everything could have been so different now. But if he was honest he wouldn’t have wanted to consummate their love in a way that would be tinged with worry. He wanted Tilly to be his totally, without fear or remorse, and for that he had been prepared to wait.

Drew let out a small despairing laugh now as he watched Tilly – darling, darling, girl – who was even more beautiful as the autumnal sunshine lightened the shiny rich darkness of her curls, partly hidden under her ATS cap. Her uniform made her look taller, shapelier, more adult than he remembered, and the picture he had of her in his wallet did not do justice to this heavenly woman. And she was a woman now, not the girl he left behind, but a living, breathing, beautiful woman.

His heart was heavy with hurt and regret, and he realised for the first time that he had totally messed up and should never have left her alone for so long. He should have gotten word to her somehow. Because looking at her now, so near – yet so distant – it looked like he had blown any chance of making her his girl.

‘Look, if it’s all the same to you, Tilly, I’ll pop around and see Dulcie, before she turns in for the night.’

‘Of course,’ Tilly said, giving Rick a small peck on the cheek. He was so sweet, meeting her at the station like that and then arranging tea at the Lyons Corner House in the Strand. He was a great man and he’d been through so much. But now he was on the mend and back in the army. Tilly was so pleased for him.

Olive and the girls had been talking nonstop for hours, trying to insert every moment of the last few months into the precious little time they had together, each talking over the other but all of them taking in what was being said, and all expressing concern about Callum after Sally had informed them that Dr Parsley had given him three-hourly injections of a new drug that had been used only for the troops up to now.

‘We’ve had women begging us to give it to their loved ones,’ Sally said sadly, ‘but there just isn’t enough to go around at the moment, and the fighting men are the priority.’

‘Well, let’s just hope and pray that there is enough to pull Callum through this awful predicament,’ Olive said, just as there was a knock at the front door.

‘Oh, no,’ Sally cried, ‘what if it’s somebody from the hospital to tell me …?’ But she didn’t finish her fearful assumption as Olive rose from the table and hurried to the door. Even though there had been hardly any night raids of late, she still turned off the hall light before she opened the door.

‘I just thought I’d call to see if everything was OK with you, Olive?’ Archie said, his majestic frame almost blocking the full moonlight. ‘I was worried about you and I know I won’t be able to sleep until I am sure that you are safe and well …’

Olive could not see the expression on his face as he had his back turned to the moon’s beam, but she could hear the gentle concern in his voice and she felt the shiver of delight course through her body.

‘Tilly’s home,’ Olive breathed, and in those two words she told him that they wouldn’t finish the day together as was their routine of late.

‘I’m glad for you.’ There was a smile in his voice he added quietly, ‘Even though it means I will have to forgo my nightly cup of cocoa …’

‘Oh, Archie, do come in and see Tilly, she will be thrilled.’ Suddenly, Olive didn’t want him going home to a cold and empty house.

‘You won’t want me interrupting all that womanly chatter …’

‘She would love to see you, Archie.’ I would love you here with me …

The last part remained unsaid, and there was more than a hint of disappointment in Olive’s heart when Archie said, ‘If you don’t mind, Olive, I’ll bid you good night. It’s been a long day. Tell Tilly, I’ll want a full report tomorrow morning before her guests arrive.’

‘Are you sure, Archie?’ Olive felt as if she had betrayed him in some way; as if she was turning him away in favour of her daughter, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

‘You get some rest, Olive, you have a busy day tomorrow.’ His voice was intimate, tender, and as he reached into the dark hallway, he momentarily caught a stray curl of her loosened hair and gently held it in his fingers. Then, letting it go, he caught hold of the door and as he drew it towards him.