The Soldier's Daughter Read Free

yer instead o’ Adolf!’
    Despite the tension in the air, Ernie grinned as he towered over Briony and pushed his long arms into the sleeves of his coat.
    ‘We won’t be long,’ he said, taking Briony’s elbow and they left hurriedly before his mother had a chance to start again.
    After feeling their way down the long whitewashed entry that was acting as a wind tunnel, they wound their scarves around their necks and set off down Eadie Street. Once at the end of it they turned up Church Road and had almost reached the Round Towers, the entrance to the grounds of Arbury Hall, before Ernie said quietly, ‘Yer
do
understand, don’t yer, Briony?’
    ‘I think so.’ If she had been a young man she would probably have done just the same, but it didn’t stop the hurt from throbbing through her. ‘I don’t know how Ruth’s going to feel about it though.’
    ‘Ruth?’ He stared at her through the gloom.
    ‘Oh come on, Ernie. You must know that Ruth is nuts about you?’
    ‘Is she
really?
’
    Men could be really dim sometimes, thought Briony; how he could have failed to notice was anyone’s guess. Ruth Teagles was Briony’s closest friend and she had worshipped the ground that Ernie trod on for as long as Briony could remember, which was why she herself had held back. She sighed into the darkness now, wondering why everything had to become so complicated when you grew up. Not so very long ago they had all been at school together with not a care in the world – and now here was Ernie going off to fight for his King and Country.
    A thick frost was forming on the deserted pavements, making them sparkle like diamonds, and as he felt a shudder ripple through Briony, Ernie drew her arm through his and said, ‘Come on, that’s blown a few cobwebs away. Let’s get back an’ see if me mam is in a better frame of mind, eh? I might even make yer a brew. Might as well make the most o’ the time we’ve got left. I shall be off to start me trainin’ in a couple o’ weeks’ time. Did I tell yer it were the RAF I’ve joined? I’m goin’ to train to be a pilot. Just as well I got good marks at school, ain’t it?’
    Briony shivered again, but this time it was nothing to do with the cold. It was the thought of Ernie flying a plane that made fear pulse through her veins. No wonder Mrs Brindley was so upset. It was bad enough knowing that your loved ones were joining the Army, but everyone knew that the RAF pilots stood a chance of being blown out of the sky by enemy planes every time they took off. For some reason she had assumed that he had enlisted for the Army, as his father had. Briony was suddenly glad of the darkness that hid the tears that had sprung to her eyes. This was turning out to be one of the worst days of her life, what with her father leaving and now finding out that Ernie would shortly be going too. Suddenly she just wished that it could be over.
    *
    Ruth was waiting for her at the bottom of Church Road the next morning when Briony set off for work and they began the walk into town together as they normally did.
    ‘Did yer dad get off all right?’ the other girl asked conversationally.
    Briony nodded miserably. ‘Yes, but Mum’s hardly stopped crying since he left.’
    ‘Well, I think we expected that, didn’t we?’ Ruth plunged her hands deep into her coat pockets and shuddered. ‘I ain’t never known a pair like your mam an’ dad. They’re like a couple o’ love birds. Not like mine.’ She explained: ‘Me dad were in the pub again last night after he finished his shift down the pit, an’ me mam went fer him wi’ the big umbrella when he finally came in.’
    She chuckled as she slid her arm through her friend’s. The two girls had gone all through school together, and although they were as close as could be, they were as different to look at as chalk from cheese. Ruth was short and dumpy, with wild mousy hair that tended to curl, and pale-blue eyes, whilst Briony was slim with straight