Memories of You (48 page)

‘I haven't just joined up because of that, you know.'

‘I know that, Joe. I'm your twin brother, remember? I know you wanted to do the right thing.'

‘How much did you tell him?'

Danny knew what Joe meant. ‘Nothing about Tod Walker. I said we ran away from Haven House because we were miserable there.'

‘And he believed you?'

‘Why shouldn't he? We were only kids and we'd just lost our mother. But try to forget about that, Joe. Go off and be a hero!'

Danny stayed on the platform and watched as the train carrying his twin brother off to war drew away. Whatever happened in the future, he knew that Joe would never entirely forget what had happened on the cliff top. The memory would haunt him for the rest of his life.

 

‘You look dreadful,' Danny told Helen when he returned to find her hunched over the table in the family room.

‘Thanks a lot!'

‘Too much champagne. Joe should never have bought two bottles.'

‘It's not just the champagne, you know,' Helen said. ‘I didn't sleep very well.'

‘I don't think any of us did.'

‘Well, Elise is asleep right now. You know how difficult she finds it to get up in the mornings. I don't know how she's going to cope with nursing training.'

‘Don't worry. She'll cope. Like she said, she has too much pride to give in and make a mess of things. Do you think you could manage a cup of coffee? I know I need one.'

Helen spurned the toast he had made but while she sipped her coffee she smiled at her brother and said, ‘How did you get to be so wise, Danny?'

‘Whatever you mean by wise I think it's because I've had more time to think. With not being able to be as physically active as Joe I've had to put my energy into my thinking processes.'

‘Maybe you're right,' Helen said, ‘but when you were little you were always the more thoughtful of the two.'

‘Perhaps I was just lazy. Letting Joe go ahead while I followed. Are you feeling any better, by the way?'

‘Yes, a little.'

‘Well, why don't you wash and dress and go for a walk along the promenade. The fresh air will be good for you.'

‘I'd like to, but the guests will be down for breakfast soon.'

‘And the Fearons will be arriving any minute. Off you go and give me the chance to see if I can manage without Joe. You'd be doing me a favour.'

‘All right. But promise to let Elise wallow in bed a little longer. This could be her last chance of a lie-in.'

 

When Matthew arrived at the house in Folkestone her brother Danny opened the door.

‘I'm glad you came,' he said.

‘Did you think I wouldn't?'

‘Who can tell? It's been a while since you've seen each other, hasn't it?'

‘And whose fault is that?'

‘I thought we agreed to let all that stay in the past.'

‘Are you going to let me in, or are you going to keep me here while you question me?'

‘You can come in and wait if you like. I'll even give you some breakfast. But Helen has gone for a walk along the promenade. Why don't you go and catch up with her?'

Trying not to show how irritated he was by Danny's admittedly reasonable manner, he turned and almost fell down the steps, righting himself at the last moment. If he says anything, anything at all, I'll punch him, Matthew thought and immediately felt ashamed of himself.

No matter that Helen's brothers had been responsible for all the misery since she had left him; they were trying to do the right thing now. Or at least this one was. And if he was to be believed his twin brother would already have departed to join the army. That meant he still had to meet Helen's sister, Elise, who, amazingly, was Hugh and Selma Partington's adopted daughter. The girl who had eloped with that rotter Perry Wallace and whose story had been all over the newspapers.

Poor girl. Afraid of scandal, they had dumped her pretty quickly. But that was just as well, Matthew thought. For Helen – wonderful, adorable Helen – had been able to step in and retrieve the lost girl, making sure that her family was together again. To do this she had sacrificed her own happiness.

As he strode along the quiet morning streets Matthew was determined that that state of affairs was going to change.

He saw her from a distance. She was standing still, with her coat collar turned up and her hands in her pockets as she gazed out across the sea.

‘Helen,' he said quietly when he was close enough.

She turned towards him and her eyes opened wide with dismay. ‘Oh, no,' she said.

He couldn't help smiling. ‘That's a nice greeting. I was hoping you'd be pleased to see me.'

‘I am! It's just that you shouldn't . . . I shouldn't . . . I can't explain.'

‘You don't have to. I know why you ran away. Danny came to see me and told me about Joe working at the dog track and how he got drawn into the doping and how you felt you had to protect him.'

‘Of course I had to protect him. He's my brother and I'd already let him down once.'

‘No, you hadn't, Helen. It wasn't your fault that your family got split up, and you've certainly done enough for them now. So will you please be quiet and consider doing something for me.' As he spoke he took her in his arms and turned her round so that she was facing him.

‘What,' she said. ‘What do you want me to do?'

‘First of all I want you to kiss me, and then I want you to promise never to run away from me again, and to make sure of that I want you to marry me.'

Helen laughed. ‘In that order?'

‘In that order.' He lowered his face towards hers but before their lips met he stopped. ‘You do realize that I will be going to France, don't you?'

‘As a reporter with the British army?'

He nodded.

‘Must you?'

‘You know I must.'

‘Yes, I do,' she said.

As they kissed her joy was tempered by the bitter-sweet realization that they would soon be parted. They would have to face the years ahead with courage and pray that one day they would all be together again.