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- Herausgeber: Bastei Entertainment
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Serie: Große Emotionen, weites Land - Die Australien-Romane von Elizabeth Haran
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018
England, 1918. World War One rages, and Victoria Hospital harbours the wounded. Between the falling bombs, a love is blooming.
Nurse Elena and Doctor Lyle fall hard for each other. Their passion rivalled only by their desire to save lives. Doomed from the start, the young lovers must hide their relationship.
But Lyle has kept a secret from Elena. Guilt-ridden, he breaks off contact and returns home to marry his ex-girlfriend. Elena's parents arrange her marriage to an older Italian who takes his unwilling bride to Australia.
Years later, Lyle answers an ad for the Flying Doctor Service "Down Under". Meanwhile Elena has learned to survive on the outback. And she has kept quiet all these years about a scandal that could tear her family apart.
Beyond the Red Horizon is an epic historical romance. What if our soulmate slips through our fingers? Can true love stand the test of time—and the pain of betrayal?
With an eye for detail, Elizabeth Haran has written numerous historical romance novels including Stars in the Southern Sky, Staircase to the Moon, Island of Whispering Winds, Under a Flaming Sky, Dreams beneath a Red Sun, and River of Fortune, available as ebooks.
Haran's novels are perfect for fans of family sagas set in beautiful locations like Sarah Lark's, Island of a Thousand Springs or Kate Morton's, The Forgotten Garden.
About the author
Elizabeth Haran was born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia and migrated to Australia as a child. She lives with her family in Adelaide and has written fourteen novels set in Australia. Her heart-warming and carefully crafted books have been published in ten countries and are bestsellers in Germany.
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Contents
Cover
About the Book
About the Author
Title
Copyright
Dedication
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
A chat with Elizabeth
About the Book
England, 1918. World War One rages, and Victoria Hospital harbours the wounded. Between the falling bombs, a love is blooming.
Nurse Elena and Doctor Lyle fall hard for each other. Their passion rivalled only by their desire to save lives.
Doomed from the start, the young lovers must hide their relationship.
But Lyle has kept a secret from Elena. Guilt-ridden, he breaks off contact and returns home to marry his ex-girlfriend. Elena’s parents arrange her marriage to an older Italian who takes his unwilling bride to Australia.
Years later, Lyle answers an ad for the Flying Doctor Service “Down Under”. Meanwhile Elena has learned to survive on the outback. And she has kept quiet all these years about a scandal that could tear her family apart.
Beyond the Red Horizon is an epic historical romance. What if our soulmate slips through our fingers? Can true love stand the test of time—and the pain of betrayal?
About the Author
Elizabeth Haran was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (formerly known as Southern Rhodesia.) Afterward her family moved to England and wandered from there to Australia. Today she lives with her husband in a seaside suburb of Adelaide in South Australia. She has two grown sons. She discovered her passion for writing in her early 30s. Previously she worked as a model, owned a nursery, and looked after learning-disabled children.
Readers can connect with Elizabeth on various social media platforms:
www.elizabethharan.com
@ElizabethHaran
Facebook Author Page
ELIZABETH HARAN
BEYONDTHE REDHORIZON
»be« by BASTEI ENTERTAINMENT
Digital original edition
»be« by Bastei Entertainment is an imprint of Bastei Lübbe AG
This title was acquired through the literary agency Thomas Schlück GmbH, 30827 Garbsen, Germany.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This book is written in British English.
Copyright © 2018 by Bastei Lübbe AG, Schanzenstraße 6-20, 51063 Cologne, Germany
Written by Elizabeth Haran
Edited by Melanie Blank-Schröder and Amanda Wright
Project editor: Lori Herber-Griffin
Cover design: Manuela Städele-Monverde
Cover illustrations: © Richard Jenkins | © shutterstock: Hamdi Bin Zainal; Gordon Bell
eBook production: Urban SatzKonzept, Düsseldorf
ISBN 978-3-7325-4613-8
www.be-ebooks.com
Follow us on Twitter! @be_ebooks_com
This book is for Carola Casado, my “little German friend”.
Through life’s ups and downs, a true friend is never far away.
CHAPTER 1
November 1918 — Blackpool, England
“Elena,” Doctor Lyle Macallister whispered tenderly as he touched her shoulder to awaken her. Gazing at her, he felt his heart contract with emotion. She was so peaceful in sleep, so perfect-an angel amid the chaos and ugliness of the war. He knew he was falling hopelessly in love, but he could do nothing to prevent it.
Ward 8C in the Victoria Hospital in Blackpool was quiet, apart from an occasional muffled groan coming from one of the beds at the far end, near the blacked-out windows. A solitary lamp burned in another corner, giving off just enough light for the nurses to check on patients.
Lyle glanced at his watch. It was after midnight. He’d been on his feet for fourteen hours, most of that time in the operating theatre. No wonder he felt weary. Somewhere in the distance he could hear sirens screaming. It had taken weeks, but the sound was no longer as terrifying as it used to be, sad proof that over time you could get used to anything. He didn’t even smell the acute odour of infection or Lysol disinfectant any more, or the stench of so much death.
Nurse Elena Fabrizia was sleeping in a wicker chair beside one of her patients. Private Norman Mason of the Ninth Battalion, North and Lancaster Regiment, had been badly wounded on a battlefield in Passchendaele, France. He’d told Elena that he was from Derbyshire and was married with seven-year-old twin daughters whom he hadn’t seen since the summer of 1914, when they were only three.
Elena stirred and then winced at a twinge of pain from her stiff neck.
“Have you been here since the end of your shift?” Lyle whispered. He’d made it his business to know that her shift had finished at seven o’clock. He thought she’d gone home to her parents’ house on Warbreck Road, but he was only mildly surprised to find her asleep beside Norman Mason. Her dedication was just one of the many things he’d come to love and admire about her.
“What time is it?” Elena asked sleepily as she adjusted her white mop cap over her loosely tied-back long, dark hair. Her white apron, adorned with a red cross on the bib to signify that she was a nurse, bore evidence of some of the unpleasant tasks she’d done that day.
“Quarter past twelve,” Lyle said softly.
“Oh, my goodness. Mama and Papa will be worried.” Elena straightened up and glanced at the man in the bed beside her. “Norman’s leg wound doesn’t look so good.” Her voice trembled as she thought about the possible ramifications of his injury. She’d done her training in a small hospital that didn’t accept wounded soldiers. She had transferred to the Victoria Hospital a few months ago because they’d been desperately short-staffed. Elena had never seen such shocking injuries, but at twenty-two years of age she felt that she should have the maturity to be professionally detached from all she witnessed. The fact that she was affected so deeply had her questioning her vocation. But she was needed. She couldn’t walk away.
Norman’s right calf muscle had been pierced straight through, the muscle ripped from the shin bone between his knee and ankle. The bone in his left leg had been shattered beyond repair. That leg had been amputated above the knee three days earlier.
“His fever is high, so I’m afraid his leg is becoming gangrenous,” Elena added. Despite how cold it was outside, Norman’s brow was wet with perspiration. She leaned over him and gently dabbed his forehead with a cloth.
At the end of her twelve-hour shift, Elena had gone to Norman’s bedside to check on him one last time. The ether was having little effect on his pain, and he’d wanted to talk about his wife and children. She’d been exhausted, but she couldn’t deny him company, not when it distracted him from his suffering. Initially, Norman had displayed a lot of anger and self-pity about the leg he’d lost, but tonight was different. Reality had set in, and he was terrified that he might not live to see his girls grow up.
Lyle drew Elena away from Norman. Even though it was clear that the young soldier was enjoying a few minutes of merciful sleep, he didn’t want there to be any chance that his next words might be overheard.
“You know he may lose that leg, too, Elena,” Lyle whispered. “That decision will be made tomorrow. If it has to come off to save his life, then we’ll have no choice.”
Elena’s weariness made her unable to control her emotions, and her dark brown eyes filled with tears. “I know. I just wish it could be saved. He’s already lost so much.”
“I’m sure his wife would prefer a husband with no legs to no husband at all, Elena. You must see it that way.”
Elena’s head dropped. “You’re right,” she whispered. “You’re so strong and wise, Lyle. I wish I was more like you.”
Lyle winced at the remark. “I’m far from perfect, Elena. I’m just a man trying to do the best I can. I don’t always get it right.”
“You’ve saved so many lives. I don’t know where this hospital would be without you, Lyle, or how I’d get through each day.”
“You’re stronger than you think, Elena, and you’ve brought so much comfort to men like Norman. Never underestimate how special you are.”
Lyle took her hand and led her farther away from Norman’s bed. They stood facing each other in a dim corner of the ward. Lyle looked into Elena’s eyes. He’d been fighting his feelings for her, but he was finding it harder and harder to ignore the pull on his heart. He’d already kissed her several times, and he wanted to do it again, over and over.
Elena’s dark eyes were shining with emotion. Lyle was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Every nurse in the Victoria Hospital, regardless of age, literally swooned when he glanced in their direction, and yet he seemed completely oblivious. Elena wasn’t immune to his looks, but she truly believed she was the only nurse who understood that there was far more to Doctor Lyle Macallister than his dashing good looks. He was sensitive and flirtatious in an amusing way. Even amid the horror they faced, he could make her smile with his wonderful sense of humour. She understood why the warmth of his voice and his deep Scottish brogue were such a comfort to patients. She felt the true extent of his compassion and dedication to medicine. He was an exceptional man, and she’d fallen deeply in love with him.
Lyle had completed his training in a hospital in Edinburgh before the war broke out. He’d worked at the Crichton Royal Hospital in Dumfries, Scotland, for four years before being recruited to Blackpool, along with several of his colleagues. He was disappointed that in six weeks he hadn’t been able to make more of an impact in the overcrowded conditions, but medical supplies had been short. To add to the frustration of the wounded soldiers coming in faster than they could be treated, a Spanish flu epidemic was killing thousands in Europe.
From the moment Lyle had first laid eyes on Elena Fabrizia, his world had turned upside down. Before he started his job at the Victoria Hospital, he’d been accepting and compliant in the life mapped out for him by those around him. Then he met Elena. Now his future felt like a deck of cards that had been thrown into the air on a windy day.
“You should be wearing your germ mask, Elena. The influenza has claimed twenty lives in this hospital in the past four days,” Lyle said, concern lining his face. Now that he’d found her, he couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.
Elena nodded. She was too weary to think. Lyle drew her into his arms and their lips met. At first the kiss was tender, but then Lyle’s arms tightened around her small frame, and he kissed her hungrily. They could hear the night nurses doing their rounds in the next ward, so they knew that they had a few precious moments of privacy. Secrets weren’t easy to keep in busy hospital environments, and both of them had their reasons for not wanting it known that they were falling in love.
“I must go home,” Elena said, thinking of the trouble she would be in if her family found out she was kissing one of the doctors. She reluctantly stepped out of his embrace. “My father might come looking for me.” Luigi Fabrizia was very strict. He didn’t allow Elena to date. Even though his wife, Louisa, had had an English mother, it was no secret in their family that her father wanted her to marry an Italian man, a Catholic. If he knew she’d fallen in love with a Scottish Protestant, he’d ship her back to family in Italy. For this reason, Lyle and Elena were only able to steal brief moments together.
“I have something to tell you before you go, Elena,” Lyle said. He drew her out of the ward to the privacy of a small lounge for visitors that contained a few wooden chairs. The lounge made Lyle think of the many times he’d given the worst possible news to the families of his patients, but he needed to talk to her about something other than patients, illness, and death.
“I’ve just been given a four-day break starting tomorrow morning,” he said earnestly. “That’s enough time to get home to Dumfries and be back at work on Wednesday.” He watched her reaction and could see that she was disappointed they wouldn’t be spending a little of that time together. “I must see my family,” Lyle added. He desperately wanted to tell her the real reason he had to go home, but he couldn’t risk losing her.
“Of course you should go,” Elena said, putting on a brave face. “Your family must miss you so much. I’m sure they’re proud of all the wonderful work you are doing, but I’ll miss you, too.”
Lyle wanted to tell Elena more about his life in Scotland, but he couldn’t bring himself to hurt her with the truth. “Promise me you’ll wear your mask while I’m gone,” he said earnestly.
Elena smiled through her weariness. “Of course I will,” she said.
“Elena!” someone in the corridor called.
Her eyes widened when she recognised her father’s voice. “That’s my papa,” she said, panicking. “I must go. Goodbye, Lyle. Please be careful, and come back to me.” She kissed him quickly and then dashed from the room.
Lyle heard Elena call out to her father, and then they were gone.
The following evening, Lyle alighted from the train in his hometown of Dumfries. It was growing dark, and the streets glistened with twilight dew. As he walked, raindrops began to fall, but he hardly noticed. His feelings were in turmoil.
Lyle went straight to his parents’ modest cottage on Burns Street. His father had been out visiting his patients. Tom Macallister had served their immediate community as a doctor for nearly thirty years. He was a complicated man, set in his ways and dedicated to his patients. He could have once been described as tireless, but as his wife, Mina, was aware, arthritis was slowing him down, and he fell asleep as soon as he sat still for more than a few minutes. He often appeared gruff, especially in the winter when he was in pain, but he was always compassionate. He had a stubborn streak a mile wide, and yet he often surprised Mina with how sentimental he could be. Lyle enjoyed a good relationship with his father, and their respect and fondness for each other had grown over the years.
In his thirty years of dedicated work, it wasn’t uncommon for Tom to have tended three generations of a family. He’d treated everything from minor cuts to a broken heart. Even before the war began, he would accept a pie or a chicken as payment for his services. Now that everyone was on rations, he was more often than not offered a couple of eggs or a piece of cheese, which he’d steadfastly refuse if he thought children would go hungry. His grateful patients had taken to leaving home-grown vegetables on his doorstep and then denying that they’d done so. The previous day it had been leeks, so Mina had made soup.
Lyle’s mother was originally from the Highlands. She was robust, hardworking, and often curt with those outside her immediate family. Those closest to her knew of her butter-soft heart and her great love of animals. Even if they were short of food, she’d find something for a hungry stray dog or cat.
Lyle’s brother, Robbie, was an army chaplain. They didn’t hear from him often, but the last letter had come from Italy. The family clung to the knowledge that he had been safe when he sent the letter. Lyle was surprised to find his young sister, Aileen, at home. She’d hurt her hand at work in a munitions factory in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and had been given two weeks of leave.
After a chat with his mother and sister over a steaming bowl of cock-a-leekie soup, followed by bannocks and tea, Lyle and his father went to Mulligan’s Inn for a pint of ale. They made small talk for a while, discussing the locals and Tom’s thoughts on Robbie’s work as a chaplain. Then the subject moved to the Victoria Hospital, the shortage of medical supplies, and the outbreak of tuberculosis in Dumfries. As they talked about the influenza epidemic, Tom sensed the inner turmoil in Lyle. He had keen instincts when it came to people, especially his family, so he suspected that whatever was bothering his son had nothing to do with the war. After a long silence stretched between them, he spoke up.
“You’ve got something on yer mind, son,” he stated matter-of-factly, the flavour of local dialect seeping into his voice. “Let’s hear it.” He levelled his steady gaze at Lyle.
Lyle suddenly felt like a five-year-old again. He didn’t know what to say. “It’s nothing, Dad. I’ll deal with it,” he replied. He wasn’t sure his father would understand.
Tom was thoughtful for a minute. “I’m sure you see the worst of this war where you’re working, Lyle. There’s no shame in being affected by it.”
“It’s hard not to be affected by how senseless the war is, but that’s not what’s on my mind, Dad,” Lyle admitted.
“Then if it’s not the war, there’s only one other thing that can distract a man, and that’s a beautiful woman. Are you worried about Millie?”
Lyle swallowed the last of his ale and felt his face grow warm. He needed to unburden himself, but he didn’t know what to expect from his father. “I’ve fallen in love with a nurse at the hospital,” he blurted out before he could lose his nerve. He glanced around to make sure he hadn’t been overheard, but apart from themselves, there were only two other men in the inn, and they were huddled in the corner playing cards. “I’ve never felt this way before, Dad. She’s all I can think about, night and day.”
Tom was not known for his tact, but he took a moment to choose his words carefully. “People act differently during war time, son. They know a bomb could drop on them any minute, so they become impulsive and tend to live for the moment. Feelings get out of hand.”
“What are you saying, Dad? That my feelings aren’t real?”
Tom could see that Lyle was hurt. “Yer feelings might seem real, lad, but when the war is over, and there’s talk that it could happen soon, will this girl still be there, and will you still feel the same about her?”
“The only thing I’m certain of right now is that I’ll love Elena Fabrizia for the rest of my life,” Lyle said adamantly.
“With a name like Fabrizia, she must be Italian,” Tom said, frowning.
“Aye, her parents are Italian Catholics.”
“Then yer in for a cartload of trouble, my son.”
“What do you mean, Dad?”
“Would I be right in guessing you haven’t met this Elena’s family and received their blessing?”
Lyle bowed his head. “Aye, but our relationship is only a few weeks old.”
“If I know anything about Italian Catholics, her father will expect and even arrange for her to marry another one. A Scottish Protestant would be shown the door, pronto!”
Lyle’s heart sank. “I know there will be obstacles, but we can overcome them.”
“She will be ostracised from her family, Lyle. Haven’t you got enough to deal with?”
Lyle felt his frustration growing. “I love Elena. We love each other. There’s nothing I can do about it!”
“What about Millie? It’s no secret she believes she will one day be your wife. She told your mother she has a glory box and her wedding dress already picked out.”
“I’ve not asked Millie to marry me, Dad,” Lyle said defensively.
“Maybe not, but she sees it in your future. Be very careful before you throw that away for something that could be just a war-time romance.”
An hour later, Lyle knocked on Millie’s door with a heavy heart. He needed to set the record straight with her. The wind was howling, piercing even the thick folds of his long woollen overcoat with the collar turned up.
Millie opened the door, and her face lit up like a hundred candles. “Lyle!”
She was a small woman with a shock of curly reddish-brown hair and a sprinkling of freckles on her nose. She threw herself at Lyle, oblivious to the raindrops on his shoulders, and planted a big kiss on his lips that were blue with cold.
Lyle had tortured himself for hours, comparing his feelings for Millie and Elena. The only thing he’d worked out was that he loved Millie, but it wasn’t the same kind of love he felt for Elena. When he thought of Millie, it was with warmth and fondness. They’d known each other since school days and had dated off and on for the past four years. They were comfortable with each other.
The type of love he felt for Elena was entirely different. His heart raced whenever he saw her. He longed to touch her, feel the softness of her skin, even for a second or two. The thought of sharing a future with her and having her bear his children filled him with joy.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I’d have made myself pretty for you!” Millie gushed as she drew him inside, out of the cold. There was nothing like a November wind in Dumfries.
Lyle could see through to the small lounge, where a warm and inviting fire glowed in the hearth.
“I … my leave came up suddenly, so I thought I’d take the chance to get home,” Lyle said as he followed her into the small, cosy living room where he warmed his hands by the fire. In the silence, Lyle could hear someone coughing in another room. “How are your mum and dad?” Millie’s brother, Andrew, worked in the same munitions factory as Aileen, so he was lodging in Newcastle.
“They’re in bed,” Millie said. She was in her dressing gown and slippers.
“I’m sorry it’s late,” Lyle apologised. “After visiting with Mum and Aileen, I went to Mulligan’s Inn for a pint with Dad.”
“I don’t care how late it is, Lyle. You’re here, and that’s all that matters. Mum and Dad will be sorry they missed you.” She took his overcoat and hung it on a hook amongst many others. “Actually, Dad’s not well, so that’s why he and Mum have gone to bed rather early.”
Lyle was upset by this news. He liked Jock Evans. “That’s your dad I hear coughing?”
“Aye, he coughs all night and keeps Mum awake.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“A few days.”
“Has he seen a doctor?”
“You know what Dad’s like, Lyle.”
“Aye, he says doctors are for sick people.”
“That’s right. His cough is terrible, but he’s playing it down and still going to work.”
Lyle knew Jock was even more stubborn than his own father, but he was also a big, strong man. It was hard to imagine him ill.
Lyle sat down on the sofa, the very same sofa on which he and Millie had made love just before he left for Blackpool. They’d been caught up in the very frame of mind that his father had spoken about. War-time emotions. There was no guarantee that Victoria Hospital wouldn’t be bombed, no guarantee that they’d ever have a future. He and Millie had been saving themselves for marriage, but what was the point if Lyle didn’t make it home? So, they’d taken a risk they otherwise wouldn’t have taken.
Lyle stared into the flames, avoiding Millie’s trusting blue eyes. He tried to find the words to tell her it was over, that he’d fallen in love with another woman. But although they formed in his head, they wouldn’t pass his lips.
“I’ve missed you so much,” Millie said, sitting beside him and squeezing his cold hands. She hadn’t been feeling too well herself, but her happiness at seeing Lyle again was as good as any tonic. “Can I get you some hot tea to warm your bones?”
“No, I’m fine,” Lyle said.
“What’s it like in Blackpool?”
“I don’t get a chance to see much of the city,” Lyle replied truthfully. “It’s pretty hectic at the hospital. We can’t keep up with the constant arrival of wounded soldiers.” He took a deep breath. “I may not be able to get home again for quite some time, Millie.” He was leading up to the suggestion that Millie move on with her life instead of waiting for him.
Millie frowned in disappointment. “I hope you’re getting enough rest, Lyle. I know how dedicated you are, but you need your rest.”
It was just like Millie to fuss over his health. Lyle felt even guiltier. “I’m fine.” He had to change the subject. “How are you?”
Millie gladly told him about her work as a teacher, and she gave him news of their friends in the town. Lyle wasn’t listening. His thoughts were with Elena. He couldn’t go on lying to Elena, either. He had to tell Millie the truth.
After a while, Millie noticed that something wasn’t right. She assumed, as Lyle’s father had, that the war and the terrible injures he’d had to treat were affecting him.
“Are you all right, Lyle, really? You know you can tell me,” Millie said compassionately.
Lyle looked into her trusting blue eyes and felt like the lowest form of life. His guilt suffocated him like an anvil weighing down on his chest. He couldn’t bear the thought of breaking her heart and loathed himself for being deceitful. “Dealing with the aftermath of battle is hard, Millie. It’s changing me. I feel differently about a lot of things.”
“I can understand that, Lyle.” Millie cupped his face in her hands. “But you don’t feel differently about me, do you?”
Lyle saw this moment as his chance to plant the idea in Millie’s mind that she should make a life with someone else. “Millie, you deserve the best. You’re a good woman … but you should—”
“I understand what you’re going through, Lyle,” Millie interrupted.
“Do you?” Lyle asked. Maybe she would understand.
“I expected it to change you. As long as you don’t change the way you feel about me, I can cope.”
“Millie, sometimes circumstances change.”
She interrupted him again. “If I won’t see you for a while, give me something to remember, Lyle. Make love to me, please.”
CHAPTER 2
“Stop, Millie,” Lyle said, disentangling himself from her ardent embrace and sitting up.
“What’s wrong?” Millie asked, hurt. She wondered whether things were worse than she imagined, whether the terrible injuries he had seen had affected his ability to be with a woman.
“Your father’s cough sounds terrible. I think there’s something seriously wrong with him.”
“Do you?” Millie closed her dressing gown over her ample bosom as Lyle got to his feet.
“Yes. I must have a look at him.” Lyle realised he hadn’t brought his medical bag with him.
Millie knocked on her parents’ door and called to her mother, who only took a moment to appear.
“What’s wrong, Millie?” she whispered. There was really no need to whisper; Jock couldn’t sleep. He was struggling to breathe.
“Lyle is here, and he wants to have a look at Dad,” Millie replied urgently.
Bonnie Evans was relieved. She couldn’t take another sleepless night of worrying.
“That’s not necessary,” Jock barked. “Tell him to go home.”
“I’ll do no such thing,” Bonnie hissed, grabbing her dressing gown from a hook on the back of the door. She came out of the room and hurried off to find Lyle, who was waiting in the kitchen.
“Hello, Lyle,” she said, tying her gown and then vainly trying to tame her wayward curls.
“I’m sorry to get you up, but I don’t like the sound of Jock’s cough,” Lyle said.
“The stubborn old coot won’t see a doctor,” Bonnie lamented. “I’m afraid he might have caught the Spanish influenza.”
“Oh, Mum, you don’t seriously think so, do you?”
Bonnie’s blue eyes welled up with tears. “I do,” she said.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Lyle said. He noted the dark circles around Bonnie’s eyes and knew she’d had more than one sleepless night.
Bonnie turned on the light, and Lyle could see Jock sitting on the side of the bed, hunched over, his face an unhealthy shade of grey. He was struggling to catch his breath. If Jock were honest, he’d admit that he had never felt so ill in his life. But his obstinate pride prevented such an admission.
“Lyle is going to take a look at you, Jock,” Bonnie said.
“Stop fussing, woman,” her husband grumbled. “It’s just a nasty cold I’ve got.” He coughed and wheezed, his face turning crimson.
“It’s no cold, and we both know it,” Bonnie shot back crossly. Sleep-deprived for days, she was in no mood to be charitable. “Now you let Lyle take a look at you. And you do exactly what he says.” She practically pushed Lyle into the room.
“Hello, Mr. Evans,” Lyle said awkwardly. “Are you not feeling so well, sir?”
“I’m just a bit out of breath, and my chest feels tight. It’ll pass soon enough. Bonnie had no right bothering you. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do.”
“Actually, I haven’t. I’m just home on a couple of days of leave.”
“Then you should be relaxing, not bothering yourself with me,” Jock growled, choking out the words just before another coughing spasm hit him.
“It’s no bother, sir, and it was my idea. I could hear you coughing from the living room, and I could tell it was no ordinary cough,” Lyle said. He walked around the bed to get a better look at Jock, trying to hide his discomfort because Bonnie was still in the doorway, but she noticed, anyway.
Lyle had never seen Millie’s father look anything but strong as an ox, but right now he could have passed for a frail man twice his age.
“I’d love a cup of tea, Mrs. Evans,” Lyle suggested gently.
While Bonnie went to make the tea, Lyle knelt before Jock. “I haven’t got my stethoscope, so do you mind if I put my ear to your chest so that I can listen to your lungs?”
“All right,” Jock said uncomfortably. “But yer wasting yer time.”
Jock undid his pyjama jacket. Lyle put his ear against his chest and told him to breathe as deeply as he could. Jock tried, but taking a deep breath brought on another bout of coughing. Lyle noted that Jock was holding his side. Either he had fluid on the lungs or a fractured rib from the violent coughing fits.
“It’s just a cold, isn’t it?” Jock said when he caught his breath.
“It may be pneumonia, but it could be something else,” Lyle said, sitting down beside him on the bed. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “My father told me that someone at your work has tuberculosis. You know how contagious that is, Mr. Evans?”
“Christ, don’t mention that to Bonnie or Millie,” Jock said softly, turning to look at the doorway.
“I won’t, as long as you agree to go to the hospital for tests.”
A few minutes later, Lyle emerged from the bedroom to say that he didn’t think Jock had the Spanish influenza. “It could be pneumonia, but the hospital will have to run tests to confirm it.”
“The hospital,” Bonnie said. “I’ll never be able to get Jock to the hospital.” She handed Lyle a cup of tea and a plate of bannocks.
“He’s agreed to go,” Lyle told her.
“What? My Jock?”
“Yes, I’ve convinced him that he needs to be tested. I think he’d like a cup of tea now.”
Bonnie prepared her husband’s tea and took it through to the bedroom.
Millie looked at Lyle. “You must have put the fear of God in my dad to get him to go to the hospital, Lyle. Tell me the truth,” she whispered. “Is he going to be all right?”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. I suspect he has pneumonia.” He didn’t want to alarm her by saying that he really suspected tuberculosis.
Millie looked horrified. “Dad will be all right, though, won’t he?”
Lyle knew that one in seven people with tuberculosis died. “Your dad is one of the strongest men in Dumfries. I’m sure he’s going to recover.”
“I heard that a man at Dad’s work was diagnosed with tuberculosis,” Millie said. “It was Ted McNichol. You remember Ted, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course,” Lyle said. “You didn’t tell your mum about Ted, did you?”
“No,” Millie said, becoming even more worried by the expression on Lyle’s face. “You don’t think Dad caught it, do you?”
“I can’t say, Millie. He’ll have to be tested at the hospital.”
“Oh, Lyle, I’m so glad you’re here,” Millie said. Throwing her arms around his neck, she began to cry.
Lyle held her tight. Now was not the time to tell her he loved another woman, as he’d planned. He just couldn’t do it. Part of him was relieved for the reprieve, but he knew it was only temporary.
Jock was admitted to the hospital, but Lyle had to catch the train back to Blackpool before the results of the tuberculosis tests were complete. Lyle had decided that it would be best to break things off with Millie without telling her about Elena. He just couldn’t do it while she was so worried about her father. He considered telling her by letter, but he knew that would be the coward’s way out, and Millie deserved more than that. He vowed to return when her father was well. Then he would end things between them.
“Something smells wonderful,” Elena said to her mother when she entered the eat-in kitchen of their drab home on Warbreck Road. It was her day off, so Elena had been doing the family washing in the community laundry on High Street. She’d already changed into her housedress and slippers.
Louisa Fabrizia had brightened up the interior of their maisonette home as best she could with colourful Italian tablecloths and little mementos from the years she’d lived in Italy, but the place was run-down and damp, and that couldn’t be disguised. The Fabrizias were just renting the 106-year-old house, the fourth in a row of ten, so Luigi saw no reason to spend good money to fix the sagging ceilings, broken floorboards, cracked panes of glass, or ill-fitting doors. Unfortunately, their landlord was of the same mind.
“We have a guest for dinner tonight, Elena. Please set the table with the good china,” Louisa told her daughter.
Luigi came through from the living room carrying the bucket he used to fetch wood from the pile outside. He looked Elena over with disapproval.
“Elena, put on a nice dress tonight, and do something pretty with your hair,” he said before going out the back door to fetch the wood.
“Who is our guest, Mama?” Elena asked as she began selecting cutlery and plates for the table.
“Aldo Corradeo, the son of one of your grandpapa’s friends in Sardinia. He comes from the same part of Santa Maria Coghinas as your papa.”
“Have you met him before?” Elena asked, thinking this was just a coincidence. She was almost glad to have a distraction from thinking about Lyle. She missed him so much.
“He was at our wedding, but he was just a boy, so I wouldn’t know him now. Your Uncle Alfredo assures us that he’s grown into a very nice man,” Louisa added.
“Like Papa, Uncle Alfredo thinks all Italian men are nice,” Elena whispered to her mother. “There are other men who are very nice, some of the doctors at the hospital, for instance.”
Louisa looked mortified. “Don’t let your papa hear you say anything like that,” she hissed.
“Would it be so terrible if I were to fall in love with someone who wasn’t Italian?” Elena asked.
Louisa stared at her daughter in disbelief. “It wouldn’t bear thinking about,” she said, just as Luigi came in the backdoor with an armful of wood.
“What are you talking about?” Luigi asked, sensing tension in the kitchen.
“I just said it wouldn’t bear thinking about if the dinner didn’t turn out well when we have a guest,” Louisa said quickly.
“You’re the best cook I know,” Luigi said steadfastly. “Of course the dinner will turn out good.”
Louisa looked at her daughter. She hoped Elena could see for herself that her father was a single-minded man. When Luigi went back to the living room to put more wood on the fire, Louisa moved closer to her daughter.
“Forget any ideas about courting a doctor from the hospital, Elena,” she said.
“But, Mama …”
“No buts,Elena,” Louisa said adamantly. “Now get the table ready.”
Louisa went back to her soup, turning her back on Elena, who silently vowed that she would run away with Lyle if she had to. She loved her parents, but she couldn’t tolerate the idea of giving up Lyle.
An hour later, the Fabrizias’ guest arrived. Louisa and Elena could hear Luigi talking to him in the front room before Luigi brought the guest through to the kitchen to reacquaint him with Louisa and to meet Elena.
Elena’s first impression of Aldo was of a man uncomfortable in the company of women. He was in his late thirties, and since he was alone, there was every chance he wasn’t married. Suddenly feeling like an authority on the subject, she doubted he’d ever been in love. He was terribly thin, with an olive complexion, eyes that seemed to dart everywhere, and a beaky nose.
Luigi welcomed Aldo enthusiastically. He told him how good it was to see him again, and for a few minutes they talked about Santa Maria Coghinas. Louisa and Elena could see how happy it made Luigi to be able to talk to someone from his hometown. He claimed he didn’t miss his life in Italy, but there were definitely some things he missed, like being out in the warm sunshine, picking olives. Aldo related all the changes since the war, which only reaffirmed Luigi’s plans to travel to Australia.
“You speak very good English, Mr. Corradeo,” Elena said. “How long have you been in England?” She offered him bread from a plate while her mother ladled soup into his bowl.
“Please, call me Aldo,” he said, seemingly too self-conscious to make eye contact with her, but taking in every detail of the small kitchen.
“Aldo,” Elena repeated.
“I came to England several times before the war began. I’ve been in Blackpool for just a few days.”
“Aldo is staying in a guesthouse near Victoria Hospital,” Luigi explained.
“I’m going out to Australia as soon as the war ends,” Aldo said, excitement dancing in his eyes. With the recent collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, and the inclusion of the United States in the trenches with the Allies, everyone was hopeful that the war would soon end.
Elena wondered why he didn’t go to Australia straight from Italy. “Do you have business in England at the moment?” she asked.
Aldo glanced at Luigi. “Not really,” he said. “I just wanted to catch up with Luigi and Louisa again, and talk about my Australian plans.”
“Oh,” Elena said disinterestedly. If she hadn’t been preoccupied with thoughts of Lyle, she might have found his statement odd.
Elena glanced at her father. He’d been talking about his own plans to immigrate to Australia for more than a year, but this was the first time she’d heard that someone from his hometown would also be immigrating to the fifth continent.
“Aldo is going to buy some land and farm cattle,” Luigi said proudly.
“Ah,” Elena replied, feigning interest. “Were you a farmer in Italy?”
“Sì, I had sheep and a few cows. I plan on buying land in the Winton area. That’s a town in Central West Queensland. There is plenty of sunshine, and the water comes from underground.”
“Underground,” Elena said, mystified. She started on her own soup.
“Sì. It’s very hot when it comes to the surface, but it cools in the open air. Then the townsfolk can use it, and the cattle can drink it. It’s called bore water. Apparently, there’s plenty underground in Australia.”
“Doesn’t it rain out there?” Elena asked.
Aldo looked at her and smiled. He liked her inquisitive mind, but he quickly dropped his gaze again. “Sì, but they have long periods of drought.”
“It doesn’t sound like there’d be much grass for the cattle to eat,” Elena commented.
“The cattle in Australia have adapted and eat all sorts of vegetation,” Aldo explained. “They’re hardier beasts than those in Europe.”
“We will move to the town of Winton, also,” Luigi said. “I think there will be great opportunities in Australia. I can open a butcher shop, and Aldo can supply me with meat. Isn’t this a wonderful idea, Elena?”
“I suppose so, Papa,” Elena said, thinking it was strange that her father would seek her approval. How could she tell him that the thought of going to Australia no longer appealed to her? Suddenly Elena had a terrible thought. She looked at Aldo, then at her father. They were both glancing from her to each other, odd expressions on their faces. Surely her father wasn’t thinking she … and Aldo … . Her heart sank.
“You will love Australia, Elena,” her father added enthusiastically as he mopped up the last of his soup with a chunk of bread and noisily slurped it. This practice had always made Elena cringe, but then Aldo began doing the very same thing.
Elena looked at her mother, who was watching her with a steady gaze, almost daring her to defy her father’s plans. Now that she’d met and fallen in love with Lyle, she didn’t want to go to Australia. She wouldn’t.
“Do you like warm sunshine, Elena?” Aldo asked her.
“Of course I do,” she replied carefully. “I love summer in England. The days are so long.” She noted that her father was watching her closely. He was also watching Aldo’s reaction to what she said. She suddenly knew for certain that her father hoped that she might like Aldo Corradeo enough to marry him. Her heart plummeted. “If you will excuse me,” she said. “I have a headache.” She actually felt ill. She stood up to leave the table.
“Sit, Elena, we have a guest,” her father said in a stern voice.
Elena reluctantly sat down again, looking to her mother for support. It was obvious that Louisa was uncomfortable. She collected the empty soup bowls and took them to the sink. She then put out clean bowls and a big bowl of pasta that she’d been keeping warm in the temperamental oven. As she dished the pasta into bowls, Elena sat frozen. She’d lost her appetite completely.
“Eat up, Elena,” her father ordered. “You work long hours at the hospital, so you must keep up your strength.”
Elena said nothing. She began picking at her food, aware that Aldo was watching her.
“Tell Aldo about your work at the hospital,” Luigi suggested.
“I’m sure it would be of no interest to him, Papa.” Elena said, more convinced than ever that her father was match-making.
“I would love to know about your work, if you feel up to telling me about it,” Aldo said kindly.
“Of course she does,” Luigi said. “Go on, Elena,” he prompted.
Elena felt anger creeping into her tone. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to talk about the horrible injuries I see every day, Papa,” she said.
“You don’t have to go into detail, Elena,” her father snapped, frustrated.
Elena looked at her plate for a few moments and then began telling Aldo about her work at the hospital. Now that she understood that her father wanted a union between her and Aldo, she could barely make eye contact with him. She didn’t want to do anything that would encourage him, not when her heart belonged to Lyle. Aldo asked her one or two questions, and her father sang praises about the long hours she worked and how fit and capable she was. Elena felt like an animal going up for auction rather than a woman capable of finding her own life partner. Her cheeks burned with humiliation.
When the men took their coffees through to the living room, Elena’s eyes welled up with tears as she went to the sink to help her mother with the dishes.
“He’s a nice man, Elena,” Louisa said gently.
“I’m not going to marry him, Mama. I don’t care what Papa says.” She wanted to blurt out that she loved another man, but she dared not go that far.
“It will be all right, Elena. Once this terrible war ends, and we move to Australia, life will be different. It will be good. We’ll be bathed in warm sunshine all the time, and there’s plenty of wide-open space in Australia. It will be a wonderful place for your bambini to grow up.”
Elena could see that her mother was looking forward to the future, but they had very different views on what that future might be. She said nothing, but her mind wandered to an imaginary life in Scotland with Lyle. Their children would play on the Scottish Highlands he’d told her about, and they’d all spend Sunday afternoons picnicking beside a beautiful loch. Lyle would be a village doctor, and she’d look after all their children. They’d live in a beautiful cottage with flowers in the garden. When she thought about the alternative, living on a farm where it rarely rained, surrounded by dust and cattle, she inwardly cringed.
“Did you know that Papa has been making plans for me to marry Aldo Corradeo, Mama?”
“Yes, I knew, Elena. He told me some time ago, but I didn’t say anything because I wanted you to have an open mind when you met him.”
“I want to choose my own husband. I want to marry a man whom I love. You can understand that, can’t you, Mama?” Tears of frustration blurred Elena’s vision.
“You know that is not possible, Elena. My father arranged for me to marry your papa. That is the way things are done, and I have been happy. I would have liked more children, and I know your papa wanted a son, but that was not to be for us. Just accept the way things are, Elena. We are going to Australia as soon as the war ends, and you will have a happy life with Aldo Corradeo.”
CHAPTER 3
Though it initially appeared that the seaside resort town of Brighton might suffer during the war, the influx of ten thousand troops and two thousand refugees from Belgium proved to be a windfall. Their presence brought financial relief for local hotels, shops, and stalls, as well as the community in general. Most of the refugees found immediate employment when approximately fifteen hundred German waiters and musicians abruptly abandoned the town. The long stretches of coastline also provided relative safety for military training and exercises.
Shirley Blinky opened her house to lodgers after her husband was killed in July 1916 at the Battle of the Somme. An army widow’s pension didn’t cover the cost of keeping a big house on Ashbourne Street, so taking in lodgers was necessary to make ends meet. The lodgers also filled a lonely void, as her two children had been evacuated to her sister’s house in the Scottish countryside.
Like many of her neighbours, Shirley could have easily billeted army soldiers, but she preferred doctors because they paid better and were less rowdy. Lyle Macallister had taken up lodging with Shirley, and so had Doctor Alain McKenzie. He’d gone through medical school with Lyle, and they’d worked together at the Crichton Royal Hospital in Dumfries. When they were transferred to the Victoria Hospital, they’d travelled down on the train together and found accommodation.
Alain also knew Millie and her family, and most of Lyle’s friends, but apart from their shared profession, the two men were poles apart in character. Lyle was generally outgoing and jovial, interested in sports like curling, football, and darts, while Alain preferred the solitary past-time of reading. His bedside manner could be described as cold, but Lyle felt Alain was misunderstood because he was quiet. Lyle’s dashing looks also made him a magnet for the nurses, whereas Alain was not the sort of man women noticed. He wasn’t unattractive, but he just didn’t stand out.
A week earlier, Alain had been taking a break with a group of doctors at the hospital when one of them made a remark about two nurses. It was the type of bawdy but harmless remark that men made when they were in the company of other men, but Lyle had overreacted because one of the nurses in question was Elena. He’d meant to apologise to Alain in private, but his housemate had been avoiding him. For this reason, Lyle had been especially vigilant about not letting anyone notice his feelings for Elena. He didn’t want to take the chance that Alain or one of the other doctors from Dumfries might delight in telling Millie about his association with Elena on a visit home. He was also afraid that Alain might bring up the subject of Millie in front of Elena.
The third lodger at Mrs. Blinky’s was a young girl named Bernadette Dobson who had lost her parents during the war. As her only brother had also gone off to fight, Bernadette had been left in a vulnerable position. She was just seventeen, and Mrs. Blinky had known her parents quite well, so she felt it her duty to take the girl under her wing. Or this was what she professed.
Shirley hadn’t realised how much work lodgers could be, and she saw poor Bernadette as cheap labour. In exchange for low rent, the girl was expected to clean the lodgers’ rooms and do the washing, as well as work during the day in a vegetable shop. In the evenings after dinner, Bernadette had to clean up while Shirley put her feet up after a “hard” day.
Lyle had caught the late train back to Blackpool on Tuesday night. Fearing he’d wake the rest of the lodgers, he crept quietly up to his room. He was passing Shirley Blinky’s bedroom door when he thought he heard muffled noises. Worried that something was wrong, he stopped to listen, only to realise that Shirley had someone in her room. His first thought was that his landlady was having an argument with Bernadette. Then he heard laughing, followed by a man’s voice. It sounded like Alain. For a few moments Lyle stood frozen, trying to work out why his colleague would be in Shirley’s room. Was Shirley ill? Then he heard her laugh again. He had to concede that it wasn’t the laugh of a sick girl. Then Lyle heard Alain’s voice again. Then Alain laughed, too. That in itself was unusual, but what surprised Lyle the most was that it wasn’t a jovial chuckle. It was more like an intimate laugh between lovers.
Lyle stood, frozen in his tracks. Shirley was at least ten years older than Alain, maybe fifteen. She was also rather outgoing. Lyle went to his room, but despite his weariness, he found it difficult to sleep. He kept wondering how long the affair had been going on between Alain and Shirley, and why he hadn’t seen the signs, but then he was at the hospital or with Elena most of the time. He considered the idea that their affair had begun while he was in Dumfries, but he couldn’t believe it.
Lyle lay awake for hours. When he stopped thinking about Alain and Shirley, his mind was tortured by thoughts of Millie and Elena. Finally, at around three o’clock, he drifted off into a weary sleep.
Elena did not close her eyes all night. At six o’clock, she got up and dressed. It was still dark, and her parents were in bed. Wanting to avoid them, she left the house before seven o’clock. Even if she hadn’t been in love with Lyle, she could never marry Aldo Corradeo. He seemed pleasant enough, but the thought of being intimate with a man she didn’t find attractive repulsed her. She wouldn’t do it, and she couldn’t believe her parents expected her to. She’d made up her mind. If her father wouldn’t allow her to see Lyle, she’d just run away with him.
Elena’s shift began at ten that day, so she took her uniform with her when she left the house. She knew Lyle was due to start his shift at lunchtime. She walked to Ashbourne Street in a state of agitation. Lyle had pointed out the house he lived in, and she knew there was a cafe across the road. They’d had tea there together once.
Elena sat in the cafe and watched the house where Lyle lodged, hoping he’d come out. She saw Alain McKenzie leave for work. A short while later, she saw a dark-haired girl of about sixteen or seventeen leave the house. She was carrying a bag of laundry. Lyle had told her about Bernadette Dobson, and about how hard Mrs. Blinky worked the girl, so she knew it must be her. The laundrette was in the next street. At eight thirty, Elena saw the landlady come out of the house with a shopping bag. That meant Lyle was inside, alone.
When Mrs. Blinky was out of sight, Elena knocked on the front door, but no one answered. She called out, but there was still no reply. She suspected Lyle was still asleep. Making sure no one saw her, she went along the side of the house and through a gate into the rear garden. Luckily, the back door was unlocked.
Elena slipped inside the house and went straight upstairs, where she found three bedroom doors open. The beds had been stripped. One other door was closed. She assumed it was Lyle’s. She knocked softly. When Lyle didn’t answer, she quietly opened the door. Peering inside, she saw the back of Lyle’s head on the pillow. He was fast asleep. Her love for him was overwhelming, and she felt tears prick her eyes. She crept into the room, shutting the door behind her.
“Lyle,” she said softly, touching his shoulder. He didn’t immediately awaken. She knew he must be exhausted and felt guilty for a few moments. But she had to talk to him. “Lyle,” she whispered more intently.
Lyle opened his eyes and turned towards the door. He thought he was dreaming. “Elena,” he said in disbelief as he rubbed his eyes.
“I just had to talk to you, Lyle,” Elena said urgently. She sat on the side of his bed, facing him.
Lyle glanced at the door, worried.
“I saw everyone leave, and I came in through the back door,” she said.
“Are you sure no one is here?” Lyle asked, finally fully awake.
“Yes,” Elena said. “Doctor McKenzie went to work. Bernadette’s gone to the laundrette, and Mrs. Blinky went shopping. I watched them all leave from the cafe across the road.”
“It’s wonderful to see you, but why are you here, Elena?” Lyle asked. “Is something wrong?” His heart began to race. For a terrible few moments, he wondered if one of the other doctors from Dumfries had told her about Millie.
Elena fought the sobs that were constricting her throat. “While you were gone, my father invited a guest to our home.”
“A guest?” Lyle said, trying to grasp why she was telling him this.
“Yes, it was a man.”
“A man?” Lyle still didn’t understand the significance.
“Lyle, my father wants me to marry this man,” Elena sobbed. She didn’t want to cry, but she couldn’t help it.
“What?” Lyle had a mental flash of what his father had said about Italian fathers arranging marriages for their daughters. He panicked at the thought of Elena marrying another man. “Perhaps I should talk to your father and make him understand how much I love you, and that I can give you a good life.”
“He wouldn’t listen because you’re neither Italian nor Catholic.”
“I can change my faith if that’s all that stands between us.”
Elena’s heart swelled with love. “You would do that?”
“I’d do anything for you, Elena.”
“I cannot see my father changing his mind. He would rather send me to Italy than see me marry you. But I cannot marry this man, Lyle. I love you,” Elena choked out.
Lyle’s arms wound around her, and he held her tight. “Your parents will never accept me, will they, Elena?”
She shook her head. “We’ll have to run away together, Lyle,” Elena sobbed.
“You wouldn’t be happy if we did something like that, Elena,” Lyle said.
“I won’t live my life without you. I love Mama and Papa, but I won’t marry another man for them. I love you. I will only ever love you. I know this in my heart.”
“And I love you, Elena, with all my heart. I couldn’t live without you, either.” He whispered. He pulled her close and kissed her hungrily. Their pent-up emotions poured out, heightening their physical closeness. Lyle rained kisses over Elena’s lips, her face, her throat, her ears, and the tops of her breasts.
“Love me, Lyle,” Elena whispered, her lips brushing his ear. “Make love to me,” she begged.
“Are you sure?” Lyle asked. He wanted to so badly, but he didn’t want her to have any regrets.
“As sure as I’m breathing. I know we’re destined to be together. Nothing and no one will ever stand between us. I love you so much, Lyle, and that will never change.”
Lyle felt the same way. Nothing mattered at that moment more than being with Elena. She was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
In Dumfries, Tom Macallister went to the local hospital to see Jock Evans. He was suffering from pneumonia in both lungs, but he’d been cleared of tuberculosis. Millie and her mother were also there visiting her father.
“Tom, how good to see you,” Bonnie said, appreciative that he’d stopped by Jock’s ward. She was much happier now that she knew that her father didn’t have the Spanish flu or worse. She’d been shocked to find out that he’d been tested for tuberculosis.
