so, releasing herself from Kenny’s arm, Fleur ran towards Robbie.
‘What’s this?’ he said, smiling down at her. ‘A rival already, have I?’
‘Absolutely! This is the man I’ve loved all his life. Robbie – this is Kenny, my … my brother.’ For a brief moment her voice faltered and they exchanged a stricken glance.
What if … oh, what if ... ?
But then Robbie had mastered his expression and was turning towards Kenny, his hand outstretched. ‘I’m very pleased to meet you,’ he said warmly, but Fleur was still battling to control her runaway emotions. What if she were at that moment introducing half-brothers to each other?
A shudder ran through her and it was Robbie’s arm that now tightened around her, silently encouraging her to stay strong.
Kenny held out his hand. Although he favoured their mother’s colouring – fair hair and blue eyes – there were times, like now, when his face creased in smiles just like their father’s did when he laughed. ‘Pleased to meet you.’ The younger man looked Robbie up and down. ‘Smart uniform, though I was thinking of the army mesen – when the time comes.’
‘You’ll probably see more of the world than I will stuck up there in a plane. But I fancied the flying.’
Kenny nodded. ‘Yeah. Now you come to mention it,’ he said thoughtfully, ‘it must be thrilling, though I think I’d prefer fighter planes. Bit more exciting, that one-to-one stuff.’ And they laughed together, comrades already.
Fleur stepped between them and linked her arms through theirs. ‘Right, now I’ll take you to meet Mrs Jackson and Harry – if he’s about. And Ruth should be home soon.’
‘Well, I’d come to tell you that I’ll give you a hand this afternoon with this overgrown garden you were telling me about,’ Robbie said. ‘I felt like some fresh air and a bit of real work when I’ve had a few hours’ kip.’
‘Me too,’ Fleur agreed. She was delighted to see Kenny, but after the long night of anxiety she felt she could fall asleep standing up.
‘But I needed to come and make sure you were all right after the air raid.’
‘Air raid? What air raid?’ Kenny asked at once before Fleur could even reply.
‘Oh, it was nothing, just a lone raider dropping a stick of incendiaries,’ Fleur said airily, as if it was a daily occurrence and nothing to get excited about. She squeezed Robbie’s arm, warning him not to make too much of it.
Catching on at once, Robbie adopted a light, bantering tone. ‘Well, it was just an excuse to see you really.’
Kenny glanced at Robbie above Fleur’s head and, despite Robbie’s affected nonchalance about the raid, Kenny could still see the worry in his eyes. The young man knew that they were both trying to make light of the incident in front of him.
Softly, he said, ‘You can tell me the truth, you know. I won’t go running home to tell Mum. I know an airfield’s a dangerous place.’ He looked down at Fleur. ‘You’ve been on duty all night, haven’t you? And you,’ he said, glancing up again at Robbie, ‘have been flying?’
Robbie laughed softly. ‘Seems there’s no keeping any secrets from this brother of yours, darling.’
Fleur smiled ruefully. ‘No,’ she said wryly. ‘I don’t think there is. Not about anything.’
‘So, you both need to get some sleep,’ Kenny began, but Fleur cut in saying, ‘Well, yes, but don’t go. I’ve the rest of the day off. In fact, I’m not on duty until the afternoon shift tomorrow.’
‘And our aircraft’s out of action until tomorrow. We encountered flak coming back across the coast and there are a few holes here and there.’ Again, he was trying to make light of it. ‘We’ll just need a couple of hours and then we can spend the afternoon with you, Kenny.’
‘Right-o,’ Kenny said cheerfully. ‘In the meantime, I can maybe make myself useful. What’s all this about a garden?’
Fleur laughed. ‘Careful – I might set you on.’ Swiftly,
‘What’s this?’ he said, smiling down at her. ‘A rival already, have I?’
‘Absolutely! This is the man I’ve loved all his life. Robbie – this is Kenny, my … my brother.’ For a brief moment her voice faltered and they exchanged a stricken glance.
What if … oh, what if ... ?
But then Robbie had mastered his expression and was turning towards Kenny, his hand outstretched. ‘I’m very pleased to meet you,’ he said warmly, but Fleur was still battling to control her runaway emotions. What if she were at that moment introducing half-brothers to each other?
A shudder ran through her and it was Robbie’s arm that now tightened around her, silently encouraging her to stay strong.
Kenny held out his hand. Although he favoured their mother’s colouring – fair hair and blue eyes – there were times, like now, when his face creased in smiles just like their father’s did when he laughed. ‘Pleased to meet you.’ The younger man looked Robbie up and down. ‘Smart uniform, though I was thinking of the army mesen – when the time comes.’
‘You’ll probably see more of the world than I will stuck up there in a plane. But I fancied the flying.’
Kenny nodded. ‘Yeah. Now you come to mention it,’ he said thoughtfully, ‘it must be thrilling, though I think I’d prefer fighter planes. Bit more exciting, that one-to-one stuff.’ And they laughed together, comrades already.
Fleur stepped between them and linked her arms through theirs. ‘Right, now I’ll take you to meet Mrs Jackson and Harry – if he’s about. And Ruth should be home soon.’
‘Well, I’d come to tell you that I’ll give you a hand this afternoon with this overgrown garden you were telling me about,’ Robbie said. ‘I felt like some fresh air and a bit of real work when I’ve had a few hours’ kip.’
‘Me too,’ Fleur agreed. She was delighted to see Kenny, but after the long night of anxiety she felt she could fall asleep standing up.
‘But I needed to come and make sure you were all right after the air raid.’
‘Air raid? What air raid?’ Kenny asked at once before Fleur could even reply.
‘Oh, it was nothing, just a lone raider dropping a stick of incendiaries,’ Fleur said airily, as if it was a daily occurrence and nothing to get excited about. She squeezed Robbie’s arm, warning him not to make too much of it.
Catching on at once, Robbie adopted a light, bantering tone. ‘Well, it was just an excuse to see you really.’
Kenny glanced at Robbie above Fleur’s head and, despite Robbie’s affected nonchalance about the raid, Kenny could still see the worry in his eyes. The young man knew that they were both trying to make light of the incident in front of him.
Softly, he said, ‘You can tell me the truth, you know. I won’t go running home to tell Mum. I know an airfield’s a dangerous place.’ He looked down at Fleur. ‘You’ve been on duty all night, haven’t you? And you,’ he said, glancing up again at Robbie, ‘have been flying?’
Robbie laughed softly. ‘Seems there’s no keeping any secrets from this brother of yours, darling.’
Fleur smiled ruefully. ‘No,’ she said wryly. ‘I don’t think there is. Not about anything.’
‘So, you both need to get some sleep,’ Kenny began, but Fleur cut in saying, ‘Well, yes, but don’t go. I’ve the rest of the day off. In fact, I’m not on duty until the afternoon shift tomorrow.’
‘And our aircraft’s out of action until tomorrow. We encountered flak coming back across the coast and there are a few holes here and there.’ Again, he was trying to make light of it. ‘We’ll just need a couple of hours and then we can spend the afternoon with you, Kenny.’
‘Right-o,’ Kenny said cheerfully. ‘In the meantime, I can maybe make myself useful. What’s all this about a garden?’
Fleur laughed. ‘Careful – I might set you on.’ Swiftly,
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