not often justice gets done, but thanks to you, it has this time.’
‘Thanks to Evie,’ I pointed out, and Will looked back at her, and seemed to have trouble speaking again. Instead he just nodded, and swallowed hard. He shifted on his bed, and hissed a sharp breath, one hand pressed to his middle.
‘Keep still,’ Evie said in worried tones, but he found another smile.
‘I’m fine. I just forget sometimes.’
‘Well I’m going to keep reminding you,’ she said crossly, and I exchanged another look with Will, who sighed.
‘Was she like this with you?’
‘Worse,’ I told him, and Evie rolled her eyes, but her smile returned.
Will’s other hand was still wrapped around hers, and he squeezed it. ‘She couldn’t even let me die in peace,’ he said, and his tone was amused, but his eyes on Evie’s were soft with awe. ‘She followed me out into no man’s land just so she could keep nagging me.’
‘She
what
?’ Jack’s voice cut like a whip through the room, and several faces turned to us in astonishment and interest.
‘Will!’ Evie groaned. ‘You weren’t supposed to say anything about that.’
‘Oh, hell.’ He looked at Jack and then, apologetically, back at Evie. ‘You didn’t tell me it was a secret.’
‘Secret be damned!’ Jack growled at Evie. ‘I
knew
there was something up, when you could hardly stand up the other day, getting out of the car.’ His hands clenched at his sides, then abruptly relaxed, and he shook his head and gave her a wry smile. ‘Evangeline Davies, you are going to be the death of me.’ He dragged a chair over and gestured to me to sit down, then leaned against the wall at the head of Will’s bed, and folded his arms.
Evie sensed the worry behind the exasperation. ‘I’m sorry, Uncle Jack. I hate keeping secrets from you, but that was…well, quite a big one. Please don’t tell Lizzy.’
‘Don’t be silly; of course I’m going to tell her! But I won’t tell your mother.’ He ran his hands through his hair and sighed, dropping his voice considerably. ‘In all seriousness, love, don’t let anyone else find out or Archie’ll cop it.’
‘He had no idea,’ Evie protested, her own voice little more than a harsh whisper. ‘
I
didn’t even know I was going to do it, so it wouldn’t be fair to blame him.’
He looked at her steadily. ‘We’ve just seen how close things can come to “not fair”,’ he reminded her. ‘The point is you were in his care.’
‘He helped me bring Will back,’ Evie said. She turned to her husband again, who was clearly deeply regretting having spoken up. ‘If it weren’t for him Will would have died out there.’
‘You’re as bad as each other.’ Jack shook his head again. ‘Archie’s a good lad, Evie. I’d hate to see him get into trouble over this.’
‘He won’t,’ she assured him. ‘We’ll keep it to ourselves now.’
I couldn’t imagine what had been going through Evie’s mind to go out into no man’s land, not after what we’d both seen. The thought of her and Archie out there in the dark, just a few feet away from the German lines, gave me chills, but I wanted to know everything. ‘Will you tell me about it though, Evie?’
‘Of course.’ She glanced around us at the crowded ward. ‘When we’re back at Dark River. Speaking of which—’ she brightened ‘—how’s Lizzy?’
We chatted for a while longer, then I noticed Will was starting to sweat slightly, and his breathing was shorter. Evie noticed at the same time, and turned to look for a nurse. ‘It must be time for your next injection,’ she muttered. ‘I’ll go and find someone.’
‘It’s another hour yet.’ He caught at her hand before she could rise. ‘It’s all right; they’re very good. I’m never left waiting past my time.’ He managed a brief smile. ‘Don’t want to get addicted to the stuff, do I?’
His words ricocheted around us, and Evie’s face paled. ‘Don’t say that,’ she said, her
‘Thanks to Evie,’ I pointed out, and Will looked back at her, and seemed to have trouble speaking again. Instead he just nodded, and swallowed hard. He shifted on his bed, and hissed a sharp breath, one hand pressed to his middle.
‘Keep still,’ Evie said in worried tones, but he found another smile.
‘I’m fine. I just forget sometimes.’
‘Well I’m going to keep reminding you,’ she said crossly, and I exchanged another look with Will, who sighed.
‘Was she like this with you?’
‘Worse,’ I told him, and Evie rolled her eyes, but her smile returned.
Will’s other hand was still wrapped around hers, and he squeezed it. ‘She couldn’t even let me die in peace,’ he said, and his tone was amused, but his eyes on Evie’s were soft with awe. ‘She followed me out into no man’s land just so she could keep nagging me.’
‘She
what
?’ Jack’s voice cut like a whip through the room, and several faces turned to us in astonishment and interest.
‘Will!’ Evie groaned. ‘You weren’t supposed to say anything about that.’
‘Oh, hell.’ He looked at Jack and then, apologetically, back at Evie. ‘You didn’t tell me it was a secret.’
‘Secret be damned!’ Jack growled at Evie. ‘I
knew
there was something up, when you could hardly stand up the other day, getting out of the car.’ His hands clenched at his sides, then abruptly relaxed, and he shook his head and gave her a wry smile. ‘Evangeline Davies, you are going to be the death of me.’ He dragged a chair over and gestured to me to sit down, then leaned against the wall at the head of Will’s bed, and folded his arms.
Evie sensed the worry behind the exasperation. ‘I’m sorry, Uncle Jack. I hate keeping secrets from you, but that was…well, quite a big one. Please don’t tell Lizzy.’
‘Don’t be silly; of course I’m going to tell her! But I won’t tell your mother.’ He ran his hands through his hair and sighed, dropping his voice considerably. ‘In all seriousness, love, don’t let anyone else find out or Archie’ll cop it.’
‘He had no idea,’ Evie protested, her own voice little more than a harsh whisper. ‘
I
didn’t even know I was going to do it, so it wouldn’t be fair to blame him.’
He looked at her steadily. ‘We’ve just seen how close things can come to “not fair”,’ he reminded her. ‘The point is you were in his care.’
‘He helped me bring Will back,’ Evie said. She turned to her husband again, who was clearly deeply regretting having spoken up. ‘If it weren’t for him Will would have died out there.’
‘You’re as bad as each other.’ Jack shook his head again. ‘Archie’s a good lad, Evie. I’d hate to see him get into trouble over this.’
‘He won’t,’ she assured him. ‘We’ll keep it to ourselves now.’
I couldn’t imagine what had been going through Evie’s mind to go out into no man’s land, not after what we’d both seen. The thought of her and Archie out there in the dark, just a few feet away from the German lines, gave me chills, but I wanted to know everything. ‘Will you tell me about it though, Evie?’
‘Of course.’ She glanced around us at the crowded ward. ‘When we’re back at Dark River. Speaking of which—’ she brightened ‘—how’s Lizzy?’
We chatted for a while longer, then I noticed Will was starting to sweat slightly, and his breathing was shorter. Evie noticed at the same time, and turned to look for a nurse. ‘It must be time for your next injection,’ she muttered. ‘I’ll go and find someone.’
‘It’s another hour yet.’ He caught at her hand before she could rise. ‘It’s all right; they’re very good. I’m never left waiting past my time.’ He managed a brief smile. ‘Don’t want to get addicted to the stuff, do I?’
His words ricocheted around us, and Evie’s face paled. ‘Don’t say that,’ she said, her
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