The Lost Years by E.V. Thompson

them magnificently. Where did you learn such skills?’
    ‘Morwenna has spent two years working as a nurse in a hospital in London.’ Arabella answered proudly for her sister. ‘I’ll be going there when we return home. It’s become a family tradition, following in the footsteps of Great Aunt Florence.’
    ‘Great-Aunt Florence?’ Perys wondered whether the name should mean something to him.
    ‘Florence Nightingale.’ Morwenna explained. ‘She is related to us on Mother’s side of their family. She was responsible for making nursing respectable profession during the Crimean War. Unfortunately, in so doing she managed to upset a great many senior army officers, so when you join the army it might not be a good idea to boast of the family connection. But we need to get you to Heligan and out of those wet clothes. Before we do that let’s see how many handkerchiefs we can muster between us to clean up your hand and bind them up until we reach home and I am able to deal with them properly . . .’
    They managed to find three handkerchiefs between them and Morwenna used the smallest to wash his hands clean before binding the other two around them to protect the painful broken blisters.
    As she worked, Perys said, ‘Florence Nightingale would have been proud of the work you have done today.’
    ‘I think she would have felt the same about many of the Mevagissey women,’ Morwenna said. Giving Perys a look he could not interpret, she added, ‘Eliza Dunn among them.’
    Not particularly interested, Perys asked, ‘Oh? When did she return to the village?’
    ‘Late last night. It seems she came back from Liskeard as soon as word reached her of her father’s accident. She asked me to thank you for the part you played in rescuing him - and for going to visit him yesterday. You and Annie Bray.’
    Aware of the implied disapproval, Perys said, ‘Yes, Annie took a basket of food to him from her mother.’
    ‘I believe Annie is a very pretty girl,’ said Morwenna, seemingly disinclined to drop the matter.
    ‘I suppose she is.’ Perys felt angry with himself for feeling there was a need to justify visiting Henry Dunn in company with Annie, but he was aware that if he explained the circumstances of his first meeting with her it might cause unnecessary trouble for Martin.
    He was saved from further explanations by the sight of one of the Heligan gardeners hurrying along the path towards the village.
    When the man reached them, he spoke breathlessly to Perys, seemingly oblivious of the other’s wet condition. ‘I’m on my way to Mevagissey to speak to the coastguard. Have you heard the news?’
    Thinking the gardener was talking about the foundering of the ship in the bay, Perys replied ‘About the wreck of the Russian ship? Yes, we’ve all been involved in the rescue of the crew.’
    ‘No, not that,’ said the excited garden ‘something far more serious. Mrs Tremayne had just had a telephone call from someone in London. Germany has invaded Belgium. Our government has given them until midnight tonight to withdraw their troops.’
    ‘What if they refuse?’ Morwenna asked anxiously.
    ‘Then we’ll go to war with them,’ said the gardener. ‘No doubt they will do as they’re told but there’s many folk who hope they don’t. It’s about time we taught ’em a lesson they won’ forget in a hurry.’
    ‘What will the coastguard be able to do about it?’ Perys asked, uncertain what the import of the gardener’s news was likely to be.
    ‘The Tremayne boat is in the harbour right now. Mrs Tremayne thinks that if there is likely to be any trouble the boat will be safer in Tregiskey Cove.’
    A boat-house belonging to Heligan House was situated in Tregiskey Cove, just around the coast from the fishing village. Perys doubted whether such a move was really necessary. The small fishing harbour of Mevagissey was hardly likely to be the target of an attack in the event of a war between Great Britain and Germany. But