Civvy Street by Fiona Field Read Free Book Online Page B

hip. Seb looked relieved as Maddy’s actions stopped Nathan from whinging.
    ‘I’ve just heard a great piece of news,’ said Seb.
    ‘Good news? Blimey, that’ll make a change around here,’ said Maddy with feeling.
    ‘Andy’s just told me.’
    ‘Told you what? Spit it out.’
    Seb drew Maddy closer. ‘Will’s going to be my 2IC,’ he said, quietly.
    ‘Will?’ squealed Maddy, only to get loudly shushed by Seb. Maddy glanced about to see if anyone had overheard her exclamation. She lowered her voice. ‘You mean, Will Edwards, as in Caro-and-Will Edwards?’
    Seb nodded.
    ‘But won’t he mind being your subordinate?’
    ‘According to Andy, he’s utterly delighted to be coming back to the battalion. He doesn’t care what post he’s given as long as he gets away from being a Whitehall Warrior.’
    ‘All the same...’ said Maddy.
    ‘And Caro, apparently, is just thrilled too. Can’t wait.’
    But, Maddy thought, it still didn’t address the problem that Will would be Seb’s subordinate and while it was all fine and dandy in theory, the practicalities might prove to be somewhat different. After all, Will had been commissioned several years prior to Seb and being overtaken by a junior was never an easy pill to swallow.
    *
    Miles away in Surrey, Caro Edwards was dishing up roast chicken and preparing to carry the plates filled with Sunday lunch through to the sitting-dining room of her poky MoD quarter. Will and her two boys were already sitting at the table. She managed to balance three plates to take through to her hungry and expectant family.
    ‘There you go,’ she said as she put them down in front of them before she went back into the kitchen to fetch her own and her glass of wine.
    ‘Well,’ she said to her husband as the two boys fell on their food like they hadn’t been fed in a week, ‘I can’t say I’ll miss this place.’
    ‘It’s not that bad,’ said Will.
    Caro raised her eyebrows. ‘It’s nice for the kids. It’s great that just about all their friends from school live locally, it’s grand that there are so many young families here so they never have a shortage of playmates, but I am not going to miss that dreadful kitchen, nor the damp in the bathroom, nor the lack of double glazing...’
    ‘Enough,’ said Will.
    ‘Just saying,’ said Caro.
    ‘You’ll miss being close to London.’
    ‘Really?’ Caro’s eyebrows went up again. ‘Yeah, really going to miss you coming home every night in a vile mood because you’ve had a dreadful day at work and a worse commute. Or never being able to park in town unless I get there at about seven in the morning. Or the traffic jams which hold us up for hours if we want to go anywhere. Or the pollution. Or the joke of a garden.’ She shot a look at the tiny square of paving at the back of the house which just about allowed a rotary drier the space to open out.
    ‘It’s not that bad,’ said Will again.
    ‘Wiltshire will be better,’ said Caro, firmly. ‘And I’ll be back with all my friends.’
    ‘You’ve got friends here.’
    ‘But not mates like Maddy.’
    ‘Have you told her yet?’
    ‘I need to see the posting order in writing yet. You know what the army is like – being warned for a posting, particularly one you’d really like, isn’t the same as actually having it in the bag. Besides, I don’t want to jinx it.’
    ‘Mummy, can I have some more please?’ Oliver held out his empty plate to his mother.
    ‘Just wait till everyone else has finished,’ said Caro, realising she’d barely touched her meal. She started to attack her roast with gusto. ‘But as soon as you get the order in your hand,’ she said, speaking with her mouth full, ‘I’m going to ring Maddy and give her the good news.’ She swallowed. ‘Second in command of B Company, eh? I hope Seb doesn’t mind you being his boss.’
    ‘Hardly,’ said Will. ‘2IC doesn’t mean I’m anyone’s boss – general dogsbody, more like.’
    ‘Still...