Lauren's Dilemma by Margaret Tanner Read Free Book Online Page B

Blair and left the room, calling out one final, laughing farewell to
the others. He held Laurie’s hand tightly as they walked to the front door
where a maid waited to show him out.
    “Good luck,
Sir.”
    “Thank
you.”
    They
stepped out on to the verandah and the maid closed the door behind them.
“Goodbye, Laurie. I'll miss you like hell.”
      He pulled her into his arms and kissed her on
the mouth. “I’ll never forget how beautiful it was between us in the cave. No
matter what happens to me. Wherever I go. It will always be the best moment of
my whole life. I’d like to take you to some magical island where there would be
just the two of us,” he went on passionately. “We wouldn’t have to worry about
the war, your father or anything else.”
    “I love
you, Danny, and when you come back from the war…” She couldn’t bear to think
about saying if. “We can find our magical island together,” she whispered.
    “Laurie,
Laurie.” His kisses became fiercer as he strained her close, and she clung to
him. When his fingers started fumbling with the buttons on her blouse, she
tried to move away.
    “Please,”
he moaned. “It's dark, there’s no one watching us, and I mightn’t see you for
ages. I want to remember the perfume of your hair, the taste of your skin.”
    They were
both trembling by the time he released her.
    “I'll
always love you, Laurie. Nothing will ever change that. Even when we’re old and
white-haired, sitting in our rocking chairs with our grandchildren playing
around us, I’ll still love you.”
    “Be
careful, Danny. Come home safely to me.”
    The
darkness swallowed him up. This laughing, reckless boy soldier took a piece of
her heart with him. Oh, God, please don’t let anything happen to him. Keep him,
and all the other boys who are sailing with him safe. Let them all come home.
    The car
started up, and she waited until it disappeared before trailing forlornly
toward the house. Danny was gone.
    Exhaustion
weighed her down.   Her eyes burned with
unshed tears as she made for the sitting room where the others waited.
    “He'll be
all right, Lauren,” Blair reassured. There was a strong, stubborn set to his
jaw, his light colored eyes stood out, against his straight black hair. Helen
sat next to him, one hand resting on his knee, her fair head cushioned against
his arm.
    “I might go
to bed now.” She glanced towards Aunt Jane. “I'm awfully tired.”
    Her lips
felt swollen from Danny's fierce kisses, but she was too drained to care
whether the others noticed or not.
    “Blair.”
    “Yes.”
    “I’ve been
wondering if you might be sent to the same place as Danny. If you are…” She
gnawed her lip. “Could you keep a look out for him? Except for me, he doesn't
have anyone else who cares. His parents are both dead and his Uncle Alf always
treated him bad, used him as slave labor. Danny’s always been reckless. I'm
frightened for him.”
    “You can
rely on me, Lauren. I'll keep an eye on him. Don't worry; he'll come back to
you safely.”
    He spoke
gently, his eyes dark with compassion. She could not explain it, even to
herself, but he meant every word he uttered. She believed him. Dear God, she
had to.

 

 
 
    Chapter Four

 
    Laurie returned
home and helped out in the store as usual. As Uncle Richard had predicted, her
father welcomed her back with his usual warmth and after an initial lecture he
never again referred to the matter of her running away. Sometimes when she
caught him off guard, his eyes would be dark with hurt, his brow furrowed. Her
willful behavior had caused him a lot of anxiety. She sighed regretfully
because things would never be quite the same as before.
    She’d never
been much of a reader of newspapers, but now she devoured every article of war
news. Europe seemed so far away. Where was
Danny, why didn’t he write and let her know how he was? She fretted as the days
passed. Even though more and more young men from the district were