Читать книгу Come Away With Me - Sara MacDonald, Sara MacDonald - Страница 15

Two weeks after I meet Tom at the party in the park I get a postcard in an airmail envelope. Someone has obviously posted it for him in London. It says,

Hi, Jenny. Here, where there is not a tree to be seen, I think of you in a white and gold dress standing under an English chestnut tree. It is a lovely thought. Tom xx

I carry the card around with me in my bag like a schoolgirl. I take it out at intervals to see if the words scrawled across a small space could have multiplied.

There is silence for another four weeks, then Damien, Maisie’s brother, rings. ‘I have a message from my boss. He is flying home on leave next Friday and he will ring you when he gets back.’

‘I thought you were in Bosnia again, Damien.’

He laughs. ‘Oh, I’m darting about all over the place, like the Scarlet Pimpernel.’ He hesitates.

‘What?’ I ask quickly. ‘Is Tom OK?’

‘Tom’s fine, Jenny. He wanted me to check that you hadn’t vaporised somehow, that you were still there.’

I smile. ‘I’m still here.’

‘Good. He’ll ring you.’

‘You OK?’

‘Great to have some leave, drink beer and see a woman’s face…’

I get the feeling he wants to say something. I do not want to be warned off Tom. ‘Were you going to tell me something?’

‘It’s just…you’re a sweetie, Jenny, and Tom’s a lovely officer, but he’s training with the roughie toughies, which means he’ll hardly be in England…’

‘What do you mean the roughie toughies?’ ‘I’ll let him tell you. Maybe keep it cool, Jen? I’d hate you to be hurt.’

I am silent. I suspect Maisie’s protective hand. Damien was Tom’s sergeant. Was he doing the same work as Tom, whatever that was?

I say lightly, ‘I’ve only met Tom once. How could it be but cool?’

‘Cool,’ he replies and we both laugh and say goodbye.

Damien had said great to see a woman’s face? He must have been in the Middle East. Tom must be there too. Roughie toughie? I smile at the thought that Tom needed Damien to check he could still ring me.