any of them: standing tall and straight in that red jacket, the brass buttons shining like the gold braid at his cuffs. His knee boots were polished to any sergeant’s satisfaction and he carried his gleaming helm in the crook of his arm, as if to balance the brass powder flask on the other side.
He looks like a general or a prince. Emily stepped back, and back further as Rodric descended, as though his neat brightness would scorch her. There was a set, determined look to his face. He had worn the same serious expression when he was learning his algebra or Classics. It was the look of someone taking care to avoid making mistakes.
When they saw him, a little cheer went around the young recruits gathered there, and Emily saw then that Rodric would be a hero to them: the young gentleman not afraid to take up a musket and defend the King. He would be a splendid soldier, an officer, a great man.
And she wished he did not have to go.
At the foot of the stairs he nodded to his fellows, saluted the sergeant. Cook bustled over to him with his breakfast, and he laid his helmet on the kitchen table to accept it.
‘I’m not too late, am I?’ he enquired, his voice sounding a little unsteady. Emily wondered how long he had been sitting, in his uniform, in his room, drawing together the courage to face his new life.
‘You take your time, lad,’ the sergeant told him. ‘We can hardly grudge you that, what with this fine hospitality your sisters’ve given us.’
Rodric nodded. His serious expression persisted as he ate, as though he was still somewhat unsure of what was happening around him but determined not to show it.
‘Sergeant,’ Emily spoke up, ‘might I speak with you before you leave?’
‘You may speak now, miss, if you will.’ Pallwide had finished his pipe and stowed it carefully inside his jacket before good-naturedly elbowing his way through his charges to get near to her. ‘What can I do for you, miss? Got a message for someone at the front?’
‘I have, yes.’ She pressed the sealed missive into his hands. ‘It’s for Lieutenant Tubal Salander at the Levant front. That’s where you’re going, isn’t it?’
‘Certainly is, miss. I’ll see he gets it. Your sister’s husband, miss?’
‘That’s right, Sergeant. Oh – and Sergeant?’
‘Miss?’
‘You will . . . look after him, won’t you? Please.’ She swallowed, then got the words out as quickly as she could. ‘If anything happened to him, Sergeant, I don’t know what we’d do here. Please will you make sure he’s all right?’
Sergeant Pallwide gave her another broad grin. ‘I’ll make sure he’s put in my company, miss. I’ll keep an eye on him, never you worry. War’s not got much puff left in it, anyway. We’ll all be back looking for work ’fore the year’s out.’
She knew she should leave it at that but she wanted somehow to wring further assurances from him, to demand that he keep Rodric safe from all harm when the only way that could happen was if Rodric never left at all. Abruptly she felt a sob building up inside her and she turned away to hide it.
She turned back sharply at a touch to her elbow, to find Rodric standing there.
‘Em, thank you for not making a scene. I thought . . . when my papers came you might do something . . .’
She just waited quietly, not trusting herself to speak.
‘Something unpatriotic,’ he finished, ‘because you didn’t want me to go. So . . . thank you for understanding.’
‘And with that, young master, it’s time we were about,’ the sergeant put in from a respectful distance.
It was true. The young recruits were handing their bowls back to Cook, thanking her, giving a brave smile all round for Alice’s benefit.
‘I’ll be all right,’ Rodric promised her.
Feeling time slipping away from her she embraced him fiercely. ‘See that you are. I’ll never forgive you if something happens to you. Never!’
He slipped out of her arms to bid farewell to Mary and Alice. The soldiers were filing out of the door under the watchful eye of their sergeant. Rodric went last, accepting some final admonition from old Poldry, before turning at the door to look back at his past, his family, all that he had ever had.
‘Watch out for me,’ he told them all. ‘I’ll be back.’ Then he was gone, and only Sergeant Pallwide was left. ‘Much thanks, Miss, Miss and Mrs.