‘I forbid it. You’re not going and that’s final. It’s my last word on the subject.’
‘Granddad, I don’t want to go against you, but this is something I have to do,’ Luke said quietly. ‘I intend to volunteer for the RAF and I intend to go now before war is actually declared, because we all know it’s coming, don’t we?’
Len flung his lump hammer against the anvil with a loud clatter, making Luke wince. ‘If you go,’ Len said menacingly, ‘there won’t be a job for you to come back to, nor an inheritance. You know what happened to that coward of a son of mine, well, same’ll happen to you. I’ll change me will. I’ll leave it all to Daisy. An’ if she’s daft enough to marry you – as some folks seem to think’s on the cards – then I’ll leave it to young Harry, even though he’s not me own flesh and blood.’
Quietly, Luke said, ‘Harry is going to volunteer for the RAF too – as soon as he’s old enough.’
‘Then it’ll be on your head if owt happens to him, because he’s only following you.’
Luke frowned. ‘I can’t understand your attitude. You disowned Uncle William because he wouldn’t volunteer alongside his brothers, yet now I want to go, you’re threatening me with the same. Why?’
‘It were different then,’ Len growled. ‘All the young men were enlisting and anyone who didn’t was branded a coward.’
‘Uncle William wasn’t a coward. He was a very brave man. He chose to go to the front as a stretcher-bearer, carrying wounded and dying in from the battlefield. He was there all the time – every day and through the night too. He didn’t have a few days at the front and then go back behind the lines for a rest like the soldiers did. And he was there for four years doing that. Four – long – years.’
‘But he didn’t get killed like his brothers, did he? I bet he kept himself out of harm’s way. I bet he only went to pick up the wounded when the guns had stopped.’
‘That’s not true and you know it’s not. He went out to get Uncle Robert in when he lost his arm and he helped Aunty Pips fetch Mr Hammond in from his crashed aircraft when she got shot in the leg. The bullets must have still been flying then.’
‘Aye, and it’s her I blame for all this. She took you flying, didn’t she, when you went AWOL the first time?’ He narrowed his eyes as he glared at Luke. ‘And I bet you’ve been again this time. I’ll be having words with her, next time she’s home.’
‘She’s got nothing to do with this. This is my own decision. I want to be a fighter pilot and, if I volunteer now, I’ve a good chance of being able to get what I want and not just be drafted anywhere.’
‘More fool you, then,’ Len growled and turned away. The conversation was at an end.
When all their examinations were finished, Daisy and Gill packed all their belongings, said goodbye to all their friends, hugged Mrs Gordon, who had been like a second mother to them, and thanked all their tutors.
‘It’s home, then,’ Gill said, as they stood on the driveway and looked up at the castle where they had spent so much time.
‘It’s been a good three years,’ Daisy said a little pensively, ‘but I’m ready for home now, aren’t you?’
‘Can’t wait,’ Gill said, a broad grin on her face. ‘At least we’re lucky in that our parents – or granny, in your case – are willing to listen to all the ideas we’ve got. They’re open to change, whereas one of the other students was telling me his father will never change.’
‘He might find he has to, if what everyone is saying comes true.’
‘That there’s going to be a war, you mean?’
Daisy nodded. ‘I think living here and working so hard, we’ve been missing what’s actually been going on in the real world. But my dad will explain it all to me when I get home.’
‘Mine, too. But I don’t think we’re going to like what they’re going to tell us, Daisy.’
‘We’ll just have to cope with whatever’s thrown at us, won’t we? At least we’ll be able to feel that we’ll be doing something to help the war effort by providing food, if what Prof said is true.’
Gill’s eyes gleamed. ‘Like I said, I can’t wait.’ She paused and added, ‘But you will keep in touch, won’t you?’
‘Of course.’
‘Promise?’
Daisy linked her arm through her friend’s as they walked to where Jake was waiting beside the car. ‘Now I’ve learned to drive, I’m sure I’ll be able to come up and see you sometimes.’
‘Do they know yet that you’ve passed the driving test?’
Daisy shook her head. ‘No, it’s a surprise.’
‘Are you going to race at Brooklands, then?’
Daisy shook her head. ‘No, that’s never interested me, but I shall carry on flying whenever I can.’
‘I don’t think you’ll be able to, if there’s a war on.’
Daisy stopped and turned horrified eyes towards her friend. ‘Oh Gill, no. Don’t say that. I couldn’t live without being able to fly now and again.’
‘I’m back!’ Daisy flung her arms wide as Wainwright opened the front door.
‘Good to see you, Miss Daisy. The family are all waiting for you in the parlour. Jake and I will see to your luggage.’
‘Thank you, Mr Wainwright. Sorry there’s rather a lot.’
‘We’ll cope, miss.’ He smiled. ‘Good to have you home.’
Daisy ran through the Great Hall, past the long table already set for dinner to celebrate her return.
‘Here I am,’ she said, opening the door into the Brown Parlour. Her parents and grandparents were there to greet her, but as she kissed each one in turn, she glanced around and asked, ‘No Luke – or Harry? I thought you might have asked them to be here.’
‘We did, darling,’ Alice put her arm round Daisy, ‘but I’m afraid there’s a big row going on between Luke and my father. And even Harry’s involved too.’
‘Oh dear. What about?’
Alice glanced at Robert, but it was Henrietta who stood up and said, ‘We’ll tell you all we know over dinner, Daisy. Now, do you want to freshen up, because I think Cook is ready for Wainwright to serve?’
‘I do, Granny, but you go in. I’ll only be a couple of minutes . . .’
Moments later, as they all sat down and Wainwright began to serve their meal, Daisy said, ‘Now, please tell me what’s going on between Granddad and Luke.’
‘Perhaps you’d better explain, Mother,’ Alice said, turning towards Henrietta. ‘You were the one Luke confided in.’
‘I wouldn’t expect you to break his confidence, Granny,’ Daisy said swiftly. ‘You know that.’
Henrietta inclined her head. ‘No, of course I wouldn’t, but he asked me to tell the rest of the family and specifically asked that I should tell you when you came home.’
‘Oh dear. This sounds serious. Go on.’
‘He wants – in fact, I think he’s going to, no matter what anyone says – to join the RAF and become a fighter pilot.’
‘How perfectly wonderful. The lucky thing!’
Henrietta eyed her granddaughter archly over the top of her spectacles with an amused smile. ‘Mr Dawson is blaming Philippa and you for introducing him to flying.’
Daisy wriggled her shoulders. ‘Well, I can’t deny that. When is Pips home again?’
‘She’s coming up this weekend,’ Alice said. ‘Mainly to see you, I think, but George won’t be coming.’ She hesitated and glanced at Robert who said, soberly, ‘You do realize that we’re on the brink of another war, don’t you, Daisy?’
‘I do now, Daddy, yes. But we were all so engrossed in our studies that we didn’t take a lot of notice of the news, I’m ashamed to say.’
‘Don’t be, my dear. It’s just as well you concentrated on what you had to do.’ He smiled. ‘We’re all so very proud of you, Daisy. And I think’ – he glanced at his mother – ‘Granny has a surprise for you.’
Henrietta smiled. ‘I’ve bought you a desk to stand next to mine in the room at the far side of the house that I use as an office. We’ll work alongside each other.’
‘Oh Granny!’ Daisy’s eyes filled with tears to think that her grandmother was so ready – eager almost – to involve her in the running of the estate. She jumped up from the table and rushed to hug her grandmother. ‘We’ll have such fun.’
‘I don’t know about “fun”, my dear, because if this war does come, we’re going to have to make a lot of changes.’
‘I’ve got lots of ideas about that. We had a debate about it all and Prof told us what he thinks the Government are likely to demand from farmers.’
Henrietta’s eyes twinkled. ‘I shall look forward to hearing all about it. And we must include Charlie Cooper in some of our discussions. We mustn’t leave the estate’s farm manager out of our plans. I am sure he will have some useful ideas too.’
As Daisy sat down again, she said, ‘And when Aunty Pips comes at the weekend, we’ll go and see Granddad together about Luke.’
But Henrietta was shaking her head. ‘I don’t think you should, Daisy. It will be belittling Luke. He is a young man now and should fight his own battles.’
‘I expect you’re right, but we ought at least to let Luke know we’re on his side.’
‘I think he’ll already know that,’ Henrietta said, though her smile was a little sad to think what the young man was about to face.