The Secret of Summerhayes. Merryn Allingham

a sigh of pleasure, feeling solid ground beneath his feet again. He allowed himself a short stop and looked around. He was standing in what had once been a vegetable garden, he could see. Vegetable gardens, he corrected himself. The area was immense and bounded to the south by a circular brick wall against which some dessicated fruit trees still clung to a semblance of life. Vegetables had not been grown here for many a year; the soil was untilled and broken canes, rotting wooden staves and remnants of netting were strewn across its surface. In the distance, to the right, stood what was left of a string of greenhouses, their glass long shattered. Nearer to hand, a tarpaulin covered the unknown. He’d put his life on it being ammunition. It was a dismal picture and made him keen to walk on, but once through the brick arch the view was no improvement. More tarpaulins, more mounds. Several trees had been toppled and lay spread-eagled where the wind had blown them, others had brambles up to ten feet high climbing their trunks. He passed what he thought must be one of the oldest trees in the garden, stoic in its lost grandeur. A fig tree, he was sure of it. Scattered in its branches was shrivelled fruit, unharvested year on year. The gnarled trunk was punctured by bullet marks and when he looked around, he saw that nearly every surviving tree in this part of the garden was similarly afflicted. Someone had been using them for target practice. Whatever devastation had existed before the war, a succession of military occupations must have made it worse.

      ‘This place is in poor shape,’ he said.

      Ralph looked puzzled. It was evident that for him the Summerhayes estate was fine as it was. ‘I s’pose,’ he admitted cautiously. ‘It used to look different. I saw an old photograph once. But that was a long time ago.’

      The boy was still ahead of him, walking beneath the pergola that connected fruit and vegetables with the upper reaches of the garden. The pergola had once been covered by roses and its wooden structure was more or less intact, but what plants remained had grown wild, their thorns a danger to passers-by. Dodging between waving suckers, he could see lying ahead another huge open area, once a vast lawn, he presumed. At its far end was a semicircular flight of steps leading up to a flagged terrace. He could imagine the ladies of the house taking a stroll on that terrace, tripping daintily down the steps to the rolling grass. Now, not a blade was visible. The lawn had been covered in concrete and a row of trucks parked tidily across its expanse.

      Noise and bustle were all around. Troops were still arriving, each truckload of men making their way to an adjoining farm where they’d pitch the tents that would be their home. Given the vagaries of the English weather, it wouldn’t be a particularly comfortable home, and he hoped that his own billet was nearer to hand – in the gardens, perhaps, despite their dilapidation. The closer he was to the house and offices, the less wading through mud he’d have to do if it rained hard.

      Ralph had stopped and was looking back at him. ‘Eddie’s this way.’

      He was a smart kid, Jos thought. It was a new camp with a completely different configuration from the previous one – the forward party had arrived only three days ago – yet the boy already knew his way around. Several young soldiers saluted as they passed and he managed a ragged salute in reply. The backpack was to blame.

      Ralph looked up with another big smile. ‘Are you an officer then?’

      ‘A very junior one, kid. Eddie is too.’

      ‘I know. He told me. He’s in the outbuildings. We have to go this way. Have you known him long?’

      ‘A fair time. We joined up together when we weren’t much older than you – we’re both from the Toronto area. That’s eastern Canada.’

      ‘I know where it is. I’m good at geography. Well, sometimes,’ he added, evidently remembering his problem with Cheshire. ‘Have you been together ever since?’

      ‘We’ve been posted to different regiments in between time, but when Canada joined the war we ended up in the same battalion again.’

      ‘Have you been fighting together as well?’ The boy’s face sparked with excitement.

      ‘Oh yeah, fighting too.’ And that was some fighting. Italy. Monte Cassino. He’d been so very glad to have Eddie alongside.

      A young man was shambling towards them, blond hair glinting in the spring sunshine and his gold flecked eyes warm with welcome. ‘He’s here!’ Ralph forgot his dignity and jumped up and down as Eddie came into view.

      Eddie Rich wore his uniform as though it were something he’d found by chance while rummaging through a forgotten trunk, but when you looked again, Jos thought, you noticed the straight back, the sinewy arms and an expression that didn’t quite disguise a sharp intelligence.

      ‘Well, Ralphie, just look who you’ve found.’

      ‘He was lost.’

      ‘If he’s walked up from the depths, I bet he was.’ Eddie put his hands on Jos’s shoulders and gave him a quick hug. ‘Great to see you, pal. But what were you doing in the badlands?’

      ‘That’s what he calls the bottom of the estate,’ Ralph explained.

      ‘I was dropped off at what must have been the rear entrance, though I guess it’s not been used for a century. I tried walking up from there.’

      Eddie pulled down the corners of his mouth, but his eyes laughed. ‘Not so great. Ralph to the rescue, eh?’

      ‘Ralph to the rescue,’ Jos agreed. ‘So when did you get here? How are things going?’

      ‘I came with the advance party, but the rest of the guys arrived today. They made pretty good time from Winchelsea, but as always, it’s chaos. You know the drill. How about you? How was that jewel of a town?’

      ‘The same as when we left it four years ago. And a completely wasted journey. Someone – God knows who – had already ordered what was left of our equipment to be sent on here. Has it arrived yet?’

      ‘Not that I know of, but it’s early days. So you didn’t hang around?’

      ‘We’re talking Aldershot, Ed. Mind you, this place doesn’t look much better.’

      ‘It’s seen grander days, for sure, but it’s okay. The house is kinda nice, or it was once. The colonel gets to sleep there, of course. We’re over here. I’ll show you the way. We’ve been given the Head Gardener’s office, would you believe?’

      ‘No tent? How did you pull that one?’

      ‘Don’t get too excited. We’re sharing with Wilson and Martel. And the office is twelve by twelve.’

      ‘We’ve still gone up in the world, I reckon. Lead on!’ He turned to Ralph who was looking uncertainly between the two men. ‘You better scoot now, but thanks for rescuing me.’

      ‘Before he scoots,’ Eddie put in, ‘I think a reward is in order, and I might have just the thing.’ He fished in one of his trouser pockets and brought out a small bar of chocolate.

      ‘Chocolate,’ Ralph breathed ecstatically.

      ‘He can have that later, when he’s finished his lessons.’ The voice was no nonsense but vaguely amused.

      Jos turned and saw a girl that he wanted to keep looking at.

Chapter Five

      ‘Hi there, Miss Merston,’ Eddie said. ‘You weren’t by any chance intending to bribe this young man with my chocolate?’

      ‘I might be, if it helps get him to his books.’ She turned towards Ralph. ‘Mrs Summer is asleep right now and we can do some work before she wakes.’

      The boy pulled a face. ‘Must we?’

      ‘Yes, we must. Or I’ll have to tell your father that you’re not studying as you should, and you know what that means. He’ll hire a tutor who’ll make sure your nose never leaves the grindstone.’