A Regimental Affair (28 page)

For a while she stared at the front page of her own paper and wondered what it was going to be like to feature in a national tabloid. Would people recognise her as a result? Would she be able to go out and about without people staring at her and pointing? She had never been in the public eye and the thought of it horrified her. Fifteen minutes of fame was all well and good if you courted it, if it was for something positive, but to get into the headlines for a failed love affair was verging on the tragic. And that was the point – it was a personal tragedy for all concerned. What right did the public have to poke its nose into her and Bob’s business? Ginny wondered how long interest in the story would last. Would the press try and find her? Would they be able to track her down at her sister’s? And then other thoughts began to crowd in. What would happen to her career? Would she be out of a job? Would anyone in the army ever talk to her again? It was a nightmare, but there was nothing she could do now to alter things. She wondered briefly if it might have been better to make a comment, to have put across a defence. Perhaps not. Least said, soonest mended, and all that.

‘Penny for them,’ said the ample lady proprietor as she placed a plate laden with bacon, eggs, beans and fried bread in front of Ginny.

‘Not worth that much,’ said Ginny.

‘Come far?’ she asked, placing a huge mug of steaming tea on the table too.

‘Yeah. I’ve driven most of the night but not much further now.’

‘This should help you to keep going then.’

‘Thanks.’ Despite her worries, Ginny suddenly realised she was absolutely famished and that she hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day. She tucked in with gusto, the hot food reviving her flagging spirits and energy levels quickly. By the time she had finished, she was able to feel more pragmatic about how recent events were going to affect her, although she was worried sick for Bob and still consumed with bitterness regarding Taz’s perfidy.

Chapter Eighteen

Bob stood ramrod-straight in front of Brigadier Robbins. The interview had not been easy for either party. Jim Robbins had known Bob for a number of years – he had taught him at Staff College, he had been on a major field exercise in Germany with Bob and had met Alice socially on several occasions.

‘And you can absolutely guarantee that this story about an affair with your admin officer is a complete fabrication?’

Bob swallowed with guilt and shame. ‘Yes, Brigadier,’ he replied.

‘But for God’s sake! What on earth happened that made her go to the press like this?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘And you’re sure there was nothing. I mean, Ginny’s an attractive woman. I would understand the reason why if you …’

‘Yes, but I didn’t,’ Bob insisted, hoping that God would forgive him for this dreadful, dishonourable lie. But Alice was right. There was more at stake than just honour – a great deal more.

‘Well, you know what’ll have to happen now? Regardless of your innocence, a serious allegation has been made and it has to be investigated. You are suspended from all further duties. You must go home, pack, leave the barracks and find somewhere to stay. You may not stay on army property. You’ll have to find a friend or relation to put you up.’

Bob paled with shock at the harshness of the immediate action. ‘What about Alice and Megan?’

‘They may stay in the quarter until further notice.’

‘Yes, Brigadier.’

‘And where’s Virginia Turner?’

‘I sent her on a fortnight’s leave.’

‘She will have to be suspended too. Get your adjutant to ring her and tell her to stay wherever she is until she is contacted.’ The brigadier rubbed a hand wearily over his face. ‘This is a God-awful mess, Bob. I hope Alisdair is capable of holding the fort until we get a replacement for you.’

‘He’s very competent.’

‘Glad to hear it. He’s going to have to be. Right, you’d better get back and pack. I’ll start to tell those who need to know.’

Bob saluted and left wondering where on earth he was going to stay. He supposed he would have to ask his brother if he could let him have a bed for the foreseeable future.

‘So how was it?’ asked Alice when he returned home. She was waiting for him in the kitchen, not having moved since Megan had returned upstairs to her room with her toast, having refused to discuss events with her mother.

‘Grim,’ said Bob.

‘I don’t doubt. What’s going to happen?’

‘I’ve been suspended from duty.’

‘Oh.’ Alice thought about it for a second, then she added, ‘Well, it’ll be nice to have you around for a bit.’ She got up from the table and leant against a work surface. She relaxed slightly at the prospect that things might not be so terrible after all. She had half-expected that they might have had to move straight away.

‘It’s not like that. I have to leave the barracks immediately. I may not return. I may not stay on army property anywhere.’

Alice exhaled slowly as the implication sank in. ‘Or pass go or collect two hundred pounds,’ she said with a bleak attempt at humour.

‘That’s about the size of it.’

‘Then what?’

‘Some sort of investigation, I suppose.’

‘And if they find out the truth? Court martial?’

‘With any luck it may not come to that. Let’s hope to God it doesn’t.’

‘And if it does?’

‘Well …’ said Bob.

‘I see.’ Alice’s mouth tightened into a thin line as she swallowed back tears. She turned away from Bob and busied herself folding a tea towel. She didn’t trust herself to speak. She was afraid she was going to cry and she didn’t want Bob to see how upset or frightened she was. Instead of folding the towel up, she crumpled it into a ball.

‘I’ll go and start packing,’ said Bob hesitantly, wondering if he ought to do something to try to comfort his wife.

‘Good idea,’ said Alice, still with her back to him.

He left the kitchen and Alice sat down on one of her treasured ladder-back chairs and put the scrunched tea towel on the table in front of her. She looked about her. This house had seemed the epitome of everything she had strived for, and now it would for ever be associated in her mind with dishonour and scandal.

And what would become of them if Bob had to leave? Neither knew any other way of life. The army had been everything to both of them. All their friends were in the army; they had spent all their adult lives with it, and now what? They didn’t even have their own house. Alice knew they had some savings but it wouldn’t be enough for a decent house, not somewhere nice. After living in such luxury she didn’t think she would be able to settle in some little suburban box on an estate.

She yawned. It didn’t help matters that she was so tired she could hardly think straight. She hadn’t slept a wink the previous night. She’d spent the sleepless hours going over the possibilities of what might happen and possible courses of action. One of the things she had considered was leaving Bob. Anger didn’t even come close to describing how she felt about what he had done. He had betrayed her, he had let her down, he had gone with that woman – but was his crime so dreadful that it was worth sacrificing sixteen years of married life? Certainly leaving had been her first instinct, but if she went, where could she go to? It had been humiliating enough to break the news to her mother, who had never been convinced that Alice’s marriage, above her station as it was, would last. Alice had thought she’d been able to detect a note of triumph in her mother’s voice over the phone line.

And what would become of her if she did leave him? She hadn’t worked since she got married. The last thing she wanted was to have to return home to her mother and see her gloat. It was conceivable that she might be able to get a job but Alice didn’t know if her qualifications would still be considered adequate. Anyway, she’d only taught in a couple of small primary schools in Germany; it would be a whole different ball game teaching in a school in Britain with the much-publicised problems regarding discipline, truancy, literacy, inspections and funding. It all seemed such a jungle compared to the cosy sort of school that she had started work in a couple of decades previously. And if she left Bob, what would happen about Megan’s schooling? Would the army continue to help carry the cost, or would they have to find the full fees themselves? If Bob lost his job, that could be very tricky indeed.

But there was one overriding reason to stick by Bob. If she left, she would leave the way clear for Ginny to try to snare Bob for keeps. Alice wasn’t convinced by Bob’s argument that it was over between him and that trollop, and there was no way she was going to roll over and let Ginny get any of the remaining spoils. She wasn’t sure if after this debacle there were going to be any, but any that might finally emerge out of the ruins were going to be hers and not Ginny’s.

She yawned again and wished there weren’t so many imponderables. Nothing seemed certain, and she didn’t seem to know anything very much any more. She didn’t even know if she was hurting or numb inside. Part of her didn’t seem to feel anything and yet another part of her ached more than she thought possible without any obvious wound. She had made Bob sleep in the spare room – the first time they had ever slept apart when they hadn’t been physically separated by distance. Bob had looked hurt but had not complained and had trailed off silently. And after he had gone, Alice had regretted what she had done. She didn’t want to be alone in the double bed but she was too proud to go to him and change her mind.

Ginny pushed her greasy plate away and turned her attention to her tea. As she sipped it she looked at the words on the page in front of her but nothing was going in.
Hopeless
, she thought. She folded the paper back up again and stared out of the big plate-glass window. What with the condensation on the inside and the raindrops on the outside, she could only make out blurry shapes, but no matter. It wasn’t as if she was the least bit interested in the view, or lack of it.

With a start, Ginny remembered that Netta had been in the throes of having a baby when she had phoned the night before. She looked at her watch. It had been over twelve hours since she had phoned; there should be some news. She thought about phoning from inside the café but she didn’t think that using a mobile would go down a storm with a load of hairy-arsed lorry drivers. Perhaps she would wait till she got in her car. The café owner came over to her table and swapped her plate for a bill.

‘You look better for that,’ she remarked conversationally.

‘It was great, thanks.’

‘You looked all in when you pulled up here just now.’

‘Yeah, well, I’ve not had a great weekend.’
And ain’t that an understatement
, thought Ginny.

‘Ah,’ said the large lady, knowingly, as she checked Ginny’s left hand for a ring.

Ginny put her hand under the table when she saw the direction of the look. She didn’t know why. Perhaps she felt that it was yet another intrusion, albeit kindly meant, on her private life. She rummaged in her purse for a fiver and gave it to the lady, then followed her across the café to get her change.

‘You drive safely now, and just remember there’s plenty more fish in the sea.’

Not when you get to my age, thought Ginny, but she didn’t voice her pessimism out loud.

Ginny took her change and braced herself for the inevitable blast of cold air when she opened the café door. She gathered her coat around her shoulders and scuttled across to her car, still nestled between two monstrous trucks. She settled herself in and then dialled her sister’s number. The phone rang half a dozen times before it was picked up.

‘Hello,’ said the sleepy voice of her brother-in-law.

‘Hi, Petroc. It’s Ginny. How’s Netta?’

‘She’s OK. Tired but fine. She had another little girl who’s just great.’

‘I’m so pleased. What are you going to call her?’

‘Dunno yet. We were both too whacked after it all happened to sit down and try to think of names.’

‘It all went all right then?’

‘Yeah. This one took its time. I’ve only been back from the hospital for a couple of hours so I’m a bit knackered.’

‘Oh sorry, did I wake you?’

‘Yup, but don’t worry. My mum’s got the rest of the kids till Netta comes out of hospital so I can catch up on my sleep any time. What’s this about you coming to stay?’

‘I’ve got some problems. I need a bolt-hole for a while. Netta said it would be OK.’

‘She mentioned it. So when are you arriving?’

‘This afternoon, if I can get on the chopper.’

‘Oh.’ Petroc sounded quite stunned. ‘I didn’t realise it was quite so soon.’

‘Don’t worry about doing anything for me. I’ll try and be as much help as I can, rather than a hindrance. I realise that the last thing you want when you’ve got a new baby is a visitor too, but I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.’

‘So what sort of scrape have you got yourself into now?’

‘I’ll tell you when I see you, honest. Now you go back and get some kip. I’ll let you know from Penzance if I can get on the flight or not. Bye, and give Netta and the new sprog a big hug and kiss from me.’

Ginny flicked her mobile shut again. Then she switched on the engine, slipped the car into gear and headed for the Tamar Bridge and the far south-west.

‘Is that very loyal?’ asked Alisdair when he saw Sarah reading the
Mercury
on Monday as she made a pot of tea and poached him an egg simultaneously. He was tense with anxiety about what the day would hold for him now he was in charge. That would have been bad enough, without all hell breaking loose as far as the regiment was concerned. And, to cap everything, it was all happening on their first day back after the long Christmas break.

Sarah looked up guiltily. ‘I just needed to know what Taz had told them. I felt that forewarned was forearmed.’

‘Thinking of giving interviews to the press yourself then?’ he said tightly, flicking some minute motes of dust off his epaulettes and straightening his stable belt.

‘For God’s sake, no. I thought if I was going to go and give Alice some moral support I needed to know what line the paper had taken. And it’s awful. Look!’ she said with a certain amount of indignation as she pushed the paper towards her husband.