Chapter 61

Mark threw his hat on the bed, peeled of his jacket and threw that there too. He knocked on Victoria's door and walked in. She was standing in the middle of her room like a forlorn waif. He crossed to her and she fell against his chest and clung to his waist. He put one arm round her shoulders and gently stroked her hair with his free hand. Neither said a word for many minutes.

At length she looked up to find his eyes looking at her with love and compassion.

"How could you manage to go there a second time?" she asked.

"I'm not sure myself. I discussed it with Dad and he said he thought you and Mum ought, at least briefly, to see something of man's inhumanity to man. I knew it would affect you badly but I had to agree with him and had to steel myself to go there again."

"That's really what Mummy said, isn't it?"

Mark nodded.

"Did they get the perpetrators?"

"We, the British Military Government, got a few. Some were sentenced to death and the others got long terms of imprisonment. The Germans have rounded up some more but of them only a few got short prison sentences."

"Why were they so lenient?"

"It's difficult to say. They are so deeply ashamed of what went on that they try to block it out, I think. Then, if they started to really spread the net there would just be too many people to prosecute. Those people worked on the local farms for instance. Do you pull in the farmers or do you accept that they were under extreme duress to accept the prisoners as workers? I just don't know. Then again one might consider it a worse punishment than death to have to live with the knowledge of what you've done."

"Did they have gas chambers there?"

"No."

"How did they have so many dead then?"

"Most died from the typhus outbreak during the last four or five months. Others died of malnutrition and they also shot a lot."

"The horror is still there, isn't it?"

Mark nodded.

"No birds. If they can't live there it must have been unspeakable."

Mark nodded again.

Victoria fell silent again for a while then she released her grip on Mark, pushed gently at his chest and then shook herself. "I shall never forget that place," she said, "nor shall I ever forgive the perpetrators but there's nothing to be gained from moping about it. I'm going to have a bath and wash it all off."

"That's my girl," smiled Mark and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Do you want me to come and wash your back?"

"Very much but I think it would be a mistake, don't you?"

"Yes," said Mark ruefully. "I'll come and collect you at seven."

"Yes, darling. Kiss?"

Mark bent his head and they kissed lovingly. Victoria drew strength from it.

She was in a wholly better frame of mind when Mark knocked on her door again. "Let the party begin," she said as she took his arm and gave him one of her best smiles.

They found the Davidsons, the Collinses and Stephen already in the drawing room. They both asked the House Sergeant for a lager.

Arthur Davidson came over to them. "I've been hearing about your riding exploits," he said to Victoria. "Pretty impressive."

Victoria did her usual: smiled, thanked him softly, blushed and looked at the floor.

"You really ought to start competing again," the general went on. "I know it's expensive but the first thing is to get yourself a good horse and that of course is expensive in itself."

"I've got the horse," said Victoria, "or at least I know the horse I want. I'm madly saving for him now."

"Tell me about him."

Victoria did. Her eyes shone with enthusiasm.

"He sounds marvellous," said Arthur. "Do you agree with Victoria, Mark?"

"I certainly do, Sir. I don't think he even notices her weight. He's so big and she's so small. On the other hand he seems almost to anticipate what she wants him to do. It's magic to watch."

At this stage the other guests began to arrive and the general had to leave them. It was not long before the Frenches came in. As Mary Davidson had said, Diana French was indeed lovely. She stood about five foot eight, had flaming red hair falling to her shoulders, vivid blue eyes and a stunning figure. Stephen clearly could hardly wait to be introduced to her.

Once the Frenches had been greeted they dispersed. Stephen had Diana in tow. Brigadier French headed straight towards Mark and Victoria.

"How nice to see you again, Mark," he said shaking Mark's hand warmly, "and this is your wife to be?"

"Darling, this is Brigadier French who used to be my brigade commander. And yes, Sir, this is my fiancée, Victoria Collins."

With old-fashioned courtesy Brigadier French bowed over her hand. "And a very beautiful fiancée you are too, my dear," he said. "Anthony Collins is a lucky man to have two such lovely women in his life."

"I have quite a handsome brother too," Victoria smiled at him. "Anyway, I wouldn't say you were doing badly."

"I'm not, am I? Anyway Mark, apart from Victoria, how's it going?"

"I'm enjoying myself immensely, Sir, and General Anthony is a wonderful boss and gives me a lot of responsibility. He's got the makings of a pretty good father-in-law too," he added with a grin.

"Letting you run his division is he?"

"Not quite, Sir, but he treats me more like an MA than an ADC."

"Good for you. So, Victoria, have you fixed a wedding date."

Victoria nodded happily. "Yes, the first Saturday in April at Thirsk."

"Oh, you're going to pull everyone up to Yorkshire."

"Mummy and I want to have the reception at home."

"I can understand that. You never met my wife did you, Mark?"

"No, Sir."

"Come on then the two of you. As Diana's going out with you this evening she'll probably want to vet you."

He introduced them to his wife who was talking to Frances. They had a few minutes pleasant conversation with her before Stephen arrived and herded them out.

They had a thoroughly enjoyable evening in Bremen. Victoria was enchanted with the Ratskeller tucked, as it is, under the cathedral. Mark was astounded by the wine list, which was the size of a telephone directory, before learning that the Ratskeller was the biggest wine cellar in Germany.

Stephen was an amusing companion with a quick wit and an infectious laugh. Diana proved to be delightful. She had just returned from a year's teaching at a primary school in Kashmir and reckoned she deserved a rest before job-hunting in London in the New Year. She and her parents were coming to the Green Howards party on Saturday. Stephen gave her dire warnings of the likely debauchery of the subalterns.