He had had a magical leave, they had gone ahead and done all they could towards getting married as soon as possible, and Marianne, charmed and delighted at the turn of events, or so she claimed, had suggested that they should have a large engagement party in ten days’ time, because she and Maurice had decided that they would like to get married too.‘Many of our friends and most of Peter’s relatives have never met Maurice,’ she had said gaily. ‘And of course none of them have met you, Mal. So we shall arrange this thing for all our sakes, and very good such a party will be. It will cheer us up and help us to forget the war for a little while.’Tess and Mal had told each other the truth, too. The whole truth, which Mal, at least, had kept until now in his own mind and heart.Tess began it. She told him about her dream and its terrible ending, and her painful fear that her mother might have committed suicide rather than remain with her small daughter. And Mal hugged her and said stoutly that he would never believe that anyone, far less a mother, would willingly leave her.
