Page 295 of Winter of the World (The Century 2)

Lloyd shook his head. "Too dangerous. The town on the hill has a sympathetic mayor--that's why we rendezvous here. But farther down the valley their politics are different. The Gestapo are everywhere, you know that--and most of the Spanish police are on their side, not ours. My group will be in serious danger of arrest for entering the country illegally. And you know how dif

ficult it is to get people out of Franco's jails even when they're innocent."

"I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you. I outrank you."

"No, you don't."

"What?"

"I'm a major. So don't call me 'laddie' ever again, unless you want a punch on the nose."

"My mission is urgent!"

"So why didn't you bring your own vehicle?"

"Because this one was available!"

"But it wasn't."

Will Donelly, the big American, stepped forward. "I'm with Major Williams," he drawled. "He's just saved my life. You, Major Lowther, haven't done shit."

"That's got nothing to do with it," said Lowther.

"Well, the situation here seems pretty clear," Donelly said. "The truck is under the authority of Major Williams. Major Lowther wants it, but he can't have it. End of story."

Lowther said: "You keep out of this."

"I happen to be a lieutenant colonel, so I guess I outrank you both."

"But this isn't under your jurisdiction."

"Nor yours, evidently." Donelly turned to Lloyd. "Should we get going?"

"I insist!" spluttered Lowther.

Donelly turned back to him. "Major Lowther," he said. "Shut the fuck up. And that's an order."

Lloyd said: "All right, everybody--climb aboard."

Lowther glared furiously at Lloyd. "I'll get you for this, you little Welsh bastard," he said.

ii

The daffodils were out in London on the day Daisy and Boy went for their medical.

The visit to the doctor was Daisy's idea. She was fed up with Boy blaming her for not getting pregnant. He constantly compared her to his brother Andy's wife, May, who now had three children. "There must be something wrong with you," he had said aggressively.

"I got pregnant once before." She winced at the remembered pain of her miscarriage; then she recalled how Lloyd had taken care of her, and she felt a different kind of pain.

Boy said: "Something could have happened since then to make you infertile."

"Or you."

"What do you mean?"

"There might just as easily be something wrong with you."

"Don't be absurd."

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