“No.” Miss Pedley sighed. “And I fear it’ll get worse. He’s trying to rejoin his original unit.”
“The man’s shoulder was nearly taken apart by a bullet,” said Diana.
Miss Pedley chewed her lip. “I had hoped that he would take to being a supply officer. I don’t want him back in combat.”
“Have you told him that? Asked him to put in a transfer that will keep him in Britain?”
Miss Pedley dipping her head was all the answer Diana needed.
“And what of you? Will you remain a land girl?” she asked.
“Yes,” breathed the young woman, as though the backbreaking labor was a relief and not a burden. “Conscription means that I’ll stay on unless I become pregnant.”
“What would you do then?” she asked.
“Graeme tells me that he could make arrangements for me to stay with his parents.”
“Where are his people from?” Diana asked.
Miss Pedley’s shoulders sagged a little further. “Colchester.”
“Colchester is quite far from Highbury, and you seem to have so many friends here.”
“I know.” Miss Pedley lifted her head, and Diana was surprised to see tears glistening in her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s silly to become upset, but it’s just that Highbury is the first place I’ve ever been happy.”
This poor girl. That she needed help was clear, but by the looks of it, Miss Pedley had few women to guide her.
“And you wish to stay?” Diana asked.
Miss Pedley nodded. “But that’s just as silly. This isn’t my home, either. I just don’t know what to do.”
“Are you certain that you want to marry this man?” Diana asked.
Miss Pedley’s answer was immediate. “Yes. I’ve known him for so little time, but yes.”
Perhaps if she were a different person, Diana would have embraced this young woman. She’d hugged Miss Pedley once, when they’d all waited with bated breath for news of Captain Hastings from the invasion, but she couldn’t break through years of “correct” behavior quite so easily again.
Instead, she said, “Well, that brings us back to the question of your nuptials. If Captain Hastings can secure leave, I suppose you’ll want to marry here. If you like, I’ll send word to the vicar, and he can help you arrange a date around Captain Hastings’s leave.”
“Oh, thank you, Mrs. Symonds. That’s very kind,” said Miss Pedley.
“What were your plans for a wedding breakfast?” she asked.
“I hadn’t thought, yet. It all seems so daunting, especially with rationing on,” Miss Pedley said.
“You must have a wedding breakfast. You’ll have it at Highbury House,” Diana said before she could second-guess her offer—or consider how Miss Adderton would feel about it.
“At Highbury?” Miss Pedley asked.
“On the veranda, if you like, or in the morning room if it’s raining. Highbury House might be a convalescent hospital, but I think it’s proven it can still manage a party when called upon.”
Miss Adderton would be in a foul mood at the idea of having to magic a wedding breakfast out of thin air and thin rations—or maybe not. She’d seen the way Miss Pedley had stayed by Miss Adderton’s side when the telegram came.
Cynthia would be another matter.
“Are you sure it wouldn’t be a bother?” Miss Pedley asked.
“None at all,” Diana lied through a smile. Miss Pedley’s wedding breakfast was sure to become another battleground on which Diana and her virtuous sister-in-law squared off. “Well, I should leave you to your drawing.”
She was halfway across the garden room when Miss Pedley called out, “Am I giving up too much if I agree to move to Colchester after the war?”
Slowly Diana looked over her shoulder. “Love can make women do ridiculous things. Intelligent women become silly. They give things up they never intended…” She trailed off. “Just know that you can tell him what you want. You can demand what you need.”
“What did you give up for Mr. Symonds?” asked Miss Pedley.
Diana adjusted the trug so it sat higher on her arm before answering, “Everything.”
* * *
That afternoon, after she’d made her rounds to visit with the soldiers, Diana stood in front of the music room that had been reduced to storage when the hospital moved in.
She smoothed her skirt and then set her shoulders back. It was just a room. It didn’t think ill of her.