London, England           It had been more than twenty-four hours since the Major last spoke to Siegfried Feuermacht. He and Victoria had not heard anything more from the German and she wondered if Wills were dead. The thought chilled her. She needed to go somewhere, where she could feel her brother’s spirit.           Several hours later, her Bentley pulled into the dairy farm where she and Wills had grown up. The Tyning family had divided their time between the estate at Harrogate and the house at Cadogan Gardens. But when the Earl died, Wills was making a name for himself in service to the Crown and Victoria was newly married, so the estate was placed in limbo. The livestock and the contents of the dairy were sold. A caretaker was retained, but only to make sure the house and grounds were kept in order until Wills returned to take over supervision of the property.           Victoria walked into the deserted barn. Slivers of light shimmered between the wooden slats where thatch had abandoned the roof.           She closed her eyes and could almost hear the squeals of laughter from their days of playing together in the hayloft. She remembered Wills taunting her mercilessly about the sprinkle of freckles on the bridge of her nose. Those freckles had faded as she grew older, but her memories of childhood were as fresh as if they had happened yesterday.           And always, never far away, there had been the Major. He had spent a lot of time with her family. It was almost as if he were a relative.           George Thorpington was on-hand for every occasion: Christmas, Boxing Day, May Day and beyond. But unlike a member of the family, he never really got involved in everything that was going on. And in his own way, he had almost been invisible.           She left the dairy, walking back into full sunlight. She stood blinded, while she waited for her eyes to adjust. Very little had changed. Yet, without the cows and dairy workers buzzing about, the yard and paddocks seemed lifeless. She walked to the back of the house and pulled on the door. It was locked. Of course, it would be. The estate needed protection from tramps and vagrants.           Victoria walked around the house. Wisteria and Bougainvillea vines were creeping across the yellow brick splashing it with color and making it appear inviting, but she knew everything inside would be covered with dustsheets and the air would be stale and musty.           Wednesday is market day – the caretaker’s day off. She sat down on a stone block, once used by ladies and gentlemen to mount horses and board carriages. She asked her driver to retrieve a wicker hamper from the car. Wills' maid had packed sandwiches for lunch and the long trip made Victoria hungry. She drank cold tea from an old army canteen the Major had given her brother, long ago.           Victoria wanted the warmth and laughter and security she had felt in her youth to return to this place, but knew it wouldn't happen until her brother returned.           She heard the yelping of a puppy. First, she thought of Piccolo, but then it brought her back to her childhood. *           Victoria could not escape the misery she felt when a nurse referred to her as a ‘pathetic creature.’ She was only seven years old and had been hospitalized with pneumonia and a broken leg. She was burning with fever and barely cognizant, but the nurse’s words permeated her subconscious and cut her like a knife.           It reminded her of a baby she had once seen, who was so scrawny his bones were visible under his skin. His tiny body was covered with scars and burn marks and Victoria’s mother had worked ceaselessly to have the unwanted “bastard child” removed from his "useless" mother’s care and placed in an orphanage.           When she asked her mother what a “bastard child” was, she was told it was an inappropriate topic for little girls to talk about and was sent to the nursery to play. She had heard someone refer to the baby as a pathetic creature, and now she was being likened to him.           As she lay in a hospital bed, near death, she bristled at the comparison.           She was also angry with herself for going outside in the dead of winter in just her nightgown, to find her puppy, Annalee.           She had been sure Annalee had gone to the Creamery in search of her siblings. When Victoria didn't see the tiny canine there, she went looking for her out in the paddocks. She had tried to climb the gate, but she slipped and fell. Her leg had broken and she had winced with pain when she tried to stand up. She called for help, but the howling winds sucked her words into its vortex, drowning out her plaintiff cries. Her thin flannel gown could not ward off the chill and Victoria lay crumpled on the ground, her teeth chattering and her limbs shuddering involuntarily, to produce heat. Her fear was not for herself, but that her precious puppy would freeze to death.           The farm manager found her when he went out to see why some of the animals were baying. Their discontent had saved her from dying of exposure. *           Victoria slipped in and out of consciousness for three days. Reverend Arbuthnot and Doctor Carstaires prepared her parents for the worst.           On the fourth day, her father gave his farm manager permission to visit the girl in the children’s ward of the hospital. When Mr. Marsden arrived, the nurses failed to notice the bulge under the man’s jacket. He approached Victoria’s bed and removed Annalee from inside and laid the puppy on top of the little girl’s chest. Annalee just lay there, happy to be reunited with her mistress.           When the afternoon nurse checked on Victoria, she found the youngster’s tiny arm wrapped around the puppy. Animals were not allowed in the hospital and the nurse was determined to see this one removed. It didn’t matter to her that Victoria was breathing easily and sleeping contentedly. The nurse summoned Dr. Carstaires, who in turn summoned Victoria’s parents. There was a heated discussion about the appropriateness of dogs in the hospital and, against her parents’ wishes, the doctor ordered the nurse to remove the puppy from the child’s arms.           Annalee nipped the nurse, who yelped in surprise, and Victoria opened her eyes and pronounced the woman, “A pathetic creature.”           The youngster closed her arms around the puppy and her eyes against the world. But a tiny flush of pink crept into her pale cheeks and a beatific smile lifted the corners of her mouth. In her mind, she had avenged her honor and exonerated Annalee. The puppy was allowed to stay. The nurse chose not to.           Within days, Victoria was well enough to go home. *** Share | Code Name: Evangeline is available in its entirety on Kindle Don't own a Kindle? Download a free app to read Kindle books on your iPhone and iPod Touch. Or get the free app to read Kindle books on your PC.