I know that Màthair and Chrissie mean to distract me, to fill my days and nights so that they aren’t so lonely. I can’t fault them their thoughtfulness. But they don’t know that, ever since the postman brought me a letter from a cheeky American one rainy spring day four and a half years ago, I haven’t been lonely anymore. I love you.

E

Place Nine

August 14, 1916


Dear Sue,

When we are all lying about without much to do, we always get into one of two conversations. Well, one of three, I should say. It is unavoidable that the subject of girls comes up at least once in any given conversation. Those who have them will always bring out the creased, folded photos of their girls back home. Pliny, ever the wise guy, brings out a risqué French postcard he bought somewhere and swears quite solemnly that she is his “best gal.” The best part? It’s a different postcard each time.

The other favorite topic of conversation, unsurprisingly, is when the war will end. We are always optimistic and usually pin a vague ending date somewhere around the next major holiday. At this time of year, we’re all cheerfully saying the war will end by Christmas. Once January rolls around, we’ll all be crossing our fingers for an Easter finale.

The third conversation that always crops up is what we will be doing after the war. No matter what, this future vision inevitably starts with a feast to rival anything you might find at Delmonico’s. Bread with real butter, rich chowders, steaks as thick as a man’s arm, cakes and pies and doughnuts, coffee with fresh cream, good bourbon. Please excuse the droplets on this paper; I seem to be drooling.

After our future selves gorge on this much-anticipated feast (and perhaps work off the meal in a bit of exercise with aforementioned “best gals”), they have to choose a career or path of life. Good ol’ Wart wants nothing more than to settle down with his girl and start production of Wart Junior. Pliny has grand plans of running for the U.S. Legislature. He fancies himself a bigwig, with an endless supply of cigars and women. Gadget—who is the best of all of us at repairing and generally tinkering with the flivvers—wants to go work for Henry Ford, designing cars. Riggles wants to open a showroom and sell them. Harry will return to his Minna in England and perhaps become a professor. He said he’s seen enough maiming and injury here to turn him off wanting to practice medicine.

Really, though, it’s all balloon juice. None of it means anything. It’s fine and good to talk up what you will do when you get out of this, but the talk is just hot air until you do get out of this. We could talk about our futures today and then lose those futures tomorrow.

Well, except for your Davey. You do know I’m coming home to you, don’t you, Sue? Made a Faustian bargain to guarantee I would get to see my Sue again. Ah, it’s perhaps unpatriotic to talk about Faust these days. If any of my buddies were to read this, I’d be tarred and feathered for sure. DAMNED BOCHE RUBBISH! There, maybe they’ll focus on the capitalized bit and ignore the rest.

Oh, we’re being called to start cranking the Lizzies up. Have to address this and go drop it to be sent.

Kisses! D

Isle of Skye

22 August 1916


Dear Davey,

What do you tell them about your “best girl”? Did you tell them I’m breathtakingly beautiful? Amazingly clever? The most mouthwatering cook this side of Hadrian’s Wall?

Oh, Davey! I’ve just realised that, if all goes well, you’ll be eating my world-famous Christmas pudding in person this year! You’ll be finished with the year you signed on for. See, it doesn’t really matter to me if the war ends by Christmas or not, because I, not the Field Service, will have you.

You talked of everyone else and what they hoped for the future, but not a word about yourself. Keeping secrets? “Balloon juice” it may be, but I know you’ve been thinking of it. You are too much of an optimist, Davey dear, to not dream about the future. Will you take me to Delmonico’s? Teach me to drive? Whisk me away on ski trips to Michigan? Will we kiss everyone goodbye and sail around the world? Since meeting you, I’ve done more than I ever thought I would. In the past year alone I’ve been to London, Paris, and Edinburgh. I’ve dined at the Carlton, slept at the Langham, and shopped on Charing Cross Road. I feel I could learn to ski or drive a car. With you by my side, I can face any adventure.

Loving you, Sue

Place Ten

August 31, 1916


Sue,

Things are so busy here. I’ve hardly had a break long enough to change my socks. We serve only a single poste here, but so many men move through that poste that we have all twenty cars going at any given time. I’ve just worked nearly forty-eight hours without so much as a catnap. I’m soaking up a heel of bread in lukewarm soup and trying to keep my eyes open long enough to write you back.

God, I’m tired!

No secrets about the future, Sue. I hope to start the very first Highland ballet troupe. And you can be in the barrel of in the and a

Sorry there, dozing…

Kiss you—

Place Ten

September 1, 1916


Sue,

I’m sorry my last letter was so short and so garbled at the end. I was literally falling asleep over the letter. As my head bobbed, I swear I saw a prairie dog dash past. I’m sitting in the ambulance, trying to write this note on my knee while drinking down a mug (or ten) of coffee.

Still here at———————and things are as crazy as can be. No word about the perm, but you know I’ll let you know as soon as I hear something.

We’ve been here—what?—two weeks now, so I don’t imagine we can be here too much longer without going en repos or being let en permission. If they keep working us at this pace, we’re going to drop. Gadget has come down with something and is back at the field hospital, so we are short a man.

Let’s wait and see about Christmas. You’re right, my year is almost up, but I can reenlist on three-month contracts. Maybe? The future isn’t going anywhere. We’ll talk about it when I see you. Crossing my fingers for that perm!

Riggle’s cranking her up, so I’ve got to end for now. Last swallow of coffee!

D

Isle of Skye

11 September 1916


Dear Davey,

I hope you’ve managed a rest. Any word about your leave? Will you be able to travel up all this way? I can come down and meet you in London again. I have Màthair on alert—she’ll come over to stay with the children the moment your telegram arrives.

Lord, but that does sound strange: Màthair will stay with “the children.” They’re not mine, but I can’t help but feel some responsibility. After all, I am taking part in the shaping of their young minds!

Chrissie won’t recognise her children when she comes back to pick them up. All are quite brown and freckled from the sun. The boys have become positively plump on all the crowdie and cream I’ve been putting in front of them. Emily still looks thin to me, but at least she has a bit more energy now that I’ve prodded her out into the sunshine.

Please write, no matter how tired you are. Even “I love you” scrawled on the back of a postcard makes my heart skip.

And I love you.

E

Place Eleven

September 11, 1916


My dear, dear girl,

I’m sorry I haven’t written much lately. We were in a really hot zone and were running nearly nonstop. Didn’t have time to do much else but drive and keep out of trouble. Even though I didn’t have the time or the energy to write to you, Sue, you are never out of my mind.

We’re finally en repos. I think they could have moved us to the middle of a swamp and we wouldn’t have cared, so tired are we. I don’t care one way or another where I am, as long as I get to sleep and write to my Sue.

We were quite close to the action and had our fair share of scares in the section. Harry had a shell explode right in front of him while he was driving. He came through with nothing more than a few scratches and ringing ears, but the ambulance was a bit worse for wear in the nose. All of us have found ourselves drowsing at the wheel, but Bucky ended up drifting off the road and smashing into a wall. He’s a bit banged up, as you can imagine, and has earned himself a trip out of here.

Not sure how long we’ll be en repos, but no matter how long it is, it won’t seem long enough. I’ve put a bug in my CO’s ear about my perm, so we’ll wait to see what he says. We’ve only just gotten to Place Eleven, and I’m sure there are things to get in order before he can sign off on perms.

I think I’m going to try to get a nap in before the call for chow. Oh, but it feels so good to stretch out!

Miss you, D

POSTES ET TÉLÉGRAPHES

PARIS

13 SEP 16


E. DUNN ISLE OF SKYE=

HAVE LEAVE FOURTEEN DAYS WILL WIRE WHEN ARRIVE

IN ENGLAND WILL BE LEAVING IN THE MORNING=

D+

21 Rue Raynouard, Paris, France