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Chapters (50)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. Acknowledgements ♦ Diolchiadau
  50. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

The Lieutenant Colonel sat on the lower bunk, head in hands. His fury and shame a storm inside him. He would get up every now and again and kick the walls in frustration. The guard outside would relay this information to the Captain and he, in turn, would tell the guard to keep him there a while longer for him to cool down. The Captain had taken a lengthy call from General Reeves that morning. He’d explained to him that he had no idea why the Lieutenant Colonel would falsify a soldier’s records like that. They’d discovered, too, after talking a little longer, that the Captain’s father had attended the same college as the General. The Captain had assured him that Prisoner B was gone, so that business was concluded, and since the Lieutenant Colonel was to be removed for causing the death of Owens by a campaign of bullying, they could draw a line under everything and look to the future. General Reeves had told him that he thought he had a very glittering future indeed. After he’d put down the phone, the Captain listened to the Lieutenant Colonel shouting and raging in the guardroom and considered again what he had said about Prisoner B and that cove. There might be something in it, he thought, but the UADs were being dispatched early the next morning so it would have to wait.

39

Ffarwelio ♦ Farewell ♦ Tawdie

EFA BAKED EMRYS HIS favourite cake, packed it into a box for him. He spent the day sitting at the window looking out at the harbour. She washed his clothes, too, put some spare ones in his bag and fetched his old sailing gear, his boots and waterproof coat from the cupboard under the stairs. She pressed them to her as she put them to air; they still smelled of oil and boats and the sea.

She had knitted him a jumper, to an old pattern. A type of gansey with the shapes of waves and fish in its weave. She had pulled it over his head for him to try it on, and he wouldn’t take it off after that. There was nothing more then that she could do but sit with him and hold his hand, looking out at the harbour. They had an early start in the morning. Joseph wanted them at the cove at four thirty, and Nefyn had suggested that they might like to stay at the cottage, but Efa had declined. She had wanted him home. For their last night.