It was rumored that Captain Winters would be promoted again, another sure sign of what they were about to face. More responsibility on a good man’s shoulders. William had just earned his stripes as a corporal, and Tom was just below him as a technician fifth grade.

Sometimes those were meritorious. Sometimes they were given in anticipation of a great loss of men.

Their orders were to report to Aldbourne on the evening of the fifth. Saying goodbye to everything that they had known for the last few months in this charmed village. And though it rained through the day and did not look as if it would let up, word came through that they were shipping out regardless. In fact, the brass hoped that attacking during this kind of weather would be one more layer of protection for them. The element of surprise.

William and Tom trudged down the stairs after packing up all of their gear, roundly full from a meal that had seemed like the Last Supper. Tom looked back with sadness. It was unlikely that he would ever return to this place. This place where he’d built memories with John and William. In which he’d read Margaret’s letters and begun to open his heart on paper.

Victoria laid her head on her paws and looked bereft, as if she could sense the shift in the house. Her shaggy fur hung over her eyes, only adding to her forlorn demeanor.

Tom expected to say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Brown as they read by the fireplace. But to his surprise, the old couple was already wrapped up in their raincoats and Wellies.

“We’ll not have you walking to Aldbourne in this weather,” said Mrs. Brown. “We’re going to drive you. We borrowed an automobile from the Turnberrys.”

“Don’t spend the petrol on us,” Tom protested, the British word for gasoline rolling off his tongue naturally.

Mr. Brown shook his head. “I’ll not hear any objections. Anything to help our boys.”

He took their heavy canvas bags on his shoulders, and Tom and William exchanged a look of surrender. They knew him well enough to realize that this usefulness gave him tremendous joy.

The rain poured and the simple car nearly got stuck in muddy ruts several times. Tom worried about how they would fly in such weather but figured that the higher-ups knew what was best. What was a little rain compared to saving civilization as they knew it? At least that’s what he told himself.

At last, they pulled up to the gates at Aldbourne. Mr. Brown saluted them and Mrs. Brown pushed a homemade fruitcake into William’s arms. Her eyes glistened with tears, and even Mr. Brown looked crumpled by their departure.

Tom pulled her into a hug, wanting to forever remember that she smelled of baked bread. He felt immeasurably grateful for the couple he would always think of as his English godparents.