lady_branwyn (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lady_branwyn) wrote2009-09-07 11:01 am
lady_branwyn) wrote2009-09-07 11:01 am
Entry tags:
Hornblower Ficlet: Cenotaph
Warnings: None
Characters: One of Bush's sisters
Source: Flying Colours
Note: Hornblower and company belong to the Forester estate, not me.
********************
The scent of white lilies, dense and sickening, drifted from the altar. In the pews, the ladies’ fans rose and fell in steady waves.
“Two strangers in shining garments stood beside the tomb. ’Why seek ye the living among the dead?’ they asked the terrified women.” The vicar paused to swat away a bee lured inside by the flowers. The lower windows were open, for it was early June.
And the tomb was empty, Annie said to herself. If she turned her head very slightly, she could see the small churchyard from under the wings of her bonnet. After six months, they had buried William in absentia. She could see the gravestone from where she sat. “Lost in France 1810” was all the inscription said, for no one knew the true date.
How many miracles do I expect? He had served in the King’s Navy for nearly thirty years, facing peril on land and sea. Each day of his life had been a singular grace. She should accept God’s will and be grateful for what had been given.
After the closing hymn, she walked with her sisters back to the cottage, slowly for the day was turning warm. No callers were expected, but two horses stood in the lane. Who could it be? Annie wondered. She had paid the quarter’s rent, and for the moment, the tradesmen were held at bay.
Then she saw the two men waiting at the front gate. Tall and stern, hats and coats trimmed with gold, they gleamed in the sunlight like angel messengers.
Characters: One of Bush's sisters
Source: Flying Colours
Note: Hornblower and company belong to the Forester estate, not me.
********************
The scent of white lilies, dense and sickening, drifted from the altar. In the pews, the ladies’ fans rose and fell in steady waves.
“Two strangers in shining garments stood beside the tomb. ’Why seek ye the living among the dead?’ they asked the terrified women.” The vicar paused to swat away a bee lured inside by the flowers. The lower windows were open, for it was early June.
And the tomb was empty, Annie said to herself. If she turned her head very slightly, she could see the small churchyard from under the wings of her bonnet. After six months, they had buried William in absentia. She could see the gravestone from where she sat. “Lost in France 1810” was all the inscription said, for no one knew the true date.
How many miracles do I expect? He had served in the King’s Navy for nearly thirty years, facing peril on land and sea. Each day of his life had been a singular grace. She should accept God’s will and be grateful for what had been given.
After the closing hymn, she walked with her sisters back to the cottage, slowly for the day was turning warm. No callers were expected, but two horses stood in the lane. Who could it be? Annie wondered. She had paid the quarter’s rent, and for the moment, the tradesmen were held at bay.
Then she saw the two men waiting at the front gate. Tall and stern, hats and coats trimmed with gold, they gleamed in the sunlight like angel messengers.