Page 35 of Fire Must Burn

‘How was work?’ Sally asked after they placed their orders. ‘Any interesting lonely people wander in?’

‘Actually, we have a new client whom you may know,’ said Gwen.

‘Really? Who?’

‘Anthony Danforth. He was a year ahead of you at Cambridge, I believe.’

‘Danforth?’ he exclaimed. ‘He came back?’

‘Apparently so,’ she said.

‘I can’t believe it,’ he said, shaking his head in wonderment. ‘Of all the bloody nerve.’

‘You knew him, I take it.’

‘He was a— well, I can’t exactly say rival for my affections for …’

He stopped.

‘For Iris, you were going to say,’ she prompted him. ‘It’s all right to speak of that. I’m not jealous.’

‘I only fell for her because I hadn’t met you yet,’ he said hastily. ‘And I don’t know that I can call him a rival when she never felt anything for me other than friendship.’

‘Which has been considerable.’

‘It has,’ he agreed.

‘Then what was Mr Danforth to her?’

‘I never quite figured out the exact nature of it,’ he said. ‘She took lovers at Cambridge. She usually told me what was going on in her life at every moment, yet the details of Danforth were either vague or completely not forthcoming. Then she went silent about him, and that was rather disturbing.’

‘Why do you say that?’

‘When he left England, well, it was under a considerable cloud at the time.’

‘Why?’

‘There were some rather dark stories circulating about an incident that caused him to leave England abruptly.’

‘What are you referring to?’

‘When he went to Spain. In ’36, along with the other idealistic idiots.’

‘Idealism isn’t idiotic.’

‘It is when you go in at half-cock with insufficient training and equipment,’ said Sally.

‘It was courageous, at least.’

‘Oh, no doubt,’ said Sally. ‘Idiocy and courage often charge side by side into the fray. But I don’t think Danforth was an idiot, nor do I think he was all that courageous for going there. He went to Spain because he was running away from England.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know the full story,’ said Sally. ‘I don’t think Sparks does, either, although she must know more than most. Besides Danforth, the only others who would know are dead. Bruce Cater died in Spain, Kevin Pickard at Anzio, and Sauce, well, she was the reason they ran.’

‘Sauce?’

‘That’s what people called her at Cambridge. She was at Newnham College, a year ahead of Sparks. Sad, I can’t remember her full name any more. Nancy something, but everyone called her Sauce. She used to say it was because of her saucy nature.’