Under the Crimson Sky

Prepare

                                                                                                                                                      Sept 1939

                                                                                                                                                 London, England

                                                                                                                                                   Bransley Park

                             Crack of thunder startled Charlotte awake, she searched for her watch. Blast, it was half past nine. She quickly rose, and got dressed. She looked in the mirror, Yikes she said out loud. She had bruises and scratches all over her neck and face from running through the forest. There was cream on the counter that Anthony had also gotten her, it smelled heavenly. Like roses and vanilla. She applied a thick layer. “ CHARLOTTE, “ Anthony said in a sharp whisper. Charlotte went to the side door, she opened it. Anthony was standing very close to the door, he let himself into the room. “We must go now. The Germans are here, They are looking for a “spy”. They brought some officers with them. They are outside, but I don't know how long they will stay outside. The Germans were yelling. I phoned my father and he is on his way, but we need to get going.” He swung in a suitcase, I will help you pack.” Charlotte removed the outfits from the boxes and gently laid them in the suitcase. “ I got this, grab the bathroom items.” She turned and walked over to the bathroom, quickly grabbed everything off the counter. She took a damp towel and wiped the counter down. So it looked like no one had used the bathroom. “ All done. Let's make the bed and then be off. I have the cabbie waiting from last night around back. We will go to the station immediately and leave for Yorkshire.” Charlotte was shaky, trying to gather her wits. She quickly put her watch on and they quietly left the room. He could hear shouting in the foyer, they had gotten into the house. “ Quickly, the back stairs, let me go first.” They crept down the stairs, went through the back hallway that led to a service entrance. Anthony slowly opened the door, the rain was still coming down in buckets. The cabbie was sitting close to the entrance, his lights were off, but the engine was running. He quickly got out of the car when he saw the door open slightly.” Quickly now Sir, the Germans are in front, causing quite a scene with their yelling.” Anthony, who had a hold of Charlotte’s hand pulled her forward and pushed her into the car. He quickly followed, as did the cabbie. He stepped on the gas, and away they went. The windshield wipers were going at full speed, but it was difficult to see. Charlotte’s hands were shaking, tears were welling up. How did they find her and so quickly ? Anthony leaned and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. “ It will be ok Lottie.” Anthony said in hushed tones. He scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her, to comfort her. She was scared, he was upset. They bounced along as they headed towards Paddington Station, he would take her directly to his parent’s house. “ Damn Sir these Germans are fast, Miss you may want to duck.” Charlotte quickly ducked to stay out of sight. Tears rolled down her face. “ Quickly pull over to St Mary’s hospital, I'm going to make a call.” The cabbie cut over so he could make the turn. They pulled to a rolling stop in front of the hospital. “Lottie, stay here, Richard please keep the meter running.” “ Aye, Sir.” They waited for what seemed an eternity, but Anthony came back to the car. “ Ok Head to King’s cross, the Germans have already been there. I reserved our tickets as well. “ The cab got back into traffic, and headed towards Kings Cross station. Charlotte’s tummy grumbled in hunger, they all chuckled. The atmosphere lightened a bit. “ Blast this rain is making travel difficult.” Anthony said angrily. He couldn’t wait to get to his parent’s house, away from all of this. He spied at his watch, brilliant they would get there and leave. Perfect, he wanted to eat and just relax for a bit. The taxi slowed and came to a stop. Steam from the engine slowly rose upwards. “ Come on, let's board.” Anthony said wearily “ Richard thank you for being most helpful, I will be in contact. I would like to offer you a position up in the north.” “ I would be honored, Sir. Here is my contact information.” Richard wrote his address down on a pad of paper, handing him the sheet he detached from the pad itself. “I will get the bags sir, you get her aboard.” Charlotte gathered her purse, and pulled on the door handle. 

                                        She quickly got out, it was still raining buckets. The thunder and lighting was cracking above, setting the mood. Anthony appeared next to her umbrella in hand. “ Let's go !” He offered her his elbow and she accepted. They quickly walked to the ticket booth and received their tickets. Charlotte was so nervous she got hear her heartbeat. She wanted to be away from London as soon as possible. The train’s whistle let out a loud shrill, being on edge made it worse for Charlotte, as she jumped.” Steady, I'm here.” Anthony turned and smiled at her. “ Come on our cabin is this way, Mother is meeting us as well.” “ Oh that will be wonderful, I so adore her.” Moments later he saw his mother quickly coming towards the train.” Quickly get on board my dears, the Germans just pulled up.” Anthony took both of the ladies by the hand, and pulled them into motion. He shoved both of them up the stairs, and closed the door behind them. He quickly guided them down the narrow hallway of the train. He found their cabin, opened the door and pulled them both in. Charlotte was shaking at this point, she was trying to hide it, but her hands shook violently. “ I guess I'm chilled.” she said nervously. “Sit down, I will get some food right away. Do not unlock this door unless you hear it is me.” They both nodded and he left the cabin. “ Oh my dear, how are you faring ?” “ I'm so scared, I can't believe they found me so quickly.” I had such a huge head start. They must have flown over or something. The voyage over was rough to say the least !” “ Well you take a seat over here, I will pull the shade down so no one can see in, and you need rest. Anthony said you are coming to stay at the big house. The girls will be so excited to see you again.” “Oh they are such sweet gems, I adore them. How are they doing during all of this madness ?” “ Children are so resilient, they are scared but they are glad to be up there. They don’t care too much for London.” “Anthony said something about increasing the farming production ? Will that be able to be done in such a short time ? “ “ Oh yes, they hired all the men needed, and they even plowed the fields to prepare for planting. They have men also converting part of the house to a hospital as well. We will do everything we can to be well supplied.” Just then a sharp knock came from the door, both ladies jumped and turned towards the door. “ It's me, let me in.” Charlotte got up but Margaret opened the door first. Anthony pushed in a tea cart, it had quite the layout on it. Charlotte was hungry, they had to leave in such a rush they didn't have time to eat. “ Here we are, some lovely tea to warm us up.” He said sweetly. He poured the tea for them and they began chatting about some of the work that needed to be done. “ I for one, am fascinated by all the medical work you do. I should have gone to nursing school. Instead I'm just the ambassador’s daughter.” “ Lottie don’t be silly, the work you do is very important but if you like I will teach you somethings that might be helpful in the coming months.” “ That would be wonderful, thank you very much.” The train started putting on its breaks to gently slow it down. “ What the devil, we still have a ways to go. Anthony peeked out the window, and saw 4 German soldiers going up the stairs to enter the train. There was quite a ruckus outside the train. “ Remove yourself from the train and leave us be you cowards.” The Germans shouted angrily, and got back into the vehicle they arrived in. Anthony let out a big sigh of relief as the train started chugging forward. 

                 The weather wasn't much better in Yorkshire, but the fields needed the rain. The train halted under the canopy in the train station. “ Ah at last, Let's get home.” Margaret said cheerfully “ Come on Dears, Anthony can you manage the bags ?” “ Two steps ahead of you Mother, Our bags are going to be loaded into the car. Charlotte sank down into the leather seat. She was excited to be almost home, the rain was starting to let up, the clouds let the sun peek through just a bit. The three passengers were quite quiet during the journey home. The car pulled up the drive of the big home. All the colors were so vivid due to the rain. She could see the large farm equipment moving in the fields. She could see workers working on a building that seemed to be attached to the big house. The workers looked like bees, buzzing around the hive. The car parked, and the travelers got out of the car. Two footmen quickly came down the stairs and gathered the suitcases.  '' Lottie would you like to go on a walk ?” “ Yeah , let me get cleaned up and changed.” “ Ooh let me show you to your room too, We are all trying to stay on the same side of the house.” They climbed the stairs and turned down the hallway. They walked down to the very end of the hall and turned right. “ I had them put you at the back of the house, in case anyone comes to visit.” Charlotte put on a bleak smile, she was nervous and unsettled. “ Here we are.” He opened the door and let her enter, the room was spacious. It even had a private bathroom. Her suitcase had been placed on the bed. The curtains had been pulled back and the light was streaming in through the windows. “ Let me quickly change and we can go for a walk.” “ Ok sounds great.” Anthony turned and gently closed the door behind him. He was starting to relax a bit, he was glad she was staying here, she would be safe here. Away from the prying eyes of the damn Germans, those bastards. How dare they chase after her, and stalk her like prey. He hoped his father had gotten all the supplies he had asked for, they had a huge undertaking that needed to happen. Maybe he could even have Charlotte run part of the interim hospital, to keep her here and keep her busy.  He knew she was capable of running it, she was incredibly smart. Hopefully she would be up to the task. “ Ah Anthony you are here, perfect. How did everything go ?” His valet inquired. “Ghastly, the Germans followed her over here, came to the house, we had to leave in a hast. They even stopped the train for a bit. Poor Charlotte was in such a panic.” “ Bloody hell Sir, that sounds awful. I have everything unpacked for you.” “ Perfect, thank you.” Charlotte came down the stairs. She was wearing the outfit he had purchased in London. “ Golly Tony, you did an excellent job picking out everything. Truly remarkable.” She said with a teasing giggle. “ So instead of a walk, how do you feel about a ride ?” “ Oh that sounds amazing, let's please.” Charlotte exclaimed. They walked through a side hall, towards the side of the house. 

                                             They went out through a large door, and had a sprawling garden in front of them. Everything seemed to be so vibrant, the flowers and trees were giving off the most incredible colors. They walked in unison, down the gravel path, towards the stable. Soft neighs could be heard coming from the stable. The corrals that were situated on each side of the path had horses in them. The curious creatures came to greet the duo. They stopped for a quick pet, but continued down the path. They finally reached the stable door. He pulled it open for her. She entered the stable, the soft scent of hay and manure greeted her nose. The stable floor was clear of any debris, she could hear someone humming a cheerful tune.” Hello Sir, Would you like me to ready some horses for ye ?” “ That would be splendid.” “ Ok Sir just give me a moment.” Ralph Jenkins, turned and walked to the end of the hall, he yelled for a stable boy to come and help him. Charlotte walked towards a beautiful black horse. The horse greeted her with a soft whinny. Charlotte stroked the horse’s muzzle. The horse stepped closer, loving the attention. Charlotte started to relax, but so did her mind. She started to remember the day she left Germany, hiding, yelling, and running. Her heart began racing, her hands began to shake. The horse stomped her foot and moved back. Anthony gently touched Charlotte’s shoulder and she jumped. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes.  Anthony pulled her in for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. He rubbed her back in slow circular motions, to help calm her. “Charlotte you will be safe here. They won’t find you. Why were they chasing you ?” “ I’m the Ambassador’s daughter. I also overheard their plans, I honestly didn't mean to. They tried coming to the embassy to pick me up, but the guards would not allow them in. I had to run for it.” “ Here ye are Sir, two of your favorites.” Mr. Jenkins handed the reins to Anthony, tipped his hat and turned to resume his labor. Anthony turned and the duo walked to the end of the stable. He stopped in front of the mounting block, attaching the reins to the hitching post. Charlotte put her foot into the stirrup , with a slight push from Tony she was up in the saddle. He handed her the reins, she steered her horse to the right to get out of the way of Anthony. He was up on his horse in nothing flat. “ Come on, I want to show you the garden.” His parent’s estate sprawled out for miles, so he recently had a small garden designed. It was perfect for relaxing and reading. They took off at a steady pace, gently trotting along, gravel crunching under the horse’s hooves. “ Better?” Anthony inquired “ Yes, thank you. You know you really don’t have to pay me so much attention.” “ Yes I do Lottie, you are special.” He said smiling. She blushed a deep scarlet. “Come on I want to tell you my plans.” 

                                         Just then a footman came rushing down the gravel path, his face was bright red from running. “ Sir, Sir, they have attacked. The Germans have attacked.” Barely getting all the information out. Charlotte let out a big sigh, and lowered her head. “ We will head back to the house quickly, Can you take the horses back to the stable please ?” “ Right away Sir.” The pair climbed down off their steeds. Handing the reins to the footman, they walked back to the house. Anthony’s father greeted them as they came up the backstairs. “ Oh good, We need to talk about what's going on, all of us.” “ Charlotte, your parents have arrived, along with your siblings. The younger children will play, whilst we coordinate our efforts. Tea is being poured in the drawing room.” They walked into the drawing room, silently. “ Darling Lottie, we were so worried.” Elizabeth said, brows furrowed together. “ I'm ok, I got out safely and Anthony has taken excellent care of me. Bunch of scraps and bruises but nothing serious.” “ Why were the dirty dogs chasing you ?” William asked “ They knew I'm your daughter, they were talking about holding me for ransom, because they wanted Father's help on a project and he refused. I also had heard their plans for taking over the world, country by country. “ “ Bloody hell, they must not be allowed to get away with this, we must stop them." Richard said “I propose we calmly discuss all the options in the drawing room.” Anthony said calmly The group walked into the room, Charlotte sat on the large cozy loveseat, that was situated close to the fireplace. The butler came in with a footman, both pushing tea carts filled with all sorts of delicious treats. “ Lottie would you like some tea ?” Her brother asked “ Oh sure, thank you .” She replied smiling. He brought her a lovely cup of tea, with a plate of sandwiches. “ Well I want to start this, I need to call the hospital later to see where I will be needed and if I will join the military. Since Charlotte is to stay here, I was hoping you would be in charge of all the hospital that we are setting up and also help manage the nurses ?” “ Oh goodness that is quite the undertaking, are you sure I will know what to do ? “ Yes, and I can help manage while on leave as well. “ Ok who is next, Peter can I ask for your help with running some of the fields ? I know you are young, but your grasp of growing and mathematics is exactly what we need.” “ Sure Anthony I would love to help where I can.” Peter replied The rest would be up to his father and mother. Charlotte watched the flames consume the log in the fireplace, she was exhausted. Her body was sore and tired. Her mind was racing, but also exhausted. She glanced at her watch, nearly 3pm. Oh how she longed for a nap. “ I think I will go up to my room to rest.” She set her teacup back on the cart and quickly left the room. She walked up the stairs, down the long corridor that led back to her room. The wireless was switched on, and her sheets were pulled back. Anthony was so thoughtful in everything he did. She also noticed some medical textbooks on the side table. She removed her shoes and sweater. She put on her nightgown and climbed into bed. She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillows.