Authors: Cara Langston
Tags: #1940s, #historical fiction, #wwii, #army, #nursing, #wwii romance, #wartime romance, #romance historical
Battle Hymns
Cara Langston
Copyright 2014 by Cara Langston
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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This is a work of historical fiction. Apart from the
well-known events and locales featured in the narrative, all other
names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the
author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be
construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales,
organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental.
Published by
Cara Langston
Edited by
Janine Savage
Cover design by
Jennifer
Quinlan
December 1941
One
L
ively swing music
reverberated against the gilded mirrors and chandeliers of the
restaurant. Charlotte Donahue bobbed her foot along to the beat,
her high-heeled pump dangling precariously from her toes. She took
a few small bites of dessert—a sliver of apple pie à la mode—and
left the rest for her beau, Nick Adler. She turned her attention to
the couples bopping on the dance floor.
The silver spoon clinked onto the plate. Nick brought
the starched napkin from his lap and set it upon the table. “Ready
to dance, sweetheart?”
She nodded, her drop earrings swinging beneath her
dark curls, and returned his smile.
Taking her hand, Nick led Charlotte to the dance
floor. Music from the jazz band slowed, and he twirled her and
pulled her into his arms.
“It’s our song.” Nick’s fingers caressed her back
through the maroon silk of her dress.
As they swayed to the tempo, Charlotte stared into
his blue eyes. “I’m so glad you asked me to dance that night.” She
rested her cheek on his shoulder and whispered into his neck, “It
was meant to be.”
The song ended.
He pulled away from her. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Why? We’ve barely danced.”
He kissed her hand. “Trust me.”
Charlotte followed him to their table. Nick paid the
bill, and they retrieved their winter coats from the cloakroom.
They exited the restaurant. She looked to the inky sky. It was a
cold December evening in Washington, D.C., and the absence of stars
forecasted a possible snow shower later in the night.
She huddled into the crook of Nick’s arm as the
parking attendant dashed down the city block to retrieve the
car.
Nick pressed his lips to her temple. “Do you mind if
I don’t take you back to your place yet?”
“Not at all. What do you have planned?”
He blew out a long breath. “That’s a surprise.”
The black Buick Coupe pulled to the curb. Nick helped
her inside. She placed her pocketbook at her feet and rested
against the leather seat as Nick walked around to the other side
and tipped the attendant. He sat behind the wheel and closed the
door behind him.
Now in the privacy of the car, Charlotte scooted
toward him. He pressed his lips against hers, his hand cupping the
back of her neck. She savored the taste of peppermint Altoids on
his lips and tongue for several tantalizing moments. He was
addicted to those mints, and through his kisses, she was, too.
Nick started the engine and switched on the radio.
“
And in Europe, the Germans have marched on to Moscow in an
attempt to capture the Soviet capital.
”
Charlotte turned the tuning dial, cutting off the
news announcer, and settled on a station playing Christmas music
instead.
“You don’t want to hear about the war?” Nick
asked.
“My professors talk about it enough during class.”
She stared out the window as he steered them into traffic. “Do you
think we’ll join the war? Everyone thinks it’ll happen sooner or
later. I hope it’s later, though I’d prefer not at all.”
“Well, Roosevelt is determined not to get involved.
We’re already sending manpower and supplies over to the British,
though. We’ve taken a side. I won’t be surprised if we’re
eventually dragged into it.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to leave.”
Nick took her hand, kissed her palm, and said
nothing. His silence brought tears to her eyes. She blinked
rapidly, determined not to let them fall. She wanted to enjoy this
night, and she wouldn’t let her anxiety ruin it.
Instead, she gazed at her handsome beau as he shifted
gears and drove them toward their surprise destination. Charlotte
was smitten with Nick. She had been from the moment she first set
eyes on him fifteen months earlier.
In September of 1940, her first year at Trinity
College commenced. She moved into the dormitory and met her
roommate and soon-to-be best friend, Natalie Armstrong. Natalie was
a pretty, petite girl with blue eyes, a heart-shaped face, and
light blond hair curled above her shoulders. Natalie wasn’t from
the Washington, D.C. area, but from Michigan. Excited to see what
nightlife their nation’s capital promised, she invited Charlotte
and two of their classmates, Sandra and Evelyn, to go dancing that
first Friday night.
The four women dolled up and strolled to a popular
dance hall only a few blocks away from campus. Although they were
only eighteen, they were able to order martinis, and Charlotte soon
sat at a table with new friends toasting to a new chapter of their
lives while the band’s jazz music floated throughout the venue.
When Sandra and Evelyn left to visit the powder room,
Nick scooted into the booth next to her. His golden blond hair was
neatly combed, and light freckles dotted his nose and cheeks. He
wore a charming grin on his face.
“Excuse me,” he said. “I’m sorry for bothering you. I
need some directions, and I wondered if you could help me.”
Charlotte smiled. “It’s all right. Where do you need
directions?”
Nick glanced at the bar and settled his eyes on hers
again. “To your heart.”
She was so spellbound she hadn’t even registered his
words until Natalie doubled over with laughter.
“Oh, you didn’t!”
Nick flashed another grin and pointed to the bar. “My
buddy over there dared me to come over and try a line on you. I’m
truly sorry, miss.” He extended his hand to Charlotte. “I’m Nick,
by the way.”
She shook his hand. “Charlotte. And this is
Natalie.”
Nick smiled at her friend. “Natalie, I’d hate to
leave you by yourself, but would you mind if I asked Charlotte to
dance?” He refocused his attention on Charlotte. “If it’s all right
with you.”
“She’d love to.” Natalie scooted to the other end of
the banquette and stood. “And don’t worry about me. I’m going to
have a chat with your friend.”
After Natalie left, Charlotte accepted Nick’s hand.
He led her onto the dance floor, where they danced to “Moonlight
Serenade.” For the rest of the night, she didn’t leave his side.
They danced to several more numbers and eventually returned to an
empty table to get to know one another. She discovered Nick was
twenty years old and in his third year at Georgetown University. He
was studying political science and aspired to become a federal
prosecutor after law school. Like Charlotte, he was from the D.C.
area, but from Arlington, Virginia instead of Chevy Chase,
Maryland.
When she commented on the strict curfew of her
college, Nick offered to walk her back to campus. She checked with
Natalie, who had made herself cozy with Nick’s pal, John
Cartwright, a tall and lanky fellow with curly, light brown hair.
With Natalie’s consent, she left the dance hall with Nick and took
his arm as they ambled down the street. Before they parted, he
asked if they could meet again, and they made plans to see the new
Clark Gable flick the next weekend.
That was the beginning of their relationship. Now,
Charlotte was madly in love with him, and it was clear Nick was
just as enamored with her.
Nothing could pull them apart.
Nick stopped the car along the roadside near the
National Mall, the park that ran through the center of D.C.,
between the Capitol Building and the Lincoln Memorial.
“Are we allowed to park here?” Charlotte asked.
“We’ll find out. Do you want to take a walk? It’s
freezing cold, though. We can do something else if you’d
rather.”
“I don’t mind the cold.”
Charlotte buttoned her winter coat and slid on her
gloves. She linked her arm through his as they began their stroll
down the path.
The park was quiet for a Friday night, only the
occasional sounds of traffic to break the silence. A cold wind
rustled through the leafless trees, creating an eerie, howling
noise. The lamps brightened pathways that had been shoveled of the
snow that had fallen a few days earlier.
“I don’t come here often enough.” Charlotte eyed the
monuments brightly lit in contrast to the dark sky. “It’s so pretty
at night.”
“It is.”
“I once read that the Mall was supposed to be a grand
boulevard. I imagine it would’ve looked like the Champs-Élysées in
Paris. Have you been to Paris?”
Nick shook his head.
“I’d like to visit . . . although not
right now. Maybe when the Allies win the war and the Nazis
leave.”
He didn’t reply.
Charlotte smiled and nudged him in the side with her
elbow. “You’re being awfully quiet.”
Nick stopped walking and stared into her eyes. “I
love you.”
“I know. I love you, too.”
He exhaled a shaky breath. “Which is
why . . . I wanted to do this.”
Nick pulled a box from his pocket and kneeled in
front of her. “Sweetheart, I have loved you from the moment I saw
you. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” He opened the
lid of the small black box to reveal a diamond ring.
Charlotte froze. She’d longed for this moment for
months, but hadn’t expected Nick to propose tonight.
“I talked to your parents,” he continued. “They gave
their consent.”
She found her voice. “You asked my parents?
When?”
He shrugged. “A few weeks ago. What do you say?”
“Yes, of course!” Charlotte pulled him to his feet
and took a better look at the ring. An intricately etched, gold
band supported the round diamond. “It’s beautiful.”
“My grandfather gave it to my grandmother at the turn
of the century. Do you mind?” Nick took her left hand and pulled
off her leather glove. She shook her head as her eyes grew misty.
He took the ring from the box and slid it on her finger. It fit
snugly.
Nick’s fingertips caught Charlotte’s tears as they
fell. She stood on her toes and brought her lips to his. She
wrapped her arms around his neck, and he drew her waist nearer.
Much to her dismay, Nick soon pulled away, a grin still plastered
on his face. “Are you ready to leave?”