Friday
Chiswick
Hello Sweet,
Just a very brief note to say I love you and to wish you, again, a very happy birthday. As I wrote your birthday letter so long ago – a week! – I feel I must do that. I only wish, my sweet, that I could say it in person for then I’d be able to see that you had a happy birthday! And, as you know, one of the first things would be to give you a dose of the medicine which is apparently so efficacious with Molly. Dear heart, I’m sorry I cannot be with you for you know that if it were humanly possible I would be there. Never mind, pet, for three weeks today I’ll be in your arms once again – perhaps, by very good fortune, by this very hour: 3.45!
Your letter didn’t arrive until the afternoon post so after I had had breakfast I turned in for 40 winks and didn’t become conscious again until about half an hour ago, which is a shame because I should have got out into the lovely spring sunshine for an hour or so. I must confess, though, that I don’t feel so tired after this first 48 hours spell as I expected. And it can’t be through lack of work for we have never been busier. We were absolutely snowed under with work. We were so busy that I had no time to go for tea and we had to get one of the Wrens to get it for us.
Thank you for your newsy letter. I’m dying to see the photographs. You didn’t by any chance tell Mrs Gardner that Dave was going to take them did you? He’s a bit touchy, you know!
One sentence in your letter intrigued me. It was the one on which you say you were sure it was the cause of Molly’s rejuvenation – although she denied it! I should have thought Molly would be the last to discuss sexual matters with anyone else. By the way, I believe she kissed Wynne Jones goodbye – although very chastely – so through the medium of Glyn Rees I’ve imposed a fine of a pint because she didn’t do the same to me! I’m going to have a whale of a time on free pints this leave, aren’t I?
Stell, much as I love you, I must away or I’ll miss the post and I also want to collect my boots from the cobblers – 7/6 gone west! Darling, I want to linger and say all sorts of nice birthday things to you, but most of all I want to lean over you, so that occasionally as you open your eyes I can look deep into them and see that wonderful expression I always feel belongs only to me. And, darling, I want to see that contented expression in your eyes which inevitably follows an injection! My darling, you are all of life to me and so I say, once more, a very happy birthday, sweetheart, and may this year bring you full health and strength. With good health, and not a little courage, we can manage to get a fair amount out of life even while parted, you know.
All my deepest love to you, angel. Thank God you’re mine!
Ever,
Arthur X X (an extra birthday one!)
P.S. You were a good girl not to open your parcel!
Jan 151943