Fog and confusion
The rest of 1914 and the start of the following year went by in a blur. Several events took place; some were happy ones, other sad, and others were simply inevitable.
Verity grew old. She felt really old and she started looking like and elderly matron too.
Without Virgil and Lucas around the house, Vanessa had to learn to fix things when they broke. She was not thrilled about this.
Early in 1915, Valerie delivered a healthy baby girl. They named her Eliana.
Big brother Anguy was very protective of his sister, and often fell asleep on the chair by the fireplace, nearest to her crib.
The family was doing well, except for the lack of news from the men in the front. Mr. Munch Sr. had tried to find out where his sons and Virgil had been sent off to, but his sources could not exactly place all of them since there was a lot of chaos and misinformation everywhere.
Verity felt it was ironic that, having vast financial resources, she could not get what she valued most: her child back home, safe and sound. She blamed her family's sense of duty and honor. Both the McPhersons and the Prydes would feel that they could not stand aside and do nothing while they were able to contribute to their country's welfare. Her children had it in their blood to want to fight.
Others, on the contrary, felt that they had nothing to give, and stayed back. Malcolm Becker had not gone to fight in the war. He claimed that he had a bad hand which prevented him from using a weapon correctly, and that he was his family's sole male heir, thus preventing him from enlisting. He lodged nearby and called on Vanessa more frequently, since her zealous brother and brother in law were not around.
His visits were also bolder, at later hours and frequently, under cover of twilight. When he mentioned to Vanessa why he was not going to war, she felt ashamed.
But Malcolm Becker was a silver tongue, and soon he had the young girl forgetting her doubts and feeling glad that he was safe.
Verity was of a different mind. She tried to make Vanessa see that she was risking her reputation by accepting the man's visits at odds hours and when her mother and younger brothers were occupied elsewhere on the farm. Vanessa ignored her mother and kept seeing Malcolm. With time, her mother would see that he was a good man.
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