~ Fall of 1943 – Peter's POV
Chapter Song: "Every Day I Love You" by Boyzone. ~

Love every day like it was the last day.

Peter's eyes flitted to the sign on the wall April had painted over the coat rack as he tossed his pack on the floor.

"I'm home," he called.

The statement on the sign was an important reminder on these busy days when there was hardly any time to spend with each other. After the wedding, they had moved in with his parents until their tiny flat was available. They had found this place not far from his school and the opera house. It was also a short bus ride to the offices of Parliament. His summer internship with the member of parliament had been fascinating. When school was ready to begin the MP had retained him as a clerk, which was a paid position. With her salary from the ballet and his, they were just making it but the days were long ones.

He loved being on their own and coming home to her after a long day. Well, when she was home. She had auditioned for the Sadler's Well Ballet Company in July and had secured a spot in the corps de ballet which he had learned is a group of dancers who are not soloists. They were a permanent part of the ballet company and often worked as a backdrop for the principal dancers. He thought it was amazing how they synchronized their movements and moved almost as one body on the stage. She was happy dancing. She had achieved her dream and he was very proud of her and went to as many performances as he could. She was one of the youngest members, so she was working hard to be noticed and hoped to one day be assigned some solo roles.

Shaking his head to clear the images of a dancing April he turned toward the kitchen area and smelled something delicious. He loved Mondays.

Most days when he got in from school and work she was at rehearsals or performing. On Mondays, she was home and liked to cook for him. He stepped around the corner and found her at the stove stirring a pot of his favorite tomato sauce. Pasta was cheap and they always brought back fresh vegetables when they visited her parents. As it happened her parents had just been in to visit them and he was happy to consume the large tomatoes that her Mom had left.

Her trim figure was tied with an apron. Moving her hair to the side he kissed that special spot where her neck and shoulder met. His arms went around her waist and he pulled her back into him. She sighed which always sent a warm sensation through him. He loved this woman desperately and wished they had more time together.

He was just as busy now as he had been in Narnia and with her late night performances and afternoon to evening practices, they were like ships missing in the night. It did allow him to study without distraction which was helpful since he took as full of a course load as the school would allow. She was definitely a distraction so he made sure that Monday evenings were clear of any homework or research for the MP.

"I'm glad you're home Peter." She turned in his arms and hugged him tightly. "I missed you."

"Likewise." He looked into her eyes and kissed her tenderly until they heard the splash of water onto the stove from the neglected spaghetti noodles.

She broke away. "Why don't you go change and I'll dish this up for us."

Before leaving the kitchen he moved the table closer to the radiator. Late October in London could be cool and the drizzling rain had chilled him. As he changed into a t-shirt and his favorite casual pants he felt the familiar relief of getting out of the necktie and business clothes he had to wear. He threw the tie on the bed tired of all the dark serious colors that represented the war. Thankfully he was large enough to wear his father's clothes. Since his Dad was in full-time military service he had no need for his suits and ties. He wished the war would just end. London was still a dangerous place and it was impossible to escape the news and the oppressiveness. He missed his parents who were somewhere fighting the war in some way, and his siblings who were still at the boarding schools.

"Peter..."

April's sweet voice interrupted his musings as she called him from the kitchen/living room/dining room and he gratefully went to join her at the table. He held her hands and prayed to thank Aslan/Christ for not only the food but their life together and then prayed for those in the war and his siblings.

"So what news did you hear of the war today?" April asked twirling some noodles around her fork.

"For once the news is more positive. The United States is starting to turn the tide in the Pacific."

"Really? That is good news. It took them forever to join the war."

"Yes, but they have certainly been fighting hard these last two years. Oh, and Italy decided to join the allies and the talk around the MPs was that close to 5,000 British captives are heading home after the first British-German prisoner exchange."

"Great. Maybe this war won't last too much longer. I am so glad we don't have to work factory jobs just to make ends meet. I am thankful every day that I get to dance and can sleep at night knowing that you won't be drafted since you are in school."

He smiled at her, loving the way her eyes shown with the simple happiness that was their lives these days.

After they ate, he pulled the Bible over and he read a few verses of scripture. They had made a commitment to pray and read together and enjoyed sharing their thoughts about how Aslan's written word applied to their lives each day.

Sometimes on Mondays, they would dance together and sometimes they would just sit and catch up, other times they would tickle and laugh and play until they collapsed on each other, which always turned into sweet kisses and loving caresses. He loved Mondays!

Tonight was a night for talking and cuddling on their second-hand sofa under the warmest quilt made by Miranda, April's Mom. They left the radio off choosing to keep their time together free from any more references to the war.

April snuggled into his side and sighed. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. Kissing the side of her head he absently rubbed his fingers up and down her arm loving the feel of her soft skin. Moments like these left him grateful for her and the life they had been given.

"Oh, I wanted to tell you, I talked with Scott again."

"The guy from your economics class?"

"Yeah, he and his wife..."

"He's married?" April interrupted.

"Yes," Peter chuckled, "married young just like us, of course, he is in his 3rd year there."

"What's her name?"

"I think he said it was Rebecca. Anyway, he asked me the oddest thing."

"What was that?"

"If I liked swords."

"What?" April's voice was incredulous and she sat up and turned to look at Peter.

He smiled at her. "I know, I was surprised too. Apparently, they have a group who practices swordplay on the weekends."

"Is this different from the fencing team?"

"I think so. He didn't talk about fencing at all. Apparently, they tend to use claymores and broadswords."

"Really? That's amazing. I know you have missed fencing."

"I have. With LSE being a part of the University of London, I could join their team, but..."

"There is no time," she finished wistfully touching his cheek tenderly.

His arms came around her and pulled her closer. "I would rather spend my free time with you, love."

She leaned in and kissed him tenderly. Pulling away she whispered across his lips, "Thank you."

"My pleasure," he chuckled and she laughed back.

"So... what did you say? And why would he ask you about swords?"

"I was doodling during one the lectures and he saw my drawings."

At her raised eyebrow he said sheepishly, "I was drawing Rhindon and my shield."

"Oh, Peter!" April laughed.

"I know, I couldn't help it though. Sometimes, I miss it so much..."

"I know, darling."

She tucked her head back into his shoulder. They were quiet for a moment of meaningful silence that meant their minds were both back to Narnia.

Peter spoke, "They are meeting on Saturday morning in Lincoln's Inn Fields on campus to practice. I am planning to go."

"Good. I might be able to join you for a while before I have to be at the Opera House. We only have an evening performance that day. Maybe I will get to meet Rebecca."

Her words trailed off and he could hear a trace of sadness in her voice. Peter pulled back to peer into her eyes.

"What is it, love?"

"I just get lonely sometimes. The girls in the corps are nice and all but most are older and well, Lauren has never been too friendly to me."

He laughed at the reference to Lauren. That girl made life miserable for April at the ballet school until it was clear that April was in no way romantically interested in the professor who was dallying with Lauren.

"I cannot imagine her feeling anything other than competitiveness toward you, dear. I know you are lonely. I will see if we can meet up with Scott and Rebecca soon. It would be good for us to go out."

Her smile returned. "I would like that very much."

"But, for now, I am enjoying staying in." His voice turned husky as he dropped his lips to her neck.

"Mm, me too." She murmured, leaning into his touch. Her hands found his hair and she pulled him closer.

Thoughts of friends and swords disappeared from his mind as his wife's lovely skin and sweet scent filled his senses. He then decided to show her just how much he enjoyed staying in on a rainy and cold Monday night.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this peek into the daily life of Peter and April. They are busy, something we can all relate to, but their relationship with each other is like a port in a storm.

Throughout these books, I have tried to research and stay as true to history as possible, except, I am sad to say, for two important details. During the war, the ballet was closed. It did not open until after the war ended in 1946. Also, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) was housed at the University of Cambridge until after the war. But for my timeline, I needed the ballet to be open and Peter's school to be nearby in London. While it pains me to rewrite these pieces of history as most people probably would not have the time or the money to attend the ballet during the war, it is also the beauty of fiction, the prerogative to twist historical details. 

Overall, London was not a cheerful place during WWII and I apologize for not bringing the tragedy of the war more into these books and giving it the sense of gravity that this period of history deserves. The more I learn about the two World Wars the more fascinated I become with how it has influenced our lives today.

Thanks so much for reading, voting, and following! I am happy to be working on this again and my goal is to finish this book by April 24th. That happens to be the date when I published the first couple of chapters of Traces Of Narnia back in 2015. It will be a happy four year anniversary of writing present to myself and hopefully to you to finish this series. 

(Weird and random facts for you.... Did you know William Moseley's, the actor who played Peter in the Narnia movies, birthday is on April 27? He will be 32. He was only 18 when he starred in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. And, his middle name is Peter.) 😊