RECKLESS LOVE By Barbara Abbott An extract from CHAPTER ONE November 1943 Published by Turner Maxwell Books. Turner Maxwell Books Free Publishing Free Books Free Literature Free Writers Turner Maxwell Books are an independent co-operative of new writers, committed to publishing inspirational literature. Turner Maxwell Books has over one hundred writers, producing original stories not seen in any other bookshop, Turner Maxwell Books has established itself as a successful and viable publisher. This achievement lies in its innovative and daring approach to establish a shorter supply chain that is simply focused on the requirements of the reader. First published 2008. Copyright © Barbara Abbot 2009. In the back of a canvas covered army truck, two Italian POW’s slouched side by side on a wooden bench with sweat trickling down their faces, each smoking a foul smelling hand rolled cigarette. The men had been captured by the Allies with hundreds of other Italians after the battle of El Alamein in November 1942, and evacuated to Australia into the depressing atmosphere of the internment camp behind barbwire. When Australian farmers began suffering from a shortage of manpower caused by the war, the Government solved this problem by offering these prisoners a choice to escape from the boredom of the camps by sending them to work on farms. The two POW’s in the truck had accepted this offer and were on their way driving through South Australia to work on a dairy farm in a little country town called Mount Compass. The drive was pleasant, but the landscape rushing by was strange, where were the houses and the people. The POW’s only glimpsed singed brown grass on the roadside, and every now and then a small farmhouse, with the hot sun glaring off its iron roof, surrounded by massive century-old gum trees. It looked nothing like their homeland where the texture of the landscape was one of olive groves, red tiled farmhouses a patchwork of fields, rushing streams, and the scent of orange, lemon and peach tree blossom riding on the wind. South Australia seemed to be a dry brown state, empty of people, and the two prisoners were starting to misgivings about the farm where they’d been assigned to work. Corporal Brown, sat dozing on the other side of the truck with his rifle positioned butt down on the floor between his knees. When the younger of the two prisoners finished his cigarette he flicked the stub out the back of the truck and received a hard wack on his ankle with the butt of Corporal Brown’s rifle as he opened his sleepy eyes when he detected movement, ‘don’t do that mate,’ he grumbled, ‘it’s so flaming hot out there you could start a bloody bush fire.’ The other POW sitting on the wooden bench pressed his lips together and looked away as he tossed his cigarette stub on the floor, and shrugged his shoulders as he ground it out with his boot. Corporal Brown decided to put the prisoners in their place, ‘did you blokes hear after the Allied troops landed in Sicily, they bombed Rome and then marched up and captured the city?’ Major Niccolo Loviza glared at the Corporal, pressed his lips together and hissed, ‘si (yes).’ The Corporal kept needling the prisoners, ‘on orders from your King, a General de Luca, who was appointed Prime Minister, signed the surrender and then had Mussolini arrested.’ The Major felt like his heart had been cut out, General Pietro de Luca signed the surrender. He felt sick to think that this kind considerate man, a close friend of his family, had been chosen by the king to do this distressing duty. Major Loviza’s family lived in Rome, had they survived the Allied bombing. His heart ached with suffering, how he missed them. He sighed and knuckled the tears from his eyes. He could feel the heat of the frightened gaze coming from Corporal Luciarno Andretti sitting next to him, but Major Niccolo Loviza folded his arms across his chest and shut his eyes. Taking several deep breaths he willed himself to see the picture of his home and family alive and well in his beloved city, Rome.

RECKLESS LOVE

By

Barbara Abbott

An extract from CHAPTER ONE

November 1943

    In the back of a canvas covered army truck, two Italian POW’s slouched side by side on a wooden bench with sweat trickling down their faces, each smoking a foul smelling hand rolled cigarette.
    The men had been captured by the Allies with hundreds of other Italians after the battle of El Alamein in November 1942, and evacuated to Australia into the depressing atmosphere of the internment camp behind barbwire.
    When Australian farmers began suffering from a shortage of manpower caused by the war, the Government solved this problem by offering these prisoners a choice to escape from the boredom of the camps by sending them to work on farms.
The two POW’s in the truck had accepted this offer and were on their way driving through South Australia to work on a dairy farm in a little country town called Mount Compass.
    The drive was pleasant, but the landscape rushing by was strange, where were the houses and the people. The POW’s only glimpsed singed brown grass on the roadside, and every now and then a small farmhouse, with the hot sun glaring off its iron roof, surrounded by massive century-old gum trees.
It looked nothing like their homeland where the texture of the landscape was one of olive groves, red tiled farmhouses a patchwork of fields, rushing streams, and the scent of orange, lemon and peach tree blossom riding on the wind.
    South Australia seemed to be a dry brown state, empty of people, and the two prisoners were starting to misgivings about the farm where they’d been assigned to work.
    Corporal Brown, sat dozing on the other side of the truck with his rifle positioned butt down on the floor between his knees.
    When the younger of the two prisoners finished his cigarette he flicked the stub out the back of the truck and received a hard wack on his ankle with the butt of Corporal Brown’s rifle as he opened his sleepy eyes when he detected movement, ‘don’t do that mate,’ he grumbled, ‘it’s so flaming hot out there you could start a bloody bush fire.’
    The other POW sitting on the wooden bench pressed his lips together and looked away as he tossed his cigarette stub on the floor, and shrugged his shoulders as he ground it out with his boot.
Corporal Brown decided to put the prisoners in their place, ‘did you blokes hear after the Allied troops landed in Sicily, they bombed Rome and then marched up and captured the city?’
    Major Niccolo Loviza glared at the Corporal, pressed his lips together and hissed, ‘si (yes).’
The Corporal kept needling the prisoners, ‘on orders from your King, a General de Luca, who was appointed Prime Minister, signed the surrender and then had Mussolini arrested.’
    The Major felt like his heart had been cut out, General Pietro de Luca signed the surrender. He felt sick to think that this kind considerate man, a close friend of his family, had been chosen by the king to do this distressing duty.
    Major Loviza’s family lived in Rome, had they survived the Allied bombing. His heart ached with suffering, how he missed them. He sighed and knuckled the tears from his eyes.
    He could feel the heat of the frightened gaze coming from Corporal Luciarno Andretti sitting next to him, but Major Niccolo Loviza folded his arms across his chest and shut his eyes. Taking several deep breaths he willed himself to see the picture of his home and family alive and well in his beloved city, Rome.

Published by Turner Maxwell Books

First published 2008.
Copyright © Barbara Abbot 2009.

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Warning: May contain explicit material, which is not intentionally offensive. Not suitable for children

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental and may be more the work of your own imagination. Why not write a book yourself? Turner Maxwell Books are an alternative co-operative of new writers, working towards publishing inspirational literature.

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