介绍:
受出版人Jamie Byng的诚邀，Benedict Cumberbatch再次搭档《神探夏洛克》女演员Louise Brealey，领衔参与了“Letters Live 见信如晤”书信朗诵活动。随着BC惟妙惟肖地朗读起《致亲爱的Bessie》一书中摘录的信件，一段段发生于二战时期的浓情画面跃然眼前。（注：搜索电台内“【读信】海伊文化节读信系列——克里斯与贝茜 ”可回顾两人之前合作朗读Chris Baker和Bessie Moore之间书信完整版，【广播剧】《My Dear Bessie》也是这个。）
29th of January，1945
My dearest one,
I’ve just heard the news that all the Army men who are held POW are to return to their homes. Because of the shipping situation we may not commence to go before the end of February, but could probably count on being in England sometime in March. It may be sooner. It has made me very warm inside. It is terrific, wonderful, shattering.
I don’t know what to say. And I cannot think. The delay is nothing, the decision is everything. I am confirming in my head the little decisions I have made when contemplating just the possibility. I must spend the first days at home. I must consider getting a party somewhere. Above all I must be with you. I must warm you, surround you, love you, and be kind to you.
Tell me anything that is in your mind. Write tons and tons and tons and plan our time. I would prefer not to get married, but want you to agree on the point. In the battle I was afraid - for you, for my mother, for myself. Wait we must, my lover, my darling. Let us meet, let us be, let us know. But do not let us now make any mistakes.
How good for us to see each other before I am completely bald. I have some fine little wisps of hair on the top of my head.
It’s not much good me trying to write about recent experiences, now that I know that I shall be able to tell you everything myself within such a short time. What I have on my eye now is the first letter from you saying that you know I am all right and the next saying you know I am coming to you. I must try to keep out of hospital with some of these post-POW complaints. Plan a week somewhere, not Boscombe or Bournemouth. And think of being together, the glory of you.
We were free of duties and yesterday I went to our friends in Athens, taking some of your coffee and cocoa, which they were very pleased to have. Thank you for sending it. We were embraced very excitedly, kissing and so on, continental fashion. I hope that you will not start buying any clothes if you have any coupons left because you think you must look nice for me. I should be sorry if you do. Just carry on as near as possible to normal. My return at the present time allows us to make public our mutual attachment. I shall tell my family I hope to spend a week away with you somewhere during my leave. My counsel to you is to tell as few people as possible. To someone like Miss Ferguson, you could politely reply to her observations that you thought it was your business rather than hers. Try to avoid preening yourself and saying much. This is my advice, not anything but that. I hope you understand. I do not ever want it to be anything but our affair. Do not permit intrusion. I do not know how long a leave I shall get. I could get as little as 14 days, I may get as much as a month. I’m wondering how I shall tell you I am in England. Probably still quicker to send a telegram than a letter. I hope to send you one announcing that I am on the same island. I would send another one I am actually soon to get on the London bound train and you can ring Lee Green 0509 when you think I have arrived there. Tell me how I get towards Woolcombe Road（英国Portland地区街道）. The number would be sufficient. I shall remember where it is, and I will meet you there, or some other place you may say as soon as I can. I hope that everything will work itself out without any unhappiness to anyone. I should be in great demand from two or three points and it will be difficult to manage without offence. It’s a strange thing but I can’t seem to get going and write very freely. All I’m thinking about is I’m going home, I am going to see her. It is a fact, a real thing, an impending event like Shrove Tuesday（忏悔星期二）, X’mas Day, or the Lord Mayor’s Banquet.
You have to be abroad, you have to be hermetically sealed off from your intimates from your home to realize what a gift this going-home is. The few letters of yours that I had on me I burnt the previous day to our surrender so no one but myself has read your words. In the first 10 days of our captivity I did not think any soft thoughts about you - all I did was concentrate on trying to tell you I was all right. But when we had a few supplies dropped by aircraft at great risk to themselves in the misty snow bound Greek mountain villages and we started hoping we might get sent home upon our release. I was always wondering about you, about us. It’s a pity that the winter weather will not be kind to us out of doors. It would be nice sitting next to you at the pictures no matter what may be on the screen. It would be grand to know that we have each other’s support and sympathy. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be together - really together in the flesh, not just to know that a letter is all we can send.
I Love you.
Chris
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