Septimus Heap, Book Six_ Darke - Angie Sage [7]
Lucy gave in gratefully. The relief she felt at Sarah’s welcome made her feel suddenly tearful. She happily allowed herself to be led along the Long Walk with Snorri and Alfrún and sat down beside the fire in Sarah Heap’s little sitting room at the back of the Palace.
That evening, as flurries of snow blew in from the Port, Sarah Heap’s sitting room was the warmest room in the Palace. Piled on the table were the remains of Sarah’s famous sausage and bean hot pot supper, and now everyone had gathered around the blazing fire, drinking herb tea. Squashed in with Lucy and Sarah were Jenna, Septimus and Nicko Heap, along with Snorri and Alfrún Snorrelssen. Snorri and Alfrún sat close together, quietly talking, while Alfrún kept hold tightly of Snorri’s hand. Nicko sat a little apart from Snorri, talking with Jenna. Septimus, Sarah noticed, was not talking to anyone but was gazing into the fire.
There was also a menagerie of animals: a large black panther by the name of Ullr, which sat by Alfrún’s feet; Maxie, an ancient, smelly wolfhound who lay steaming gently in front of the fire; and Ethel, a stubbly, featherless duck wearing a new knitted waistcoat. Ethel sat resplendent on Sarah’s lap, nibbling delicately on a piece of sausage. The duck, Jenna noted disapprovingly, was getting fat. She suspected that Sarah had knitted the new waistcoat because the old one had gotten too small. But Sarah loved Ethel so much that Jenna merely admired the red stripes and the green buttons along the back and said nothing about Ethel’s expanding girth.
Sarah Heap was happy. In her hand she clasped a precious letter from Simon—a letter that she had read and reread and now knew by heart. Sarah had her old Simon back again—the good Simon, the Simon she knew he had always been. And now here she was, planning the party for Jenna’s and Septimus’s fourteenth birthdays. Fourteen was a big milestone, particularly for Jenna as Princess of the Castle, and this year Sarah had at last got her wish: the celebrations for both Jenna’s and Septimus’s birthdays were to be held at the Palace rather than at the Wizard Tower.
Sarah glanced up at the old clock on the chimneypiece and suppressed a feeling of irritation that Silas was not back yet. Recently Silas had been what he called “busy,” but Sarah did not believe it—she knew Silas well enough to know that he was up to something. She sighed. She wished he were there to share the moment of everyone being together.
Pushing her thoughts about Silas to one side, Sarah smiled at Lucy, her daughter-in-law-to-be. Having Lucy there made her feel as if Simon was with them too, for there were moments when Lucy echoed Simon’s eager, intense way of talking. One day, thought Sarah, maybe she would have all her children and Silas with her—though how they would all fit into the sitting room she was not sure. But if she ever got the chance she’d give it her best try.
Septimus too was glancing at the clock, and at 8:15 PM precisely he excused himself from the gathering. Sarah watched her youngest son, grown tall and gangly in recent months, get up from his perch on the arm of her battered sofa and pick his way through people and piles of books toward the door. She saw with pride his purple Senior Apprentice ribbons shimmer on the hem of the sleeves of his green tunic, but what pleased her most was his quiet, easy confidence. She wished he’d comb his hair more often but Septimus was turning into a good-looking young man. She blew her son a kiss. He smiled—slightly strained, Sarah thought—and stepped out of the cozy sitting room into the chill of the Long Walk, the wide passageway that ran along the length of the Palace.
Jenna Heap slipped out after him.
“Sep, wait a mo,” she called after Septimus, who was striding off in a hurry.
Septimus slowed down unwillingly. “I’ve got to be back at nine o’clock,” he said.
“You’ve got tons of time, then,” said Jenna, catching up and walking