The Way We Were_ A Novel - Marcia Willett [101]
Upstairs she hesitated, looking down into the garden from the landing window. Aunt Em and Caroline seemed engrossed in conversation but she was filled with anxiety and her palms were damp as she opened the bedroom door and looked into the warm, comfortable untidiness of Caroline's bedroom. The Merlin was not among the dressing table's clutter or on the bedside tables; he wasn't in the neat and tidy spare room or in the nursery.
Downstairs she took several deep breaths before going out into the garden. Aunt Em and Caroline were laughing beneath the pergola and Julia sat down, keeping the bag on her lap, picked up her mug and took a long draught of the lukewarm coffee. One quick glance at Aunt Em, a tiny shake of the head, and then she was glancing at her watch, telling Caroline that they really mustn't stay much longer but, yes, perhaps another half-cup of coffee.
Aunt Em was amusing Caroline with an anecdote about Uncle Archie arriving back unexpectedly early from sea, allowing Julia time to gulp her coffee and try to control her shaking hands. Presently they were standing up, kissing Caroline goodbye.
As they drove out of Tavistock up on to the Launceston Road, Aunt Em gave a great sigh. ‘No luck then.’
Julia shook her head. ‘That was awful,’ she said. ‘I feel like a criminal. There was no sign of it anywhere. So what do we do now?’
‘Just because you couldn't see it doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't there,’ said Em. ‘Maybe it hasn't been unpacked yet.’
Julia shook her head despondently. ‘There was no sign of any tea-chests, and the nursery looked all ready for action. Zack's old teddy was sitting on the bed.’ She smiled reminiscently. ‘He always went everywhere with Zack when he was little. When she knew she was pregnant Caroline insisted that teddy should be with them but there are quite a few toys left at home. Some of them have come into their own again now Charlie's two are old enough to play with them – the little trolley with the wooden bricks in it, and the rocking horse and things like that – but there are a few special ones that the children couldn't quite bear to part with. I put the soft toys into a sealed plastic bag but the other things are in the toy box in the attic.’
Em turned to her sharply. ‘But didn't you say that Zack and the others sometimes played with the Merlin? Might he have been put away with the other toys?’
‘Oh my God,’ said Julia slowly. ‘What a fool I am. Yes, that's where he'll be. The children wouldn't necessarily have considered him as an ornament. Why ever didn't I think of that first? I suppose it was because the toy box has been in the attic for years and Zack only cleared out his room eighteen months ago. That's why it was uppermost in my mind. Damn!’
‘But that's much better,’ cried Em with relief. ‘Don't you see? It means that Caroline has probably never seen the Merlin and that Zack hasn't given him a thought for years. The fewer people to have seen it recently, the better. How easy is it to get up into the attic, Julia?’
An hour later Julia was in the attic at Trescairn, on her knees before the toy box with its torn stickers and faded, peeling paint. As she lifted the lid the smell of the past, musty with a thousand memories clinging to it, assailed her nostrils. Here were Andy's roller skates, wrapped in a twenty-year-old copy of the Daily Telegraph, his tattered collection of Mad magazines and his Evel Knievel motor bike. There was Charlie's little blue plastic suitcase specially constructed to hold two tiers of Dinky cars, each in its own small compartment, and most of which were still intact, if very battered. A group of Zack's grim-faced Action Men were bundled together, each wearing his own special uniform, whilst