The Way We Were_ A Novel - Marcia Willett [83]
‘You do that,’ she says, pleased that he is happy, enjoying this moment of normality. ‘You could phone him. Settle it before you go.’
Pete looks surprised at this enthusiasm. ‘I might just do that,’ he says.
The twins come out of school wildly excited: there are to be great celebrations for the Queen's Silver Jubilee. They stand behind Julia's seat as she drives them home, explaining in a rather confusing duet – one in each ear – their various roles.
‘We're going to dress up and march to the old school and have lessons like they did a hundred years ago and you can come and watch us, Mummy.’
‘And there's going to be a big tea in the schoolroom.’
‘It sounds wonderful,’ Julia says. ‘Fantastic. You must tell Daddy all about it when we get in.’
In the west the setting sun plunges down between bars of crimson cloud towards the shining sea. Plashy, reed-ringed pools tremble with fiery colour as the wind shivers over the moor, and a single distant star hangs in the eastern sky high above Rough Tor. This afternoon, at the corner by the granite slabs, Julia feels no horror but, to her grateful relief, only an odd peacefulness; an acceptance. She's had this experience a few times; braced for the pain of remembrance, she experiences instead this unexpected sense of grace. It doesn't last but she takes it as a sign that one day she might recover.
‘Are you listening, Mummy?’ demands Liv. ‘I need to learn to knit. Mrs Crosley says we're going to have a banner with a picture of St Branwalader.’
‘Gosh!’ says Julia faintly.
‘And a raven,’ says Andy, in her other ear, ‘perched on Rough Tor. Because Branwalader,’ he stumbles over the word, ‘means a Raven Lord.’
Once she's put the car away and they've all hurried indoors they tell the news again to Pete, Charlie, Zack and the dogs. As they sit round the table, Julia and Pete drinking tea while the children eat boiled eggs and soldiers, Liv starts up again with her need to learn to knit, which Julia has been tactfully parrying.
‘But why can't I, Mummy?’
‘I think Mrs Crosley must mean the older girls,’ begins Julia. ‘Your hands are very small to do knitting, darling, but we can try.’
‘They've got to knit Rough Tor,’ says Andy casually, man to man, to Pete, who stretches his eyes and makes such a disbelieving face that Andy laughs inordinately. Showing off, he picks up a Munchmallow and bangs it on his head as though it is an egg. Carefully he unpeels the red and silver foil in case the broken chocolate shell should fall out and eats the pieces before biting into the delicious marshmallow.
‘When you say “knit Rough Tor”,’ says Pete, refilling his cup, ‘how d'you mean exactly? Rough Tor's how many feet high? Sounds quite a marathon.’
‘It's going to be on a banner. We told you. With St Branwalader,’ says Liv impatiently ‘When can we start, Mummy?’
‘After tea,’ says Julia, ‘unless you want to watch Jackanory’
Liv hesitates but Andy is already getting down, shouting ‘Jackanory’ and rushing into the sitting-room. Charlie immediately scrambles down after him and Zack sets up a wail from the high chair in which he is propped with a rug so as to hold him upright.
‘Sorry, darling,’ Julia says to Liv. It's nearly time for his bottle. The knitting might have to wait until a bit later. I promise we'll have a try before you go to bed.’
Liv sighs heavily and stomps away behind her brothers whilst Julia picks Zack up and sits down with him opposite Pete. Zack stares around him, eyes wide; presently his gaze rests on Pete and suddenly he beams. Pete grins back.
‘Hello, old son,’ he says. ‘Welcome to the circus. You'll get used to it after a while.’
‘He's already used to it,’ says Julia, eating a neglected finger of bread and butter. ‘Can you believe he's nearly five months old? I suppose,’ she hesitates a little, ‘I suppose we might have another one ourselves sometime.’
Pete's face falls. ‘Come on, love,’ he protests. ‘I think that four kids are more than enough. Oh, I know we were hoping for another girl, and of course it's really sad that we lost our baby, but even so …’ He shakes his head.