The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant by Kayte Nunn
Author:Kayte Nunn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2019-12-24T00:00:00+00:00
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Little Embers, Autumn 1951
At supper that night, Esther made a limited contribution to the conversation and avoided discourse with Robbie in particular. He gave no indication to her, or the others, that anything untoward had occurred, though he too appeared quieter than usual. She was embarrassed and ashamed of her actions down on the jetty, but was at a loss as to how to broach the subject with him. He had only been trying to comfort her, but she had taken advantage of that for reasons she couldn’t begin to fathom. The memory of it swirled around in her head, making it pound and forcing her to pinch the bridge of her nose at the pain. As soon as she finished eating, she excused herself from the table with a genuine headache.
Later, she went in search of Jean. She had something to ask her.
She came across the nurse in the doctor’s study, tidying papers and files that he had left strewn over his desk. “I wonder if I might have a word?” Esther said.
Jean straightened up to face her. “Of course. What can I do for you, Mrs. Durrant?”
“Well, I–er . . .” Esther hated the groveling tone in her voice but pressed on. “I wonder if you might be able to give me something . . . something for my nerves. I didn’t want to bother the doctor, you see. I thought you might be able to help.”
“I see.”
“Yes, I’ve run out. Damned nuisance, I know.”
“Unfortunately, Mrs. Durrant, we have no such medicines on the island.” Her tone brooked no argument.
“Oh, I see. Very well then. Thank you.” Hiding her shame at having had to ask, Esther retreated to her room, cursing herself for having swallowed her pills like sweets when she had first arrived, and cursing John again for abandoning her in such a far-flung, desperate place. She knew, deep down, that he had likely only been doing his best for her, but it didn’t make things any easier.
Mrs. Biggs had laid a fire and left a hot water bottle under the sheets and this small act comforted her. She lay down, holding Teddy’s cap against her cheek and closed her eyes, remembering the way her son’s hair shone like spun gold as it caught the light, the pearls of his teeth that were revealed when something pleased him. For once the nightmares kept themselves at bay.
* * *
Rising early the next morning, she dressed swiftly, stepping into houndstooth-check trousers and a wool twinset. After the previous day’s conversation with the doctor, she felt clear-headed. It had felt good to finally tell someone, though she pushed down the knowledge that she hadn’t recounted the full story. Some of the burden she had been carrying seemed miraculously to have been lifted, however, and she was anxious to do something useful. She had been wallowing in self-pity for too long and it was time to make amends, however small. She would seek out Robbie and apologize to him as soon as she had an opportunity.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
In Control (The City Series) by Crystal Serowka(35789)
The Wolf Sea (The Oathsworn Series, Book 2) by Low Robert(34700)
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry(34003)
Crowbone (The Oathsworn Series, Book 5) by Low Robert(33055)
The Book of Dreams (Saxon Series) by Severin Tim(32914)
The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Eve Chase(23054)
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh(21026)
Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman(19904)
Shot Through The Heart (Supernature Book 1) by Edwin James(18428)
The Secret History by Donna Tartt(18165)
The Girl from the Opera House by Nancy Carson(15382)
American King (New Camelot #3) by Sierra Simone(14871)
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda(14739)
Sad Girls by Lang Leav(13911)
Pimp by Iceberg Slim(13779)
The Betrayed by Graham Heather(12302)
The Betrayed by David Hosp(12204)
4 3 2 1: A Novel by Paul Auster(11792)
Still Me by Jojo Moyes(10788)
