The Snail’s Song by Gillian Kersley

Author:Gillian Kersley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brown Dog Books

Chapter 19

Mary had been advised by her solicitor not to write to Charles to explain or support or excuse the official letter. Although she felt he would be even more annoyed to receive it cold, she had agreed.

When Lizzie returned from London she found her father locked in his room and the rest of the family grimly silent. Even Daisy, who had hurtled out to meet the car, refused to follow her into the kitchen. Lizzie looked round and saw nothing out of place. The carriage clock on the dresser had stopped, but she couldn’t have expected anyone else to wind it. The sink was empty of the usual mugs and glasses and the drying-up cloths were folded on the Aga rail – the hand of Candida or Charles.

‘Has somebody died or something?’ she asked as she piled the London shopping on the table.

‘Don’t ever go away again!’ said Jade watching Jasper follow with the rest of the bags. ‘We’ve really missed you! Without Saffy the place has been like a morgue.’

‘Isn’t that great, Saffron?’ Lizzie lifted the child onto the table, ‘They really missed us! And there we were having a lovely time with Granny and forgetting all about them!’

‘Dad got a letter.’

‘A-ha!’

‘I’m not joking – he’s been wrapped in his fleece and writing replies ever since, except for Church. Wouldn’t even have dinner with us last night. Poor Candida – imagine!’

‘Oh, poor Candida!’

‘Poo’ Candida!’ squeaked Saffron struggling from the table. ‘Where’s Candida?’

‘With Armand, silly!’

Saffron trotted off into the yard with her Snoopy slippers, and the twins sprawled over the table.

‘It’ll be Mum’s solicitor – don’t fuss. She wants a divorce, that’s all.’

‘A divorce?’

‘Well, obviously. It had to come.’ There was no need to mention that Dad would see it differently. She had avoided such an obvious remark yesterday, well aware that Mary understood that too. The treachery Charles saw in Mary’s departure would be nothing compared to this bombshell, they all knew.

‘Poor Dad! But he won’t allow it.’

‘Poor Dad? He’ll have to after two years anyway.’

‘Does she want to marry this chap? Did you meet him? Did she say anything?’

‘Not much. She’s not in a hurry.’

‘That’s lucky!’ They looked at each other, imagining the reality of divorce, each glimpsing Charles’ probable reaction, the twins weighing the disadvantage to their lives, Lizzie wondering how a new step-father would affect them all. The weekend with her mother had not been at all what she had expected. A year ago Mary was naturally upset and quite unbalanced by her momentous step out of Bleachwood. She had been emotional and full of guilt about everything and anything connected with the family, and Lizzie had taken a reversal of roles in comforting her and worrying about how she would survive in the outside world. This time she had assumed they would be back in the old mother-daughter relationship with Mary preoccupied about her. She had also expected Mary to be wanting to fill her in on exactly what she was doing, and with whom, so that they were back where they started, knowing everything about each other.

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