Mrs. Malory and Death Is a Word by Hazel Holt

Author:Hazel Holt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2016-03-07T13:52:41+00:00

* * *

Daniel and Patrick seemed settled at the cottage, keeping themselves to themselves and not really taking part in Taviscombe life. Daniel continued to visit Mrs. Dudley (much to Rosemary’s delight—“I’ve never known Mother so easy—it’s wonderful!”) and occasionally having supper with Rosemary and Jack.

“They’re actually getting down to going through Alan’s papers,” Rosemary said. “Patrick’s doing, of course. But I think Daniel is becoming really involved. He never seemed to be interested in his father’s work.”

“Odd, really,” I said. “I mean, you’d think he’d be fascinated by all the adventures Alan had in those exotic places. Michael would have boasted about them to all the other boys.”

“Yes, it was strange. Eva always thought that he’d sort of withdrawn himself from his father’s job because he was afraid something would happen to him.”

“Didn’t want to get too close so that he wouldn’t be hurt?”

“Something like that.”

“But such a grown-up way of thinking about things when he was so young!”

“Daniel was always grown-up, in many ways. He never had friends of his own age, only really liked to be with adults. Patrick is the first person, the first contemporary, he’s ever connected with.”

“And he’s odd too,” I said. “Well, it’s splendid that they’ve found each other.”

“Eva was very relieved. She and Daniel were never close—she did try, but, again, he sort of held aloof. All part of the same thing, I suppose. So, after he was grown up and had his own life, she became more and more involved in her own work.”

“Which she was very good at.”

“Very good. And I suppose they drifted apart.”

“I don’t think I could have done that,” I said thoughtfully.

“I certainly couldn’t,” Rosemary said. “But Eva was the sort of person who could detach herself from situations. You remember how she was, all those years ago, when Lassie, her beautiful collie, was run over? You and I would have been in floods, but she just accepted it, and we all knew how absolutely devoted she was to that dog.”

“I suppose it’s good to be like that. I mean, I’m sure she grieved as much as we would, but she was able to focus on other things. If you think about it, she was like that when Alan died.”

“True. With Daniel she recognized how things were and simply got on with her life as he was getting on with his. It didn’t mean she loved him any less.”

“I suppose that’s how she coped with Alan’s job,” I said. “All the being away and the danger.”

“You’re probably right. But,” she went on firmly, “it wouldn’t do for me.”

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