Rites of Spring by Anders de la Motte
Author:Anders de la Motte [Motte, Anders de la]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Fiction
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00
49
T
he rest of the afternoon passes in a fog. David comes home, they change their clothes, get in the car, drive to Davidâs parents. Itâs as if Thea is observing the whole thing from the outside.
All her defences have been torn down â because of a stupid TV feature. The latest in a series of very bad decisions sheâs made over the past year.
She shouldnât have married David, shouldnât have moved down here, shouldnât have stood there on the castle steps, shouldnât have let herself be persuaded to appear on camera.
âAre you OK?â David asks as they arrive. âYouâre very quiet.â
âIâm just tired.â
âWe donât have to go in if itâs too much for you. Do you want me to take you home?â
He sounds as if he means it, and she fights the urge to say yes.
âNo, itâs fine. Iâll feel better when Iâve had something to eat.â
*
They greet Davidâs parents. Thea has to force herself to hug her mother-in-law. This is all Ingridâs fault: the move, the restaurant, the TV feature. It was all her idea.
But you went along with it. For Davidâs sake .â.â.
She would like to tell Margaux to shut up. In fact, she would like to tell them all to shut up so that she can sort out the mess inside her head.
Just as David had said, Nettan is there. Sheâs a smart woman, sheâs worked all over the world, and sheâs both friendly and polite. Thea does her best to be present and friendly in return, and yet there is immediately a tension between them. Perhaps itâs because Nettan calls Davidâs parents Aunt Ingrid and Uncle Bertil. Or because she touches Davidâs arm in a special way from time to time.
David notices the strained atmosphere, flaps around them in a way that Thea doesnât like.
âIâm sorry if I stole David away from you the other day,â Nettan says. âI could have taken a taxi, but he insisted on picking me up from Kastrup.â
âNo problem,â Thea mutters. She is trying to be pleasant, but itâs difficult. Her head is spinning, not only because of the letter, but everything sheâs read over the past few days. Every time she looks at Nettan, she can hear the twelve-year-old girlâs voice in the interviews.
âDo you often visit Tornaby?â she manages to ask.
Nettan shakes her head. âNo. My father died a while ago, and by then he and my mother had already moved to Malmö. This is the first time Iâve been back for years. I couldnât wait to get away, for various reasons.â She pulls a face which is hard to interpret. âMum lives with me in Switzerland now; she helps out with the children when Iâm away.â Nettan takes a sip of her drink. âHow about you? How are you finding life out here?â
âGood,â Thea replies.
Nettan leans a little closer. âYou donât have to be polite. Davidâs told me about your travels. Youâre restless, just like me. Itâs difficult to stay in one place for very long. So why would you want to settle here, in the middle of nowhere?â
The comment surprises Thea.
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