The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson

Author:Eva Ibbotson [Ibbotson, Eva]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

For a while after the countess left everyone was silent. Tally had recognized the witchlike woman she had seen at the barred window of the palace and a shiver went down her back. But what she said was, “Who’s Carlotta?”

Karil wiped the egg yolk off his trousers and said, “She’s a sort of cousin of mine. She has ringlets and wears white dresses and smiles a lot.”

“Do you like her?”

“I’ve never met her.”

But now, for the first time since the death of his father, he thought about where he might be going if he reached England safely, and it seemed as though it must be his grandfather’s house in London.

“She lives with my grandfather.” And then wearily: “I suppose that is where I shall have to live if I get across the border. It’s full of my relations.”

“No, you don’t have to,” said Tally. “Not unless you want to. You can come to Delderton with us. You’d like it.”

The others nodded.

“There’s lots going on. You could have an animal to keep,” said Barney. “I’ve got an axolotl.” He was about to say that the axolotl’s name was Zog and then thought better of it. After all, Karil himself was now a sort of Zog.

“We’re going to do a play of Persephone next term,” said Verity.

“Matteo gives amazing biology lessons,” said Tod.

“And there’s a river with otters,” said Tally. “It’s almost as nice as your dragonfly pool. And even the awful lessons are quite funny, like when you have to be a fork or boil up motherwort.”

She described the gentle countryside, the cedar tree in which a thrush sang every morning, the white-painted rooms, one for each child, which they could decorate in any way they liked. “Of course, being free can be exhausting, but you soon get used to it.”

“I can’t imagine being free,” said Karil, “being allowed to do what you want.”

Kit, however, felt that something should be made clear. “We don’t play cricket. Not ever. You’d have to put up with that.”

But Karil did not mind about cricket, which was not played much in Bergania.

“Would they let me come?”

“Of course.” As far as Tally was concerned the matter was settled. “Even if you haven’t got any money, the headmaster will probably give you a scholarship. I’m on a scholarship, so why not you?”

“You wait till you see Clemmy,” said Barney. “She teaches art and she’s the best cook in England.”

The train steamed on toward the border and Karil closed his eyes, dreaming of a place where one could wake each morning among friends, and choose one’s day. And Matteo would be there—the man who had been his father’s friend.

Tally, on the other hand, was thinking of Carlotta.

Should I smile more? she wondered. But it wouldn’t really help. There was still the question of the ringlets. Aunt May had tried to curl her hair once and the results had been disastrous.

And she had never in her life worn a white dress, let alone owned one.

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