THE LANTERN BOATS an utterly gripping and heart-breaking historical novel set in post-war Japan (Historical Fiction Standalones) by TESSA MORRIS-SUZUKI
Author:TESSA MORRIS-SUZUKI [MORRIS-SUZUKI , TESSA]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joffe Books historical fiction and mysteries
Published: 2021-04-05T16:00:00+00:00
CHAPTER 12
On the day when Fergus was due back from Okinawa, Elly decided to make his favourite French onion soup for dinner, and caught the tram to the city centre to buy the ingredients. In the two years â nearly three now â since their marriage, she had perfected her onion soup cooking skills to the point where Fergus would always smack his lips at the first spoonful and declare âformidable!â in his best schoolboy French. The onions, of course, were easy, and could be found anywhere, but crusty bread and cheese suitable for grating were a challenge. She needed to go to the expensive Meidi-ya food store to buy them. The weather was becoming oppressively hot already. Toiling up the hill on the way home with her bags of shopping, Elly found that she had to stop and catch her breath for a moment at the corner of their street.
As she did so, she noticed with surprise that there was someone â a man â standing outside the front door of their house. Not Fergus. The figure was too tall, and anyway, Fergus would not be home until evening. It was only as she approached that she recognized the slight stoop of the shoulders, the beige linen suit and the straw-coloured hair.
âTed!â she called out. âI wasnât expecting to see you here. Iâm afraid Fergus isnât home yet. Not due for another few hours.â
âNo, actually, Elly, itâs you Iâve come to see,â replied Ted Cornish. He seemed almost shy, and his face was gleaming with the sweat that had left dark patches on his shirt and under the armpits of his jacket. âHere, let me take those for you,â he added, stepping forward to seize Ellyâs shopping bags. âMy, what a weight! Killing the fatted calf?â
âItâs onions mostly,â Elly laughed. âBut I went to Meidi-ya, and you know the way it is. Once I was there, I couldnât help stocking up. Let me get you some lemonade. Iâve got some in the icebox. Or would you prefer a beer?â
âLemonade would be heaven.â
When she poured the cool liquid into tall glasses, Ellyâs glance fell on the envelope full of photos, still lying on the table waiting for Fergusâ arrival. She wondered whether Ted knew about the photos, or indeed whether he knew anything about Vidaâs late-night meetings with Fergus.
âDid you hear that I bumped into Vida in Kanda last week?â she called out, as she put some peanuts into a bowl, while Ted took a seat on the sofa and lit his pipe. âShe mentioned you might be going back to the States soon. Do tell me thatâs not true. Weâd all miss you so much.â
âItâs a fact, Iâm afraid. Just got the confirmation this morning. Iâll sure be sorry to leave too, in all sorts of ways. Itâs been an extraordinary experience living here, but . . .â he hesitated for a moment, âthings have been getting a bit complicated lately. I just wish it wasnât now. I wish I could have stayed a few months more .
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