This Shining Land by Rosalind Laker

This Shining Land by Rosalind Laker

Author:Rosalind Laker [Laker, Rosalind]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2019-06-27T04:00:00+00:00


At Ryendal in the spring sunshine, Gina walked slowly home from Sunday service. She wore her church-going clothes—an unfashionably long black coat over one of her best dresses with a lace collar. Her hat was black straw, slightly misshapen through age. It had not suited her when it was new and it suited her still less now; the fact she had made a mistake with her purchase did not mean that a perfectly good hat should be discarded. Her appearance had ceased to be important to her long ago, except that everything she wore must be spotlessly clean, well pressed, and neatly mended. She carried a small bunch of lilies-of-the-valley which she had picked at the wayside. They powdered the valley like a new fall of snow, the delicate scent rising in the still air. There had been some in a glass vase on the altar that morning. Although the clergy had been denied all authority by Quisling since their resignation en bloc in protest against the Nazi regime, people still filled the churches when services were held. It was only where dubious Nazi replacements had been appointed that the pews stayed empty, only one or two collaborators attending.

Her prayers that day had been for her absent sons and her thanksgiving for the signs in Edvard of a slow and steady recovery to better health, if not to the ox of a man he had once been.

She looked about her as she wandered along, savouring this quiet time to herself and observing everything. Being country-bred and country-raised, she took as keen an interest in the fertile state of her neighbours’ fields as she did in her own. Apart from feeding the animals and milking, no other chores of husbandry were carried out on the day of rest and the Sunday peace lay over the valley, almost tangible in the stillness broken only by the sea gulls wheeling in from the fjord. She wished the tranquility could reach out to the many in need of it in the heat of war.

Ahead of her she saw Johanna coming from the farmhouse, swinging along with her long-legged stride as if the ground had springs beneath the surface. So much vibrant youth and energy made her feel dry and withered, worn out by the years, and yet at the same time she drew warmth from the sight of the young as from the sun. She had been expecting to meet Johanna on the way, for the girl was off to see Astrid Larsen on an afternoon visit. At the service, Gina had prayed for her daughter as well as her sons. Since the day of Rolf’s arrest, Johanna had been preoccupied and at times quite absent-minded, only half listening when others spoke to her. It would do her good to have a pleasant outing in her elderly friend’s company.

“You’re off then,” Gina said to her as they came within earshot.

“That’s right. I don’t expect to be late home.”

“Give Frøken Larsen my kindest regards.” There was no relaxation in the severe expression that was normal to Gina.



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