So Far From I Expected

21

We kissed and he hugged me for I don’t know how long. We talked about Junaath and the ship that he had travelled on to come to Tynaia, the type of ship that I might be travelling on in a few weeks.

He told me about the party we were going to on Friday night. More of a ball than a party though. Lord Tumlus had arranged it to celebrate the continuing business plans he had with Theodore’s family and his tobacco industry.

He seemed to pick up on my nerves and changed the subject very effectively. He jumped up onto his feet and burst through the doors to the bedroom, and returned with a package wrapped in green paper and ribbon. ‘Your shawl, Caireann.’ He smiled as I untied the ribbon careful not to rip the beautiful paper; it revealed a deep lavender shawl of thick, soft wool, lined with purple silk ribbon.

‘It’s beautiful Theodore, and so soft!’ He wrapped it around my shoulders and kissed my nose. ‘It’s not as beautiful as you.’ I threw my arms around him and squeezed him tightly. ‘Theodore, today has been wonderful! You are wonderful! Thank you for my dresses, and for the table and the delph! I have had the best day of my life and it’s all down to you! I have behaved so inappropriately today, and so have you if I think about it but it doesn’t matter. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate it.’

Theodore cupped my face with his hand and smiled as he kissed my hand. ‘Let’s get you home then, before your mother sees what you did to her house!’

We travelled back to the village with a cart and he left me at the front door. ‘Can I see you tomorrow?’ I nodded and laughed as he trotted off down the road.

Someone had arranged the new table and chairs in the cottage. I put the new delph in the dresser and folded my new Sunday dress into the trunk beside Mama’s Sunday dress.

I smiled as I smoothed the fabric and decided then and there to win Mama over. I was going to marry Theodore and move to Junaath. There was nothing else for it.

Mama was not happy when she got home from Granny’s; she told me that I looked like a ‘brasser’ in my new dress and called the new delph ‘cheap tat.’ She had dinner in the rocker, refusing to sit at the new table and chairs.

Papa was annoyed that his and Mama’s stuff had been broken, and embarrassed to accept charity from Theodore. He told me I looked beautiful, but he was sad that he couldn’t have dressed me like that himself.

The twins played with the toys Theodore had brought and ooo’d at my new soft shawl. I played on the floor with them for an hour before bed time whilst Mama and Papa chatted animatedly across the room.

Mama continued to make snide comments about my dress as the night drew closer. I tucked the boys under the blankets and sat at the table opposite Papa and took a deep breath.

‘Mama, can you please tell me why you are acting like a bitter old maid? I have new clothes, I’m acting my age for the first time in my life, I am having fun and you are ruining it for me! Papa is breaking his heart over the fact that I might leave and trying to hide it but you, Mama you are pushing me away!’

‘Caireann,’ Papa began to interrupt me. ‘No, Papa, No, I have to say this! Please Mama answer me.’

I looked over to her and stared at her waiting for her to answer me. She scratched her forehead and breathed deeply. ‘Caireann, I am scared. This Junaathan man is going to come in here and take you away from me. How will I cope without you Caireann? You’ve been a mother to these boys more than I have. You are my little girl, my beautiful, loyal, smart and wonderful little girl and I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.’ She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sipped at her tea. ‘You do look lovely pet. That dress is wonderful.’

She stood up and bent down and hugged me tightly. ‘What’ll I do without you pet?’ I hugged her back and kissed her cheek, ‘Mama who says I’m going anywhere? And even if I do you will be fine. You raised me and I turned out alright! But for starters, who says I’m going anywhere?’

Papa started laughing, ‘My girl you may as well have left already, I’ve never seen you look so happy!’ I looked at him and Mama standing together, they looked sad but happy at the same time. ‘I do love him you know.’

We talked for the rest of the evening about what had happened throughout the day. They laughed when I told them how I fell onto the table; Papa frowned when I told them about Sheila in Blandas.

I mentioned the lavender dress and the ball. Mama got excited and began talking about my hair and ‘seeing this dress’ before I told her I refused to accept it. They told me to invite Theodore for dinner before we went to bed. Mama hugged me tight before she turned in.