The Library of Lost and Found(24)

Martha and Lilian ran towards their nana and excitedly prized their cones from her fingers. They ran their tongues around the ice cream, catching the dribbles.

Thomas glowered, his face scarlet and shiny. He sniffed and looked away when Zelda offered him a cone. She shrugged and ate his, as well as her own.

After they finished the cones, Betty unpacked the sandwiches. They were met with little enthusiasm. “I’m too full,” Martha groaned, and Thomas gave Betty a knowing nod.

Lilian sat by Thomas’s feet with her cheek pressed against his trouser leg. She only took two bites of her sandwich, then traced her fingers lazily in the sand. Thomas reached out and ran his hand softly over the top of her hair.

Martha shoveled sand into the cracked bucket. She patted it down, then upturned the bucket. “Ta-da,” she said as she slid it off to reveal her creation. A corner of a turret slipped away, the sand too dry to take hold. “It’s Rapunzel’s castle, Mum.”

“It’s beautiful, darling,” Betty smiled.

Thomas lowered his paper. He leaned over and examined it. “Now, that’s not very good, is it? It’s falling down.” He lifted his leg and brought down the heel of his shoe, grinding the castle flat. “Try building another one.”

Martha stared at the ruins and then at her father. Her nostrils flared. She snatched up her sandwich and took a huge bite, staring at him and chewing with her mouth open.

Betty pushed her tongue against her teeth. Don’t say anything, she willed. Just leave it. She walked her fingers along the sand to take hold of Martha’s hand, but felt it snatch away.

“I passed by the funfair,” Zelda said as she bit into a sausage roll. “It looks ah-mazing. With a capital A.”

Thomas turned the page of his newspaper noisily.

“Yes, but, let’s stay here,” Betty said. “It’s so lovely, all sitting together in the sunshine.”

Zelda gave a small “Hmm,” then tossed her head. She picked up her bag and rooted around inside it. “I’ve brought your birthday present,” she exclaimed. “I almost forgot to give it to you.”

Martha and Lilian stopped what they were doing and shuffled forward on their knees. Zelda handed Betty a small silver package.

Betty took hold of it and squeezed. Thomas lowered his paper and peered over the top.

“Go on. Open it. The suspense is killing me.” Zelda laughed.

Betty slowly peeled off the tape and opened the paper. There was something small, red and satiny nestled inside. It seemed to have thin strings and see-through bits. Martha frowned at it, trying to make out what it was. When Lilian reached out with one finger to touch it, Betty quickly folded the paper up again. “That’s, um, lovely. Thanks, Mum.”

“Hold it up,” Zelda said. “You’ve not seen it properly. It’s all in one piece. When I saw it, I had to buy it for you. And no doubt, Thomas will benefit, too.” She gave an exaggerated cough and a speck of sausage roll pastry flew from her mouth, flecking Thomas’s trousers.

He looked down at it in disgust and held up his paper to cover his eyes.

Betty felt her cheeks burning. Why couldn’t her mother buy her bath salts or a nice scarf, something pretty that she couldn’t afford herself? She knew Thomas would hate the gift, especially as her mum had presented it in front of the girls.

She often felt like there was an electrical storm around him, and she could sense it crackling now, between him and Zelda. She wondered if her mother could feel it, too, but Zelda always seemed oblivious to the impact of her actions or words on others.

“Thank you,” Betty said again, and she shoved the red silky gift to the bottom of her handbag.



* * *



A little later, Betty watched as Zelda and Martha knelt down, their heads dipped into a huge hole, digging with their hands. The tightness of her dress prevented her from joining in.

“We’re going to find Australia soon,” Zelda shouted out. “Or hell. I think I can see the tips of the devil’s trident down here.”

Thomas glared in her direction but focused his attention on Betty instead. “Please do something about your mother. She’s always filling Martha’s head with nonsense.”

“They’re only playing, Thomas.”

“But it influences Martha to write those silly stories of hers.”

Betty counted to five silently in her head. “I’ll see if they want to do something else. We could maybe go and look inside the cave.”

Thomas nodded. “That’s a good idea. And I think I’ll have a sleep, after that delicious lunch. What a shame there’s so much of it left over.”

Betty stood up and picked up her new shoes. She walked over to tell Zelda, who gave Thomas a sideways glance. “Tell me we’re not being sent away because of His Royal Highness?” She sighed.

“No, of course not. We can shelter from the sun for a while. Martha’s shoulders are looking a bit fiery. Put some sun cream on,” she said, but Martha stood up and began to run towards the teardrop-shaped hollow.

The sand on the floor of the cave was cool and the walls were clammy. Zelda and Martha took it in turns to yodel, their voices booming around inside. At the back of the cave there was a gap in the rocks, a vertical, person-sized slit.

“Can we go through there?” Martha pointed.