The Library of Lost and Found(64)

Thomas laughed. “We’re not made of money. I’m sure we can accommodate eight people.”

Betty imagined the family and sports talk. “Surely there will be nine of us?” she said.

“Nine?”

“Well, we’ll have to invite Mum, too.”

“Zelda?” Thomas said as if her name had a nasty taste. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Why not? If we’re celebrating our wedding anniversary, she should be there.”

“Hmm. I’m worried about the girls. Martha’s getting really disobedient. I think we can blame your mother for that.”

“It’s more likely to be her hormones.”

Thomas’s lips grew thin. “There’s no need for such talk, Betty.”

She stared at him and tried not to sigh. He was squeamish about any changes the girls were going through—periods, buying bras and teenage behavior. He liked to pretend such things didn’t happen.

However, he was right about one thing. Betty had also noticed that Martha was increasingly tricky to handle. Sometimes it felt like she was slipping away and that Betty was losing her.

If Martha announced she was going to a friend’s house to do her homework, Betty knew that she was really sneaking off to see her nana. She’d spotted the two of them in the library together and found Martha’s stash of library books and handwritten stories hidden under her bed. Zelda hadn’t called around to the house for almost two months and she had taken to calling Thomas “the Lord of the Manor.”

The last time Betty bumped into her mum, she had a sparkle in her eye as she gushed about someone called George.

Betty was glad that her mum might have found someone special, after all this time. However, it added to the gulf of separation she felt, as her mother and elder daughter drifted further away from her. But, because of Thomas and his ways, she couldn’t do anything about it.

She smoothed down her dress and rearranged her Friday freesias in a vase. “So, is it okay for me to ask Mum? It will look very odd if we don’t invite her.”

“My parents won’t notice if she’s not there. They only met her once, at our wedding.”

“It won’t look very good to Martha and Lilian, though. Or to my mother.”

Thomas thought for a while then gave her a sideways look that she hadn’t seen him use before. “My boss, Anthony, mentioned your mother to me the other week,” he said.

“He did?”

“He bumped into her recently and hadn’t realized she was my mother-in-law. They went to school together and he had a bit of a thing for her back then.” He screwed up his nose. “Goodness knows why. Since he’s separated from his wife, he’s gone all nostalgic.”

“I think Mum is pretty enamored with her new boyfriend, George,” Betty said.

Thomas folded his arms. “I’m thinking, perhaps I should invite Anthony to our anniversary tea, too. He’s going to retire soon and his job will be available, so it’s a good opportunity to make an impression. And it will even things up. If he and Zelda came, that would make ten guests, a nice round number.”

Even though the idea of hosting Thomas’s mum, dad, brother, brother’s fiancée and boss filled her with dread, Betty’s spirits lifted a little. The tea would offer her the chance to pull Zelda back into the family fold a little. Perhaps Eleanor and Dylan might be charmed by her. “Should I ask Mum if she’s free that evening?” she asked hopefully.

Thomas looked as if he’d swallowed a wasp and was trying to spit it out. “I’ll give it some thought,” he said.



* * *



Betty walked down to the beach that afternoon. In early February, the sand was flecked with snow. The flakes drifted in the air and she remembered how she and Daniel used to stick out their tongues to catch them. It was impossible not to laugh when they did it. She poked her tongue out now and she giggled to herself before her smile faded away.

She stood in front of the mermaid statue, read the list of the lost men and trailed her fingers over their names. Some had been so young, only her age. It was difficult to believe that the accident was over sixteen years ago now. Time had passed so quickly. Glancing at her watch, she saw that time had gone quicker than she anticipated. She brushed away the snow that had settled on the plaque, then set off to the baker’s shop. Thomas wouldn’t be happy if she returned late from buying the bread.



* * *



Unusually, Betty found Martha and Thomas in the sitting room together. Thomas flicked through his newspaper and Martha lay on the floor scribbling in her notepad. Betty was pleased that she couldn’t detect any atmosphere. Everything felt, well, normal, and it was a welcome relief.

“I’ve been thinking,” Thomas said, as Betty showed him the bread she’d bought. “We’ll invite your mother over for the tea. I spoke to Anthony just now and he’s definitely a bit misty-eyed over her. You’ll have to warn Zelda, firmly, beforehand. I don’t want any drama. No weird stories or mentions of her new boyfriend. And can she wear something other than a bloody turquoise nightie?”

From her spot on the carpet, Martha lifted her head. “What’s this for?”

“It’s for our anniversary tea, darling,” Betty said. “Your dad’s boss will be joining us. It turns out that he went to school with your nana.”