When Leonora’s car drew up outside the house Grace came bounding out like one of Aunt Cicely’s dogs. ‘Gracie,’ Leonora laughed, wrapping her arms around her little sister. ‘Why aren’t you at school?’
‘I had a tummy ache and Mummy let me stay at home,’ the child replied, smiling up at Leonora with mischievous green eyes.
Leonora shook her head. ‘You’re very wicked,’ she said. But she didn’t care that her mother over-indulged Grace because she was getting married. She strode into the house and out through the sitting room into the garden. When Audrey saw her she knew at once that something dramatic had happened. Like Aunt Cicely she recognized that radiance as the hue of love. She put down her secateurs and stood up to greet her.
‘You look wonderful, darling. What’s happened?’
‘You had better sit down,’ said Leonora happily, joining her mother on the bench. ‘Where’s Daddy?’
‘He went into town to buy some equipment, he’s going to make Grace a playhouse.’
‘Well, I’ll tell you then. I can’t wait, I’m too excited.’ Audrey leaned towards her and took her hand, anticipating her news.
‘Florien asked me to marry him,’ she said and her eyes filled with tears. ‘I’m so happy, I don’t know what to do with myself.’ Audrey gathered her daughter into her arms and hugged her so tightly they both had to hold their breath.
‘Oh darling, that’s the most wonderful news,’ she exclaimed, feeling tearful herself.
‘I can’t believe it.’
‘You love him very much, don’t you?’ she said, pulling away and caressing her child’s face with eyes that glittered with an autumnal light.
‘I love him so much it hurts.’
‘I know. But it’s an exquisite pain. The most blissful feeling on earth. It’s the closest one gets to Heaven down here and no one deserves it more than you.’
‘I’m so happy, Mummy, I want to cry all the time. Is that natural?’ They both laughed and Audrey recalled the intensity of emotion she felt when Louis had claimed her heart for the first time, and with a sudden twinge of nostalgia her body longed for him.
‘It’s the most natural thing in the world. You are so blessed, my darling. You are going to marry the man you love. You can’t imagine how many people never experience true love. They go through life searching for it until it becomes the driving force of their very existence. But it eludes them. Life’s a gamble and you can suddenly be dealt a most surprising card when you least expect it.’
‘I never expected Florien to love me back.’
‘You were patient and your patience has been rewarded.’
‘Did you feel like this when you met Daddy?’ Leonora asked. She had never spoken to her mother about her relationship with her father, but now she was about to marry she was curious.
Audrey paused. ‘Your father is the most noble man I have ever met. He’s a good man. An honest and kind man. I knew he was right for me. I knew I’d be very lucky to be loved by him. When one is young one yearns for adventure and excitement, but what I have learned in my life is to appreciate the quieter qualities that often go unnoticed. Our love for each other has never been fireworks, but it is a deep and tender love. Your father is a good man.’ Leonora wanted to tell her mother of the overwhelming, intoxicating feeling that filled her up with bubbles, but she worried her mother wouldn’t understand.
When Cecil returned from town Grace was waiting for him in the driveway, sitting in the sunshine playing with the garden spirits who danced about the pale roses that grew up the front of the house. He saw Leonora’s car and raised his eyebrows at Grace.
‘Leo’s in the garden with Mummy. She’s got some news for you.’
‘Good news, I hope,’ he said, heaving the box that contained the playhouse out of the back seat.
‘Of course. I’ve always said Leo will be happy.’ She stood up and wandered over to him. ‘Is that my house?’
‘It certainly is.’
‘It’s flat.’
‘It won’t be when I’ve finished with it.’
‘You’re so clever, Daddy.’
‘Your aunt Cicely always had a playhouse as a little girl. You can lock your spirits up in it.’ He chuckled and walked past her into the hall.
‘Spirits can walk through walls, silly.’
‘Wish I was a spirit.’
‘You will be soon because you’re very old.’ Cecil laughed at the child’s frankness. Ever since the move to England had exorcised the ghosts of the past and brought a sobriety that had cleared his vision, he had grown to love Grace in a way that he had never believed possible. He didn’t struggle to understand her, he accepted her differences and learned to wonder at them instead of fearing them. Because she went to a day school in town he was able to help her with her homework. They sat together at the kitchen table while Audrey cooked supper, discussing the kings and queens of England, arithmetic and biology. She was fascinated by everything and the more he told her the more she wanted to know. She had a vast capacity for learning and never tired of it. Finally Cecil had found a role that suited him; he didn’t believe in her garden fairies and spirits but he could satisfy her demand for knowledge. With great pleasure and pride he watched his little girl grow under his tutelage; only Audrey was aware that he also grew, in confidence, for Grace’s special magic touched him too.