Chapter XXIX
Without warning, February knocked on the doors of the world and there was no escaping its chilly winds. There was no wind on that day, though. There was the sun and a blue sky instead and it seemed to Hester as if the world was trying to tell her that good things would come, even though there soon would be the freezing to bones wind and snow before those sunny and bright days would occur.
Hester was walking back from the orphanage with Vance by her side. Their hands held the baskets which were always full of cakes and sandwiches made by Rilla, Mary, Una and Anne for the children, as well as all the knitting that both of the girls were always bringing to do for the Red Cross while the "nap time". Now the baskets were only filled with the needles and wool but nonetheless they were carrying them proudly with their newly knitted gloves on. They looked rather like children themselves then, with flushed cheeks and messy hair even though both were supposed to turn twenty years old in a few months time.
Una, of course, couldn't join them on that walk as before she had become pregnant she was their companion or rather they were hers. Now, that she was expecting a child of her own to appear in this world in just four months she stayed at home even though she always yearned to hear the stories of "her babies" once Hester and Vance would get back home and meet her there.
"I can't believe that little Fleur is already one-year-old!" Hester said joyfully "It seems to me that she was born only three months ago at the most."
Vance smiled and her bright blue eyes sparkled just like Hester's hazel eyes did "She's the sweetest baby." she agreed "Just as your Poppy is."
Hester smiled even wider "Poppy is adorable." Hester admitted without a moment hesitation "And, you know, when mum showed me the photograph of me when I was her age, it truly is true what everyone is saying and she really does have my face! Only the eyes and the hair are the only features which are different!" she chuckled and so did Vance.
"That only means that she's beautiful. And she is." she looked at Hester and both shared a knowing smile and a glance.
"Thank you, dear friend o'mine." Hester said merrily "Speaking of babies, did you hear what auntie Louise's Bruce replied to him receiving the newest photographs of his twins?" she asked her.
"No, but I can imagine that he was shocked by how much Rose and Violet have grown since he last saw them." Vance smiled a bit wistfully at the thought and so did Hester before her smile turned a bit brighter.
"He was indeed." she agreed "He said: "Blimey, we knew what we were doing when we were naming them after flowers!". Doesn't it sound so much like our cousin Bruce?" Hester glanced at Vance and both smiled at one another.
"Very much, I agree." Vance grinned "They are going to be five years old next month." she added with disbelief.
"Yes, they are and it's almost scary to think of how fast the time flies…" Hester said and then frowned slightly "But then sometimes it doesn't fly so fast, does it?"
"No, it doesn't." Vance said quietly, her eyes following movements of her shoes.
"What is it, Vance?" Hester asked her worriedly, catching her hand even though she still held a basket in it "Is something bothering you?"
Vance looked up at Hester and sighed softly while putting a strand of her blonde lock behind her ear "You always know if something is bothering me, don't you, Hester?" she smiled weakly.
"I am your friend, Vance." Hester smiled back "Tell me, please."
"Hester," she stopped for a second and both girls put down their baskets, holding each other's hands now "-I worry about Selwyn." Vance said finally, her eyes filling with tears suddenly.
"What, Vance?" Hester looked deeper into her eyes, her own growing more worried with each second "What do you mean?" she asked nervously.
"No, no, Hester, that's nothing of that sort." Vance squeezed Hester's hands and her friend relaxed slightly but not entirely "I just… I know that he hasn't been writing that much to any of us for a long time now and even though it worries me and I know it also worries you…" Hester nodded at that slowly "He recently wrote to me that he had those thoughts and he decided that he feels that once… I mean… if," she gulped suddenly "-he'll come back home, he never wants to marry anyone, ever." and just like that tears started to fall down her crimson cheeks.
Hester pulled her friend into a tight embrace and her own cheeks felt wet as well. "Oh, Vance…" she whispered into her ear with her own shaky voice "I'm sure he's only saying that now because he's in the trenches, and with no possibility of a different life ahead…"
Vance pulled away gently and shook her head "But he is saying what he feels, Hester." she protested "You know your brother just as well as I do and you know that whatever Selwyn Owen Ford feels is exactly what he'll either do or won't do." Vance's voice was different then and Hester thought that she had never heard that voice coming out from Vance before. It was sharp, loud and certain and all at the same time. Hester looked at her friend with astonishment mixed with sadness too.
"That's true, Vance." Hester admitted but reached out for her hands nonetheless "But Selwyn will come back. Don't you feel it? Right there?" she put her hand just above Vance's heart "And he'll come back and he will discover it, right there." she again pressed gently the same place and Vance glanced down at Hester's hand before looking up with a soft grin on her lips.
"How are you so sure about all of this?" she asked her helplessly.
"Because I trust my intuition." Hester replied with a smile and she squeezed Vance's hands once more "Don't worry, dear, it's exactly how you said, I know my brother and I know that even though he might not realise it just yet, his and your heart belong to one another." Vance's cheeks were touched by the soft tears coming out from her blue eyes, even though a smile on her lips widened slightly and Hester grinned more brightly at her as well "And when this phenomenon occurs for the two of you, those two hearts of yours will speak the same language, I know that they will. I have several examples in my family to prove exactly that and you know them yourself, Vance, dearest." she chuckled slightly and so did Vance before wiping away her tears with her glove.
"I know you must be right, Hester, you always are about advice among other things." Vance said and kissed Hester's cheek before the two of them took the baskets in their hands again and resumed their walk.
"Am I?" Hester asked her in almost disbelief.
"Yes, you are." Vance chuckled lightly again, a weight from her shoulders evidently lifted a few inches up "I'm glad that it's just you and my diary who know about my feelings for Selwyn." she glanced into Hester's eyes and both shared a meaningful look of bosom friends.
"I'm glad too, you know." Hester smiled brightly at her soul-sister "This kind of secret shouldn't be pulled out from its box before its time. I am glad, though, that you are sharing it with me."
Vance grinned gently "I agree with you most entirely." she said "And do you think, Hester, that the age difference between me and Selwyn matters at all?" she asked her suddenly.
Hester chuckled softly at that "Vance, darling, you're only two years apart!" she said kindly, nudging her friend at the side causing her to laugh a bit louder than before "Two years is completely nothing at all!"
"I suppose you're right." Vance agreed "But, you know how I am, I worry about those important things as well as those which shouldn't be worrying me, not that much anyway."
"I know how you are, Vance." Hester agreed with a smile 'But you know that in this aspect I'm quite similar."
Vance smiled back at Hester "Yes, you are." she said.
"Oh!" Hester said all of a sudden and Vance looked at her curiously "Speaking about worrying about small things, I was meant to tell you on the way to the orphanage but I forgot entirely."
"Yes?" Vance's brows raised a little.
"Remember that composition, the very first one which was a bit complicated for me to compose and to write down in general, called "Hope and Our Rainbow Valley"?" Hester asked her and Vance nodded energetically "Well, when I finished composing it, which was more than a year ago, I made a copy of it, just in case. Thank God I did because I have no idea how but all the notes I wrote for all the violins, cellos, basses and the piano are gone!" Hester clasped the baskets together as if to demonstrate the disappearance of her composition.
"Oh, goodness!" Vance exclaimed "Gone? But you never take those compositions out of your house!"
"Exactly right." Hester nodded, a consternation and a frown on her face "I was looking for it yesterday, just had that feeling to go over it again as it has been a year since I've looked and went over this composition. I only found the copy of it, not the original first written notes. I looked over my whole room over and then went downstairs and looked through the desk in the living room. Mum and Dad caught me doing it and I told them why I was doing it and they only smiled first at each other and then at me, as if I was truly a small baby, just like Poppy, and they told me to simply just leave it as it will definitely be found in the least expected way." she sighed with exasperation "I'm sure they're right but… It's just so mysterious, you know?"
"It really is." Vance agreed and humphed "It's a good thing you made a copy, though."
"Thank God for that." Hester agreed with another sigh "Otherwise I would have cried myself to sleep last night." she smiled bitterly at that and then brightly again "Ah, nevermind, I just wanted to tell you that."
"It's almost like a Sherlock Holmes' new mystery." Vance's eyes twinkled slightly as she grinned at Hester.
"I think it must be then!" both of them laughed together and then Hester glanced at Vance once more "Is your mum already getting ready for the arrival of Marshall in two months time?" she asked her gently and Vance almost jumped from excitement.
"Not just my mum; dad and myself too!" she said cheerfully "Mum and I are already thinking of what recipies we should try out before Marshall will arrive in Canada so that he'll get only the ones which are the best. Dad on the other hand is already planning a whole load of different activities he can do with his son that won't involve any sport." she looked a bit worried then but Hester smiled at her caringly.
"Because of the head injury Marshall had?" she asked and Vance nodded.
"Yes," she said "-it was apparently quite a nasty one. He can obviously walk and so everything, or most anyway, just like he used to but for that one month of rest he's not supposed to do anything active like running or suddenly standing up and simply not being put into any sort of stressful situation." she explained in a voice of a doctor or a nurse and Hester grinend at her friend again.
"He's still so very lucky to be able to come home, even if it's only for a month." Hester said gently.
"Yes, it really is." Vance agreed with a brisk smile "But he did have a bad injury and the doctors said that it's a miracle nothing permanent came out of it. He's still in bed though and he's not strong enough to walk for more than fifteen minutes." Vance said with a weaker smile at the memory of her brother and Hester smiled wistfully as well "But he's doing better each day and quoting him: "not to worry, baby-sister. I'll see you soon." and I still can't believe that he will!" Vance's eyes filled with tears once more, although they were happy tears this time.
Hester kissed Vance's cheek softly and grinned at her "Neither can I really." she admitted "A real Air Commodore Marchall Douglas!" she said almost with pride herself.
"Indeed." Vance replied with a voice filled with the proudest of prides before smiling at Hester again "I know you're not that fond of him…" she started but Hester interrupted her.
"Vance, it was a long time ago." Hester said finally "I don't know Marshall, not really, apart from all the small things Gilly writes to me about him in his letters." she smiled at the memory of her own oldest, cheeky brother "But I am truly glad and excited to see him again too. I just really hope he won't be teasing me again." she said with a sudden heap of frustration in her chest which passed soon enough to make the space for laughter both she and Vance performed afterwards.
"I hope he will." Vance said with a soft grin "That would mean he didn't change." Hester squeezed her hand quickly and then smiled at her once more.
"Vance, I think we all changed." she said "But it doesn't have to be a horrible thing always. Sometimes, it's needed for a different, unexpected situation to occur instead. A situation which will make one's life much happier, simply because one looks differently at things now he or she used to.". It was then when the chilly February wind started blowing into their youthful faces and it seemed to the two of those girls that something unexpected, or at least a form of a change was coming their way, and it was both exciting for them as well as a bit alarming. Even though, they continued their walk and their conversation because after all, whatever fate has in store for us, there's no hurry to know exactly what it is just yet.
