Learning As We Go – Part Five
Chapter 18
"May I speak to Dr. Branson, please?" Primrose's voice said coolly on the other end of the telephone.
"Prim, why haven't you been taking my calls?" Bobby said into the telephone. "I've called you at least four times since I got back and you've been out every time."
"I've been busy," Primrose replied. "Is Dr. Branson in?"
"Why won't you talk to me?" Bobby asked.
"Did you have a nice time skiing in Austria?" Primrose inquired.
"I didn't go skiing," Bobby replied in confusion. "I spent my time looking at aircraft with Hans or cleaning up after two babies. I kept Sybil company when Hans was out."
"Oh, I thought you would have gone skiing with Anna somebody or other," Primrose replied icily.
"Why would you think that?" Bobby asked. "Anna Brunner wasn't even home. She was in Switzerland. I think her sister said she was going to France for the New Year. I haven't heard from her in ages."
"Katharina told me everyone was waiting for you to get back together with her."
"Since I'm going out with you or assumed I was until this last two weeks," Bobby said irritably. "I hardly think so and I was never going with Anna in the first place. She's a friend the same as her sister. Why would you take Katharina's word for something like that? She's a junior busy body."
"Oh, Bobby, I'm sorry," Primrose sniffled on the other end of the line. "We were at the card night with your friends and Katharina said everyone knew you liked Anna and they were expecting you to get back with her. You were busy talking to Jacob."
"I'm sorry too," Bobby replied. "I thought you were pretending to be sick."
"What! No, the left over sausage we had for our tea that day was sloshing about with the beer making me feel ill."
"Am I forgiven?" Bobby asked.
"Yes," Primrose said.
"I could take the early train tomorrow and come up for the day," Bobby said hopefully.
"All right. I'll stay home from church and meet you at the station."
"I'll see you then, Prim. I'll go and get Bradley."
Bobby went into the library to fetch Bradley for his call. Bobby stayed in the library to talk to Astrid while Bradley was on the telephone. She had a stack of files she was going through making notes.
"I'm going up to Sheffield tomorrow for the day," Bobby said.
"Did you and Primrose get your differences straightened out?" Astrid asked him.
"Yes, it's all a misunderstanding," Bobby replied. "She thought I was running around on her with Anna and I thought. Well, never mind what I thought."
"I thought she did very well in Vienna," Astrid commented. "It isn't easy being in a new city with a different language for the first time."
"Vienna is easy enough to get around," Bobby said.
"You know the language well enough to go to the shops and restaurants and you've been there enough times you should know your way around," Astrid replied. "I have to keep constantly looking for landmarks."
"Mark seemed to enjoy himself. Where is he?"
"The boys have a board game set up in the drawing room and some picture puzzles. Nanny is watching them," Astrid replied.
"Oh," Bobby said fidgeting around. "Why is Prim calling Bradley?"
"Bobby," Astrid said with a sigh. "The first thing you need to learn about having a girl friend is to be open and honest. If you want to know something ask her yourself."
"I have been rather a dolt," Bobby said. "She wouldn't take my calls."
"Is it a wonder? You should have told her you used to be interested in Anna instead of letting her hear it from someone else."
"But Anna and I never went out. There wasn't anything romantic when we spent time together. We were just kids."
"Perhaps you should tell Primrose that," Astrid suggested. "Why don't you get on the train tonight and show up with a large bouquet of flowers for her to say you're sorry."
"Her father would throttle me for showing up unannounced," Bobby replied.
"Or he may be glad you've shown up to make amends with his daughter instead of letting her fret overnight," Astrid said.
"She did sound like she was crying on the telephone," Bobby said.
"Then you had best get a move on if you're going to make the connection north tonight."
-0-
"What did Primrose have to say?" Astrid asked Bradley when he returned to the library.
"She's been talking to her French mistress about finishing the year by doing a recorded program. Primrose is doing so terribly in French she probably will barely scrape through with a passing grade. The mistress talked it over with the Head and they've agreed to allow her to do an audio program as long as I send a letter. I'll talk to them and set up a reporting schedule. It will give me another test case in a different setting."
"I wish we could do more for the girls," Astrid said. "We won't even have the summer program this year with the symposium coming up."
"You can only help so many," Bradley replied.
"I know. I wish there was a way though."
"I don't think mixed classes would help the boys with all the acting out they do. The girls act out as well. It would be more chaos than we have already."
"You don't need to remind me," Astrid said. "I think I'll go through and see what the boys are up to. I'm not getting very far with these files."
"I'll join you."
-0-
The cab pulled up to the front gate of Primrose's home. Bobby handed the cab driver the fare and got out. He had thrown a few things in an overnight bag and made for the train in Horsham. He'd had just enough time in London to buy a bouquet from a small florists shop in the station before he'd caught the next train. Now that he was standing here he didn't know if this was such a good idea. He walked up to the door and rang the bell. He'd forgotten his umbrella and the rain was pelting down soaking his hair and shoulders. The housekeeper opened the door.
"Is Miss Carpenter in?" Bobby inquired.
"Come in, Mr. Sinclair," the housekeeper said. She went to fetch Primrose.
Bobby tried to shake the rain from his hair while he waited but it was no use. His hair was a plastered down mess. Primrose came from the back of the house. She ran straight into his arms.
"I'm sorry I doubted you," she sniffled.
"No more sorry than I am," Bobby replied holding her tight. He kissed her once then kissed her again more deeply. Primrose responded kissing him back and tightening her arms around him.
"You're all wet," Primrose commented when they parted a bit.
"I left in such a hurry I forgot an umbrella," Bobby replied. He handed her the bouquet that had gotten a little squashed from their embrace. She took the bouquet and waited while he hung up his jacket.
"Prim, I never went out with Anna," Bobby said as Primrose went to through find a vase for the flowers. "I did like her when I was younger but nothing ever came of it and she's changed. She's just someone in my group of friends in Austria now. I would never go out with her. I should have told you before we left."
"Yes, you should have," Primrose said. She withdrew a flower from the bouquet and hit him over the head with it.
"I deserved that," Bobby said. "Where are your parents?"
"They went to a dance at Daddy's club," Primrose said she looked at Bobby sideways and smiled slightly.
"Is that so," Bobby said reaching to take her in his arms.
"The housekeeper has gone to her room for the night as well," Primrose said. "We're completely alone." She rubbed her hand on the front of Bobby's shirt. "You're still damp."
"Is that a hint?" Bobby said suggestively. He caught her lips with his for a kiss.
"There's a fire on in the sitting room," Primrose said quietly. "You could dry off and warm up in there."
Bobby kept his hand on Primrose's waist while she carried the flowers through to the living room. He let his hand drop slightly lower. He was hopeful when she didn't rebuff his advance. She set the vase on a side table and took Bobby's hand to sit on the floor by the hearth with some pillows.
"Are you feeling warmer?" she asked.
"Much," Bobby replied. His mind was on the fact they were alone. His own doubts about their relationship were pushed to the back of his mind. He pulled Primrose close and kissed her. She moved closer to him and relaxed her weight against him. Bobby let his hands move on her body more than he normally would. When she didn't protest he got a little bolder.
"Your shirt is getting me all damp," she said when their lips parted slightly. "You should take it off."
"What if your parents walk in and find us?"
"They'll be late. They might go to their friends overnight," Primrose replied with nervous anticipation.
"I'll turn out some of the lights," Bobby said. He got up clicked off all of the lights then took off his shirt.
"That's lovely," she murmured when he went back to join her. It wasn't long and her blouse joined his on the floor. Bobby was kissing her breasts through the fabric of her bra. The glow from the hearth was providing just enough light to see what he was doing. He reached for the clasp of her bra and fumbled with it a bit.
"We shouldn't," Primrose said.
"Don't you want to?" Bobby asked her. He kissed the side of her mouth and ran his hand over her breast.
"Yes," she replied breathlessly. He finally managed to get the clasp undone and drew her bra off to toss on the floor.
The feel of her naked breasts in his hand and brushing against his chest were better than Bobby had ever imagined they would feel. Primrose's explorations of his body were driving him to a frenzy. She undid his belt and the top button on his trousers to explore inside with the tips of her fingers.
"God, I'm sorry I ever doubted you," Bobby murmured when her fingers brushed the tip of his erection.
"Why would you have doubted me?" Primrose asked. Her eyes flew open.
"Because of what Jacob said," Bobby mumbled. He was busy tasting her breast with his lips.
"What did Jacob say?" Primrose asked pushing on Bobby's shoulder slightly.
"They're thinking about moving to Israel," Bobby replied distractedly.
"What does them moving to Israel have to do with anything," Primrose asked sitting up.
"I thought you didn't like them when you found out they were Jews," Bobby replied. He was lying on his side brushing the backs of his fingers over her breasts.
"How could you think such a thing about me?" Primrose exclaimed. She had a shocked expression on her face
"The same way you could think I would cheat on you with Anna," Bobby replied. "There are things we don't know about each other. Come here and kiss me some more."
"I don't think I want to," Primrose replied. She reached for her blouse.
"Prim, please it was all a misunderstanding," Bobby said.
"What other things don't we know about each other?" she asked buttoning her blouse.
"Things," Bobby replied. "Like if we did get married someday would you expect us to have a maid and butler."
"Why not? You can afford them."
"The estate can afford them," Bobby said sitting up. "I live in estate holdings but someday I might not. I wasn't born to all that you know. I'm perfectly happy in a cottage with absolutely no help. In some ways I prefer it."
"Where were you born?" she asked.
"Cotton," he said. "It's in the East End of London. I went to stay with Sybil as an evacuee. She decided to keep me with her when the war ended and my remaining family didn't want me back. I went to expensive schools where they set about changing my accent."
"So you're a phony," she said bitterly. "You're not at all what you pretend to be."
"I'm not pretending anything," Bobby said getting irritated. "I've been with Sybil since I was six years old. I have an allowance from her late husband and her family is my family."
"You thought I was pretending to be sick because your friends are Jews," Primrose accused him.
"Prim, can't we forgive and forget," Bobby asked her.
"What do you really think of me not being able to read and write very well? I'm terrible at school."
"The truth is I think you should stop doing exactly what your father wants. If you really want to work for a flower grower, you should do it. You can't be protected your entire life."
"Bobby, I think you should leave," she said. "We really don't know each other at all. I thought I knew you but I don't."
"I think you may be right," Bobby said. "You really aren't old enough or ready for a relationship with all the ups and downs that go with it." He pulled on his shirt and got the rest of his clothes done up. "I really do care for you Prim, a great deal," Bobby said. "I'll go now."
She didn't reply as he let himself out.
-0-
Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter arrived home from their club. They immediately spotted the bouquet of flowers sitting on a side table.
"I'd say the phone call to speak to Dr. Branson did the trick," Mrs. Carpenter said. "Things must be back on track with Bobby."
"I still think there is something about that boy that he's hiding," Mr. Carpenter replied.
"Mummy, Daddy, I was waiting up for you," Primrose said. She came down the stairs in her robe.
"I see you received flowers from a certain young man I presume," Mrs. Carpenter inquired hopefully.
"Oh Mummy, Bobby was here," Primrose said. She ran the rest of the way down the stairs and into her mother's arms.
"Things didn't go well I take it?" Mr. Carpenter inquired.
"I did what you said. I pretended his Jewish friends didn't bother me," Primrose sniffled. "I told him the sausages we had eaten were bothering my stomach."
"Did he believe you?" Mrs. Carpenter asked.
"Yes," Primrose said. She stepped back and tried to pull herself together.
"Then what's the problem?" Mr. Carpenter asked. "You're almost finished school. You need a husband soon. One with the obvious financial backing Mr. Bobby Sinclair has is exactly what you need."
"He said he doesn't want to have a butler or a maid after he gets married and he thought I should get a job," Primrose replied.
"You could easily talk him around on that score later on," Mrs. Carpenter said.
"He said some other things," Primrose said soberly. "Bobby isn't a distant cousin of Lady Astrid's like we thought. He's no relation at all. He's an orphan boy from Cotton they took in. I could pretend my way around the Irish family and the Jewish friends but I don't want to marry someone from the East End of London."
"I knew there was something," Mr. Carpenter said.
"I found out just in time," Primrose said. "We had planned to have you walk in and catch us together tomorrow to force him into proposing. It would have been tonight until I found out."
"Do you want me to toss the flowers out?" Mrs. Carpenter asked.
"No, we might as well enjoy them," Primrose said. "I can't believe what a close call I had. A boy from Cotton." She shuddered.
"Never mind my dear. There was a new family at the Golf Club this evening. They have a son who finished university last spring. They own a large share in one of the steel mills. They'll all be at church tomorrow."
"I'll wear my new blue dress," Primrose said. "I think I'll make a floral pin for my hat out of some of those flowers Bobby brought me."
"You might as well as not let them go to waste," Mrs. Carpenter replied. "Now let me tell you everything I know about this new family."
Chapter 19
"There's an article in the paper you aren't going to be too pleased with," Bradley said in late June. Bobby had just arrived home for summer break the day before. He'd picked up his Piper aircraft three weeks previously. He hadn't discussed his summer plans with Bradley and Astrid. Since his break up with Primrose in January he'd been tight lipped about what had transpired and kept him self busy with school and visiting with his friends on weekends.
"What's it about?" Bobby asked.
"Miss Carpenter has announced her engagement," Bradley replied. He pulled out the paper from where he had put it on a shelf in the library. "There's a photograph in the society pages."
Bobby glanced at the article then tossed the paper in the firebox.
"Nothing she does surprises me one bit," Bobby said. "Better him than me."
"You sound rather bitter about the whole thing," Bradley said. "Are you ever going to tell me what went wrong?"
"I had an entire night to sit up in a hotel in Sheffield and think things over while I waited for the early train," Bobby replied. "While I was sitting there I realized she was lying to me."
"About what?" Bradley inquired.
"Prim told me she had a stomach ache from eating left over sausage. That's why she was acting funny when she met some of my friends," Bobby said. "I thought about it long and hard. She didn't eat any that day because they had bothered her stomach the day before. She made out she was jealous of me spending time with Anna. I know I told her Anna was out of town for the entire Christmas season. Greta mentioned it again when she and Jacob first arrived for cards and I introduced them."
"So things just didn't add up?" Bradley inquired.
"Quite a few things when I really thought about it," Bobby replied. "She didn't seem overly concerned when she learned Mark was missing and she never really seemed to pay any attention to him if I wasn't around. Her father was preoccupied with my financial situation and there were a lot of other small niggling details that make me think the attraction was the money."
"She obviously wasn't the one for you," Bradley said. "Chalk it up to experience."
"I have. I was rather irritated with all the lectures about watching for gold diggers and taking my time, but I think you're all right. I'm going to take a break from girl friends for a while."
"I knew Astrid from the time she was a little girl. It makes things a great deal simpler in some respects," Bradley said. "You'll meet someone, just give it time. What are your plans for the summer since Astrid isn't running the girl's program this year with the symposium coming up."
"I thought I'd fly over to Eagle Cairn and help take care of the kids while Mr. and Mrs. Branson are in Austria since Davin and Camilla decided to go along. The place is going to be hoping with kids while Redmond and Garret take turns keeping an eye on things. They could probably use an extra hand. I was thinking I could take Mark along and give the two of you a week or so on your own. Otherwise I was planning to work on the grounds and do some flying, not much else."
"Mark would give his eye teeth to go to Ireland with you in the Piper," Bradley said. "He's got Nanny going through tourism brochures and planning the excursions they are going on for the two weeks in Geneva he is visiting his parents. They'll be lucky if they even see him."
"A generous allowance has it's advantages," Bobby commented.
"It does and Nanny is happy as a lark to essentially be going on a paid tour of Switzerland. Mark is busy with a set of learn to speak French records. The two of them shouldn't have any problems getting around together."
"How is your foreign language lesson experiment going?" Bobby asked.
"It's hard to tell with only thirteen test subjects and it's only early days," Bradley replied. "I had one more but they dropped out of school."
"Let me guess who dropped out. It was Prim wasn't it," Bobby said.
"She quit school at Easter time. The school sent a letter to say they wouldn't be sending any more progress reports."
"The more I learn about her the happier I am she's out of my life," Bobby said.
"Back to your original question. There does seem to be something in it. Mark is a natural at languages as long as he doesn't have to write them. He's reading German now as well as speaking it and he's able to make out some French text. Writing will come eventually, but it's his problem area in English too. The others have had varying degrees of success. Every one of them has learned second language skills to some degree. I think there is something in it. We're going to have to get a larger test group and keep working on it. There is some connection between hearing and enhanced long term memory in the group, I just know it."
"I fancy going for a ride. Want to come along?"
"I do. It's my free day and for once I'm actually caught up," Bradley replied. "The junior boys have a cricket game in the village this evening. I was planning to go and watch."
"I'll have to go and cheer them on," Bobby replied with a grin.
-0-
"Please Lady Astrid, isn't there some way Matthew can attend school here next year," Mrs. McGrath pleaded.
"I'm terribly sorry Mrs. McGrath but the foundation rules for scholarships were set up so recipients can only be funded for a single year. We receive dozens of applications from children whose situations are equally as distressing as Matthew's when he first arrived. It's designed so the help is distributed to as many children as possible."
"You say he isn't ready for a public school and my husband and I can't afford private. He's doing so much better since he's come here. He's full of stories about school when he's home and his table manners are second to none. He could dine with royalty."
"We expect high standards from all of our students," Astrid replied.
"And it shows, Lady Astrid," Mrs. McGrath said. "We're so terribly desperate to see he doesn't go backwards after all the progress Matthew has made this last year. Can't you do something?"
"Unfortunately Mrs. McGrath I can't," Astrid replied. "This school is not for profit. The tuition we collect barely covers the salaries, supplies and extra provisions. We go through a great deal more supplies than a regular school. We don't use blackboards or slates which are low cost. Many of the inks and other items we use are specialty and come with a hefty price tag.
"But the school offers so much," Mrs. McGrath pleaded. "Can't you make an allowance just this once."
"I know the settings seem lavish," Astrid replied. "My resources are not finite. If my husband's and my situation didn't cover the cost of upkeep on the house and the extended staff, we would not be able to be in operation. I can no more afford to run my home at a loss than you can, Mrs. McGrath. The extensive gardens on the property supplying the majority of our provisions. If it didn't the tuition would have to be much higher than it is."
"I'm sorry Lady Astrid. I don't mean to be rude. We're just so desperate. Could Matthew come back to the school next autumn if we can raise the funds?"
"I can certainly hold his place for him," Astrid replied. "Go up to the foundation office and talk to the secretary. You can't reapply to the Russell Beldon Memorial Foundation but she can supply you with a list of other foundations, which may be able to assist you with scholarship funds. I wish I could do more to help, but my hands are tied."
"I don't want him going back to a public school and neither does my husband," Mrs. McGrath said. "If it is possible to find a way for Matthew to continue to be here, I will find it."
"I hope for Matthew's sake you do, Mrs. McGrath," Astrid replied.
Astrid went out to the main hall to bid goodbye to Matthew who was the last to leave for summer vacation. He was a naturally shy boy and with his problems it had taken a long time for him to come out of his shell. Surrounded by others with the same issues he had started to feel less isolated over time and blossomed while he was at the school. He wasn't the first one to start a game or lead an activity but he was a nice boy who got along well with the others. He and Mark had become fast friends. Each one balanced the other with on the go on the one side and quiet reserve on the other.
She hoped his parents would come up with a way for Matthew to return. He wasn't ready for a regular classroom, but everything she had told his mother was the truth. They weren't running a charity. If not for the gardeners, grooms, butler and cleaning staff they already had they would never be able to afford to run the school. The estate was lucrative, but if they started handing out money to every person who asked the holdings would be depleted in short order.
Bobby had been talking about expanding the greenhouses and vegetable gardens into a market garden. Astrid thought it was a good idea. The more the house and grounds could pay for themselves the better off they would be. The war had brought hard times and if not for Sybil's constant vegetable planting in every square inch of soil she could, Astrid was sure they would have had a much harder time of things.
Astrid was worried about Bobby. It was obvious to her Primrose had hurt Bobby a great deal. He was so kind hearted and never looked for the bad in others. It had been a hard lesson for him. Astrid couldn't help but be thankful he had seen Primrose's true colors before he had made a serious commitment. Bobby was more cautious these days and didn't wear his heart on his sleeve as much as he had before. It made her sad and angry at the same time that he had been hurt, but it was all part of growing up. He was a man now and had to take his knocks like everybody else. She hoped the trip over to Ireland with his new plane would cheer him up and help him clear away a few of the cobwebs.
-0-
"Tom stop making lists and stop worrying," Rose scolded him. "Redmond and Anna are coming for four days and Garret and Kyna are coming for the other four days. Bobby is coming over as well. They're all adults. The children will be fine."
"What if Niall lets the sheep out again?" Tom Branson replied worriedly.
"That happened four years ago and it was an accident," Rose said calmly. "The children have gone to a great deal of trouble for us to have this trip. Relax and enjoy it."
"I do want to see Sybil and Hans' new little one," Tom replied. "The first one named for her dear old Da and the second one too."
"I believe they chose the name Branson because he is a chip off the family block with dark hair," Rose replied with a smile. "One the image of his father and the other the image of his grandfather and uncles."
"At least he didn't come out looking like a Crawley," Tom commented. He grinned when Rose looked annoyed.
"Both children are well and healthy and that is what counts," she scolded him then smiled when she saw his grin.
"It is rather exciting flying over," Tom said. "Who would have thought it when we were young. Automobiles seemed so revolutionary."
"Quite the pair of old fuddy-duddies aren't we? I wonder if we will get to see a television while we're in Austria. That's an invention I'd like to see."
"I'm old enough to be retiring in two years with nine grandchildren. I'm feeling old."
"Just wait until the grandchildren start having children," Rose said.
Tom grimaced.
"It could happen in another six or seven years when Dalaigh is old enough."
"Let's hope he takes after his father and is slow off the mark when it comes to women."
"Davin and Camilla will be here soon with the children and Bobby and Mark. Hurry up and check over your case and make sure you have everything."
"Bossy, bossy," Tom said grinning at her.
"Someone has to see you take care of yourself," Rose said. "Now get a move on."
-0-
"Can we fly past those ruins again, Bobby?" Mark asked. "They're splendid."
"You'll be able to see them close up from the ground," Bobby replied.
"I want my travel film to have pictures of things from the air not just the ground," Mark replied. He'd saved up his allowance since Christmas and bought himself an inexpensive movie camera, splicer and film. He still needed a projector. Bradley had said if he used his camera and it wasn't just a whim, he would be allowed to get a small projector with his allowance funds when they got back to England. Mark's latest idea was to make a travel film of Ireland and another of Switzerland so he would have something different than still pictures or picture slides to show the boys that fall at school. He would be able to prove he was a great adventurer because he would be in parts of the movie.
"You've done well sitting still the entire flight," Bobby said. "We'll do one pass then on to the airport at Galway City."
"Thank you," Mark said. He got his camera ready and filmed the ruins as Bobby put the plane into a sweeping circle and did a low pass by the ruins. "Got it," Mark exclaimed with joy.
"You'll have all your film used up in no time," Bobby said.
"I brought ten rolls," Mark replied. "The first one is for the flight over."
Bobby was only too happy the camera was keeping Mark occupied and he wasn't fiddling with his spyglass and making himself sick. They had a collection of paper bags along just in case. It wasn't long and they were setting down at Galway and taxing to the small aircraft area. Davin and Camilla were waiting with their children, Davey and Daley beside their car.
"You look just like Dr. Branson," Mark blurted out after he was introduced to Davin. "Not the one I live with the other one in Dublin."
"I'm another Dr. Branson, just to make things more confusing," Davin said with a grin. "You can call me Davin. We wouldn't want things to get too muddled."
"It's good of you to come over and help out with the child minding, Bobby," Camilla commented.
"It will keep me occupied and I wanted to take a look at the gardens at Eagle Cairn and see what's come of my plantings from my last visit," Bobby replied.
"One of the dogs will have slept on them, Yseult fell on them or the pheasants got out and pecked them to death," Davin said to tease Bobby.
"Davin," Camilla scolded. She gave his arm a playful swat.
"May we sit in your plane?" the twins asked in unison. The pair of them had light red hair like their parents. The boy closely resembled Davin while the girl was very like Camilla.
"When your mother and father get back from Austria, I'll take everyone up for a ride if their parents agree," Bobby replied with a grin.
"May we?" Davey and Daley asked in unison with hopeful smiles.
"When we get back," Camilla agreed returning their smile. "Right now we have to get out to Eagle Cairn and get everyone sorted around so Mummy and Daddy don't miss their flight.
"Galway to London then Vienna?" Bobby inquired.
"It seemed the quickest and I don't have the time to take three and a half days overland each way," Davin replied.
"It is quicker. You'll be there in time for dinner," Bobby agreed.
"I'm wondering what type of wool they produce in Austria," Camilla commented.
"No work, we're going for a visit and do some sight seeing," Davin reminded her. As soon as the bags were stowed everyone piled into the car to head for Eagle Cairn and the first stage of the journey.
-0-
"This is exciting," Rose declared once they were in the air on the first leg of the journey to Austria.
"It is rather," Tom agreed.
Camilla was looking nervous. Davin had his eyes closed and was almost asleep.
"I only hope the children don't burn the house down before we get back," Tom commented.
"Tom stop being such a mother hen," Rose scolded him. "There is more than enough to keep everyone occupied, Redmond and Anna are there with Bobby. They have their own doctor in residence and Anna doesn't let a thing get by her. Stop worrying."
"Bobby seems more grown up yet again," Tom remarked.
"He is more grown up. He isn't a school boy any longer and he has more than enough experience helping out with a houseful of children."
"That's true," Tom replied. "Are you going to show me all the sights of Vienna from when you were there last?"
"I've never been to Vienna and I'm sure everything in Belgium has changed drastically since I was there as a girl. We are getting up there, you know."
"Speak for yourself," Tom said with a twinkle in his eye. "The houseful of children keeps me young."
"You still look the same as the day I met you," Rose said.
"As do you," Tom replied taking her hand. It was their favorite white lie they had kept up for over thirty years.
Chapter 20
The week in Ireland passed in a blur for Bobby. The pace around the house seemed faster than he remembered it. The older boys had summer jobs while the younger children had taken to the novelty of Mark's movie camera and quickly came up with a list of sights and activities for him to film for his travel movie. Aisling became the camera operator with Mark in the picture for some of their adventures. Niall was a close second for being behind the lens. It seemed the group of them could think up no end of things to film and kept each other occupied much to Bobby's relief. Anna usually trailed along after the children or went on long walks with Redmond. With a housekeeper and a nanny to keep an eye on the house and take care of the routine chores she had plenty of time to spend with the family.
Redmond was thanking his lucky stars they had Davin's car as well as there parents' when the group of children got the bright idea they wanted to go to the race track to film Lorcan exercising horses and the race later that day. Bobby drove one car while Redmond drove the other. They took along a picnic and spread blankets on the lawn near the starting gate to watch the race.
"Do you want to bet on the ponies?" Redmond asked his wife.
"I think the black horse will win," Anna said. "We will bet."
"You can't go to the bookie and say the black one. There are four black horses out there," Redmond told Anna.
"I pick number three," she said.
"What about you Bobby?" Redmond asked.
"I like number four," Bobby replied. He handed Redmond some money to place the bet for him.
Redmond went off to place their bets. Bobby kept a half eye on Mark and company. Aisling was busy filming Mark at the rail waving. Davey and Dailaigh were in the picture with him looking at the horses as they paraded past the post.
"The camera is a good toy," Anna commented. "They are busy and out of trouble."
"It does seem to be keeping them busy," Bobby agreed.
"How was Vienna at Christmas?" Anna asked.
"The same but different. Sybil wasn't moving around much. Anna Brunner is busy with ski racing these days. Greta is married and moving to Israel. There are a few more automobiles about these days. Otherwise things are about the same. Do you ever miss it?"
"I do not miss the long hours," Anna replied. "I am happy here. Sometimes I think of the markets and the cakes, but then I think, you did not have the money to spend anyway, you are better off here."
"I miss Sybil and Hans when I'm home and then I go to Vienna and I miss my home in England."
"You have a big family. You are not alone," Anna pointed out.
"With this lot how could anyone be alone," Bobby commented.
Redmond returned with their tickets and handed them over.
"I bet on number six," he said.
"You will loose," Anna said. "Six is too fat."
"Three is too skinny," he teased.
"Skinny so he will fun fast. You will see," she said.
"It's a wonder you don't go and give the horse instructions on how to run," Redmond teased his wife with his dimples showing.
"You will loose," she informed him. She turned to him with a smile and gave him a quick peck as soon as he was sitting beside her on the blanket.
"Claire and Mark don't lean that far over the rail," Bobby called to them. "Get off and stand on the ground like everyone else." He got up and headed over to make them mind.
"He is a good nanny," Anna said with slight smirk.
"He's a good gardener and fattening up Da's pheasants with the garden clippings. Da will be happy when he gets home," Redmond said. "They're about to start. We should go to the rail with the others."
"You will loose your bet," Anna said confidently.
"Don't get too big for your britches," Redmond replied.
Everyone cheered for their favorites while the race was being run. Mark was back on the camera filming the horses as they moved around the track. Dalaigh had Mark's field glasses to follow the progress of the horses. The girls were all cheering for the horse Anna had bet on while the boys were divided between Redmond and Bobby's bets. In the home stretch Anna's horse was out in the lead while Bobby's was running third. Redmond's was lost somewhere in the middle of the pack.
"I told you I would win," Anna gloated to her husband.
"It's not over yet," Redmond said with a grin. By the last two lengths Bobby's horse had gained ground. As the horses crossed the finish line Bobby's came first and Anna's had dropped back to third.
"You have turned your evil eye on my horse," Anna told Redmond with a good-natured smile.
"He knew you needed taking down a peg or two," Redmond told her with a return smile. "You can't always win."
"Why not?" Anna replied.
"Mark stay put while I get my winnings," Bobby said.
"But I want a picture," Mark complained.
"Not of the bookie," Bobby said. "Stay here and I mean it. Take a picture of Anna and Redmond kissing or better yet take a film of you kissing Daley."
"I rather kiss a horse," Mark said with disgust.
"You're too ugly to kiss anyway," Daley said to get back at him.
"I am not," Mark stated quickly.
"I wouldn't kiss you," Daley said indignantly. "You have dog germs. I saw you kissing the dog yesterday."
"I didn't kiss the dog. The dog kissed me and I washed my face afterwards," Mark retorted.
"I'll go kiss Lorcan instead," Daley said with her nose in the air. "He's nicer to kiss than you."
Mark screwed up his face and stamped his foot.
"Girls are so stupid," he said. He went stomping behind Daley to see if she really was going to kiss Lorcan. Lorcan was sitting on a blanket eating a sandwich and talking about his summer job with Rory. Daley stomped up and put her arms around Lorcan's neck. She kissed him on the cheek. He didn't pay any attention just patted her on the back. She turned and kissed Declan on the cheek as well before she headed back to the younger group. Mark scuffed his feet a bit and followed her. "The older boys acted like it was nothing to have a girl kiss you, maybe there is something to it after all," he thought. "They must not mind germs."
-0-
"Nice to go and nice to get home," Davin commented as the plane they were on circled the field near Galway City.
"Vienna was exciting but I missed the children," Camilla agreed.
"What did you think of Vienna, Tom?" Rose asked.
"It wasn't what I expected," he replied. "I don't quite know what I expected. It was good to see Sybil and Hans getting on with things. I still wish they lived closer."
Rose couldn't help but smile. Tom was always wishing the children that lived away were closer so he could keep a protective eye on them.
"I thought Vienna was enchanting with all the concerts and old architecture," Rose said. "We'll have to put you on a strict diet for the next month after all the sausages you ate."
"I'm sure I gained weight," Camilla said. "The food in the restaurants was so rich. I'm glad we went. I don't want to be like the veterinarian we bought the practice from."
"He retired fully and died two months later," Davin said from the seat by the window. "It's hard to get away. We can barely get to Dublin let alone anywhere else."
"Make a point of going over to England to visit," Rose suggested.
"I think we'll try next year," Camilla agreed.
"What about you Tom? It isn't that long now until retirement," Rose said.
"We have a house full of young ones to see to and I'll be giving a hand to the new manager for a while. I do think we should try to get over and see our children more often. They've all got commitments to see to. We'll have to make a point to go more often."
"Finally, you agree that you work too much," Rose said patting his hand.
"I'm never bored," Tom replied with a smile just as the plane made the first bump on the runway as it landed.
-0-
Nanny Florence leaned back on the seat in first class and marveled as the Alps passed by the window of the salon car of the train bound for Switzerland. She was escorting Master Mark on his visit to his parents. She was expecting more of a tour of Switzerland than anything else. In the two weeks he had been back from Ireland she had hardly heard a peep out of him. He had been busy playing his French and German records. The minute his movie films had come back from processing he was busy watching the films in a dark room on the small projector Dr. Branson had taken him to purchase and splicing his films into his "adventure movie" as he called it. Master Mark still had a great deal of energy but he had settled down considerably now that he had something to occupy his time with. He had his usual satchel of "adventure items" along and was keeping himself busy filming parts of their train trip across part of Europe.
"I wish we could have flown," Mark complained breaking her out of her reverie.
"We have plenty of time, Master Mark," Nanny Florence replied. "There are so many things to see. The other boys who haven't been here will all want to see everything you've seen along the way on your film."
"That's true," Mark replied. "I wouldn't have wanted to come if you weren't coming with me. We'll have a good time, won't we Nanny Florence?"
"Of course we will," she reassured him with a smile. "We have a tour itinerary all worked out and Dr. Branson gave me enough of your allowance money for all the tours you want to go on. We shouldn't have any trouble. You have all our maps and things don't you?"
"I do," Mark replied. "I hope my parents understand and don't try to stop us."
"Now why would they do that?" Nanny Florence inquired. She didn't let on that she was half expecting some problems with the parents and had strict instructions to hold her ground with them. "A tour of Switzerland in your off time is very educational."
"And an adventure," Mark added.
"Yes, it will be an adventure for both of us," Nanny agreed.
Before they got into Geneva, Mark packed his satchel into his suitcase. He didn't want his father to see it and try to make him throw it out the second time. He was worried about seeing his parents again, but he didn't want to let on to Nanny and have her think he wasn't old enough to go adventuring with her in the Alps.
They had no problems with the cab ride to the house. When the driver had pretended he didn't understand English or Mark's French to try and squeeze a higher fare out of them, Mark had switched to German. The cabbie had realized he wasn't going to manage any tricks on the English woman traveling with a boy and taken them straight to the address.
"Chin up, Master Mark," Nanny said once they were on the step of the town house. She noticed Mark shrinking back while they waited for the door to open. She placed a comforting pat on his shoulder.
A butler opened the door.
Bonjour. Est-ce que vous Monsieur Mark?' he inquired.
"Oui," Mark replied. "Je vous présente Nanny Florence."
"Bienvenue, Madam," he said. "Suivez-moi, s'il vous plaît."
"I'm a Mademoiselle not a Madam," Nanny Florcence said.
"Pardonnez-moi," the butler replied.
A maid appeared to see to the cases as soon as they moved away from the door.
"You've done very well so far, Master Mark," Nanny said quietly to encourage him.
Mark nodded and glanced at her briefly. His face was somewhat pale. They were shown into a room where a woman Nanny Florence assumed Mark's mother was and a younger man.
"You've arrived" Mrs. Wright stated the obvious.
"Hello Mother, Hello Gordon," Mark said.
"You're a great deal bigger than when I saw you last," Gordon, Mark's older brother replied.
"You look the same," Mark said.
"Blunt as ever," Gordon replied with a faint laugh.
"You're the nanny, I presume," Mrs. Wright said. "I was expecting someone older."
"I'm young enough to keep up with Master Mark, Mrs. Wright," Nanny Florence replied. "I have an itinerary prepared of the tours and excursions Master Mark has planned." Nanny took the folder out of the bag she was carrying and gave it to Mark's mother. Mrs. Wright immediately handed it to his older brother.
"You may take a seat, Mark. Nanny, you may sit by the door until Mark needs you," Mrs. Wright said.
"My goodness you plan to be quite busy while you're here," Gordon said while he looked over the itinerary for his mother.
"I want to see a few things," Mark replied. He was gritting his teeth waiting for his mother to complain or say he couldn't go anywhere.
"There's nothing here untoward, Mother. Mark wants to see a few museums, go on walking tours of the Alps, and an excursion to Red Cross headquarters," Gordon said.
"As long as you take your Nanny along and don't get into any trouble with the police," his mother said. "What have you been doing with yourself? Not running off or setting fires I hope."
"I behaved," Mark replied nervously. "I went to Vienna at Christmas. This summer I went to Ireland before we came here."
"Quite the world traveler," Gordon said snidely.
"How was school?" Mark's mother inquired. She was trying to take an interest in Mark. After the catastrophe at Christmas time she was rather leery of him and wanted to get on his good side.
"Good. I'm helping Dr. Branson and Lady Astrid with an experiment," Mark replied.
"What type of experiment?" Gordon inquired before their mother could.
"It's about learning foreign languages," Mark replied forgetting to be cautious. Everyone had praised him for his aptitude at languages so often he was rather proud of himself. "I started learning French before we came here."
"So you can say hello?" Gordon said with a smirk.
"That and other things," Mark replied.
"What were you doing in Ireland?" Mrs. Wright inquired.
"I was visiting Dr. Branson's family and making a movie," Mark said hesitantly. He wasn't sure what kind of reception he would get from his family.
"A movie?" his mother inquired with raised eyebrows.
"I brought it along for you to see if you want," Mark said in a small voice. "Lady Astrid said I should bring it and let you see it if you were interested."
"Then we shall have to see it," Gordon said with a smirk.
"Do you want to see my movie, Mother?" Mark asked uncertainly. He was looking down waiting for her to say she couldn't be bothered.
"Yes, I would," she said.
"I have the projector in my cases," Mark said perking up. He got up quickly. "I'll go and get it."
"Arnet can take care of it," Mrs. Wright motioned for the butler.
Mark shuffled his feet uncertainly. He didn't like the idea of a stranger handling his precious things.
Nanny Florence got to her feet to go with the butler. She exchanged a look with Mark that calmed him down. He felt better knowing it was Nanny getting his things.
"Do you like Geneva, Mother?" Mark asked once he sat back down.
"Whether I like a place or not is neither here nor there. It's where your father needs to go for business that counts," she replied.
"Oh," Mark replied. He looked around uncertainly. "Do they speak German much here?"
"Some do," his mother said. "I don't."
"You know Mother doesn't know how to read the same as you," Gordon said now the servants were out of the room. "She has to be taken care of."
Mark looked at his mother in surprise. "You can read if you do it a different way Mother. I can read. I can read in German too, but not French yet. Writing is harder."
"It's impossible," his Mother said icily.
"Oh," Mark replied again. He fidgeted slightly waiting for Nanny to come back. The door opened and Mr. Arnet came in carrying a portable movie screen. Nanny was behind him carrying the projector and Mark's movie canister.
After some furniture shuffling and getting the projector lined up and the draperies closed, Mark was ready with his movie.
"There is no sound. I have to narrate," Mark said. He was feeling anxious. After all that had gone on at Christmas he didn't know if he trusted his mother or not.
Mr. Arnet turned off the lights. Nanny was standing by to turn the switch to start the projector.
"This is us leaving the airport in England," Mark began. He continued to narrate through images of fishing and him holding up a fish, Declan working sheep and driving them over a crumbled stonewall, the day at the races and other sights he had seen in County Galway. His film was a good fifteen minutes long. He had shot all ten rolls of film and carefully spliced it together and cut out the bits that were blurry or when he and the other children had taken pictures of their feet by accident. The film ended with a shot looking out the window of Bobby's Piper with a large group that had come to the airport to see them off waving goodbye.
The projector ran out of film. The film ticked on the spool until Nanny managed to shut it off. Mr. Arnet clicked on the lights.
"It's my first film," Mark said hopefully.
"You've had quite the adventure in Ireland," Gordon commented. "I've never been in a private airplane. It looks like an experience I should try." He was impressed by his little brother's adventures and slightly jealous of going up in a private aircraft.
"It's fun. Mr. Sinclair is a good pilot."
"Did you place a bet at the track?" Gordon asked.
"I'm too young to place a bet," Mark replied in disgust. "Mr. Sinclair did and he won, but he wouldn't let me take a picture of the man he won the money from. Did you like my movie, Mother?"
"I did very much," she said. "You've done very well to remember it all. It looked as though you were having a nice time."
"I was," Mark replied. "My friends helped me make the movie. I want to make another about Switzerland."
"Did you get into any mischief while you were in Ireland?" his mother asked.
"I didn't have time. I was filming everything the entire time we were there," Mark replied. "It takes a lot of film to make a short movie. I had to cut all sorts of bits out."
"I'll mention your movie to your father," Mrs. Wright said. "He may like to see it as well."
"He won't make me throw it away, will he?" Mark asked starting to get agitated.
"No. I think he will be pleased you have found something to occupy yourself with," Mrs. Wright replied with a faint smile at her youngest son.
Chapter 21
Looking for Heritage Roses - Please Inquire a sign at the horticultural show read. Bobby looked around the stand. There were a variety of vegetables on display. All of them were hothouse varieties. There were a number of garden crops on the tables as well. Along the back wall of the tent there were vases of flowers and roses. Who ever was running the stand was obviously a market gardener and the flowers were of commercial grade.
"What are you looking for in roses?" Bobby asked the man at the tent. "I may have a few you could take cuttings from."
"Most we're looking for are rare these days," a man a little older than himself replied. "Our greenhouses were turned from commercial flower growing to vegetables during the war. Bloody War Ag did what they had to but we lost a good deal of the older varieties."
"I hear the same thing regularly," Bobby replied. "The older gardeners still talk about the day the military rolled in to take over our estate and they stood guard over the rose garden and some of the more sensitive areas of the grounds. I've quite a few varieties you don't see too often."
"I'm Andrew Miller," the other man introduced himself. "Let me get your name and contact information. We could possibly do an exchange of cuttings if we have something the other is looking for."
"Bobby Sinclair," Bobby replied shaking the other man's hand. "How long have your green houses been in operation?"
"Three generations now," Andrew replied. "It's a family affair. Dad switched over to produce during the war. We're still learning."
"I'm thinking of the same thing with our green houses when I'm done college," Bobby said. "We're already growing veg though along with bedding stock. My mother insisted on it just before the war broke out and we're still growing enough to feed a small army."
"How are you heating?" Andrew asked. They continued talking for a bit. It was almost lunchtime and the booths were quiet. A young woman entered the stall and set down two mugs of tea. She got out a picnic basket and set it near the small table at the back of the tent.
"Laura, come and say hello to Mr. Sinclair," Andrew said. "He may have a rose or two we've been looking for.
"My sister, Laura Miller," Andrew introduced. "She works with me. She's in charge of the roses or what's left of them."
"You're forever crying over our poor lost varieties," Laura said. "We'll rebuild them eventually. How do you do Mr. Sinclair?"
"Glad to meet other like minded individuals involved in gardening," Bobby replied. Laura was very like her brother with sandy red hair, a smattering of freckles across her nose, green eyes and a wide smile. Her face was a touch on the long side.
"We were just going to sit down for lunch," Laura said. "Would you like to join us? I'll just nip over for another cup of tea."
"I don't want to intrude," Bobby replied.
"We have more than enough if you don't mind cucumber sandwiches," Andrew said. "We seem to live on veg, veg and more veg."
"I will," Bobby agreed.
He was having a good time talking to Andrew and his sister. Laura seemed to be a nice girl about Bobby's age. She had taken bookkeeping courses at school to help out with the family business.
"I was raised propagating roses and flowers," she said when the topic of horticultural college came up. "More schooling seemed pointless when your father teaches horticulture at a local college."
"I'm interested in landscape design," Bobby commented. "I'm planning to move the grounds at my family holding to a more commercial venture in the next few years and start my own design business."
"You'll have to come and see what we're doing," Andrew said.
"After we come and inspect your roses, of course," Laura said with a smile.
"The main house is used as a school. There aren't any students in at the moment," Bobby replied. He was thinking she had a very attractive smile that reached her eyes. Her front tooth crossed the other ever so slightly. Bobby found it was rather cute and gave her an approachable air. "You could come up over night and take a look around the grounds. You might have some suggestions as well as taking cuttings from my older roses."
"That sounds like a good invitation as long as you let us return the gesture," Andrew said.
"I'd be delighted," Bobby replied. They chatted a bit longer until the crowd started to get busier as they finished their lunch.
"I had best get a move on and let you get to your customers," Bobby said. He got up to leave with the Miller's contact information in his billfold. He glanced back over his shoulder as he moved down the row of tents. Laura was watching him leave. She smiled then looked away quickly when he caught her watching him.
"A girl who likes flowers and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty could be interesting," he thought as continued on his way with a smile on his face.
-0-
Mrs. Wright was sitting up in bed. It was rainy Sunday morning and the arthritis in her wrist was bothering her. She had a hot water bottle for her wrist and a tray with a cup of tea she was stirring with her other hand. She wasn't too fond of Geneva. She liked London with her wide circle of friends and she hadn't minded Belgium. Her husband had moved them to Geneva for his business and she didn't feel up to starting again to build a social circle.
Mark's visit had been quite different so far with a nanny along. He'd been behaving himself and out every day except today. Every morning since he'd arrived she'd tested her perfume in the sink and all of her cosmetics had a sniff to make sure they weren't tampered with. So far everything had been completely normal. She laid back and thought about her three sons for a moment. The eldest two were like their father. Good at school, interested in business and driven to succeed. Gordon had one more year of university. He was here this summer to work with his father and would join him next year in the company. Spencer their oldest had decided to read law and was spending the summer with a law firm in London. Both of the boys had headed off to school when they were old enough and barely looked back, exactly as their father had done when he left for school. The boys were always busy with activities offered by the schools during breaks and barely wanted to come for a week at Christmas and a week or two in the summers. When they were home they were independent to a fault.
Her youngest son couldn't be more different to his older brothers. Mark had been a late life baby. She hadn't thought she could have children any longer. To her surprise what she had thought was a nasty stomach bug had turned out to be a child. Right after the delivery she had a terrible bout of insomnia that kept her awake for days at a time and menopause had hit with vengeance soon after. She'd felt worn out and had been content to leave Mark's care to the hired help. From the start he'd been a completely different child than his brothers. He was always a bundle of energy and into everything. She hadn't bothered with discipline and her husband was always busy with work. Mark had headed off to school when he was old enough. They had assumed he would be like his brothers. They were completely wrong.
Mark had been expelled for stuffing rags down all the toilets and flooding the washrooms from his first school and then expelled from the second six weeks later for refusing to cooperate with his teachers and cutting the legs on a teacher's chair. The third school had tossed him out when he filled the drawer in the teacher's desk with ink and so it had gone down the line for an entire year. The last school had let them know they didn't want him back for the fall and that there was something wrong with Mark's academics as he had failed to learn to read one word in an entire year. It was obvious her problems with reading and writing had shown up in their son.
She could remember the many smacks with a ruler from her governess when she couldn't learn to read or write or play the piano. Her younger years had been spent painting china, playing croquet or cards and acting as her father's hostess as soon as she was old enough. He'd sent her to finishing school. All of the polish had concealed her problems with not being able to read. She never left the house without a driver or a cab and had all sorts of tricks to get around things. The last school had recommended taking Mark to a doctor.
"Your son has a condition called dyslexia," the doctor said. She'd found it difficult to concentrate on his words. She was in the middle of a hot flash that made her feel dizzy. The room was spinning and her heart was beating so hard it felt as thought it would bounce out of her chest.
"A former colleague of mine from Cambridge is involved in a school that is rather unorthodox but deals specifically with dyslexia. I can give you their contact information," the doctor said. He had talked more about how Mark's behavior was more about having an abundance of energy and droned on about this and that, but she hadn't been able to concentrate on a thing he said. By the time she was out of his office she had to force herself to walk calmly to the ladies room even though she thought she was going to wet herself. Her husband had telephoned his secretary to contact the school and they had made arrangements the next day for Mark to attend that autumn. He hadn't been tossed out and nothing had seemed unusual for Mark until he had been retrieved for the move to Geneva. They had always referred to his behavior as his creative personality until he had managed to cover her with blue and black stains, and ruin his father's hair. They'd left him at the school in England. Arthur had received reports but had been too busy to read them to her. Mark's movie that he had made proved that he was happy and seemed to be doing well, although Arthur hadn't been interested in watching it. They hadn't had one bit of trouble with Mark since he had been in Geneva.
She looked over when there was a tap on the door.
"Come in," she said.
The door opened slowly to reveal Mark standing in the entrance to her bedroom holding a book and some papers in his hands.
"May I come in, Mother?" he asked.
She nodded. Mark closed the door behind him and came to stand beside the bed. He looked nervous about whatever he wanted to say.
"I brought a book, Mother. I wanted to show you how I read," he said cautiously.
"If you like," Mrs. Wright replied hesitantly. "Where is your nanny?"
"She's downstairs talking to Mr. Arnet," Mark said.
"Does she speak French?" his mother asked.
"No, but I got tired of translating for them," Mark said. "Mr. Arnet said she had hair the color of coal. I looked that word up by myself in the dictionary. He said some other stuff about how she had eyes that made a man forget he wanted to get up in the morning. At least that is what I think he said. They were making sappy faces at each other so I left."
"So you came to see me?"
"Gordon said you don't know how to read, so I came to show you how I do it," Mark replied.
"It's impossible. I have never been able to read or write."
"I can read. I'll show you how I do it," Mark said. "I use three different methods. Sometimes if I read a book, I wear these special glasses. Some people use blue and some use red. Do you want to try?"
"I told you I can't," she replied starting to get upset.
"You could just try them on," Mark said in a discouraged voice. He started to turn to leave.
"I'll try them on, so I can see what you see," his mother said.
Mark handed her his glasses then opened a book with large text.
"Do the letters look different?" he asked.
His mother lifted the glasses then lowered them.
"They do look quite different," she replied.
"Sometimes, I read like this," Mark said. He put two pieces of heavy card on the book to cover the line below and above. "Sometimes I only use one card below the line I'm reading."
"It looks different again," his mother said.
"I use one other way too. You have to take the glasses off though." Mark held out a piece of cardboard that had been covered with a bright piece of blue giftwrap. He had a handwritten note on top of the cardboard.
"You can try with and without. When I'm writing I use this way. You can use the extra cards too to cover things."
"It makes it all look so different," his mother said in awe.
"You might be a red or you might be a blue like me," Mark said. "You would have to try red paper and see which one worked better."
"It isn't any use. I don't know what any of the letters mean."
"It's not so hard once you can see them," Mark said. "Try putting my glasses back on."
His mother did as he requested. Mark opened the storybook he had brought along. It was the one he was practicing from at the moment. He put the card under the first line on the page carefully.
"Try the first line," he said.
"T, he," his mother attempted.
"T…h…e is the," Mark said. "You're wearing my glasses so I can't read the page but I can tell you the spelling."
His mother nodded.
"The buh oy rrr..a..n," she got out.
"R…a…n, ran, Mark said.
"The boy ran huh…ohm. Home, fff…r… ome."
"F…r…o…m," from. You're doing it mother. You need a simpler book is all and you could learn to read it," Mark said encouragingly.
"I think it is too late for me," Mark's mother said. She took off his glasses, folded them and closed the book.
"At my school we say something every morning. When everyone has a bad day we say it at lunch too and sometimes more than that, never give up. You could learn if you don't give up."
"I'll have to think about it," Mrs. Wright said. "I'm feeling a bit tired." The insomnia and her throbbing wrist had kept her awake all night.
"I could read to you until you go to sleep," Mark said.
"I would like that," Mrs. Wright replied. She lay back on her pillows more. Mark pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat on it. He got ready and opened the book to where his mother had started reading.
"The boy ran from his home to collect the goats," he read. "The mountain in the distance was burning with br…eye.. ght orange fire…"
-0-
Bright white tents covered the lawn at Hadley Hall as soon as the grass had been clipped and raked. Tables and chairs would arrive the next day along with a speaker system. They had received so many replies for seats at the symposium they had to move the whole thing out to the lawns rather than use the main hall as Astrid and Kate had originally planned. They had representatives coming from the medical and education communities as well as families of dyslexic children and a few adults with the condition. There were five doctors staying at the hall for three nights from the States, Canada, Denmark, Australia and South Africa. The house and grounds were in a whirl of activity with preparations.
Astrid could have throttled Bobby for inviting guests over to stay so close to the symposium but they were on their way. In Bobby's usual fashion he hadn't bothered to let them know until the day before his guests were to arrive. Bradley had reminded Astrid the hall was Bobby's home too and he did have the right to invite guests whenever he chose. Astrid had settled down about the unexpected guests. At the moment Bradley and Astrid were so preoccupied with the two day symposium they didn't have time to deal with extra guests. Bobby would have to do his own entertaining. He had assured them, his guests were professional gardeners and they would be occupied with technical aspects of gardening almost the entire time they were at the Hall.
Bobby decided to walk to meet the train. It was a nice day and he could help carry the bags if Andrew and Laura brought extras. He waved when he spotted them getting off the train. Andrew was carrying two suitcases while Laura had something that looked like a wooden sample box with two young rose bushes under her arm.
"What's this?" Bobby asked with a smile when Laura presented him with the two bushes.
"Two rare climbers, a Franciscan pink and a Lady Millard white," Laura said with a returning smile.
"They're smashing," Bobby said as he examined the bushes. "I'll have to get them in tonight or first thing tomorrow. Astrid will want to kill me if I'm digging up the rose garden while she has guests. The first of the special guests arrives in the morning."
"We wouldn't have come if we'd known you had company," Andrew said worriedly.
"We've scads of room," Bobby replied. He reached for the case Laura was carrying. His fingers brushed hers inadvertently.
"It's my sample case for collecting cuttings. It's a touch on the heavy side," she said.
"No problems," Bobby replied. It struck him that she was an attractive girl. She wasn't classically pretty that turned heads the way Primrose had been. Laura seemed to have an earthiness about her like a spring bulb that had suddenly popped out of the ground overnight and surprised you in the morning with a burst of color.
"Are you in a cottage on the grounds?" Andrew asked when they arrived at the house. There were workers everywhere setting up chairs and getting things in order.
"No here," Bobby replied. "Just ignore the mess. It's Astrid's symposium. She and Kate have been planning it for simply ages. It starts day after tomorrow."
"It's a trifle larger than we had envisioned," Andrew said.
"It's a house with a family like any other," Bobby said. "I thought we'd try a spot of fishing later if you're game."
"Only if you don't mind Laura selecting your flies for you," Andrew replied. "She always caught more than me until I gave up and let her select my flies for me."
"I have more fish sense than you," Laura teased him.
"I surrender. You do," Andrew replied with a grin.
"I'm on the track of rare plants. When can we see the roses?" Laura said enthusiastically. She was still smiling.
"As soon as we deposit your cases inside the door," Bobby replied returning her smile.
Chapter 22
"You seem to have had a good time with your new friends," Astrid commented to Bobby when they had a few minutes alone. Andrew and Laura had left an hour before. The first two visiting doctors had arrived and Bradley was sitting with them on the patio. They were lost in shoptalk about their research. Astrid had made her excuses and come inside to check on the progress for the symposium the next day. The teaching staff were all on duty to help out with the different break out sessions and directing people to the respective areas. The butler had brought in extra day staff to see to the refreshments and Kate had arrived earlier in the day with the printed itineraries and was busy getting everything sorted and ready with the help of the foundation secretary. "I'm sorry I didn't have time to get to know them better before they left."
"They seem a good pair," Bobby replied. "They're full of information and Laura isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She was helping me get the two new bushes they brought with them in this morning."
"You were talking gardens, Bradley's lost in a world of medical jargon and I'm a ball of nerves. What if this doesn't go right?"
"You've got a good panel of speakers. They'll all have something to say and everyone will go home happy."
"We shall see," Astrid replied taking a deep breath to try and steady herself.
"When is Mark due back?"
"Four days," Astrid replied.
"Do you ever wish you hadn't started all this?" Bobby asked her.
"Not for a moment. I get tired and frazzled and then I look into the faces of boys like Mark or Matthew when I first started and I know it is all for a good reason."
"Now that my company is gone I need to get out to the gardens. The kitchen staff has all but cleaned out the mushroom beds for your canapés."
"Are you staying for the symposium?" Astrid asked him.
"I'll stick around tomorrow and give a hand doing whatever you need, then off to the Miller's for an overnight and I think on to Vienna to see the folks for a quick visit. I have my own plane now. I might as well get some use out of it."
"Can you handle a long flight like that?"
"I'll take my time. The plane can handle it," Bobby replied.
"You're not planning to get together with that girl you always used to talk about in Vienna are you?"
"Sybil wrote just after Christmas she met a professional skier sometime in January and they want to marry. Her parents are having a fit because he isn't Jewish. I'm in the mood for a short visit, is all. I'll be in the green houses and the vegetable garden if you need me."
"All right," Astrid said. "I should get upstairs and see how Kate and company are coming on with the nametags and programs."
-0-
"We're going to need to revamp the information packet," Astrid commented to Bradley at the end of the first day of the symposium. They were getting ready for dinner and would go down to their guests together. There had been so many questions and comments from the crowd after each session they had finally had to cut the question sessions short. The day had run an hour longer than originally scheduled. Tonight they were hosting a formal dinner for the doctors and Professors of education who were attending. Tomorrow would be another day with smaller group sessions where attendees could ask questions and contribute their ideas. Already there had been new information come to light and the drawing room was filling up with guests waiting to go in for dinner. There was so much shoptalk Astrid wondered if any of them even noticed if their stomachs were rumbling.
"This was a wonderful idea, Astrid," Bradley replied. He was rubbing his hands together in anticipation of getting back into the fray with the other doctors. He had only stopped talking long enough to head upstairs and change. "Everyone's getting a great deal out of all this."
"You definitely are," Astrid replied with a smile. "Down to the think tank for the evening. I think Bobby is hiding in the kitchens rather than listen to everyone over dinner."
"We had to listen to his friends discussing the details of growing different varieties of mushrooms," Bradley replied with a slight eye roll.
"Everyone has their interests," Astrid said patting his arm before the two of them headed down the stairs with her on his arm.
-0-
Bobby glanced over at Laura in the passenger seat of his Piper and smiled. Andrew was in the back with their younger brother. Bobby had volunteered to take them all up on a sight seeing flight of the area. It was a nice clear day that wasn't too hot. It was a perfect day for flying with minimal turbulence. He flew towards the coast and followed the cliffs along, then turned back inland. Laura smiled at him and pointed at a formal garden she had spotted from above. Andrew and their brother were both glued to the windows.
Flying with Laura beside him, Bobby realized he really liked her a great deal. She was wonderful company and knew a great deal about market gardening and commercial flower propagation. She and her brother had invited a group of friends over the night before.
"You'll have to take our friends as they are," she had said with a grin before the guests had arrived for an outdoor dinner in the garden of the house. "They're a mixed up lot from every walk of life but they're all good fun." Indeed Andrew and Laura's friends had been from every walk of life. There were former evacuees from Europe that had come over with their families before the war, a couple who ran an Inn that he had inherited and others who were in the business of gardening and farming as they were. They were a fun group and Bobby had felt right at home with the lot of them.
Andrew and Laura's parents were polite and fairly well educated but they were by no means snobs. Her father taught at the local college and her mother was involved in the marketing of the produce from the family business. She reminded him of Sybil and her penchant for planting vegetables in all the flower beds. They were a happy family and he hadn't felt a twinge of disdain from them or any inappropriate prying.
"That was splendid," Andrew said once they had landed and were taxing towards the parking area.
"It was, thank you so much," Laura added.
"I want to go again," their younger brother chimed in from the back seat.
"One ride a day, I'm afraid," Bobby replied.
"Do you have to head to Austria right away?" Laura asked Bobby once he had the plane switched off and they were headed back to the car. "Can't we impose on you to stay just one more night? There's a dance at the town hall."
"You don't want to dance with Farmer Williams," Andrew ribbed her.
"You dance with him if you like him so much. He steps on my feet," Laura said.
"I couldn't leave you to the mercy of Farmer Williams," Bobby said with a grin. "It wouldn't be gentlemanly." He reached over and took Laura's hand while they were walking. She didn't rebuff the gesture only looked at him and smiled happily.
"What do we have for our lunch? I'm starving," their younger brother asked. He was dashing ahead to the car.
"Tomato sandwiches this time with cucumber sticks," Andrew called after him. "Veg, veg,…"
"And more veg," Bobby and Laura said at the same time then smiled at each other.
-0-
"Lady Astrid, Master Mark has returned. He's brought…a woman," Mr. Stokes announced. Astrid was out on the patio with the teachers from the school. They were having a meeting to go over the upcoming school year and discuss which of the boys would be in which class.
"I beg your pardon?" Astrid inquired.
"I've put her in the drawing room, milady," Mr. Stokes replied with his regular deadpan expression.
Astrid entered the drawing room to find Mark sitting on a chair. There was a woman with him sitting with her back to the door.
"Mark, Mr. Stokes tells me you've brought someone to see me," Astrid said.
"I brought Mother. She needs your help," Mark said as though he hadn't been away.
"Mrs. Wright?" Astrid said in surprise as she advanced cautiously far enough into the room to see who was there.
"I've come with Mark to ask your assistance with a matter," Mrs. Wright said stiffly.
"Are you planning to move Mark to another school?" Astrid challenged her.
"No. I'm of the opinion he is where he needs to be at the present," Mrs. Wright replied.
"May I go and unpack?" Mark inquired. "I have all sorts of things to tell you about my trip to Geneva. Nanny is at the chemists putting in my film. She'll be home soon."
"Yes, you may," Astrid replied. She was surprised by how calm Mark was in his mother's presence. He seemed glad to be home but wasn't clinging to her as he had as soon as he'd gotten back from the week in Ireland.
"I'll be upstairs, Mother," Mark said. He got up and took off at a run.
"Mark, walk indoors," Astrid called after him. She could hear his footsteps slow as he approached the stairs. "How may I help you, Mrs. Wright?"
"Mark has been demonstrating his reading techniques," Mrs. Wright replied stiffly. "I've come to learn them for myself."
"Mark knows the techniques he uses well. At the moment his progress is a matter of providing a stable environment, reading practice and continuing to work on finding the correct technique to enable him to write," Astrid said. "It was all in my reports."
"I didn't read your reports, because I can't," Mrs. Wright replied. She looked away. "I have the same thing as Mark although I've never been to a doctor about it."
"What did you hope to learn here?" Astrid inquired.
"To read of course," Mrs. Wright replied adamantly. "Mark allowed me to use his lenses and showed me a few things. He was determined I accompany him here, so I could learn to read."
"This is a school for boys," Astrid replied somewhat shocked. "We don't teach just anyone who shows up on the doorstep. I can direct you to the foundation. We have information that can help you find techniques on your own."
"How would you propose I read your information?" Mrs. Wright retorted indignantly. "There's no one to assist me. I need personal instruction."
"Why should I help you?" Astrid replied. The woman had her back up already.
"Because I asked you to," Mark said from the doorway. "Please Lady Astrid. Mother can't read and father is too busy most of the time to read to her. Gordon and Spencer are at school. She can read if she wears my glasses."
"If you call it that," Mrs. Wright commented.
"Mark. You know there are boys waiting to come here for help. There are so many we can't take them all. I can't teach just one person."
"Why not? You taught me when no one else would," Mark said. "Please Lady Astrid."
"What kind of assurance would I have that this isn't just a whim?" Astrid asked Mrs. Wright. She didn't know how she would say no to Mark. This was obviously important to him. She didn't want to undermine the trust he had built up with her.
"Mark has told me the importance of not giving up," Mrs. Wright said. "I've read the first pages of a child's book for the first time in my life in the last week. I didn't have to have someone read them to me. It felt," her face softened into a smile, "rather nice."
"I'm going to have to think this over for a few minutes. I'll leave you here with Mark to have some tea," Astrid said. "Mr. Stokes please see to it."
"Very well, milady," Mr. Stokes said from where he was standing by the door.
"I'll be back in a few minutes to give you my decision," Astrid said.
She left the room and headed for her study.
"I told you she would say yes." Astrid could hear Mark's voice following her into the hall.
"I don't think she will Mark," Mrs. Wright said. "It's too late for me. I'm too old."
Astrid went into her study and paced back and forth. "How can I even consider helping that woman?" she asked herself angrily. Her eye caught a picture of her and Bradley on an excursion to the beach. Mark was holding her hand and smiling up at them. There were other photographs on the shelf of her with a group of students and one of Mark with his friend digging in the vegetable garden.
"Because you asked me to," Astrid whispered. An idea suddenly came to her.
She straightened her back and went back to the drawing room.
"When I come to Geneva at Christmas I'm going to make another movie," Mark was saying. "If I go to Vienna again I'll make one there too. It's fun."
"Mark, can you leave us for a few minutes. I want to talk to your mother alone."
Mark got up and stood by the chair Astrid had just taken.
"Please help Mother, Lady Astrid. She needs you."
"You go out now," Astrid said giving his arm a pat. "We'll only be a few minutes. Close the door behind you."
"What have you decided?" Mrs. Wright asked stonily.
"I'll help you on two conditions," Astrid replied. "I will provide you with instruction for three hours every Saturday afternoon for the next six weeks, if you make a commitment to stick with the lessons no matter how hard they seem."
"Living trapped in a world where I can't read or even write a note is hard already and I'm doing it. What is your other condition?"
"There is a boy with severe learning problems. His parents have only been able to raise half his tuition. They don't know where to turn and have given up hope of ever raising the other half. I want you to pay the other half anonymously."
"How much would you need?" Mrs. Wright asked.
Astrid named a price that would allow Matthew McGrath to have a few extras as well as have his tuition covered.
"I'll have to have someone telephone my solicitor to have the funds transferred."
"Do you have the solicitor's number with you?" Astrid asked.
"Yes, I carry it in my billfold incase I'm ever lost. I can't read it therefore I can't call it."
"You'll be calling them yourself later this afternoon," Astrid replied. "Consider it an advance on your first lesson."
"How do propose I do that?" Mrs. Wright asked her.
"The same as everyone else does under this roof," Astrid said. "We learn as we go."
Epilogue
Mark Wright glanced at his watch. It was the same one he had bought all those years ago in Vienna. He'd had it for fifteen years. It had nicks on the leather of the strap and he'd had the clasp replaced once. There were a few tiny marks on the crystal as well.
"If you could speak think of the adventures you'd tell," he murmured. He was waiting for the camera crew to set up a shot of an ancient ruin outside of Mexico city. They were filming a series of fifteen travel programs for a second season he'd been contracted for by a station in England. As soon as they were done here in Mexico he had a tour group to escort through Germany. Life was never dull. There was always an adventure waiting to be found around the next bend.
The camera crew signaled they were ready to shoot. Mark picked up his satchel and put it over his shoulder. It was his trademark look that he wore in every program he'd made for the first season. The producers had wanted him to toss it away and get something new and shiny but he'd refused. His satchel had been on every adventure he'd gone on since he got it as a boy and it would go on every adventure he went on in the future until it fell to dust as far as he was concerned. Every time he thought of the day he'd gotten it and his ratty old compass it had made him smile. He had stayed with Bradley and Lady Astrid at the school for four years until he'd been ready to go to a private boy's school in Switzerland. He'd cried when he found out he would be leaving them until Bradley had said, "Think of the adventures you'll have and those you'll be able to tell everyone about when you come back this way."
He had been back often and he'd stopped by and visited in Vienna and Dublin when he passed through there as well. He should have just enough time to stop by and see everyone in England when he passed through he thought. Meeting a television personality always wowed the boys at the school. To this day he could still recite the rules of the Russell Beldon School by heart.
"Never give up," Mark said aloud just before the director gave him his cue to start the narration.
