Nell was busy extending the garden – she wanted to get as much done as she could while she and Jon were still fit and active. And Perdita and Thorold’s first child was already on the way – evidently, Perdita was not going to have any problems conceiving! Presently, there would be plenty of hands to help with everything again.
Perdita was busy worrying about things. Would they be able to cope? But then she told herself not to be so silly! Nell and Jon had coped, starting from next to nothing: of course she and Thorold would be all right.
Lars came over to see them, and was overjoyed when Thorold told him the news.
Nell kept a close eye on Perdita, but once her morning sickness was over (and that didn’t last long), Perdita blossomed, and had never felt so healthy.
Over on the other side of the island, the rest of the two families were still working hard – but they still found time to have some fun as well. Joshua still had a special place in his heart for Brigit, and his affection for, and care of her was definitely helping to heal the wounds left by Ingrid and Nils’ deaths.
It wasn’t quite so easy for Lars. After he had heard of Perdita’s pregnancy, he went to the graveyard. He knew it was illogical, going to tell Ingrid about it, but he still wanted to. To his surprise, Penny was there – and the graves looked neater and nicer than they had done last time he’d been there.“Was it you, who cleared the brambles and planted these flowers?”
“Yes, it was.” Penny was worried. “I hope you don’t mind?”
“No,” Lars said earnestly. “I’m grateful.” Then, as though the words were torn out of him:“Oh Penny, I miss them so much!”
He turned his face away for a moment, but then went on talking.“It should have been Nils getting married, you know, not Thorold. He was engaged – to Hannah, the second mate on the Curlew, another trading vessel in the fleet. They were both going to sail with us until they’d either earned enough to buy their own vessel, or we were all going to buy a bigger vessel together. And now Hannah will be waiting – and hoping – and eventually giving up hope…” His voice died away.
Moved by compassion for him, Penny reached out and hugged him.“Thank you,” he said. “There’s no-one else I can talk to about them – not like this.”
“Then we’re even. You did the same for me – remember – when Perdita and Thorold said they were going to get married.”“How are you coping with Perdita being pregnant?”
“It’s odd, but that’s quite different. I’m happy with her being married, and this is all part of the package, so it doesn’t bother me. I might feel different, when I see her holding her child, and realise I’ll never hold one of my own – but I can hold my niece or nephew, and love them, and be loved by them. And if you hadn’t come here, none of us would even have had that.”
“I know. Out of so much grief, something good.”
Like Nell, Penny was busy extending her vegetable patch as well. Not quite as fast as Nell: there was so much else to do as well.
Janet joined her presently, and they talked about Perdita, and her bump, and how she was doing – Janet was going over to see her that day, so she promised to tell Penny all about how Perdita was doing.“And send her my huge love too! I’ll try and get over the day after tomorrow.”
They’d managed to trace the original foundations to the house, and were slowly beginning to build – stone foundations, but then wood above. Unlike up at The Hut, stone wasn’t so plentiful, and they’d now used up nearly all the loose stone on the site. Once Perdita had had the baby, they were going to have a giant stone-moving working party, with everyone helping.
Janet, Perdita and Jon went for a walk along the headland that evening.“Soon I shall be Too Fat for this,” Perdita said – but she wasn’t really complaining. “And I need to sit down to fish – I feel like an old woman!”
“Still another month to go,” Jon said heartlessly. “And you’ll get bigger yet.”
Perdita took a swipe at him, which he dodged easily, laughing.
And three and a half weeks later, Perdita went into labour. Thorold kept up the fine tradition of Salk Island West fathers by panicking.
Nell was a lot more help – calm, cool, unflustered, and she got rid of the Thorold, and told him not to come back until he could stop flapping.
“I can do this,” Perdita told herself. “I will do this!”
Jon was a lot more help.“Go for it girl! You can do it! I know you can!”
And later that day, Perdita was laying Astrid down in a rather shabby and worn crib, but feeling as though she had accomplished something huge. Which she had.
Nell couldn’t get over how much having a grandchild had changed her life. Not in the practical ways, but in the way she felt. A third generation had arrived. There was hope for the future. For the first time, she stopped worrying about what would happen to their children when she and Jon died. Astrid – and all the ones who might come after her – would surely carry them forwards. And Nell had a pretty strong feeling that it wouldn’t only be Perdita and Thorold who would be producing children.
Now that Brigit was old enough, she and Joshua were exploring the island for themselves. The wooded ridge that ran down one side of the island was largely unknown territory – mostly because there were no fish in it!
“What’s this?” Joshua asked, as they broke through into a little clearing. “Here, in the middle of the wood?”
Brigit looked around. “Looks like a little garden. A sculpture garden perhaps. Someone made this once, just for the fun of it, I think.”
“You mean, they didn’t make it to grow food? And they didn’t live here? Oh, Brigit – you know so much that I don’t.”
“But you know so much that I don’t as well, Joshua. I do know this though – Joshua, I do love you.”
“Brigit, I love you too.” And Joshua leant forwards, and very solemnly kissed her.
They continued exploring, feeling suddenly shy with each other, but their shyness vanished when they came to a huge and old-looking ruin, and they wandered through and around it, trying to decide what had once been there.“Brigit, I know we’re too young to get married yet, but – will you be my one true love?”
“Oh yes, Joshua!”
“Who do you think lived here once?”“I don’t know.” Brigit scratched her head. “I think this place is old, though – older than the houses where we are, by quite a long way. This would have been a good island to live on – there’s fresh water, plenty of fish, timber…it would have made sense to settle here. But I don’t know what happened to them.”
“And what about this place?” Joshua had a touching faith in Brigit’s knowledge!“This place looks really old! Almost timeless.”
“Like our love,” said Joshua, kissing her. Brigit blushed.
“It’s getting towards sunset – we’d better head back.”
“Okay – but let’s go back via that garden, and lift some of the plants for Penny. Then she won’t be so cross with us for being out so late!”
Perdita was pregnant again! With a bit of care, she’d managed to wait until Astrid was a toddler: Nell had given her some good advice in that area, but she was very happy to be pregnant again, and feeling just fine. Pregnancy agreed with her.
Nell commented on this to Jon.“Doesn’t Perdita look gorgeous while she’s pregnant? She really blooms.”
“Not as gorgeous as you. Have I told you recently how much I love you…?”
A little while later Nell disentangled herself slightly.“And I love you too. And look, Jon, what we’ve done! We’ve survived, raised a family, made a home here. They’re going to be alright after we’re not here any more, aren’t they?”
“I do think you’re right there.”
Thorold was busy listening to (and talking to) Perdita’s ever-growing bump.“I’m sure you’re bigger this time than last time! Are you sure it’s not twins?”
“I don’t think so. But I do feel huge!”
And a couple of hours later, Perdita felt something else. A contraction!
“Don’t just stand there panicking! Go and find Nell!”
And several hours later, Thorold was gazing into the eyes of his new-born son, David. They’d named him after Jon’s father.
The new cot that Lars had made for them was now about to be used for the first time! And the new bedroom that everyone had come and helped to build was about to have two children sleeping in it! The Hut had a major new extension, and now had three bedrooms. Nothing else – but to Nell and Jon’s children, this seemed like luxury. And all the bedrooms had beds in them – plank beds, with mattresses stuffed with heather and fern, but beds! Nell and Jon were very grateful – they were beginning to feel too old for tents and sleeping bags on the ground.
Perdita looked round at the house and garden, at the sight of her mother playing with her daughter, and thought: I couldn’t wish for a better inheritance.
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