When David was a little bit older, and didn’t need feeding quite so often, Perdita went over to visit Penny and the others, and to see how their building was getting on.“Perdita! How lovely to see you! And how are Astrid, and David – and how are you? And what about Thorold, and Nell, and Jon?”
Perdita laughed.“Everyone’s fine! And so am I – though I wish I could shift the last of this post-baby bulge. I still can’t get back into my other clothes comfortably. I didn’t have this problem after Astrid.”
“Maybe it’s having a boy that’s made the difference. And he was heavier than Astrid, wasn’t he? Tell me all about everything!”
The sun was setting when Perdita and Penny had finished catching up with each other. Penny went out to call the others home for the evening meal. The river was flushed with colour, and the sky was beautiful. Penny was a naturally maternal type, and sometimes it was still hard for her, realising that she would never hold her own child close. Perdita’s children were very dear to her, but in her heart of hearts, she was still sad.
Perdita, meanwhile, was telling Lars all about his grandchildren, and he was listening, fascinated. Then she went on to lament her lack of weight loss all over again.
“I like my other clothes! Really like them! But can I shift this last bit of weight? No!”
Lars eyed her up with a more experienced eye than Penny had done.“Um, Perdita, has it occurred to you that you might be pregnant again?”
“What? Pregnant? Again? How?”
“Well, the normal way, I would assume…”
“But…well, I suppose we did…more than once, now I think about it…but I’m breastfeeding – I thought that meant you couldn’t…”
“Think again.”
“Oh! Oh! So that funny feeling I’ve been getting – oh! I am, aren’t I? I’m pregnant again! Oh! Oh! I have to go and tell Thorold! Now! I won’t stay for dinner after all – give my love to everyone else, won’t you?”
And Perdita headed off home at a fair old speed.
Lars told them all the story while they ate, and the others laughed, but Penny didn’t seem so amused by it all. The others didn’t notice, but Lars did.
Brigit sat by the fire for a little while longer, after everyone else had gone to bed. One day, she thought, this house will be mine and Joshua’s, and it will be our children growing up here. I will be like Perdita.
A couple of days later, Lars asked Penny to go to the graveyard with him. She went very willingly, thinking that he wanted someone to talk to about how he was feeling, but to her surprise, he started talking to her about how she was feeling.“You’re finding this pregnancy of Perdita’s hard, aren’t you?”
“Yes! And then I feel so mean!”
“You’re not mean, Penny – you’re incredibly generous – and very loving.” Lars paused, and took a deep breath. “Penny…I know I’m old, and you’re still so young – and we probably wouldn’t have very long together, but – would you consider marrying me?”
“I could probably give you the child your heart longs for – and, truly, Penny, I am very fond of you, and I admire you so much.”
And so Penny wore the dress she never thought she would. Nell unpacked all their wedding finery from the chest where she had so carefully laid it away, and the whole family celebrated once again.
It wasn’t, Penny knew, the same kind of love that Thorold and Perdita had shared, but she thought that comfort and great kindness was a good foundation for a marriage.
And Joshua and Petranella, watching, could tell that Penny was, and would be, very happy.
“We’re going to have to be more careful in future,” Perdita thought, as she snuggled David above the bump that was going to be his brother or sister. “This is really hard work.”
“I’m going to have three small children, and only two cots! How did you manage with only one?”“We slept you in shifts. I remember it so well!”
Looking at her mother, as she talked about how she’d coped with young children and very little space or stuff, Perdita suddenly thought: they’re getting old. I won’t have them here for much longer, to ask their advice about things. And it will be me, giving advice and help to the others. I’ll be the experienced one. It was quite a scary thought – she didn’t feel old enough or sensible enough to be the one who knew best!
Jon might be getting older now, but his fishing skills were as good as ever.
Perdita joined him – Nell was looking after David and Astrid, and Thorold was beavering away in the garden which was becoming a bit too much for Nell to handle. She took the opportunity to talk to her father, to ask him about his life before the island, to get him to tell her how he met Nell and why he fell in love with her. Time with her parents was more precious these days.
Here we go again, Perdita thought, as she went into labour and Thorold went into panic overdrive. But at the end of it all, she had another daughter. And Thorold named her Ingrid, after his mother.“I couldn’t, with Astrid – it was still too soon. But now I can – and Lars is happy about it too. It’s the right time now.”
It had taken Penny much longer to conceive, but finally it had happened.
Nell was happy beyond words – she had seen how much Penny had wanted this, and how valiantly Penny had rejoiced in her sister’s children, and not let herself become bitter or envious.
And Perdita was delighted too – she felt as though a shadow had been lifted from their friendship.
When they’d finished talking about Penny’s pregnancy, Perdita had a favour to ask.“We really need another pair of hands round here. It’s getting harder to cope, with three such small children. And Nell and Jon can’t do as much as they used to. Do you think we could borrow Petranella? It wouldn’t be so lonely for her, with the little ones around to play with – do you think she’d come, and can you cope without her?”
“I’ll ask her – and I don’t see why she wouldn’t. And yes, we can spare her – and you do need some help, don’t you?”
Like Nell and Jon, Lars had grown old. But the child Penny was carrying, this child of his old age, was hugely precious to him. His one secret fear was that he might not live to see it born: the shipwreck, and the arduous life he had lived since it had left him weaker than he liked.
Penny told Petranella of Perdita’s need for her.“The little ones will love getting to know their aunt better.” “I’m an aunt! It sounds very grown up.”
“Yes, and you’ll be an aunt again soon. But will you go? They do need you.”
Petranella smiled. “Yes, I will. Of course. And I’ll get to see Jon and Nell more, and that’s nice too. And anyway – we can’t make life here work unless we all help each other all the time, can we?”
“You are so right! And so wise! I’ll miss you, though.”
Brigit was still as keen as ever about exploring the island. Her favourite ruined house was the one on the headland, with the windows overlooking the sea. She wished she and Joshua could live there.“Though now that Penny’s married to Lars, and having a baby, I suppose Joshua and I could live somewhere else. I’d like to clear this place up – but when would I find the time?”
This was true. Making a living at their current house needed everyone to work at it, nearly all the time. And as Penny got bigger and bigger, she could do less and less – and once the baby came, then there would be more work yet.
“I can see why Brigit is panicking,” Penny said, between breaths, “but haven’t you done this before, Lars?”“Yes – and I panicked those times as well!”
As Penny held her son close to her heart, she was filled with an immense sense of gratitude to Lars, for making this possible.
And as Lars proudly showed his son off to Brigit, he was just as grateful to Penny. Little Anders could never replace Nils, but his arrival went some way towards filling that dreadful gap.
Petranella had moved back to The Hut, and was making a huge difference to life there. An extra pair of hands was just what they had needed. And, to her surprise, she was enjoying herself. The children liked her, and it was lovely to be with her parents again. The fireplace was crowded once more at mealtimes, and likely to get more so! Astrid was old enough to cook her own food at the fireplace – and what was even better, Petranella was going to start teaching her how to fish! That was seriously exciting.
Petranella stood beside Astrid on the beach, and remembered Joshua teaching her how to fish. She suddenly felt incredibly grown up.
And a definitely grown-up Joshua was talking to Perdita, asking her advice on how to be a good husband.“Brigit’s not old enough yet, to get married, but as soon as she is, we want to get married. Perdita, I want to be a good husband, and I thought you’d know what made a good husband.”
Now it was Perdita’s turn to feel incredibly grown up.
And Ingrid was growing up too. Nell was teaching her to walk – though she had to admit that it was a bit of a strain, bending over that far. David was nearly out of the toddler phase altogether – they were going to have to build another bed! Or two, or maybe three. Bunk beds, Nell thought – they would take up less space.
Perdita and Thorold were discussing space – or the lack of it – as well. Brigit had come over – they could just see her red head down on the beach, where she was admiring Astrid’s fishing skills.“I wish we could ask her to stay the night – but now that the tents are all at Penny’s place, there’s nowhere for her to sleep,” Perdita said, a little sadly. “I wish we were nearer the rest of them.”
Thorold looked surprised. “But that’s how I feel as well – I wish we were down at that end of the island.”
“But we can’t move there – it would break Nell and Jon’s hearts. They’ve worked so hard, making this place.”
“You’ve all worked hard. Wouldn’t you mind leaving it?”
“A bit – but it’s a long walk to Penny’s place, and there’s nowhere here for Joshua and Brigit to make a home – they’ll build down near the others too.”
“Never mind – at least we’re near each other. In fact, let’s try and get a bit nearer yet…”
And Thorold kissed his wife, with a great deal of enjoyment.
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