Chapter Twenty-Two Hrossey #2
“Evie told us about your mammy. I’m sorry, Amelia,” said Inga. “That must have been so hard for you.”
“Thank you,” said Amelia with a sad sigh, “I didn’t know her, so I didn’t miss her.
I mean I missed having a mom, but my dad rarely talked about her and by the time I was old enough to ask questions he had gotten rid of all her clothes and personal stuff.
He just didn’t think to keep them for me.
He did hang on to her wedding ring, and I have a few photos of her from just after they got married, but not much else.
I think that’s why I wanted to come here and try to find out a little bit more about Cara.
She and Evie and Liv are the only family I have. ”
“Well, you have us too, Amelia,” said Drew.
“That’s so sweet of you and it means such a lot to me.” Amelia gave a dazzling smile, her eyes shining with tears.
Freya could feel her own eyes growing misty. The visit was going so well she decided to make the most of her time here and take a walk to the nearby churchyard, where her parents and sister were buried.
“I will be right back but I need to walk off some of that delicious spread”
“Don’t be too long, I’m putting the kettle on again. There’s so much cake left,” said Inga.
When Freya had left, Inga turned to Amelia and said, “We thought we would see Evie today with you. It’s been a while since she was here. She likes to come and catch up with the other painters and she sells some of their work in her gallery.”
“I did ask her. But, well …” Amelia pretended to hesitate.
“Go on,” said Elspeth.
“She actually said she’d rather not come if I didn’t mind. I think she was worried I would find it all too quiet and maybe even a bit boring. At least I think that’s what she said.”
Inga’s eyebrows disappeared into her shiny red fringe.
“She did? That’s not like Evie.”
Amelia said hastily, “Oh, I’m sure she didn’t mean it like that.
It’s just that she said she hated the ferry crossing and the plane also made her feel sick.
I’m certain she loves it once she is here seeing you all, but she did say she was going to cut back her visits and get the artists to bring their work to her at the gallery to save her the inconvenience. ”
Inga frowned. “I thought she’d got better with the sea sickness. She’s not mentioned to me that she found it such a chore to come here.”
Amelia went on, “I mean I don’t understand it myself. It’s such a beautiful place and you are all so lovely and friendly. It’s been a joy to meet you.”
Amelia dabbed her eyes with a hanky, which instantly resulted in an outpouring of coos and soft words from the women and looks of approval from the men.
Freya came back into the kitchen to see Amelia going through old family albums with Inga and the others.
She looked up and told Freya that she’d had the most wonderful time and learned such a lot about Sheila and Cara and the extended family.
Freya smiled at her fondly but said they had better go if they were going to catch the last ferry.
Amelia had gifts of sugary tablet, homemade cakes, and sandwiches thick with Hrossey butter and cheese pressed upon her for the journey. She was hugged hard and told to come back soon.
Everyone piled back into the cars to take them to the ferry terminal and waved them off. Inga was not best pleased at what Amelia had said about Evie.
She huffed, “I knew that Evie thought she was better than all of us,” she grumbled. “Haven’t I said that to you all before? She ups and leaves for London for twenty years, then swans back and expects to be welcomed back with open arms.”
Drew sighed. “From what Amelia said, I don’t think Evie will be coming back anytime soon.”
Inga was on a roll. “I don’t think she told us the half of it. You could see she was embarrassed to have let it slip that Evie thinks we are all dull backward bumpkins.”
“Don’t take it to heart, Inga. She’s family and we told Sheila we would look out for her. We need to stick together.”
Inga sighed and kissed him: “You are a big soft lump, Drew. Well, for your sake I will be perfectly pleasant the next time she shows her face here, if she ever does.”
Coming back that night as the sun set and the sea turned to purple ink, Amelia and Freya sat quietly on deck.
Each woman alone with her thoughts. Going back home to Hrossey always stirred up both good and bad memories for Freya.
She loved the island of her birth, but it was also where she’d gone through some of the toughest times of her life.
She reflected on how lucky she had been to have a family who supported her and a community who simply accepted her as Freya.
They were all dead and buried now. On her visit to the gravestones of her parents and sister Anne Marie, she told them she was doing just fine and they weren’t to worry about her, and that soon she would be eighty years old and how unbelievable it all was.
Freya especially missed her sister who was kind and open-hearted and defended her from cruel bullies. She looked at Amelia, unaware that she’d managed to upset the Hrossey clan with her sly untruths about Evie.
“I hope you feel as though today was worthwhile, my pet. They are a good bunch but I was afraid they wouldn’t have much to tell you about Sheila or Cara.”
Amelia was quick to reassure Freya, “They were lovely, and it was just good to be where Sheila was born and raised and where Cara grew up. I learned a lot. Thank you so much for coming with me.”
Amelia’s busy brain was thinking about the way she had unsettled everyone with her lies about Evie, and all she had learned from them, especially about Evie’s relationship with Liv.
There was even more bad blood there than she had realised, and that would come in very useful later if Liv were to falter. She had plenty of ammunition to persuade Liv to see things her way.