Chapter Thirty Freya’s House
Chapter Thirty
Freya’s House
Everyone was up for it, even Maureen felt well enough to join in after checking with Edwyn that it was OK. He replied that not only was it a great idea, but he’d be happy to write a prescription for her to have a dip in the sea as often as possible.
He told her: “If it makes you feel better inside and out then I’m all for it. Just take it easy, but it will be good for you to get out into the sunshine and be with the girls. Kate is here chomping at the bit to get going. She’ll see you later.”
Freya had asked Amelia if she could swim and did she want to come, but Amelia said she didn’t want to intrude and anyway she hadn’t packed a swimming costume. She didn’t think she would need one in Orkney.
“Well, you obviously can’t borrow one of mine,” said Freya. “It would be like a circus tent on you.”
Amelia thought she’d managed to dodge a bullet, but Freya told her, “Let me message Evie. She’ll have one to fit you.
She can bring it over and take us both to the beach in Florence for a peedie change.
” She added, “I’m away to get ready. It’s best to go with your cossie on already so you can just strip off and dive straight in.
I’ll give you one of my big towels so that when you get out of the water you can get changed underneath it. ”
Amelia was horrified, “Aren’t there changing rooms and showers?”
“Afraid not. You will just have to rough it, my girl.” She grinned at the look on Amelia’s face.
“Don’t be such a fearty. We are all in the same boat and nobody cares if they see a bit of bum or a boob. Just bring clean knickers so your bits are nice and dry afterwards.” She added encouragingly, “Then we can sit on the sand and have some coffee and cake. That’s the bit I like the best.”
“Won’t it be awfully cold?” said Amelia nervously.
“It absolutely will, but you’ll be all tingly and you’ll feel so alive that you won’t even notice, especially when you have a mug of my special coffee laced with whisky.”
She winked at her. “And if you get in the water, you’ll have something to tell Ross Isbister on your second date, won’t you?”
They had both spent a happy hour sitting in their dressing gowns going over details of the night before. Freya declared it to be a huge success and told Amelia she’d have to invest in some new underwear as they would be sleeping together soon, and it was best to be prepared.
Amelia shrieked with laughter but thought to herself that sex with Ross would be an added bonus and Evie would be livid. She hadn’t fooled Amelia one bit by pretending not to care that Ross had asked her out. The hurt in her eyes was plain to see.
Freya stood up and took the coffee cups into the kitchen, “Right, get yourself ready, Evie will be here soon and we need to make the most of this fine weather.
Down at the wide, open beach with the sun shining on the waves and the seagulls squawking, Evie tried to shake off her bad mood. Seeing Amelia always seemed to put her back up and Freya hadn’t helped by happily chatting about her date with Ross all the way here.
Evie also wasn’t altogether proud of the fact that she packed her most unflattering and oldest swimming costume for Amelia, and was taking comfort from the fact she looked glum and apprehensive.
“Don’t feel you have to come in, Amelia. It’s fine if you want to stay on the shore,” said Evie.
“Nonsense,” said Freya. “She wants the whole Orkney experience and it’s a lovely chance to see all the girls again. She’s well up for it, aren’t you?”
Amelia gave a watery smile. “Of course, Freya. You are right. I’m just a bit worried about being freezing, that’s all. Can’t icy water kill you?”
“Only in Antarctica. Come on now. Let’s go. We don’t want to keep the others waiting.”
Kate, Delima, Patsy and Maureen were already stripping off.
Jack had brought them all in his car. He was considered an honorary Selkie and the only man in the group, but this morning he was looking after Ola and Hari and not getting in the water himself.
He felt very proud of the fact he had helped by carrying the picnic basket to the car after Delima had spent hours filling it with goodies, after washing, changing and feeding the children.
Jack was sitting on a deck chair while Ola made sandcastles and Hari lay on a tartan blanket kicking his legs and being impossibly cute. Amelia lingered on the shore, reluctant to head in.
She watched as Freya ran into the sea and did a surprisingly elegant dive into the waves. Kate and Patsy were strong swimmers, but Evie was close behind them. With the help of her friends she had become as happy and confident in the water as a little mermaid.
As always, Delima seemed oblivious to the cold. She looked like a teenager in her tiny bikini and there was only the merest trace of fine silver lines on her tummy to show she’d given birth to two big babies, one just five months ago.
She grabbed Amelia’s hand and told her not to be scared and that they would run in together. Amelia screeched as a chilly wave hit her right in the stomach and splashed up on to her face. “I don’t want the water to sting my eyes,” she yelped.
“You get used to it, don’t worry,” said Delima. “Get your shoulders under and swim towards the shipwreck. Look, Kate and Evie are there already. I’ll be right here with you.”
The sea was bracing, and the cold made Amelia gasp at first, but Delima was right, after the first shiver she was feeling much better. The water was so clear she could see the white sand underneath and a few little fish swimming around her ankles.
She soon reached the shipwreck, spluttering when a wave almost reached the top of her head. She was greeted with whoops and cheers from Freya and Patsy. Evie managed a tight smile and Delima gave her a wet hug. Maureen was close behind. She was taking her time, doing an elegant slow crawl.
“Well done, Amelia,” she said, catching up to them all bobbing beside the wreck.
“How are you feeling?”
Amelia laughed. “I feel a bit out of breath but it’s not as cold as I thought it would be.”
Freya beamed. She loved to see people enjoy a swim. She said to Amelia, “I can see most of your hair is still dry. Fancy being a real Selkie and going right under? Come on, we will do it together.”
They all held hands, counted three, two, one and ducked below the waves, coming back up shrieking and laughing.
“I think that’s enough for a first time,” said Freya. “Let’s take a slow swim back to the shore and dry off.”
After getting out of the water, everyone did complicated manoeuvres under towels to get their wet cozies off and dry underwear and clothes back on.
Jack took Ola and Hari to look for shells and when he came back, the picnic was all laid out, cakes and sandwiches thick with butter and cheese, and the Selkies were pouring out hot coffee and hot chocolate from their flasks, laced with their favourite tipple.
Freya raised her mug. “A toast,” she cried. “To our brand new Selkie, Amelia. We are all proud of her for being such a good sport and joining us today.”
“To Amelia”, they all chorused. Amelia almost felt a twinge of shame that she was deluding these women, and for what she was about to do, but she managed to shrug it off and instead said as sincerely as she could, “Thank you all so much. I can’t believe how much fun that was. You were right. I feel so alive.”
“Well now,” said Maureen, “Is that just down to the swimming? We’re all dying to ask. How was your date with Ross last night?”
Kate added, “We’re desperate to know – is he good with his hands?”
“Well, he makes beautiful chairs,” said Freya.
Patsy let out a roar of laughter, “Did he make a move? What was it like? I bet he’s got a cracking boaby on him.”
Amelia looked puzzled.
Kate dryly explained, “She means his, you know, his manhood, but boaby sounds better. It’s friendlier.”
“Exactly,” said Patsy. “‘Prick’ sounds jaggy and painful.”
Amelia gasped in surprise. These women were earthy and outrageous. “I didn’t actually see his, em, boaby. It was only the first date.”
Maureen nodded approvingly: “Quite right. You need to get to know a man properly before you give them a look at your flower.”
Kate and Patsy guffawed. “Your flower. That’s a good one,” said Kate.
“Well, it’s a lot better than fanny,” said Maureen. “I had a great aunt Fanny and she was a horrible dried-up bitter old woman. I’ve always felt odd when people called their noonies that.”
Freya changed the subject, “That’s enough you lot. Amelia will be thinking you only have one thing on your minds. It’s early days with her and Ross and you know how shy he is. Come on, eat up. There’s not a pick on any of you girls. I’ve seen more fat on a lean slice of ham.”
They all tucked in. Jack brought Ola and Hari back and the little girl held out her arms to Amelia, who dried her feet and tickled her tummy.
Evie hadn’t said a word when they were talking about Ross, but she was taken aback by how much she minded the thought of him and Amelia having sex.
Her throat felt so tightly clenched she could barely get food down, and now she had to watch as little Ola transferred her affections.
Evie knew she was being petty but she always thought she had a special bond with Ola.
She’d known her since she was less than a day old, rushing up to the hospital and crying with Jack over how perfect she was, while Delima looked at them with a mixture of fondness and bafflement.
They had exclaimed over her tiny fingers and toes and marvelled at her fat little legs and arms and perfect skin, gravely declaring her to be both the most intelligent and beautiful baby in the whole world.
Evie hadn’t ever given much thought to being a mum. She’d never grown up around babies, and when they visited their cousins in Hrossey, her mother declared them to be ‘fat, disgusting little red goblins’.
But when baby Ola was born, Evie actually felt her arms aching to hold her.
She was always the first port of call on the odd time Jack and Delima needed a babysitter although they usually took both children everywhere with them.
She watched Amelia building more sandcastles with the little girl and felt as though this woman who had come into her life such a short time ago was slowly taking her place in everyone’s affections.
Evie began to understand how her eight-year-old sister Liv must have felt when she came along and grabbed a hold of their dad’s heart.
‘Liv was left out in the cold’, she thought.
‘I never knew just how painful it must have been for her. I don’t remember us doing things together as a family very often.
She was always sulking in her room or arguing with my mum and dad.
When I compare what I have to the life Liv has led, and how she is living now, I do feel bad.
I really must check up on her and find out how she’s doing.
I know she won’t get in touch with me, so I need to make the effort.
Surely, it’s been long enough now for all the resentment between us to be forgiven, if not forgotten. ’
She looked over at Amelia, who was smiling and playing with Ola.
She’s settled in so fast, Evie thought. Everyone loves her after such a short time, even Ross.
And look at me, still full of insecurities.
Maybe they didn’t even really want her hanging around with them anymore. Amelia was so much more fun.
Evie made a huge effort to stop these negative thoughts. ‘If everyone else liked Amelia so much, I must be the problem. I just need to make more of an effort.’
Evie called over to where Amelia and Ola were burying Jack in sand. “You really have got a peedie pal there. She will have you run ragged. I’ve never known a bairn with her energy.”
“She’s a lamb,” said Amelia. She looked over at Delima and smiled at Jack. “You are both so lucky to have such a cute little girl and such a gorgeous baby boy.” They beamed.
“We think so,” said Jack. Ola banged her plastic pail with her spade and shouted “Aa-mee-ah”.
“Did you hear that? She said my name. You clever, clever girl.” Amelia lifted her up and gave her a hug.
Jack said proudly, “Well, she is very advanced for her age. We do notice she’s way ahead of other toddlers.”
“Away with you,” said Delima. “She’s a perfectly normal little girl. She just loves her aunty Amelia, don’t you, my pet?”
She added: “Right, let’s take her home now before she gets grumpy and spoils the illusion of being the perfect angel, and Hari needs his nap, too.
Amelia, you’ll have to come and visit us at the sanctuary.
You’ve not been by yet. It would be good to see you and the baby seals would love to say hello too. ”
They all started packing up, chattering happily and making plans to meet up again next week, and there were plenty of whispers about Freya’s party, that she pretended not to hear.
Evie dropped Freya and Amelia off, refusing an offer of more coffee and cake, saying she had a painting to finish.
She sat in her kitchen in the Orkney chair lovingly restored by Ross and found herself near tears.
She had been with her friends today but had felt like an outsider.
It was a lonely place to be, and all because of Amelia.
Her phone rang, a welcome distraction from her sad thoughts. It was Sophia, her voice hoarse from crying.
“Evie, can I come and stay with you? We’ve had another bust-up.”