Maggie looks to Eudora for help, but the old woman remains silent.
Rose seizes the opportunity. “So can I come? A bit later? I’ve got a present for you.”
Eudora regards the little girl for a moment. There’s something about her tenacious character that she admires. Eudora also senses that Rose won’t take no for an answer and, although she habitually avoids human company, can’t see the harm of letting the child visit her recalcitrant feline.
“Very well. Two o’clock. Don’t be late.”
“Yes, ma’am!” cries Rose with a salute.
Eudora’s lips twitch before she disappears into the changing room with a shake of her head. Rose and Maggie are splashing about in the shallow end when she emerges into the bleached light of the main pool. Eudora ignores them and walks toward the swimming lanes. Sinking into the shallow end, she relishes the soft weightlessness of the water on her skin. After a few lengths, Eudora rests for a moment. She notices Rose and her mother laughing together. The little girl is standing on the side while Maggie waits in the pool, arms outstretched, encouraging her to jump. She sees joy mirrored in their faces as Rose leaps and Maggie catches her. Eudora takes a deep breath and dives under the water to drown it out.
Her post-swim weariness seems to slide away as she arrives home later to find a large, thick envelope with a Swiss postmark sitting on the mat. Eudora can’t wait a moment longer. She drops her swimming bag in the hall before carrying the envelope into the living room. Once again, she uses her father’s letter opener, pulling the sheaf of documents onto her lap. There is a note attached, written in a looping European hand:
Dear Ms. Honeysett,
It was a pleasure to talk to you today. I enclose the forms as requested. Please call me if you want to discuss any of this or just to talk. I know what a big decision it is and am here if you need me.
Kind regards,
Petra
There is something about these words that touches Eudora. She is not used to thoughtful people. She presses a hand over Petra’s writing before turning to the forms. There is a lot of information required. She isn’t surprised but tires quickly as she begins to work her way through them.
Come along, Eudora. He who hesitates is lost. You’ve made the decision. Keep going.
It takes her a couple of hours to complete everything. She puts the forms into an envelope and seals it.
Eudora sits back in her chair, a sense of satisfaction spreading through her body like an embrace. She considers making herself a sandwich, but as her eyelids grow heavy, she decides to take a moment to rest. It’s been a busy morning. All this living and dying takes it out of you.
She wakes with a start.
“Yoo-hoo!” calls Rose through the letterbox.
“Yoo-hoo indeed,” mutters Eudora, hauling herself to her feet. As she opens the door, Eudora fights the urge to shield her eyes from the alarming clash of Rose’s outfit—purple, yellow, orange, and green all mingled to startling effect.
“I’m experimenting with fashion,” explains Rose, registering her surprised expression. “And we made you these.” She holds out a plate of honey-colored biscuits.
“You’d better come in,” says Eudora.
“Okay.” Rose follows Eudora to the living room. “These are a delicacy where I come from,” she says, placing the plate on the little side table. “They’re Cornish fairings—ginger biscuits, really.”
“Thank you,” says Eudora.
“Shall we have a drink? That’s what I usually do with my granny.”
“If you like.” Eudora hopes Rose isn’t trying to recruit her as a surrogate grandmother. She’ll be sorely disappointed if she is.
“Shall I get the drinks?”
“Can you make tea?”
“No.”
“What can you make then?”
“Squash. I’m excellent at squash.”
“I may have some fruit cordial in the cupboard.”
“I’ll find it,” says Rose, skipping off toward the kitchen. “Do you want one?”
“People usually say ‘would you like one’ to be polite.”
“Oh. Okay. So do you?”
“What?”
“Want one?”
Eudora fears this is going to be one of the longer afternoons of her life. “Very well.”
Rose nods and disappears from the room. Eudora can hear cupboards being opened and closed and wishes she were sprightlier so she could at least keep an eye on her. Rose starts to sing to herself. It’s strange to hear this sound in the usual quiet of her house, but not unpleasant. She appears moments later carrying two bone-china mugs filled to the brim with cloudy lemon liquid. Rose smiles as she hands one to Eudora, who frowns at the drink but takes it all the same.
“Cheers!” says Rose, clinking her mug against Eudora’s. “Biscuit?” She offers the plate.
“Thank you,” says Eudora, taking one. The drink is tooth-numbingly sweet. Eudora winces as she takes a sip and places it on the table. She nibbles the biscuit. It’s also sweet but in a warm, comforting way that reminds Eudora of the ginger cake her mother used to make. “These are delicious,” she admits.
“I know,” says Rose. She drains her drink, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Who’s that for?” she asks, gesturing at Eudora’s precious envelope.
“Meddlers for nosy parkers,” says Eudora.
“What does that mean?”
“It’s something my mother used to say. It means ‘none of your business.’”
“Fair enough,” says Rose. “Mum says I’m very nosy, but I just like to know what’s going on.”
“I suppose that’s fair enough too,” says Eudora.
“Can I ask another question? You can say no if it’s too nosy.”
“Very well.”
“Is that you in the photograph?” Rose points at the framed picture on the side table.
“Yes. That’s me in the middle.”
“And is that your dad?”
“It is. And my mother.”
Rose peers at the photograph for a long time. “I love old pictures. They make me want to go back and see what it was like.”
“Why?” asks Eudora, intrigued. She didn’t think people cared about the past anymore.
“Because I love history. I love all the stories about the war and what it was like. It’s much more interesting than life now. Do you ever wish you could go back?”
Eudora gazes at the photograph. “All the time.” She is aware of something brushing against her ankles and looks down in surprise to see the cat, nuzzling his way around their legs.
“Aww, Montgomery, there you are,” says Rose, scooping him into her arms and rubbing her chin against the top of his head.
Eudora watches in amazement as the cat nudges her in reply.
“What shall we do now?” asks Rose.
“I actually need to go out to the post office,” says Eudora, eyeing the envelope.
“Great. Let’s do that.”
“Are you sure your mother will allow it?” asks Eudora, hoping this will deter her.
“Good point. I’ll go and check. You get ready. I’ll meet you outside.”