Jackson's Dilemma (32 page)

‘So now all the weddings are over!’ said Ada Fox, looking lovingly upon her daughter and her son-in-law.

‘Yep!’ said Cantor,who was leaning down over Marian’s chair. Marian reached up a hand towards him. He kissed it. ‘Ours was best though. They were sneaking into Register Offices. We had the real thing!’

‘And you’ve bought the house near the Harbour?’

‘Yes!’ said Marian. ‘There’s a lovely tropical garden running down to the water! And kookaburras! We’ll show you tomorrow.’

‘Great! And what lovely in-laws - such a charming brother and sister-in-law, Cantor, and what an estate! I’m sorry I didn’t see any sheep.’

‘That’s what our farms are like here,’ said Cantor, now sitting down and putting his arm round his wife. ‘Twenty acres to one sheep. Got to be big.’

‘I’m in love with Australia already.’

They were sitting after breakfast in Cantor’s present house in Sydney, from which they were soon to move to the larger new house with the kookaburras.

‘I’ll love to see your new house. Then I’ve got to take the plane to London. There’ll be a lot to talk about up there too! Fancy Edward suddenly marrying Anna! She’s much older, isn’t she - and a little boy at a difficult age. I wonder if that will work. Edward is a bit of a rotter. He must have been making up to Anna all the time! What an escape you’ve made, darling-of course you never intended to marry him, I know! You’ve got hold of just the best man in the world! And then there’s Rosalind marrying Tuan, who never opens his mouth, and he wants to live in Scotland and he hasn’t any money. And I gather Mildred, after all that fuss, hasn’t gone to India at all, I expect she was afraid someone would pick up Owen when she was away-or hasn’t she got hold of an Anglican priest as well? I don’t think
she
’ll ever marry. And hasn’t Benet got hold of his butler again? You see, I know everything - that letter I got from Owen. He’s such a chatter-box, bless him!’

‘But where will you stay?’ said Cantor. ‘You didn’t say — ’

‘Oh,
everybody
has asked me - of course I shall stay with Mildred in London, I’m longing to see the priest! In the country, that’s a problem - both Benet and Edward will want me - or shall I stay at the Sea Kings? Yes, perhaps I will, I’ll do that, so I shall be free!’

 

‘I adore your mother,’ Cantor said later to his wife.

‘Yes,’ said Marian, ‘she is really a good egg, she is very tough and brave. She’s disposed of two husbands, as well as the one she didn’t marry.’

‘I gather the American has gone. Perhaps she’ll steal Jackson.’

‘I doubt
that!’
said Marian.

‘I wish
we
could have stolen Jackson. Or - no - he might steal
you!’

‘Absolutely not, my darling! Oh Cantor, how wonderfully lucky it’s all been. I might have been in hell, and now I’m in paradise. Oh my dear angel, let me kiss your hands, I worship you!’

‘Well, thank the gods of the Aborigines who have made it so, that we have such bliss!’

‘I’m sorry Mamma isn’t staying long enough for us to take her to Ayers Rock.’

‘Oh well, she’ll come back. And what a horsewoman she is too, I was amazed!’

‘Yes, I should have told you, she’s been riding all her life.’

‘And wasn’t it smart of Jackson to get back your gold watch from the stables and send it to you! I love that fellow. You know I positively fought with him when he suddenly appeared saying he was my brother - ’

‘I bet you won.’

‘Well - um - Now I’m proud to have him as my brother - like Abos do - yes, I elect him as my brother! And now, little one, sweet one - what do you think - just between now and dinner?’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘We shall be too early,’ said Mildred to Owen. ‘You are driving too fast, as usual.’

‘We’ve got to posh up at the Sea Kings,’ said Owen.

‘Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter if we turn up a bit early at Penn. I can help Jackson, and you can chatter and get drunk with Benet. Benet is so much better, isn’t he.’

‘Well of course. Losing Jackson was a bitter penance. Getting him back was something he didn’t deserve.’

‘I can’t think how he lost him. He didn’t show us the letter. It must have been an awful letter.’

‘It was awful.’

‘You didn’t see it?’

‘No, but he mumbled a lot of it to me, like in church.’

‘
Please
don’t drive so fast. Thank heavens it’s only us and the others. It’s beautiful, like magic - Rosalind and Tuan, Edward and Anna, it’s all so amazing! I think Benet imagined Rosalind was going to marry Edward!’

‘I thought Tuan was gay! Well, perhaps he is gay too. Those two are living on nothing. Apparently her mother doesn’t cough up any more. Tuan has given up the university, he just goes to that bookshop thing once a week. She’s not going to the Courtauld, she’s just teaching herself to paint, that costs money, and there isn’t much evidence that she can paint!’

‘Well, Benet can help them - so can Edward - so can we - ’

‘Who’s we? You mean you and Lucas? Just tell me when you’re leaving.’

‘I’ve seen some of Rosalind’s pictures - they’re not bad.’

‘All right. Probably better than mine. I’m going to give up painting. You’ll have to support me, you and Lucas - till the kids arrive.’

‘You know Ada Fox is coming next week, she’s staying with me. Of course you know, we’re old friends.’

‘She must be mad.’

‘I think Edward will
not
invite her!’

‘Edward will not invite anybody.’

‘Anna will run Hatting from now on. How extraordinary, it’s all been happening so quickly, and working out so well!’

‘If Edward is haughty and Tuan is penniless and Cantor is fed up with Marian - ’

‘Cantor and Marian are blissfully happy, they’re deeply in love with each other.’

‘Who says so?’

‘She’s written to me, and I believe it.’

‘Ha ha. I think I’d get on well with Cantor, he’s that sort of rogue and rotter type.’

‘I do hope you won’t get too drunk — ’

‘I wonder if Benet and Jackson have separate bedrooms.’

‘It’s amazing about Edward, it’s so sudden - ’

‘He must have been living with Anna in France, while he was courting Marian in England. I daresay Anna put her foot down.’

‘I wonder.’

‘So he’s not as shy as you think!’

‘I feel sorry for little Bran. Edward is sure to want a son of his own.’

‘Yes, and Bran will be shoved into the background, he’s being carted off to boarding school in the autumn.’

‘If only Lewen were still alive.’

‘Who is Lewen? Never heard of the fellow.’

‘So there’ll be just us and Owen and Mildred and Edward and Anna,’ said Rosalind to Tuan.

‘So Benet said.’

‘That will be a nice number. We can all talk to each other, like usual.’

‘Benet called it a wedding feast.’

‘And we are the juniors. The youngest newly-weds! I like that too!’

‘What a pity Marian and Cantor couldn’t be there, but that would be impossible of course!’

‘Of course. I wonder if time will smooth any of that away. But not now. There would be a duel! When Mamma arrives next week she’ll tell us - well, she’ll tell us only the good things.’

‘Let us hope - for the good things. It’s strange that the weddings went so fast, Owen and Mildred were quite dazed, so was Benet.’

‘At that time Benet was in a daze of misery.’

‘Now, thank heavens - Anyway we had a good lunch with Owen and Mildred afterwards, and you kept taking your ring off and putting it on the table.’

‘Yes, look at it, dear dear ring, all the same you must have spent too much — I
will
keep it on in bed tonight.’

‘Benet has given us the grandest spare bedroom, all our own on the other side of the house.’

‘I wonder if we shall always be allowed to be there, in
that
room. Mildred and Owen insist on the Sea Kings - And Jackson, now - we’ve never known where Jackson slept. I wonder when and how Jackson came back.’

‘I expect he just walked in at the door and Benet had been expecting it, and they started up as before.’

‘Like Jackson walked in on you. What did you talk about that night? About Benet, and what Jackson was to do? I’ve been so full of our joys I’ve never asked you that.’

‘It wasn’t about him, it was about me. He was there - and I was - recovering - ’

‘Recovering - well, yes, evidently - anyway you were all right the next morning. I was sick with terror, I could not sleep - I thought you might have changed your mind, there were so many things against me -’

‘Oh my darling girl - dear heart - you are not wishing - it was otherwise?’

‘No, of course not,
silly -
there, my ring forgives you - don’t drive so fast - watch out for the sign - I wish Bran were here this evening. Edward and Anna intimidate me a bit, they seem so much older and more experienced, it’s wonderful how
they
have found each other. Edward must get on with the little boy. Poor boy, he must be a bit at sea, having lived in France so long.’

‘Edward may have been in France a bit himself.’

‘I’d like to explore France but all that costs money. Mamma travels but I can’t think where she gets it, I’m not earning anything at present but I
will,
I’ve decided to give up painting — ’

‘To
give up painting -
are you
mad?
And what about the Courtauld?’

‘Oh I don’t want that, it’s far too expensive. I suppose I may paint in the evenings, but you were talking about my going to an art school, that’s out of the question, we have to be realistic - as it is we are nearly penniless - ’

‘Look, Rosalind, about our living in Edinburgh - ’

‘Oh, that’s all right, that’s all
settled,
I shall
love
living in Edinburgh, I shall love living with
you, anywhere.
Truly - whither thou goest I will go, and thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God!’

‘Hmm, I’m not sure I have a God.’

‘You can ask Jackson. Well, we shall miss him a lot I suppose. Anyway I shall get a job, and you can get a proper job, in a bookshop for instance - Come now, it will be fun looking for a flat and a job - I promise I’ll paint a bit occasionally - What’s the matter?’

‘Rosalind - there is something I must tell you -’

‘My dear dear love - you’re so solemn - stop the car will you - there in that place - yes - now my dearest one, I will help you and tend you and be with you for ever and ever - I don’t mind how poor we are - oh do not worry, do not grieve, you are mine and I am yours - now tell me what you want to tell me.’ ‘Well, it’s something I’ve kept secret, from everybody really, and perhaps I shouldn’t have done, only now—’

‘My sweetheart, don’t grieve, don’t be sad at all, whatever it is, any sorrow, any distress or fear, you must share it with me—’

‘Well, we’ve been talking about money, and—’

‘Go on, I can bear it, please don’t look like that, dear dear Tuan - we’ll deal with money somehow - ’

‘You see, I’ve let you be, and you’ve been wondering how we can live, and how poor we shall be - ’

‘It
doesn’t matter,
Tuan, we shall be together — ’

‘Well, I’m - about money - actually I’m not short of it - at all - I am really - well - really I am a millionaire.’

 

Later as they drove on Tuan explained how his great-great-grandfather had founded a paper-making firm in Germany. This firm had flourished and produced subsidiary firms in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Tuan’s father had told Tuan how his father and grandfather had escaped to Scotland when the persecutions began. Tuan’s father inherited the business which, after his death, became the property of Tuan. Still pursuing his philosophical studies Tuan, unknown to his London friends, began to spend a part of every week in Edinburgh. Now, since his deputy had retired, he had decided to spend more time in Edinburgh, and less in London. After all, he was head of the firm, and did not regret it. He was relieved now that he had informed Rosalind of this!

As he drove Tuan fell silent, allowing Rosalind to keep reassuring him how little she cared about leaving London, how much she looked forward to Edinburgh, and, quite frankly, she did not complain that there
was
some money! Now she could paint
and
try the Courtauld! Tuan was now finding himself even farther away, transported to the ghetto in Berlin and to Auschwitz. He wondered if he would not talk any more about such things to Rosalind. He recalled his doubts, the doubts he had first discovered, perhaps on that occasion round Benet’s dinner table, just before the awful message came. Was it right for him to proceed down that road - down
this
road? Might he now continuously be attacked by black fits like those which had come to him already, when he had bitterly driven Rosalind, who was now his wife, away from him. He thought, I wonder if Jackson hadn’t come in that night, would I have broken it all up. Not that, as he remembered, Jackson had said very much to him - though he did certainly speak to him. Tuan thought then, and it occurred to him again now, that perhaps Jackson was Jewish. Yet it was impossible to ask him. He also thought - what am I doing, carrying away good sweet Rosalind? I shall go back to the Synagogue. Really, deep in my heart, I want to be a Rabbi!

 

 

 

 

At Edward and Anna’s swift little Register Office wedding in London the following, besides the Registrar, were present: Montague, Millie, Elizabeth Loxon, Oliver Caxton and Bran. Edward and Anna and Elizabeth and Oliver and Bran had a celebration lunch in the Savoy, after which Edward, Anna and Bran returned to Edward’s (now also Anna’s and Bran’s) house where the red Jaguar, housed in the garage, was taken out and conveyed the family back to Hatting Hall, where they were greeted by Montague and Millie who had already returned by train. On the following day Bran was led to the stables and introduced to a beautiful little brown and white pony called Rex. Fortunately Bran had quite often ridden ponies in France, and was deemed unlikely to fall off. Anna had never mounted a horse, and Edward had never mounted one since Randall’s death.