Read Sentence of Marriage for Free Online Page B
Authors: Shayne Parkinson
Amy, say hello to your ma.’
‘Hello,’ Amy said dutifully.
‘I think you’re both a little too old to call me Mama,’ the vision said. ‘You can call me… well, I suppose you’d better just call me by my name. I’m Susannah.’ She removed her arm from Jack’s and extended her hand; first John then Amy shook it.
‘That doesn’t seem right, calling you by your name like that, Susie,’ Jack said, frowning slightly.
‘It’s Susannah, dear,’ Susannah said in the tone of one who has repeated the same words more than once. ‘I can’t have a grown man like this calling me Mother.’ She indicated John with a dramatic gesture.
‘Well, maybe… but Amy should.’
‘Whatever you say dear,’ Susannah said, smiling sweetly at her husband.
‘Let’s get you home, then,’ Jack said cheerfully.
‘Oh, yes, I’m so looking forward to seeing it all,’ Susannah gushed. ‘The countryside is so pretty, isn’t it? And it’s such a relief to be off that horrible ship.’ She shuddered, and cast a look of loathing over her shoulder at the steamer.
‘Take one of these trunks, boy,’ said Jack. ‘I’ll take this one, and you can come back for the last one.’ They hefted the heavy-looking trunks and carried them over to the buggy, along with Jack’s modest case.
‘You sit in the back, my dear,’ Jack said, gallantly offering his arm to help Susannah into the buggy. ‘John can drive, then I can point things out to you.’
‘I don’t think we can fit all this stuff in, Pa,’ John said, finding his voice again at last.
‘Of course we can,’ said Jack. ‘Put this trunk in the front, my case can go between you two, there’s room for this one behind us… hmm, you’re right, we can’t fit this last one in. Never mind, we can leave it in the cargo shed overnight and pick it up tomorrow.’
‘Couldn’t you just come straight back and get it, Jack?’ Susannah asked. ‘I do need all my things right away.’
‘It’s a bit far for that, Mrs L.’ Jack laughed at the notion. ‘It’ll be safe enough here, don’t you worry.’ Susannah obviously was worried, but she said nothing as Jack sent John over to the cargo shed with the last trunk.
Amy had to put her feet on one of the trunks, and it was so high that she found herself perched awkwardly on the seat, but she was too busy trying to adjust to the fact of her father’s new wife to take much notice.
‘Oh, what a pretty little town it is,’ Susannah said as they drove through Ruatane. ‘Not many shops, of course, but a few nice little ones—I see a milliner’s there—and the gardens around all the houses are sweet. I suppose you come in here most days?’
Jack roared with laughter. ‘We’d never get any work done if we came in here every day! No, we come in once a week for supplies, and then on Sunday to church. That’s often enough.’
‘Twice a week?’ Susannah repeated. ‘But don’t you go visiting, or to the theatre, or—’
‘Theatre?’ Jack laughed again. ‘There’s nothing like that here, Susie.’
‘Oh.’ Susannah lapsed into silence for some time.
‘The tide’s out enough now to go along the beach, so you’ll have a nice, smooth ride,’ Jack said.
‘Along the beach? Why do you want to go along the beach?’
‘You’ll know the answer to that the first time you go over the inland track. The beach is much easier going.’
‘But is it safe?’ Susannah asked.
‘Now, would I take you somewhere that wasn’t safe?’ Jack smiled indulgently.
‘No,’ Susannah answered, but she gave a little shriek when they turned off the road after crossing the Waipara Bridge and went bumping down to the beach.
She seemed to calm a little when they reached the firm sand below the high tide mark and the ride became smoother. ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ she asked when they had been going about ten minutes.
‘Not quite.’ Jack caught Amy’s eye as she turned her head towards him, and gave her a wink. ‘Can’t
‘Hello,’ Amy said dutifully.
‘I think you’re both a little too old to call me Mama,’ the vision said. ‘You can call me… well, I suppose you’d better just call me by my name. I’m Susannah.’ She removed her arm from Jack’s and extended her hand; first John then Amy shook it.
‘That doesn’t seem right, calling you by your name like that, Susie,’ Jack said, frowning slightly.
‘It’s Susannah, dear,’ Susannah said in the tone of one who has repeated the same words more than once. ‘I can’t have a grown man like this calling me Mother.’ She indicated John with a dramatic gesture.
‘Well, maybe… but Amy should.’
‘Whatever you say dear,’ Susannah said, smiling sweetly at her husband.
‘Let’s get you home, then,’ Jack said cheerfully.
‘Oh, yes, I’m so looking forward to seeing it all,’ Susannah gushed. ‘The countryside is so pretty, isn’t it? And it’s such a relief to be off that horrible ship.’ She shuddered, and cast a look of loathing over her shoulder at the steamer.
‘Take one of these trunks, boy,’ said Jack. ‘I’ll take this one, and you can come back for the last one.’ They hefted the heavy-looking trunks and carried them over to the buggy, along with Jack’s modest case.
‘You sit in the back, my dear,’ Jack said, gallantly offering his arm to help Susannah into the buggy. ‘John can drive, then I can point things out to you.’
‘I don’t think we can fit all this stuff in, Pa,’ John said, finding his voice again at last.
‘Of course we can,’ said Jack. ‘Put this trunk in the front, my case can go between you two, there’s room for this one behind us… hmm, you’re right, we can’t fit this last one in. Never mind, we can leave it in the cargo shed overnight and pick it up tomorrow.’
‘Couldn’t you just come straight back and get it, Jack?’ Susannah asked. ‘I do need all my things right away.’
‘It’s a bit far for that, Mrs L.’ Jack laughed at the notion. ‘It’ll be safe enough here, don’t you worry.’ Susannah obviously was worried, but she said nothing as Jack sent John over to the cargo shed with the last trunk.
Amy had to put her feet on one of the trunks, and it was so high that she found herself perched awkwardly on the seat, but she was too busy trying to adjust to the fact of her father’s new wife to take much notice.
‘Oh, what a pretty little town it is,’ Susannah said as they drove through Ruatane. ‘Not many shops, of course, but a few nice little ones—I see a milliner’s there—and the gardens around all the houses are sweet. I suppose you come in here most days?’
Jack roared with laughter. ‘We’d never get any work done if we came in here every day! No, we come in once a week for supplies, and then on Sunday to church. That’s often enough.’
‘Twice a week?’ Susannah repeated. ‘But don’t you go visiting, or to the theatre, or—’
‘Theatre?’ Jack laughed again. ‘There’s nothing like that here, Susie.’
‘Oh.’ Susannah lapsed into silence for some time.
‘The tide’s out enough now to go along the beach, so you’ll have a nice, smooth ride,’ Jack said.
‘Along the beach? Why do you want to go along the beach?’
‘You’ll know the answer to that the first time you go over the inland track. The beach is much easier going.’
‘But is it safe?’ Susannah asked.
‘Now, would I take you somewhere that wasn’t safe?’ Jack smiled indulgently.
‘No,’ Susannah answered, but she gave a little shriek when they turned off the road after crossing the Waipara Bridge and went bumping down to the beach.
She seemed to calm a little when they reached the firm sand below the high tide mark and the ride became smoother. ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ she asked when they had been going about ten minutes.
‘Not quite.’ Jack caught Amy’s eye as she turned her head towards him, and gave her a wink. ‘Can’t