The Love of a Good Woman

almost a natural split in the rock, blocked off now by a poplar tree that had taken root in that absurd place and grown up crooked. The other entry, that Derek said was the most feasible anywhere, was just a hole in the side of a hill, with rotted beams lying on the ground or still supporting part of the roof and bricks holding back some of the earth and rock rubble. Derek pointed out the faint tracks where the rails had run for the ore cart. Pieces of mica were lying around, and Karin collected some. They at least were beautiful and looked like authentic treasure. They were like flakes of smooth dark glass that turned to silver when you held them to the light.
    Derek said she should take just one piece and that for a private keepsake, not to be shown to people. “Keep it under your hat,” he said. “I don’t want talk about this place.”
    Karin said, “Do you want me to swear to God?”
    He said, “Just remember.” Then he asked her if she wanted to see the castle.
    Another disappointment, and a joke. He led her to a cement-walled ruin that he said had probably been a storage place for ore. He showed her the break in the tall trees, filled up with saplings, where the rail line had run. The joke was that some of the hippies had got lost in here a couple of years ago and come out with the report of a castle. Derek hated people making mistakes like that, not seeing what was in front of their eyes or could be figured out with the right information.
    Karin walked around the top of the crumbling wall and he did not tell her to watch her footing or be careful she didn’t break her neck.
    On the way home there was a thunderstorm and they had to stay inside a heavy thicket of cedars. Karin could not keep still—she couldn’t tell if she was scared or elated. Elated, she decided, and she jumped up and ran in circles, throwing up her arms and shrieking in the brightness of the light that penetrated even this shelter. Derek told her to calm down, just to sit and count to fifteen after each flash and see if that didn’t bring the thunder.
    But she thought he was pleased with her. He didn’t think she was scared.
    It was the truth, that there were people whom you positively ached to please. Derek was one of them. If you failed with such people they would put you into a category in their minds where they could keep you and have contempt for you forever. Fear of the lightning, fear when she saw the bear scat, or the wish to believe the ruin was the ruin of a castle—even a failure to recognize the different qualities of mica, pyrite, quartz, silver, feldspar—any of that could make Derek decide to give up on her. As he had given up in different ways on Rosemary and Ann. Out here with Karin he was more seriously himself, he paid everything the honor of his serious attention. When he was with her and not with either of them.
    “N OTICE some elements of doom and gloom around here today?” Derek said.
    Karin slid her hands over a piece of quartz that looked like ice with a candle inside. She said, “Is it because of Rosemary?”
    “No,” said Derek. “This is serious. Ann got an offer on this place. A shark from Stoco came out and told her some Japanesecompany wants to buy it. They want the mica. To build ceramic engine blocks for cars. She’s thinking about it. She can sell it if she wants to. It’s hers.”
    Karin said, “Why would she want to? Sell it?”
    “Money,” said Derek. “Try money.”
    “Doesn’t Rosemary pay her enough rent?”
    “How long is that going to last? The pasture isn’t rented this year, the land’s too soggy. The house needs money spent or it’ll fall down. I’ve worked four years on a book that isn’t even finished. We’re running low. You know what the real-estate guy said to her? He said, ‘This could be another Sudbury.’ He didn’t say that for a joke.”
    Karin didn’t see why he would. She knew nothing about Sudbury. “If I was rich I could buy it,” she said. “Then you could go on like now.”
    “Someday you will be rich,” Derek said matter-of-factly. “But not soon enough.” He was putting the camera away in its case. “Keep on the right side of your mother,” he said. “She’s rich as stink.”
    Karin felt her face heat up, she felt the shock of those words. It was something she’d never heard before.
Rich as stink.
It sounded hateful.
    He said, “Okay—into town to see when they’ll develop this.” He didn’t ask if she wanted to go along