The Love of a Good Woman

Derek voice, as Ann lifted the veil away.
    They heard the car coming down the valley. “Speak of the devil,” said Ann. Now she was in such a great hurry to undo the hooks and eyes her fingers were clumsy and trembling. When she tried to pull the dress over Karin’s head something got caught.
    “Curses,” Ann said.
    “You go on,” said Karin, muffled up. “You go on and let me. I’ve got it.”
    When she emerged she saw Ann’s face twisted in what looked like grief.
    “I was just kidding about Derek,” she said.
    But perhaps Ann’s look was just one of alarm and concern about the dress.
    “What do you mean?” Ann said. “Oh. Hush. Forget it.”
    • • •
    K ARIN stood still on the stairs to hear their voices in the kitchen. Ann had run down ahead of her.
    Derek said, “Is that going to be good? Whatever you’re making?”
    “I hope so,” said Ann. “It’s osso buco.”
    Derek’s voice had changed. He wasn’t mad anymore. He was eager to make friends. Ann’s voice was relieved, out of breath, trying to match up with his new mood.
    “Is there going to be enough for company?” he said.
    “What company?”
    “Just Rosemary. I hope there’s enough, because I asked her.”
    “Rosemary and Karin,” Ann said calmly. “There’s enough of this, but there isn’t any wine.”
    “There is now,” said Derek. “I got some.”
    Then there was some muttering or whispering from Derek to Ann. He must be standing very close to her and talking against her hair or her ear. He seemed to be teasing, pleading, comforting, promising to reward her, all at once. Karin was so afraid that words would surface out of this—words she would understand and never forget—that she went banging down the stairs and into the kitchen, calling, “Who’s this Rosemary? Did I hear ‘Rosemary’?”
    “Don’t sneak up on us like that,
enfant,”
said Derek. “Make a little noise so we hear you coming.”
    “Did I hear ‘Rosemary’?”
    “Your mother’s name,” he said. “I swear to you, your mother’s name.”
    All the tight displeasure was gone. He was full of challenges and high spirits, as he’d been sometimes last summer.
    Ann looked at the wine and said, “That’s lovely wine, Derek, that’ll go beautifully. Let’s see. Karin, you can help. We’ll set thelong table on the porch. We’ll use the blue dishes and the good silver—isn’t it lucky we just cleaned the silver. We’ll put two sets of candles. The tall yellow ones in the middle, Karin, and a circle of little white ones around them.”
    “Like a daisy,” Karin said.
    “That’s right,” said Ann. “A celebration dinner. Because you’re back for the summer.”
    “What can I do?” said Derek.
    “Let me think. Oh—you can go out and get me some things for the salad. Some lettuce and some sorrel, and do you think there’s any cress in the creek?”
    “There is,” said Derek. “I saw some.”
    “Get some of that too.”
    Derek glided a hand round her shoulders. He said, “All will be well.”
    W HEN they were almost ready Derek put on a record. This was one of the records he had taken to Rosemary’s place and must have brought back here. It was called
Ancient Airs and Dances for Lute
, and it had a cover that showed a group of old-fashioned, exquisitely thin ladies, all wearing high-waisted dresses, with little curls down in front of their ears, and dancing in a circle. The music had often inspired Derek to do a stately and ridiculous dance, in which Karin and Rosemary would join him. Karin could match him in a dance, but Rosemary couldn’t. Rosemary tried too hard, she moved a little late, she tried to imitate what could only be spontaneous.
    Karin started dancing now, round the kitchen table where Ann was tearing salad and Derek was opening the wine. “Ancient
airs
and
dances
for the
lute,”
she sang raptly. “My
mom
is coming to supper, my mom is coming to
supper”
    “I believe Karin’s mom is coming to supper,” said Derek. He held up his hand. “Quiet, quiet. Is that her car I hear?”
    “Oh, dear. I should at least wash my face,” said Ann. She dropped the greens and hurried into the hall and up the stairs.
    Derek went to stop the record. He took the needle back to the beginning. When he had it going again he went out to meet Rosemary—a thing he did not usually do. Karin had intended to run out herself. But when Derek did, she decided not to. Instead she followed Ann up the stairs. Not all the way,