Rites of Spring by Anders Motte (hardest books to read txt) 📕

He sounds as if he means it, and she fights the urge to say yes.

‘No, it’s fine. I’ll feel better when I’ve had something to eat.’

*

They greet David’s parents. Thea has to force herself to hug her mother-in-law. This is all Ingrid’s fault: the move, the restaurant, the TV feature. It was all her idea.

But you went along with it. For David’s sake . . .

She would like to tell Margaux to shut up. In fact, she would like to tell them all to shut up so that she can sort out the mess inside her head.

Just as David had said, Nettan is there. She’s a smart woman, she’s worked all over the world, and she’s both friendly and polite. Thea does her best to be present and friendly in return, and yet there is immediately a tension between them. Perhaps it’s because Nettan calls David’s parents Aunt Ingrid and Uncle Bertil. Or because she touches David’s arm in a special way from time to time.

David notices the strained atmosphere, flaps around them in a way that Thea doesn’t like.

‘I’m sorry if I stole David away from you the other day,’ Nettan says. ‘I could have taken a taxi, but he insisted on picking me up from Kastrup.’

‘No problem,’ Thea mutters. She is trying to be pleasant, but it’s difficult. Her head is spinning, not only because of the letter, but everything she’s read over the past few days. Every time she looks at Nettan, she can hear the twelve-year-old girl’s voice in the interviews.

‘Do you often visit Tornaby?’ she manages to ask.

Nettan shakes her head. ‘No. My father died a while ago, and by then he and my mother had already moved to Malmö. This is the first time I’ve been back for years. I couldn’t wait to get away, for various reasons.’ She pulls a face which is hard to interpret. ‘Mum lives with me in Switzerland now; she helps out with the children when I’m away.’ Nettan takes a sip of her drink. ‘How about you? How are you finding life out here?’

‘Good,’ Thea replies.

Nettan leans a little closer. ‘You don’t have to be polite. David’s told me about your travels. You’re restless, just like me. It’s difficult to stay in one place for very long. So why would you want to settle here, in the middle of nowhere?’

The comment surprises Thea. It seems honest rather than snide.

‘I . . . I’ve grown tired of going from one place to another.’

‘Grown tired?’ Nettan raises an eyebrow. ‘Is that possible?’ She leans even closer, lowers her voice. ‘I mean, don’t misunderstand me. David’s a good guy, but neither of you should be here. There’s still a lot of old crap bubbling away beneath the surface. More than you can imagine. You need to be careful.’

‘Careful about what?’ David appears from nowhere.

‘Oh, nothing. Thea and I were just chatting,’ Nettan says. ‘If you’ll excuse me I’m going to top up my drink.’

*

David’s Uncle Arne has also been invited, presumably to even up the numbers. He’s dressed for the occasion; he’s wearing a scarf with his shirt and jacket, his moustache is neatly trimmed, and he smells of aftershave. He glides over to Thea and David in a way that is presumably meant to convey self-confidence.

‘So have you settled in, Dr Lind? Worked out who has piles and who suffers from erectile dysfunction?’

‘Absolutely. Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me.’

She doesn’t know why she says that. Maybe because the part of her brain that normally filters her behaviour is otherwise occupied.

Arne stiffens, then bursts out laughing.

‘Your wife is very funny, little David,’ he says, thumping his nephew on the back. ‘You hang onto her!’

David smiles, but Thea can see that the comment irritates him. He doesn’t like being called little David, doesn’t want to be reminded of the person he was. Nor does she.

She can’t stop thinking about the letter. Her father wants her to come home. What happens if she doesn’t go? Dare she even contemplate that idea?

*

Bertil is having a pretty good day – possibly because of his new medication.

He joins in the conversation over pre-dinner drinks, remembering names and places. Thea hasn’t seen him since the incident in the forest, but neither Bertil nor anyone else mentions it. At one point he gently pats her on the back and gives her a little smile, which is presumably a silent thank you.

After their drinks they sit down at the table. The food is delicious as always, and David has brought several bottles of wine from the castle. Ingrid gives Arne a meaningful look every time he refills his glass; Thea is keeping an eye on him too. He’s trying to charm Nettan, telling her stories about his police work that become more and more detailed as his wine consumption increases. He ignores his big sister completely. The interaction – or lack of it – between the two of them is actually quite entertaining, and makes Thea forget the letter for a little while.

‘So when’s the big day?’ Arne asks when he finally reaches the end of a lengthy tale about a huntsman, a dog with diarrhoea and a bullet that accidentally hits a windscreen.

‘You mean the launch?’ David says. ‘End of May, but we’re having a dinner on Walpurgis Night. The first test, so to speak.’

‘When’s Sebastian arriving?’ Nettan wants to know.

‘He had a meeting in London, but his flight lands first thing tomorrow morning. He’ll be here in time for lunch.’

‘Sebastian has done very well,’ Ingrid says, half-turning towards Bertil. ‘He started a technology company when he left university, remember? He has over a thousand employees right across the world.’

‘Of course I remember.’ Bertil sounds slightly offended. ‘How are his parents?’

‘They moved to Helsingborg, then home to Poland when Pawel retired,’ Ingrid says. ‘Sebastian bought them a big house by the sea. I’m friends with them on Facebook. Theresa’s still hoping for grandchildren,