the_shrubbery | Much Ado About Sandcastles V (Reply)

‘Don’t move!’ he cried and knelt down to look for the contact.

‘Oh, damn,’ he muttered.

‘What?’ Caroline asked.

‘I’ve lost the other one as well.’

‘Wait, I’ll help you,’ Caroline said and knelt down as well.

Her face was inches from his now; it was so close that he could see how her thick eye-lashes curled upwards, how there was a faint trace of freckles across her long, thin nose, how the pout of her wide lips made her look a little like a duck.

‘God, you’re beautiful,’ he panted.

‘Yes, and you’re blind as a bat,’ Caroline said. ‘Besides, idle flattery won’t help you here. You’d better start looking for your stupid contacts.’

Dutifully, he placed his hands on the floor again. He leaned forward and heard the all-too familiar sound of a small object breaking.

Jenna and Anne giggled when they sat down at the breakfast table.

‘What’s up with the two of you?’ Georgiana asked.

‘Aunt Caro helped us dress,’ Anne explained.

‘And we had some girly time,’ Jenna said. ‘We painted our nails.’

Proudly, both girls held out their right thumbs, the nails of which were painted a deep, dark red.

‘We did Aunt Caro’s feet too,’ Anne added.

‘I hope you don’t mind,’ Caroline said to Elizabeth and Jane. ‘But I thought just one finger couldn’t hurt -’

‘Nah, it’s fine,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Thanks for being such a good sport about sharing the room.’

‘Uncle Colin never does girly time,’ James complained. ‘He snores and he looks like a panda.’

‘A panda?’ Georgiana asked.

‘Ye-es,’ James said, now a bit confused.

He had been quite sure that he knew what a panda was. He placed his fingers around his eyes to show his aunt what he meant.

‘Glasses,’ Elizabeth mouthed.

‘Oh!’ Georgiana said. ‘That kind of panda! What happened to his contacts?’

‘Trampled on them,’ Caroline said. ‘I must say, I haven’t seen the glasses. What do they look like?’

‘You heard it, my dear,’ someone said behind her. ‘Like a giant panda.’

Colin entered the kitchen, wearing, as James had indicated, a pair of thick black glasses.

Upon seeing him, Caroline giggled.

‘Actually,’ she said, ‘you look like one of those East German politicians.’

‘If I could entertain you, I’m happy to be of service,’ Colin said.

‘That’s all?’ Caroline asked. ‘No shrewd observation about out-dated world views? No reprimands about prejudices about our European neighbours? No defense of your choice of accessory?’

‘I like to surprise you,’ Colin said.

‘Confuse me, rather,’ Caroline said. ‘Uh, my shoulder itches. It appears I forgot to put lotion on it.’

She reached across her chest to scratch her shoulder.

‘I’ve got after-sun lotion, if you want some,’ Colin said.

Caroline let her hand drop and stared at him.

‘No, this is not how it works,’ she said. ‘You’re now supposed to remark that some women will do everything, even risk their health, for a tan.’

‘I think your tan suits you very much,’ Colin said.

‘Did he, uh, s-m-o-k-e something?’ Caroline asked Georgiana. ‘Did he bring any w-e-e-d or stuff?’

‘I can still understand you, you know,’ Colin said. ‘You’ll need to get a more sophisticated code if you want to keep me in the dark.’

‘Now that’s more like it!’ Caroline exclaimed. ‘Are you all going to the beach again today?’

‘Yes,’ Elizabeth said. ‘We’re meeting Emma and her family in half an hour. Do you want to join us?’

‘I’ll come later,’ Caroline said. ‘I’ll cycle into town first; I’m expecting an e-mail and I want to pick up some stuff.’

‘Well, I think we won’t be difficult to find,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Just look for the bright yellow umbrella. What about you, Colin – coming with us?’

‘Eh – Georgiana has offered me her board, so I was thinking about going surfing,’ Colin said. ‘Unless you want me to come to town with you, Caroline?’

‘Oh, dear me, no,’ Caroline said. ‘Please, go surfing, Herr Honecker – if you can, with those glasses.’

Jane filled her bucket with sand and emptied it over the giant heap of sand Elizabeth was trying to mold into a fortified structure. Emma patted down the walls of what was meant to be the moat. Georgiana lay flat on her stomach and scraped sand out of the moat into her bucket.

‘Remind me again why we’re doing this,’ she groaned.

‘Because your brother promised his children they’d have the biggest sandcastle on this beach,’ Elizabeth said.

‘So he’s your husband, you could have stopped them,’ Georgiana said.

‘Stop squabbling,’ Emma ordered. ‘Tell me how our love-birds are doing before the men return with the children.’

Elizabeth shook her head.

‘I have no idea what is up with them,’ she said. ‘Colin behaved very weird this morning.’

‘Yes, almost as if he were courting Caroline,’ Georgiana added.

‘No more Heyer for you,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Or you’ll suggest that Charles should ask Colin about his intentions next.’

‘Uh -’ Jane said and accidentally upended her bucket in the moat.

‘What’s the matter?’ Elizabeth asked. ‘And don’t do that. It’s supposed to be the deepest moat in world history.’

‘I think Charles, err, actually did ask Colin about his intentions,’ Jane said. ‘Not my idea, I should add.’

‘He didn’t!’ Emma said.

‘I’m afraid he did,’ Jane said. ‘Apparently, it was all on Fitz’s urging.’

Elizabeth groaned.

‘I told him that I didn’t think it was our business,’ she said. ‘What exactly did he make Charles say?’

‘Something about that he didn’t want Caroline hurt, and if Colin wasn’t serious about this -’

Georgiana giggled. Elizabeth gave her a questioning look.

‘It seems that was the wake-up call Colin needed,’ Georgiana explained. ‘Rather like Benedick, wouldn’t you say?’

Caroline made her way through the deep sand towards the large yellow umbrella she could espy in the distance. The sun was burning hot on her back and she was looking forward to getting into the sea as soon as she had unloaded her back and got out of her dress. As she came nearer, she heard voice from behind the umbrella. It was positioned in such a way as to block her view, but she guessed that it was only the women sitting behind it.

‘ - so I guess there is no need to let Caroline now about Colin,’ Elizabeth was saying.

Caroline froze to the spot.

‘Not much, no,’ Emma agreed.

‘But wouldn’t it be fair to tell her he’s, you know, fancying her?’ Jane said. ‘Now that he’s -’

‘Jane, this isn’t sixth form any more,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Let them work it out for themselves, I say. They’re old enough.’

‘I think Jane has a point though,’ Georgiana said. ‘I mean, he’s giving her all those smoldering glares and she has no idea. If she knew, she could decide what to do about it.’

‘Yes, but what if she decides not to act upon her knowledge?’ Elizabeth asked. ‘She’d be incredibly awkward around him, trying to avoid him so as not to hurt his feelings, whereas if she doesn’t know, she can act around him like she always does.’

‘But she’s mean to him!’ Jane said.

‘And he’s mean to her,’ Elizabeth said. ‘I think that’s just their thing, really. It won’t hurt him if she snaps at him just like she always does, he’s used to it.’

‘There must have been a reason he fell for her in the first place,’ Emma added. ‘It won’t have been for her sweet temper, I suppose.’

‘And besides, if he wanted her to know, he could tell her,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Which I gather he hasn’t done yet, so -’

‘Maybe you’re right,’ Jane conceded. ‘It’s just – it seems unfair, somehow -’

‘I’m sure it’ll all work, some way or other,’ Elizabeth said.

‘And if it doesn’t,’ Georgiana said, ‘we can always give her a clue when – oh, bugger -’

A bucket rolled out of the shadow of the umbrella and Georgiana ran after it. She caught the bucket, then looked up and saw Caroline standing there, still rooted to the ground.

‘Hi, Caro,’ she said lamely.

Caroline gave her a long, unblinking look, then turned without a word and ran towards the dunes.