Much Ado About Sandcastles - epilogue
Oct. 4th, 2011 11:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_shrubberyNot sure if I'll use this or not, but I decided to write an epilogue. Sort of.
‘They’re here! They’re here!’
Elizabeth hastily stepped aside as her fifteen-year-old daughter rushed down the stairs and to the front door.
‘Where’s my cape?’ another voice came from upstairs. ‘Mum, I can’t find my cape!’
‘I put it on your bed, darling!’ Elizabeth called. ‘Where is your brother?’
‘I’m coming,’ James said, as usual the only one not resorting to shouting. ‘Mum, can you please tell Anne that that’s my phone?’
‘Nobody’s taking their phone tonight,’ Elizabeth said. ‘You’ll just lose it in the queue.’
‘But what if Jenna texts me?’ Anne asked.
‘You’ll see Jenna in thirty minutes, you’ll survive,’ Elizabeth decided. ‘Now, look, there’s Robbie coming up to the door, why don’t you open it for him?’
‘Mum!’ Anne squealed, suddenly turned shy at the mention of Robert Knightley.
James, always far too good for this world, opened the door for his sister, and greeted his friend with a complicated hand-shake that reminded Elizabeth of a secret brotherhood.
‘Hi, Robbie,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Where’s your mum?’
‘On the phone with grandpa,’ Robert said. ‘Something about how he thinks he may have SARS?’
He shrugged.
‘Cool shirt,’ he said in Anne’s direction, with promptly sent Elizabeth’s eldest blushing.
‘And Kathy didn’t want to come with us?’ Elizabeth asked.
‘My daughter thinks she is too cool for children’s books,’ a voice came from the doorway. ‘She’s at a pyjama party where they’ll be fawning over some vampire or other.’
‘Oh my God, Emma, what are you wearing?’ Elizabeth asked.
‘Cool, isn’t it?’ Emma said and swirled around in her many skirts. ‘I’m Molly Weasley, see?’
‘I only have this,’ Elizabeth said and reached for one of her more skewed attempts at creating a wizard’s hat.
‘Mum, this is like, so embarrassing,’ Anne said.
Robert only shrugged. He’d long given up on his mother.
‘How’s George?’ Elizabeth asked.
‘Same as ever,’ Emma said. ‘He’s spending a boys’ night with William. He’s going to explain the rules of cricket to him, or so he says.’
She rolled her eyes. Elizabeth gave a good-natured laugh.
‘Right, is everyone ready?’ Emma asked.
‘I should think so,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Kids, do you have everything? Are the computers switched off? Mobile phones left here?’
‘Mum!’ Anne groaned.
‘My cape!’ Richard cried.
‘Darling, it’s on your bed,’ Elizabeth said, ‘quick, go and get it. I’ll just get Emily; she fell asleep in her car-seat.’
‘We’re still dropping Emily off at Jane’s then?’ Emma asked.
‘Yes, Fitz just couldn’t make it,’ Elizabeth explained. ‘But Jane says she’s delighted, and I know Charles loves having his clientele around, and since we need to go there anyway to pick up Jenna -’
‘And Andy doesn’t want to come?’ Emma asked, following her friend into the living-room.
‘Just like William, he just doesn’t get what the fuss is about,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Right, I’ve got her diaper bag, I’ve got a change of clothes, her teddy-bear – oh, wait, the cooler with the milk – just a moment -’
Emma followed her friend into the kitchen.
‘I’ve just been on the phone with Georgiana,’ Elizabeth said. ‘She says she’ll save us places, just in case it gets really full before we get there.’
‘I can’t wait to see her again,’ Emma said, ‘it feels like ages.’
‘She’s thriving,’ Elizabeth said. ‘And do you know, she just told me the best of news.’
‘Do tell!’
‘Guess who’s pregnant!’
Emma thought for a moment.
‘No!’ she finally said. ‘Surely not -’
‘Oh, yes,’ Elizabeth said and grinned. ‘After all these years of saying she’ll never, ever have kids -’
‘She’s happy though about it?’
‘Thrilled,’ Elizabeth said, ‘from what Georgiana told me. And Colin no less. They’ve already started renovating the spare room. I’m going to ask her for coffee next weekend, do you want to come?’
‘Do I!’ Emma cried. ‘Of course I do. When’s it due?’
‘Christmas, so I heard,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Apparently, Caroline’s already been asked to write a column about her pregnancy, so you’ll be able to read everything about it soon enough, from the surprise at the gyno’s office to all the grisly details of her confinement.’
‘Of course,’ Emma said and grinned. ‘Does that mean that Colin will finally make an honest woman of her?’
‘Not in this life,’ Elizabeth said. ‘I think he tentatively suggested it, but she almost bit his head off at the suggestion – but I suppose Georgiana will be able to tell us more about that.’
‘And I suppose we should be off, before the kids leave without us,’ Emma said. ‘Here, let me take Emily’s bags for you -’
‘Thanks, that’s better,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Right, my mini-van or yours?’
‘They’re here! They’re here!’
Elizabeth hastily stepped aside as her fifteen-year-old daughter rushed down the stairs and to the front door.
‘Where’s my cape?’ another voice came from upstairs. ‘Mum, I can’t find my cape!’
‘I put it on your bed, darling!’ Elizabeth called. ‘Where is your brother?’
‘I’m coming,’ James said, as usual the only one not resorting to shouting. ‘Mum, can you please tell Anne that that’s my phone?’
‘Nobody’s taking their phone tonight,’ Elizabeth said. ‘You’ll just lose it in the queue.’
‘But what if Jenna texts me?’ Anne asked.
‘You’ll see Jenna in thirty minutes, you’ll survive,’ Elizabeth decided. ‘Now, look, there’s Robbie coming up to the door, why don’t you open it for him?’
‘Mum!’ Anne squealed, suddenly turned shy at the mention of Robert Knightley.
James, always far too good for this world, opened the door for his sister, and greeted his friend with a complicated hand-shake that reminded Elizabeth of a secret brotherhood.
‘Hi, Robbie,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Where’s your mum?’
‘On the phone with grandpa,’ Robert said. ‘Something about how he thinks he may have SARS?’
He shrugged.
‘Cool shirt,’ he said in Anne’s direction, with promptly sent Elizabeth’s eldest blushing.
‘And Kathy didn’t want to come with us?’ Elizabeth asked.
‘My daughter thinks she is too cool for children’s books,’ a voice came from the doorway. ‘She’s at a pyjama party where they’ll be fawning over some vampire or other.’
‘Oh my God, Emma, what are you wearing?’ Elizabeth asked.
‘Cool, isn’t it?’ Emma said and swirled around in her many skirts. ‘I’m Molly Weasley, see?’
‘I only have this,’ Elizabeth said and reached for one of her more skewed attempts at creating a wizard’s hat.
‘Mum, this is like, so embarrassing,’ Anne said.
Robert only shrugged. He’d long given up on his mother.
‘How’s George?’ Elizabeth asked.
‘Same as ever,’ Emma said. ‘He’s spending a boys’ night with William. He’s going to explain the rules of cricket to him, or so he says.’
She rolled her eyes. Elizabeth gave a good-natured laugh.
‘Right, is everyone ready?’ Emma asked.
‘I should think so,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Kids, do you have everything? Are the computers switched off? Mobile phones left here?’
‘Mum!’ Anne groaned.
‘My cape!’ Richard cried.
‘Darling, it’s on your bed,’ Elizabeth said, ‘quick, go and get it. I’ll just get Emily; she fell asleep in her car-seat.’
‘We’re still dropping Emily off at Jane’s then?’ Emma asked.
‘Yes, Fitz just couldn’t make it,’ Elizabeth explained. ‘But Jane says she’s delighted, and I know Charles loves having his clientele around, and since we need to go there anyway to pick up Jenna -’
‘And Andy doesn’t want to come?’ Emma asked, following her friend into the living-room.
‘Just like William, he just doesn’t get what the fuss is about,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Right, I’ve got her diaper bag, I’ve got a change of clothes, her teddy-bear – oh, wait, the cooler with the milk – just a moment -’
Emma followed her friend into the kitchen.
‘I’ve just been on the phone with Georgiana,’ Elizabeth said. ‘She says she’ll save us places, just in case it gets really full before we get there.’
‘I can’t wait to see her again,’ Emma said, ‘it feels like ages.’
‘She’s thriving,’ Elizabeth said. ‘And do you know, she just told me the best of news.’
‘Do tell!’
‘Guess who’s pregnant!’
Emma thought for a moment.
‘No!’ she finally said. ‘Surely not -’
‘Oh, yes,’ Elizabeth said and grinned. ‘After all these years of saying she’ll never, ever have kids -’
‘She’s happy though about it?’
‘Thrilled,’ Elizabeth said, ‘from what Georgiana told me. And Colin no less. They’ve already started renovating the spare room. I’m going to ask her for coffee next weekend, do you want to come?’
‘Do I!’ Emma cried. ‘Of course I do. When’s it due?’
‘Christmas, so I heard,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Apparently, Caroline’s already been asked to write a column about her pregnancy, so you’ll be able to read everything about it soon enough, from the surprise at the gyno’s office to all the grisly details of her confinement.’
‘Of course,’ Emma said and grinned. ‘Does that mean that Colin will finally make an honest woman of her?’
‘Not in this life,’ Elizabeth said. ‘I think he tentatively suggested it, but she almost bit his head off at the suggestion – but I suppose Georgiana will be able to tell us more about that.’
‘And I suppose we should be off, before the kids leave without us,’ Emma said. ‘Here, let me take Emily’s bags for you -’
‘Thanks, that’s better,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Right, my mini-van or yours?’
