After dinner

Connie och Athine sitter hopkurade i en soffa i biblioteket. Athine läser mjukt ur en poesibok medan Connie sketchar. De hade övervägt att gå tillbaka till deras rum men bestämde sig för att vara tillgängliga om nån ville umgås.

Thomas stopper i døren og ser på dem. Øynene glitrer av stolthet og lykke. Høytlesingen av poesi er som å se han selv og Francis. Kanskje det er fra dem Connie har lært å like det?

Athines röst förankrar Connie i nuet och hjälper henne att varva ner. Dagen har vart så mycket känslor båda positiva och andra. Hon målar fairy dammen utanför familjens stuga i skye och drömmer sig dit. Hon lyfter blicken och ser Thomas i dörren
"Dad, why don't you come in? We are just relaxing"

Varmen sprer seg i ham når han setter seg ved siden av Connie og legger en arm rundt skuldrene hennes. "I didn't want to disturb the reading. You have a good voice for poetry, Aithne."

Connie lutar sig in mot Thomas.
"Thank you, sir. I'm glad to have such a wonderful listener as your daughter." Athine lägger i ett bokmärke och stänger boken.
"I know you do it to seduce me!" Connie skrattar
"That and making that busy mind of your relax," Athine ler ömt mot sin fästmö och trycker hennes lår.

Thomas smiler og rister på hodet. "Few things can convey feelings as poetry. My mother used to read it to me when I was a little boy. That's when I started loving it. She loved Tennyson and could read the Lady of Shalott by heart. Han er stille en stund. Moren døde da han var 20, men savnet er fremdels enormt.
Etter en stund ser han på bildet til Connie. "The Fairy Pond. That's a good picture."

"Took a while for this one to catch on." säger Athine retsamt och Connie ignorera henne.
"Thanks dad, we visited recently. I have almost forgot how beautiful it is"

"The Fairy Pond is my favourite place in the world," svarer faren. Han løfter Connies hånd for å se på ringen hennes. "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me this. I don't want you to live in secret."

Connie drar fram Athines hand och visar upp hennes ring också.
"Of course dad. Thank you for being amazing enough to making me able to trust you"

Thomas gir dem begge komplimenter for ringene.
"A word of advice from an old man. Life won't be easy for you. There are chances you will be found out and cut off from friends and others. It will be difficult. And, like it or not, all couples fight on occasion. You might say things you regret. But always talk it out. Don't go to bed angry. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir"
"Yes dad" de två kvinnorna trycker varandras händer.
"We are prepared for it. We had plenty of practices runt gossiping board girls. So far we managed to keep it under the radar."

Thomas smiler. "Good. If you are prepared for that, you are being realistic. Then you can weather anything." Han gir Connie en klem.

Connie kramar tillbaka