Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Everyone is gathered around the table. A vast amount of food has been eaten and all that remains are the dregs of a custard jug and the last neglected crumbs from a vast blackberry tart.

Everyone is here. A special occasion made up not of a birthday, or an anniversary, or a festival, but simply of friends getting together to enjoy each other’s company.

All the farmhands, with the wives and girlfriends are here. Mrs Collier, of course, heads the table. But Mr Kalkowski sits to one side of her. Chad’s parents are here too.

And sitting together, under the tabletop, Chad squeezes Jenny’s hand.

He gives a nudge. “Now you think? They’ve all finished eating. I don’t think they’re going to move again for a while with that lot inside them.”

She bites down on her excitement. “Mmmm, yes.”

Chad rises from his seat. “Um, ‘S’cuse me, everyone.”

The chatter dies down, everyone turning curiously towards him.

“Sorry to interrupt you all….”

He is nervous, unused to speaking to so many at once. “…. Since everyone’s here together tonight, I wanted to make an announcement.”

He looks down at Jenny. Her eyes, the green of spring grass as it sways in the breeze, shine up at him, and of a sudden, his nerves evaporate.

“…. Or really, Jenny and I wanted to make an announcement.” Chad’s mother and father exchange a knowing glance. “I…. we wanted to tell you all that I have asked Jenny to marry me, and she has said, Yes.”

The room erupts into clapping and congratulations. Mrs Collier rises smoothly from her seat. “Brett, come down to the cellars with me. I think we’ll bring up some of that gooseberry champagne from last year.”

Mr Bennett gives her hug. Then Mrs Bennett. “Thank you, Jenny. I know you’ll make Chad very happy.”

Nathaniel, with a broad grin, kisses her soundly on the lips. “Congratulations, Jenny. Don’t mind if I kiss the bride-to-be, do you, Chad?”

Diane pats at the bump on her belly. “Won’t be long before you have one of these too then, eh, Jenny?”

Jenny blinks and doesn’t know what to say. But she is saved from embarrassment by the return of Mrs Collier and Brett, carrying arm-loads of thick-walled bottles, corked and wired. The first cork eases out, then pops. Pale yellow foam splashes out and the first flute is pressed into Chad’s hand, the second into Jenny’s.

Mr and Mrs Bennett are clinking their glasses. Everyone is laughing and joking and drinking.

Almost everyone.

Sitting in his chair, Mr Kalkowski sips at his wine, looking thoughtful. Then, seeing Jenny watching, he raises his glass, tugging his mouth into a smile. “Congratulations, Jenny.”

*****

The sound of chatter and giggling drifts across the yard.

Mr Kalkowski glances upwards, one eyebrow raising. “Don’t you normally get those two down from the haybarn?”

Mrs Collier sniffs. “It’s different now, isn’t it. Two young people, going to get married. They need to….

get to know each other properly.”

“Eleanor, what if…?” His voice trails away.

“Levi, she would hardly be the first girl to walk down the aisle, then achieve in seven months what takes cows and duchesses nine. If they’re getting married, what does it matter?”

He scrapes in the dust with the tip of his walking stick.

“Levi, what’s bothering you? The two of them have been good friends ever since she arrived here.

What’s more natural than that they marry?”

“I’m not at all sure about this, Eleanor. I’m very fond of Jenny. Of both of them, of course, but particularly of Jenny. I don’t want to see her making a mistake.”

Hands on hips, she huffs. “What mistake? They obviously love each other. They’re never apart. How could it be a mistake?”

“It’s really not for me to speculate, Eleanor.”

“Then don’t,” she snaps. “Just be happy for them.”

*****

“Mr Kalkowski?”

“Yes, Jenny.”

“We’ve set a date now, for the wedding, in the Spring, in May. Mr and Mrs Bennett said that would be a good month because the weather’s so lovely.”

The old man keeps his voice neutral. “May is indeed a lovely month, Jenny.”

“The thing is, you’re invited of course, but….”

“But what Jenny?”

“Well, I don’t have anyone, a father or a brother or anything. Would you give me away?”

His eyes swim ,and he makes a pretence of cleaning his spectacles on a handkerchief. When he doesn’t answer, Jenny sags. “Don’t you want to give me away? I was hoping so much that you would.”

He recovers himself, then swallows hard. “Yes, of course, Jenny. It would be my honour.”

*****

“Ah, Jenny. You have seen our new equipment?”

“I have, Mr Kalkowski. It’s great. Thank you.”

“It is of course for general use by all pupils of the school, but I imagine that you will use it more than most.”

“I’m sure I will, sir.”

“Now, on a related matter, Jenny, Chad informs me that you would like to enter the Inter-Schools Boxing Championships?”

She flushes. “Um, I’m not sure I’m good enough. It was Chad’s idea.”

“The way to discover if you are good enough, is to try. And while the idea may come from Chad, the question is, do you want to do it? Yes? No?” He tilts up her chin with a finger, eyes twinkling behind his spectacles as he looks down at her.

“I don’t want to be any trouble.”

“You will not be any trouble, Jennifer. If this is something you would like to do, then I will make the arrangements for you.”

“I’d love to try.”

“That is settled then. I shall fill out the application form to enter you for the girls’ section and we shall see what we shall see. Yes, no?”

The tall, slender teenager, long hair swinging around her waist, exits the headmaster’s office with a beaming smile.

Chad is waiting outside for her. “We gonna have a go on that new punch-bag then?”

“You bet! But aren’t you going to enter the competition yourself?”

“Nah, not my thing. I just learned to box so I could handle dorks like Jack.”

“Will you come to watch?”

“Course I will. I'm your trainer,” he says proudly. “Where else would I be?”

*****