Meet Me Under The Ombu Tree

by Santa Montefiore

  ‘We’re the Three Wise Men, sweetie,’ said Maggie. ‘Bearing gifts to give the new Messiah. Though it appears we’re not the first,’ she added, looking at the bouquets and gifts that were scattered about the room.

  ‘There are four of you,’ pointed out Sofia.

  ‘No, Marcello doesn’t count. He’s barely there at the best of times,’ she replied.

  ‘We’re here to pamper Mummy,’ Anton declared, brushing her hair. ‘I don’t know what it’s like giving birth, duckie, but I once saw a documentary on telly and it nearly did me in.’

  ‘Anton, I don’t know why you care - you’ll never have to go through it,’ Sofia said contentedly, watching the pieces of dark hair fall about her like feathers.

  ‘Thank God - can you imagine all that screaming and wailing,’ Maggie joked pulling out a purple varnish. ‘If men had babies, even half-men like Anton, the preciousness would be intolerable. Not to mention the noise. Let’s hope science never advances that far, at least not in my lifetime.’

  ‘Not purple, Maggie, what about a pale pink?’ Sofia said.

  ‘Natural?’ Maggie squirmed, appalled.

  ‘Yes, please. I’m a mother now,’ Sofia replied proudly.

  That’ll wear off after a while, that new mother business. After a few weeks of screaming you’ll want to shove her right back again. I know because Lucien drove me to distraction. I almost served him up with the Sunday roast. Believe me, you’ll be gasping for your old independence, sweetie. As soon as you want purple nails and green hair, Anton and I will be ready, won’t we, Anton?’

  ‘We certainly will, Maggie. People are so dull these days, all they want are highlights. Highlights! What’s exciting about highlights?

  ‘So how are you, sweetie? Bruised, I imagine. I’m surprised you can sit down.’ Maggie grimaced. ‘I still haven’t recovered from having Lucien over twenty years ago. The body never goes back, sweetie. That’s the sadness. Viv worshipped me for my body until I had Lucien. Then he started looking around for someone firmer and tighter in all the right places. They say you’re like a rubber band and spring back into shape. Well, it never happened to me. There’s nothing rubber about my body. I used to be able to touch my toes but now I can’t even see them, I wouldn’t know where they were. I put that down to childbirth. Yes, I blame Eve. If it had been that coward Adam who had eaten the apple from God’s tree we wouldn’t be fat and flabby now, would we?’

  ‘Speak for yourself, Maggie. Sofia’s in perfect shape,’ said Daisy, smiling

  broadly at her friend. ‘How do you feel? Is it really as bad as Maggie says?’

  ‘Maggie always exaggerates,’ she said, grinning at Maggie. ‘It was very easy, actually. David’s hand is a bit sore, mind you, but apart from that he’s very happy and proud. So am I.’

  ‘Where is the lovely David?’ said Anton fruitily. ‘I’ve always had a bit of a warm spot for hubby.’ He glanced at Marcello who hadn’t moved since he arrived.

  ‘He’ll be back later. Poor thing, he’s shattered,’ Sofia replied.

  ‘She’s so sweet,’ enthused Daisy, peering again into the cot. ‘She’s like a little mouse.’

  ‘Darling, you shouldn’t call her a mouse. Mothers always think their babies are beautiful,’ said Maggie in reproof. ‘I thought Lucien was beautiful until he grew up.’

  ‘If you’re going to use an animal try to be a little more imaginative, duckie. Mouse is very run of the mill,’ said Anton, standing back to admire his handiwork.

  At that moment the door swung open. Elizabeth Harrison stood in the doorway. Her hooded eyes darted about the room searching the strange faces for

  Sofia, her scraggy neck wobbling like a turkey’s from beneath her determined chin.

  ‘Is this Mrs Harrison’s room?’ she barked. ‘And who are all these people?’ Sofia glanced at Maggie who was blowing her nails dry.

  ‘It’s the wicked witch of the North,’ she hissed.

  Maggie looked up. ‘Are you sure? Looks more like one of Anton’s friends in drag.’

  ‘I’ve come to see my grandchild,’ the woman said without acknowledging her daughter-in-law. She hobbled angrily across the room. ‘This is a hospital, not some ghastly salon.’ She sniffed censoriously.

  ‘You could do with a haircut, duckie,’ said Anton, sucking in his cheeks as she passed him. ‘You know that look is very passe, it shows your age.’

  ‘Good God, who are you?’ She recoiled. ‘Who are these people?’

  ‘They’re my friends, Elizabeth. Anton, Daisy, Maggie and . . . well, ignore Marcello, he doesn’t want to be talked to, just admired,’ she said and giggled under her breath. This is my motherin-law, Elizabeth Harrison.’

  Elizabeth shuffled past Marcello, putting as much distance between his chair and her person as was humanly possible in such a small room. She bent

  over the cot. ‘What is it?7

  ‘She’s a little girl,7 replied Sofia, pulling the cot towards her protectively. She didn’t want her motherin-law getting too close, she might give the child bad luck.

  ‘Name?7

  ‘Honor,7 Sofia beamed jubilantly.

  ‘Honor?7 Elizabeth said crossly. ‘What a ghastly name. Honor indeed.7

  ‘It’s a beautiful name. We’ve called her Honor in honour of David’s grandmother, your late motherin-law. He was very fond of her, he tells me.7

  ‘Honor’s the name of an actress, or a singer, don’t you think Anton?7 Maggie said naughtily.

  ‘Certainly a performer, Maggie,7 Anton added for good measure.

  ‘Where’s David?7 Mrs Harrison demanded.

  ‘Out,7 Sofia replied coldly. He probably knew you were coming, you horrid, smelly old trout, she thought to herself.

  ‘Well, tell him I came,7 she said before resting her bulging eyes on Sofia. She looked her over thoughtfully. ‘David’s my only son,7 she told her in a deep voice that croaked due to the mucus in her lungs. ‘And this child is my only grandchild. I would have preferred him to marry someone from his own country and class. Ariella was perfect, only David couldn’t see that, the fool - just like his father. But you have given him a child. I would have preferred a boy, but you will have a boy next time, to carry his name on. I don’t like you and I like your friends even less. But you have given my son a child so you have something in your favour at least. Tell David I came,’ she repeated before leaving the room. Then as they were about to erupt into a vicious commentary the door swung open and she reappeared in the doorway.

  ‘Oops, she’s forgotten her broomstick!’ Anton said.

  ‘Or forgotten to cast a spell,’ Sofia added.

  ‘You may also tell David that I will not call the child Honor. He’ll have to think of something else.’ Then the door closed and she was gone.

  ‘What a pleasant woman,’ Daisy said sarcastically.

  ‘What I could do with her hair,’ Anton tut tutted.

  ‘I wouldn’t bother, sweetie,’ said Maggie, ‘she’ll be dead before too long.’ Then to everyone’s surprise Marcello moved.

  ‘Porca miseria!’ he said languorously. ‘She’s been dead for years.’

  When David arrived later that afternoon, Sofia was breastfeeding. He stood at the end of the bed and watched her. They smiled at each other in silent understanding. There were no words to adequately express David’s awe of the power of nature and he didn’t want to spoil the moment by bringing such a scene down to earth with commonplace syllables. So he stood, his expression tender, almost melancholic, and watched the mysterious bond between mother and child. Sofia gazed into the face of her baby enjoying every movement she made, marvelling at the exquisite perfection of her features.

  When Honor had finished feeding, Sofia wrapped her tightly in her muslin and placed her gently back in her cot to sleep. ‘I can hardly bear to put her down,’ she murmured, running a finger over her baby’s velvet head.

  ‘I have some surprising news,’ David said, sitting on the side of the bed and kissing her.

/>   ‘So do I,’ replied Sofia. ‘But you first.’

  ‘Well, you’re never going to believe this. Zaza has left Tony and run off to Provence with Ariella.’

  ‘You’re right - I don’t believe it!’ gasped Sofia, astounded. ‘You know, I did overhear Tony and Zaza arguing in their room last weekend, but I didn’t really understand what they were talking about. Now it all fits into place. Are you sure?’

  Tony just called and told me.’

  ‘What did he say?’

  ‘That they had run off together. He said she’d be back within the month when Ariella had moved on to something else to divert her.'

  ‘Was he angry?’

  ‘No. Not angry, more like irritated. He says Angela’s appalled and furious that her mother has outdone her. She’s declared that she’s not really in love with Mandy - she never was, apparently. In fact, she’s in love with a boy called Charlie. Eddie, on the contrary, appears to have taken it in his stride.’

  ‘That doesn’t surprise me much,’ said Sofia.

  ‘Anyway, Tony says he doesn’t mind her running off to experiment. He’ll be there to pick up the pieces when it all goes wrong, which inevitably it will. Amelia's just playing with her for her amusement. Like a sly white cat with a big, juicy mouse. This must be giving her a lot of pleasure. She never did much care for Zaza.’

  ‘Do you think they’ll get in touch?’ asked Sofia, dying to hear more.

  ‘Absolutely. They’ll want to congratulate you. So what is your news?’ he asked, taking her hand and stroking it.

  The motherin-law from Hell showed up here this morning,’ she said.

  ‘Oh,’ replied David warily.

  ‘Guess who was here when she came?’ Sofia asked, grinning mischievously.

  ‘I don’t know-who?’

  ‘Anton, Maggie, Marcello and Daisy.’

  ‘Oh God!’ He sighed. ‘She must have been horrified.’

  ‘She was. She says she doesn’t like the name Honor so you’ll have to think of something else, as if I don’t have any say in the matter.’

  ‘According to her, you don’t.’

  ‘We scared her off, I think.’

  ‘Don’t worry. Leave her to me,’ said David, resigned to the fact that he would now have to call his mother to fight another trivial battle in their ongoing war. A silly war bred from her inability to control him and nurtured by a growing bitterness that ate away at her spirit like an insatiable phantom. A war that would see an end only with her death. He imagined his poor father trembling in the skies anticipating her storming up there one day like a moody black cloud to join him.

  The telephone rang.

  ‘Zaza!’ Sofia exclaimed excitedly into the receiver. David raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Darling. Well done, you! A little girl, I hear. Such a pretty name. You must be over the moon,’ enthused Zaza.

  ‘I am. We’re so happy. How are you? Where are you?’ she asked impatiently, more interested in hearing Zaza’s news than in reporting her own. She was now becoming bored with repeating the story of Honor’s birth to each friend who called.

  ‘I’m in France.’

  ‘With Ariella?’ said Sofia.

  ‘Yes. I suppose Tony’s been on the blower to David. Typical. It must be all over London by now.’ She sighed melodramatically.

  ‘No, I don’t think so. David’s very discreet,’ insisted Sofia, winking at her husband.

  ‘Oh,’ said Zaza, sounding disappointed. ‘Well, Ariella’s here and wants to talk to you. We’re having a lovely time.’ She gushed, ‘Thinking of you and your baby. Send my love to David. I can’t talk to him now, Ariella’s here.’ She

  lowered her voice. ‘You know what I mean.’

  ‘I know, I’ll tell him. Pass me over to Ariella,’ said Sofia and heard Zaza shouting for her in a voice that skipped on her name: Ari-ellaaaa!

  ‘Sofia, congratulations,’ said Ariella calmly.

  ‘What are you up to?’ asked Sofia seriously.

  ‘Oh, taking a break,’ she replied casually.

  ‘When are you going to come back?’

  ‘Once I’ve amused Alain enough to win back his attention. Then I’ll send Zaza home to Tony. She’ll be able to spice him up a bit by then, I should imagine.’ Ariella laughed lightly.

  ‘You’re wicked,’ said Sofia who was clearly amused.

  ‘Not wicked. I’m doing them both a favour. Zaza needs an adventure. Tony needs a new Zaza. Zaza needs a new Zaza, believe me.’

  ‘I should watch my back,’ laughed Sofia.

  ‘Don’t worry, you’re not my type. You’re far too clever. No, you wouldn’t be any fun at all.’

  While Sofia slept that night she dreamed. She was sitting up in her hospital

  bed talking to Ariella and Zaza who were trying to convince her to leave David and join them in Provence. She was shaking her head, laughing, saying no she wouldn’t and they were laughing too, telling her how much she would love it. Then the door swung open and in walked a woman dressed in black. She was bent and crooked, resembling a crow, and she hobbled as she walked as if she were dragging a foot behind her. She smelt, for Ariella and Zaza recoiled, holding their noses before disappearing into nowhere. Then, suddenly, the woman was reaching into the cot and grabbing her child. Sofia was screaming, holding on to Honor, desperate not to let her go. The woman was so ugly and deformed she didn’t look like a human being at all, more like a bat. She was saying. ‘You promised to give up your child. You can’t change your mind now.' Then she turned into Elizabeth Harrison, staring at her with those watery, bulbous eyes that swam about in the sockets like oysters.

  The nurse shook Sofia to wake her. She was very distressed, sweating and screaming for help. When she awoke she stared at the nurse with large, frightened eyes as she took a while to realize that she was, in fact, awake and not trapped within the nightmare.

  ‘Are you all right, Mrs Harrison? You were having a bad dream,’ the nurse

  said compassionately.

  ‘I want my husband,’ sobbed Sofia. ‘I want to go home now.’

  The following day David came to take Sofia home. Once more installed within the safe walls of Lowsley Sofia forgot about her dream and the strange witch who had tried to steal her child away. She sat by the fire with Sam and Quid wagging their thick tails, chatting happily to Hazel, the nurse, who was holding Honor in her arms, gently rocking her as she slept. David worked in the office next door and Sofia thought how pleasant it was that life had returned to normal. Then she cast her thoughts to Zaza and Tony and wondered whether life would ever be the same again for them.

  Chapter 34

  Honor crawled around the dining-room table in the furry lion costume that Sofia had bought her at Hamleys, roaring fiercely at her friend Molly who ran ahead of her, squealing in mock terror. The other children who had come for Honor’s third birthday party were in the kitchen with Sofia, clinging shyly to their mothers’ legs. But Honor wasn’t afraid of anything. She would often disappear for ages only to be found by her anxious mother, lying tummy down on the grass, studying a caterpillar or a slug that happened to inspire her curiosity. She was fascinated by everything, especially nature, and confident that if she wandered off for long enough, her mother or nanny would eventually find her.

  Today was a very special day, her mother had said. It was her birthday. She could sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and often did at other people’s birthdays, but today she wouldn't have to sing it because all her friends would sing it to her. Then she could blow out the candles, something she loved doing, and often did on other children’s cakes, much to her mother’s embarrassment as the child would disintegrate into tears and matches would have to be found in

  order to light the candles again. Today was a celebration of three years of joy that she had given Sofia and David as much as an excuse for their daughter to enjoy her own party with all her friends.

  Sofia’s heart had expanded over the past three years like the universe. Grandpa
O’Dwyer had always said that the purpose of life was to create more and more love. Sofia thought he’d be very proud of her as her heart was literally throbbing with it. She loved her daughter more with each dawn, more with each change that occurred as she grew and developed her own, very strong, personality. She’d spend long hours drawing with her, reading to her, taking her out across the fields for walks or sitting her on her small pony, Hedgehog, and leading her up and down the path which led to the woods. Honor was curious and fearless. She would carry her friend, Hoo, the blue silk hanky that David had given her, wherever she went and Hoo made her feel secure. If Hoo got lost the house had to be systematically searched until he appeared, usually behind a sofa or under a cushion, and was returned to his anxious friend who couldn’t sleep without him.

  ‘Honor!’ shouted Hazel as best she could, which wasn’t much at her age. She had arrived at Honor’s birth, hired for a month, but had ended up there for good after David and Sofia had begged her to stay on full-time. She had taken it as a compliment and agreed, having grown immensely fond of Honor and her parents in the short while she had known them.

  She had later celebrated her decision when she had met the roguish Freddie Rattray, the widower who ran the stud farm with the help of his daughter Jaynie. Sofia called him Rattie, but Hazel couldn’t bring herself to be so informal although everyone else seemed to call him Rattie as well. To her he was Freddie, but only after he had begged her not to call him Mr Rattray. That makes me sound so old,’ he had said. ‘Freddie makes me feel that at least I’m only halfway over the hill. I don’t want to see the other side for a good many years.’

  Hazel had laughed demurely, running a damp palm over her shiny white hair that was pulled into a neat bun at the nape of her neck. She seemed to spend a lot of time taking Honor down to see the horses and often accompanied Freddie when he took the child for a walk on Hedgehog. Sofia, usually quick to detect a growing affection such as theirs, was too busy watching her daughter to notice the tender looks and flirtatious laughter that resounded from the stables.