The Song House
Page 23
You haven’t read it.
Can’t. I’m sure they’re delightful. I know you worked hard. But the ink, it was washed away, some of it, and it’s all stuck together. Anyway, as I say—
Maggie considers for a moment, flicking quickly through the notebook. The pages are stiff and rippled, and on the ones which aren’t glued together, the writing – her neat, particular handwriting – is ghostly,vanished. There’ll be no burying today. But surely, she can tell him now: if she can find the words. If she can say them. And he will believe her now. Surely.
Then I must tell you, she says, taking him by the hand and leading him back up the hill, There’s something you ought to know.
On the top floor of the house, standing at the window, William is watching.
Also by Trezza Azzopardi
The Hiding Place
Remember Me
Winterton Blue
Like the
Touch of Rain
Like the touch of rain she was
On a man’s flesh and hair and eyes
When the joy of walking thus
Has taken him by surprise:
With the love of the storm he burns,
He sings, he laughs, well I know how,
But forgets when he returns
As I shall not forget her ‘Go now’.
Those two words shut a door
Between me and the blessed rain
That was never shut before
And will not open again.
Edward Thomas
acknowledgements
Many thanks to Paul Baggaley and all the team at Picador, particularly to my editor, Sam Humphreys, for her patience and belief.
I’m indebted to Derek Johns at AP Watt for his unstinting support, and to Linda Shaughnessy for her keen editorial eye. I’d like to thank Tadzio Koelb and Penelope Williams for their help with the early sections, Peter Edwards for his knowledge of wine, and crucially, Arthur Foster, who supplied me with nearly all of Kenneth’s jokes.
My love and thanks, as always, to my family, but especially to
Stephen Foster, without whom nothing gets done.
John Martyn fans will notice the allusions throughout. This book is dedicated to his memory.
First published 2010 by Picador
This electronic edition published 2010 by Picador
an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
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ISBN 978-0-330-53735-3 PDF
ISBN 978-0-330-53734-6 EPUB
Copyright © Trezza Azzopardi
The right of Trezza Azzopardi to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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