Rites of Spring

55

It is gone ten o’clock at night when Thea pulls up outside the castle. Two cars are parked by the stone steps – Nettan’s and Sebastian’s. Thea’s head is empty, she feels completely flat and doesn’t want to talk to anyone.

Emee is restless after the long drive, so she takes her for a walk, following the path to the castle garden as usual. There are lights on in the dining room, and one of the doors leading onto the terrace is wide open. She can hear the sound of angry voices, and can’t help edging closer. She creeps up the steps, trying to keep both herself and Emee in the shadows.

All three of them are sitting around a table crowded with wine bottles, plates and glasses, but the atmosphere is far from festive. David is red-faced, gesticulating wildly. Sebastian is leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped in front of him. Nettan’s expression is determined.

Thea moves a little nearer to the open door.

‘You can’t go on like this,’ Nettan says. ‘Sebastian and I are not made of money. We have a budget, and we expect you to stick to it.’

‘Fuck the budget! If we want a top-class restaurant, then it’s going to cost. We’re aiming for a Michelin star within three years.’

‘That’s what you’re aiming for, David. Sebastian and I were perfectly happy with the original plan, which had a realistic chance of turning a profit. This . . .’ She points to something on the table, presumably a document or drawing. ‘This is a daydream. A fucking utopia that we’re not prepared to pay for.’

‘Take it easy, Nettan . . .’ Sebastian ventures.

‘I’m trying to do something good for the area. Give back.’ David waves his arms, just as he always does when he’s on the defensive.

‘Bullshit! You’re only thinking of yourself.’ Nettan is slurring her words.

‘That’s rich, coming from you! You took off for Switzerland with a week’s notice, for fuck’s sake! We hardly had time to say goodbye!’

‘We were seventeen. We weren’t even together anymore.’

‘Calm down, both of you!’ Sebastian gets to his feet. ‘Can we please stick to the matter in hand? We’re worried about the budget, David. Costs are spiralling, and you’re still making changes without consulting us. You seem to assume that we’ll be happy to pay for them.’

‘You mean you can’t afford it?’ David gives a mirthless laugh. ‘How many millions is your company worth? A hundred?’

‘That’s irrelevant. We agreed to finance the restaurant for old times’ sake, because we were friends, but we can’t carry on pouring money into something that isn’t going to make a profit. This isn’t a charity project.’

‘Charity!’ David hisses. ‘Thirtieth of April 1986 – do you remember that date? What we went through together on that terrible night?’

‘Shut the fuck up!’ Nettan leaps up from her chair. ‘You promised you’d never bring that up again! You promised . . .’ Her voice gives way.

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean . . .’ Now David is on his feet too, suddenly looking regretful. The three friends stand there staring at one another.

‘I should never have agreed to any of this,’ Nettan says quietly. ‘Maybe I thought that the castle and the restaurant would somehow put things right, help us.’ She spreads her arms wide. ‘But we’re fucked, aren’t we? Elita’s ghost will always haunt us.’

She turns on her heel and weaves her way towards the door.

‘Wait, Nettan!’ David follows her. Sebastian remains at the table. He picks up his wine glass and unexpectedly glances over at the window.

Thea steps back, but it’s too late. Sebastian has already seen her. He stiffens, stares at her for a moment, then raises his glass in a toast. He empties it and follows the others out of the dining room.

Thea leads Emee down the terrace steps. The new moon hangs above the forest, its reflection just visible in the moat. There are no lights on in Hubert’s apartment, but she sees a movement behind the curtains at one of the library windows.

She stops. The window is ajar, offering an excellent view of the terrace and dining room. Has Hubert seen her eavesdropping? Probably, but for some reason she thinks he was there because he was every bit as interested in the conversation in the dining room as she was.