spell. Helena stopped singing and old Maud got hold of her and brought her back to her father and they held her hands between them, and Antony had to drop back out of the way. I remember then feeling right sorry for him, pushed back, and no one to hold his hand when he were crying like. Weird it was, I can tell you.’
‘Antony’s never told me this.’
‘Reckon he’s tried to forget it, the way it was for him.’
Lily was stunned, picturing the scene, after having been so close to Helena and Antony that afternoon. And the lilies. And the coffin cart, all covered in flowers. What else did her father know, his link to this strange family going back so far … or, perhaps, not so far, in reality, twenty years or so? He had had a wife then. Was her mother alive then, to attend this funeral?
‘She stayed at home, to look after you. And she were big in her pregnancy then with Squashy. A couple o’ months after, she were gone too. And another funeral.’
Lily’s mother was buried in the village churchyard under a simple stone, not far from the grand, angel-embellishedtomb of Antony’s mother. Lily went there often, with wild flowers for her mother, crushed into a jam jar. Poor Mrs Sylvester, after the first few months, no longer had flowers. Antony said she didn’t need them: ‘She’s got angels, much better than flowers.’ But Lily didn’t think so. Flowers, often, meant you remembered. Not that Lily could recall her mother very well now, save as a quiet, comfortable sort of person and a good cook, nice for her father to come home to. Perhaps, if she had lived, she – Lily – might have been pushed to one side, like Antony, in favour of the more needy sibling.
‘Did she have the farm cart and the farm horses too?’
‘Yes, she did. Mr Sylvester was very kind, and also paid for the food and drink.’
Lily was sad that she had not been able to provide her father with such good care as her mother had. She did her best, but she couldn’t help being a rowdy, untidy, slap-dash sort of girl. At least she had a lot of energy and managed to keep things going, as well as work quite hard for a living. She wasn’t a droopy useless thing like some of the girls, Melanie Marsden for example. And her father rarely complained and actually, every now and then, called her a good girl. He was very forbearing.
‘Is Mummy coming back?’ Squashy asked.
‘No, not ever. She’s gone to heaven,’ Lily said.
‘What’s it like up there?’
‘Very nice. She’s very happy. If you’re good you’ll go there one day.’
Squashy wasn’t impressed. ‘I’d rather go to Guildford.’
Lily cleared away the dishes and took hot water from the range to wash up. Her father went out to water the young cabbages and Squashy went out with his catapult to try and kill something. So far he had had no success.
SEPTEMBER, 1921
8
Just before he went back to school Antony talked to Lily about the parachute he had acquired along with his aeroplane. He seemed to be fascinated by the thought of flying high and jumping out to float serenely down to earth.
‘It must be a terrific feeling. I would love to do it. I’ve asked around at Brooklands if someone would take me up so that I can try it, but no one would. They all say these chutes work so well it’s as safe as houses, but they won’t let me try. I think they’re scared of my father. I tell them he need never know, but they won’t.’
He had never taken Lily up again, much to her disappointment. Simon and John were forbidden, but Cedric enjoyed it and went up a few times. Lily knew though that Antony found Cedric boring with his obsession of spying on all the neighbouring farms. If he had taught her to fly too she could take him up and he could jump out with his parachute. She pointed this out to him, but he laughed her to scorn.
‘Teach you to fly! You’re mad, Lily! That’s why I like you so.But, for a treat, I could take you up and you could jump out with the parachute
‘Antony’s never told me this.’
‘Reckon he’s tried to forget it, the way it was for him.’
Lily was stunned, picturing the scene, after having been so close to Helena and Antony that afternoon. And the lilies. And the coffin cart, all covered in flowers. What else did her father know, his link to this strange family going back so far … or, perhaps, not so far, in reality, twenty years or so? He had had a wife then. Was her mother alive then, to attend this funeral?
‘She stayed at home, to look after you. And she were big in her pregnancy then with Squashy. A couple o’ months after, she were gone too. And another funeral.’
Lily’s mother was buried in the village churchyard under a simple stone, not far from the grand, angel-embellishedtomb of Antony’s mother. Lily went there often, with wild flowers for her mother, crushed into a jam jar. Poor Mrs Sylvester, after the first few months, no longer had flowers. Antony said she didn’t need them: ‘She’s got angels, much better than flowers.’ But Lily didn’t think so. Flowers, often, meant you remembered. Not that Lily could recall her mother very well now, save as a quiet, comfortable sort of person and a good cook, nice for her father to come home to. Perhaps, if she had lived, she – Lily – might have been pushed to one side, like Antony, in favour of the more needy sibling.
‘Did she have the farm cart and the farm horses too?’
‘Yes, she did. Mr Sylvester was very kind, and also paid for the food and drink.’
Lily was sad that she had not been able to provide her father with such good care as her mother had. She did her best, but she couldn’t help being a rowdy, untidy, slap-dash sort of girl. At least she had a lot of energy and managed to keep things going, as well as work quite hard for a living. She wasn’t a droopy useless thing like some of the girls, Melanie Marsden for example. And her father rarely complained and actually, every now and then, called her a good girl. He was very forbearing.
‘Is Mummy coming back?’ Squashy asked.
‘No, not ever. She’s gone to heaven,’ Lily said.
‘What’s it like up there?’
‘Very nice. She’s very happy. If you’re good you’ll go there one day.’
Squashy wasn’t impressed. ‘I’d rather go to Guildford.’
Lily cleared away the dishes and took hot water from the range to wash up. Her father went out to water the young cabbages and Squashy went out with his catapult to try and kill something. So far he had had no success.
SEPTEMBER, 1921
8
Just before he went back to school Antony talked to Lily about the parachute he had acquired along with his aeroplane. He seemed to be fascinated by the thought of flying high and jumping out to float serenely down to earth.
‘It must be a terrific feeling. I would love to do it. I’ve asked around at Brooklands if someone would take me up so that I can try it, but no one would. They all say these chutes work so well it’s as safe as houses, but they won’t let me try. I think they’re scared of my father. I tell them he need never know, but they won’t.’
He had never taken Lily up again, much to her disappointment. Simon and John were forbidden, but Cedric enjoyed it and went up a few times. Lily knew though that Antony found Cedric boring with his obsession of spying on all the neighbouring farms. If he had taught her to fly too she could take him up and he could jump out with his parachute. She pointed this out to him, but he laughed her to scorn.
‘Teach you to fly! You’re mad, Lily! That’s why I like you so.But, for a treat, I could take you up and you could jump out with the parachute
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