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“I have a list of video games I want,” he suggested hopefully. “And a chart with minerals I’d like to have.”
“Minerals?” Brooke made the word sound like it tasted bad in her mouth. “What kind of minerals?”
“Rare rocks is what they are, Mum. I’d like specimens of quartz crystals and iron pyrites. And malachite. A fire agate. Oh, and I’d love a few geodes...”
“Rocks. You want rocks.”
“Yes, and the video games. That’s really all I’m needing. Please.”
She waved her hands. Both of them. “Of course you’ll have your video games. And the rocks, too, as many as you want. But there will be a party and it will be spectacular. We’ll have a magician, a waterslide, paintball out on the old archery field. We’ll have all your friends from the village. And Dennis and Dexter...”
Now Geoffrey was looking as though he might cry. “Not the Terrible Twins. Please, Mum.”
“Don’t call them that. That’s just rude. And of course they’re coming. Fiona says they can’t wait to see you.”
“Mum. They hate me. When no one is looking, they trip me and poke me and push me down.”
“Stop, stop.” Brooke put her hands over her ears like the spoiled child she was. “I don’t want to hear it. La, la, la. You know it’s not true.”
It was like watching a train wreck. Genny, Rafe and Eloise never knew how to stop it before the collision became inevitable.
That night, Eloise was the one who tried. “Brooke, dear, I thought the plan was to keep it small and—”
Brooke didn’t even let her finish. “Stay out of it, Granny.”
And Geoffrey cried out, “Yes! What Great-Granny said. I don’t want a lot of people. I go to school with a lot of people. When I come home to Hartmore and have my birthday, I want it to be just us.”
“Well, it’s not going to be just us and you’d better get used to it. I’m giving you a fabulous, unforgettable birthday party and that’s the end of it.”
“But I don’t want one!” Geoffrey shouted.
At which Brooke jumped up and waved her hands about frantically. “That’s it. That just cuts it. You’ve shouted at me. I mean it, Geoffrey. You’re giving me fits. It’s all for you and you don’t even want it—and I... Oh, well, I just can’t take it anymore.” And with that, she burst into tears and ran from the room.
Geoffrey watched her go with a look of abject misery on his face.
After a minute, Eloise stood and said what she always said whenever Brooke ran off in tears. “I’ll just go and have a word with her.”
But then Geoffrey delivered the shocker. “No, Great-Granny. Please sit down.”
His calmly uttered request was such a surprise to Eloise, she sank back to her chair without a word.
And he said so seriously, “I’ve been thinking a lot, about me and Mum and the way it always goes with us. I don’t want it to be like that anymore and I mean to do better, I really do. But she just...” He stopped himself, swallowed hard. “No. What I want to say is that I will do better.” He pushed back his chair. “So I will go and talk to her and make her stop crying. And we’ll have the party, and everything will be...” He seemed not to know how to go on from there.
Rafe said gingerly, “Geoffrey, if you don’t want the party—”
Geoffrey put up his little hand. “No. Uncle Rafe, I mean it. She surprised me is all. And the party will be fine. I will enjoy it very much, I’m sure.” And with that, he pushed in his chair in and went to talk to his mother.
Genny stared after him, aching for him. No almost nine-year-old boy should have to be that wise.
A few minutes later, mother and son came down together.
Brooke apologized for running off like that. And then she beamed them all a dewy smile. “Geoffrey has told me he wants his party after all. So we all have something lovely to look forward to.”
* * *
In the week between Geoffrey’s arrival from school and his birthday party, things went along pretty well, Genny thought. Brooke was all wrapped up in making the final arrangements for the big celebration.
Geoffrey was sweet and open, as always. And he seemed so happy to be home. He went riding with Rafe and he spent time in the gardens with Genny and Eloise.
By the end of the day Thursday, the giant waterslide had been set up not far from the lake and the archery field was ready for paintball. The magician would put on his show on the family side of the terrace. There was a candy-floss machine and one for popcorn, too. The East Terrace was done up in a carnival theme. The children would bring clean clothes for the magic show and the food and cake. Before that, they could get wonderfully wet and messy on the waterslide, in the aboveground pool Brooke had had erected nearby, and in the archery field playing paintball.
