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Chapter 35
Over the next months, Laura’s stomach thrust itself out, sure of itself, preparing for baby Thompson. Marta rejoiced in every second. She helped the cook prepare special meals, always sat beside Laura when she was sick, and spent as much time with her as possible, when she wasn’t busy preparing for her own wedding. This, of course, was something that Laura also helped her with.
“I’ll never look the way you did on your wedding day. So beautiful. So vibrant. So ready for the baby you’d already created. It’s as though your day had a bigger purpose than mine ever could,” Marta told Laura.
“Don’t be foolish,” Laura said. She chuckled. “Baldwin looks at you as though you’re the sun itself. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.”
Now, when they spoke German, they did it with harsher syllables and more rejoicing. It was such a rare thing, something they knew was their own. They loved speaking it in the village, forcing everyone to cast their eyes in their direction with confusion. It felt a bit like their trick.
When they searched for Marta’s wedding dress, Laura was about five months pregnant and walked continually with her hands at the base of her back. “This baby had better understand all the horror I’m going through for his life,” Laura said, leaning against the wall at the dressmaker’s. “I cannot imagine that all the people in the world are a result of this pain.”
Although they spoke in German, the dressmaker seemed to understand what they spoke of. “I thought I’d never give birth to the thing. Now, he’s of course grown and in love, with fresh opinions of his own. But when he protruded from my own body? I thought it was monstrous.”
Laura and Marta exchanged glances and laughed. The dressmaker smacked her hand across her mouth and then said, “Oh, goodness me. I didn’t mean to utter such a ridiculous thing. My husband is always telling me to keep my trap shut.”
“Don’t worry yourself. In our family, we appreciate honesty far more than anything else,” Marta said.
“You must not be English, then,” the dressmaker said, catching the accent. “In England, we’re far more eager to avoid the truth, so long as nobody is hurt.”
“And yet, in our experience, that always leads to far more trouble,” Laura affirmed.
“You’re much wiser than I,” the dressmaker said. “Which means your children will carry that wisdom forward and craft a much better England for all of us.”
“I hope you’re right,” Marta whispered.
**
Marta and Baldwin were married the day after his twenty-sixth birthday, as planned, in the very cathedral where Laura and Ewan had said their vows. Marta stood before him beneath that mighty ceiling, her blue eyes heavy with tears, as Baldwin pledged his life to her. With each thud of her heart, she felt the weight of her own words, pledging herself back.
Her father and mother had come to England for the occasion, a fact that had surprised her. At the wedding breakfast, she fell into a heartfelt hug with her father, who told her in German that he’d never been more proud of her. Her mother’s face was a bit stony, strange. Marta stood before her, contemplating what she was meant to say first. After all, they’d hardly spoken since her mother had “banned” her to England.
Of course, her mother started off on the wrong foot.
“I dare say I knew this would be appropriate for you,” she said, her gaze stony.
“Whatever do you mean, Mother?” Marta asked, although she knew precisely what she meant.
“I knew that you would come to England and meet the man you wanted to spend the rest of your life with,” her mother said.
“Must you always tell everyone how correct you are?” Marta returned.
Her mother’s eyes bugged out. Baldwin stepped forward, grinning broadly. He gripped Marta’s hand hard, an assurance that she was all right—there was nothing to fear or grow angry about.
“I believe what your mother is trying to say is,” her father interjected. He glanced down at her mother, hesitant. His English wasn’t so good, and he seemed to stutter a bit, looking for the words.
How was it they’d been married for so many years? How was it they could hardly communicate?
“I believe she wants to tell you how proud she is. And how grateful she is to Baldwin for choosing to build a life with you,” her father said, his words delicate.
“Choosing to build a life with me,” Marta said contemplatively.
“I couldn’t have chosen anyone else,” Baldwin admitted. “She changed everything the moment I saw her.”
“You’ll visit us, won’t you?” her mother said suddenly.
Marta was shocked at the sudden question. It had seemed clear that her mother wanted nothing to do with her, that she wanted to rid herself of her, thrust her back to England.
Now, she saw how much her mother missed her.
