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‘She’s good. Having the dog has helped, although her promise to walk her has waned now the weather’s gone wet and cold. It’s been left to me.’
‘And how have you all been coping? You said your father died about this time of year.’
‘Well remembered. You don’t forget much, do you?’
‘Not about people. Try me on paying the gas bill or taking a parcel to the post office and that’s a different story.’ She grimaced.
‘I think Merryn is doing well, although I’m not sure what will happen on Christmas Eve. It’s when Dad died.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Verity said, obviously shocked. ‘A death is hard at the best of times, but Christmas and all the reminders are almost impossible to avoid. It must be very hard.’
‘She’s full of her new bestie Holly. The Carmichaels have a big house on the edge of town, and they have horses and dachshund puppies.’
‘What a friend to have. Horsesandpuppies.’
Jago laughed. ‘They’re great buddies. We’ve done just about everything Christmassy Lullbury Bay can throw at us, so she’s been kept busy. She had a starring role in the school nativity, and she’s begun quoting Shakespeare.’
‘Oh my!’
‘Exactly. Mum and I don’t know how she does it, but she can reel off great long quotes. Dad gave her a dictionary of quotations for her birthday.’ Jago shot Verity a look. ‘It was his last present to her. She nagged him relentlessly for one and I think she’s been memorising it now school’s finished for the term. Not sure how much she understands but her memory is pretty impressive.’
‘I’ll say. It’s a talent and a half.’ Verity met his look. ‘Perhaps it’s a link to him?’ she suggested kindly.
‘Maybe. Although, if you’d known my dad, he wouldn’t strike you as a Shakespeare fan, because he wasn’t.’
‘Must be the physical book then. It’s a connection to him.’ Verity sipped her coffee thoughtfully. ‘Has she had any counselling?’
‘Some. It was organised through her school but it ended up being counterproductive.’
‘How so?’
‘Mum and I weren’t happy about how the school handled it. Merryn became known as the girl whose father had,’ he put his mug down and used his fingers to make speech marks, ‘“died in tragic circumstances”. There was a lot of stuff in the media when it happened and we felt the school wasn’t very discreet in how they dealt with it. When she returned in the January term there was the beginning of some bullying. Merryn’s always been a little different anyway. Her notoriety was something else they could pick on. The school had an enormous intake and Merryn was getting lost in it all. It was another reason we wanted to relocate.’
‘I see. Well, St Winifred’s has an excellent reputation for pastoral care and it’s small enough to have a family feel. Is she happier there?’
‘Seems to be so far. We’d been getting outbursts of anger, sullenness. She even lost her appetite,’ Jago laughed a little, ‘which isn’t like Merryn at all. She’s still clingy and she still wants to get into Mum’s bed sometimes, but she’s happier. More like herself.’ He paused and blew out a breath. ‘She doesn’t talk about Dad though, which worries me.’
‘Maybe it will happen in time.’
‘Yeah. Hope so. It might be our fault. We try to talk about Dad at home but we made the decision not to make a huge deal of being bereaved when we came here. We didn’t want to tell anyone. It meant Merryn, and us too, could have a fresh start.’
‘I see. But, Jago, her school records will catch up with her at some point and everyone will find out then. The teachers at school are very discreet though. They’ll take their lead from you and your mother.’ Verity reached round and offered Jago a biscuit. ‘I’m not sure how all the record-keeping is done these days. I’m surprised it’s not all online.’ She frowned. ‘I seem to remember when I taught and a child joined the class, I’d get a big card folder of stuff. Examples of work, test results, any notes of things I should be aware of, that sort of thing. I suppose it’s possible it’s still done that way.’
Jago crunched into his biscuit. ‘I’ve no idea, but we were surprised St Winifred’s hasn’t been in touch about Dad dying. So, maybe you’re right, the paperwork hasn’t reached Dorset yet. And we haven’t said anything. At least it’s meant Merryn could start a new school and just be her, not the child who lost her father in a terrible tragedy.’
‘I think it might be wise to tell school at some point, so they know how best to support her and, if you do want some grief counselling for her, there’s a super group which meets in Dorchester. It’s a charity which gets children who have lost parents together. Sometimes only children who have been through the same thing are the ones who understand properly.’
‘Thanks Verity. I’ll mention it to Mum. Maybe get something organised in the new year. It’s too near Christmas to do anything before then.’
‘And your mother? How’s she doing?’
‘She has her moments. Seems to spend all her time with the Knit and Natter group.’
‘No bad thing. They’re good-hearted people and you can do a lot of therapeutic talking in the company of a group of women knitting.’ She leaned forward and looked at him intently. ‘And you, Jago, how areyou?’
CHAPTER21
‘LITTLE THINGS’ – ABBA
