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We’ve been living together in my flat ever since the Norwegians left, and things seem to be working out pretty well. We’re neither of us in any hurry, but I think we are both hoping for a future together. Amos is a wonderful father, which considering he had no time at all to get used to the idea is pretty amazing. We argue frequently, laugh a lot, make love whenever the baby allows us to, and perhaps most importantly of all, are the best of friends. We both do a bit of teaching and Amos plays in a small jazz band. We get by.
My mother adores Malachi, and manages to ignore the fact that Amos and I aren’t married, referring to Amos as her son-in-law. Since she and my father left Applegarth to move back into their renovated home, she has been much happier. I think this is in no small part due to her chickens.
While Mum was at Applegarth, she became very attached to her feathered charges, and she’s started keeping rare breeds of chickens in the orchard. She has some pretty feather-footed bantams and some speckled Sussex hens, and some others with peculiar names which I can’t remember. She’s thinking of showing some of them, and she also sells their eggs.
‘But we don’t need the money,’ Dad objects.
‘That’s not the point,’ says Mum.
‘Then you might as well give the eggs away.’
‘That’s not the point, either.’
Mum has discovered that having a saleable skill has its own value, which has nothing to do with making money and everything to do with self-esteem. Dad, who has enough of both, wouldn’t understand.
My father still struggles with the whole baby thing. On the one hand, I know he’s proud that he was one of the first people to see Malachi, but on the other, he’s still upset at my unmarried state. However, he finds an increasing number of excuses to visit us (he’s ‘just passing’, he’s returning something I lent him, he’s planning a surprise for Mum’s birthday), and may even eventually forgive me for having a child out of wedlock. Sometimes, I hear him singing the baby tuneless little ditties when he thinks I’m not listening, and Malachi, who’s a forgiving soul, gives every appearance of enjoying them.
Other things have been happening, too. Mikey and Gavin have had their union legalised, and have bought a tiny cottage together. They appear to be blissfully happy, and Mikey still finds time to visit his new godchild. Meanwhile, Kaz and Kent appear to have sorted out their differences and seem very settled and happy, living together in the caravan. Kaz has given up pole dancing at Kent’s request, and has joined a local taxi firm, which she says she enjoys enormously (‘I get great tips, Ruth!’ I’ll bet). She hasn’t told Kent about her fling with Gary (‘you were right, Ruth’), and they have no immediate plans for the future, but I hope and believe that they’ll stay together, not least because I’m deeply fond of them both.
We keep in close touch with Applegarth, and have paid my uncles several visits. On these occasions, Blossom, who appears to consider that she’s back in charge, is almost friendly, although I suspect that she’s always relieved to see us go. Silas is fully restored to health and has recently stuffed a tortoise (‘so hard to get hold of, Ruth, a dead tortoise. And so generous of the zoo’). Eric has almost finished his work on the Ark and is already looking around for another project to take its place. But I’m glad Kent and Kaz are around to keep an eye on things, especially as my uncles aren’t getting any younger. They deserve a bit of looking after, and who better to do it than a newly-discovered son? Lazzo goes round most days to help. He loves Applegarth and the animals, and seems to ask for nothing more (although I’m still planning the promised visit to London Zoo).
And the Virgin of the hen house? I’m afraid the news there isn’t so good, due to a recent incident involving a new initiative and a wild boar.
Eric, inspired by his researches into pig varieties, took it into his head to put Sarah to a wild boar instead of her usual mate.
‘Nice gamey meat,’ he explained. ‘And the piglets will be so interesting.’
Now, Sarah has many idiosyncrasies, one of which is a refusal to conduct her couplings anywhere other than on her own territory, so the boar, kindly (and, I suspect, illicitly) loaned by a contact at the safari park, was duly delivered to do the business. So far, so good.
Unfortunately, before the happy couple could consummate their union, Sarah’s visitor escaped, and came barrelling down between the outhouses and across a field ‘like the wrath of God’ (Silas’s words), scattering sundry chickens and piglets in his wake. Upon being challenged by Lazzo with a broom handle, he made an about turn, and charged straight into the side of the hen house, impaling himself by his tusks and instantly demolishing all traces of the Virgin.
As Eric said afterwards, it is as though she had never been there at all.
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A NOTE TO THE READER
Thank you for choosing to read Ruth Robinson’s Year of Miracles. The idea for this novel arose out of all sorts of things: among others, my love of motherhood, music, and the countryside, and my affection for quirky eccentric people (my own family is full of them). The idea for the apparition of the Virgin came from markings which resemble a figure in the grain of an old blanket chest we use as a coffee table. The image is still clearly visible, stars and all (to me if to no-one else!).
If you have enjoyed reading Ruth Robinson’s Year of Miracles, I would be really grateful if you could write a review either on Amazon or Goodreads.
In the meantime, I love to hear from readers, and your comments are always welcome. I can be contacted via my website at www.francesgarrood.com
MORE BOOKS BY FRANCES GARROOD
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Women Behaving Badly
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Particular thanks are due to Alis Hawkins, who believed in this novel and encouraged me to persevere with it, and Alex Hammond of Cornerstones Literary Consultancy, who helped me to make it a better book. I would also like to thank the team at Sapere Books, who once again have been such a pleasure to work with.
Published by Sapere Books.
11 Bank Chambers, Hornsey, London, N8 7NN,
United Kingdom
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Copyright © Frances Garrood, 2018
Frances Garrood has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organisations, places and events, other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales are purely coincidental.
eBook ISBN: 9781912786084
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
PART I: SUMMER
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
PART II: AUTUMN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTE
R TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
PART III: WINTER
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
EPILOGUE
A NOTE TO THE READER
MORE BOOKS BY FRANCES GARROOD
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS