Chapter Fourteen

It was Sunday. The death of an old man and the interference of the police would make no difference to the domestic Sunday ritual. The older women would have prepared all the food a day before. The tradition was beginning to change and Maggie would cook a traditional roast lunch for the whole family after church, but no one would dare to hang washing on a line or be seen working in a garden. They would all go to church in the morning, have a family midday meal, then in the afternoon if the sun was shining they would walk up the island, solemnly, like Edwardians taking the air at a seaside promenade. The children would be allowed to run on the beach and wear themselves out so that they would sit quietly through the evening service at the church. There was no television on a Sunday.

At Kell Melissa milked the cow, while James sat in white starched shirt sleeves at the kitchen table and put the finishing touches to his sermon. They were a critical congregation on Kinness, and genuinely devout. They would discuss his sermon at their lunch tables and if they disagreed with the sentiments expressed in it he would get to hear of it.

He was happy to let Melissa milk the cow. She had been up before him, and when he came downstairs he noticed that her waterproofs were wet from the drizzle which had persisted all night. There was a pan of porridge ready on the stove. He did not want to look too closely for an explanation for the dramatic change in her. She was content and that was the most important thing. He tried to clear his mind of anything else.

Ben had woken, early in the morning, with nightmares. Elspeth heard him screaming and screaming, and rushed to comfort him. She tried to take him in her arms but he pushed her away, even after he had woken. She thought that he was quiet and had gone back to her own bed but he had begun screaming again and this time had raised the whole household. He had slept at last in Annie’s and Kenneth’s bed.

Because of the disturbed night they were late waking and it was a rush to have breakfast and to dress for church. There was no question that they would miss the morning service. That would have been unthinkable. Yet rather than looking forward to the worship as a time of peace, they were dreading it.

“I’m going to tell everyone,” Elspeth had said. “After church.”

“No,” said Kenneth, horrified. “You don’t know what it will mean to us. You must consider again.”

“I’m going for a walk,” she said. “Don’t follow me. I won’t do anything foolish. I will think about it and see you in church.”