The Hidden Beach - Karen Swan Page 0,5

and Max had asked her to always converse with the children in English, even though she was fluent in Swedish herself; her grandmother had hailed from Gothenburg on the west coast and until the day she’d died, when Bell was twelve, had always insisted on addressing her in her native language.

‘Hey.’

He twisted to look back at her, his eyes seeming wider than ever in his upside-down position.

‘You ready? We should head off in a few minutes.’

‘Oh . . . I guess.’ He turned away again, and she saw the disappointment in the stiffness of his little body. He was a perfectionist and a worrier, always seeming to expect so much of himself.

She walked over to him and tried to perch as lightly as she could on the side of the beanbag, but it still rose up beneath him like a souffle. ‘It’s going to be okay, you know,’ she said, gently winding her index finger into one of his curls. ‘Forget about today; you’re one of the smartest boys in your class and Miss Olsson loves you. Going to your teacher’s evening is like . . . playing with puppies. A total feel-good session.’ Linus shot her a sceptical sideways look. ‘Your naughty little sister, on the other hand . . .’

That got his attention. ‘What did she do now?’ he asked, alert, not even having to ask which one.

‘Promise you won’t tell?’ With a five-year age gap between him and the girls, and the twins sharing such a tight bond, Bell often sensed he felt like a third wheel: too big and strong for some of their games, bored by others, and a boy to boot. She occasionally shared these little snippets to make a virtue of his age and bond them as the ‘grown-ups’.

‘I promise,’ he said eagerly.

She lowered her voice for conspiratorial effect. ‘Well, you know the chicks have hatched?’

He nodded. How could he forget? It was all anyone in his family had discussed at breakfast or tea for the past few weeks.

‘When I picked the girls up at lunchtime, I was taken to one side and informed that Elise had sneaked off with one in her pocket –’

His mouth opened in surprise, hovering between horror and hilarity until he knew the full extent of the chick’s fate.

‘– painted it green –’

It opened wider still.

‘– and sprinkled its feathers with glitter.’

There was a moment of abeyance as he concluded the chick was – in the life or death sense – technically unharmed, and his eyes suddenly sparkled with delight. ‘She did not!’ he laughed.

‘Oh yes. Apparently she thought it might prefer to be a mermaid chick.’

He laughed harder and Bell smiled, loving his delight. ‘So, that will be an interesting parents’ meeting. Yours, on the other hand?’ She shrugged. ‘Really not so much.’

‘She’s crazy!’

‘She’s certainly not dull.’ She tickled his tummy, making him laugh and wriggle again. ‘Come on, champ. Let’s go hear how great you are.’ With a puff of effort, she got up from the beanbag. ‘I’ll round up the girls while you put that Lego away.’

She jogged back upstairs, straightening another picture as she passed – this time, one of Linus and the twins in the bath, their chubby, pinked faces peering over the enamel rim.

‘Elise, Tilde!’ she called, stepping into the hall and staring up through the narrow gap of the winding staircase. The girls’ rooms were on the third floor, and she’d rather not have to run all the way up there to get them. ‘Come on, it’s time to—’ Her eyes widened in surprise. ‘Hanna! You’re back.’

Hanna peered down from the first-floor landing, her hair hanging like a sheet of spun flax. ‘Only just.’

‘I – I didn’t hear you come in.’

‘I think you were in the basement. I hoped there might be time for a five-minute rest, but –’ She shrugged. ‘Anyway, I’ll take it from here. You get off. Your day has been long enough already.’

So had hers, apparently. Bell stared up at her, seeing the exhaustion on her boss’s face, and she wondered what it was like dealing with someone in the midst of a psychotic break. It suggested delusion, violence, wildness, blades, blood . . . This teacher meeting was poorly timed.

‘Thanks again, Bell. See you tomorrow.’ Hanna turned and disappeared back into her bedroom.

‘Hanna, wait,’ Bell said, bounding up the stairs two at a time and rushing to the door. She peered into the room. It was large, with what Bell always considered to be a very

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