The Endless Forest
Page 51

Ethan’s attention was on Birdie. He said, “I think you like school more than you want to admit. Martha was just like that, always pretending not to be interested.”
Martha looked surprised at this observation, but Birdie gave her no chance to respond.
“I don’t like school,” Birdie said, each word pronounced clearly, like a finger tapping on the table.
“But it’s only because the classroom is overcrowded,” Elizabeth said. “When there are two classrooms and Daniel can give all his attention to the more advanced students, Birdie will stop chafing.”
“I should hope so,” Nathaniel said. “You’re made of sterner stuff than that, Birdie. You can survive the rest of this school year. And—” he looked at her intently, “you can do it without complaint.”
“But Da, that’s not the only problem,” Birdie said, her tone rising. “Everything moves so slowly—I know, the others need a chance to learn too, but it’s so frustrating. Sometimes I feel like I have to scream.”
“Surely not,” Elizabeth said firmly.
“But I’ve got a solution,” Birdie said. She looked around the table. “Will you listen?”
Everyone stilled at the idea of one of Birdie’s plans, but Martha flushed so deeply that the color touched her hairline.
She said, “Birdie, please don’t.”
“I must,” she said, and her next words came rapidly, as if she expected to be physically stopped, but was determined to get as much said as possible.
“I think Martha could take the other classroom for the two months left in this school session. Wait! Let me finish. Ethan saw to it that she got an excellent education and she’s good with children; you’ve seen how the little people follow her around and pay attention when she talks.”
She stopped to draw in a breath, and Martha stepped in.
“I want to say clearly that this was not my idea, and that when Birdie raised the subject to me, I told her no.”
“You said you’d think about it!”
“I did not,” Martha’s color was still high, but her tone was calm. “You asked me if I ever thought of teaching and I said I didn’t have the training. Ethan, please tell them I don’t have the education I would need.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Truth be told, I don’t think I can say such a thing. You went through the entire trivium. It’s true you rebelled now and again, but you were an excellent student.”
Martha’s expression lifted. “Why then, Ethan, why don’t you take the second classroom until the session ends? You do have teaching experience.”
“Now, that’s an idea,” Nathaniel said, turning in Ethan’s direction.
“One I already thought of,” Daniel said. “Maybe you’ll have more luck talking him into it than I did.”
“Daniel asked and I did think about it,” Ethan said. “But there’s so much rebuilding to get done, I just don’t see how I could manage.”
Martha turned to Elizabeth, a pleading look on her face. “I have no experience, you know that. Would you please put an end to this discussion?”
Elizabeth knew that she should do just that, but instead something entirely different came out of her mouth. “You have more formal education now than I did when I began teaching, and just as much experience.”
With the floodgates opened, everyone began to talk at once, questions and declarations bumping into each other so that nothing sensible came out anywhere. In the middle of all that, Daniel was quiet, his expression thoughtful. Not happy or unhappy, but alert and watchful.
Nathaniel raised a hand, and just that simply the talking stopped.
“One at a time,” he said. “Boots, did you have anything else to say?”
“Well,” Elizabeth began slowly. “I see some advantages to the idea, if all parties were agreed. That is, both Martha and Daniel have to come to the conclusion that the arrangement would be a beneficial one. For everyone.”
“Daniel?”
He cleared his throat, and then cleared it again. His good hand moved to touch his left shoulder, a gesture Elizabeth recognized and which she was very surprised to see at that moment.
“But you must see,” Martha said, her tone almost insistent. “This has put Daniel in an awkward position. So please let me say, Daniel, if you will speak sense on this matter I would be thankful. Let’s let this subject go, can we please? It is very hard to refuse you, you’ve all been so good to me in these last weeks—” She paused to catch her breath.
Elizabeth watched Daniel, the son she knew best and understood least. He had withdrawn from them all to nurse his wounds in isolation, and she had watched him go and despaired. For years she counted herself fortunate if she saw him at their table even once a week. But since they were come home from Manhattan that had changed. Now he came to the house every day, and usually stayed for supper. There was something in his expression she had not seen for a very long time.
Openness, for want of a better word. Open to the world around him. It had something to do with Lily coming home, but it also had to do with Martha Kirby. And she was beginning to believe that Martha was the primary source of the change in his behavior.
Now he was smiling, but it was a quiet smile and there was nothing of teasing in it.
He said, “It’s premature of you to reject a proposal I haven’t even made yet, don’t you think, Martha?”