Page 21 of The Secrets of the Tea Garden
Libby swallowed down tears, annoyed at herself for minding that her mother appeared to feel no sadness at her departure. She turned away and mounted the steps into the train. The guard slammed the door closed. Libby pulled down the window and leant out as the train shunted out of the station.
There was a chorus of good luck and bon voyage. She grinned and waved back. Sam, the tallest, was raising his hat in farewell. It was the last thing she could see clearly before they were enveloped in a blast of smoke from the engine.
Libby waited till she had closed the window and could no longer be seen, before succumbing to tears. She felt the familiar wrench of being parted from her family. Yet seeing them standing there together, she had been struck by the feeling that they were incomplete without her father. He was the vital heartbeat of the family.
Libby comforted herself with the thought that she was finally on her way to being reunited with him. It was the first step in putting the family back together again.
Adela stood on the platform gazing after the train. She felt such a clash of emotions: excitement for Libby embarking on a new adventure and fear that she might not find in India what she desperately wanted – a father’s love that was as strong as in childhood. Adela worried that Libby’s nostalgic memories of India were a little rose-tinted. She tried to hide her upset at Libby’s going. She had no right to keep her here. But in the few short weeks they had spent together again, Adela had been impressed with her young cousin.
Libby was mature beyond her years: capable, caring, still as outspoken as ever but with a deep intuition and empathy for others. She had grown up so much in the war years. And she was guileless; Libby seemed unaware of how attractive she was with her dark-blue eyes, lustrous hair and sensual body. She wished Tilly could see Libby’s good qualities, but both mother and daughter seemed to bring out the worst in each other.
Sam slipped his arm around her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
‘She’ll be fine,’ he said in reassurance. ‘Libby has twice the common sense of any of us – and courage in spadefuls.’
Adela smiled up at him and nodded. She looked round to give Tilly a sympathetic smile too. But she was already turning away.
‘Of course you must stay the night, darling,’ Tilly was telling Mungo. ‘Jamie can run you back to Durham tomorrow ...’
Adela had a sudden pang of loss. It wasn’t just about Libby. For a moment she stood and wondered. If she had been able to keep John Wesley with her, would she have been just as single-mindedly besotted about her son as Tilly was about both of hers?
