The House by the Fjord (13 page)

He thanked her and packed it away. Then he shouldered his rucksack and kissed her on the cheek. Still they had not exchanged a word about his departure, and she understood that it was because the less she knew of his exploit, the safer she and Steffan would be if interrogated. Then, as he went out of the house, she darted after him into the porch to clutch at his sleeve in desperate appeal.

‘Don't let the Germans get you!' she implored.

He gave her a reassuring grin. ‘Just let them try!'

She had watched him go off down the road with his quick and easy stride, the darkness soon swallowing him up. It was to be five long years until the liberation, when she and Steffan wept together at the news that he was never coming home again. Gudrun's thoughts turned to Anna, for there was mounting up in her a determination to confront this young woman with the future instead of letting everything dwell on the past. The opportunity presented itself when she was busy in the kitchen and Anna came in after taking a brisk walk.

‘What are you making now?' Anna asked with interest, pulling off her hat and gloves before dropping her jacket on to the back of the chair. Gudrun, standing by the table, was beating hard the mixture in a bowl that she was balancing on her hip.

‘A
blotkaker
,' she replied. ‘Want to help?'

‘Yes! Those cakes are the most delicious I have ever tasted and I've had a fair share of them since I arrived here in Molde. Tell me what to do.'

‘There are five eggs in this bowl and – in your English measurements – five ounces of sugar. Carry on whisking until the mixture trebles in size and becomes thick enough for you to trail a figure eight in it. Then lightly fold in three ounces of plain flour sifted with two ounces of potato flour. I have greased and lined the baking tin already.'

Anna took up the whisking with enthusiasm, thinking how she would make one of these glorious cakes for her next coffee gathering at Gardermoen. It was not long before the mixture was ready to be poured into a tin, which she estimated to be about ten inches in diameter. Then into the oven it went at 150 degrees centigrade for ten minutes and then the heat was not increased, but lowered to 140 degrees for half an hour.

Gudrun came into the kitchen just as the cake was ready. She took it from the oven and turned the feather-light sponge upside down on to a rack, explaining that it would not sink.

‘When it is cold,' she said, ‘you turn it out the right way up, slice sideways through it and put whipped cream on the bottom half, sprinkle on some fruit, and then put on the top half and cover it all with whipped cream. Make a design on the top with a fork if you like or decorate with more of the fruit. I always think that strawberries or raspberries in season are the best choice.'

‘What are you using today?'

‘Some very nice canned apricots. Harry brought us a couple of cans from Sweden after one of his trips there.'

‘This cake will be food for the gods!' Anna declared happily, proud over the part she had played in the making of it.

Suddenly the words which Gudrun had had uppermost in her mind over several days burst forth as if of their own volition. ‘You should be making cakes like these for a husband and family!'

The colour drained from Anna's face. ‘How can you say that to me here in Johan's home?'

‘Because he would never have wanted to block your happiness for the rest of your life! And that is what your memories are making him do! Love him still! Remember him always! But make way for the future. It's where you belong!'

For a few seconds Anna stared at her. Then she rushed from the kitchen up to her room, slamming the door behind her. She went across to the window and stared out, as if to draw strength from the view. Gudrun's words were to haunt her for the rest of her stay, the truth of them burning into her. Yet how could anyone ever take Johan's place?

Nine

It was Christmas Eve and Anna put on a green silk dress that she had kept for the occasion. It was not new, having been bought with clothing coupons saved up towards its purchase during the war. ‘It matches your eyes,' Johan had said fondly the first time she had worn it.

They were both so happy that evening. They had come home from a dance to her room in the accommodation provided for workers at the nearby munitions factory. Ahead of them stretched a whole night of love-making, but it was to be the last of their short married life together.

Before leaving the room, Anna picked up the framed photograph of Johan to take downstairs with her. Although Steffan had brushed aside every attempt she had made to speak of Johan, this was a special night of the year, and he should be remembered and spoken of with love in what was a truly a family occasion. Unlike Steffan, Gudrun had been pleased to share her memories of Johan, showing her an old album full of black and white family snapshots of Johan from babyhood to his university days. Some had been taken with friends when sailing or skiing, often with plenty of pretty girls in tow, as well as earlier ones with his parents on childhood family picnics in the mountains and elsewhere. Then, when all the snapshots were viewed, Gudrun closed the album and handed it to Anna.

‘I'm sure Johan would have wanted you to have these pictures.'

Beyond words, Anna hugged her in gratitude.

Now, as Anna went down the curved stairway, she was surprised to see that Steffan was waiting for her. He was wearing what she guessed to be his best dark suit with a diamond-headed gold pin in his tie. There was also the sparkle of diamonds in his cufflinks.

‘We shall go in together to dine,' he said formally, offering his arm.

She hesitated. ‘But first of all, because it is Christmas Eve, there is something I want so much to share with you.'

He raised his thick white brows enquiringly, not having seen that she had been holding the photograph at her side. ‘What could that be?'

She raised the photograph with both hands to show it to him. His face revealed no change of expression, although a nerve twitched in his tightened jaw as he studied the likeness of his son. He half lifted a hand as if to take it from her, but changed his mind to let his hand drop back.

‘I can see that the war took Johan's boyhood from him,' he said quietly. ‘This is the likeness of a man that faced and overcame a terrible enemy. There is a heavy responsibility in his eyes that was never there before. Yet he found love too.' He turned his gaze on Anna. ‘I'm thankful that you brought happiness into his life when he needed it most. It is why you should stay in Norway. Without you as a constant reminder of his life, he would be totally lost to me.'

She was dismayed, never suspecting that he would turn the moment to put an obligation on to her shoulders. He had offered his arm again and she took it hesitantly. Together they went towards the open double doors where Gudrun was waiting for them. The whole dining room was shining with candlelight from the silver candelabra on the table, setting the glassware sparkling and giving a rich ruby glow to the crystal decanter of Gudrun's home-made wine. Earlier, Anna had been asked by Gudrun to do a centrepiece, and she had trailed greenery and bright rowan berries along the white cloth that was embroidered around the hem by some long-ago hand with a motif of little Christmas gnomes riding reindeer or driving sleighs or dancing to the music of an Hardanger violin. She had been shown by Gudrun how to fold the napkins into fans and these added to the pleasing scene.

Anna set Johan's photograph on a side table, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Gudrun's flash of surprise, although nothing was said. Then the three of them sat down together and bowed their heads as Steffan said grace. First of all they drank aquavit from tiny glasses, saying
Skal
to one another. The spirit almost took Anna's breath away as it was very strong, although she had experienced it before at Gardermoen parties and knew what to expect.

The first course was smoked salmon and this was followed by
pinnekjott
, a dish customary to this part of the west coast at Christmas, consisting of lamb chops that had been salted and prepared much as had been done in Viking times, accompanied by a selection of vegetables. The meat had a distinct flavour that was uniquely delicious, and Anna was surprised by how much she liked it. She thought how different this dinner was from the turkey and Christmas pudding in England, for there followed the famous
ris krem
. Gudrun explained that it was thick cream whipped to hold its shape and then a little cooked short grain rice was stirred in for texture, and the whole served with a pouring fruit juice, which this evening came from raspberries bottled by Gudrun in the summer. Throughout the dinner the Scandinavian custom had prevailed in which nobody drank alone, but always raised a glass to another, who responded.

‘What a perfect Christmas feast, Gudrun,' Anna said appreciatively as the meal ended.

‘I'm so glad you enjoyed it,' Gudrun replied, looking pleased.

‘We cannot leave the table without a toast,' Steffan said, rising to his feet, and both Anna and Gudrun did the same. He held his glass high and spoke clearly and strongly. ‘To the memory of Johan and those of his fellow pilots, who also lost their lives in the cause of freedom!'

They drank the toast. Surprise had kept Anna dry-eyed, but Gudrun turned aside to wipe her eyes surreptitiously. Then, as they drew away from the table, Steffan turned abruptly to Anna in a sudden and tremendous burst of fury, emphasized by his fist crashing down with such force on the table that the candelabras tilted, scattering lighted candles. Gudrun cried out in dismay as the decanter crashed to the floor in a river of wine. Anna stood shocked and motionless.

‘Why did you not have a child?' he roared at Anna, his face tormented.

Now she understood the coldness that he had maintained towards her. His resentment had finally built up beyond his control. If he had had a grandchild, it would have been some consolation to him, particularly if the child had been a boy. Instead, he had nothing but a foreign daughter-in-law likely to leave Norway at any time and he had no power to compel her to stay.

Anna remained frozen by shock. ‘I wanted a baby,' she said, the words stumbling from her. ‘I never knew from day to day if Johan would return safely and I would have loved his child dearly. But it did not happen, and so I was left doubly bereft when I lost him.'

After standing as he was for a minute or two, Steffan covered his eyes with his hand while with the other he clutched the back of a chair for support. Deeply moved, Anna went forward and put an arm about him.

‘Don't cry,' she implored desperately. ‘I don't know how to suffer more tears and yours are breaking my heart all over again.'

After a few minutes he straightened up and faced her. ‘That is something I would never wish to do.' He was seemingly in control of himself again. Gudrun had managed to extinguish the candles before any damage was done and had been quick to get a cloth to mop up the wine. He waved his hand slightly to indicate that she should leave the mess for the time being.

‘Let us go to the tree,' he said.

Gudrun glanced uncertainly from him to Anna and rose up off her knees. Then she obeyed him, going ahead to open the double doors into the next room, but closing them again after her. Steffan offered Anna his arm. She was still trembling from the shock she had received and could feel that he was shaking from the exertion of his outburst. Together they went towards the closed double doors, which Gudrun threw wide as they approached, presenting a perfect sight of the beautifully decorated tree. It was aglow with lighted candles fastened to its branches, and many small decorations glittered and shone amid strings of little Norwegian flags. At the top of the tree was a sparkling star of Bethlehem.

‘It's perfect,' she said almost in a whisper, knowing that she was seeing this tree exactly as Johan would have seen the trees of his youth, right up until the last Christmas before he left home, never to return.

‘Would you like to distribute the gifts from under the tree, Anna?' Gudrun was asking her.

‘Yes, I should like that very much,' she replied, her thoughts still full of Johan.

The gifts were opened in turn. Steffan thanked Anna courteously for the tie and for the bottle of aquavit she had purchased in the officers' mess. Gudrun was clearly pleased with her necklace and put it on at once. There was a bottle of whisky for Steffan from Harry, which he would have bought on his trip to Sweden, and also a gift for Gudrun, which turned out to be her first pair of nylon stockings. She was delighted with them. Women everywhere had heard about this new type of stocking, but few had seen them. Anna smiled to remember that the best gift any girl could receive during the war had been a pair of nylons from a GI, for the American troops seemed to get them supplied together with chocolate and chewing gum and other things that were rare treats for everybody else. She had never had a GI boyfriend and was as eager as Gudrun to see these fine stockings, but their excited discussion ended when Steffan tapped his cane to remind them that there were other gifts to open.

Anna was pleased to find that Alex had given her a book with very fine photographs of Norway. She took a quick glance at some of them before she turned to her other gifts. Gudrun had knitted her a matching set of woolly cap, scarf and gloves. In addition, on Steffan's behalf, Gudrun had knitted her one of the classic Norwegian cardigans of homespun wool, which every Norwegian – man, woman and child – possessed in various colours and design. Anna's was blue and white with a pattern of snowflakes over the shoulders. She was extremely pleased with it, having long wanted one. She tried it on and it fitted her perfectly.

There were two gifts left for her to open. She was surprised to find that one was from Harry and he had given her a pair of nylon stockings too. He would have known that Steffan's daughter-in-law was coming for Christmas and clearly he had not wanted her to feel left out. Perhaps he had even guessed at the cool reception she would have to face.