The Secret of Zanzibar (23 page)

‘What now?' It seemed to be the question on so many lips in the days that followed, as the Queen's Guards withdrew first from Cornoliana and then from the rest of the country. ‘What now?'

Everyone was concerned with rebuilding, of course. It had been decades since Gerandans had run their own country, and there would be much to do and much to learn. But there was also a new sense of freedom. For so long, Gerandans' choices had been limited to what they were permitted to do rather than what they wanted to do. And it wasn't only Gerandans who asked the question. As Slippers Pink pointed out, many FIG members like her had spent most of their adult lives fighting to free Gerander. She had never thought of what she'd do once Gerander was finally freed.

‘But I've got a pretty good idea,' she said.

They were sitting in the gardens of the palace, among beds of purple flowers that Alice and Alex had helped to plant.

The transitional government that Solomon Honker had established was hard at work in the offices once used by the Sourian army. Zanzibar had agreed to lead the government until elections were held, and Maxine had arranged for Zanzibar and his extended family to stay in the rooms that had once belonged to their forebears. (Alex, in particular, was delighted by the improvement in accommodation at the palace.)

‘What's that?' asked Zanzibar.

Slippers Pink flashed him a brilliant smile. ‘I might run for president. You'll be my campaign manager, won't you, Feast?'

Feast Thompson let out a whoop of laughter. ‘You bet I will,' he said. ‘And I'll vote for you, too.'

Timmy the Winns stood behind Tom, his hands resting on the younger mouse's shoulders. ‘I know what's next for me, too,' he said. ‘I'm going to take Tom to Souris to find his father. What about you, Z?'

Zanzibar looked exhausted. ‘After the election …' He lifted a shoulder. ‘I don't know,' he said. ‘But what I'd really like to do right now is to get away for a few days. Em? Let's go home.'

Home, it turned out, was the cottage by the Winns. That was where Zanzibar, Emmeline and Timmy the Winns had spent much of their childhood.

Ebenezer and Beezer joined Rebus and Emmeline, Zanzibar and the four younger mice for the journey north. This time, though, they didn't travel through the tunnels to get there, but followed the Winns upstream through fields and forests, through bustling towns and tranquil villages, back towards the source.

Zanzibar was recognised at most of the towns they passed through, as were Emmeline and Rebus, from their recent travels through Gerander. And it seemed that the entire country had caught the mood of the celebrations that had filled the streets of Cornoliana, for at every place they were urged to stop awhile and take part in the feasting and singing and dancing, so that it took them a week to accomplish a journey that should have taken only two days.

But at last they reached the cottage, to find Tibby's great-aunt and grandfather – his own great-aunt and grandfather, Alistair corrected himself – waiting.

There followed a few lazy days spent in resting and reminiscing and revealing. Alex and Alice were told the truth about Alistair and Tibby Rose's parentage, and Alistair took long solitary walks by the Winns as he considered everything that had happened to him, and what the future might hold.

He was by the Winns when Alice came looking for him one golden afternoon.

‘Guess what? Zanzibar just had a message from Slippers Pink – Horace turned himself in to the Gerandan police and told them where to find Sophia. They stopped her
before she could cross the border into Souris; she's going to be tried for the murder of Solomon Honker.'

‘That's great news,' said Alistair. He knew how much Solomon's death still haunted her.

Alice nodded. ‘Now come inside, we're having a family meeting,' she told him. She gave him a friendly shove. ‘Even if you're not my brother, at least we're still related.'

Considering that he had been an orphan – or so he thought – not so long ago, Alistair was amazed at the size of the family gathered in a circle in the parlour of the cottage.

Grandpa Nelson sat in the easy chair to one side of the fireplace, with Tibby Rose perched on the arm of the chair. Great-Aunt Harriet sat on Nelson's other side in a straight-backed chair that must have been carried in from the dining room. On the other side of her, standing with his back to the mantelpiece, was Zanzibar, and on the other side of him Emmeline, Rebus, Ebenezer and Beezer were wedged onto the couch. Alex sat on the rug facing Zanzibar, and Alice went to sit beside him. Alistair sank down to next her, so that he was sitting beside Tibby. He reached up to give her tail a tug and she smiled down at him.

‘Now that Gerander is free, we need to talk about what happens next,' Zanzibar began.

‘What do you mean?' said Alex. ‘Gerander is free: mission accomplished.'

‘I think Zanzibar meant what happens next for this family,' said Rebus with a small smile. ‘Em and I have decided that we'd like to return to Stubbins.'

‘To our old house?' exclaimed Alice. ‘Yay!'

Alistair smiled, remembering the honey-coloured stone cottage in which he and his brother and sister had been born. Then his smile faded. No, he hadn't been born there. And Alex and Alice weren't his brother and sister …

As if reading his thoughts, Rebus said, ‘You're welcome to come with us, Alistair.'

‘You mean … I could live with you?'

‘Of course,' said Emmeline. ‘If that's what you want. And you too, Tibby. But –'

Zanzibar broke in, ‘But I was hoping that you might live with me in Cornoliana, Alistair – you and Tibby Rose.'

‘Yes!' said Tibby, beaming. ‘Yes, please.'

‘Are you sure you don't want to come back to Templeton with us, Tibby Rose?' asked Grandpa Nelson.

Tibby looked stricken. ‘Oh. I didn't think … I –'

‘Don't tease the poor girl,' Great-Aunt Harriet scolded her brother. ‘Tibby Rose, of course you would want to live with your father. And we've made up our minds: we're moving to Cornoliana too. Your grandfather will be able to help with the hospitals in Gerander and I'll be able to help with the schools.'

‘That's perfect!' Tibby Rose clapped her hands together in delight. ‘So I can live with Dad and … Alistair?' Her smile dimmed as she looked at her brother. ‘What are you going to do?'

Alistair swallowed. For years, he'd wished to have his parents back, to all be living together again in their house in Stubbins. And now he could have his wish – but what about Tibby Rose? Ever since he'd met her he'd felt that they were connected somehow, and he'd been right, more right than he ever could have imagined. His twin sister! He didn't want to lose her. And then there was Zanzibar. He drew a deep breath. His father …

He felt Tibby touch his arm and he turned to meet her serious gaze.

‘I want to go wherever you go, Alistair, but … but I want to be with Dad, too. He's my dad – our dad. To have a parent, after so many years …'

It still felt strange to Alistair how quickly Tibby Rose had adapted to calling Zanzibar ‘Dad'. But, then, she hadn't grown up calling someone else ‘Dad', he supposed. Alistair had gained a parent but lost two. Three if you counted Lucia, the mother he had never known.

Emmeline said quietly, ‘It's all right, Alistair. You don't need to decide right now. Think about what you'd like to do. Take all the time you need.'

Her words were interrupted by a loud honking sound.

It was Uncle Ebenezer, blowing his nose into a large white handkerchief. ‘Oh dear, oh dear,' he said. His moustache was drooping. ‘It's going to be awfully quiet in Smiggins.'

‘Aunt Beezer will get her study back,' Alice tried to console him.

‘And I'll come to visit you all the time,' Alex promised. He was looking rather subdued, Alistair noticed. ‘Maybe you could teach me how to make your Gorgonzola ice cream?'

‘Well of course,' said Ebenezer, brightening. ‘Nothing easier. It's all to do with the quality of the ingredients, you know.'

‘I can't believe that you're thinking about food at a time like this!' said Alice, punching her brother in the arm.

‘A time like what?' said Alex, his face a picture of wounded innocence.

‘We're having an important family meeting about the future,' his sister reminded him. She turned to her parents. ‘Will we be going back to our old school?' she asked.

‘School?' howled Alex. ‘You mean after all this I have to go back to school?' He gave a tragic moan and everyone laughed.

‘I should think so, young man,' said Great-Aunt Harriet sternly, but Alistair noticed a twinkle in the steel-grey mouse's eye when she said, ‘But I quite agree that there are many important lessons to be learned in the kitchen. Now I don't know anything about Gorgonzola ice cream – and to be perfectly frank, I'm not sure that I'd care to make its acquaintance – but I do happen to make a very good blackberry pie and I noticed a blackberry bush in the back garden that is groaning with fruit. Do I have any volunteers?'

‘Yes!' said Alex, springing up so rapidly that his sister was flung sideways.

Suddenly everyone was talking at once. Alex and Alice squabbled their way towards the back door, followed by Tibby Rose. Ebenezer was quizzing Great-Aunt Harriet on how she made her pastry and Emmeline, Rebus, Beezer and Zanzibar talked about schools.

Alistair could hardly hear himself think, and he had a lot of thinking to do. He rose from the floor and slipped from the room.

An eddy of wind swirled through the leaves in the canopy above, sending sparks of light scattering across the surface of the pool.

Alistair turned his head at the sound of a twig snapping and saw Zanzibar – his father – climbing the path to the clearing.

In the shadowy glade his golden fur was less striking. He looked just like any ordinary mouse now, Alistair thought. Really, he
was
just an ordinary mouse, no longer the rightful king of Gerander since he had made his extraordinary declaration amid the smouldering ruins of the cathedral. But he didn't seem ordinary. Really, Alistair admitted to himself, he was a bit in awe of Zanzibar.

‘May I?' Zanzibar indicated the ground beside him, and at Alistair's nod sank onto the grass.

Alistair glanced at him. ‘Did Tibby tell you where I was?'

‘She didn't need to. I knew you'd be here. This is where I used to come when I was your age, when I had things to think about.'

‘Like how to free your country?' said Alistair.

‘Sure,' said Zanzibar. ‘And what a pain my brother and sister were.'

Alistair gave a small laugh.

‘Look, Alistair,' Zanzibar continued, ‘I just wanted to say that I'll understand if you decide you don't want to live with me, okay? You should follow your own heart.'

‘Thanks,' said Alistair, sitting up, ‘but I've already made my decision,' because all at once he knew what he wanted.

‘You have?' Zanzibar looked surprised.

Alistair nodded. He was picturing the room he had shared with Alex and Alice in his aunt and uncle's apartment in Smiggins as he said, ‘In our house in Cornoliana, do you think I could have my own bedroom … Dad?'

For a long moment his father didn't speak, and when he finally did his voice was hoarse. ‘I think that can be arranged,' he said. ‘Son.'

He held out a hand to pull Alistair up. ‘Let's go give Tibby Rose the good news.'

‘Good idea,' said a voice from a tree above, startling Alistair so that he let out a yelp.

But Zanzibar just laughed. ‘Sorry if we woke you, Oswald.'

‘Oswald?' Alistair peered up into the branches, thick with leaves. He thought he could see the owl, but he wasn't sure. ‘What are you doing here?'

There was a pause then the owl said, ‘This is my home.'

His home? Alistair looked to his father for confirmation.

Zanzibar inclined his head. ‘Oswald was born here by the source of the Winns, as were many generations of his family before him.'

‘So that's why you've been helping us,' Alistair said to the leaves.

The owl hooted softly. ‘I'm as Gerandan as you are,' he agreed.