‘May you always have good fortune,’ intones Cathbad, ‘may you always have good health, may you always be joyful, and may you always have love in your heart.’
Once again, Ruth looks at Nelson. He is staring into the fire.
‘You are known to the gods and to us as Kate Scarlet. This is your name, and it is powerful. Bear your name with honour, and may the gods bless you on this and every day.’ He passes the wine to Ruth. ‘Drink and pass on.’
He then addresses the wider circle. ‘As you drink, say aloud: “I honour you, Kate Scarlet.”‘
Ruth takes a sip. The wine rushes to her head like whisky. ‘I honour you, Kate Scarlet,’ she croaks. She passes the cup to Shona who takes an enthusiastic gulp. ‘I honour you, Kate Scarlet,’ she says, her voice loud and clear. She passes the cup on to Dieter.
‘I honour you, Kate Scarlet,’ he bows slightly.
‘I honour you, Kate Scarlet,’ echoes Clara.
‘I honour you, Kate Scarlet.’ Clough sounds as if he is laughing.
‘I honour you, Kate Scarlet.’ Trace is expressionless.
‘I honour you, Kate Scarlet.’ Tatjana, putting the stress on the ‘you’.
‘I honour you, Kate Scarlet,’ Ted booms as loudly as Cathbad himself.
‘I honour you, Kate Scarlet.’ Judy’s voice is soft.
‘I honour you, Kate Scarlet.’ Phil’s self-conscious mumble.
‘I honour you, Kate Scarlet.’ Freya’s fervent whisper.
Michelle takes the cup with complete self-possession. ‘I honour you, Kate Scarlet.’ Nelson takes the wine. His lips move but no-one hears any words. The flames have risen so that Ruth cannot see his face.
Cathbad replaces the cup on the table. ‘Can I have her?’ he asks Ruth. Rather reluctantly Ruth hands over the bundle in the blue snow suit. Cathbad holds the baby up to the night sky. ‘Welcome, Kate Scarlet. We ask the gods to watch over you and over your father and mother.’ He turns to Ruth, smiling. ‘That’s it.’
Numbly, Ruth follows Cathbad back into the house. Why did he say that about father and mother? Does he suspect something or did he just download the whole thing from paganceremonies.co.uk? That’s the trouble with Cathbad, you never know how much is airy-fairy spiritual stuff and how much is good old-fashioned stirring. Did the other guests suspect anything? She doesn’t think any of them were listening very hard – they all had the slightly glazed expression of people in church. Nelson will have noticed though, she’s sure of that.
Kate has fallen asleep and Ruth is glad to escape upstairs and put her to bed. She takes off Kate’s snow suit and puts her, still dressed in her babygro, into her cot, under the blanket knitted by Ruth’s mother. What would Ruth’s parents make of the ceremony around the fire? In all probability, they’d be searching for their bell, book and candle at the first sight of the fire or the oil or the cup of wine.
But when Ruth goes downstairs and starts talking to Judy over the remains of the punch, Judy says, ‘It reminded me of the Catholic mass. You know, sharing the wine and all that.’
Ruth wonders if the analogy also occurred to Nelson who, like Judy, was brought up a Catholic.
‘Are you getting married in a Catholic church?’ she asks.
Judy grimaces. ‘Yes. The full nuptial mass. Darren’s a Catholic too. We met at school.’
‘It must be nice,’ says Ruth, ‘knowing someone that well.’
Judy fishes a slice of orange out of the punch and eats it meditatively. ‘It is nice. I mean, we’ve got the same memories, the same friends. Our families all know each other.’ She laughs. ‘I can’t help wondering what it would be like to go to bed with someone you hardly know. God, I must be drunk.’
Ruth thinks of a dark night, a terrible discovery, an unknown body moving against hers.
‘It may be exciting,’ she says, ‘but I think the best thing must be to go to bed with someone who knows every inch of your body.’
‘Sounds fun.’
Ruth whirls round to find Nelson standing behind her. She knows she is blushing like a bonfire.
‘This is women’s talk,’ says Judy.
‘So I gathered. We’re off, Ruth. Thanks for a… well, thanks.’
‘Have you spoken to Dieter? About the bodies?’
‘We had a quick chat. He seems a bit preoccupied now.’
Ruth glances over to the sofa where Dieter and Clara are still nose to nose, his hand brushing the back of her neck.
‘Is that Jack Hastings’ daughter?’ asks Nelson.
Ruth nods.
‘Wonder what he’ll think about her snogging a German?’
‘Don’t mention the war,’ warns Ruth.
‘Right. Well, goodbye.’ He leans towards her as if he is about to kiss her cheek but, at the last minute, veers away again. Michelle swoops over and enfolds Ruth in a scented embrace.
‘We must meet up very soon,’ she says.
‘What on earth does she see in him?’ says Judy, as the door closes behind the Nelsons.
‘His sparkling personality?’
‘Hardly.’
Now Tatjana is ladling away at the punch.
‘That man, Nelson,’ she says, ‘he is very attractive.’
Judy snorts and turns away to talk to Cathbad.
‘Do you think so?’ says Ruth.
‘Yes,’ says Tatjana dreamily. ‘He is very powerful, very dark. I think he has a secret.’
Ruth looks at her sharply but Tatjana is staring into the punchbowl. In the kitchen Ted and Clough have started singing. ‘I wanna be near you. You’re the one, the one for me.’
Tatjana shoots a sidelong glance at Ruth. ‘I think I felt a spark though.’
‘What?’
‘I think he was attracted to me,’ says Tatjana. ‘I felt it.’
Ruth says nothing. She doesn’t quite know what to make of the new, sexually confident Tatjana. She prefers the quiet girl sitting in the pine forest, drinking wine in defiance of the wolves.
‘He’s married,’ she says at last.
‘And his wife is very beautiful,’ says Tatjana, ‘but not clever enough for him, I think.’
‘I wanna be near you,’ bellow Ted and Clough from the kitchen. ‘You’re the one for me.’
Ruth suddenly feels very tired. She wants to lie down and sleep for a week. Would it be very rude to go to bed and ask the last one out to turn off the lights?
Judy appears at her shoulder. ‘Bye, Ruth. Thanks for a lovely evening.’
‘You’re not driving are you?’ Ruth doesn’t know what was in the punch but she’s betting it was ninety per cent proof.
‘No, Trace is giving me a lift. As soon as she can stop Cloughie singing, that is.’
In the other room, the concert ends abruptly. Not for the first time, Ruth envies Trace’s natural authority.
‘You must come on my hen night,’ says Judy. ‘It’s a week on Saturday. I’m dreading it.’
‘Why do you want me to come then?’ laughs Ruth. ‘So I can dread it too?’
‘I need someone on my side.’ Judy turns politely to Tatjana who is still standing by the punch. ‘You must come too. A fine English tradition for you.’
‘I’d love to,’ says Tatjana, much to Ruth’s surprise.
Ted also cadges a lift with Trace, leaving Cathbad, Ruth, Freya and Tatjana to start to clear away plates and eat the last of the crisps. Phil and Shona left shortly after the ceremony and Dieter and Clara seem to have disappeared.
‘That was an interesting experience,’ Tatjana is saying to Cathbad.
‘It’s important,’ says Cathbad, ‘to introduce the baby to the household guardians.’
Tatjana stacks glasses neatly in the sink.
‘So, Cathbad,’ she says, ‘how long have you been a devil worshipper?’
