Fru Horgen was donning an elegant dress in emerald green velvet. She stopped in front of them with a big smile on her face. Rakel had never seen her up close before and was struck by her beauty. Her red hair was done up in an artful hairstyle with ringlets hanging down her neck and by the ears. Her skin was pale and completely unblemished, her nose straight, and her eyes almond-shaped. Her mouth was full and her lips faintly pink. She was quite simply gorgeous. No wonder Ask Bergan had fallen for her.
She exchanged a few words with Herr Disen before shifting her gaze to Rakel.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Herr Disen?” she asked without taking her eyes off Rakel.
“Yes, of course!” He cleared his throat. “Frøken Ovreid, this is Fru Captain Amelia Horgen.
“So nice to meet you!” the captain’s wife exclaimed before Rakel could say anything.
“Likewise,” she replied uncomfortably.
“I’ve seen you fetching water from the well outside the barracks and walking with your aunt. It’s struck me that you look lonely, which I also am at times since my husband is often away. Perhaps you might consider visiting me someday? Or perhaps you could both come?” she added, glancing at Herr Disen, her eyebrows raised.
“Yes, thank you,” Rakel answered, a bit taken aback. “But I’m leaving Carljohansværn this afternoon,” she continued. “I’m going back home to Skoppum.”
“Ah, Skoppum, yes,” Fru Horgen replied, smiling slyly. “I’ve heard that.”
“What do you mean?” Rakel asked.
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “But Skoppum isn’t far. I can send our coachman to fetch you. What do you say? I’m known for serving delicious cakes,” she added.
Rakel didn’t know how to reply. She had no reason to say no. Her dislike for Fru Horgen was only due to the affair with Ask Bergan.
“Thank you, that would be nice,” she replied, forcing a smile. She saw how the other woman’s face lit up, and her chest tightened a bit. It probably wasn’t that easy being Fru Horgen. People gossiped behind her back, and she most likely didn’t have many friends.
“Wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Then you can both expect an invitation shortly.”
The crowd came to life when the first shouts declaring the ship had been sighted echoed over the pier. Everyone crowded together. The naval band came marching and started playing behind them. Rakel said goodbye to Fru Horgen and Herr Disen and walked over to Aunt Esther, standing with an expectant look on her face as she scouted for the ship.
When the ship came into view between Vealøs and Østøya, Rakel squeezed her aunt’s arm. The time that passed before it docked felt like an eternity, but at long last, it arrived. The ropes were secured and the gangway was laid out, and one of the first to come trotting down was Uncle Peder. His dark hair was slicked back, and he was tanned and freshly shaved. He was smiling from ear to ear and made his way forward, his eyes scanning the crowd.
“Here, Uncle Peder! Over here!” Rakel shouted, waving both arms above her head. When he spotted them, he bounded the last few steps to his wife. He lifted her up and spun her around as she half-heartedly protested with a laugh.
“What a beautiful sight!” he said as he set her down and kissed her deeply. Her bonnet was practically falling off, but she managed to hold it in place with one hand.
Rakel smiled. It was typical of Uncle Peder to do something like this. He cared little about what others thought. When he finally released Aunt Esther’s lips, he whispered something into her ear that made her blush. She was a little out of breath and ruffled but smiling broadly nonetheless. It was touching to see how happy they were with each other. A marriage founded on true love. Her chest tightened again. This was something she’d never experience if she became Syver’s wife.
“And who do we have here?” he said, turning to Rakel. “My dear niece, who gets more beautiful with every month that passes.” He gave her a warm hug. “Thank you for helping Esther when she hurt her ankle. It was comforting to know she was being taken care of when I couldn’t come back.”
“I’ve had a lovely time here with Aunt Esther,” she replied. “But I now leave the care to you. I’m travelling back to Ovreid with my mother and father tonight.”
The painful lump in her stomach grew when she thought of Ovreid and what awaited her there, but she managed to conceal it.
Rakel spotted Herr and Fru Horgen as they started to head back to the apartment. The captain was practically strutting. His stomach bulged beneath his uniform jacket, and he had a triumphant smile on his face. He’d placed his wife securely on his arm and was guiding her through the crowd with his back straight and his nose in the sky – as if she were a particularly beautiful horse at a show, Rakel thought. She looked at Fru Horgen. The eager joy that Rakel had seen on her face when they talked was now gone.
Rakel smiled at her, suddenly feeling terribly sad. Even though Fru Horgen smiled back, there was an unmistakable sorrow in her eyes. She wasn’t just lonely; she was unhappy. The contrast between her and Aunt Esther’s reactions to their spouses’ arrival couldn’t have been more distinct. Then the moment was over. The couple passed, and all Rakel could see was the woman’s slender back – straight and proud as she strode together with her spouse.
Rakel mostly kept to the kitchen back at the apartment, where she readied cakes and drinks for the guests who would be arriving soon. Uncle Peder had brought home presents. She smiled as she admired a half-metre-tall glass figure of a rooster in beautiful colours. It was from Madeira. Rakel set it on the windowsill and stared in wonder at how sharp and clear the colours were in the sun’s rays. It looked like the red in the comb was made of flames. Such a comb would probably be appreciated by the hens at home, and it would be best if she kept it away from Cæsar, the rooster. He’d get jealous and try to attack it if he got the chance.
She heard her aunt and uncle talking excitedly in the living room, interrupted only by bursts of laughter. It was always like this with Uncle Peder. He was the life of the party, a cheerful man who was polite, attentive, and liked by all – even Grandmother. Rakel had heard she’d been opposed to the marriage at first; Peder was just a machinist, and not good enough for Esther. However, he’d managed to convince his future in-laws that he could give Aunt Esther a good life, and they gave their blessing in the end. Since then, Uncle Peder had been one of the few who could have any influence over her grandmother.
“Will there be cake with cream today?” Uncle Peder was standing in the doorway, looking hungrily at the cake her aunt had baked.
“Yes, if you can stand it after so many months on meagre sea rations?”
“I promise you I can!” he said, laughing. “Not even the dragon could take away my desire for cake today.”
“Don’t call her that,” Aunt Esther said behind him in the doorway. “Mother likes you, and that makes life easier for me.”
“I think she’d appreciate being called a dragon,” he said, sneaking a bit of cream from the bowl on the counter. “She’d see it as a sign of respect.”
“Go ahead and try,” Rakel said. “Then we’ll see.”
“Yes, perhaps I will…” he replied with a cheeky grin.
“No, are you both mad!” Esther stared at them in shock.
Rakel and her uncle exchanged a glance, then started laughing.
“I’m just joking with you,” her uncle said, taking her aunt in his arms. “I’ll behave. I promise.”
It was almost time for the guests to arrive and Uncle Peder wanted to get changed. Rakel stood in the window and watched as the wagon from Ovreid pulled through the gates. She accompanied her aunt to the door to welcome the family. As they waited, she took the opportunity to ask something she’d been thinking about.
“Aunt Esther? How well do you know Captain Horgen and his wife?”
“Not that well. He’s Peder’s superior, and I’ve only met him and his wife a couple of times.”
“She invited me over for tea, and I’m not sure if I should go,” she said.
“She invited you over?” Her aunt raised her eyebrows. “That’s unexpected.”
“Yes, it came as a surprise to me as well. I think she’s quite lonely and wanted to get to know me. But if you think it’s a bad idea, I’m sure I can find an excuse.”
“There’s a lot of gossip about the captain’s wife, but she certainly belongs to the upper echelons of society, so I think you can safely say yes. In any case, the wicked tongues always quiet down as soon as the captain returns. No one wants to risk him hearing anything since the man has such a violent temper. On one occasion, he apparently gave a boy a good hiding just for smiling at Fru Horgen. He’s said to be quite possessive when it comes to his wife.”
Her aunt straightened up. “They’re here!” she said with a smile, and Rakel turned her attention to the carriage stopping outside the fence.
Once her parents and grandmother had arrived, it didn’t take long before the apartment was brimming with people. Several of Uncle Peder and Aunt Esther’s friends were there in addition to the family, and the table was full. The conversation flowed and the laughs grew louder as more cake and liquor were consumed. Her uncle was the natural centre of attention, and soon everyone was listening eagerly to his vivid tales of his journey.
It was so nice to have him back home that Rakel temporarily forgot about her troubles and what awaited her in Skoppum, but when she let her gaze drift over the table, she caught her grandmother’s eye and everything became real again. She was glad she was sitting down because her stomach dropped so suddenly that she felt dizzy. There was a triumph in her grandmother’s eyes that Rakel couldn’t bear to look at. Instead, she took a bite of cake, but immediately regretted it. The cream seemed to grow in her mouth and nausea surged through her so violently that she felt hot and cold all at once. It took all the willpower she had to stay at the table. She didn’t look in her grandmother’s direction for the rest of the meal.
As evening approached, Rakel noticed that both Uncle Peder and Aunt Esther had started to look tired. Peder’s laugh was no longer as hearty, and he cast several long glances at her aunt. Rakel agreed with her father that he should hint to the other guests that it was getting late, and people soon got ready to leave.
Rakel waited until only the immediate family was left before collecting her suitcase. She first said goodbye to Uncle Peder, then it was Aunt Esther’s turn. Her aunt had tears in her eyes and hugged her for a long time. But just as she was about to leave, her aunt’s face lit up.
“Wait! There’s something I want to give you before you go. I can’t believe I almost forgot! Wait here,” she said and hurried into the bedroom.