He is asleep, and Blythe, propping her head up, admires his body.
George, she whispers, her voice full of tenderness.
It is the same every time they meet.
He sits up, throws on his clothes in a rush, splashes cold water on his face, kisses her, and leaves. Blythe stays alone in the flat, remembering that Evelyn will be coming from her shift soon; they will have tea, and Blythe will smile, telling her how lucky she feels to have met George. A village girl who has escaped the monotony of country life thinks herself extraordinarily fortunate.
Did you tell your parents? Evelyn asks, as they sit at the tiny kitchen table in the dormitory flat.
No, Blythe replies carelessly, and I havent said anything to George about it either. You know my mother shes always been illspoken since childhood.
Three happy months pass, and everything Blythe has hidden comes to light.
George, a handsome greyeyed young man, gazes out the window, his thoughts far from the news of Blythes pregnancy. He worries about marriage; after all, Martha is beautiful, dignified, and steadytempered. But a child
He worries about his own parents: his mother has health problems, possibly a speech defect, and his father is stern. He fears the baby might inherit those issues. He also wonders what Blythes family thinks, especially her mother, who might bring up hereditary concerns.
We need to think this through, he says vaguely.
George, weve been talking about this on this little couch for months now. The doctors say Im far along, and theyre warning me I should deliver soon, Blythe replies, trying to sound hopeful.
Whatever they say, well manage. Ill talk to my family at home, George promises. Wait for meIll be back soon.
But George never returns. He had promised to appear the following week. Blythe even visits the construction office, only to hear that George Costello has resigned.
Martha cant find the words to ask, How could they let him go without a notice period? The HR inspector shrugs, They asked for him.
Martha brings the baby home before he is a year old. The birth is recorded under his fathers name, Nikolai Pritchard. She never sees George again; he disappears like mist over the Thames.
She mourns, cries, then steadies herself. Outside, life hustles on, and Martha, still young and beautiful, embraces it.
Heres baby Sam, she says, unwrapping the bundle.
The gruff neighbour, Paul, breaks into tears, as if fearing abandonment.
Where will I go with him alone? Martha asks her parents, guilt in her eyes.
Nikolai, stroking his modest beard, looks at his grandson. Marthas mother, Margaret, reaches for the child instinctively.
Their daughter, Augustacalled Gus by Nikolaihas had speech difficulties since childhood, stammering and later becoming shy. Yet she is strikingly beautiful, especially in her youth.
Nikolai, plainlooking and shy, never married until he saw Gus. He fell for her quiet charm, asked her parents for permission, and they were soon inseparable. They understand each other without words; a glance from Nikolai about dinner is enough for Gus to reply, Coming right away.
They adore their only child, Martha, perhaps because they have no other grandchildren. Leaving the baby in the village feels unremarkable to them.
Fine, if its necessary, well manage, Nikolai says cheerfully. Do you think we can cope, love? he asks Margaret, who nods, enunciating each word carefully while holding the infant.
Martha promises to send money each payday, and she does, visiting a few times before disappearing, claiming shes gone to work on a youth construction project.
Gus listens silently as Nikolai reads a letter, while little Sam, now a year and a half, plays nearby. Nikolai spends winter evenings mending boots, a local craft he loves. Sam watches, fascinated, as his grandfather stitches soles.
Grandma Margaret tucks Sam in, her silent love wrapping him like an invisible thread. As he grows, Sam clings more to his grandparents; he knows little of his mother, calling Nikolai and Gus dad and mom.
One day, a stranger arrivestall, neatly dressed, with an air of authority. He claims to be Sams biological father, Yuri Kensington, and says he can give Sam a better life in the city. Nikolai protests, but Yuri produces papers, citing legal rights.
The KorstynsNikolai, Margaret, and Gusfight to keep Sam, traveling to the council office, arguing their case. Yet Yuri, now accompanied by his wife, Svetlana, arrives with the police.
Where is he? Yuri demands, eyes wild.
Svetlana, trying to soften him, says, Well look after him, give him a good home, and you can decide later.
Gus can only weep, clutching her hands together.
Yuri grabs Sams arm and leads him toward the waiting police van. Nikolai and Gus follow, pleading.
You cant take him, Nikolai cries, weve raised him as our own.
The van pulls away; as it disappears around the corner, Gus collapses on the garden path, sobbing like a wounded animal. Her hair, now tinged with grey, falls over her face, and her scarf slips from her neck.
Neighbour Peter and his wife Claudia rush over, horrified.
What on earth is happening? Claudia shouts, Are you ripping a child away?
Nikolai, his shoulders slumped, finally looks older. The four of them sit on a bench, Guss soft whimpering breaking the silence.
A police patrol car rumbles up. The local constable steps out, followed by Yuri and Svetlana.
Where is he? Who are you protecting him from? Yuri shouts.
Svetlana says he ran off at the first stop, she replies weakly.
Gus, without a word, grabs Yuris shirt and shakes him.
Youre strangers, he snarls, pushing her away.
A tractor driver, Fred, pulls up, announcing, Got a passenger for you. He helps Sam out of the van.
Sam runs to Gus, flinging himself into her arms, hugging her tightly. Gus trembles, kisses his soft hair, and strokes his cheek.
Yuri tries to intervene, but Peter blocks him with a pitchfork, silently sealing the path.
Nikolai looks at the baffled constable and asks him to move the pitchfork. A heavy silence falls; even the family dog stops barking, the sparrows hush, and a lone crow watches from the roof.
Sam turns his head, looking directly at Yuri, eyes reflecting the mans own.
Yuri sighs, finally accepting defeat. He takes Svetlanas hand, and they walk toward the bus stop.
The constable removes his cap, wipes his brow, and mutters, We shouldve thought this through earlier.
Svetlana, on the drive, says, Its like a wolf staring at us.
Yuri replies, Too late now.
The dog barks again, the birds resume their chatter, and Peter puts the pitchfork away, eyeing the constable warily. The officer climbs back into his vehicle and drives off, stopping briefly to offer Yuri a lift to the town centre bus station.
Seven years later, fifteenyearold Sam zips around on his bike, fishes with Nikolai, helps Gus, and does well at school.
Stop slacking off, Nikolai grumbles, mending a neighbours boot.
Dad, Ive got it all memorised, Sam retorts cheerily.
Gus smiles, proud, saying, Youre brilliant, Sam.
Martha, Sams mother, finally returns to the village that summer after years away. Shes cheerful, a little round, still strikingly beautiful. Her husband, a short, plump man named Paul, chatters endlessly, not handsome but clearly kind. Their twin boys, eightyearolds, cling to each other, eyes wide as they look at their grandparents.
This is also yours, isnt it? Martha says, nodding at the twins.
The boys, like little mud pies, stare at the modest kitchen.
Hello, son! Martha tries to hug her oldest, who stiffens as if expecting a trick. Sorry Ive been away so long. We used to have Vova and Sergei, but were far now. Well send money each monthheres Paul, she points, who handles it all.
Paul, ever the social one, jokes, Moneys fine, but a good lad is what matters.
The evening stretches with conversation. Pauls easy charm wins over Marthas family instantly. Sam drags the twins outside, showing off his repaired bike and the moped he fixed for a friend. The boys, finally free, circle their older brother, fascinated by the machines.
Mom, Dad, I want to say thank you for Sam, Martha says the next morning, Were happy with Paul, hes willing to take Sam under his wing, though he kept some things from me.
She suggests they all move together. Nikolai, for the first time, raises his voice at his daughter.
A family, you say? Who are we then? Dogs tails?
Dad, I just want the best for you, she replies.
If Sam wants to go with you, I wont stop him. Ill ask his mother to accept it, even if it feels like a knife. If he doesnt, I wont argue either.
Sam frowns, looks at Martha, then says, I wont go anywhere without Mum and Dad.
He later refuses to leave with them, even when conscripted at eighteen. He stays, unable to picture life away from Nikolai and Gus.
Three more years pass. Letters arrive from Martha and her brothers, but Sam never visits. He promises to come after his military service.
When his unit finally moves, Gus wont even let him board the bus. She sits silently, eyes betraying her sorrow.
Mom, Dad, everything will be fine, Sam promises, Ill be home in two years.
He returns in spring, before the fields are ploughed, eager to help his parents. Gus, still spry, feeds him, and he watches his parents age, yet they remain the most handsome people he knows, especially his mother, whose grey hair only adds to her grace.
Later that autumn, the village hall celebrates local workers. The announcer calls out, Awarded for outstanding service, mechanic Alex Corbyn, of the Agricultural Machinery Centre.
Applause roars. Sam, embarrassed, walks to the stage.
Our lad, our pride, Nikolai mutters, eyes on his wife. Gus wipes away tears, clutching Nikolais hand.
They watch the ceremony, proud of the son they raised with love.
Listen, love, Sams getting married, Nikolio whispers, Hell have childrenour grandchildren.
Cant wait for little Samettes, Gus giggles.
Theyll be our grandchildren soon enough, Nikolio boasts, beaming.
