When they finished, they’d cleared the room of almost everything in it. They carried it all down to put into Nash’s truck to go to the dump.
As the days passed, the storm moved away. True autumn arrived, with its crisp air and pumpkins. Nash worked on the construction crew every day, returning home to Darcy and dinner and television or sometimes dinner out. Often, they simply sat talking about everything, sharing anecdotes of school days and family foibles. They took long walks on Sundays, crunching through the forest at Squam Swamp or viewing the darkening ocean from the Bluff Walk in ’Sconset. During the winter, when blizzards kept them indoors, they went around the house more carefully, deciding if there was anything they’d really like to have. Gradually, Darcy and Nash freshened up Penny’s room. They swept it clean and washed the floor and windows. They painted the walls a pale cream with marshmallow-white woodwork. They leaned shoulder to shoulder in front of the computer, discussing and comparing furniture, and one day a beautiful, sleek, king-size bed arrived. For weeks they slept in the bed, with nothing else in the room. The bed was quite enough.
All this time, they spent most Sundays touring houses with Marlene deCosta. They saw houses in the quaint small village of ’Sconset and on the other end of the island in Madaket. They saw historic houses that “needed work” and newer houses in pristine condition. They saw houses with small yards and houses that bordered the moors and seemed to have yards going on forever. They ran spreadsheets on mortgage rates and real estate taxes. They discussed the advantages and disadvantages of Penny’s in-town house for the children they just might have in the future.
One gray Sunday in November when the rain fell steadily and the temperature dropped to the low forties, they lay together in bed, drinking the coffee Nash had brewed and brought up. It was almost noon. They’d spent much of the morning making love and napping. Now it really was time to get up.
“Let’s talk,” Nash said.
“Mmm.” Darcy murmured, but her pulse began to race. “I know. I know we should talk. I’ve been dithering about, but I’ve made a decision. About the house.” If she could do this now, while they were sitting here in what was practically heaven for them both, she knew she loved Nash more than anyone or anything she had ever loved.
“Okay,” he said quietly, waiting.
“I’ll sell the house. It’s okay. I want to be with you anywhere. It will be hard, but I can do it. This house is my past. You are my future.”
Nash took her mug from her hand and set it on the bedside table. He pulled Darcy against him and held her to his chest. She could feel his heart beating. His breath came faster than usual. She could sense how he was struggling to contain his emotions. Men did not cry, but she wanted to cry not only for the loss of the house but for the enormity of her feelings for Nash, her love for him that had opened her heart to all kinds of love.
He ran his hand over her hair, nuzzled his chin against her, and when he spoke, she felt his breath on her skin.
“Darcy.”
She nodded, swallowing back her tears. The way he said her name said everything. This was a moment they would never forget. This was the moment of their marriage.
Nash pulled away. He cleared this throat. He said, “I suppose my main objection to living here is that it’s not my house. It’s your house.”
“True, but—”
“Hang on. Let me finish. I don’t think we’ve found anything special when we looked at other houses. Nothing that makes us say, ‘Hey, this is it! We’ve really got to live here!’?”
“True…”
“What if I made this house half mine?” Before Darcy could question him, he hurried on. “By giving you exactly one half of the value of the house.”
“You mean, money?” Darcy asked.
“I mean, money. We’ll have the house appraised and I’ll give you half its worth. We’ll have the deed changed to reflect our joint ownership.”
“That’s a lot of money….”
“I’ve got a lot of money. At least enough to buy half the house.”
“Oh, I like this plan.” Darcy’s pulse sped up. Hope shot through her like a lightning bolt. “And we could do something symbolic, like planting a tree in the backyard.”
“Or,” Nash said, “we could do something practical, like having the fireplace chimney in this bedroom repaired so we can have fires here in the winter.”
“Oooh. Brilliant.” Darcy closed her eyes, envisioning how Penny’s old bedroom/Darcy-and-Nash’s new bedroom would look with amber flames flickering, the only light in the room at night when they made love and when they slept.
“We’ll have to get smoke detectors,” she said.
“We’ll have to get smoke detectors,” Nash said, at exactly the same time.
—
Nash’s parents came to visit for Thanksgiving. Darcy and Nash invited them to stay in their house, but they opted for a B&B. Their decision worried Darcy, who was jittery about meeting Peggy and Allen Forester until they walked off the fast ferry. Nash’s father was a tall, stern, quiet man who didn’t approve of Nash giving up the law to be a carpenter on a small island. But Peggy was warm and kind, obviously the peacemaker in the family. They hadn’t been to Nantucket before, so Nash and Darcy gave them a tour, which helped ease them all into conversation.
The Thanksgiving dinner, prepared by Darcy and Nash together, went off smoothly. Nash’s mother was chatty and affectionate even though Nash’s father was formal and slightly distant. By the time the pumpkin and pecan pies were served, they began to discuss books, movies, and television shows, especially Downton Abbey. Darcy thought she’d send a check to their PBS station for providing subjects they could all agree on.
The next day, Nash and Darcy drove his parents around the island again. His parents took them to a gourmet lunch at the Brant Point Grill, and that evening they had a dinner of leftovers at Darcy’s. Nash’s father was impressed by the beauty of the island and by his son’s knowledge of the island’s history. That night when they sat around the dining room table to eat, Nash told them he’d been asked to join the Nantucket Conservation Commission. His father perked up at that, and conversation flowed more easily.
After dinner, Peggy insisted on helping Darcy clear the table. Nash took his father outside to see Darcy’s garden. As soon as they were outside, Peggy took Darcy’s arm.
“Quickly, dear, while we have a chance…I need to ask you….Nash told you about his brother, didn’t he?”
Darcy put her hand on Peggy’s. “Yes. I’m so sorry.”
Peggy patted Darcy’s hand. “I’m glad he told you. Nash took it hard. It changed his life. I was afraid he’d become insular and odd, living out here where you’re all so disconnected, but Nash seems fine. He seems happy. I think that’s because of you.”