"Jo Walton - Farthing" - читать интересную книгу автора (Walton Jo)

That was when Daddy said it. тАЬAre you sure youтАЩre not marrying David just to escape from that?тАЭ he
asked. тАЬTo shock Billy and all the Billies by doing something they canтАЩt countenance? Because if you are,
it isnтАЩt kind to David, and thatтАЩll stop being fun too, much sooner than you think.тАЭ

I thought about it, and I could see the smallest grain of that in me, the desire to give it all up and rub their
faces in it with someone totally unacceptable by their own ridiculous standards. IтАЩm afraid Mummy had
rather done her bit to encourage that part of my feelings, while intending the opposite, of course. тАЬI do
think there might be the tiniest bit of that, Daddy,тАЭ I admitted. тАЬBut really I love David, and he and I have
so much in common in ways that arenтАЩt to do with upbringing and education and that count for a lot more
with me.тАЭ
тАЬHe assured me he didnтАЩt intend to pressure you to convert,тАЭ Daddy said.

тАЬHeтАЩs not very religious himself,тАЭ I said.

тАЬHe told me he has no intention of giving up his religion.тАЭ Daddy frowned.

тАЬWhy should he?тАЭ I asked. тАЬItтАЩs not just a religion, itтАЩs a culture. HeтАЩs not very religious, but heтАЩs not
ashamed of his culture, his background, and converting would be like saying he was. It wouldnтАЩt make
any difference to anything anywayтАФ people who hate the Jews hate converts just as much. He says
Jewish children take the religion of the mother, so thatтАЩs all right.тАЭ

тАЬIn the same way it would make no difference, people will always talk of you as тАШthat Mrs. Kahn, Lucy
Eversley that was.тАЭ тАЬ He made his voice into a cruel imitation of a society woman, of Mummy at her
absolute bitchiest really.

I canтАЩt say that didnтАЩt hurt a bit, but even as it hurt, the tiny sting of it made me realize how unimportant it
really was, compared to the way I loved David. I shook my head. тАЬBetter that than not marrying David,тАЭ
I said.

тАЬYou know, in GermanyтАФтАЭ Daddy began.

тАЬBut weтАЩre not in Germany. We fought a warтАФyou and David both fought a warтАФto ensure that the
border of the Third Reich stops at the Channel. It always will. Germany doesnтАЩt have anything to do with
anything.тАЭ

тАЬEven in England youтАЩll come in for a lot of trouble, which your young man is used to but you wonтАЩt be,тАЭ
Daddy said. тАЬLittle things like not being allowed into clubs, big things like not being allowed to buy land.
And that will come to your children. When your daughters come out, they might not be allowed to be
debs and be presented, with the name Kahn.тАЭ

тАЬSo much the better for them,тАЭ I said, though that did shake me a little.

тАЬThere might be stings and insults you donтАЩt expect,тАЭ Daddy added.

But although he was right, I generally found I didnтАЩt mind them, or thought them funny, whereas poor
David wasnтАЩt used to them at all, like this thing now with idiotic Angela Thirkie and her stupid assumption
that anyone with a face and coloring like DavidтАЩs had to be a servant. Maybe he was better able to deal
with an outright snub than this kind of casual disregard.

I let my hair go, cautiously, and when it stayed up, I turned back to David. тАЬI wanted to marry you