书名：Remember Miranda 《难忘米兰达》
作者：Rowena Akinyemi 罗伊纳·阿金耶米
简介：
这是凯茜·威尔逊的第一份工作：同哈维一家生活在一起，照看两个年幼的孩子和料理家务。凯茜父母双亡，也没有兄弟姐妹。她希望在新家里过得快乐，但她不时感到孤独。孩子们的父亲邓肯常常出差去伦敦。凯茜喜欢孩子们，也喜欢邓肯的母亲老哈维太太，但她没有朋友。
当然， 还有一个叫尼克的农场主，他住在田地的另一边。他的眼睛很蓝，笑容亲切而友善。但要和尼克交朋友并不容易，因为邓肯恨他，而凯茜同尼克出去吃晚饭也会让老哈维太太很生气。
但是邓肯为什么恨尼克呢？为什么尼克让凯茜在海滩屋要小心呢？为什么谁也不愿意谈到两年前过世的孩子们的母亲米兰达呢？哈维家有许多秘密，令凯茜产生了疑问。
很快，她开始揭开谜底，并终于明白了为什么每个人都忘不了米兰达……
Chapter 3
A terrible accident可怕的意外
Duncan came back and worked at home again. Why did he hate Nick? I wanted to understand, but I couldn’t ask because I was a little afraid of Duncan. He didn’t talk much and he worked for hours in his room.
邓肯回家了，又开始在家里工作。为什么他恨尼克？我想知道，但我不能问，因为我有点儿怕邓肯。他不爱说话，在自己的房间里一工作就是几个小时。
Old Mrs Harvey liked to cook, but because of her arthritis she couldn’t cook much and she couldn’t look after the children and the house. She often felt upset because of this. But she was much happier with Duncan at home. She smiled more and she cooked breakfast for him nearly every day. Sometimes she made bread. Duncan was kind to his mother and he played with the children every day. He drove them to school every morning and I drove them home in the afternoons.
老哈维太太喜欢做饭，但因为她患有关节炎，不能做得太多，她也无法照看孩子们和打理家务。这一切经常让她感到很苦恼。但邓肯在家时，她会高兴得多。她笑得也比较多了，而且几乎每天都为他做早餐。有时她会做面包。邓肯对他母亲很好。他每天都会陪孩子玩儿。他每天早晨开车把孩子们送到学校，我每天下午开车把他们接回家。
One Friday afternoon I drove away from Beach House past Nick’s farm. Just then, I saw Nick’s Landrover on the farm road. ‘He’s driving very fast,’ I thought. ‘Oh no! He’s not going to stop —’ And he didn’t. He drove out of the farm road and very nearly hit my car. I couldn’t stop, so I drove off the road and the Landrover went past, only centimeters away.
一个周五的下午，我从海滩屋开车出来，路过尼克的农场。就在这时，我看见尼克的“路虎”车在农场公路上飞奔。“他开得太快了。”我想，“哦，不！他不打算停下来——”他确实没有停车！他的车冲出农场公路，几乎撞到了我的车。我没法停车，只能开离了公路，“路虎”开了过去，离我车只有几厘米远。
The Landrover stopped. Nick got out, ran back to my car, and opened the door. ‘Cathy! Are you all right?’
“路虎”停了下来。尼克下车往回跑到我的车边，拉开门。“凯茜，你还好吗？”
Then I saw a girl in the Landrover. It was Juliet. She got out and came up to us.
这时，我看见一个女孩坐在“路虎”里，是朱丽叶。她下了车，走上前来。
‘You must drive more carefully, Nick!’ She said angrily. ‘You nearly hit Cathy then.’ She wore a beautiful red coat and black trousers. Her dark eyes were angry, but they looked at Nick and not at me.
“你开车应该更小心一些，尼克！”她生气地说，“你当时差点儿就撞到凯茜了。”她穿着一件漂亮的红外套和一条黑裤子。她深色的眼睛看起来很愤怒，但它们盯着尼克，而不是我。
‘Cathy’s all right,’ he said to her. He put his hand on her arm. His blue eyes were kind, but they looked at Juliet and not at me.
“凯茜没事儿，”他对她说。他把手放在她的手臂上。他的蓝眼睛看起来很亲切，但它们看着朱丽叶，而不是我。
‘We don’t want more accidents,’ Juliet said quietly. ‘Remember Miranda.’
“我们都不想再出意外了。”朱丽叶轻轻地说，“记住米兰达。”
‘Please move your Landrover,’ I said coldly. ‘I must get to school for the children. I’m going to be late.’
“请把你的‘路虎’移开，”我冷冷地说道。“我得去接孩子们。我要晚了。”
‘Don’t be angry.’ Nick smiled at me. ‘I’m very sorry.’ He got back into the Landrover and moved it.
“别生气。”尼克冲我笑笑。“我很抱歉。”他回到“路虎”上，启动汽车。
Juliet stood by my car.
朱丽叶站在我的车旁。
‘So you and Nick are friends.’ I said to her. ‘You didn’t tell me about that.’
“这么说你和尼克是朋友。”我对她说，“你没有告诉过我。”
Juliet said nothing for a minute. ‘You don’t understand,’ she said in the end. ‘It’s very difficult.’
朱丽叶沉默了一分钟。“你不明白，”她最后说，“这很难跟你说清。”
I drove back on to the road. I nearly cried, and I felt very angry. Juliet was my friend. I had coffee with her and went to the cinema with her, but she said nothing about Nick. Why not? I had dinner with Nick and we talked all evening, but he said nothing about Juliet. Why not? I felt angry with Juliet and with Nick.
我把车开回到公路上。我几乎要哭出来了，我很愤怒。朱丽叶是我的朋友。我和她一起喝咖啡，一起看电影，但她一点儿都没有提到尼克。为什么不说？我和尼克一起吃晚饭，我们谈了一晚上，但他一点儿都没有提到朱丽叶。为什么不说？朱丽叶和尼克都让我生气。
That evening Mrs Harvey’s arthritis was bad and she went to bed early. Duncan cooked dinner and I ate with him and the children. Duncan talked and laughed with the children and I felt happy to be with them. Once, I felt Duncan’s eyes on me, and suddenly my face felt hot. I didn’t want to think about Juliet and Nick.
那天晚上，哈维太太的关节炎犯得很严重，她很早就睡了。邓肯做的晚餐，我和他以及孩子们一起吃的饭。邓肯与孩子们说说笑笑。跟他们在一起，我感到很快乐。有一瞬间，我感觉到邓肯在看我，我的脸突然烫起来。我不愿意去想朱丽叶和尼克。
But later, in my room, I remembered Juliet’s angry face and eyes. We don’t want more accidents. Remember Miranda. Then I remembered old Mrs Harvey in London. The children’s mother died two years ago. She told me that, but she didn’t tell me about an accident. Perhaps it was a car accident? Perhaps Nick killed Miranda with his Landrover? Duncan hates Nick. Mrs Harvey told me that, too. Did Duncan hate Nick because Nick killed Miranda?
但是后来，在我的房间里，我想起了朱丽叶愤怒的表情和双眼。“我们都不想再出意外了。记住米兰达。”于是，我又想起了老哈维太太在伦敦的时候。“孩子们的妈妈两年前去世了。”她告诉我这件事，但并没有跟我说那个是意外。也许是出了车祸？也许是尼克开着他的“路虎”杀了米兰达？“邓肯憎恨尼克。”哈维太太也曾说过。难道邓肯恨尼克因为尼克杀了米兰达？
I slept in the end, but I didn’t sleep well. The next day was Saturday and I was free in the morning. Duncan went to the shops with the children and I went to the library in Cromer. Miranda died on 30th September, two year ago. I knew that. Perhaps the town’s newspaper wrote about her after she died. I must find something about her because I wanted to understand the Harvey family.
最终我还是睡了，但睡得不好。第二天是星期六，上午我可以自由安排。邓肯和孩子们出去购物了。而我去了克罗默镇的图书馆。我知道，米兰达死于两年前的9月30日。也许，这个小镇的报纸在她死后报道过她。我必须查明一些关于她的事，因为我想了解哈维一家。
I found the old newspapers and began to read. The newspaper of 1st October told me everything.
我找到了那些旧报纸，开始阅读。10月1日的报纸告诉了我一切。
YOUNG MOTHER DIES IN TERRIBLE ACCIDENT
年轻的母亲死于可怕的事故
Miranda Harvey, aged 26, fell down the stairs at her home and died later in hospital. Miranda lived with her husband and two children not far from Cromer. Duncan Harvey’s mother lives with them. ‘This is a terrible day for the Harvey family,’ she said. ‘We all loved Miranda very much, and now her two little children are without a mother.’
米兰达·哈维，26岁，从家中的楼梯上摔了下来，稍后在医院去世。米兰达同她的丈夫和两个孩子生活在一起，住在克罗默镇附近。邓肯·哈维的母亲同他们住在一起。“对哈维家来说，这是可怕的一天。”她说，“我们都非常爱米兰达，而现在她的两个小孩失去了母亲。”
Juliet, aged 24, Miranda’s sister, is a teacher at one of the schools in Cromer. ‘My sister was a wonderful mother,’ she said, ‘and a loving sister to me.’
朱丽叶，24岁，米兰达的妹妹，是克罗默镇一所学校的教师。“我姐姐是一位很出色的母亲，”她说，“对我而言是一位慈爱的姐姐。”
I sat with my head in my hands. I could not move. We don’t want more accidents. Remember Miranda. It wasn’t a car accident; Miranda, that wonderful mother, fell down the stairs at Beach House — and I ran up and down those stairs six or seven times a day.
我双手抱头坐在那里，一动不动。“我们都不想再出意外了。记住米兰达。”那不是车祸。米兰达，这位出色的母亲，是从海滩屋的楼梯上摔了下来——而我每天都要在这楼梯上跑上跑下六七回。
Then I looked at some of the later newspapers.
然后，我又看了一些后来的报纸。
POLICE QUESTION DUNCAN HARVEY
警察盘问邓肯·哈维
Harvey, aged 34, was at home on the day of his wife’s accident. He was upstairs with her before she fell. Then he went downstairs to the kitchen. How did the accident happen? Harvey does not know. He heard nothing, he says.
哈维，34岁，他妻子出事那天正在家中。在他妻子摔下来前，他俩都在楼上。随后他下楼去了厨房。意外是怎么发生的呢？哈维并不知道。他说，他什么都没听到。
The police questioned Duncan for two days, I read, but in the end he went home to his children. It wasn’t Nick, in his Landrover. Miranda died at home, and the police questioned Duncan. My hands were cold, my legs were cold, and I felt afraid.
报纸上说，警察盘问了邓肯两天，但最后他回家了，回到了孩子们身边。这意外不是因为尼克开着“路虎”造成的。米兰达死在家里，警察盘问了邓肯。我手脚冰凉，我感到很害怕。
Things were different at Beach House after my visit to the library. The house was a house with a secret, and the Harveys were a family with a secret. I thought about Miranda and the accident every day. I wanted to talk to someone about it, but I was afraid. Why did the police question Duncan? Be careful at Beach House. Why did Nick say that to me? Was it because of Miranda’s accident? There were more questions in my head now. And the biggest question was this: did Miranda fall — or did someone push her?
从我去过图书馆之后，海滩屋的一切都不同了。这所房子是一所藏着秘密的房子，哈维一家是藏着秘密的一家。我成天想着米兰达和那场意外。我想找个人说说这事，但我很害怕。为什么警察会盘问邓肯？“在海滩屋要小心点儿。”为什么尼克对我说这个？是因为米兰达的意外吗？现在我脑子里的疑问更多了。而最大的疑问就是：米兰达是自己摔下去的——还是有人把她推下去的？
