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 5
Home家
‘Cathy! Wait for me!’ It was Duncan. He ran up behind me. ‘I want to talk to you, Cathy. Listen — all women like Nick. I know that. But he’s not a good friend for you to have. You heard him on the beach. He likes to have lots of women friends. How can you be happy with a man like that?’
“凯茜，等等我！”是邓肯。他从我后面跑上来。“我想和你谈谈，凯茜。听着，所有的女人都喜欢尼克。这我知道。但他不是一个值得你拥有的朋友。你听见他在海滩上说的了。他喜欢同很多女人做朋友。你和这样的男人在一起怎么会幸福呢？”
‘You’re wrong,’ I said slowly. ‘I stopped liking Nick weeks ago.’ Nick wasn’t important to me now, I knew that. But Duncan was important to me — and I couldn’t tell him. For a minute or two I said nothing, but the questions were still there. In the end I said: ‘Why didn’t you tell me about Miranda’s accident? Why was it a secret? I feel very upset about all this.’
“你错了。”我慢慢地说，“我几个星期前就不再喜欢尼克了。”我知道，现在尼克对我而言已经不重要了。但邓肯对我很重要——而我无法告诉他。有一两分钟我一言不发，但我还是心存疑问。最后我说：“为什么你不告诉我米兰达的事呢？为什么这件事秘而不宣呢？这一切让我很不安。”
‘I wanted to forget all about it,’ Duncan said slowly. ‘It was a very difficult time. Miranda and Juliet loved Nick. Juliet hated Miranda. She was afraid because Miranda wanted to live with Nick. Juliet told me about Miranda and Nick because she wanted me to stop Miranda.’
“我想忘掉这一切。”邓肯缓缓道来，“那段时间真是一个多事之秋。米兰达和朱丽叶都爱尼克。朱丽叶恨米兰达。她很害怕，因为米兰达想同尼克一起生活。朱丽叶告诉了我米兰达和尼克的事，因为她想让我去阻止米兰达。”
‘Juliet told me about her love for Nick. It was a secret, she said.’
“朱丽叶告诉了我她对尼克的爱。她说，这是一个秘密。”
‘A secret?’ Duncan laughed angrily. ‘Well, Miranda never knew about it, it’s true. Juliet’s very careful — she never talks about Nick. But it wasn’t difficult to see. I saw her car at his farm, and I often see it there now.’
“一个秘密？”邓肯愤怒地笑了，“呵，米兰达始终不知道，这没错。朱丽叶很小心——她从来不提尼克。但这不难看出来。我看到过她的车停在他的农场，而且我现在经常看到她的车停在那里。”
The sky was darker now. ‘Was Juliet here, the night Miranda died?’ I asked. Perhaps Juliet killed her sister, I thought.
现在，天色变得更暗了。“米兰达出事的那天晚上，朱丽叶在这儿吗？”我问。也许是朱丽叶杀了她姐姐，我想。
‘No, no. Juliet wasn’t here. Nick wasn’t here,’ Duncan said. ‘I was upstairs, and the children were in bed. Then Miranda called me into our bedroom and said: “I’m going to leave you, Duncan. I’m going to live with Nick.” I was very angry and upset, but I ran downstairs into the kitchen before she fell. Cathy, nobody killed Miranda. It was an accident, a terrible accident.’ Duncan put his hand on my arm. ‘Can’t you forget about Miranda now? Can’t we begin again?’
“不，不，朱丽叶不在，尼克也不在，”邓肯说，“我在楼上，孩子们已经上床了。当时，米兰达把我叫进了卧室，说道：’我要离开你，邓肯。我要和尼克生活在一起。’我很生气，也很苦恼，但我跑下楼进了厨房是在她摔下来之前。凯茜，没有人杀害米兰达。那是一场意外，一场可怕的意外。”邓肯把手放在我的手臂上。“现在你还不能忘掉米兰达吗？我们能不能重新开始？”
But I couldn’t answer then.
但当时我无法回答他。
We arrived at Beach House. There was a light downstairs in the kitchen, and a light in the sitting room.
我们到了海滩屋。楼下的厨房里亮着灯，起居室的灯也亮着。
‘The children are watching television,’ Duncan said. We went into the house and Duncan opened the sitting room door. ‘We’re home now,’ he told the children. ‘We’re going to the kitchen to make dinner.’
“孩子们在看电视，”邓肯说。我们进了屋，邓肯打开了起居室的门。“我们回来了，”他对孩子们说，“我们这就去厨房做晚餐。”
The kitchen was warm and quiet. Old Mrs Harvey sat in her chair. Suddenly, I felt afraid again. There was something terrible about old Mrs Harvey’s face. I stood by the kitchen door; I couldn’t go into the room.
厨房里温暖而安静。老哈维太太坐在她的椅子里。突然，我又感到害怕起来。老哈维太太的脸色极差。我站在厨房门边，无法走进去。
‘We’re back, Mother,’ Duncan said. ‘Cathy’s with me; everything’s all right.’
“妈妈，我们回来了，”邓肯说，“凯茜和我在一起，一切都很好。”
Mrs Harvey’s eyes were dark in her white face. ‘I was afraid. Duncan! I was afraid! The children love Cathy, and you love Cathy. I can see that. But Cathy loves Nick. She’s going to leave you and the children. Remember Miranda! It’s all happening again. I can see that.’
哈维太太的眼睛在她苍白的脸上看起来黯淡无光。“我怕，邓肯！我怕！孩子们爱凯茜，你爱凯茜。我看得出来。但是凯茜爱尼克。她会离开你和孩子们。记得米兰达吧？这一切又发生了。我能看出来。”
‘Mother! It’s not true! Don’t talk like this!’
“妈妈！这不是真的！不要这么说！”
‘Remember Miranda!’ Mrs Harvey said again. ‘Don’t be upset, Duncan. I’m always here, you know that. I can’t look after you because of my arthritis, but I love you most, you know that, and I’m going to help you again.’
“记得米兰达吧？”哈维太太又说了一遍。“别烦恼，邓肯。你知道，我永远在你身边。因为有关节炎，我无法照顾你，但我是最爱你的，这你知道，我又要助你一臂之力了。”
Suddenly I understood it all. ‘Tell us about Miranda,’ I said quietly. ‘What did you do that night?’
忽然间，我明白了一切。“告诉我们米兰达的事，”我轻声地说，“那天晚上你做了什么？”
Mrs Harvey looked at me then. ‘I don’t want you to leave, Cathy. I want you to stay with the children and be happy with Duncan. Let me tell you about that night,’ she said, ‘and then you must stay here with us.’
哈维太太看着我。“我不希望你离开，凯茜。我希望你能和孩子们在一起，与邓肯幸福地生活。我告诉你那天晚上的事吧，”她说，“可以后你一定要呆在这儿和我们在一起。”
The room was very quiet. Duncan held my hand, and his hand was warm and strong.
房间里非常安静。邓肯握着我的手，他的手温暖而有力。
‘Miranda wanted to leave Duncan. I was upstairs in my room, and I heard her. Duncan ran downstairs and I came out of my room and talked to Miranda. She hated Duncan, and she didn’t want to think about her children.’ Mrs Harvey began to cry. ‘I pushed her. She was on the stairs, and I pushed her with my stick. She fell down the stairs, and I went back into my room. I didn’t want to kill her, I wanted to break her legs. I wanted her to stay at home with Duncan. But she died, and in the end I was happy because she didn’t go and live with Nick...’
“米兰达想离开邓肯。我在楼上自己的房间里，听见了她说的话。邓肯跑下楼，我从自己房间里出来，和米兰达谈了谈。她恨邓肯，也不愿考虑孩子们。”哈维太太开始哭：“我推了她。她站在楼梯上，我用拐杖推了她。她从楼梯上摔了下去，我回了自己的房间。我不想杀死她，只想摔断她的腿。我希望她留在家里和邓肯在一起。但她死了，最终我很高兴，因为她没有走，去和尼克生活……”
Mrs Harvey talked and talked, and in the end we stopped listening to her.
哈维太太说啊说啊，最后我们都不听她说了。
‘Cathy, this is all going to be very difficult,’ Duncan said, tiredly. ‘I must call the police and tell them about mother. Then I must talk to the children. It’s going to be difficult for you, too. Are you going to leave Beach House?’
“凯茜，一切将变得很难面对，”邓肯疲惫地说，“我必须叫警察来，告诉他们母亲的事。然后我得跟孩子们谈谈。你也将很难面对这一切。你打算离开海滩屋吗？”
I smiled. There were no more questions in my head. I knew everything now about the Harvey family: there was nothing more to be afraid of. ‘No, Duncan, I’m not going to leave.’
我笑了。我脑子里再没有什么疑问了。现在哈维家的所有事情我都知道了：再没有什么让我害怕的了。“不，邓肯，我不会离开。”
‘The children need you,’ he said. ‘You know that. But I need you too. I want you to be with me. But can we be happy after all this?’
“孩子们需要你，”他说，“你知道的。但是我也需要你。我希望你和我在一起。但这一切过后，我们能幸福吗？”
‘Of course we can,’ I told him. ‘Things are going to get better now, for all of us.’
“我们当然能，”我对他说，“对我们大家而言，如今，事情正在好起来。”
He put his arms around me. He kissed me then, and I found my home in his arms.
他用胳膊搂着我，吻我，在他的臂弯里我找到了自己的家。
