A Friend of the Family (21 page)

Hugh looked doubtfully at the passengers and then at Polly, who smiled at him. ‘Shall we do “row, row, row your boat” while Mummy gets the kettle on?' she suggested. ‘And then we'll all stop and have a coffee break. The coach must be getting pretty exhausted, too.'

Hugh's face cleared. ‘Sing!' he shouted.

They sang. When, or so it seemed to Polly, they had rowed the full length of the Thames, Harriet announced that coffee was ready and the passengers were allowed off the coach to stretch their legs. Max pulled himself into a sitting position and rolled an eye towards the biscuit tin.

‘Looks like the coach needs some petrol,' said Harriet, giving Max a biscuit. She sat Hugh in an armchair near the Aga, piled in the passengers and gave him his feeding mug and a small bowl with some biscuit and a few nuts and raisins in it. ‘There you are. Share them round,' she told him. ‘And now,' she said, subsiding at the table, ‘tell me how you come to be staying with Cass.'

‘Oh, Harriet,' Polly sighed. ‘You simply won't believe this.'

Harriet stared at her aghast, as the recital proceeded. ‘Gone off with Fiona? Left a note?'

Polly looked at her in alarm. Harriet was beginning to sound Suzyish. If she suggested she bought a dog or offered her raspberry tea Polly felt that she might hit her with a blunt instrument, pregnant or not.

‘I don't know what to do,' she said and drank some coffee, smelling at it cautiously first.

‘I'm not surprised!' Harriet sounded indignant. ‘What a perfectly foul thing to do. Thank goodness you met up with Cass. She's just what you need in this sort of crisis. But do you really mean that you had no suspicion at all?'

‘Well, I didn't. But you must remember, Harriet, that our married life isn't like most people's. Paul is often stuck in the laboratory or in his study and he's not terribly social. I'm not complaining. I'm very happy doing my own thing and I'd hate always to be gadding about to parties and things. I'm useless, domestically, you know that. I like pottering about, reading and listening to music and going out for walks. We're both very boring people, which is why we suit each other. We're not what you'd call madly passionate but I hadn't noticed any change in that respect or in anything else.' Polly shook her head. ‘All I can assume is that, as he's been working so closely with Fiona, they've fallen madly in love and it's sort of sent him off his head. He's probably gone off to assimilate the facts, examine the data and write a short treatise on it,' she added morosely. ‘Then he'll decide how to react. Meanwhile, I have to sit and wait for the results.' Harriet stared at her across the table and then burst into an uncontrollable fit of mirth. ‘I'm sorry,' she moaned. ‘I'm truly sorry. It
was just the way you said it. Oh, God. Sorry, Polly.' She mopped her eyes on a tea towel.

‘Don't mind me.' Polly finished her coffee. ‘I like to give people a good laugh.'

‘No, no.' Harriet showed signs of breaking out again but controlled herself. ‘It's not at all funny. And I'm really glad you're here. But look, you mustn't go home after the party. Come and stay with us for a bit. I certainly don't think you should be sitting at home alone, waiting at the end of the telephone.'

‘Cass has told me I can stay as long as I like and, to be honest, Harriet, you don't look as if you're in a fit state to have guests. It's not as if I'm wonderfully practical and could cook terrific meals and be helpful to you. I'd probably be a pain in the neck. I'm sure Michael would think so. Where is he, by the way?'

‘At the office. Ozzy's gone with him. And that's all rubbish and you know it. It would be lovely to have you. After all, Michael's cousin Jon is supposed to be arriving at any moment. He's in the Foreign Office and he's been abroad so much I've never even met him. If I can cope with him I can cope with you. It might even be a help. Anyway, see how you feel after the weekend.'

‘Thanks. Huge has gone to sleep. What do you do with him when you go into hospital? Can I be of any help with that?'

‘Well, everything's very well organised at the moment. Michael will simply take some time off from the office. He's fantastic at a time like this. Not at all the helpless male and he's super with Hugh. If there's a problem I'll shout. You'll stay and have some lunch?'

Oh. Yes, please. Cass said that the longer I was out of the way the better. She's nice. And Tom . . . ' Polly paused. ‘You had a thing about Tom once, didn't you?'

‘Oh, God. Don't talk about it. It's not a time that I'm particularly proud about. Yes, I did. I had an affair with him in the end. You probably remember. Why do you ask?'

‘Well, it's just that they seem very well suited. Very easy-going and happy with each other. Didn't they have a child that died?'

‘Don't talk about it.' Harriet stood up and went to the sleeping Hugh. ‘I still feel so guilty. Tom and I were having an affair and Cass was running around with a married man and nobody really knows whether Charlotte—that was the little girl—found out and killed herself. It was awful. I've never forgiven myself.' She looked down at her sleeping son. ‘How terrible to lose a child.'

‘Well, at least it seems to have brought them back together.'

‘It was quite a few years ago.' Harriet sighed and shook her head. ‘What a terrible price to pay. Tom adored Charlotte and she absolutely worshipped him. Gemma isn't the same sort of child at all, very self-contained and aware of herself, and, of course, the boys are growing up and pushing out the boundaries, which is never easy for a father. He loves all his children and he's very proud of them but he must miss Charlotte dreadfully. Oh, Polly! I've come over all melancholy. Get us a drink, there's a love. You know where it is.'

‘Jesus,' said Polly, getting up and going into the larder. ‘I can tell that it's going to be one of those days. Thank goodness we've got a party to look forward to!'

 

Twenty-three

 

IN THE SURROUNDING COUNTRYSIDE
, people were getting ready for the party.

As Kate got older she found herself becoming less and less sociable. She could see no advantages in leaving her fireside to venture out in totally unsuitable clothing into a cold January night to mouth banalities at people she saw regularly. Cass's twenty-fifth anniversary was obviously a special event but the thought of it had rather depressed her. The remembrance of those twenty-five years—Charlotte's death, her own divorce and her affair with Alex and now, more recently, Felicity's tragic accident—lowered her spirits. The legacy that Kate had received from Felicity had made an enormous difference to her life. She no longer had to scrape by, grateful to her brother Chris for his generous contributions, but was able to indulge herself a little and to feel more independent. Nevertheless, the lean years had made their mark and she found it difficult to be extravagant.

She had missed Cass terribly whilst she had been in America and was delighted to have her back but the thought of this evening's celebration gave her very mixed feelings. Chris, back in the country for a few weeks' holiday, watched her sympathetically. He was pleased that Felicity's legacy had given her much more security but he knew that now the twins had left home she was finding the middle years rather a struggle against loneliness and a tendency to brood.

‘It's incredible to think that I've been going to Cass's parties for twenty-five years,' she said as they sat by the fire willing themselves to make a move. ‘Unbelievable.' She gave herself a mental shake and
smiled at him. ‘Well. I suppose we'd better go and change. We haven't actually got to dress up though. I know it's a special occasion but Cass said that we can be casual.'

‘Just as well,' said Chris as he climbed the stairs behind her. ‘Everyone knows us far too well to expect us to be smart.'

 

THEA AND GEORGE, HAVING
farther to drive, were already dressed. They were looking forward to the evening. The last year had been a happy, fulfilling one for both of them and the year-old Amelia had set the seal on their happiness. George had been made up to Captain, scraping in by the skin of his teeth, but now there was talk of a posting to NATO, probably Brussels. Thea was finding it difficult to come to terms with this. She couldn't bear the idea of leaving Jessie and Percy, not to mention the Old Station House, for two years but nor did she want to be apart from George. The conflicting interests and emotions of naval life had come late to her and she didn't know how to handle them. She thought of Cass, letting the Rectory, arranging for her children to be flown out to America during holidays, passing Gus over to Abby Hope-Latymer, and felt ashamed at her own dilatoriness. Added to these anxieties was the knowledge that she was pregnant again. She hadn't told George yet but the thought of going through the pregnancy in a foreign country with foreign doctors was a dreadful one. Despite her physique and vouth, the birth of her daughter had been long and painful and Thea felt that she could only cope with this second pregnancy in the surroundings she loved.

She hoped that the party would take her mind off her worries. Polly had telephoned her from Harriet's that morning to tell her that Paul had gone off with Fiona and that she was coming to the party that evening. Thea was upset by the news but not terribly surprised. During the last year, she had had plenty of opportunity to observe Paul and Polly's relationship and it was not difficult to see that they were drifting further and further apart. She had been anxious that Polly might turn to Freddie for more than the easy-going, lighthearted companionship that they shared but Freddie seemed reluctant to
break up the marriage and was content to bide his time. Thea, who assumed that Polly was staying with Harriet, decided to ask her to stay for a few days. Harriet was about to have the baby and Polly would need someone to talk to. At least it would distract Thea from her own problems even if there wasn't much that she could do for Polly.

George went to get the car out whilst Thea, having settled Amelia, was talking to the babysitter. Percy watched the proceedings with approval and crooned the ‘Skye Boat Song' to himself. He liked the babysitter who fed him grapes and, unbeknownst to George, let him out of his cage to explore the kitchen. ‘Speed bonny boat,' he whistled, hintingly, and Thea said that she must be going.

‘Don't hurry back,' said the babysitter, who couldn't stand children but loved parrots. ‘We'll be fine. Enjoy yourselves.'

 

HARRIET, HAVING SETTLED HUGH
and wearing what appeared at first sight to be a navy-blue tent, talked to the babysitter whilst Michael went to fetch the car. Ozzy, propped against the bookcase, and Max, stretched before the fire, watched approvingly. They liked the babysitter who spoiled them with treats and let Max hog the fire. They looked meaningly at the door and sighed. Harriet took the hint and said she must be going.

‘Don't hurry back,' said the babysitter, who couldn't stand children but adored dogs. ‘We'll be fine. Enjoy yourselves.'

 

MEANWHILE, SOME MILES AWAY
at Tiverton, Oliver was stopping off on his journey down from Cambridge, where he was at the university.

He pulled up outside the Victorian brick boarding houses of Blun-dell's School and went up the path to the side door of Petergate. As he reached it, it opened and his younger brother Saul nearly fell into his arms.

‘This is great, Ollie,' he said. ‘Do they know we're coming?'

‘No.' Oliver took Saul's bag and Hung it into the back of his old
and rather battered Fiat Panda. ‘I thought we'd be a nice surprise. Come on. We've got to get a move on. How's it going?'

Oh. All right.' Saul's initial enthusiasm seemed to wane a little. He sighed.

‘Spit it out,' said Oliver encouragingly. ‘Still got a crush on what's-her-name? Got anywhere?'

‘No chance. She likes really cool men. Thinks I'm too young. She's only a couple of months older than I am, too. Makes me sound as if I'm a kid. After all, I've passed my driving test. I may just give it all up.'

‘Faint heart never won fair lady,' said Oliver as they fled towards Exeter. ‘Your turn will come, never fear. Cheer up, old son!'

 

ANNABEL AND WILLIAM HOPE LATYMER
, up at the Manor, were both looking forward to the party. Land-rich they might be but, with two boys at preparatory school and a fourteen-vear-old daughter at Sherborne School for Girls, they were, just at present, extremely cash-poor. They knew that the food and drink would be of the highest quality and even Abby, who hated dressing up, went up to change quite willingly.

‘Good thinking to have a party now,' observed William, hunting for a clean shirt. There's always a whole spate of them at Christmas and over the New Year but it's now when everything's dark and drear that people need cheering up.'

‘How right you are,' agreed Abby, who knew perfectly well that William didn't have a clean shirt and was wondering how to break the news to him. ‘I thought we might not be quite so formal and stuffy tonight, darling. Why not wear that super rollneck Sophie gave you for Christmas and your new cords? You'll look very dashing!'

‘You mean I haven't got a clean shirt,' said William, with a resigned sigh. ‘Will that do for a party?'

‘It's not a dinner or anything,' said Abby, ‘just a good thrash, Cass said. A late twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Let's be different. You don't always have to wear a collar and tie, you know.'

‘It just seems right,' grumbled William, going to find the said jersey. ‘I bet Tom will be wearing a collar and tie.'

‘That's because he's as stuffy as you are,' said Abby lightly. ‘All those naval rules and regs. Break out! Be different!'

She left William in her dressing room and went into her daughter's bedroom, humming. Dear old William! What a dinosaur he was! She began to look through Sophie's clothes for something different and exciting.

 

POLLY, TOO, WAS PREPARING
for the party. She had enjoyed her day with Harriet and on returning to the Old Rectory had had tea with Cass and Tom in the drawing room. It seemed to have twice as many chairs as the evening before, a log fire roared up the chimney and the furniture gleamed and shone from polishing. It looked welcoming and cosy. As she passed through the hall on her way upstairs, Polly saw that the dining-room table was laid out with a buffet supper and the sideboard creaked beneath its weight of bottles. She hurried on to her bath feeling both excited and nervous.

Now, as she moved around the bedroom, she felt just nervous. She peered at herself in the looking-glass. Her hair was still looking good and the new dress, high at the neck, long in the sleeve and very clinging, was unbelievably flattering. She could have passed for twenty-four.

Polly sat down on the bed. Do I want to pass for twenty-four? she thought. What am I doing here, all dressed up to kill?

Even as she thought about Paul, part of her mind thrust the problem away. She simply didn't want to confront the reality of his departure or attempt to come to terms with the situation. She felt as though she were in some kind of limbo, a protective deadening cocoon, which prevented the need for thought or action. At that moment she heard the sound of vehicles coming up the drive and passing beneath her window. The bell rang, the front door opened and voices were heard exclaiming. Polly's hands clutched together convulsively. More wheels, more exclaimings. She sat, silently listening.

After quite a few more arrivals Polly stood up. Before she could move to the door, a car could be heard approaching at far greater speed than the others. The vehicle stopped at the bottom of the steps. A door slammed, then another. The front door opened and there was a loud cry.

Polly went out on to the landing and looked over the balustrade. In the hall Cass was trying to embrace two young men at once. The taller of the two was as fair as Cass herself. The younger was darker and sturdier and Polly guessed at once that these were her two sons.

‘Darlings!' she was crying with delight. ‘What a wonderful surprise! Tom!' she called. ‘Look who's here!'

Polly started to descend the stairs, hoping to make her entrance under cover of this family reunion. Saul, released from Cass's embrace, turned and caught sight of Polly. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Oliver, taking in the situation at a glance and feeling that his brother was doing himself no great favour in giving a fair imitation of something on a fishmonger's slab, gave Saul a sharp nudge. Saul gulped, his teeth meeting with a sharp click, and pulled himself together.

‘Oh, Polly,' said Cass, as Polly, reached the bottom of the stairs. ‘Isn't this a wonderful surprise! These are my sons. This is Oliver and this is Saul.' She put an arm round each of them. ‘I had simply no idea they were coming. This is Polly. She's staying with us for a few days. You must make sure she has a lovely time. I must tell Tom you're here.' She hurried off.

The boys shook hands with Polly, who smiled at them warmly. ‘How nice to meet you,' she said, ‘and what a lovely surprise for Cass. Have you come far?'

‘No,' croaked Saul whilst Oliver said: ‘From Cambridge.'

‘Goodness,' said Polly, ‘I should have thought that was quite far enough!'

‘I picked Saul up from Tiverton on the way down,' explained Olwer. He herded them towards the drawing room where they were met in the doorway by Tom, who looked less delighted to see them,
and Polly sensed that Saul was rather anxious regarding his reception. Oliver beamed at his parent.

‘Hi, Pa. The usual mob, I see. Don't worry, we're looking after Polly. Saul's going to get her a drink.'

‘Just wine,' said Polly quickly. ‘A glass of white wine would be super.'

‘Right.' Saul disappeared with remarkable alacrity, avoiding his father's eye. Tom looked at Oliver.

‘How did he manage permission to come out of school?' he asked. ‘It's not an exeat.'

‘Oh, it was no problem,' said Oliver airily. ‘It's a special occasion, after all. Unfortunately, Gemma's housemistress didn't agree or she would have been here, too.'

‘You had no right to pull Saul out of school. He simply can't afford distractions at the moment. He has to work hard. And it's not even an official twenty-fifth anniversary party. We had that out in the States.'

‘Don't get out of your pram, Pa,' said Oliver. One weekend isn't the end of the world. Look! I think someone's trying to attract your attention.'

Tom, hailed by a passing guest, moved reluctantly away and Oliver blew out his lips in relief. ‘Pa's being very heavy-handed with poor old Saul at the moment,' he explained. ‘Worrying about his A levels. Just what he doesn't need, poor kid. He's been rejected by a rather horrid girl and she's really knocked his confidence.'