Nadia Knows Best, page 34
Her nightie proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“Oh bum.” Leaning back on her heels, Tilly gazed in dismay at the broken zip.
***
The loft was a bit of a memory lane. Thankful that there were no Indiana Jones-style cobwebs, Tilly eased her way past her own cot, dismantled now and propped against the water tank. James had always been the one who could never bear to throw anything away. He’d lugged her old tricycle up here, and the musical mobile that had hung in her bedroom for years. There was even a box containing spare rolls of wallpaper that Tilly only dimly remembered seeing on walls.
Squeezing between piled-up crates of gramophone records and old books—honestly, had James never heard of Oxfam?—she spotted Miriam’s cases over in the far corner. Not the huge trunk, she wasn’t going on a world cruise. Or the green Samsonite thing; far too posh and bulky.
Tilly strained to see past the Samsonite. There, that one would do. Miriam wouldn’t mind. Reaching for the smaller squashy tan leather case, she hauled it over the others then straightened up and made her way back toward the trapdoor.
Back in her own room, Tilly unzipped the case and saw what had been rattling around inside as she’d made her way down the stepladder.
This time all her things fitted easily into the case and the zip fastened without protest.
But how strange. Why on earth would Miriam have left a DVD in there? Surely it couldn’t be one of those rude ones?
Of course it couldn’t. Turning the DVD over in her hands, Tilly was ashamed of herself for even thinking such a thing. Good grief, Miriam would never have anything to do with mucky videos. Her all-time favorite film was Casablanca.
In fact, this probably was a copy of Casablanca.
***
Except it wasn’t.
Idle curiosity had got the better of Tilly and now she was wishing she’d never gone up into the loft in the first place.
She almost wished it had turned out to be a pornographic film.
Even a pornographic film would have been better than this.
Until she felt the drops soaking through the knees of her jeans, Tilly hadn’t realized she was crying again. Rocking backward and forward with her arms wrapped tightly round her ribs, she watched the flickering black and white images on the screen and wondered if she was going completely mad.
How could she be seeing what she was seeing on this video? It was just bizarre, as impossible as going to the cinema to watch the latest Harry Potter movie and suddenly seeing yourself up there on the screen, acting in a film you knew you hadn’t appeared in.
Tilly knew what Robert Kinsella looked like. He had been Miriam’s husband and James’s father. There were photographs of him dotted around the house. This was why it made no sense, no sense at all.
Because the man she was watching on the video certainly wasn’t Robert Kinsella.
***
Jay phoned Nadia the following morning.
“Hi,” she said happily. “How are you?”
“Shattered. It’s hard work, you know, this giving birth business.”
“You poor thing, I hope you had loads of painkillers.”
“Gas and air. Pethidine. I passed on the epidural.”
“Well done you. And?”
“A boy. Eight pounds, six ounces, fit and healthy, blue eyes, dark hair.” Jay paused. “And absolutely huge balls.”
Nadia laughed. She couldn’t help it, he sounded so perplexed.
“He’ll grow into them. What’s his name?”
“Daniel Anthony. He was born at eleven o’clock. I’ve been phoning all the relatives.”
“I’m glad he’s OK. How’s Belinda?”
“Emotional. Happy. She swears he’s the image of Anthony, but you know what newborn babies are like. They all just look red and squashed to me.”
Nadia said helpfully, “That’s because you’re a man.”
“So I’ve been told. Anyway, I may be home this evening. If you’re free, do you fancy dinner?”
“Could do.” Nadia flushed with pleasure.
“Look, I don’t know what time I’ll be back, so I’ll give you a ring,” said Jay. “You got home all right yesterday, did you?”
“Absolutely fine. No trouble at all. Actually, I went to the cinema.”
“See anything good?”
“The new Roberto Benigni film.”
“Who’s he?” said Jay.
Nadia smiled to herself. Oh well, you couldn’t win them all.
Chapter 52
Leonie would be arriving any minute now. Feeling like a dog bracing itself for a visit from the vet—which was ridiculous; this was her own mother, for heaven’s sake—Tilly lugged her bag downstairs.
“Darling, you can’t use that! The zip’s broken,” Miriam exclaimed. “Why don’t I pop up to the loft and find you a proper case?”
Miriam was wearing a white shirt, an embroidered vest, and a bias-cut black skirt. Her face and hair were immaculate, as always, and diamonds glittered on her fingers.
“I’m fine.” Having returned her grandmother’s tan leather case, along with the bewildering DVD, to the attic, Tilly had crammed all her stuff back into her old sports bag and fastened it with a sturdy belt. “I like this one.”
It was hard to meet Miriam’s gaze. She’d found a video that made no sense at all and there was no one she could ask about it. Whoever the man in the video was, Tilly was painfully aware that she had no right to ask prying questions. It was none of her business. She was the cuckoo in the Kinsella nest, a cuckoo about to be gently nudged out.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Enfolding Tilly in her scented embrace, Miriam said, “We’ll miss you so much if you decide to go. You do know that, don’t you? The house just won’t be the same without you.”
That was the thing about Miriam, she was so believable. When she said stuff like this, it sounded as if she really and truly meant it.
“Anyway.” Miriam smoothed her hair and glanced out of the window as a car came crunching up the gravel drive. “Sounds as though Leonie’s arrived. Do you want to go and meet her, while I get the drinks organized? It’s such a beautiful day I thought we’d sit out in the garden.”
***
“She’s here?” In the kitchen, Edward was already arranging glasses on a tray and taking bottles down from the cupboard. Gin, vodka, and Scotch.
Nodding, Miriam impatiently brushed away a tear. “Bloody hell, Edward. How am I going to do this? I can’t bear the thought of Tilly going to live with that wretched woman. If I had my way I’d tell Leonie to clear off and never come near us again. But she’s Tilly’s mother, and if it’s what Tilly wants… oh, sod it, I know I mustn’t influence her, but it’s so hard to try and stay impartial. I just want to shoot Leonie.”
“I know, I know.” Edward put his arms round Miriam. “But Tilly has to make up her own mind.”
“She’s only thirteen!”
“All the more reason why she probably wants to go. And shooting Leonie really wouldn’t help. Tilly might not appreciate the gesture.” Edward had a neuropsychiatrist’s sense of humor. He couldn’t help it.
Pulling herself together, Miriam took a steadying breath. “Right, I’ll take the tray. Can you bring the rest?”
“The rest. You mean the ice cubes, mixers, spirits, wine, and orange juice.” Edward rolled his eyes. “I’ll just carry all that, shall I?”
Miriam said carelessly, “Oh, I’m sure you’ll manage, darling. You always do.”
***
“The Mummy Returns,” murmured Clare as Leonie came sauntering toward them with her arm slung round Tilly’s thin shoulders. “Here we go.”
“Now remember what I said,” Miriam warned. “No slanging matches. That’s the last thing Tilly needs.”
“Crikey.” Gasping, Nadia peered into the drink Edward had poured her. “Any tonic in this gin?”
“We’re going to need something to line our stomachs,” said Miriam grimly. “Edward, there’s dolce latte and ciabatta in the larder. And don’t forget the olives.”
Edward hesitated and for a millisecond Nadia thought he was about to tell Miriam to fetch her own bloody olives. But all he said, drily, was, “Just call me Jeeves.”
“May as well bring out the cashews as well,” Miriam called after him.
“Lovely.” Clare grinned. “We’ll need something to throw at Leonie.”
Nadia gave her a kick under the table. God, this drink was strong, at this rate she was going to end up legless.
“Darlings, here we all are,” Leonie exclaimed, descending on them and kissing her elder daughters. “Isn’t this lovely? I was just telling Tilly how excited Tamsin is. We just can’t wait to have her home with us!”
“If she decides she wants to go,” Nadia said evenly, because Tilly was looking like a trapped rabbit.
“Oh nonsense, of course she wants to. Don’t you, darling?” Leonie patted Tilly’s arm, then dug into her raffia shoulder bag. “Here, I’ve brought some brochures about Tilly’s new school. She’ll be in the same class as Tamsin, which is brilliant. No James?” she added, glancing around the table as if realizing for the first time that her ex-husband was missing.
“Dad had a meeting. He’ll be here by four.” Nadia checked her watch; it was almost that now.
“Oh well, it’s not as if we need him.” Beaming, Leonie shook back her hair. Silver bracelets jangled as she ran her fingers through the overbleached ends, then swiveled round on her chair at the sound of the garden gate clicking open. “Unlike this gorgeous boy. Laurie, how heavenly to see you again!” Leaping to her feet, she greeted Laurie with characteristic enthusiasm.
“I just came to tell Dad he’s had a call.” As Laurie spoke, Edward returned with a second tray of food. “A Professor Spitz rang from Boston. He’ll phone back in an hour.”
Edward nodded. Ernst Spitz was an old colleague of his; they had co-written several papers for medical journals.
“Laurie, you can’t leave us!” Pouting girlishly, Leonie tugged him down next to her. “Stay and have a drink. How’s that silly daughter of mine treating you? Has she come to her senses yet?”
Nadia gritted her teeth. The fact that her mother adored Laurie and couldn’t understand why she hadn’t taken him back in a flash irritated her intensely. As one who had spent her life flitting from one man to the next, leaving a trail of unhappiness in her wake, Leonie thought it was a completely normal thing to do.
“Still working on her,” said Laurie with an easy grin. “She’s making me wait. It’ll happen.”
Nadia felt her shoulders stiffen. Laurie’s confidence was annoying too.
“I’m seeing someone else tonight.” Defiantly she took another swig of her drink. “For dinner. And I might have torrid sex with him, so there.” She didn’t actually say this last bit aloud, but she was jolly well thinking it.
“Jay? Well, good.” Spinning the cap off the vodka, Laurie poured himself a couple of inches and topped it up with orange juice. “I told you you should. Get him out of your system.”
“Who’s Jay?” Recalling the name, Leonie said excitedly, “Oh, you mean the one with the dead brother!”
“And more notches on his bedpost than Jack Nicholson,” said Laurie.
“Ah, but that’s what makes them so irresistible.” Leonie gave a pleasurable shiver. “You can’t beat a good bad boy.”
Nadia wondered what she’d done to deserve this. Right, now she was definitely going to shag Jay tonight.
Aloud she said, “Aren’t we supposed to be discussing Tilly?”
Her mother nudged Laurie and whispered, “Bad boys are always more fun. Ooh, that reminds me.” Turning to Clare she went on brightly, “How’s that naughty chap of yours? Piers, isn’t it?”
Clare stiffened; Leonie was the only one here who didn’t know about her brief pregnancy.
“At last.” Miriam sighed with relief as they all heard the front door slam. “Here’s James.”
***
It’s going to be fun, everything’s going to be great, Tilly told herself as she headed back up the garden and into the house. Her mother had said so, she kept stressing how marvelous it would be, especially with someone her own age to play with.
“It’s just what Tilly needs,” Leonie had explained to James. “She and Tamsin will make a brilliant team. You should see the two of them together, they’re as thick as thieves!”
Which, what with Tamsin’s shoplifting skills, was actually quite funny, except it scared Tilly rigid. The last time they’d visited a department store, Tilly hadn’t discovered the stolen Stereophonics CD in her bag until they’d arrived home.
Anyway, look on the bright side. Like it or not, she was moving to Brighton, and bits of it might be fun. They could swim in the sea, for a start. She and Tamsin could share clothes, borrow each other’s shoes, and talk about teenage girlie stuff together.
Plus, Tilly reminded herself, she’d be living with her mother, who genuinely wanted her there. That was the good thing about Leonie; you didn’t have to wonder if she was only offering you a home out of a sense of guilt or obligation, because Leonie never did feel obliged. Her mother was a guilt-free zone.
Right. Ice cubes.
She was busy in the kitchen, clattering ice into a tall glass jug, when the doorbell went. Grabbing a runaway ice cube and lobbing it into the sink, Tilly wiped her wet hands on her denim shorts and went to answer the front door.
A man she didn’t know was standing in the porch.
At least she thought she didn’t know him, but there was something distantly familiar about his face.
The visitor had to be around Edward’s age, and despite the heat of the day was wearing an expensive-looking suit, dark blue shirt, and striped tie. His shoes were highly polished. He wasn’t carrying a Bible, but Tilly suspected this was his reason for ringing the bell. Anyone this smartly dressed had to be on a mission from God.
Clutching the jug of ice cubes to her chest she said warily, “Hello?”
“Hello there. I’m here to see Miriam Kinsella. Is she around?”
Not a Mormon then, bent on converting them to the Way of the Lord. Tilly wondered who he was. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was definitely a faint echo of recognition nudging at the back of her brain.
“She is expecting me.” As if sensing her doubt, the man said charmingly, “Miriam and I are old friends.”
Still mystified, but remembering her manners, Tilly said, “She’s out in the garden. If you wait here, I’ll just go and get her.” Even as she said it, she was wondering if this was the right thing to do. Closing the front door on an old friend of Miriam’s would seem awfully rude. On the other hand, what if she invited him to wait in the hall and he turned out to be a con artist, tricking his way in? By the time Miriam got here, he could have made off with the family silver.
As if helping her out of her dilemma, the man said, “Wouldn’t it be easier if I just came with you?”
“OK.” Relieved, Tilly decided that it would. There had been a spate of robberies in the area recently. The man didn’t look dodgy, but that was the trouble with con artists these days, they never did.
She led the way through the house. At the French windows, the man paused. Next to him, Tilly watched him take in the scene. It looked for all the world like the most relaxed and convivial of gatherings, a happy mix of friends and family enjoying drinks in the garden on a glorious summer afternoon. Laurie said something that caused everyone around the oval table to burst out laughing. Nadia was pouring drinks. Leonie, cradling the bowl of olives on her lap, lobbed one in Laurie’s direction.
“There she is,” murmured the visitor, gazing at Miriam. He shook his head in admiration. “Hasn’t changed a bit.”
Out of curiosity, Tilly said, “When did you last see her?”
He smiled down at Tilly. “How long since I last saw Miriam? Fifty-two years.”
Blimey. More than half a century. The good old black-and-white days, marveled Tilly.
The next moment, prompted by this thought, she realized where she knew him from.
Oh good Lord.
“Come on,” said the man, gently guiding her forward. “Time to say hello.”
Chapter 53
“Who’s Tilly found now?” Nadia shielded her eyes and peered across the lawn.
“Dad? Is this another stray professor?” said Laurie.
“Never seen him before in my life,” Edward protested his innocence. “Probably some door-to-door chap selling conservatories.”
Miriam glanced up and felt a chill settle around her ribs. Oh no, it couldn’t be, it couldn’t possibly be.
But of course it was.
For a moment Miriam wondered if she was about to faint. Her heart felt as if it had been physically wrenched out of her body and plunged into ice-cold water. She’d spent months mentally bracing herself for something like this, but now it was actually happening she knew she was hopelessly unprepared.
“Miriam.” The man standing before her nodded and smiled slightly.
“Charles.” Hideously aware of curious eyes upon her, Miriam held out her hand for him to shake.
Ignoring it, Charles bent and kissed her on each cheek. Then, straightening up, he said easily, “No need to look so terrified. I don’t have a gun.”
Now he really had everyone’s attention. Miriam pushed back her chair and said, “Maybe we should talk in private.”
“I’d prefer to do it here.” Charles stood his ground. “Out in the open, so to speak. I think your family deserve to know, don’t you?”
Curtly, Edward said, “What’s this about?”
“I don’t want to.” Miriam’s face was white, her knuckles clenched.
Charles said calmly, “I’m sure you don’t. But I do.”
“You can’t just barge in here—”
“I didn’t barge in, I was invited by this charming young girl.” He indicated Tilly, who was looking agonized. “Besides, it can’t have come as too much of a surprise. I did tell you I’d be paying a visit.” He paused, raising his eyebrows. “In my last letter, remember?”
“Oh bum.” Leaning back on her heels, Tilly gazed in dismay at the broken zip.
***
The loft was a bit of a memory lane. Thankful that there were no Indiana Jones-style cobwebs, Tilly eased her way past her own cot, dismantled now and propped against the water tank. James had always been the one who could never bear to throw anything away. He’d lugged her old tricycle up here, and the musical mobile that had hung in her bedroom for years. There was even a box containing spare rolls of wallpaper that Tilly only dimly remembered seeing on walls.
Squeezing between piled-up crates of gramophone records and old books—honestly, had James never heard of Oxfam?—she spotted Miriam’s cases over in the far corner. Not the huge trunk, she wasn’t going on a world cruise. Or the green Samsonite thing; far too posh and bulky.
Tilly strained to see past the Samsonite. There, that one would do. Miriam wouldn’t mind. Reaching for the smaller squashy tan leather case, she hauled it over the others then straightened up and made her way back toward the trapdoor.
Back in her own room, Tilly unzipped the case and saw what had been rattling around inside as she’d made her way down the stepladder.
This time all her things fitted easily into the case and the zip fastened without protest.
But how strange. Why on earth would Miriam have left a DVD in there? Surely it couldn’t be one of those rude ones?
Of course it couldn’t. Turning the DVD over in her hands, Tilly was ashamed of herself for even thinking such a thing. Good grief, Miriam would never have anything to do with mucky videos. Her all-time favorite film was Casablanca.
In fact, this probably was a copy of Casablanca.
***
Except it wasn’t.
Idle curiosity had got the better of Tilly and now she was wishing she’d never gone up into the loft in the first place.
She almost wished it had turned out to be a pornographic film.
Even a pornographic film would have been better than this.
Until she felt the drops soaking through the knees of her jeans, Tilly hadn’t realized she was crying again. Rocking backward and forward with her arms wrapped tightly round her ribs, she watched the flickering black and white images on the screen and wondered if she was going completely mad.
How could she be seeing what she was seeing on this video? It was just bizarre, as impossible as going to the cinema to watch the latest Harry Potter movie and suddenly seeing yourself up there on the screen, acting in a film you knew you hadn’t appeared in.
Tilly knew what Robert Kinsella looked like. He had been Miriam’s husband and James’s father. There were photographs of him dotted around the house. This was why it made no sense, no sense at all.
Because the man she was watching on the video certainly wasn’t Robert Kinsella.
***
Jay phoned Nadia the following morning.
“Hi,” she said happily. “How are you?”
“Shattered. It’s hard work, you know, this giving birth business.”
“You poor thing, I hope you had loads of painkillers.”
“Gas and air. Pethidine. I passed on the epidural.”
“Well done you. And?”
“A boy. Eight pounds, six ounces, fit and healthy, blue eyes, dark hair.” Jay paused. “And absolutely huge balls.”
Nadia laughed. She couldn’t help it, he sounded so perplexed.
“He’ll grow into them. What’s his name?”
“Daniel Anthony. He was born at eleven o’clock. I’ve been phoning all the relatives.”
“I’m glad he’s OK. How’s Belinda?”
“Emotional. Happy. She swears he’s the image of Anthony, but you know what newborn babies are like. They all just look red and squashed to me.”
Nadia said helpfully, “That’s because you’re a man.”
“So I’ve been told. Anyway, I may be home this evening. If you’re free, do you fancy dinner?”
“Could do.” Nadia flushed with pleasure.
“Look, I don’t know what time I’ll be back, so I’ll give you a ring,” said Jay. “You got home all right yesterday, did you?”
“Absolutely fine. No trouble at all. Actually, I went to the cinema.”
“See anything good?”
“The new Roberto Benigni film.”
“Who’s he?” said Jay.
Nadia smiled to herself. Oh well, you couldn’t win them all.
Chapter 52
Leonie would be arriving any minute now. Feeling like a dog bracing itself for a visit from the vet—which was ridiculous; this was her own mother, for heaven’s sake—Tilly lugged her bag downstairs.
“Darling, you can’t use that! The zip’s broken,” Miriam exclaimed. “Why don’t I pop up to the loft and find you a proper case?”
Miriam was wearing a white shirt, an embroidered vest, and a bias-cut black skirt. Her face and hair were immaculate, as always, and diamonds glittered on her fingers.
“I’m fine.” Having returned her grandmother’s tan leather case, along with the bewildering DVD, to the attic, Tilly had crammed all her stuff back into her old sports bag and fastened it with a sturdy belt. “I like this one.”
It was hard to meet Miriam’s gaze. She’d found a video that made no sense at all and there was no one she could ask about it. Whoever the man in the video was, Tilly was painfully aware that she had no right to ask prying questions. It was none of her business. She was the cuckoo in the Kinsella nest, a cuckoo about to be gently nudged out.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Enfolding Tilly in her scented embrace, Miriam said, “We’ll miss you so much if you decide to go. You do know that, don’t you? The house just won’t be the same without you.”
That was the thing about Miriam, she was so believable. When she said stuff like this, it sounded as if she really and truly meant it.
“Anyway.” Miriam smoothed her hair and glanced out of the window as a car came crunching up the gravel drive. “Sounds as though Leonie’s arrived. Do you want to go and meet her, while I get the drinks organized? It’s such a beautiful day I thought we’d sit out in the garden.”
***
“She’s here?” In the kitchen, Edward was already arranging glasses on a tray and taking bottles down from the cupboard. Gin, vodka, and Scotch.
Nodding, Miriam impatiently brushed away a tear. “Bloody hell, Edward. How am I going to do this? I can’t bear the thought of Tilly going to live with that wretched woman. If I had my way I’d tell Leonie to clear off and never come near us again. But she’s Tilly’s mother, and if it’s what Tilly wants… oh, sod it, I know I mustn’t influence her, but it’s so hard to try and stay impartial. I just want to shoot Leonie.”
“I know, I know.” Edward put his arms round Miriam. “But Tilly has to make up her own mind.”
“She’s only thirteen!”
“All the more reason why she probably wants to go. And shooting Leonie really wouldn’t help. Tilly might not appreciate the gesture.” Edward had a neuropsychiatrist’s sense of humor. He couldn’t help it.
Pulling herself together, Miriam took a steadying breath. “Right, I’ll take the tray. Can you bring the rest?”
“The rest. You mean the ice cubes, mixers, spirits, wine, and orange juice.” Edward rolled his eyes. “I’ll just carry all that, shall I?”
Miriam said carelessly, “Oh, I’m sure you’ll manage, darling. You always do.”
***
“The Mummy Returns,” murmured Clare as Leonie came sauntering toward them with her arm slung round Tilly’s thin shoulders. “Here we go.”
“Now remember what I said,” Miriam warned. “No slanging matches. That’s the last thing Tilly needs.”
“Crikey.” Gasping, Nadia peered into the drink Edward had poured her. “Any tonic in this gin?”
“We’re going to need something to line our stomachs,” said Miriam grimly. “Edward, there’s dolce latte and ciabatta in the larder. And don’t forget the olives.”
Edward hesitated and for a millisecond Nadia thought he was about to tell Miriam to fetch her own bloody olives. But all he said, drily, was, “Just call me Jeeves.”
“May as well bring out the cashews as well,” Miriam called after him.
“Lovely.” Clare grinned. “We’ll need something to throw at Leonie.”
Nadia gave her a kick under the table. God, this drink was strong, at this rate she was going to end up legless.
“Darlings, here we all are,” Leonie exclaimed, descending on them and kissing her elder daughters. “Isn’t this lovely? I was just telling Tilly how excited Tamsin is. We just can’t wait to have her home with us!”
“If she decides she wants to go,” Nadia said evenly, because Tilly was looking like a trapped rabbit.
“Oh nonsense, of course she wants to. Don’t you, darling?” Leonie patted Tilly’s arm, then dug into her raffia shoulder bag. “Here, I’ve brought some brochures about Tilly’s new school. She’ll be in the same class as Tamsin, which is brilliant. No James?” she added, glancing around the table as if realizing for the first time that her ex-husband was missing.
“Dad had a meeting. He’ll be here by four.” Nadia checked her watch; it was almost that now.
“Oh well, it’s not as if we need him.” Beaming, Leonie shook back her hair. Silver bracelets jangled as she ran her fingers through the overbleached ends, then swiveled round on her chair at the sound of the garden gate clicking open. “Unlike this gorgeous boy. Laurie, how heavenly to see you again!” Leaping to her feet, she greeted Laurie with characteristic enthusiasm.
“I just came to tell Dad he’s had a call.” As Laurie spoke, Edward returned with a second tray of food. “A Professor Spitz rang from Boston. He’ll phone back in an hour.”
Edward nodded. Ernst Spitz was an old colleague of his; they had co-written several papers for medical journals.
“Laurie, you can’t leave us!” Pouting girlishly, Leonie tugged him down next to her. “Stay and have a drink. How’s that silly daughter of mine treating you? Has she come to her senses yet?”
Nadia gritted her teeth. The fact that her mother adored Laurie and couldn’t understand why she hadn’t taken him back in a flash irritated her intensely. As one who had spent her life flitting from one man to the next, leaving a trail of unhappiness in her wake, Leonie thought it was a completely normal thing to do.
“Still working on her,” said Laurie with an easy grin. “She’s making me wait. It’ll happen.”
Nadia felt her shoulders stiffen. Laurie’s confidence was annoying too.
“I’m seeing someone else tonight.” Defiantly she took another swig of her drink. “For dinner. And I might have torrid sex with him, so there.” She didn’t actually say this last bit aloud, but she was jolly well thinking it.
“Jay? Well, good.” Spinning the cap off the vodka, Laurie poured himself a couple of inches and topped it up with orange juice. “I told you you should. Get him out of your system.”
“Who’s Jay?” Recalling the name, Leonie said excitedly, “Oh, you mean the one with the dead brother!”
“And more notches on his bedpost than Jack Nicholson,” said Laurie.
“Ah, but that’s what makes them so irresistible.” Leonie gave a pleasurable shiver. “You can’t beat a good bad boy.”
Nadia wondered what she’d done to deserve this. Right, now she was definitely going to shag Jay tonight.
Aloud she said, “Aren’t we supposed to be discussing Tilly?”
Her mother nudged Laurie and whispered, “Bad boys are always more fun. Ooh, that reminds me.” Turning to Clare she went on brightly, “How’s that naughty chap of yours? Piers, isn’t it?”
Clare stiffened; Leonie was the only one here who didn’t know about her brief pregnancy.
“At last.” Miriam sighed with relief as they all heard the front door slam. “Here’s James.”
***
It’s going to be fun, everything’s going to be great, Tilly told herself as she headed back up the garden and into the house. Her mother had said so, she kept stressing how marvelous it would be, especially with someone her own age to play with.
“It’s just what Tilly needs,” Leonie had explained to James. “She and Tamsin will make a brilliant team. You should see the two of them together, they’re as thick as thieves!”
Which, what with Tamsin’s shoplifting skills, was actually quite funny, except it scared Tilly rigid. The last time they’d visited a department store, Tilly hadn’t discovered the stolen Stereophonics CD in her bag until they’d arrived home.
Anyway, look on the bright side. Like it or not, she was moving to Brighton, and bits of it might be fun. They could swim in the sea, for a start. She and Tamsin could share clothes, borrow each other’s shoes, and talk about teenage girlie stuff together.
Plus, Tilly reminded herself, she’d be living with her mother, who genuinely wanted her there. That was the good thing about Leonie; you didn’t have to wonder if she was only offering you a home out of a sense of guilt or obligation, because Leonie never did feel obliged. Her mother was a guilt-free zone.
Right. Ice cubes.
She was busy in the kitchen, clattering ice into a tall glass jug, when the doorbell went. Grabbing a runaway ice cube and lobbing it into the sink, Tilly wiped her wet hands on her denim shorts and went to answer the front door.
A man she didn’t know was standing in the porch.
At least she thought she didn’t know him, but there was something distantly familiar about his face.
The visitor had to be around Edward’s age, and despite the heat of the day was wearing an expensive-looking suit, dark blue shirt, and striped tie. His shoes were highly polished. He wasn’t carrying a Bible, but Tilly suspected this was his reason for ringing the bell. Anyone this smartly dressed had to be on a mission from God.
Clutching the jug of ice cubes to her chest she said warily, “Hello?”
“Hello there. I’m here to see Miriam Kinsella. Is she around?”
Not a Mormon then, bent on converting them to the Way of the Lord. Tilly wondered who he was. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was definitely a faint echo of recognition nudging at the back of her brain.
“She is expecting me.” As if sensing her doubt, the man said charmingly, “Miriam and I are old friends.”
Still mystified, but remembering her manners, Tilly said, “She’s out in the garden. If you wait here, I’ll just go and get her.” Even as she said it, she was wondering if this was the right thing to do. Closing the front door on an old friend of Miriam’s would seem awfully rude. On the other hand, what if she invited him to wait in the hall and he turned out to be a con artist, tricking his way in? By the time Miriam got here, he could have made off with the family silver.
As if helping her out of her dilemma, the man said, “Wouldn’t it be easier if I just came with you?”
“OK.” Relieved, Tilly decided that it would. There had been a spate of robberies in the area recently. The man didn’t look dodgy, but that was the trouble with con artists these days, they never did.
She led the way through the house. At the French windows, the man paused. Next to him, Tilly watched him take in the scene. It looked for all the world like the most relaxed and convivial of gatherings, a happy mix of friends and family enjoying drinks in the garden on a glorious summer afternoon. Laurie said something that caused everyone around the oval table to burst out laughing. Nadia was pouring drinks. Leonie, cradling the bowl of olives on her lap, lobbed one in Laurie’s direction.
“There she is,” murmured the visitor, gazing at Miriam. He shook his head in admiration. “Hasn’t changed a bit.”
Out of curiosity, Tilly said, “When did you last see her?”
He smiled down at Tilly. “How long since I last saw Miriam? Fifty-two years.”
Blimey. More than half a century. The good old black-and-white days, marveled Tilly.
The next moment, prompted by this thought, she realized where she knew him from.
Oh good Lord.
“Come on,” said the man, gently guiding her forward. “Time to say hello.”
Chapter 53
“Who’s Tilly found now?” Nadia shielded her eyes and peered across the lawn.
“Dad? Is this another stray professor?” said Laurie.
“Never seen him before in my life,” Edward protested his innocence. “Probably some door-to-door chap selling conservatories.”
Miriam glanced up and felt a chill settle around her ribs. Oh no, it couldn’t be, it couldn’t possibly be.
But of course it was.
For a moment Miriam wondered if she was about to faint. Her heart felt as if it had been physically wrenched out of her body and plunged into ice-cold water. She’d spent months mentally bracing herself for something like this, but now it was actually happening she knew she was hopelessly unprepared.
“Miriam.” The man standing before her nodded and smiled slightly.
“Charles.” Hideously aware of curious eyes upon her, Miriam held out her hand for him to shake.
Ignoring it, Charles bent and kissed her on each cheek. Then, straightening up, he said easily, “No need to look so terrified. I don’t have a gun.”
Now he really had everyone’s attention. Miriam pushed back her chair and said, “Maybe we should talk in private.”
“I’d prefer to do it here.” Charles stood his ground. “Out in the open, so to speak. I think your family deserve to know, don’t you?”
Curtly, Edward said, “What’s this about?”
“I don’t want to.” Miriam’s face was white, her knuckles clenched.
Charles said calmly, “I’m sure you don’t. But I do.”
“You can’t just barge in here—”
“I didn’t barge in, I was invited by this charming young girl.” He indicated Tilly, who was looking agonized. “Besides, it can’t have come as too much of a surprise. I did tell you I’d be paying a visit.” He paused, raising his eyebrows. “In my last letter, remember?”
