A Lesser Evil - Lesley Pearse [13]
‘Maybe, but I bet less than one per cent of the population ever go to the ballet, so why should he get to stay here? He probably lived like a king in Russia anyway.’
Fifi had noticed before that whenever Dan felt unsure of himself, he resorted to jokey remarks. To workmates or acquaintances in the pub this created the impression of a genial, easy-going person, but to articulate, serious-minded people like her parents, meeting him for the first time, it was more likely to come across as discourtesy.
By the time they sat down to tea, Fifi noticed that two red blotches had sprung up on her mother’s cheeks, a sure sign she was boiling up to a rage. Fifi had no idea how to defuse the situation, for Dan was doing his best to be open, friendly and appreciative.
‘Another piece of cake, Dan?’ Clara asked towards the end of tea. She had pushed the boat out, showing off with home-cooked ham and salad, scones, cakes and trifle, and now she had the silver cake knife poised above the remains of the iced chocolate cake.
‘I’d like to relieve you of it, but I haven’t got any more room,’ Dan said.
Fifi groaned inwardly. She knew her mother wouldn’t take that in the spirit in which it was intended. Sure enough, she finally snapped.
‘It’s one of my best recipes, made with four eggs,’ she said indignantly, her voice rising. ‘I certainly don’t need “relieving” of it, young man.’
‘He wasn’t being rude about your cake,’Patty said quickly. ‘He meant he loved it, but he hadn’t got room for any more. Isn’t that right, Dan?’
‘Yes, of course. I’m sorry if it came out all wrong, Mrs Brown,’ Dan said apologetically.
‘Every single thing you say comes out all wrong,’ she snarled back at him. ‘I’ve never met such an ignorant, cocky person as you.’
For a second there was complete silence in the dining room. Patty, Peter and Robin all stared at their mother in shock. Even their father looked stunned.
Fifi leaped to her feet so quickly she made all the china on the table rattle. ‘And you are the rudest person I’ve ever met,’ she spat at her mother. ‘Come on, Dan, we’ll go now.’
Dan didn’t leap up; he rose from his chair calmly and slowly, wiping his lips on the napkin and placing it back on the table. His wide smile was gone and he looked devastated. ‘If I seem ignorant and cocky, then I’m sorry,’ he said, his voice a little shaky. ‘But you’d decided I wasn’t good enough for Fifi before you even met me, hadn’t you?’
Dan only let Fifi go as far as the bus stop with him. There he kissed her goodbye and said she was to go home, despite her protestations. He knew that if she stayed out with him for the evening, it would only be more difficult for her when she returned. He also needed to be alone.
After waving goodbye to Fifi as the bus pulled away, he climbed up the stairs, got his cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one up. He felt sick with disappointment that the tea party had gone so badly wrong.
He hadn’t expected the Browns to be overly welcoming. Fifi had said enough about her mother to give him the idea that she was something of a snob. He had been very aware of his rough accent, terrified that he’d slip up and lick his knife, or drop the dainty china tea cup. He knew he’d put Mrs Brown’s back up when he joked about that ballet dancer, but he hadn’t for one moment expected such vicious spite. He drew deeply on his cigarette and wondered what he should do.
He’d never been that struck on invitations to girlfriends’ homes, and if anyone else had been like that to him, he would’ve said something cutting, then left, letting the girl decide whether it was to be him or her parents she cared about.
But Fifi was different. Right from the day he’d shared her table in that tea shop, he knew she was special. It wasn’t just her looks, though he loved her silky blonde hair, those soft brown eyes and her slender yet shapely figure. She was different to other girls; she didn’t rabbit on about her job, clothes or old boyfriends