A Lesser Evil - Lesley Pearse [14]
He loved the way she asked stuff like whether he’d got enough blankets on his bed or had had a proper dinner. When he had a bad cough she brought him medicine and told him he must wear a scarf when the wind was cold. She was thoughtful too about his money, never asking for the most expensive thing on the menu or expecting the best seats in the cinema.
Kissing her was like glimpsing heaven, and just the touch of her hand made him feel he’d lie down and die for her. But it was far more than fancying her like crazy. She’d filled all the lonely, empty places inside him; she made him think he could do anything, be anyone he wanted to be. He loved her classiness, her poise and warmth. But she wasn’t tough; she might insist he meant more to her than her parents, but once that mother of hers started to put the screws on, he doubted she’d be able to cope.
It was already difficult enough for them, for they had no place where they could go to be alone together. Snogging in doorways and bus shelters soon lost its appeal, especially when it was cold or wet.
Fifi had made it quite clear that she intended to remain a virgin until she got married, and he respected her for that, even if in the past he’d always got his way with girls. He wanted her desperately; sex was on his mind from first thing in the morning till he went to sleep, but because he loved her, he’d been prepared to wait.
But today he’d seen that her parents would never welcome him as a son-in-law. Fifi might be old enough not to need their consent and perhaps she’d say she didn’t care about getting their blessing either. But he wouldn’t feel right about that; in a few years’ time it might come as a wedge between them.
He was left in a no-win situation. He wanted her for ever, and he supposed too that he really wanted to be part of her family.
Her brothers were okay, a bit dopey and lacking in any sparkle, but they might have improved after a couple of pints. Patty was every bit as sweet as Fifi said; she didn’t have any side to her. As for her father, well, Dan had soon worked out how he could win him over, because he wasn’t practical; he could’ve fixed the swaying back-garden fences for him, mended the roof on their summer house, and rebuilt the front-garden wall which was crumbling. Brainy blokes always appreciated anyone who could do such jobs.
But her mother was a very different kettle of fish. It wasn’t just that she wanted Fifi to have a husband out of the top drawer, there was something much more behind her attitude. Dan would lay money on the fact that Clara married Harry Brown because her parents virtually selected him for her. She’d had four children in about six or seven years, probably never even enjoyed sex, and now when she saw her beautiful elder daughter in love she was probably riddled with jealousy.
The funny thing was that he felt for her. Clara had obviously been a very good mother, but now her children were all of an age where they would leave home, perhaps she was getting panicky about what she’d be left with. She was still quite young and very attractive, but if she’d never had any great passion, or even much fun, who could really blame her for thinking she’d been cheated?
Twice this afternoon she’d alluded to how difficult Fifi had been when she was little, which suggested Clara had never quite got over it. He’d wanted to ask her about it, but he hadn’t quite dared. Fifi seemed to enjoy knowing she’d been such a pain, and that probably made the situation worse. Dan could see there were many issues that needed thrashing out between them, but sadly they were both equally stubborn and so he suspected they would never resolve their differences.
Dan wondered what was going on now. Clara could hardly ban Fifi from seeing him. He didn’t think she’d be stupid enough to throw her out either, for she’d know Fifi would