Alphabet Weekends - Elizabeth Noble [15]
‘I like him too.’ Natalie stood up, and shivered. ‘It’s bloody cold, isn’t it?’
Nicholas hadn’t realised his feet were numb. ‘Bit nippy.’
‘Let’s go home.’
He held his daughter’s hand all the way back.
*
Karl and Bridget were parking on the other side of the road as they approached the house. Christina leapt out and toddled headlong at her grandfather, squealing with delight. He picked her up and swung her above his head, then pulled her to him in a long hug. ‘Happy New Year, Bean!’ He didn’t want to put her down. They were much easier to keep safe at this age. He held her tightly, until she squirmed for release.
Natalie had to stretch her arms wide to get them round her sister. ‘You all right, Moby?’
‘You wait!’
‘Have a wild night round at chez vous, did you?’
‘Crazy! Karl gave me a foot rub, and I packed a bag for the hospital.’
Natalie laughed. It sounded nice.
‘You?’
‘Far, far too much wine at the pub with Tom.’ Bridget raised an eyebrow. ‘Long story. Tell you later.’
‘Okay.’
Karl kissed her cheek. ‘Happy New Year, Nat. Where’s Simon, then?’
Natalie looked from Bridget, who shot intuitive daggers back at Karl, to her father, who raised his eyebrows, then winked at her, grabbed Christina’s hand, and started towards the house. At least, Nicholas recognised, it wouldn’t feel so empty with them in it.
Patrick and Lucy
‘You were quiet,’ Lucy said. They were driving home. Bella and Ed, at the end of a fortnight of over-excited late nights, had dozed off practically as soon as Lucy had started the car.
‘Mmm.’
‘Are you okay?’
‘I probably should have let you ring up and make our excuses. I wasn’t in the mood.’
Lucy reached out and put her hand on his lap. ‘I know. I’m sorry.’
‘It’s fine. You had a nice time, at least. And the kids had fun.’ He looked over his shoulder at the back seat. ‘They’re spark out. That yomp finished them off.’
They had walked, after lunch, through the woods behind Alec and Marianne’s house. The children had darted in all directions through the undergrowth, chasing the dog and making tiny snowballs from the scant traces of snow that remained after the night’s fall.
Ed had tripped, and lain whining on the path. Lucy had crouched beside him, and Alec had hung back with her, so that Marianne and Patrick had got some way ahead of them on the narrow path. They were talking about something, Lucy couldn’t hear what.
Ed staged a miraculous recovery from his life-threatening injury and scampered after the others. Alec held out his hand, and pulled Lucy up. He didn’t let go straight away. ‘It’s good to see you.’
She tried to keep it light. ‘Yes, it’s been lovely, hasn’t it?’
His grip on her fingers distracted her. They stared at each other for a moment. Then he dropped her hand and started to walk. But when he spoke again, it was in a low voice, only meant for her: ‘Do you ever go to London?’
‘What for?’
‘To shop or… just come in?’
‘Why?’
‘I’d like to buy you lunch.’
She stared at him.
‘Just lunch, Lucy. I’d like to see you, talk to you. That’s all. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there? Two friends having lunch?’
‘Would you tell Marianne?’
He hesitated.
‘Then there’s something wrong with it, Alec.’
‘I’m sorry.’
Patrick turned round. ‘Coming?’
Lucy speeded up. ‘All right, all right. Didn’t realise it was a route march!’
Marianne had laughed.
They were home now, and the children didn’t stir when she switched off the ignition.
‘Let’s see if we can lift them straight into bed, and then we can talk.’
‘I’d like that.’
Bella had woken up enough to have a wee and put her pyjamas on, then fallen gratefully into her bed. As for Ed, Lucy made do with taking off his trousers and sweater, and tucking him up in his Power Rangers T-shirt.
Downstairs, Patrick was uncorking a bottle of wine. Lucy, who felt the beginnings of a headache, wasn’t sure she wanted a glass, but she took one anyway, and tried to look reassuring, rather than pitying. She was pretending.
‘So…’
‘So.’
She wanted to hurl accusations at him. It hurt that he’d waited three weeks