One Day in May - Catherine Alliott [106]
He gave me a withering look. ‘English.’
Of course. What else? Because in another few years he’d be here, installed in the house, lord of all he surveyed. And to run the estate properly, he surely needed the lingo. My heart lurched for Laura, with this ticking time bomb in her midst.
We were leaving the court now, heading across the lawns towards the house, and I felt my conversation dry up, because a natural question would be, what d’you want to do when you leave university? – and I couldn’t think of anything else to say. Perhaps he sensed it.
‘See you, Seffy.’ He raised his racket, and giving me a sly, knowing smile, peeled off languidly in the other direction, past the rose garden, towards the stable yard. A bright red, low-slung slick of a car was parked there on the cobbles. I had an idea Ferrari was the word I was groping for.
‘Yeah,’ Seffy, raised his own in response. ‘See you.’
I watched as, a sweatshirt over his arm, Luca sauntered off, plucking car keys from his pocket. Quite the dude. Not at all what I’d expected the awkward boy to grow into.
‘What’s he like?’ I asked, curiosity getting the better of my own troubles.
Seffy shrugged. ‘He’s OK. He comes across as a bit pleased with himself, but when you get chatting he’s all right.’
‘Well, you’re obviously chummy enough to have a game of tennis together?’
‘Laura asked me to. I think she likes to get him out of the house. I could hardly say no, could I? Anyway, it was something to do.’
He bashed the ground with the head of his racket, and it occurred to me it wasn’t as much fun as it sounded, being sent home from school. Which of course was why they did it. To concentrate the mind.
‘I’m really sorry, Mum,’ he said in a much smaller voice. ‘It was such a stupid thing to do. I’m sorry I’m such a loser.’
Relief, love, joy, flooded my heart. That was all it needed. All it took, to stop me in my tracks, melt me, open my arms and hold him tight. We hugged, Seffy already towering above me, dark head bent. I could hear his heart hammering.
‘You’re not a loser,’ I said fiercely. ‘You just lost track of time, that’s all.’ I was instantly on his side. ‘And I’m horrified they didn’t do a proper head count, send someone to look for you. It is totally irresponsible of the teacher in charge to leave without you. Indefensible – and I shall tell them so.’
He shrugged and we walked on. ‘Yeah, well, he’s in the shit too, obviously, the beak. But we all make mistakes. I’d rather you didn’t make a fuss, Mum.’
‘No. No, well, all right.’ I agreed. ‘I won’t, I suppose, if you don’t want me to. After all, this isn’t hugely serious, is it?’ I glanced at him anxiously. ‘You’ve only been sent home for a few days?’
‘Till the end of the week, but then it’s an exeat, so ten days in all.’
Of course, next weekend was an exeat, which helped. Everyone would be going back to school together: it was much more easily forgotten about. Seffy wouldn’t be arriving back in a classroom suddenly. Ivan had been right, it could have been a lot worse. I breathed; started to relax.
‘And the girl? Was she in big trouble?’
‘A bit, but of course she wasn’t miles from home like me. She was only about an hour late getting back to her dorm, and she slipped in without being seen.’
‘Right. Do I know her?’
‘You’ve met her, I think. Cassie Forbes?’
I stopped. ‘Cassie Forbes? Cassie Forbes?’ My head whipped back. I stared at him. His eyes were opaque. Impenetrable. But then, something sharp, something knowing was there as well. I felt fury mounting.
‘Oh you stupid, stupid boy! What are you doing messing around with her?’ The ghastly, hateful words were out before I could check them. Instantly, Seffy’s shutters came down.
‘We weren’t messing around, we were talking. And anyway, why should you take against her so much? She’s a nice girl, you said so yourself.’
‘Yes, yes,’ I breathed, raking my fingers quickly through my hair, ‘she is a nice girl. I don’t know why…’ But I did. Did know why. Dominic and Letty’s child. I didn’t want him