One Day in May - Catherine Alliott [165]
‘Yes. I think I do.’
‘Says I’m a strong woman, and doesn’t make that sound like a bad thing.’ She paused, reflective a moment. ‘And oh, Hattie, we have such a laugh!’ Her eyes widened in sudden delight. ‘Really hold-your-stomach laughing. About all our funny customers, all those X-ray women. You should hear him take off Mrs Barty-Clifford – “Aim orf to Glorstishire for the weekend” – should hear him take them all off, actually. Honestly, it’s like talking to you. Like joking around with a good mate, and I could never be like that with Henry. So – well, uninhibited. D’you know what I mean? Always felt I was being someone else to please him, to fit in with his idea of me. Does that make any sense?’
‘Yes. Yes, it does.’ I gazed at her. Didn’t want her to say any more. Didn’t want her to stir anything else up. I almost didn’t recognize her, either. The light in her eyes. Her happiness. There was a lump in my throat.
‘How long has this been going on?’
‘Well, a bit,’ she admitted.
A bit. Suddenly a light went on in my head. I blinked. ‘Oh my God. Was that Ralph I saw leaving your bedroom that night at Laura’s? After the dinner party? Corridor creeping?’
‘Might have been.’
‘Might have been – it was! And you were with him at the shoot the next day!’ Perched behind him on the brow of the hill on a shooting stick. I thought back feverishly. Remembered how surprised I’d been to see him walk into the breakfast room in macho tweeds, quite late, but oddly, how it had suited him. How lit up Maggie had been that day. And I’d thought she was lighting up for the beaters. She’d had a night of passion.
‘Tea’s up, ladies.’ Ralph came back down the hallway with a tray. He took it in the sitting room. ‘One lump or two?’ This, over his shoulder to me, in his old camp voice.
‘You old fraud,’ I grinned.
He shrugged cheerfully. Then came back rearranging the chenille around his waist. ‘Yeah, well, sorry about that. Sorry to hoodwink you, but there’s not much call for muscular decorating in SW3, I’m afraid. Everyone wants you to be in touch with your feminine side. And of course, I’m much keener on being in touch with Maggie’s.’ He put his arm round her shoulders and pulled her in towards him. Two pairs of eyes shone rather magically at each other. I stared, transfixed. Ralph remembered me. Turned.
‘You coming in or what? The neighbours are having a field day. Afternoon, Mrs Watson!’ he called over my shoulder through the open door with a wave. ‘Yes, that’s right, she’s got a new lover.’
Maggie giggled.
‘Um, no. I’m going. You two… carry on.’ I turned and stepped back outside. They were fairly oblivious to me, anyway.
‘Oh, did you want me?’ Maggie remembered suddenly; poked her head around the door as she went to shut it. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at me. ‘You all right?’
‘Yes, I’m fine, honestly. Really fine.’
I walked off down the path, giving a cheery backward wave over my shoulder, shutting the little gate behind me.
Right, I thought as I headed off back down the street. Well, that was that. No danger of a chin-wag with her. No chance of skirting round the subject until her eagle eyes steadied and she thrust in with a rapier like, ‘What’s up, Hatts? What’s the problem?’ She was far too distracted for that. And I was pleased, actually. Pleased I hadn’t voiced any doubts about the way my life was going. Because once they’re out, those doubts, there’s no retracting them. They’re there for good. Remembered for ever. Yes, thank goodness. A reprieve. And I was thrilled for Maggie, really thrilled. A man who was looking for a strong woman for a change. Well, Maggie was certainly that. And I’d always felt she’d needed a he-man like Henry to match her blow for blow, not a sensitive, creative