One Day in May - Catherine Alliott [61]
‘Oh, we’re just here for the weekend. We’re here to look at Laura’s house….’ and off she rattled.
Stupid of me to let her talk me into coming to the village, I thought furiously as she explained. I never did, never, just in case. Had always just disappeared into the Lodge when Hugh and Laura had lived there. But now they were at the Abbey, it was as if I’d been lulled into a false sense of security. And I’d deliberately never got involved in Laura’s socializing either – drinks parties, lunches – not that she socialized with Letty, who looked terrible, terrible, I thought in horror, as I allowed myself to glance at her face. I heard Maggie tell her about the decorating project at the Abbey, how we were back off to London today, but would definitely be here again, to sort the downstairs rooms out: had lots of ideas, plans. I couldn’t bear to look at her any more; lowered my eyes as the two women talked. Hal’s eyes, I knew, were on me and I felt my cheeks burn. I longed to get away, but the daughter was addressing me now, hazel eyes wide, fair hair scooped up in a messy bun, so like her father I almost couldn’t breathe. She was definitely addressing me though, through her mother.
‘Don’t you remember I told you, Mum? I met Laura’s nephew.’
‘Oh, yes, darling. At a school dance.’
‘So you’re Seffy’s mum.’ She turned to me.
I was startled. ‘Yes, that’s right. You know him?’
‘We met at a social at my school. One of those cringy boys v. girls things, which can be really grim, but this one was OK because it was a supper party, so at least no one was forced to dance. I sat next to him.’
‘He didn’t say,’ I said, before realizing it sounded rude.
‘Oh, it was ages ago,’ she said hastily, blushing. ‘He probably forgot.’
‘And teenage children tell one so little, don’t you find?’ said Letty, her hand trembling as she pushed back her hair. ‘I ask Cassie where she’s been and she says, “Around,” and I ask what she’s been doing and she says, “stuff”. If I ask who she’s with, she just says, “people”!’
‘Slight exaggeration,’ put in Cassie with a grimace as her mother gave a shrill, unnatural-sounding laugh.
‘But then, perhaps it’s best to be left in the dark,’ Letty mused. ‘As my nanny used to say, what the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve about. And when there is so much to grieve about, one rather wishes one had shut one’s eyes more. I know I do.’
I couldn’t breathe. Was she talking about me?
‘Don’t you think these are terribly attractive?’ Letty was appealing to me now, rustling the tissue paper down around the lamp, the better for me to see: almost as if I were an old friend from her past, not someone she might justifiably never want to see again in her life, or indeed cosh on the head with her new glass purchase.
‘Very,’ I agreed.
‘I couldn’t resist them. I bought them for Hal, for his wedding present. But actually, I think I might have to keep them. Put them on the mantel at home.’ She held the lamp out at a distance eyeing it critically. Then her eyes widened back at me. ‘Did you know Hal was getting married?’
‘I didn’t.’ I licked my lips. ‘Congratulations.’ I couldn’t avoid looking at him now. I found his gaze was already on me.
‘Thank you.’
His face was older, obviously, but improved, actually. Much better-looking. He’d grown into his nose and those hooded eyes. Guarded eyes now. I couldn’t read them as I had a second ago.
‘How marvellous – where’s it going to be?’ The irrepressible Maggie again. ‘The wedding?’
‘In Provence.’
‘Oh! Why France?’
‘Because my fiancée’s French.’
‘Oh, really? So am I, actually. French. Well, half.’
Hal smiled politely.
‘Whereabouts?’ Maggie again. ‘Only Hattie and I go to Provence a lot, don’t we, Hatts? There’s a fabulous antique fair we go to down at Aix. I’m Hattie’s partner, by the way.’
‘Ah.’
‘So whereabouts?’ she persisted.
He cleared his throat. ‘Not far from Aix, actually. A little further north. It’s a market town, called Fayence.’
‘Fayence? Fayence? Oh my God, that’s a heavenly little town. Remember,