The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch [180]
‘What do you want, Rosina?’
‘What do you mean, “What do you want?” What a way to greet a visitor. “What do you want?” ’ She mimicked me. ‘What sort of a question is that?’
The other two roared with laughter. They seemed to find everything Rosina said vastly clever and funny.
‘Why are you here?’
‘Can’t you make an effort to be civil to an old friend?’
‘I’m not in a social mood.’
‘So I see. Yet you already have two charming guests, in fact three guests, including lady-love. All right, I’m not angling for an invitation to stay. I think this is the nastiest meanest most unpleasant house I’ve ever entered.’
‘It has bad vibes,’ said Titus.
‘You can say that again,’ said Gilbert.
They were ganging up against me.
‘But is your funny lady really upstairs? Whatever are you going to do with her? You know, you promised to tell me what was going on in your interesting love life, only of course I ought to know by now that you don’t keep promises. Anyway I decided I’d come and see how you were getting along. I’ve been working hard and I thought I needed a holiday. I’m at the Raven Hotel again, I like it there, I like the bay and those extraordinary boulders. And the food is excellent, not your style.’
‘I hope you have a pleasant stay at the Raven Hotel.’
‘The most amazing rumours about you are circulating in London.’
‘I’m sure everyone is fascinated.’
‘Well, they’re not actually. I had to start a few rumours myself to keep your memory a bit greenish. They’ve forgotten you already. You were pretty old hat when you were still with us, now you’re ancient history. The young people have never heard of you, Charles. You’re exploded, you’re not even a myth. I can see it now, Charles dear, you’re old. Where’s all that charm we used to go on about? It was nothing but power really. Now you’ve lost your power you’ve lost your charm. No wonder you have to make do with a Bearded Lady.’
‘Just buzz off, Rosina, will you?’
‘But what’s happening, Charles? I’m mad with curiosity. I gather from these two that she’s a sort of prisoner here. May I go up and poke her through the bars?’
‘Rosina, please—’
‘But, Charles, what are you up to? There’s a husband in the case, isn’t there, if I remember? Not that husbands ever worried you much. But you can’t be going to carry her off, you can’t want to marry her! Really, you are becoming ridiculous. You were never ridiculous in the old days. You used to have dignity and style.’
Titus and Gilbert, less amused, were looking embarrassed and studying the great slate flagstones of the kitchen floor.
‘I’ll see you to the road, Rosina. Is your car out there?’
‘Oh, I don’t want to go yet. I want to sing some more. Who’s pretty-boy?’ She indicated Titus.
‘That is my son Titus.’
Titus frowned and stroked his scarred lip. Gilbert raised his eyebrows, Rosina changed colour, shot me a quick look of piercing malignancy, then laughed. ‘Well, well—All right, I’ll go. My car’s outside. You may escort me to it. Goodbye, you two, I enjoyed the sing-song.’ She marched out of the kitchen swinging her handbag and I followed.
Rosina walked straight out of the front door and across the causeway without looking back. I followed her as far as her horrible red car.
There she turned on me, her vixen face pointed with rage. ‘Is that boy really your son?’
‘Well, no, I’ve sort of taken him on. I always wanted a son. He’s their son, he’s the adopted son—of—of Hartley and her husband.’
‘I see. I might have known it was a stupid joke. For one moment I thought perhaps—what are you going to do about that woman? You can’t collect a half-crazy female at this stage of her life. You can’t keep her like a mad thing on a chain. Or have I got it all wrong?’
‘She’s not a prisoner. She loves me. She’s just been brainwashed. ’
‘Marriage is brainwashing. Not necessarily a bad thing. Your brain could do with a wash. Oh God, I feel so tired. That bloody long