Summer of Love (19 page)

‘We shouldn’t really.’

‘Well, I shouldn’t because I’ve had loads already but you only had one glass of fizz, and you didn’t have the mugs that some of us got.’

‘No. Trust Veronica to have those antique folding beakers. For shooting parties no doubt.’

‘They’re very grand, the Lewis-Joneses, aren’t they?’

‘But fun.’ Fiona suddenly felt bad talking about them when they’d been such generous hosts, and even worse for being about to say they weren’t really grand, just rich. ‘And very kind,’ she added.

‘Definitely. And brilliant planners. Think of the organisation involved in that picnic, even if you had it catered.’

‘Absolutely!’ Fiona agreed wholeheartedly. ‘The last picnic I had anything to do with was a bottle of pop for the kids and some curling sandwiches.’

Sian nodded, obviously recognising such picnics. ‘So, a drop of Pinot now, then?’ she added.

‘Fine! Lovely! I can walk from here if I overdo it.’

Fiona was determined to make things easy for Sian. She was looking dreadfully tense.

Rory, having finished his ice cream, asked if he could go and play in the garden. ‘I’m going to make a pretend fire and boil a billy.’

‘As long as it’s pretend,’ Sian said, and then opened the fridge.

Fiona watched Sian hunting in the fridge for olives and wine. It’s my fault she’s strained. She knows I’m going to ask her about it and she doesn’t want to talk about it. But she’s got to. Fiona was very sure about this. They couldn’t just leave the matter unaddressed.

Sian produced a bottle of wine, some olives and half a packet of Kettle Chips, which she tipped into a bowl.

‘Let’s go into the sitting room. We can hear Rory from there and it’s comfortable.’ She paused. ‘Might as well make the most of it, while the house is still mine.’

Both women sat down with glasses and snacks to hand. Sian filled the glasses. ‘Cheers,’ she said a moment later. Both women took a big gulp of wine.

‘OK,’ said Fiona. ‘Elephant in the room: how did it happen?’

Sian sighed. She was obviously not going to pretend she didn’t know what Fiona was talking about. She settled into her chair and adjusted a cushion at her back. ‘Well, we met at a party – Richard’s party – I can’t remember if you know that.’ She paused.

‘Not important. Go on.’ Fiona didn’t want to get sidetracked.

‘Well, I’d gone into the kitchen for a glass of water. Gus was there – do you mind me calling him that?’

‘Not at all. Go on.’

Sian seemed to feel a certain amount of relief at being able to talk about that night with someone else, even if that someone else was Gus’s mother. Maybe she’d been trying to forget, which could have been causing her almost as much heartache as remembering. And she seemed to realise there was no point in not telling Fiona everything; she’d only prise it out of her at some point anyway.

‘Honestly, Fiona, it was like magnets. We just flew together. He gave me the water and that was it. We talked for ages. Then he asked me back to his flat. And I went. I knew what would happen and I still went.’

‘I understand.’ Fiona found herself almost envious. There was something magical about that sort of connection. She couldn’t blame Sian for following her instincts. And of course she didn’t blame Angus. Men were programmed to behave like that.

‘To be honest, even if I’d known I was going to get pregnant, I’d still have gone.’ Sian blushed, as if she’d just remembered she was talking to her ex-lover’s mother.

‘I don’t blame you at all. You wouldn’t want to be without Rory.’

‘Well, not now, obviously, but when I first realised, I did panic.’

‘I’m sure.’

‘I couldn’t say the P word.’

‘Which P word?’

‘Pregnant. I still blush when I say it.’

Fiona sipped her wine as the tension she hadn’t realised she’d been feeling ebbed away. This conversation wasn’t as hard as she thought it might be. Sian was being very honest with her, and brave. ‘So what did you say to your parents, if you couldn’t say the word?’

Sian made a face. ‘I said I’d done a test and it was positive.’

‘And how did they react?’

‘Well, Mum hugged me and made out she was delighted but I knew she was a bit worried.’

‘And your father?’

‘Oh well, I was dreading telling him. I didn’t want him to know that I was sexually active – and I wasn’t, very. There had only been a couple. But your dad … You know, I was his little girl, not a grown woman.’

‘But you did tell him? Or did you get your mother to?’

‘I told him. He was fine – seemed to be. Concerned, of course, but they didn’t reproach me or say I’d been careless or anything.’

‘Not much point, really.’

‘Well, no, that’s what they said when I asked them about it. And they rallied round. Dad’s always been brilliant with Rory.’

‘Angus is pretty good!’ Fiona felt defensive on her son’s behalf. She wasn’t quite sure why.

‘He is. And he doesn’t even have to be. I mean, he doesn’t know who Rory is.’

‘He will have to know though, Sian. I appreciate it isn’t going to be easy but you have to tell him.’ Fiona was firm. She topped up their glasses and waited for Sian to speak.

‘Does he?’ Sian seemed to be pleading. ‘I mean, I’ve brought Rory up on my own – with my parents and lots of other people’s help. I don’t want anyone interfering and—’

‘You don’t have to let him interfere, but he has a right to know. He’s Rory’s flesh and blood. Besides that, Rory would like having a dad, wouldn’t he? All boys need a male role model.’

‘He’s got Richard and my dad for that,’ said Sian.

‘It’s not the same.’

Sian sipped her wine as if she agreed, but didn’t want to admit it.

‘And you’re going to have to tell him quite soon.’

‘Am I?’

‘Yes. He deserves to know. He’s got eyes in his head. He might see the likeness like I did. Like you did.’

‘Unlikely,’ Sian said quickly, as if trying to convince herself. ‘We only saw it because they were together. He won’t see himself and Rory like that.’

Fiona pressed on. ‘There are mirrors, old photographs. You can’t rely on him not recognising his own facial characteristics and mannerisms. Now I think back I wonder if I warmed to Rory so quickly – straightaway really –because there was a familiarity about him.’

Sian shook her head and bit her lip. ‘I suppose it’s possible. But I don’t want to tell him. I think life is difficult enough at the moment, with me struggling to get work, having to find somewhere else to live – all those things.’

Fiona was sympathetic but resolute. ‘Listen, Rory’s got a birthday coming up, hasn’t he?’

Sian nodded.

‘It’ll give you a little time to psych yourself up to do it, but you’ll have to tell him by then.’ Seeing Sian was about to argue she went on: ‘Honey, he could easily work it out for himself. He can do sums. It would be much, much better if you told him than if he found out on his own. I know it’s difficult for you, but I can’t let you not tell him and the longer you leave it the harder it’ll be. ‘

‘OK,’ said Sian in a small voice after a few moments.

Satisfied that she’d got Sian to see sense, Fiona said, ‘When did you find out Angus was going away, for such a long time?’ Fiona remembered when she had found out. Of course, as a good mother, she had pretended to be pleased, rather as she imagined Sian’s mother had pretended to be pleased about Sian being pregnant. But in her heart she’d wondered how she’d manage without him in her life. There were postcards and the odd snatched phone call and email but it wasn’t the same. She had got used to it though. And better a happy son across the other side of the world than a bored and edgy one close at hand.

‘He told me sometime during the evening. Not quite sure when.’

Fiona nodded. ‘Just to reassure myself about my son’s efficiency, can I ask how you got …’

‘Pregnant?’ Sian wrinkled her brow as she worked out how best to put this. ‘I can’t really say it was a “wardrobe malfunction” but …’

‘Condom split?’

‘Condom split.’

Fiona laughed, glad to lighten the mood.

‘Hello, Mum, hello, Fona,’ said Rory, who appeared at that moment, obviously wondering why his mother and his friend were laughing. ‘These flowers are for you.’ He handed Fiona a bunch of flowers, including two dandelions and a sweet pea, before running back out to the garden to put more sticks on his pretend fire.

Fiona said, ‘When Rory becomes my open-and-above-board grandchild – and I insist that soon he will – I never want him to call me anything but Fona.’

Sian got up out of her seat and kissed her cheek.

Chapter Thirteen

Sian had just settled down to work one morning the following week when the phone rang. She was not thrilled to hear Melissa’s voice at the other end.

‘Sian, it’s me, Melissa.’

‘Oh, hi. I was just writing to your mother to thank her for such a wonderful day.’ As she talked she made a note on a bit of paper to do just that.

‘It was fun, wasn’t it?’ Melissa paused. ‘Actually Angus told me off a bit.’

‘Oh? Why should he do that?’

‘He said it was unfair of me to bring Luella and spring on you that she’s going to sell your house to me. I am sorry. I just didn’t think.’

‘It was a shock, I must admit, but not entirely unexpected.’ What was surprising was that Melissa had rung up to apologise.

‘Angus was quite cross with me in fact.’ Melissa giggled. ‘He can be quite – masterful – when he wants. Not a bad thing in a man.’

Sian didn’t really feel able to comment. ‘I hope it didn’t cause you to fall out.’

‘Oh no, it was huge fun being told off by lovely Angus. But in order to make it up to you, I wonder if you fancy coming round to Mum’s to see those fitted wardrobes I was talking about? Although I’m moving out, she did say she quite fancied having a revamp. What do you say?’

Sian didn’t think she could say no, really. Veronica Lewis-Jones knew a lot of influential people. She certainly didn’t want to offend her and she wasn’t responsible for her daughter’s behaviour. ‘OK. When do you think would suit? Mornings are best because I’ve got Rory some afternoons.’

‘Oh! That’s another thing. Angus – can’t think of him as Gus really – was saying what a nice child Rory is. And he is! I’m sure he’d look after him one afternoon while you came over here. Mummy’s rather busy in the mornings.’

‘Oh.’ Sian was rather taken aback at the idea of Gus babysitting for Rory. ‘Well, I’m not sure that will be necessary. But have you got a preferred day?’

‘As soon as poss, really.’

‘Tomorrow?’ Having your fitted wardrobes painted wasn’t usually such an emergency but provided she worked after Rory had gone to bed, she should be able to finish the piece she was working on and be free the following afternoon. Fiona would have Rory if necessary.

‘Fabbo. About two o’clock?’

‘Fine.’ Or maybe she could ask Jody, if she hadn’t used up all her childminding brownie points with her yet.

‘OK, now the address. Have you got Sat Nav?’

‘I have a map.’

‘Oh good. Sat Nav is absolutely no use in finding my parents’ house. Have you got a pen and paper?’

Eventually Sian got the information she needed and managed to get all the telephone numbers she could too, in case she got lost. Working in the country was more difficult in some ways. London might be big and sprawling but you usually got to your destination eventually. Now she had to negotiate narrow country lanes with grass growing up the middle and hedges that scraped the sides of your car.

Still, she was pleased to think she might get another commission. When she’d finished the child’s wardrobe she had on the go at the moment there was nothing much else in the pipeline apart from the monster cupboard in Fiona’s barn, and the little nursing chair. She really needed some paid work. She was going to go and visit Fiona’s friend’s shop to see if she was interested, but Margaret was away on holiday at the moment. She also planned to visit other similar shops to see if she could drum up some business, but private commissions were best really. She was looking forward to something she could get her teeth into. It was always exciting to have a potential new project. She enjoyed all aspects of her work, even the painstaking, fiddly bits, but the initial stage was the most exciting. The planning, the drawings, the choosing of colours. With luck Veronica would be happy to let her imagination run riot (within limits) and recommend her to all her friends. She smiled. It would also give her a proper focus for her thoughts – something she badly needed!

She buttonholed Jody when she went to pick up Rory later and asked her favour. ‘I really wouldn’t ask you but for some reason they can’t see me in the morning.’

‘Oh no, that’s fine, but you can do something for me in return.’

‘Anything! You’ve done so much childcare for me. Do you want me to have Annabelle for a weekend? I’d be more than happy to. Or I could move in here and look after all the kids.’

Jody laughed. ‘Nope, although that’s a good offer. I want you to do a farmers’ market – well, craft market really – with me.’

‘Why?’

‘I’ve made a shedload of cushions and I booked a stall ages ago with another girl but she can’t make it. It would be so much more fun if there were two of us. You could bring some samples of your work and hand out leaflets. It might be a really good way of getting yourself known locally.’