The Marrying Game (29 page)

Rose did her best to keep up, but it was too much to take in all at once. Bewildered, she sipped the strangely excellent coffee Rufa had made, in a gleaming new cafetière. She nibbled at the posh chocolate biscuits Rufa had laid out on a plate (on a plate!). She looked at Rufa herself, as serenely radiant as the mild spring weather, so certain that Edward’s fearsome plans were filling them all with rapture.

Had they really slept together? There was a formality about Edward’s courtship (there was no other word for it) that puzzled Rose. At this stage of her own courtship, she and the Man had spent entire days in bed, beyond
the
reach of the world. Edward and Rufa were strangely visible, Rose thought. In front of other people, they exchanged decorous kisses, like heads of state. You might assume nothing had changed between them, except that Edward had taken to arriving at Melismate with bunches of spring flowers, beaded with dew, from his garden. He had given Rufa a fabulous ring, an old-fashioned hoop of whopping great diamonds, that had belonged to his mother. This had delighted her – and her delight had delighted him. It did not, however, seem to raise the temperature between them. Rose guessed a little about the life Edward had kept separate from Melismate, and wondered what he had told Rufa. Presumably, being Edward, he had sorted everything out before making his proposal. But, for the moment, romance appeared to be the last thing on his mind. He and Rufa seemed to think about nothing except restoring Melismate.

Edward said that he would oversee the building work, while Rufa dealt with the interior. They had obviously spent hours discussing this, when normal couples would have been thrashing about under a duvet with the phone off the hook. Rufa would be responsible for (Edward produced yet another long list from his clipboard) painting, plastering, curtains, bathrooms, kitchen and furniture. She would also arrange for the cleaning and restoration of the remaining family portraits.

‘The what?’ Rose asked vaguely.

Edward translated. ‘The Old Lags.’

‘Oh,’ Rose said, brightening. ‘I’m glad they’re getting a lick of varnish out of all this, poor, hideous old souls.’

Edward, as if she had not spoken, launched into a complicated lecture about the wiring.

‘Do you know,’ Rose interrupted cheerfully, ‘that would be just the job for Roger’s friend Spike – shall I give him a call?’

Rufa looked embarrassed. Edward was elaborately patient. ‘Is Spike the character who covered your main fuse box with Sellotape?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Hmm, I think I’ll stick with whoever the Bickerstaffs send, if you don’t mind.’

The Bickerstaffs were identical twins who had been at Stowe with Edward, and now did most of the important building work in the county.

‘Goodness, I don’t mind,’ Rose said. ‘I’m rather honoured they’ll take us on. I expect it’s because Davy Bickerstaff still has a crush on Nancy. He always asks after her with a sort of leer, and tries to do it without his wife hearing. Not that he stands a chance – he’s as old as the hills.’ She became aware of Edward, Rufa and Roger round the table, all staring at her with varying degrees of impatience.

‘Mum,’ Rufa murmured, ‘do let him get on.’

‘What? What?’ Rose asked irritably. ‘I’m not stopping him.’

Edward, his brow darkening ominously, resumed his lecture. Rose sipped her excellent coffee and tried very hard to take in the details. It was all extraordinarily dull. Her attention strayed to one of the posh biscuits, which had a little picture of something engraved in the chocolate. She took off her glasses to examine it more closely.

‘Mummy –’ Rufa was plucking gently at her sleeve.

‘Oh, it’s an elephant,’ Rose said happily. ‘I thought its hat was an udder.’

‘Wake up, old thing,’ Roger said, with his mouth full. ‘He’s asked you three times now.’

Rose put on her glasses. ‘Asked me what?’

The muscles of Edward’s jaw were tense. ‘I want to know if you can be ready to move out in ten days.’

Rose shrieked, ‘What? Move out? But you promised we wouldn’t have to leave!’

‘Just for a few weeks,’ Rufa assured her, ‘while the work’s being done. It’s going to be a huge upheaval.’

Rose was outraged. ‘Where the hell are we supposed to go?’

‘My mother’s old cottage is empty at the moment,’ Edward said. ‘And pretty well ready to move into. The furniture’s a bit shabby, but I’m assuming you won’t mind that.’

‘Well, you can assume again, because I’m not bloody going,’ Rose said hotly.

‘Mum, don’t be silly,’ Rufa begged. ‘You don’t want to live on a building site!’

‘Why does it have to be such a hassle? All we need is a spot of paint, and a bit of cement.’

Edward slammed down his pencil. ‘Rose, have you listened to a single word? This house is going to fall down – quite literally – unless we take it apart brick by brick, and reassemble it from scratch.’

‘What are you talking about? I won’t let you destroy my house!’

‘Destroy it? I’m doing the exact bloody opposite!’

‘You’re trying to tear the heart out!’

Edward snapped, ‘I’m actually trying to tear the dirt out. But if you prefer, I’ll leave it to biodegrade naturally – then you can sell it for compost, and build yourselves a bungalow.’

‘This is the Man’s home,’ Rose said stubbornly. ‘I’m letting you change it because you’re marrying my daughter. But I refuse to move out.’

Roger laid a hand on Edward’s rigid forearm. ‘Count to ten, Ed,’ he advised softly.

‘No I will not count to bloody ten!’ Edward barked. ‘You can camp on the lawn if you like, but you’re having this house repaired properly – not by some local halfwit with a roll of Sellotape!’ He caught Rufa’s reproachful eye, and groaned. ‘Oh, God. I’ve shouted at them already.’

‘Please don’t make trouble, Mum,’ Rufa said, trying to rein back her impatience. ‘You know it has to be done. Taking over Edward’s cottage was my idea – I thought you’d be pleased.’

‘Oh no, you didn’t. You thought I’d be compliant. But I won’t be railroaded, Rufa – I won’t be managed.’

Edward angrily slopped more coffee into his chipped cup. ‘Look at me, swilling caffeine,’ he said to Rufa, ‘I’ll get an ulcer at this rate.’

Rufa tried a gentler approach. ‘Think how lovely it would be to have Melismate looking beautiful for the wedding.’

‘Why?’ Rose asked, puzzled. ‘Who’s going to see it? You’ll only be having a quiet ceremony, presumably.’

‘Quiet?’ Edward was very still. His eyes were black with fury. ‘As in “furtive”, do you mean?’

‘You know. What with you being so much older, and knowing her from a baby, and waiting till the Man was dead before you made a move –’

‘Whoops,’ muttered Roger, shaking his head. ‘Whoops-a-daisy.’

Edward’s temper broke like a sudden clap of thunder.
‘For
your information, Rose,’ he yelled, ‘Rufa and I are planning an enormous and hugely noisy wedding, to which we will invite absolutely everyone in the neighbourhood – despite the fact that the bride is a baby, and the groom is a toothless old git on a walking frame!’

The back door opened, and Linnet walked in. Ran had picked her up from school and dropped her at the gate. She was wearing the multicoloured jersey Rufa had made, and the furry Pikachu rucksack Nancy had bought her in London. She looked severely round at their frozen faces. Edward and Rose, both breathing heavily, subsided into glaring silence.

‘I heard shouting,’ Linnet said.

‘Sorry, darling,’ Rufa said, looking reproachfully at her mother. ‘We’ve finished now.’

Linnet dug a dirty hand into the pocket of her jeans. Very solemn, she walked round to Edward. ‘Daddy gave me fifty pence to stop being cross. I think you’d better have it.’

For a long moment, Edward stared down at the coin she had put in the palm of his hand. Then, as suddenly as he had lost his temper, he started laughing. Rufa remembered that the Man had always managed Edward by making him laugh, even when he had goaded him to gnashing fury. For once, Linnet did not seem to mind being laughed at. Satisfied with the transaction, she stood on tiptoe to reach the plate of biscuits.

Edward, still chuckling, handed back the fifty pence. ‘Thanks very much, Linnet, but just this once, I’ll stop being cross for nothing. Sorry, Rose. I was being highhanded, wasn’t I?’

‘I can’t get over you apologizing all the time,’ Rose said irritably. ‘Why bother, if it’s not going to change
your
mind about throwing me out of my house?’

Rufa sighed. ‘Mum, he’s not throwing you out!’

‘If you want to stop Rose being cross, it’ll cost more than fifty pence,’ Roger said.

This made Edward laugh again. He pushed the plate of biscuits closer to Linnet. ‘We were talking about all the repairs this house needs,’ he told her. ‘A lot of workmen have to come, and make enormous holes everywhere—’

‘You’re wasting your time!’ Rose interrupted. ‘Linnet won’t see why we need repairs – you think this house is fine as it is, don’t you, duck?’

Linnet was frowning up at Edward. ‘What will they make holes in?’

‘You need an entire new roof,’ Edward said. ‘Those old attics will be open to the sky. Then you need to knock down the wall behind where Granny’s sitting, to build a new one that doesn’t sag. It’s going to be a terrible mess for a while – though it’ll be lovely when it’s finished. In the meantime, I thought everyone here could come to stay at my cottage. But Granny doesn’t want to.’

‘I don’t either,’ Linnet said promptly. ‘This is where we live.’

‘Told you,’ Rose muttered.

Edward ignored her. ‘You could think of it as a holiday,’ he suggested. ‘It’s a very nice house, you know. It’s right next to Chloe’s field.’ Chloe was Edward’s stately, rather elderly horse.

‘And you wouldn’t have such a long drive to school,’ Rufa put in.

Linnet went straight over to the enemy. ‘Can I give Chloe an apple every morning? Can I have a ride on her? Will she let me comb her mane and tail?’

‘She’ll be only too happy,’ Edward said, with a teasing glance at Rose. ‘She needs a new friend. And she’s a quiet old thing. She won’t mind giving her friends riding lessons.’ To Rufa, he added, ‘It’s high time Linnet started riding. Might as well do it properly.’

It was settled, though Rose was still chafing rebelliously, and muttering under her breath. While Rufa cooked pasta shells for Linnet’s tea, they began to discuss arrangements for the move. The cottage had three small bedrooms. Rose and Roger were to have one, Lydia and Linnet another, and Selena could have the triangular room under the eaves.

‘But what about Ru, what about Nancy?’ mourned Rose.

‘Nancy will be going back to London,’ Rufa said, ‘and I’ll be staying with Edward – I suppose.’

She smiled at him, to cover her doubt. It was impossible to imagine living with Edward: sleeping beside him, watching him shave. When she tried, she found the prospect mildly thrilling, but also confusing. If she lived with Edward, would that change their agreement about sex? In a way, she was desperate to sleep with him, in order to feel truly safe – without sex, what could hold him?

Edward said, ‘Actually, I was assuming you’d be going back to London too. I’m rather relying on you as the shopping end of the business.’

Rufa felt relief, with a curious, panicky undertow of dissatisfaction. ‘You’re right, there’s loads to do. I’ll get on far better down there.’

‘And you’ll want to stay here for a couple of days in the meantime,’ he suggested.

She did, of course. Now that she knew they did not
have
to leave, Melismate felt like home again. ‘Yes, I’d like to rest here, at least until the end of the week.’

He tucked his fearful clipboard under one arm. ‘Good idea. You’re tired.’

‘Me?’ Suddenly elated, feeling she could make time stop and swing into reverse, Rufa laughed. ‘Mum’s just complained about my terrible energy.’

‘No I didn’t,’ Rose protested.

‘Yes you did. You said it was like living with Donald Duck.’

‘I complained that you can’t stop doing things. It’s driving me crazy.’

The atmosphere in the house was tense, with quarrels seething under bright-eyed celebrations. Rose and Rufa, in particular, veered between adoring each other and finding each other infuriating.

‘I wish I knew why she’s being so troublesome,’ Rufa said later, while she and Edward were walking through the meadows towards the park fence.

Edward said, ‘She’ll come round. They all will.’

‘I hate the way they treat you – as if you’re the one who ought to be grateful.’

‘Well, so I ought,’ Edward said quietly. ‘I have you.’

She turned quickly, hoping to see the tenderness of his voice reflected in his face. But he strode on steadily, eyes fixed to the horizon.

‘I’m glad I got you on your own,’ he said. ‘I wanted to speak to you. I have to go away for a few days.’

He made the announcement sound momentous. Rufa – surprised that he felt in any way accountable to her – murmured, ‘Oh.’

‘To Paris,’ he said.

‘How nice.’

‘Hmm. I rather doubt that.’ He glanced aside at her. ‘I’m seeing Prudence. Alice’s sister.’

‘Oh.’ Rufa remembered the lacquered creature she had seen in the magazine picture.

‘I have to tell her about us getting married. It’s something that has to be done in person.’ He halted, and turned around to face her. ‘The money aspect makes it a bit of an issue for her.’

Rufa was, distantly, alarmed. Any threat to Edward’s money was a threat to Melismate. ‘Why?’

In the brief silence that followed, she understood two things – first, that she had asked a difficult question, and second, that he had prepared an answer to it.

‘If I died unmarried – she had every reason to think I might – her son would have inherited everything I’ve been planning to spend on your house.’

‘But that’s totally unreasonable,’ Rufa said, ‘surely.’

‘Not totally. I was in the army, and I could have died several times. That bullet in Bosnia, for instance. Six inches to the right, and I’d have come home in a bag.’

‘Don’t.’ Rufa could not bear to think of corpses. The Man had left Melismate in a bag. The memory had to be buried immediately, before she was sucked back into that nightmare.