The Tender Flame (10 page)

‘Yes please, Muriel.' David's return smile told Jan that he was as enchanted with her mother as she was with him. ‘Jan.'

His voice broke through her thoughts. ‘Sorry, what was it, David?'

‘I was just saying that if you've finished your breakfast, you ought to see about packing your suitcase. We don't want to be late.'

Parental eyebrows that had not so much as quavered over events which could not by any stretch of the imagination be called everyday,
lifted
at the speed with which she went to do his bidding. Oh well, it was too late to slow her step now.

When she came downstairs again, it was to find her mother flitting between the dining room and the kitchen, straightening and tidying and generally putting her house back in order.

‘Where are David and Dad?'

‘In the lounge. No, you mustn't join them. Your father wants to say something to David.'

Jan didn't like the sound of that. ‘What about?'

‘I don't know, dear.'

‘I hope Dad isn't being silly.'

‘Funny, that's what he says about you.'

‘It's just a job, Mum.'

‘One that doesn't require your hard-earned qualifications.'

‘I'd wondered what you thought about that.'

‘Education is never wasted. I'm well aware that you went after the job as a temporary measure to get over a sticky patch. You didn't count on your heart getting committed. I mean, of course,' she said, levelling her daughter a shrewd look, ‘to Stephanie. Poor little mite. I wouldn't think much of you if you didn't want to stand by her until she got over it. Is that roughly it?'

‘That's exactly it.'

What a wise mother she'd got. Sympathetic and understanding. Sometimes too understanding,
Jan
thought, remembering that shrewd look.

* * *

‘You're lucky in your parents, Jan,' David remarked as they got under way.

‘I know. They are two of the nicest, if not
the
nicest people I know. They certainly took a liking to you.'

‘It's generous of you to admit it, all except your “I wonder why?” tone.'

‘I'd like to know what Dad said to you.'

‘I know you would.'

‘Do you have to be so infuriatingly mysterious?'

‘At least it makes a change,' he said blandly. ‘Most of the time you find me plain infuriating.'

‘My father seems to respect you an awful lot.'

‘That's more than can be said of his daughter.'

‘Are you very important in your job?' Jan asked, following her own line of enquiry.

‘You favour your father most in looks, but you've got your mother's charming nose and her vivacity. Who do you get your tenacity from?'

‘Whoever I get it from, it isn't doing me much good. You could give lessons to a clam.'

He laughed, and announced out of the blue, ‘I've got plans to extend Larkspur Cottage.'

‘How?'

‘I've bought the cottage next door.'

‘That's quick work.'

‘No it isn't. I've been negotiating, through Ralph, to purchase it for some time, but the deal has only just been closed. I'm now having plans drawn up to knock the two cottages into one to make a decent sized place to live in.'

‘You intend to settle in Willowbridge then?'

‘Why shouldn't I?' he challenged.

‘No reason. In your place, I'd want to go somewhere where I was liked.'

‘Be driven out, you mean? No way. It's perfectly located, near enough to my work, but just far enough away to make it the perfect retreat from the scourges of the day. Idyllic in summer, cosy in winter. I intend to keep the old look of the place, the oak beams and all that, but a few discreet and tasteful modernisations won't come amiss, like a shower unit and a new bathroom. And those little peep-holes they call windows might look old-world, but they don't do a thing for me. They've got to go.'

‘Oh yes!' Jan said, catching his enthusiasm. It was one of her pet grievances that the view was wasted.

‘And you know the outbuilding? Mrs. Weaver turned it to good use for her constant stream of visitors. That will come in most useful. Long term, I need a quiet retreat where I can work. Just for now it will double as a
bedroom
for me. That will release a bedroom in the cottage for visitors.'

While Linda had been staying he had given his bed up for her and made do with the sofa.

‘Did Linda mind having Stephanie dumped on her?' she asked.

‘Linda always likes to have a little grumble at first, just to make sure she isn't being taken for granted, but she can always be relied on to help out.'

‘I'm looking forward to meeting Hugh.'

‘I'm afraid you're not going to. Not this trip, anyway. When I left their house, Hugh was on the point of departing on a lecture tour.'

‘How far are we off now?'

‘About an hour's drive.'

Because of a later start than anticipated, they didn't arrive until mid-afternoon.

Stephanie had been having a dressing-up session. She paraded precariously forward to meet them in one of Linda's dresses, its voluminous skirt extravagantly tucked into a belt at the waist. She wore a picture hat that dipped saucily to eyes of green merriment under a subtle dusting of eye-shadow in Mother Nature's softest moss green. Her pert little nose nestled under a light toasting of beige foundation. Her normally pink cheeks were a tint pinker with blusher, and fashion's brightest poppy red lipstick glistened her upward turned little mouth. In Linda's ankle-breaking spiky heeled sandals, ten little toes,
with
colour matched poppy red toenails, wriggled importantly to be noticed.

‘Who is this exotic creature?' Jan said in delighted awe that was not made up entirely of pretence. Linda's hand was behind the transformation and she knew her stuff. ‘Won't someone introduce us?'

Stephanie squealed in joy.

‘This is Her Serene Highness, the Princess Stephanie, who has crossed many oceans to favour our fair land,' Linda announced.

‘Your Highness,' said Jan, sweeping to the floor in a deep curtsy.

Stephanie's little face was ecstatic; David's less so.

‘Look at my darling David,' Linda said, drawing attention to his sombre expression. ‘He doesn't approve.' She didn't wag her finger at him, but had she done so the tone of voice she used would have been a fitting accompaniment. ‘Let me tell you this, my lad, it diverted Stephanie, which is more than you achieved. And it preserved my sanity. I was at my wits' end, having exhausted my repertoire of nursery rhymes. The cow is weary of jumping over the moon, and Polly has lost count of how many times she's put the kettle on. Which reminds me. Nice cup of tea? And something to eat? How hungry are you?'

‘Tatty Bear's very hungry,' said Stephanie.

‘I'm glad to hear it,' Linda replied. ‘He's been on a starvation diet, even though I've
tempted
him with pink blancmange and his favourite orange cream chocolate biscuits. Tatty Bear's been ever so miserable.'

‘Tatty Bear isn't miswerable now,' said Stephanie.

‘I didn't think he would be. It will be all smiles now that your beloved Jan is back.' Linda's eyes seemed to stretch enquiringly to David, but he was looking the other way.

Despite what Linda said, Stephanie didn't fuss round Jan, and even went to the other extreme of practically ignoring her, and Jan knew she was being punished for going away. But it was no coincidence that the plump baby fingers were no longer tied in angry knots, and the roaring unanswerable animal that had filled her and tore at her and crushed everybody around her into a state of distressed inadequacy, was magically appeased.

‘Jan was saying she was looking forward to meeting Hugh. Pity he's away,' David said.

‘I was just thinking the same myself.' Linda's face brightened. ‘I know! Hugh will be back on Friday. Why don't you all stay and keep me company, and then Jan can meet him. I can put you up. No trouble, honestly.'

‘Count me out,' David said. ‘I've got an appointment tomorrow with the Planning Officer about the alterations to the cottage.'

‘That's no excuse,' Linda declared. ‘We don't live all that far away. You could keep your appointment from here.'

‘I
could, but I'm not. I don't have to wait for planning permission to get cracking on the outbuilding. I'm going home to start on that. How about a compromise? Jan and Stephanie could stay on.'

‘That's even better,' Linda said with a jaunty lift of her chin. ‘We can have an “all girls together”. Will you collect your two to take them back home, or shall I deliver?'

David not only took the point, he even went as far as to emphasise it. ‘Either way. I can collect
my two
, or leave you to run them home.'

‘You collect, then,' Linda said emphatically. ‘That's the right way. A man should pander to his womenfolk,' she added mischievously.

David's eyes were not without amusement. ‘I pander to you, Linda Liberty Taker.'

‘You don't, you know. I admit to taking the liberty of giving unsought-for advice, but I might as well save my breath because you never take it.'

‘Ah, but there's a very good reason for that. Your advice so rarely coincides with my wishes.'

‘In other words you'll do as you like even though what you like isn't always good for you. I don't know why I bother.' But as she looked at her godson it was plain to see that her exasperation was tempered by her deep affection.

*
* *

As they walked back up the drive after seeing David off, Linda said: ‘I'll show you round the house now. You'll notice the décor is personality-matched to me, which is how it should be. A woman spends more time in the home than a man does. And, anyway, Hugh's sense of colour isn't as good as mine. He let me have a completely free hand, and having had a preview of his taste, I took it. Except for his own private sanctum, his study. Go in while you may,' she said throwing open the door. ‘But do remember that it's forbidden territory when Hugh is at home.'

Not only did Jan see what Linda meant, she thought she had been quite kind over the matter of Hugh's tawdry choice in colours. In fairness, the same colours in muted shades could have looked all right, and time might have the same effect of dulling and blending. But in its newly decorated spanking clean form the bright biscuit ceiling did not go with the shrieking yellow doors. And the tiny square patterned wallpaper did not marry itself to the large cabbage roses spattered on the carpet.

‘Hugh only has one claim of good taste to his credit, bless him,' said Linda, closing the door firmly behind them, ‘and that was in choosing me. If he did,' she amended wistfully. ‘Sometimes I think life chooses our partners for us. It's just a question of being in the right
place
at the right time, and not being too stubborn to see it.' Jan was rather sorry that Stephanie had run on ahead and was out of earshot, because then Linda wouldn't have been able to say, ‘Why can't David see it? Stubborn as he is he must see that to marry you would be the perfect solution all round.'

‘Do you mind!' Jan covered her embarrassment with a lightness she did not feel, and at the same time voiced a truth. ‘I don't want to be a perfect solution.'

‘Oh, lord, no! Of course you wouldn't be. I worded it awkwardly. I shouldn't have said anything at all about David marrying you, but wishful-thinking-out-loud has always been my downfall, although it once turned out to be my advantage. It was my saying something much like that to Hugh which prompted him to propose to me.' She smiled. ‘I can see you don't believe me, but it's true. It goes without saying that this is the kitchen,' she said, opening another door.

The lounge, where all the shades of green, mixed like Mother Nature does in the woodlands, the ideal backing for the smooth uncluttered lines of the pine furniture, had already been inspected and delighted over. So it was upstairs for bedroom inspection.

Linda and Hugh's room was large and elegant. By this time they had caught up with Stephanie who was entranced by the long cheval mirror and had to be dragged to the
next
room which was hers, with an appropriate ballerina-patterned wallpaper. Next door to that was Jan's room. Lots of white and cool restful jade, with a warming of pink in the curtains gently wafting at the open window.

When it was time for Stephanie to be tucked up for the night, she turned her cheek away from Jan's goodnight kiss, but although she wasn't quite ready to forgive Jan, she didn't sob into her pillow and within minutes she had dropped into a contented sleep.

‘Peace, perfect peace,' said Linda.

It was shattered by the ringing of the telephone.

It turned out to be Hugh.

Returning to the lounge, Linda said: ‘He always makes the time to phone me to say goodnight.' Her features wore a contented glow.

It prompted Jan to ask: ‘Do you ever regret not meeting him when you were younger?'

‘Good heavens no! I don't feel my age, and I know I don't look it, and that's not entirely due to luck, either. A young mind can retard the aging process. The taking years are now behind me. Know what I mean by that? No? Well, the taking years find out what you are really made of. Every day takes something from you, but it's fair, because it gives it back in knowledge. Life can deliver some hard knocks, but it gives you the resilience to deal with them. Hugh wouldn't have liked the
“before”
me as much as he likes the “after” me. He would have detested the ambitious, opinionated person I was; he adores the warm, wise, fulfilled woman I am.'

It was the word fulfilled that played on Jan's mind. She just stopped short of a great impertinence, realising it could also be a source of great hurt, by not asking Linda if she regretted not having had children.