The year of the virgins (5 page)

'What do you mean, brought on this day?'

'Just what I say: he was determined to part us, and he's brought it about. You know he has. You know he has.'

Yes, yes, he knew he had. He knew his father had brought about his wedding day, and he thanked God for it. But he had to lie, saying loudly, 'That's utterly ridiculous.' But having lied he now inadvertently spoke the truth, adding, T love Annette. I have done for years. Why, I went through agonies when I thought she fancied Joe. And you thought she fancied Joe, didn't you?'

'Nothing of the sort. Girls are flighty; they don't know their own minds. And . . . and I ask you now, Don - ' Her voice had sunk low, her lids were blinking, the tears were pressing out of the corners of her eyes as she stammered, 'Do ... do you know what you are doing to me? Do you? You're breaking my heart. You are leaving me alone. When you go I'll have no-one, no-one in the wide world.'

'Oh, Mother, please.'

'Don. Don.' With a cry she had her arms about him, pressing him to her, her flesh seeming to swim around him, her lips covering his eyes, his brow, his cheeks.

It was with an effort he pushed her from him, then stood rigid, wide-eyed, looking at her body quivering from head

to foot beneath her light dressing-gown. He watched her turn from him and fling herself on to the couch muttering brokenly, 'You don't love me. You don't love me.'

He made no response to this for a full minute, and then he had to force the words through his lips, saying, 'I do love you, Mother. But this is my wedding day. And what is more significant at the moment is that Aunt Flo is downstairs with her fiance. Now how are you going to greet him? That's what you've got to think about. How are you going to greet him? Because you know Aunt Flo: she'll stand no nonsense. If you make a fuss . . . well, she'll make a bigger one. So, please, put on a dress, anything, and come downstairs and see her.'

'I won't. And I don't want that man in my house.'

'He is in the house, and Father will welcome him. I say again about knowing people, and you know Father.'

'Yes. Yes' - her voice was almost a scream now - 'I know Father. God in heaven! yes, I know Father. I've known him for thirty tortured years.'

After drawing in a long breath he turned away and walked towards the door. But there she checked him. Her voice was low now as she said placatingly, 'I ... I can't go down yet. You can see that, Don.'

'Will I send her up?'

She didn't answer: instead she turned her head away, which he took as an assent, so he left the room.

Pausing at the top of the stairs, he put his hands across his eyes for a moment as if to shut out something, and then went quickly down the stairs and towards the drawing-room from where came the sound of voices.

His father was standing with his back to the flower-decked fireplace; and there, too, by the end of the couch on which Flo was sitting, stood the man. On this closer

acquaintance, his colour seemed not to be as dark as when first seen, but more a deep chocolate-brown. He was perhaps a half-caste, a very handsome half-caste, over six feet tall and well-built with it: not heavy and not slim, but more like an athlete.

His father greeted him with an over-loud voice, saying, 'Oh, there you are, the man of the day,' and almost before the words were out his Aunt Flo rose from the couch and, coming swiftly towards him with outstretched hands, cried, 'Hello there! My! My! I hardly recognise you.'

Don took her hands, then bent towards her and kissed her on the cheek, saying, 'Nor me you, Aunt Flo.'

And this, he told himself, was true, because her voice had become a little a-lah, as he termed it, and her rig-out, which was a mauve velvet suit with a matching coat, he noted was lying over the back of the chair, and was indeed something. From what he remembered of his Aunt Flo, she had been a bit slovenly; cheery and nice, oh yes, but not at all the classy piece who was now saying, 'Come and meet Harvey.'

She turned and led him by the hand towards the dark man, saying, 'This is my fiance, Mr Harvey Clement Lincoln Rochester.' She emphasised each word as she smiled broadly up at her intended. And the man, now holding out his hand, said, 'How do you do? And let me explain right away that the Rochester doesn't mean I'm any relation to Jack Benny's stooge; and the Lincoln has no connection with a past president either; nor Clement with an English prime minister, nor Harvey with an imaginary rabbit that you might have seen in the film.'

They were all laughing, Joe loudest of all, and Don, looking at them, could not help but pick up the approval he saw in their eyes and allow it to register in his own. He

liked this fellow. But by God! if he knew anything, he was going to throw a spanner into the works today because she would go mad. If the man had been a Protestant or an atheist even, he might have got by, but a black man who was likely to become her brother-in-law! Oh my, my, his being a barrister wouldn't make much difference in this case. But now, out of politeness, he asked of the visitor, 'Being a barrister, sir, what kind of cases do you handle?'

'Rogues; mostly rich ones.'

'Oh, Harvey, you don't! not all the time. You take on poor people too.' She was smacking at the big hand which rested on the head of the couch, and he, looking down at her, said, 'Woman, they are still rogues, all of them.'

Joe stared at the man. He could imagine him in court: he would be powerful; even his presence would show strength. And that voice . . . that was the second time in the last few minutes he had called Flo 'woman'. But the way he split up the word, it came out like a caress, woo . . . man, as another man might say, dar . . . ling. When he heard Don saying, to Flo, 'Mother would like you to go up and see her. She's in the middle of dressing, and you know how long that takes,' he thought, Yes, it would be a long time before Mam came down those stairs to meet this visitor.

'Oh well,' said Flo, rising from her seat, 'here's the mountain going to Mahommed.' Then she cast a sidelong glance at her fiance, saying, 'Do you think you'll be able to cope until I return?' And Harvey's reply: 'You know how I am without you, so don't be long,' must have perplexed the assembled company, thought Flo, as she

made her way upstairs, not only because of his choice of words, but also by his tone.

The nearer Flo got to the door of Winifred's room, the straighter her back became. When her knock received no response, she gently pushed open the door, and there, across the room, and seated near the window, was her sister.

Flo closed the door behind her, and had walked halfway towards Winifred before she spoke. 'Hello, there!' she said. And when Winifred's lips tightened, it occurred to her that the bombshell must have already dropped. Of course, Don would have told her; he would likely have seen them arrive.

'How are you?'

At this, Winifred swung round and through tight jaws said, 'How dare you?'

'How dare I what?'

'You know what I mean; don't act the innocent: bringing a black man here!'

'Oh, that!' Flo shrugged her shoulders before going on, 'He's no black man; he's a half-caste, as if it makes any difference; a good-looking, handsome, half-caste. He's a barrister, a gentleman, and well respected.'

'Shut up! Well respected. They don't even let them into working men's clubs in this town. And you've done this on purpose, haven't you, you and him between you?'

'What do you mean, me and him? He knows nothing about you.'

T mean Daniel.'

'Daniel? What are you talking about?'

T was given to understand that you had bumped into each other in London and that you had told him you were a secretary to a barrister and engaged to him.'

'Yes, yes, that's what I told Daniel. But he never met the barrister, though I see now that's why I got an invite to the wedding: you thought I'd gone up in the world and you thought it would be one up for you to claim that your sister was engaged to a barrister. My God! you haven't changed a bit, have you, Winnie?'

'Well, that makes two of us, for first time around you had to go and marry a cheap insurance agent, a drunk.'

'Harry was no drunk, not in that sense; he was an alcoholic, and he was a decent enough fellow. But in your opinion he was somebody to be ashamed of. Just like Father. Remember Father?'

'Yes. Oh yes, I remember Father.'

'Well, that surprises me, when you wouldn't go to see him even when he was dying. You hadn't even the decency to go and see Mam. No, you were out for prize money and you hooked on to it through Daniel. It really wasn't him you wanted but what he could provide you with. Which has been proved, hasn't it?'

Her nose wrinkling, Winifred said scornfully, 'You . . . you know nothing about it. You'll always be cheap and common. When you came into this room a moment ago you had an accent that any ignoramus could detect was assumed, but now you are yourself again, aren't you? Well, as yourself, you can go down and take your coloured man out of my house. You can give the excuse that this is just a flying visit. You understand?'

Flo slowly drew herself up to her full height, so dwarfing the standing, fat figure before her, and remained silent for a moment; then she said, 'I came up for Don's wedding and to Don's wedding I and my fiance will go. And we'll attend the reception afterwards. And only then, perhaps, will we think of leaving. Mr Rochester is a gentleman,

an educated gentleman, far above your husband or your sons in education, and if you don't treat him at least with civility, then you can prepare for squalls, because you know me, Winnie: when I get going I've got a loud voice and I can put things over, especially home truths, in a very jocular way, and so make people laugh while they ponder. I have that knack, haven't I? Well, I can assure you I'll do my piece. If you are not downstairs within half an hour I'll promise you one of the best performances of my life, solely for your guests, one hundred and thirty of them I understand. Think on it, Winnie. Think on it.' And on this she turned slowly about and left the room: and her step was steady as she went down the stairs.

As she entered the drawing-room her fiance was saying, 'My grandparents came over at the end of the last century. They were from California, and they went into service in a gentleman's family just outside of London. They had a son who grew up in the same establishment and became a sort of factotum; and just after the last war he married one of the housemaids. And they had a son, and about the same time the daughter of the house and her husband, who lived with her parents, had their third son. The young half-caste' - he now pointed his forefinger towards himself - 'and the three boys grew up together. They were sent to boarding school, I was sent to the local school, from where I got to the grammar school. The only coloured boy there. I stood out, I can tell you.' His smile was broad now. 'And from there it was just a natural step to university. I didn't stand out so much there, for there were other dark faces to be seen. Well, I read law, and there you are.'

Flo came quietly into the room at this point, saying, 'And one of the sons of that house is a solicitor and he

brings him cases. But there's not much left of the younger one, for he was blown up during the war. But we go and see him every month. And those three sons are his closest friends.'

It was evident to Daniel, Joe and Don that, as they had expected, Flo had had a hard time upstairs, for her eyes were bright and her lips were trembling slightly.

It was also evident to Harvey, and when he addressed her, 'Woo . . . man, come here,' and she complied, he took her hand, and gazing into her eyes, he said, 'Would you like to go home?'

Before she had time to reply, Daniel's voice broke in loud and harsh: 'Home? She's just come.' And he went quickly to her, took her by the shoulders and pressed her down on the couch, saying, 'You've come for the wedding,' then glanced up at the scowling face and added, 'You've both come for the wedding and for the wedding you will stay. You're my guests, and' - he looked across at his two sons - 'Don's and Joe's guests. Am I right?'

And together they said, 'Yes, certainly.'

Flo put out her hand towards Daniel, saying, 'It's all right; I'm all right. Winnie's dressing; she'll be down shortly.'

'Oh, well; in the meantime we'll have some coffee, it's too early for the hard stuff, at least for me. What about you?' He looked towards Harvey who, smiling, replied, 'Me too. Coffee will be fine.'

'Well, excuse me for a minute; I'll go and tell Maggie. You haven't seen her yet, have you?'

'No; nor Stephen.'

'Oh well, we'll have to do a tour. There's plenty of time before the big show starts, although I think, Don,

you'd better get outside and see how things are going in the marquee.'

And so it was that Joe was left alone with them and, after a moment, looking at the man who was still standing at the head of the couch, he said, 'Come and sit down; you look too big even for me.'

With a slight nod Harvey took his seat on the couch beside Flo and immediately put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her tightly towards him, and as if he knew he had a friend in Joe, he said to her, 'A bad time up there?'

And lying with a smile, she answered, 'No, no, not really. But you know, as I told you, we've never agreed, not since I first lisped her name and called her Win instead of Winifred. I was three and she ten when she first boxed my ears. But I was six and she thirteen when I first hit her with the coal shovel. Since then our war has just been verbal.'

'What a pity' -Joe, sitting opposite to them was laughing now - 'because, believe it or not, Aunt Flo . . .' he now leant towards her and, his voice a whisper, he said, 'you're not the only one who would like to use a coal shovel at times.' Then straightening up and in a more sombre tone, he asked, 'I can tell you seriously, at least, I should say, I can't tell you what life is going to be like once her favourite lad walks back down the aisle today because, as you only too well know, Aunt Flo, he's all she's lived for for years.'

'Yes, I'm aware of that. But what puzzles me is how she came to approve of the marriage in the first place.'