A Friend of the Family (23 page)

 

Twenty-four

 

POLLY SAT DOWN IN
an armchair and stretched her legs to the log fire that hissed and crackled in the wood-burning stove. On either side of it two huge wicker baskets, filled to the brim with logs, stood witness to Michael's last act of thoughtfulness. When she had finished speaking to him on the telephone she had fled upstairs, thrown her warmest things into her case and rushed down again to where Oliver and Saul were waiting. She hugged Cass warmly and listened whilst Tom gave her advice and they both told her to come back as soon as she could. Meanwhile, Oliver was already in his car and revving the engine as Saul, grasping her case in one hand and her arm in the other, almost ran her round to the stable block and her car. White flakes whirled and danced in the darkness around them and Polly felt a thrill of fear.

‘I've never driven in snow before,' she said, struggling to unlock the car door. Tm glad you and Oliver are coming with me.'

‘It'll be OK,' said Saul, his new-found confidence positively surging and bubbling inside him. ‘It's barely settling. I'll drive you if you like.'

‘No, no. Better not.' Polly settled herself in the driving seat. ‘I shouldn't really have let you this morning. Although you're probably a better driver than I am.'

Peering out of the rear window into the falling snow, she reversed out of the stable expecting at anv moment to back into something solid and unforgiving.

‘Left hand down a bit,' said Saul. ‘Then you'll be OK.'

Following his instructions, she edged back until she was able to pull forward and make her way round to the front of the house. At the front door, where Cass and Tom stood waving, Oliver's car moved out in front of her and they set off in procession down the drive.

Although the snow had yet to settle, visibility was very poor and Polly, gripping the steering wheel tightly, was grateful for Oliver's rear lights glowing out in the darkness and Saul's instructions.

‘Bit of a left-hand bend coming up here,' Saul advised. ‘Drops down into a dip here with a bit of a climb the other side, better change down. We'll be turning right in a few minutes.'

‘You know the road awfully well.' Polly took a deep breath and relaxed her grip on the wheel for a moment, easing her shoulder muscles.

‘I was at prep school just outside Tavistock,' he said, his eyes fixed on the road ahead and Oliver's lights. ‘We drove across this road a dozen times a term for five years. I ought to know it. Yes, this is it. Turn right here. We're on the main Princetown road now. Of course, Harriet and Michael are very high where they are but I expect they'll be well prepared for a bit of bad weather.'

‘Yes, they are.' Polly's eyes strained to keep sight of Oliver's car as the snow seemed to fall thicker and more blindingly. ‘Harriet was showing me on Saturday.' Jesus! she thought, was that only yesterday? ‘They've got enough food in to withstand a couple of years' siege and a great pile of logs in that shed. I suppose it's quite sensible.'

‘Definitely,' said Saul. ‘It's not often that bad up here but it's best to be ready for it. Now, we shall be turning left any minute. We're coming into Princetown.'

Polly remembered the grey gloomy bulk of the prison. What must it look like on a night like this? She shuddered a little.

At last, after what seemed several years, Polly was bumping up the familiar track and Michael was hurrying out to greet them. He directed her past the garden gate and round into the open-fronted barn where the log pile stood. She stopped thankfully and Michael opened her car door.

‘Well done,' he said, with great relief. ‘And I see you've got plenty of support. How very wise! I was beginning to panic that you might lose your way in the dark.'

He took her case and the three of them w ent back towards the cottage. Oliver had turned his car at the bottom of the track.

‘Come in,' said Michael. ‘Harriet's got some last-minute instructions. I've told you about my cousin Jon, haven't 1? He won't be a bother, terribly jolly chap. He should arrive at any minute. Shove him in the boxroom. Harriet had made up the spare room ready for him but you'll be in there. Anyway, with luck I'll be back.' He turned to Saul as Oliver reached the gate from the track. ‘I imagine that you two will want to be getting back?'

‘ 'Fraid we must,' said Oliver, who knew that Saul would have liked to stay until the last possible second. ‘It's blowing a bit over the top. We ought to be on our way.'

‘Yes you must,' said Polly at once. ‘It would be terrible if you got stuck.' She engulfed Saul in a warm hug. ‘I'd never have managed without you,' she told him. ‘Thank vou for a lovely day. Phone me when you get home, won't vou? I'll want to know that you're both safe.'

He nodded, hesitated, then gave her another hug, his mouth briefly finding her lips. She kissed him firmly and turned to Oliver. ‘Bless you,' she said. ‘Please drive carefully,' and giving him, too, a quick hug, she followed Michael into the cottage.

A few minutes later, Harriet and Michael had gone, too, Harriet still shouting last-minute instructions and Michael urging her to hurry. Finally, he had bundled her into the car and they had set off, vanishing into the still falling snow which had now begun to cover the ground. Polly made her way to the sitting room and collapsed in the armchair by the fire.

Presently she stirred. Nurserv tea in the study at the Rectory seemed some time ago and she decided to go and forage in the kitchen. Harriet's list lay on the table and Polly smiled at the minute instructions for Hugh's welfare.

‘I've told him we're going,' Harriet had explained to Polly, ‘and he knows that when he wakes up in the morning you'll be here. I thought it might be a bit of a shock otherwise. He's quite happy about it.'

This was perfectly true. Harriet had represented Polly to him as a cross between Peter Pan and Father Christmas and had outlined the days ahead as one long glorious game. Polly would have quailed had she known. Hugh, however, listening wide-eyed to the treats in store for him and remembering Polly's willingness on Saturday to join in with a will, nodded acquiescently and agreed to be a good boy and try to go to sleep. In the morning, Harriet promised him, Polly would have a lovely surprise for him. He could hardly wait for her to go and collect this new brother or sister so that the good life could get under way.

Polly, sublimely unaware of her part in this programme of dissipation, studied the list while she heated some soup and made toast.

‘Really good staff work, this,' she told Ozzy, who had followed her into the kitchen and now lolled hopefully against the dresser. Max, who moved as little as he could these days, had remained by the fire. ‘She's hidden presents all over the house so that Huge can have a treasure hunt every day. Brilliant, isn't it? I'd never think of a thing like that. She's even made a list of the places in case he can't find them. Even better. Imagine the frustration! Knowing they were there but not finding them! You're on the list, too. That's how I know that you've been fed, so it's no good looking pathetic.'

Ozzy sighed. It was the story of his life—foiled and bested at every turn. He lay down but kept his eye on Polly's movements, confident that the odd toast crust would come his way. Ozzy knew a sucker when he saw one.

Blessing the comfort of the Aga, Polly settled at the table with her supper and, for the first time for forty-eight hours, began to unwind. The shrilling of the telephone bell caught her unawares and she banged the spoon against her teeth. Sighing, she got up and went to the wall telephone. Saul's voice burst out of the receiver.

‘Are you OK? We've just got back. It's really bad up on the top
now. The wind's getting up and it's already starting to drift. Are you sure you'll be all right on vour own? I'm sure I should have stayed with you.'

Polly reassured him as to her well-being, promising that they would speak on the morrow, had a word with Cass and returned to her soup.

Later, as Ozzy was licking the empty bowl and munching a few crusts, the telephone rang again. It was Michael this time. Everything was OK but he would certainly be staying the night with Harriet. He would phone her again in the morning and, with some detailed instructions on how to keep the wood-burner on overnight and promising to give her love to Harriet, he rang off.

 

‘IF YOU'D GOT AWAY
yesterday, instead of fooling about going to see reservoirs, you'd both have been back by now.' Tom, eating some party leftovers—Cass always refused to cook until everything had been eaten up—was feeling grumpy. His weekend had been, in some indefinable way, unsatisfactory.

Oh, do stop droning on, Pa,' begged Oliver, who seemed, as usual, to have bagged all the best remains. ‘And anyway, I certainly wouldn't have been back yet. It may be far worse upcountry and Saul and I might have been stuck for days in a snowdrift.'

For a moment, Tom allowed himself to play with all the delightful possibilities of that scenario. He sighed wistfully.

‘And anyway,' continued Oliver, ‘I should have thought that you'd be delighted to have your two sons here with you. You must just relax and enjoy us.'

Saul grinned and continued to eat sausage rolls.

‘I'd be much more delighted to know that you were getting on with your work,' said Tom as he watched his elder son eat the last of the profiteroles. ‘You're coming up to your finals, Saul's got his A levels in a few months. It's a very important time. I don't want to see all the money that's been spent on educating the pair of you go flowing down the drain.'

Oh, honestly, darling.' Cass felt that it was time she intervened. ‘They'll probably only lose a few days' work. They're both quite capable of catching up. And, after all, it's another five months to their exams. Nothing to worry about.'

Oh, well, I'd naturally expect you to take their side,' said Tom morosely. ‘Don't mind me, I'm only the breadwinner. Hang on a minute, is that the last of that smoked cheese?'

‘It is.' Oliver ate it and beamed at his father. ‘And very nice it was, too.'

Before Tom could react, Cass got to her feet. ‘Come on, darling,' she said to Tom. ‘We'll leave these two to get on with the washing-up and then they can bring us some coffee. You mustn't let them wind you up,' she said when they reached the drawing room. ‘They don't mean any harm. Can't you remember how you and your old pa used to argue?'

‘I suppose so.' Tom sank into an armchair. ‘They make me feel so old. I'm sure I was never as lazy as they are.'

‘Well, you were at Dartmouth so it was a bit different. And you were very proud when Oliver got a place at Cambridge.'

‘Of course I was. They're great kids. It's just that I sometimes feel too tired to cope.'

‘You and me both.'

Oliver appeared with a tray and grinned at them. ‘Coffee,' he announced. ‘Saul's washing up but I thought you might be gasping. Oh, and we found these.'

‘These' were the special after-dinner Belgian chocolates that they all loved and Tom raised his eyebrows in amazement. Oliver placed them on the table by his chair and went out. Tom looked up, met Cass's eye and burst out laughing.

‘You win,' he said.

 

POLLY CARRIED HER COFFEE
into the sitting room and sank back into the armchair, Max at her feet. She opened the door of the wood-burning stove, enjoying the friendly settling and crackling of
the fire. She gazed mesmerised at the flames and, after a while, began to nod. Her dreams were a confused jumble of the events of the last few days. Much later she came awake with a jolt and glanced at her watch. Bedtime.

She rose and called the dogs, who padded behind her into the hall and waited whilst she opened the door into the porch. The snow was already blowing against the porch door and she stared out into a white world.

‘Go on, Max. And you, Ozzy,' said Polly, shivering. ‘Go and have a pee!'

The dogs turned amazed looks upon her. They had been right about her being a sucker. Now they knew that she was potty as well. After a moment, Ozzy strolled out and sniffed cautiously at the snow. Max sat down firmly. He was too old for these games.

‘You're a pain, Max.' Polly pushed her feet into a pair of gumboots that stood in the porch. ‘Come on then! Out we go! Pee time!'

Max watched in alarm from the safety of the porch whilst Polly gambolled in the snow. She returned and lugged him forcibly out of the door. Ah well. All alike, these humans! Had to do everything in group movements. Couldn't even go for a walk, some of them, unless their dogs had them on the end of a piece of string. Max knew his duty. He strolled over to a bush that was fast disappearing beneath a covering of snow, lifted his leg briefly and hurried back to the porch. May as well humour her!