A Little Love (6 page)

‘Don’t apologise; actually it’s a blessed relief. I’ve spent the whole afternoon answering questions on where these young bucks should invest next and can I give them a clue about interest rates when all I wanted was a large glass of plonk and a vol-au-vent. It’s been bloody hard work.’

‘Sounds it.’

‘I’m the Chief Whip.’ He stated this with gravitas, as if it would mean something to her.

‘Well, what a coincidence, so am I! If there’s a bowl of cream that needs a good lashing, they call on me! I’m a baker.’

Christopher laughed. ‘You’re a baker?’

‘Yes, I’m Pru Plum.’

‘Oh, Plum’s! I know it, yes of course! Actually, I think Isabel did tell me. You’ve got that swanky place in Mayfair, with a little shop where you can get a coffee and a cream cake for an arm and a leg!’

‘That’s the one.’ She smiled.

‘Well I never. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Pru Plum.’

‘And you.’

Sir Christopher Heritage put out his hand and took hers, shaking it gently yet firmly. And it was in that moment, as his fingers grasped hers and their palms lay flat against each other, that Prudence Plum felt something new, something that she had never felt before. It washed over her from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. It left her feeling breathless, awkward and glowing with excitement and it was something that at sixty-six years of age, she had doubted she would ever feel.

‘Can I get you a refill?’ Christopher pointed at her empty glass.

She nodded, unable to speak.

He took the glass from her hand and walked towards the bar. ‘Back in a mo, don’t go anywhere.’

I’m not going anywhere, I’ll be right here, waiting…

Pru looked skywards and laughed. ‘Blimey, thank you, Alfie!’

And then she heard it, loud and clear, his response, for the first time ever. ‘You’re welcome!’

Christopher came back with two glasses of champagne as the band struck up ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’, an up-tempo version that couples bopped to on the dance floor. Men twirled girls, who squealed and fell into the arms of their beaus, wobbling on legs that were one part champagne and two parts mojito.

‘Fancy a dance?’ Christopher asked as his cheeks coloured.

‘Oh…’ Pru was taken aback. ‘I don’t know.’ She bit her bottom lip, concerned about the practicalities, like having to jiggle, sober, in front of this stranger. Where would she leave her handbag and would he have to touch her?

‘You don’t
know
?’ He sipped at one of the glasses.

It was Pru’s turn to get a little flustered. ‘No, I mean, I do know, yes!’

‘No, you do know, yes? You’ve rather lost me, I’m afraid.’

Pru laughed. ‘I would like to dance with you—’

‘Good,’ Christopher interrupted. He set the champagne flutes down on one of the little bar tables that were dotted around the marquee.

‘But I’m not sure I can,’ she finished.

‘Why, are you afflicted in some way? Let me guess, arthritic joints? Gammy leg? Two left feet?’

‘Yes, all of the above, but that’s not the reason.’

‘Mmm… another reason, let me think.’ He stroked his chin with pantomime theatricality. ‘You’ve got a jealous lover hiding in the wings with a crowbar? You’re about to turn into a pumpkin? Someone has super-glued your feet to that very spot?’

Pru looked at the floor. ‘No, nothing like that. I’m just not sure how to dance.’

Christopher stared at her for a second. ‘If you don’t mind me saying, Miss Plum, I think you might be making this a tad more complicated than it needs to be. Now, put your bag on the table and take my hand.’

Pru did just that, letting him guide her through the crowd of bright young things. By the time they reached the dance floor, the song was coming to a close. The band immediately launched into the next number, ‘They Can’t Take That Away From Me’, which was softer, slower and quite sultry.

Christopher placed one arm in the small of her back and drew her into his form, holding her closely with her hand inside his. He broke into a slow waltz. ‘Don’t over-think it, just let me lead you,’ he breathed into her hair.

She nodded against his shoulder, feeling the soft cloth of his suit jacket against her chin. Pru hardly dared to breathe as she tried to copy his footwork. Miraculously she found the rhythm, learning the steps as they hovered together at the edge of the dance floor. The song finished too soon and the two held their pose for a second longer than was strictly necessary.

‘That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ he whispered.

Her voice too was small. ‘No. Not too bad at all.’

At 8 p.m. her car was waiting, as agreed. Pru held her shoes in her hand, having finally given up on the heels and pointy toes that had pinched her feet all afternoon, and tiptoed in her bare feet over the grass and gravel. Bobby was staying with her prospective mother-in-law for a couple of days and had kissed her aunt firmly on the cheek, hugging her tightly before being whisked away to the dance floor by a couple of her fiancé’s eager friends. William and Isabel were nowhere to be seen. Christopher, however, strolled by her side.

‘D’you know, I was dreading today. These things always feel like a bit of a duty on your one day off. But it’s been lovely, unexpectedly lovely.’

‘Yes, it has,’ she agreed. ‘Thanks for keeping me company. I think I’d have snuck off hours ago if you hadn’t rescued me.’

‘It’s been my absolute pleasure.’ The way he smiled into her eyes told her he was sincere. ‘I was wondering…’ Christopher coughed.

‘Wondering what?’ Pru felt her heart thud against her ribs and her cheeks flame slightly. She was torn between wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible, exhausted by the weight of emotion she was feeling, and not wanting to say goodbye.

‘Well, I was wondering what route your driver takes. Tell him to take the M40; anything else will be a bugger at this time of night.’

‘Will do.’ She swallowed, at once disappointed as well as relieved, not quite sure what she had expected or hoped for.

Christopher opened the door of the shiny Mercedes and waited as she slid into the back. Pru stared at her hands folded in her lap and prayed that he wouldn’t hug or touch her in any way, not knowing how to react if he did. She envisaged having to reach up through the car door and could picture a number of ways in which this might end awkwardly. Thankfully, he closed the door and raised his palm in goodbye. She watched him getting smaller as dusk fell on the most extraordinary day.

It was dark by the time the driver delivered her back to Curzon Street. Milly was in the sitting room, watching
An Affair to Remember
on TV, curled up in her tiger suit. She nursed a healthy portion of apple
tatin
and clotted cream.

Pru nodded at the enormous bowl of pudding. ‘Feeling a bit better then, Mills?’

‘Much. How was it? Bobby okay? Thought you weren’t going to be late – it’s nearly ten o’clock!’

As usual, Pru selected which questions to answer and in what order. ‘Oh, Bob was in her element, showing off her diamond and twirling on the dance floor. Isabel made a big fuss of her, she’s a nice lady really, not necessarily our cup of tea maybe, but friendly enough. Apparently, since her husband died she’s tended to get a bit carried away with anything that’s a diversion.’
At least
that’s what her brother told me, Sir Christopher…
‘It made me sad to think of Alfie, what he would have said if he’d seen her. He’d have been so proud.’

Milly nodded. ‘You all right, Pru?’

‘Yes, why?’ She almost snapped.

‘Don’t know. You look a bit dewy-eyed, are you sloshed?’

‘No! Only had one or two early on and that was more of a prop, then I switched to cranberry juice.’

Milly waved her hand in front of her face, impatient. ‘Anyway, I don’t care about that, what was the cake like? Did you get a photo?’

Pru considered her response. She and Christopher had been sitting by the lake and had missed the arrival of the cake; and by the time they saw it, all that remained was a mountain of crumbs and squares of royal icing. She pondered how best to break this to her cousin.

‘Ah, the cake. Well, therein lays a tale. I missed it.’

Milly was all ears, sitting forward. ‘You missed it?’ Her tone was accusatory.

‘Yep. Sorry.’

‘I’ve been sitting here all day, waiting to hear and you missed it?’

‘Yes, Milly. And now I’m off to bed!’

‘But I want to hear about their house and the buffet!’ She sounded more than a little angry.

‘Well, next time, don’t eat five-day-old chicken and then you can see it for yourself, can’t you!’

Milly huffed. ‘Did you nick anything?’

‘Did I
nick
anything?’

‘Yeah, you know, like an ashtray or a fork?’

Pru stared at her, trying to find the words. ‘Milly, I have never nicked anything in my life and if I was going to start, it wouldn’t be from Bobby’s future family!’

‘I was only asking!’ Milly tutted.

‘
Only asking?
Why? Would
you
have nicked something then?’

Milly twitched her nose and sucked in her cheeks. ‘Well, I’m not sure I should say now.’

‘I give up. I really do. It’s like living with the love child of Fagin and Tony off the Frosties box.’

Pru shook her head as she turned and walked from the room without looking back. The rustling of Milly’s fake fur and tap of her ring on the bowl of pud told Pru that her exit was being followed by a hand gesture. She doubted it was a wave.

Three days had passed, three days in which Pru had hardly slept and couldn’t eat. Her gut was filled with a bubble of excitement that crowded her stomach. She spent most of her waking day, and a large part of the night, replaying each word they had exchanged and every second of their dance, recalling how her hand had sat inside his, the feel of his suit cloth beneath her chin and the weight of him as he moved against her. The more she tried to picture his face, the more detail she seemed to lose; she wished she had a photo. She chastised herself for any inadvertent misdemeanour: why hadn’t she been keener to dance? Had he thought she was standoffish? Cool? The very idea made her laugh. She was a wreck.

‘Hellooooooo!’ Bobby’s voice filled the staircase and was followed by thumping footsteps as she and William arrived back from Oxford.

Pru was in the kitchen. ‘Hello, loves!’ She turned her cheek for easy access and accepted the kiss that her niece offered. ‘Have you had a lovely time?’

‘Really lovely. It’s been wonderful! And wasn’t the cake
incredible
, but please don’t tell Mills I said that.’

‘The cake? Oh, I don’t even know if she knew you were having one.’ Pru shrugged.

‘I’m still on cloud nine. Wasn’t the party great?’

Pru nodded. Oh yes, it had been great. ‘It really was, I sent your mum some flowers, Billy-boy. I hope she got them?’

‘Yes, she did. They were beautiful and she’s dropping you a line to say thanks.’

‘Oh, she doesn’t need to do that. In fact I should be writing to her: I promised I’d send her some of Guy’s drawings and ideas for the
big
cake design. We can become pen pals!’ Pru laughed. She was still ridiculously giddy for no apparent reason.

‘We have been busy, you know, Aunty Pru, not just lounging in the garden and drinking Pimm’s – although a lot of that, admittedly. But guess what?’

‘What?’ Pru asked, turning to face them, trying to show some interest.

‘We’ve booked our honeymoon!’ Bobby clapped as she jumped up and down, zigzagging across the kitchen until she ended up bashing into William, who caught her and held her still. He shook his head in an adoring but exasperated fashion.

‘Ooh, lovely! Where are you going?’

‘Well, the brother of William’s friend Piers has a villa in Ibiza.’

‘Very trendy!’ Pru said, having never been to Ibiza herself, though she had heard it mentioned on the TV and in magazines.

Bobby twisted her mouth and bit the inside of her cheek. ‘No. Not very trendy. We are not going to the touristy bit. This villa is on the quiet side of the island. We’ve hired it for three weeks and it’s got a private pool! I’m so excited!’ She clapped again, but was unable to bounce as William had her anchored in his arms.

When he was content she wasn’t about to bound off again, he released her and stepped back, leaning on the doorframe, filling the gap. He folded his arms across his broad chest and watched as Pru made a cup of tea. ‘You look very well, Pru. If you don’t mind me saying.’

‘No, I don’t mind at all! Thank you, love. I feel it.’

‘Is there any reason for that, anything you want to share with us?’ He smirked and pursed his lips.

‘William! I said we were not to mention it!’ Bobby thumped his chest feebly with her fist.

‘I can’t help it!’ He caught her wrist and laughed as she doubled over.

Pru placed the teaspoon on the granite counter top and turned her attention to the two giggling lumps in front of her. ‘All right, let’s have it!’ She put her hands on her hips.

Bobby’s eyes were twinkling with excitement. ‘I’m sorry, Pru, it’s just that Isabel said she saw you and Christopher chatting down by the lake on Sunday for hours and someone told her that you’d been smooching – that’s their word, not mine! And you did seem to be getting on very well.’ Bobby paused to allow Pru to comment. She declined and so Bobby tried again. ‘Then, apparently, he called her on Monday to say that you’d spent the most delightful time together. That was the word he used, “delightful”!’

‘Delightful!’ William echoed.

‘Did he now?’ Pru tried to look stern but was beyond happy that he had called Isabel and shared this. She felt like she wanted to dance! ‘Well, be sure to let me know if there is any other gossip floating around that you think I should be aware of.’ She collected her mug and the newspaper from the work surface and tried to squeeze past.

‘So, are you going to see him again? Come on, you can’t leave it there! We need to know the details.’ Bobby was inches from her aunt’s face.

‘Do you now? The truth is, I don’t know if or when I’m seeing him again, and even if I did, I would hardly share that information with you two, just so you can laugh at us.’