Dubious Legacy (18 page)

Antonia said, ‘How I agree. I could have murdered Barbara just now and she’s my best friend. She soaks for absolute hours.’

Henry said, ‘So do I.’

Antonia said, ‘With blood caking my face, feathers jarring against my teeth, I thought I’d go mad.’

Henry said, ‘I am sick of that subject. Sit down.’

Antonia gaped at his lack of feeling, but sat obediently on the chair. She had not seen a man in a bath before and was at a loss as to how to behave. She said, ‘Why didn’t you bash your wife for killing it?’

Henry said, ‘I try not to do what she wants me to do. To have hit her would have made her evening.’

Antonia said, ‘How convoluted,’ and tried not to look at Henry’s penis swaying up like a periscope in the warm water. Modestly she drew the bedspread tighter round her shoulders.

Henry said, ‘Shan’t be long now, but as you are here, will you turn on the hot tap?’

Antonia complied.

Henry whooshed the water round, then, holding his nose, ducked under until he was completely submerged. When he did this Humble and Cringe stood up and looked anxiously into the bath. As Henry came up, Antonia said, ‘They were afraid you would drown.’

Henry said, ‘Pass me my towel,’ and, getting out of the bath, said, ‘It’s all yours.’ He pulled the plug, wrapped the towel round his waist and left the room, followed by the dogs.

When the water had gurgled away Antonia replaced the plug and turned on the taps, bending over the bath to stir hot water in with cold; she felt her head swim. She realized that she was intoxicated, had been so for some time, and that in that state she had insulted her lover publicly.

M
ATTHEW AND JAMES MET
in the kitchen. The door and windows were open to the yard; they heard Pilar’s voice and the clucking of hens.

James said, ‘D’you suppose we are to find our own breakfast?’ He sniffed doubtfully towards the stove. ‘Aha! Coffee,’ he said, relieved, ‘and hot milk.’ He lifted the coffee pot. ‘For you?’ he offered.

‘Black,’ said Matthew. ‘No sugar.’

‘Like that. I see,’ said James, ‘didn’t overdo it. I’m pretty perky. I wonder where our girls are? Still asleep, no doubt.’ He answered his own question. ‘The girls, I said, my Barbara and your Antonia.’

Matthew grunted and, picking up a cup, held it while James poured coffee.

Had it been imagination or had the girls behaved a bit oddly with Henry last night? There goes my fertile imagination, James told himself; I must not let it rip. Henry was host; they were obliged to play up to him. ‘Your hands are shaking,’ he said to Matthew.

Matthew said, ‘Belt up,’ and sat at the table holding his cup with both hands. ‘God, I needed that,’ he said. ‘Shouldn’t have had that night-cap.’

‘You should drink a glass of water and swallow two aspirin last thing after a party,’ advised James. ‘I do.’

Matthew made no reply.

‘Good morning. Lovely day.’ Pilar bustled in from the yard. ‘Fresh,’ she said, holding up a colander full of eggs. ‘Still warm from the hen. Who would like omelette or eggs and bacon, our own pig?’

Flinching, Matthew said, ‘No thanks.’

James said, ‘Super! Eggs and bacon, splendid.’ He sat at the table.

Matthew said, ‘Dry toast,’ adding, ‘please.’

Pilar pursed her lips and replenished Matthew’s cup, murmuring, ‘Aspirin,’ as she placed a tactful bottle to hand. ‘Take two now, two later,’ she said gently.

With his back to the light Matthew muttered, ‘Thanks.’

Pilar urged: ‘Go on, swallow.’

‘What I need is Fernet Branca,’ said Matthew, but catching Pilar’s eye popped the pills in his mouth.

Pilar said, ‘Well done,’ and set to work on James’s breakfast.

At the first hint of bacon fat Matthew took his cup and moved to the open door.

‘In a moment, dry toast,’ Pilar called after him.

Watching Pilar turn the bacon in the pan and break in eggs, James thought, Valerie taught me the aspirin trick. Full of handy tips, that girl. One would not want Barbara to be so experienced. One would wish to be the one to inform Barbara; a wife should learn from her husband. He cast his mind back, trying to remember how Valerie had got on with Henry.

Pilar said, ‘Lovely day for a swim or a ride.’ She flipped the bacon rashers over. ‘Or a long walk,’ she suggested, ‘if you cannot ride?’

‘Of course I can ride,’ said James huffily. This is like riding, Valerie had said, and the other way up, she had said, Ride me, ride me. Oh Lord, how would it be with Barbara? ‘Oh, thanks,’ he said as Pilar dished up the bacon and eggs. ‘Delicious.’

Matthew turned his back and accustomed his eyes to the sunlight.

‘Hullo, hullo, hullo.’ Antonia came rushing into the kitchen, followed by Barbara. ‘Good morning, everybody. What a gorgeous day! Oh, lovely smell of coffee. Any for us?’

Barbara bent to kiss James’s cheek which bulged with bacon. ‘Morning, greedy.’

Antonia sidled up to Matthew, putting her arm around his neck. ‘Oh, Matthew, darling, I was terrible to you last night. Will you forgive me? Say you will. I haven’t slept a wink, tossing all night in an agony of self-reproach and remorse.’

‘You look very well on it.’ Matthew drew away.

‘Darling, please, darling.’ Antonia swayed closer.

‘You were overwrought,’ said Matthew, responding to her soft pressure.

‘I was,’ Antonia admitted. ‘I was indeed.’

James, with his mouth full of egg, said, ‘Jolly plucky, the way you leapt on the table and tackled that—’

‘That’s enough,’ Pilar broke in. ‘Today is today and beautiful.’

‘Quite right, Pilar. I would like to spend all day alone with you,’ Antonia whispered in Matthew’s ear and nuzzled his neck. ‘Darling.’

Matthew felt a rush of pleasurable emotion. His eyes filled and he heard himself exclaim, ‘I believe I could manage some breakfast after all, Pilar. Perhaps a little crisp bacon with tomato?’

Pilar repeated, ‘Tomato, crisp bacon with dry toast.’

With her fiancé’s arm round her waist, Antonia thought, Phew! That’s over, and with her father in mind renewed her resolution regarding alcohol and cross words.

Barbara had not spoken during this exchange, but put bread in the toaster, helped herself to coffee and ranged butter and marmalade by her plate. She now announced: ‘The first thing I must do this morning is visit Margaret. She must be feeling dreadful, poor woman, after last night.’ She enjoyed the surprised silence she caused, a silence broken only by the clatter of toast leaping in the toaster.

James said, ‘What magnanimity! Gosh!’

‘No gosh about it. Common manners.’ Barbara spread butter and marmalade while James stared at her, thinking, Valerie would never in a thousand years have thought of this. Valerie—

‘And speaking of manners,’ said Barbara, biting her toast, ‘you haven’t even said good morning, James, sitting there stuffing bacon and eggs.’ She laughed, aware that on the snakes and ladders of courtship she had moved up one.

‘I suppose you wouldn’t like to take a picnic to the lake and swim,’ suggested James, ‘after visiting Margaret? Just us. Walking hand in hand?’ He watched her reaction. ‘Spend the day?’ he said. ‘Together?’

‘Love to, but first we must go up there.’ Barbara pointed in the direction of the ceiling.

James said, ‘Very well,’ and, leaning across the table, kissed her. ‘Good morning, Barbara.’ Barbara looked pleased. She had walked with Henry holding her hand last night and it had been strangely agreeable, yet earlier, sitting with Hector and Calypso, he had been as cruel as his wife made out; James would not be cruel. Inept, yes, but not cruel. Nor would he indulge in call-girls.

Matthew said, ‘If it’s OK by you, Pilar, Antonia and I will picnic. Or we could get lunch in the pub if you’d like that?’ Antonia nodded. ‘We can sit on one side of the lake while you sit on the other,’ he said to James. ‘But what about Henry? Shouldn’t we—’

‘’E is working on the hay with Trask. ’E said, you amuse yourselves.’ Pilar grilled bacon for Matthew’s toast.

‘And Ebro?’ Matthew asked. If James had not absorbed Barbara’s hint about manners, he would show that he was not lacking. ‘How is Ebro?’

‘’E cleared up last night’s mess and went back to London. ’E has work.’ Pilar, amused, let her eyes travel from Matthew to James. ‘I was thinking,’ she said, ‘with this good start you all have as happy marriage as Hector and Calypso. Your breakfast.’ She put Matthew’s plate in front of him.

‘But Calypso only married Hector because he’s rich,’ Antonia and Barbara chorused. ‘She was not in love with Hector, Pilar.’

‘That’s what she says.’ Pilar showed her horsey teeth. ‘Is joke.’

‘He loves her, that’s possible, she did after all give him a son. But she? Oh
no,
Pilar, it was for money, definitely.’

‘Is good marriage,’ said Pilar tartly. ‘See if you can do as well.’

‘She is foreign, of course,’ said James as he climbed the stairs with Barbara. ‘Foreigners have peculiar standards.’

Barbara said, ‘Hum. Yes, I dare say.’

Left with Matthew, Antonia said, ‘All the same, there is something about the Grants that is enviable. Apart from their money, I mean.’

Irritated, for his stomach was still unsettled, Matthew said, ‘One might as well envy that pair of queens who were here last night.’

Antonia grinned. ‘They seemed happy, though.’ Tamping down a smidgin of doubt, faint residue of last night’s rage, she said, ‘Come on, eat up, Matthew. Let’s get cracking and have a wonderful day.’

‘Shall we get it over, then?’ James caught Barbara’s eye as they stood, hesitating, at the top of the stairs.

Barbara, taking a deep breath, said, ‘Yes,’ and nerving herself tapped on Margaret’s door, then without pausing for an answer walked in. She would show James that she was strong, not to be trifled with, that she was not in the same league as Valerie, if indeed Valerie existed. She would show James that she was no nincompoop who believed tall stories invented by a dangerous lunatic who danced on tables, strangled cockatoos and ripped up Dior dresses.

‘We have come to see how you are,’ she said, advancing into the room, ‘after the party. Not too tired, we hope?’ she said, trying to keep her voice sympathetic and non-belligerent.

My word, thought James, she’s plucky, she has a splendid nerve. Bully for her, that’s my girl.

‘Oh, do come in,’ said Margaret. ‘How nice to see you,’ she said sweetly. ‘Wasn’t it a splendid party? I did enjoy it. Isn’t Henry wonderful to plan a surprise like that? He is so good to me, so kind.’ She lay against her pillows and smiled at her visitors. ‘It’s lovely to see you, do sit down, my dears. How are the other two?’

‘Gone out,’ said James and sat quickly on a small gold chair to enjoy the spectacle of Barbara coping with this volte-face.

Barbara, fearing for the small chair, positioned herself on the sofa and drew a deep breath.

‘They are so in love, those two,’ said Margaret. ‘As you must be.’ She smiled at Barbara and then at James. ‘It is good of you to come and see me, I
am
pleased.’ Margaret watched them. She looked rather younger than last night and more beautiful. Her hair lay loose on her shoulders, her eyes sparkled like silver in her pale face, her mouth this morning wore no lipstick. ‘It’s a joy to watch young people in love,’ she said. ‘Rewarding.’ She savoured the word and repeated it. ‘Rewarding.’

James crossed his legs and cleared his throat. Barbara said, ‘We—’

‘I have been thinking,’ Margaret said, ‘in the night. I am not a good sleeper, you know. How nice it would be if you all came more often. It would be wonderful for me, and company for Henry. He gets lonely. Not that he complains, oh no, but with me always in bed, and he works so hard on his wretched farm, he needs people of his own sort, not just Spanish servants and poor old Trask—’

James cleared his throat. ‘Didn’t Trask work for Henry’s father?’

‘If you call it work, yes. Some people say, or shall I say, it has been said? There’s a subtle difference. I believe that Trask is really Henry’s uncle. You know how those old country families get mixed up with their tenants. Tenanting is the word, I think.’

‘I think that’s rubbish,’ said Barbara from the sofa. ‘They aren’t in the least alike.’

Margaret said, ‘No, of course they are not. Silly me. I just love a bit of embroidery. What a nice literal girl you are. I got a rise, though, didn’t I?’ And she winked at James.

James uncrossed his legs.

‘What it amounts to,’ said Margaret, ‘is that Trask should be pensioned off, but Henry won’t hear of it, he’s too soft. The man’s got his old age pension, but no, Henry won’t. He can’t afford a proper man, he spends so much on me, the house is shamefully shabby, and last night was pathetic or should I say bathetic; he wore his grandfather’s clothes because he can’t or won’t afford new ones. Then he gives that party! So generous. So kind! His generosity is boundless. How can I repay him?’

Barbara opened her mouth.

James said, ‘I—’

‘I do try to economize,’ said Margaret. ‘I only have my face done once a month, and that’s for Henry’s sake. I tell him he should let part of the house or take paying guests, but he won’t hear of that. He insists he will only have his friends. I tell him other people make their friends pay, but he won’t listen. Good Lord,’ Margaret went on, ‘if all his friends who bring their girls for weekends paid their whack—and it’s not always the same girls—are you uncomfortable, James?’ she asked, for James had risen.

‘Afraid my weight would break the chair,’ said James urbanely. ‘My mother used to scream at me if I sat on unsubstantial but precious chairs. I was about to move to the sofa and put my arm round the girl I bring down for weekends.’ And he suited the action to the word, encircling Barbara with his arm. ‘Actually,’ he said, ‘we mustn’t tire you; we only popped in for a minute. We are going to picnic by the lake and swim, if it’s warm enough.’

‘Then I mustn’t keep you. Have a good time.’ Margaret seemed to lose interest.

‘I couldn’t get a word in edgeways,’ said Barbara as they walked downstairs.

‘One would think,’ said James, as they set off across the fields to the lake, ‘that nothing out of the ordinary took place last night.’