Second Thyme Around (20 page)
William fortunately was brilliant with them. He not only carried the television over, but managed to connect its aerial to Kitty’s, so the picture was good.
‘What will you do without a telly?’ he asked her, as they walked back together, so Perdita could pay him for the overtime. He knew she quite often did her pricking out in the sitting room, in front of the afternoon chat shows, spilling compost onto the oriental rug.
‘Oh, I’ll manage. I’ll just prick out in the shed, like a grown-up, and listen to the radio.’
‘I’m seeing Janey tonight.’
‘Are you?’ Since Kitty’s stroke, Perdita had almost forgotten about setting up Janey and William. ‘I haven’t seen much of her lately. Tell her when Kitty’s settled that we must go out for a drink, or something.’
‘I will. She’s been asking after you. So’s her boss,’ he added, sounding wary.
‘Has he? I expect he wants to find out about Kitty. She told me he hadn’t visited her lately. I wonder why not.’
‘Been busy, he says.’
‘Oh.’ Perdita found an emergency ten-pound note in a teapot, and gave it to William. ‘Thank you so much for sorting the telly.’
‘Tell you what, we’ve got an old portable I got at a car boot. I’ll fix that up for you. It’s not brilliant, but it’s better than nothing.’
Nurse Stritch was peering into the fridge when Perdita rejoined her, determined to make an effort to be pleasant.
‘Shall I cook us something nice for supper?’ Perdita said, wondering why she’d said ‘nice’, when ‘edible’ was almost beyond her.
‘I don’t know what you’ll find to cook with,’ said Nurse Stritch. ‘This refrigerator is full of all sorts of things which need throwing out. Did you make them?’
Her accusing tone made Perdita deny all knowledge. ‘Oh no. Kitty – Mrs Anson – has a friend who’s a local chef. He’s been bringing her things from the restaurant to eat in hospital. He must ’ve brought anything left back here.’ Oh dear, if Lucas hadn’t seen Kitty lately the leftovers would be rather old.
‘None of this is remotely suitable for an invalid, all highly indigestible.’
‘But she’s been getting on very well. At the hospital they said, “A little of what you fancy does you good.”’ Kitty had been maddened by the cliche, but had enjoyed the food.
‘Good ingredients, simply cooked is what invalids require.’
‘Oh well, I’m sure the chef would agree with you about the ingredients.’ She hesitated. ‘What about some scrambled eggs on toast?’
‘That would be adequate, but I would prefer to make it myself. Apart from anything else, there’s nowhere for me to sit.’
Perdita could have made some fairly graphic suggestions
but, in the interests of concord, didn’t make them out loud. Instead, she cleared one end of the kitchen table and got out a bottle of wine. Nurse Stritch was bound to disapprove of the wine, but Perdita felt she couldn’t go another second without alcohol. It was wine or whisky, and from Nurse Stritch’s point of view, wine had to be better.
but, in the interests of concord, didn’t make them out loud. Instead, she cleared one end of the kitchen table and got out a bottle of wine. Nurse Stritch was bound to disapprove of the wine, but Perdita felt she couldn’t go another second without alcohol. It was wine or whisky, and from Nurse Stritch’s point of view, wine had to be better.
While Perdita was washing up, and Nurse Stritch was glancing through a copy of the
Lady
(probably looking for a better job, thought Perdita), Perdita said, ‘Would you like me to stay with you tonight? Or are you happy about being alone in the house?’
Lady
(probably looking for a better job, thought Perdita), Perdita said, ‘Would you like me to stay with you tonight? Or are you happy about being alone in the house?’
Happy was, in this case, a relative term. Nurse Stritch looked appalled. ‘Leave me alone in the house? I’m afraid that’s quite out of the question. There’s no alarm system, or even a guard dog. I couldn’t possibly stay here by myself.’
‘I’m glad I asked then.’ Perdita had been longing to go home and relax. ‘It’ll be no trouble for me to stay.’
‘Thank you.’
For a second, Perdita spotted a little vulnerability in Nurse Stritch. It heartened her. Perhaps there was a human being in there somewhere.
Kitty’s arrival home lacked a fanfare and bunting, but it had all the other trappings of a state visit. To begin with, much to everyone’s disapproval, she insisted on being carried round the upper garden on a stretcher, the wheelchair not being up to it.
Fortunately, Perdita had removed some of the weeds which had appeared with the spring sunshine, and once Kitty’d caught up with everything accessible in the garden, she consented to be brought inside.
‘These young men can’t go on carrying me about on my litter for ever. Give them something, darling, do.’
‘Not necessary,’ said their leader, as Perdita, much embarrassed, tried to press on them the ten-pound note
she knew Kitty meant as ‘something’. ‘She’s a lovely old duck.’
she knew Kitty meant as ‘something’. ‘She’s a lovely old duck.’
Kitty was appalled at the sight of her drawing room, although the builders had made a very attractive arch round the door to the new bathroom, and Perdita had arranged the mantelpiece with Kitty’s favourite bits of china.
‘It’s not that it’s unattractive, dear,’ she said, almost apologetically, ‘but it’s just not mine.’
‘I think you should be getting into bed now, Mrs Anson,’ said Nurse Stritch. ‘If you get overtired, you won’t be up to your physiotherapy later.’
‘I’m going to put the kettle on. I’m sure we could all do with a cuppa,’ said Perdita, wanting to be well clear of any flak which might start to fly.
‘Very well.’ Kitty sounded tired. ‘It will be a pleasure to have a proper cup of tea out of a proper china cup, I must say.’
While Perdita was making the tea, Roger arrived. She let him in through the back door.
‘Hi, just come to say hello to Aunt Kitty. It’s so wonderful that you’ve managed to get her home. I never thought she’d leave that hospital alive.’ He smiled sympathetically.
Perdita, who had been feeling quite cheerful, suddenly found herself depressed. It was the anticlimax, she decided. ‘Well, she’s very much alive. Go and say hello before the scary nurse puts her to bed.’
Roger seemed to get on very well with Nurse Stritch. Unlike Perdita, he seemed able to make her smile. He even coaxed her to eat a biscuit. Perdita wouldn’t have bothered.
When Perdita went back in later with more hot water for the teapot, Kitty said, ‘Perdita, my love, Roger’s just been telling us that the hotel where he’s been staying have asked him to leave.’
Perdita looked at him with new interest. Had he been thrown out for rowdy behaviour?
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘They’ve got a big wedding coming up which they told me about, and as I didn’t expect to be here this long, I said it was fine. Now I’ve got to find somewhere else.’
Disappointing, thought Perdita. ‘But there are lots of good little hotels in town. I’m sure it wouldn’t be difficult to find somewhere comfortable.’
‘I’ve asked Roger if he’d like to stay here,’ said Kitty, ‘if that’s all right with you, darling?’
Kitty looked small and old, and Perdita’s heart lurched, saddened by Kitty feeling obliged to ask permission to have people to stay.
‘Of course he can stay, if you want him to,’ she said brightly. ‘He could have the room I’ve been sleeping in. Then I can go home, and Nurse Stritch will have company.’
Nurse Stritch, who had been looking quite cheerful, shook her head. ‘I can’t possibly look after house guests. My duties are clearly laid down.’
‘But you wouldn’t have to look after me,’ said Roger. ‘I’ll just make myself at home and look after myself. I’ll soon find out where everything is.’
Perdita suddenly felt uncomfortable, and Kitty’s expression became anguished. ‘I can’t have you to stay if you’re not properly looked after,’ Kitty said. ‘Who’d give you your breakfast?’
Perdita smiled. ‘Don’t worry, Kitty. I’ll make up another room, and I’ll give him breakfast. I don’t do other meals,’ she said, turning her gaze to Roger. ‘But I can put a packet of cereal on the table.’
Why do I feel strange about him? she asked herself. He’s perfectly nice and pleasant, Kitty obviously likes him. Why aren’t I thrilled that he’s turned up to cheer Kitty’s last years?
‘Well, I for one will be very pleased to have a man about the place,’ said Nurse Stritch.
‘Yes,’ said Perdita, sweetly. ‘They are handy for changing the high light bulbs, aren’t they?’
‘To think I was feeling lonely,’ she said to herself, sorting through her drawer for knickers. ‘I thought it was time-consuming having Kitty in hospital. I’m obviously going to be a lot busier now.’
She looked out of the window at the little patch of garden which bordered the poly-tunnels. Suddenly, the sight of some crocus foliage reminded her of something. ‘I never planted the crosnes thingy that Lucas gave me. It said I had to in March.’
Pleased to be doing something horticultural which didn’t involve sorting out, or throwing away, or generally saying goodbye to a way of life, Perdita ran downstairs, picking up her book on how to grow oriental vegetables on the way.
‘Now, crosnes. Rich soil, plenty of water, gross feeders. Where did I put you?’ She found the pot with the tuber in it and carefully unburied it. It seemed perfect. It hadn’t rotted, it still looked like a very fat brown caterpillar. Feeling this was a good omen, she spent a happy ten minutes planting it, referring to her book and muttering endearments.
When she got back to Kitty’s house, Nurse Stritch looked pointedly at Perdita’s fingernails. Perdita went to the new bathroom to scrub them, before she could be told to.
Roger fitted surprisingly easily into the household. Once Perdita had tracked down the low-sugar muesli he liked for breakfast, arranged to have a pint of skimmed milk delivered every couple of days, she found him no trouble. He was out most of the day, wiped his feet when he came in, was tidy in the bathroom, and never left the seat up in the loo. Nurse Stritch thought he was perfect, mostly because of the loo seat.
Nurse Stritch, although less easy as a member of the household than Roger, was excellent at her job. She was gentle but firm with Kitty, making sure she did her physiotherapy every day, and by the end of the week, when Nurse Stritch was due to leave Kitty to a lesser mortal, Kitty had improved a lot. In a strange way, Perdita was quite sorry to see her leave.
‘She wasn’t exactly entertaining,’ said Kitty, while Nurse Stritch was giving Eileen, her South African replacement, a handover session, ‘but she was a natural at nursing, and you have to respect that.’
‘Yes, and we’ll miss the physio, although she has shown me what you should be doing, so I’ll be able to bully you now.’
Kitty sighed. Perdita had meant it as a joke, and Kitty knew that, but she had not yet settled into her role as patient.
‘Where’s Lucas?’ she said, changing the subject. ‘I haven’t seen him for ages. Roger very sweetly plays backgammon with me, but of course he has to go off and do his surveying, or whatever it is he does—’
‘And you miss having a man to flirt with?’
‘Not at all, Roger’s far too respectful to flirt.’
‘Well, I don’t know what’s happened to Lucas. I haven’t seen him either. He’s sent messages, but I gather he’s away. William isn’t very communicative, and he only gets his information from Janey, so I’m not really sure. But I do think he’d have called round or telephoned if he was here.’
‘Oh. Perhaps he’s sorting out that television programme business. He did say something about it.’
Perdita shrugged. ‘You know more about it than I do, then. And I’m supposed to be in it!’
‘I know, it’s so exciting. By the way, darling, did Roger mention to you that he’s got to go away for a few days?’
‘Yes he did. You’ve enjoyed having him around, haven’t you?’
‘I have, rather. And with him here to fuss over me, you do get a bit more time to yourself.’
Perdita was about to protest when Nurse Stritch came in with Eileen to say goodbye. Kitty thanked her warmly and sincerely, but the two women kept up their formality, even after a week of living together.
Eileen promised to be much more fun. Although only just twenty, she had nursed a dear and sick aunt through a terminal illness, and had a maturity which offset her youth. She was also reluctant to sleep in the house with only a bedridden old lady for protection, so Perdita decided to cut her losses and went home and fetched her house plants.
‘So, do you like her?’ Perdita asked Kitty while they had a pre-prandial drink together. Eileen was cooking chicken supreme from a packet. It was a relief to be free of Nurse Stritch’s strictures about natural ingredients and Roger’s obsession with his weight. Both Kitty and Perdita missed the occasional shot of E numbers.
‘Well, she’s a child. But she took me to the lav and was perfectly competent. Pretty little thing. Nurse Stritch was a wonderful nurse, no doubt about it, but she did make one feel the grim reaper had his good points.’
The doctor came to make sure Kitty had settled in well at home.
‘I’ve been here a week, dear boy,’ said Kitty. ‘A bit late to come now.’
‘Ah, but I knew you had terrifying Nurse Stritch looking after you. Nothing untoward could happen if she was in charge.’
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