Sweet Surrender (3 page)

The windows of Friars Wood, the home of four generations of Dysarts, gleamed in welcome in the pale February sunlight when Kate parked under the chestnut tree at the end of the terrace. The garden was in transition time, waking up from winter to spring, with cushions of snowdrops, clumps of daffodils about to burst into bloom, mauve heather flanked by creamy yellow primroses and purple crocus, and Kate went slowly up the steps, viewing it all with her usual sense of home-coming. Then her eyes lit up as the door to Friars Wood flew open and revealed her tall brother, grinning broadly as he held up the small bundle in his arms.

‘You’re late, Auntie. Wake up, Son,’ Adam instructed his baby. ‘Time to meet your godmother.’ He swept Kate into a hug with his free arm, and gave her a kiss. ‘Hi, half-pint. Want to hold him?’

‘Of course I want to hold him!’ She dumped down her holdall and held out her arms for her tiny godson. ‘Hello, little nephew,’ she said softly, smiling down into unfocused blue eyes. ‘Oh, thank
goodness
; you take after your mother.’

‘He does not,’ said Adam indignantly. ‘He looks like me.’

Kate eyed his black curly hair and dark eyes in amusement. ‘Apart from blue eyes and a wisp of hair as fair as Gabriel’s, he’s the spitting image,’ she mocked, then turned with a smile as her mother came hurrying along the hall from the kitchen.

‘Darling,’ said Frances, arms outstretched. ‘I didn’t hear the bell.’

‘It didn’t ring; I was watching from the window,’ said Adam, relieving Kate of his son.

Kate hugged her mother, then grinned as Gabriel Dysart dashed in through the front door. ‘Hi, how are you Mumsy?’

‘Very pleased with myself,’ said Adam’s wife, hugging her in turn, and waved a hand at her son. ‘Just look at him, Kate. Wasn’t I clever?’

‘You couldn’t have done it without me,’ Adam reminded her.

‘True,’ said Gabriel, laughing, ‘But I did the lion’s share.’

Kate went into the kitchen with the others, to be given tea and cake and all the latest news of the family. Shortly afterwards her father came in from walking the dog, and Adam fended off the excited retriever while Tom Dysart held his daughter close and demanded all the latest news from Foychurch. Kate sat patting Pan’s golden head while she regaled the family with the events of the night before, then sent Adam out to her car to fetch the flowers and explained that her pupil’s uncle had given them to her by way of thanks.

‘Goodness, how extravagant,’ said Frances Dysart when she saw them. ‘Enough to make two arrangements for tomorrow, Kate. I’ve done the church, but I hadn’t got round to the house yet. You don’t mind if we use them, darling?’

‘Of course not. That’s why I brought them home.’

‘I hear you refused Alasdair’s invitation to dinner, by the way,’ accused Adam.

Kate wrinkled her nose at him. ‘I had other commitments.’

Her brother eyed her warily. ‘You know I’ve invited him to the christening on Sunday?’

‘Yes. Though I can’t imagine why.’

Adam shrugged. ‘When he put some of his grandmother’s furniture into auction at Dysart’s he stood me lunch at the Chesterton. I asked him if he’d like to come, and he accepted like a shot. I thought you’d be pleased.’

‘He means well,’ said Gabriel indulgently, smiling over her son’s head.

Kate nodded, resigned. ‘I know. And that’s quite enough about Alasdair Drummond. Give me the important news. Who else is coming?’

‘Leo and Jonah, of course,’ said Frances, ‘but without the children for once. Jonah’s parents are taking them to Paris to Disneyland this weekend.’

‘Greater love hath no grandparents,’ said Tom piously.

‘How about Jess?’

‘Not this time,’ said Frances, filling teacups. She smiled at Kate. ‘She confirmed last night that she’s pregnant again.’

‘And Lorenzo’s keeping her wrapped in cotton wool!’ Kate grinned, looked at the downy head cradled close to Gabriel’s breast, intercepted the tender look Adam gave his wife and felt a fleeting pang of envy. But dismissed it. The increasing number of her siblings’ progeny was quite high enough without adding to it herself.

‘How about Fenny?’ she asked. ‘Is she going to make it?’

‘Someone’s driving her down this evening, apparently,’ said Tom, shaking his head. ‘She won’t take her car to college.’

‘Because there’s always some clown on hand ready to ferry her wherever she wants to go,’ said Adam, grinning.

‘More than one,’ said Gabriel. ‘And she doesn’t care a fig for any of them. Just good friends, she says.’

‘At her age,’ Frances said thankfully, “‘just good friends” sounds very comforting to me.’

Soon afterwards Adam and Gabriel took their son off to the Stables for his bath and supper, promising to return with him later for dinner.

‘Though whether Fenny will be home in time to share it is uncertain,’ said Frances, chuckling. ‘But she’ll ring at some stage. Fen tries not to worry me too much.’

‘Your ewe lamb,’ teased Tom.

‘Come over with us, Kate,’ said Adam. ‘I’ll show you the jug I found for you.’

She looked at her mother. ‘Unless there’s anything I can do to help?’

‘No, darling. It’s a very simple meal tonight.’

Adam took charge of the buggy as the three of them walked briskly to hurry the baby into the warmth of the stable block which had been Adam’s private quarters since his eighteenth birthday.

‘I’ll look on while you do the hard part,’ Kate told Gabriel. ‘Or is Daddy going to do bathtime?’

‘We share the process unless I’m late home,’ said Adam as they went upstairs. ‘Actually, I wanted a word on the quiet, Kate,’ he added, cuddling his son while Gabriel filled the baby bath. ‘I take it you weren’t too pleased to see Alasdair?’

‘Not at first.’ She wagged a finger at him. ‘Nor with you, either. You might have warned me! After all this time it was a bit of a shock to find him waiting for me outside school, of all places.’

‘He wanted to surprise you.’

‘I’ve never met this Alasdair, of course,’ said Gabriel,
undressing her squirming baby, ‘but I gather he’s done well for himself.’

‘Unlike me, he’s done what everyone expected of him. And now he’s here to run the UK operation of the pharmaceutical giant who head-hunted him from Cambridge,’ said Kate. ‘Gosh, the baby does wriggle, doesn’t he?’

‘Terrified me the first time,’ agreed Adam, and hooked his hands under his kicking son’s armpits while Gabriel did the sponging—a process Hal objected to at the top of his voice.

‘Pass him over quickly,’ begged Gabriel, and hastily wrapped her son in a warm towel to cuddle him. ‘Dash down and get his bottle, darling, please.’

‘You’re not feeding him yourself, then?’ said Kate, mopping up splashes.

‘No. Not that I’m sorry. This way we can share the night-time feeds. At least that’s the theory,’ added Gabriel, chuckling. ‘But I wake up anyway.’

‘I bet Adam doesn’t when it’s your turn!’ Kate watched while her nephew was fastened into a stretchy sleepsuit. ‘Do you enjoy motherhood, Gabriel?’

Her sister-in-law turned with a smile, cradling her restless son against her shoulder. ‘Just between you and me, Kate, I hadn’t thought to go in for it quite yet, but now he’s here I wouldn’t give him back.’

‘Neither would I,’ said Adam, as he joined them. ‘We never get enough sleep any more, but this, we’re assured, will improve with time.’ He kissed his wife as he handed over the bottle of formula. ‘We’ll leave you to it, sweetheart.’

When Adam unwrapped the silver-mounted crystal jug he’d found on his travels Kate stroked it with pleasure.

‘Perfect. But how much would you have got at auction for a beauty like this?’

‘Irrelevant. You can have it for the money I gave for it,’ he assured her. ‘But look, if you can’t afford it—’

‘I most definitely can. I’ve been saving up ever since Gabriel told me she was pregnant.’ Kate smiled. ‘I rather took it for granted you’d ask me to be godmother.’

‘You knew I would,’ he said gruffly, and gave her a searching look. ‘Now we’re on our own, is everything all right with you, Kate?’

‘Always the same old question,’ she said, resigned. ‘And it’s always the same old answer, Adam. Contrary to
some
people’s belief, I like my life and I love my job.’

“‘Some people” meaning Alasdair?’

‘Who else? Due to my famed qualifications he thinks I’m mad to teach at a village school.’ Kate shot him a look. ‘Do you still agree with him?’

‘Of course not. Like everyone else, I was a bit surprised at first, but it’s very obviously what you want to do, so I’m happy for you.’

‘You don’t mind that I’m never likely to win the Nobel prize, then?’

‘No way.’ Adam smiled crookedly. ‘In fact, I’d rather you met some guy who’ll make you as happy as I am with Gabriel.’

‘Don’t hold your breath,’ Kate warned him, laughing. ‘If I do feel the need for a male presence in my life one day I’ll get a dog like Pan.’

Adam chuckled. ‘Tell me when and I’ll buy you one.’ He eyed her curiously. ‘Now he’s back in this country, will you be seeing Alasdair more often?’

Kate shook her head. ‘I doubt it. I live in deepest Herefordshire, and Alasdair intends living in the
Gloucester house his grandmother left him. It’s not exactly next door.’

‘Near enough for him to come calling round twice in two days,’ he reminded her.

Kate’s mouth compressed. ‘I’ll make sure he doesn’t make a habit of it.’

‘Is there someone else, then?’

She shrugged impatiently. ‘You know perfectly well I see Toby Anderson and Phil Dent when I’m home.’

Adam rolled his eyes. ‘The accountant and the sports master. Wild passionate affairs both, of course.’

‘How do you know what they’re like?’ said Kate indignantly.

‘Because you go out with both of them. I can’t see you leaping in and out of bed with two blokes, turn and turn about!’

Kate gave him a shove, laughing. ‘Not everyone wants wild, passionate affairs.’

‘How about marriage, then?’

‘One day, maybe,’ she said lightly. ‘At the moment I’m happy with my role of maiden aunt to the Dysart young.’

N
EXT
morning, Fenny knocked on Kate’s door and came in with two mugs of tea, then perched, yawning, on the end of the bed.

‘This is very good of you,’ said Kate, surprised. ‘Thanks, Fen.’

‘My pleasure. So how are things, schoolteacher?’ Fenny’s green eyes sparkled below a tangled mass of hair as dark as Kate’s. ‘Life in the sticks as scintillating as usual?’

‘A laugh a minute,’ agreed Kate, and sat up to drink her tea. ‘Who drove you home last night?’

‘Prue’s boyfriend. She came home for the weekend, too.’

‘But she lives in Marlborough.’

‘After he dropped her off he insisted on driving me all the way here, so who was I to refuse?’

‘You should have invited him in to supper.’

‘No way.’ Fenny grinned. ‘Time for that when it’s
my
boyfriend, not someone else’s.’

‘You’re incorrigible!’

‘But cute with it.’

‘Oh, yes,’ sighed Kate. ‘You’re cute, all right. But don’t push your luck, Fen.’

‘With blokes, you mean? Don’t worry. I’m quite sensible really.
And
I’m going to wear a skirt today.’

‘No! I suppose that means I have to as well, then.’

‘I bet you were anyway, Miss Sobersides.’

Kate gave her a sharp look. ‘Is that how you see me?’

‘Lately, yes,’ said Fenny candidly. ‘So for heaven’s sake let that gorgeous hair down today, Kate—literally, I mean—and wear something to knock the vicar’s eye out.’

‘Is that why you brought me the tea? So you could give me a pep talk about my looks?’

‘I brought the tea,’ said Fenny indignantly, ‘out of the goodness of my heart!’

Kate laughed. ‘Then thank you kindly.’

‘I wonder if Adam and Gabriel got any sleep last night? That baby has a powerful pair of lungs.’ Fenny slid off the bed and stretched. ‘I shall be back shortly with your breakfast.’

‘You will not! I’m getting up—’

‘Mother said you’re to stay where you are for a bit. Best place to be; it’s freezing outside. I hope you brought your thermals.’ Fenny paused in the doorway. ‘By the way, Gabriel and the grandmas are wearing hats—Leo, too.’

Kate groaned. ‘No one told me.’

‘Mother was discussing it downstairs with Dad just now. I think she has something in mind for you.’

‘Don’t tell me she’s
bought
me a hat?’

Fenny giggled. ‘If so you’ll just have to grin and wear it!’

But Frances Dysart, it transpired, had not gone shopping for a hat. She arrived a little later with a breakfast tray, and Fenny, eyes dancing, following behind with a large hat box.

‘The godmother really should wear a hat, Kate,’ said Frances the traditionalist, and laid the tray across her daughter’s knees. ‘I know you don’t have one, so I had a search on top of the cupboards in our dressing room. Open the box, Fenny.’

Rolling her eyes at Kate behind her mother’s back, Fenny removed several layers of silver paper from a striking hat in pale, dark-spotted fur.

‘Wow,’ said Kate faintly. ‘Please tell me that’s
fake
ocelot, Mother!’

‘Of course it is. Though the polite word is
faux,
darling.’

Kate eyed it doubtfully. ‘Do you really think it’s me?’

‘You’ll look great in it,’ said Fenny unexpectedly. ‘Lots of make-up on your eyes and the hat worn dead straight above them—very sexy!’

‘I’m not sure that was
my
intention,’ said Frances dryly. ‘But she’s right, Kate. You’ll look perfect. Now, eat your breakfast.’

‘I can’t remember you in anything like that, Mother.’

‘It was Grandma Dysart’s, bought for a winter wedding. She had a coat with matching cuffs—there’s a photograph somewhere.’ Frances shooed Fenny to the door. ‘Right, then, Kate, we’ll see you later.’

Kate ate her breakfast thoughtfully, her eyes on the hat on the dressing table. At last she could resist it no longer, and got out of bed, brushed her hair back behind her ears and pulled on the hat. Relieved to sniff lavender instead of camphor, she stood back, eyeing the result. Even with striped pyjamas, and without layers of eye make-up, the fur hat was dramatic. And surprisingly flattering.

When Kate got downstairs she found Mrs Briggs, her mother’s cleaner, dealing with potatoes in the kitchen sink while Frances carved slices from a ham. Kate greeted Mrs Briggs affectionately, put her breakfast things in the dishwasher, then demanded a job.

‘You can slice the turkey, if you like,’ said her mother.

‘Won’t Dad mind? Carving’s his specialty.’

‘He’s gone for a drive. Hal was so wakeful last night I ordered Gabriel and Adam back to bed for a nap. The baby was a bit noisy after they left him here, so Tom and Fenny went out in the car with him to let me get on.’ Frances chuckled. ‘No matter how cross he is Hal goes to sleep the moment the engine starts.’

Kate listened to the latest news of Stavely from Mrs Briggs as the three of them put the finishing touches to the feast, then went into the dining room to lay out silverware on the vast damask cloth that only came out for special occasions. Afterwards Kate sent her mother up to dress, checked on the arrangements she’d made the day before with Jack Spencer’s flowers, then returned to the kitchen when she heard Fenny come in with her father and Adam.

‘I hope your hourly rate isn’t too exorbitant, Fen,’ said Adam, relieving her of his sleeping son.

‘You may ply me with champagne later,’ she assured him.

‘Mother says you’re to go up and change, Dad,’ warned Kate.

‘Shouldn’t I be doing the carving?’

‘All taken care of while you were touring the countryside,’ she assured him.

‘Thanks, Dad,’ said Adam gratefully. ‘Gabriel and I slept like logs for a couple of hours.’

‘Which was the object of the exercise,’ said his father, on his way to the door. ‘Go on, get your lad dressed in his best bib and tucker. People will be arriving soon.’

‘Don’t forget, Kate, leave your hair down,’ ordered Fenny as they went upstairs, then bit her lip. ‘Sorry! I’m bossy, but I mean well.’

‘I know. I tried the hat on, by the way. It looks rather good.’

‘Which, translated from Kate-speak, means it’s a knockout!’

Later, in a clinging amber knit dress bought with her Christmas present money, Kate eyed herself critically in the mirror. Her hair, brushed back to reveal her ears, left the emphasis on the eyes she thought of as her best feature. The dark-rimmed irises were translucent hazel shot with gold, and made up today with a drama she normally never bothered with. And probably wouldn’t have bothered with now, she admitted sheepishly, if Alasdair Drummond hadn’t been invited. The sound of cars drawing up outside sent her to the window to see her sister Leonie and her husband, Jonah Savage, greeting Gabriel’s parents, and Kate yanked on tall-heeled brown suede boots and hurried from the room to bang on Fenny’s door.

‘Get a move on. Leo’s arrived.’

After a flurry of hugs and kisses everyone was soon crowded into the kitchen as usual, catching up with each others news as they drank coffee. Gabriel handed her son over to her mother, so that Laura Brett could indulge in extravagant baby-worship as she told her grandson how beautiful he was, and, after contributing her own share, Leo drew Kate aside.

‘You look good, love. Great to see that hair down for once. All set to carry out your duties?’

Kate flicked a hand at Leonie’s violet wool suit. ‘You look pretty gorgeous yourself, Mrs Savage. But I’m a tad nervous about the godmother bit. I just hope I don’t drop my nephew in the font.’

Jonah Savage hugged Kate and Fenny in turn. ‘Hi
there, you gorgeous creatures. Invited anyone along today?’

‘If you mean anyone male, no,’ said Kate. ‘Fenny wouldn’t know which one to choose, for a start.’

‘I’m not the only one,’ said Fenny, and batted her eyelashes at Jonah. ‘Adam says Kate has
two
admirers. Two that he knows about, anyway.’

Kate shot her a startled look, then choked back a laugh. Fenny meant the accountant and the teacher, not the pharmaceutical star and the builder.

‘She’s got an older flame than that coming today,’ said Adam, joining them. ‘Remember Alasdair Drummond? He’s back from the States, so I asked him along.’

Leonie gave her sister a sharp look. ‘You two still in touch, then?’

Kate shrugged. ‘Not really. I hadn’t heard from him for ages until a couple of days ago.’

‘Is he the one you were up at Cambridge with?’ asked Fenny.

‘For a while. He was a lofty research fellow and I was a humble first-year when we met.’

‘Then how on earth did you manage to get friendly?’ Fenny pulled a face. ‘It wouldn’t happen at my Alma Mater.’

Kate shrugged. ‘He just happened to be on hand the day I arrived, helped carry my gear, and sort of looked out for me from then on.’

‘Her minder. He kept the wolves from her door,’ said Adam with satisfaction.

Kate made a face at him and went off to talk to Gabriel’s parents, leaving Leonie to gaze after her with troubled eyes.

‘I hope that’s not starting up again,’ she murmured.

‘What?’ said Fenny curiously.

Leonie sighed. ‘Kate had a huge crush on Alasdair Drummond in those days.’

‘Reciprocated?’

‘No. Which worries me.’

‘Kate doesn’t look worried.’ Jonah comforted his wife. ‘Besides, that was years ago. She’ll have got over it by this time.’

Fenny’s eyes gleamed. ‘Or is she still carrying a torch for this Alasdair?’

‘I hope not.’ Leonie fixed her brother with an accusing eye. ‘What gave you the bright idea of asking him here today?’

‘I’ve been doing some business with him. Besides, I like him.’ Adam shrugged ruefully. ‘And I thought, in my infinite wisdom, that Kate would be pleased. But Gabriel says I’m wrong.’

Leonie sighed. ‘Oh, well, it’s only for an hour or two. Kate can hardly come to harm with us around.’

‘How can she come to any harm?’ said Fenny, mystified. ‘It’s a christening, not an orgy!’

“‘Out of the mouth of very babes…’” teased Jonah. ‘Your mother’s signalling, Leo. Time to put on your hat.’

Fenny pulled a face. ‘I’ll be the only one with naked hair.’

‘Good thing St Paul can’t be here, then,’ said Jonah. ‘Women’s hair was his weakness. Mine too.’ He leered at his wife. ‘One of them, anyway.’

‘Don’t be rude,’ said Fenny, sticking her tongue out at him. ‘If Kate heard you she’d start scraping her hair back in a bun again, so keep your weaknesses to yourself, Jonah Savage.’

A few minutes later the newest addition to the family was swathed in the shawl that served all Dysart chris
tenings, and his various female relatives were ready and hatted when Fenny dashed to join them, wearing a man’s navy coat and clumpy, platform-soled shoes, her hand held up for attention.

‘For pity’s sake tell her she looks great,’ she hissed, then stood aside nonchalantly when Kate appeared in her long, fitted coat of bronze wool, hair rippling in a shining dark cascade down her back, the fake-fur hat set straight over eyes that looked around in question.

‘What do you think? Will I do?’

‘You look amazing, Kate!’ said Gabriel, handing her son to Adam. ‘Straight out of
Doctor Zhivago
.’

‘The hat looks wonderful on you, darling,’ said Tom Dysart, and exchanged a smile with his wife. ‘I remember my mother in it.’

‘You put us all in the shade,’ Leonie assured her sister warmly.

Adam grinned at Kate over his son’s head. ‘Prepare yourself for a photo call after the ceremony, godmother.’

‘When are the godfathers arriving?’ she asked, as everyone made a move.

‘Hopefully they’re at the church right now, along with everyone else.’ Adam looked at his watch. ‘At least Jeremy Blyth will be. But punctuality was never one of Charlie’s strong suits.’

‘I thought you had a row with Charlie Hawkins,’ said Leonie, as they went out to the cars.

‘All in the past,’ Adam told her, smiling at Gabriel.

‘Life’s too short to be at odds with old friends,’ agreed his wife. ‘The other godfather is
my
old friend.’

‘The famous Jeremy Blyth, art dealer extraordinaire,’ said Harry Brett, grinning at his daughter. ‘What’s he giving Hal for a present, Gabriel? A Picasso?’

‘We should be so lucky!’

When the family party arrived at the church a small crowd of people were gathered outside in the icy sunshine. Towering above the rest, Alasdair Drummond, superbly dark-suited, was deep in conversation with a similarly formal Charles Hawkins, who had been friends with Adam Dysart since their first day at school. But Jeremy Blyth, a slender man with sleek fair hair, was exquisite and unmistakable in a pearl-grey suit, with bow tie and waistcoat in lilac silk.

Kate saw Alasdair stop mid-sentence as he caught sight of her, and gave him a brilliant smile as Gabriel hurried to kiss Jeremy Blyth and Charlie before moving on to smile at the man next in line.

‘By a process of elimination,’ said Gabriel, ‘you must be Alasdair Drummond. I’m Gabriel Dysart.’

‘Then Adam’s a lucky man,’ he assured her. ‘It was good of him to invite me here today.’

‘Hospitable bloke,’ said Charlie, clapping Adam on the shoulder. ‘May I say you look stunning, Mrs Dysart?’

‘As many times as you like,’ Gabriel assured him. ‘Come and meet your godson.’

After a round of greetings and kisses with friends and neighbours, everyone moved inside for the service. Kate received Henry Thomas Dysart into her arms, and looked up to meet grey eyes regarding her from the background with a heat which brought her lashes down to hide the triumph in her own. Alasdair Drummond might have thought of her in a brotherly way in the past, but that, Kate knew without doubt, was no longer the case. Ignoring a rush of excitement totally unsuitable to her surroundings, she kept her attention firmly on the stirring bundle in her arms and, in unison with Jeremy
Blyth and Charlie Hawkins, made the necessary affirmations about her part in young Hal’s future welfare.

The baby objected so volubly to the holy water there was a ripple of delighted laugher, and Kate, not without trepidation, took him into her arms again and rocked him against her shoulder. Gabriel handed over a pacifier, Kate slid it into the protesting mouth, and instantly there was peace to finish the service and for the photographs outside before the short drive back to Friars Wood.