THE BONDAGE OF LOVE (3 page)

"No. But I can tell you it was a surprise; funny, really. It wasn't being thrown on the floor, it was the way he did it. He says I shouldn't go in for that, not really. Well, not at first; jujitsu is better. It's odd' -she was smiling at him now 'but he says it means " the gentle touch", or " the soft touch"."

They were now looking at each other rather sheepishly until she asked

quietly, "Will you come with us? Because I do want to take up something outside school."

He looked to the side as if considering; then he muttered, "I'll see.

But mind," - his head jerked

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round now "I'm not taking up any of those fool things."

"No. No," she quickly agreed with him.

"You can just have a look round, as I will, the first time." There was another pause; then she said, "Come on down." But to this he replied quickly, "No, I can't, not yet, Katie. Already I feel ridiculous. I'm always ridiculous, aren't I? Aren't I?" His voice had risen.

"When I think about it I know I am, or have been, for the way I've clung on to that thick-headed Irish dolt downstairs. I ... I've put him first in every thing."

"Oh, he knows that and appreciates it. And, as I said before, if it hadn't been for you he wouldn't be here today. He's said as much."

"He has?"

"Oh yes. Yes." It was good to lie in someone else's defence. It sort of made one feel better with one's self. And now she went on, "He wouldn't say it to you, but it's come out when we've been going at it hammer and tongs ...

he and I, I mean."

Willie was shaking his head, and so she said, "When you come down and go into the recreation- room again, all the others should be in the drawing-room. If he's not in the recreation-room, he'll come along."

He made no reply to this but simply stared at her;

and she nodded at him and smiled, then turned about and went downstairs.

Her mother was coming out of the drawing- room pushing Mamie before her and saying, "I am not sewing spangles on that dress. It's a pretty dress, a party dress, and you're only going to a party."

"Nancy has spangles all over hers."

"I don't care what Nancy has, you're not having spangles. I'm not putting spangles on that dress."

"Why?"

Fiona drew in a deep breath. She never thought there would come a time when she would dislike her adopted daughter, but over the past two years she had become a trial. Since she was small, she had always wanted her own way, but from the time she knew she had money of her own, which was in the care of her grandfather, she had become . well, the only word for it was obnoxious. She was an obnoxious little girl. And so Fiona looked gratefully at Katie when the answer came from her, "Because spangles make things look cheap, miss,"

she said.

"They don't! They don't! Nancy looks lovely."

"Don't you bark at me!"

"Huh! You!" The indignant figure made for the stairs now, muttering as she went, and her mutter brought a bark from Fiona, saying, "Don't you dare, miss, come out with your grandfather's piece again. I've told you before, if you want to go and live with your grandfather that's all right with me and everybody in this house. So get that into your head. Any time you like I'll pack your bags."

"I wouldn't worry about her, Mam. She wants her ears boxed. I bet, if they were counted up, she's got more clothes than you, me and Angela put together."

"You may be right there."

In the drawing-room Bill voiced Katie's sentiments, only more strongly, when he said to Fiona, "She wants her backside scudded, that one, and I'll be the one to do it before long, I'm telling you.

There's one thing certain, she doesn't take after her mother or father. I sometimes think it's a pity she didn't go with them when the car went up. "

"Oh, Bill."

"Never mind, oh. Bill," - his finger was pointing at Fiona 'you're the one that has to put up with her: keep your tongue quiet and use your hands. See if that'll make any difference. "

Nell put in now, "Is it that Miss Nancy has got something new?"

"Spangles."

"Spangles?"

"Yes, spangles. Apparently she's got a dress that's all spangles, and madam wants some put on her party dress."

"Oh, that's a lovely dress. You mean the last one?"

"I suppose it's the last one; I don't know. But it's one of her party dresses. She's had three in the last year."

"Funny that," said Bill, nodding as if to himself.

"The old fella can send money galore for her clothes, but he's quibbling at paying her school fees. And I don't know what he'll do next year or so when she moves up, because they'll be trebled. In his last letter the old bloke asked if that kind of school was necessary, for there was good education all round these days. By the way, that family, what kind of people are they?

She's been going to tea every Friday there for months now, hasn't she?"

"Yes, but you met her at the parents do; you were talking to her, remember?

She said her name was Mrs. Polgar, but that she was usually called Gertie."

"Oh yes. Yes, of course, I remember. Very chatty. Smart, not bad-looking either." He now turned slightly to the side and winked at Bert, and Bert's unexpected reply brought laughter from both Fiona and Nell, while Bill said,

"You watch it, boy. Watch it." For what Bert said was, "With a name like Gertie to go with the spangles she's passed on to her daughter, she should be just up your street, boss."

"Let's get out, Bert," Nell said hurriedly.

"We've outstayed our welcome. Be seeing you, Fiona."

"Bye-bye, Fiona."

Fiona nodded at Bert the while still laughing; and Bill, calling after them almost in a yell now, cried, "And if either of you want to enter this house again, ask for an appointment."

"Will do. Will do." They both turned and nodded at him, their faces serious now.

"Yes, sir, we'll do that."

"Goodbye," added Bert now, 'and the best of the rest of the weekend to you, sir. "

When the door closed on them. Bill threw his head back and said, "Talk about people changing;

there's a change in a man if you ever saw one. He's a dark horse, you know.

He's got a lot up top that I never dreamed of. I'm . I'm going to put him on the board. " The latter was said casually as he

stooped down and lifted Angela from the rug, where she had been playing with her poodle. And, dropping on to the couch with her, he added, "He's worth it."

"Oh! Oh, Bill." Fiona sat down close beside him, then put her hand on his cheek and turned his face towards her and added, "At times, you know, I like you very much. When I don't love you, I like you. But when I love you and like you at the same time, I like you very much, Mr. Bailey. Nell will be over the moon."

"Aye, I bet she will, and he'll get the surprise of his life. Oh, he'll say he can't do it, that he's not fit for that kind of position.

And my answer to that'll be, I wasn't at one time either. But look at me now. "

"Yes, look at you now. That was a wonderful piece in the paper yesterday about the houses, and from an unsolicited quarter.

"Bailey's homes will be hard to beat." And they went on to describe the mosaic that woman's having in her flat. "

"Huh!" He laughed now.

"She's a marler that one, she must be a millionaire; two or three times over, I would think. She's paid for half the place now and she's always urging me to hurry; she wants to get in. But I have to tell her, " No, madam, we can't hurry. " As for the mosaic, she's having it brought from Italy, and two Italians to put it down. It will be all over her private hall. I nearly suggested her doing the main hall with it, too, but I didn't. Anyway, it'll be like a palace before it's finished. And I think that's what the bloke who wrote that piece saw; and it's only half done."

"Has she got a big family?"

"I don't know anything about her family, love, but I know that she's got three dogs, two of them are as big as ponies. The third one, a little

Pekingese, would go in a pint pot, and it rides on the back of one of the other Afghans. And I've got another piece of news for you."

"Well, spill it, Mr. B."

"We're invited to the Hunt Ball."

"Oh! Well, that isn't earth-shattering, but it's very nice."

"Yes, it's very nice, especially when the invitation came from Mr. George Ferndale."

"Ferndale, the barrister?"

"No other, and one of the chief men in Sir Charles's trust. They are the power above the board, if you get me."

"I get you. Did you accept?"

"I thanked him and said yes. And he said his wife would be getting in touch with us."

"Oh, that's nice. I hope she calls."

"So do I." They bowed their heads politely at each other, then laughed. And musingly now, Fiona said, "It's fantastic. You're fantastic, the things you've done."

"You're not taking into account, Mrs. B, the things I'm going to do.

This pleasant lot should last for three years or so. In the meantime I'll have to look further afield because there's no more big plots left in

Fellburn or on the outskirts, as far as I can gather. And I wouldn't likely ever be able to take this crew again with me, but whatever I do,

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dear, I must look after my lads. You see, I look upon them as family,

eleven of them; I feel I've brought them up. They're all in good positions now and they thanked me in their own way, such as calling me, behind my back,

"Big Bill Bawling Bailey" "

"That's a new one." She was shaking now.

"Well, it used to be just " Bawling Bailey", but now it's Big Bill. I suppose I should take it as an honour, you know, MA, or D.Litt." like the square heads have after their names. "

She leant forward now and slowly stroked Angela's hair away from her brow and laughing eyes as she said, "I was just thinking yesterday of the burden our lot are on you. Well, not quite a burden, but there's four of them,

including Sammy, of course. And by the look of it Mark is quite determined to go in for medicine in rather a big way, not just as an ordinary doctor; he's got the idea of being a surgeon."

"A surgeon? Ah, I hadn't heard that bit. But then again I couldn't see him being an ordinary doctor;

he would never be able to acquire the bedside manner; he would be like ours, who marches into this house, comes up to the bed and says, "What's the matter with you?"

Fiona laughed and said, "Yes, he does, always. But he's wonderful, nevertheless."

"Aye. Aye. He's been wonderful about her." Bill now outlined the shape of his daughter's face with his first finger. The mongol look wasn't prominent, but it was there, and no-one, not even Dr. Pringle, was able to convince him that her mind wasn't normal, in fact was even superior to those of some children of her age and that she would grow up and develop like any other child.

Fiona was saying now, "But he's well aware that when he leaves the Royal Grammar next year he'll have perhaps up to ten years slogging before him.

And it'll have to be paid for. He says' - she now glanced at Bill 'he'd like to do his training in London if possible, there or Edinburgh. But I've

already pointed out to him that the living in London would be terribly

expensive. Yes, he said, he knew and he didn't know how he was going to approach you."

"So he told you to soften me up, eh?"

"No. No, he didn't. It wasn't like that at all. It's very rarely you see him at his desk without his head down. I found him moping and he said he was wondering what he should really do. You see there is the medical school here, and apparently a very good one, but London and Edinburgh, of course, have built up their reputations over a long period. He feels he should stay here."

"Oh, does he? Just to save expense? Well, when you next find him moping, you can hint to him to forget about the expense. But I'll expect him to pay me back and look after me in me old age."

She put her arm around his neck, and he said, "Look out, woman! And stop making love to me in front of the child. She takes everything in, you know.

Don't you, love?"

"Da ... da. Mum ... mum."

"Yes, there you are. That's plain enough for you, isn't it, da ... da, and mum ... mum? You say yourself you hardly spoke a word until you were five.

Anyway, that's Mark settled. Now there's only the others.

The other two males are at Dame Allan's and it'll be some time before you've got to worry about them. You know, I'll always think it was another nice thing that Sammy did when he, too, had the choice between Dame Allan's and the Royal Grammar School and he picked Dame Allan's, as Willie had done, knowing there would always have been his big brother's reputation to contend with at the Royal Grammar. "

It was odd, Fiona thought, that he always found and put forward Sammy's good deeds. He rarely pointed out those of Mark or Willie. But then they rarely did the same kind of things that Sammy did, unselfish things. A tiny spark of jealousy caused her to think, he loves that boy better than he does mine.

But then, she musn't forget he owed much more to Sammy than he did to either of hers. And again, Sammy was but a replica of himself as a boy and a young lad, with the quick-fire and brash tongue.

Kissing her quickly on the lips before thrusting the child onto the rug again, he said, Tm off into the office, but I promise you, only an hour. In the meantime, look up your posh magazines and pick on some highfalutin shop where you can go and get a dress. But not, mind," he was wagging his finger at her now 'with spangles on."

She did not speak until he had gone through the doorway and was about to close the door, when she said quite calmly, "Just might at that."

For answer he turned and gave her a long look, pushed the door wider and then banged it closed. And she sat back and thought, yes, she would like to put a spangle on her dress, metaphorically speaking that is. Here she was,

thirty-six years old, she was bringing up three males and three females and a man who demanded all her love, and had sworn to her and meant it when he told her what he would do if she ever looked at another man. She had this