‘What d’you think of the mare I bought Maggie?’
‘Too fat,’ said Ace.
Jack laughed. ‘Like her mistress, and quite unlike this heavenly creature who’s not got an ounce of spare flesh on her. How are you this morning, angel?’ He went on grabbing me round the waist again, and pulling me against him. Ace was glaring at us so fiercely, I decided I wanted to irritate him.
‘All the better for seeing you,’ I said, smiling up at Jack.
‘It’s nearly opening time,’ he said. ‘Mustn’t give my hangover time to get a grip. Who’s coming down to the pub?’
‘Oh I am, please,’ I said.
‘No thanks,’ said Ace. ‘And for God’s sake don’t pour too much drink down her. I’ve only just sobered her up.’
And, turning abruptly on his heel, he walked back to the stables.
We had a nice time at the pub, where we found Wordsworth parked outside, and the Admiral on a bar stool inside, both looking equally lovelorn and the worse for wear.
‘Wordsworth’s been here all morning whining for our Sarah,’ said the landlord, shaking his head. ‘Must have got her bad.’
‘Know how he feels,’ sighed the Admiral. ‘How’s yer mother this morning?’
‘Well she hadn’t surfaced by the time I left,’ said Jack. ‘No doubt she’ll emerge radiant at lunchtime. She’s got more stamina than any of us.’
‘Wonderful woman,’ sighed the Admiral. ‘What are you going to drink?’
After that we had several drinks, and a post mortem on the party last night, most of which was devoted to in-depth bitching about the Professor.
‘He’s the most boring man I’ve ever met,’ said Jack. ‘And what’s more he wears the most boring trousers.’
‘Suppose he’s very brainy,’ said the Admiral, gloomily.
‘Second in British English, fourth in life,’ said Jack. ‘You’ll have to go in and fight for her, Admiral.’
The Admiral looked rather excited and bought us more drinks.
Jack and I were exchanging so many eye-meets now it was getting ridiculous.
‘We really ought to go,’ I said. ‘It’s twenty to two.’
Dragging a reluctant, panting Wordsworth, we got back into the car, dropped the Admiral off at his cottage on the edge of the lake, and set off for home.
‘Gather ye rose buds while ye may, there’s no more bed once you’re dead,’ said Jack. He put his hand on my thigh.
‘Wordsworth will be shocked,’ I said, removing it.
‘He’s far too busy composing
I giggled. He put his hand back. I put my hand firmly on top of his to stop it moving further upwards. We were nearly at the bottom of the drive.
‘I don’t think Ace approves of me,’ I said, more to get Jack off the subject of me than anything else.
‘Don’t think he approves of anything very much at the moment. Must be hell coming back here, with Elizabeth buried in the churchyard, and every tree and rock reminding him of her. She was so lovely, and he adored her so much. He’s missed out on love really, with his mother dying when he was only two, then losing Elizabeth
He took his hand from my thigh to swing the car in through the drive.
‘But where were we,’ he went on, ‘when Ace so rudely interrupted us last night? I must say I did enjoy it.’
‘Oh so did I,’ I said. I shouldn’t have encouraged him. But he was so attractive, and I didn’t think he’d try anything when we were so nearly home.
He stopped the car at the front, smiled at me gently, then in full view of the drawing-room window, leant over and kissed me very hard, full on the mouth which was still half open. For a moment I was too surprised to move, then I pulled away and leapt out of the car. Laughing, quite undisturbed, Jack started up and drove round to the garage at the back.
Pendle and Maggie were talking conspiratorially in the drawing-room when I went in. They gave no evidence of having seen us arrive.
‘Rose was ringing up all her friends telling them how ghastly it was to have Ace back and he walked in in the middle,’ said Maggie. She was wearing too much rouge, and there was make-up on her white shirt, but she looked sexy enough in a rumpled way.
‘I hear you’ve been round the estate, and visited the pub,’ said Pendle, pouring me a glass of wine, ‘so you know all there is to know about the area?’
‘I had such a hangover, the hair of the dog was the only answer,’ I explained hastily. ‘The Admiral was in the pub. He’s very disconsolate.’
‘Professor Copeland’s not too happy either,’ said Maggie. ‘He’s already rung up Rose and said he was “mightily annoyed” about the high-handed way Ace ordered him out of the house last night. He wants an apology.’
‘He won’t get one,’ said Pendle.
At that moment Rose swept in, looking a bit pale, but with plenty of the old dash about her.
‘Hullo, Pru darling,’ she said. ‘Do you know, Maggie, Snelgroves have refused to send me that silver fox on appro.’
‘Not surprised,’ said Maggie. ‘Considering you kept the last one six months, and sent it back ripped and with toffee papers in the pocket.’
But Rose’s butterfly mind had flitted to other problems.
‘Promise not to leave me alone for a minute with Ace,’ she said, lowering her voice. ‘I know he wants to talk about money. I don’t expect I shall ever see dear Professor Copeland again. Ace has been so rude to him. I’ve got nothing to look forward to now except decay,’ she added dramatically.
‘Never mind,’ said Jack, coming through the door, wearing Copeland’s hat. ‘You’ve got plenty more beaux to your string.’
Everyone groaned.
Jack admired himself in the mirror.
‘Do I look like an intellectual?’ he said, crinkling his eyes.
‘Take more than a hat,’ said Maggie nastily.
‘Oh go and play in the traffic,’ snapped Jack. He took off the hat, and put it on Coleridge, who was sprawled in an armchair and took absolutely no notice.
‘He’s exhausted,’ said Pendle, ‘after spending five minutes on his narvel.’
Even Rose giggled.
‘Ace and I are going to ride after lunch,’ said Jack. ‘I suppose there will be lunch?’ he added to Rose, ‘And Pru’s coming with me.’
I opened my mouth to protest.
Pendle glanced at my corduroy jodhpurs, ‘Of course, she is,’ he said. ‘She’s already dressed. I’ll come and see you off.’
Worse still, they all decided to come and see us off. Any courage given me by the whisky in the pub evaporated over lunch, but I still didn’t dare tell them I couldn’t ride.
We all trooped down to the stables. Three huge horses were led out.
My teeth were chattering with fear. ‘Cold today isn’t it?’ I said to Ace.
Mr Braddock led the large grey towards me. ‘She’s called Snowball,’ he said. Jack and Ace were already mounted. Rose, Maggie, Pendle, two dogs, Antonia Fraser sitting on the stable roof, blinking her yellow eyes, and a man carting manure were all watching me. I seized the reins and put my foot in the stirrup. Snowball, recognizing a phoney, started waltzing round. I hopped after her.
‘I’ll give you a leg up,’ said Pendle, hoisting me into the saddle. London from the top of the Post Office tower couldn’t have seemed further away than the ground. Incapable of standing still, Snowball started to walk sideways
