“Hi,” said Delia, standing in the doorway. “I’m Lady Delia. I met Louis the other day and just wanted to pop in and say hello to you too.”
The woman looked her up and down, staring hard at the scar on Delia’s face, making her flush with embarrassment. How dare this dragon faced creature make her feel so uncomfortable?
“I’m sorry, Lady Delia. I don’t have time for idle chit chat. Was there anything in particular you wanted?”
Delia shook her head and left, having no wish to remain in the woman’s company for any longer than necessary. It was obvious that she wouldn’t get any information out of her. She deliberated on whether to have a word with Ruth but decided to leave it for a little longer and see what more could be found out before she said anything about her unease.
Delia thought about Ruth a lot. Although it was impossible for them to be bosom pals, a mutual understanding was growing between them that they had to make a show of getting along, especially in front of the children, who were the real reason behind the truce. Ruth was as devoted to Stephen as Delia was to Lucy and when the two women did bump into each other it was invariably the children they talked about.
To her surprise, Delia discovered she liked Stephen a lot. He was a bright boy, lively and noisy but polite and eager to make friends. He was gregarious and couldn’t sit still for a minute, always wanting to be up and doing, teasing Lucy mercilessly because she was a girl and couldn’t keep up with him sometimes. Lucy took it all in good part proving time and time again that she could do anything he could and not allowing him to get the better of her for long.
Lucy was a pretty child. She had been blonde at birth but was gradually going darker and Delia was sure that by the time Lucy was an adult her hair would be as dark as her own. Her eyes were a lovely shade of green, her mouth was slightly turned up and her soft skin was fresh and clear. However, Delia did worry that her daughter was too thin. Although Lucy had an excellent appetite her weight remained the same and Delia fretted, remembering Vicky’s battle with anorexia and praying Lucy wouldn’t have the same problem. Dr. Arnold and Ruth assured her that it was just because Lucy was physically very active and worked off the calories dashing around after Stephen so Delia listened to their advice and tried not to worry.
Stephen and Lucy were great pals, always keen to be together and their social life was steadily gaining momentum. Tina took them to a playgroup twice a week where they made lots of friends, resulting in a great number of invitations for days out and birthday parties. Delia often mused that her daughter was far more in demand than she was.
Then it was Lucy’s fourth birthday and Delia decided to throw a party for her at the Dower House, planning it in great detail for weeks in advance, desperately wanting it to be a huge success. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny and after packing Lucy off to spend the morning with Tina and Stephen, Delia decorated the garden, festooning trees and bushes with ribbons and balloons.
Lucy was naturally over-excited by the time she arrived home for lunch and Delia had a terrible time trying to get her to have a nap before being dressed up in her frilly pink party frock to greet her twenty-five tiny guests.
All the children turned up in their best outfits, handing over their presents to Lucy whose eyes grew bigger by the minute when all the lovely new toys and books were revealed, her tiny fingers eager to undo the pretty wrapping paper as fast as possible.
A magician was hired for the afternoon to entertain the children with his party tricks and organise a few hectic party games so the adult members of the party could relax and enjoy themselves too. Ruth and Tina were there, along with eleven mothers who had not only brought their own children but given lifts to others too. They sat in the shaded part of the garden on comfy recliner chairs Delia had hired in for the occasion, watching the frolics of the children from a safe distance, while sipping Pimms, and nibbling the delicious miniature sausage rolls, dainty sandwiches and the pretty fairy cakes Mrs. Forest had prepared so beautifully.
It was when the old-time favourite, hide and seek, was at its height that Delia made her first mistake since coming back to Canleigh, letting the children loose in the house as there weren’t many places to hide in the garden. Stephen was naturally the most enthusiastic and Delia was amused to see him dashing up the stairs in the direction of her bedroom, no doubt to hide under the bed.
It was much later, when all the guests had departed, waving and shouting their thanks, and Tina was trying to persuade Stephen to get into the car to go back to the Hall, when he dropped his bombshell in front of Ruth.
“Aunty Delia …,” he said innocently, “why do you have a picture of Uncle Philip by your bed? He’s not your boyfriend. He belongs to my mummy.”
CHAPTER 39 CANLEIGH – AUGUST 1978
All three adults stood frozen in shock while Stephen looked questioningly at Delia. Lucy had a puzzled expression on her face. What was Stephen talking about? Uncle Philip was mummy’s boyfriend and not Aunty Ruth’s. Stephen had got it all wrong. He could be so stupid sometimes.
Delia kept her eyes focused
