‘Hello, Gran,’ she said cheerfully, when Margaret opened the door to her knock ten minutes later.
‘Good gracious, I wasn’t expecting visitors,’ her mother-in-law said, flustered.
‘We’re not visitors, Gran,’ Millie declared, bending down to give her grandmother a kiss.
‘It’s a flying visit, Gran, cos we’re actually going to be flying in about an hour and a half,’ Sophie grinned. ‘We’re going to London on a surprise visit. The taxi’s waiting for us at the gate.’
‘Oh that’s exciting, Sophie,’ Margaret said brightly, kissing them all.
‘I just wanted to drop in a few bits and pieces to tide you over until we get back on Saturday, Mrs H. I’ll pop them in the fridge.’ Hilary took the bags from Sophie and walked into the kitchen and began to unpack the shopping.
‘That’s very kind of you, dear. Very kind. Now how much do I owe you?’ Margaret followed Hilary into the kitchen.
‘I’ll put the receipt on the counter and you can give it to me on Saturday,’ Hilary said, packing away the cartons of Ambrosia creamed rice that her mother-in-law was particularly partial to. Margaret was scrupulous about paying her bills and Hilary always took the money, not because she was mean about money but to respect her mother-in-law’s dignity and independence.
‘I’m very grateful for all you do for me, Hilary. You’re so thoughtful. I know you’re so busy and I take up so much of your time,’ Margaret said and Hilary turned to look at her and saw that her lip was trembling.
‘Mrs H! What’s wrong?’ she exclaimed in dismay, putting her arms around the elderly lady as Sophie and Millie looked at their grandmother in alarm.
‘Nothing, dear. I’m just a terrible old nuisance and it bothers me that you have to do so much for me when you’re so busy yourself,’ Margaret said tremulously. ‘And I know Niall and Sue are very busy too—’
‘Now, Mrs H, you listen to me, we are never too busy for you,’ Hilary said firmly.
‘But you can’t all be taking time off to bring me to appointments and the like. I’m going to start going by myself from now on. Other people have to, so can I,’ Margaret said shakily. Hilary’s lips tightened. Sue! She must have said something to her mother about bringing her to the warfarin clinic.
She could have kicked herself. She should have known that Sue would pull a stunt like this. The selfish madam. When she got back from London she was going to give that one a piece of her mind, she vowed furiously, trying to hide her anger from Margaret.
‘Don’t be worrying about your appointments; we’ll sort something out,’ she said kindly. ‘Now why don’t I make you a quick cuppa to have with one of the scones I got for you, and I bought you the latest Hello! You can keep it for me and I’ll get it off you when I get back.’ She gave her mother-in-law another hug. She knew the meter was running in the taxi but to hell with it. She wanted to make sure Margaret felt cherished and reassured before she left. ‘Millie, butter a scone for your gran while I make the tea,’ she instructed.
‘Gran, you are never to call yourself a nuisance again,’ Sophie said sternly. ‘You’re our gran and we love you very much.’
‘We certainly do, Gran,’ Millie assured her, adding an extra-large spoon of strawberry jam to the scone, just the way Margaret liked it. ‘And I’m going to get you something nice from London.’
‘Now don’t go spending your money on me,’ warned her grandmother, recovering her composure and enjoying the cuddle Sophie gave her. ‘Thank you, dear, that was just what I needed.’
‘We’ll be home Saturday and we’d love you to come to lunch on Sunday to tell you all about our trip. I’ll come and collect you,’ Hilary invited, carrying the tray into Margaret’s sitting room and placing it on the side table beside her armchair. She waited until Margaret was settled with her magazine and bent down and kissed her. ‘You are very, very dear to us. Don’t forget that now. I’ll ring you tonight,’ she said.
‘I’ll look forward to it, Hilary.’ Margaret patted her cheek and Hilary thought how sad it was that she didn’t have a warm relationship with her only daughter.
‘It’s horrible being old, isn’t it?’ Millie reflected as they drove away from her grandmother’s house.
‘Some people have better experiences of old age than others,’ Hilary said grimly, wishing she could have ten minutes alone with Sue. ‘Anyway forget about being old for the time being. We’re on a girls’ jolly, so let’s have fun. We’ll have to lift Jonathan’s spirits for sure, so we need to be in tiptop form.’ She smiled at her daughters and put thoughts of Sue aside. She would deal with her when she got home.
Jonathan gazed out the window of his fifth-floor hotel room at the green, almost rural vista spread out before him. It was hard to believe he was in the middle of a bustling metropolis. The gilt-edged gates of Kensington Palace bathed in the midday sun brought back memories of massed banks of flowers laid in tribute to the beautiful, tragic princess who had lived there. The blue of the Round Pond between blossom-sprigged branches giving a vivid splash of colour to the green palette of the park. The elegance of the dome of the Albert Hall and the skyline of south London in the distance a reminder that he was in one of the world’s greatest cities. Below him, Londoners and tourists strolled, skated, jogged and strode along the pathways, or sat and relaxed under the warming sun on the grassy emerald swards of the spring-dressed park. They all seemed so carefree, untroubled even. Not like him: sad, dispirited, and entirely disenchanted with
