Claudia smiled and nodded, it was good to be understood, and for a moment, they were in harmony.
‘This is a job for Tony. He can design something. I’m sure the maintenance people can build it.’ He tore the page from the sketchpad.
Claudia protested. ‘But it’s a very rough sketch. I should do…’
Fraser ignored her protest. ‘He’ll understand it. He’s the gadget man.’
Claudia was thankful to get one of her minor hassles sorted out, and that Fraser would now leave, but he hovered. This wasn’t what her plan was all about. It was meant to get her mother out of her life, not to get Fraser back into it. She drew a long breath, and a look of resignation lingered on her face as she said, ‘You’re going to ask me again, aren’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘You think I can explain it all in a few seconds? Settle it to fit in with your busy schedule, make it neat and tidy in time for Friday?’
‘That isn’t what…’ Fraser snapped, as if she’d touched a nerve. Then he checked his tone. ‘But there must be something you can tell me.’
Claudia hated her slip of the tongue about his wedding plans, but couldn’t retract it now. She paused a moment and then said, ‘I moved in with my grandmother. She was becoming frail and needed support.’
‘Why couldn’t you have told me that before?’
Claudia failed to prevent a gasp of impatience. ‘Of course I wanted to tell you. I had to change my phone number. What could I do if you wouldn’t answer yours?’ She could sense that he wasn’t convinced.
‘Didn’t you try my office?’
Claudia was even more exasperated. ‘Oh! Why didn’t I think of that?’
‘Now you’re being cynical again. What’s wrong with straight-forward honesty?’
‘Honesty?’ she echoed. ‘I can do honesty.’ She scowled at him and said, ‘Have you any idea how difficult it is to get hold of you in your London office? You’re either abroad, in a meeting, interviewing, out to lunch or just plain not available.’ She found herself suppressing a wave of anger to see that he had no idea what he’d done, how he’d hurt her. And now she had to put up with him, drifting in and out her day looking for answers. She closed in on him and stared into his eyes, suddenly unmoved by the hint of bitterness in them. ‘I’d heard enough excuses, Fraser.’ She spoke boldly and deliberately. ‘I got the message. OK?’
‘There was no message,’ Fraser protested strongly.
Claudia was standing up to him, but she wanted this to stop, yet the confrontation wasn’t over. ‘Whatever you think of me, I dealt with it the best way I could. I’d like you to understand that and remember it.’
‘That’s a tall order.’
‘Then you weren’t the friend I believed you were.’ Her words seemed to strike a blow. It silenced him. He turned from her and strolled to a window. Claudia remained on the spot and called across to him. ‘What we had…’ Her voice seemed to echo around the cavernous space. ‘What we had has gone.’ She drew in a shuddering breath. History was about to be repeated. He would walk away with a beautiful woman, and she would be left to get on with her single life. But this time, she wasn’t going to suffer, she was determined about that. ‘There’s no trust between us anymore, but now isn’t the time to settle it. When people are about to get married, they shouldn’t drag up the past like this.’
Fraser turned from the window and stared as he approached her. His face was grim. ‘You’re in a relationship?’
‘Me?’
‘You’re getting married?’
Claudia frowned. ‘What? I’m not getting married.’
Fraser looked totally confused, ‘Then what are you talking about?’
‘The marquee…your wedding?’
Fraser was suddenly very amused. His laughter rang around the banqueting room.
‘It’s not funny,’ Claudia protested.
‘It is,’ he said. ‘I’m not getting married.’
Claudia’s surprise rendered her speechless. Her mind refused to form a coherent response. She looked at Fraser’s face, but all she could say was, ‘Oh…! I see.’
‘You look shocked,’ Fraser said.
Claudia managed to side step her reaction. ‘No, I just feel stupid for making assumptions. So, who’s getting married?’
‘Nobody, unless you count Tony and me, we’re forming a business partnership.’
Claudia listened as Fraser told her that they would be hosting a conference, next week, at the hotel. The marquee was for a welcoming party on Friday evening.
‘There’s a factory, in a small town called Wainford, a few miles away,’ he explained. ‘It used to be a very prestigious company, the biggest employer in the region for generations, but now it’s gone into receivership. Jobs in bigger towns aren’t an option because of the cost of travel and the extra childcare they’d need. This is going to jeopardise a thriving community.’
Claudia watched as his eyes lit up and a smile lingered on his face as he talked. This was clearly very important to him. She had listened to his business talk many times, but never once saw that light in his eyes.
He looked at Claudia and smiled. ‘We’ve joined forces to float the factory again, find investors, backers, etcetera.’
Claudia’s heart pounded. In the old days, she would have hugged him, told him how proud she was. But this was just a few moments respite from the conflict, and gushing terms of praise would seem out of place. ‘Can you do it?’
‘The Wainford people are a bit suspicious, rumours of fracking and great industrial projects are going around. But we’ll dispel those at the conference. We have to reassure the local people that the idea is to restore what was there before and not use it as an opportunity for personal growth. Neither do we want to come across as a couple of patronising do-gooders. It’s a fine line but yes, we’ll do it.’
‘That’s amazing,’ Claudia said, sincerely.
‘Tony’s the real patriarch. This region means a lot to him. Have you seen the Lakeside Centre?’
‘Yes, I stopped to look around on the way here. It’s beautiful.’
‘Tony built that. It’s for artistic, creative people with special talents. A place to live, work and market their products. He believes that their excellence will enhance the town.’ He smiled, but a hint of uncertainty lingered about him. ‘This is a big change for me. I’ve never been in manufacturing, that’s Tony’s field. But I’m so inspired by it. It’s more important than anything else I’ve ever done. When I first found out about Wainford, I seized the opportunity to do something that will keep on giving―way into the future.’
Claudia smiled at him. ‘That’s so generous.’
Suddenly, a cold haze came back into Fraser’s eyes as he stared at her, a hint of bitterness returned to his voice. ‘It wasn’t my idea,’ he said, ‘it was yours.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘I’ll leave you to try and remember for yourself. Excuse me.’
Claudia watched Fraser leave the room. No marriage meant no honeymoon or dashing off to a new life, with Natalie, on Friday. This changed everything. The situation had suddenly become even more difficult than before. He and Natalie talked of a holiday, but the fact that he was working with Tony indicated that he would return to Larchwood. She didn’t want the old feelings to return, to have to pretend all over again that she wasn’t in love with him. But at that moment, she knew she couldn’t guarantee that. She looked at the tapestry, it was too late to bail now. There was no choice but to stay and thrash this out once and for all. Stop Fraser’s barrage of questions every time they bumped into each other. Yet now wasn’t the time for personal discussions, she would wait until the conference was over.
To Claudia’s relief, Fraser didn’t return that morning. By mid-afternoon, no more could be done until Eliot arrived tomorrow, so she decided to call it a day.
A very quiet Todd arrived.
Claudia called to him, ‘How was it?’
‘Don’t blood
y ask!’ Todd threw up his hands in frustration. ‘I thought that once I got my equity card, everything would start to happen, doors would open.’
‘Didn’t you get any feedback?’
‘They said to give them a call nearer Christmas, there would definitely be something for me.’
‘That’s a positive―right?’
‘Yes, it positively means one thing.’ He performed a brief tap dance. His trainers padded and squeaked out the rhythm on the wooden floor. He ended with a clap, a slap across his thigh and a loud cry of, ‘Ta dah!’
‘Pantomime?’
‘I nailed that audition,’ he said. ‘I really nailed it. I can do Iago. And they offer me the dame… Widow bloody Twankey. All that work on my abs, just to drag-up in a frilly frock and poufy mob cap.’ He slapped his hands on his chest. ‘I didn’t develop these pecks to push out a padded bra.’
Claudia tried to be encouraging. ‘Maybe they’ll consider recasting you, as Ebanaza, he’s just as devious as Iago. You’d get to crack a big whip and have a swordfight.’
‘A bunfight, more like.’ Todd sighed. ‘They can keep their damned panto.’
‘I’m sorry, Todd.’
He shrugged, ‘Well, back to scrubbing the skirting board. I suppose it’ll make a good anecdote for chat shows when I’m famous.’
‘I’m off now, Todd, see you tomorrow.’
‘Not if I get a re-call for Iago.’
*****
Natalie padded around the bedroom, her scant underwear covered but a small percentage of her lightly tanned flesh. ‘Must we stay in? Can’t we go out to dinner?’
‘Sorry darling, it’s too late,’ Fraser said, absent-mindedly, as he looked out of the bedroom window. ‘I told Stella this morning. I assumed, as we were having lunch out, you might like to stay in this evening.’
‘You could cancel it, couldn’t you?’
He turned swiftly, his brow creased. ‘No, of course not, Stella’s probably preparing it already.’
‘All right, all right.’ Natalie closed in on him and put her arms around his neck. ‘You’re so on edge. I’m just not used it. If you ask me, you’re a bit wrapped up in your Claudia.’
‘She’s not my Claudia. I was just surprised to see her here.’
‘You’re still wound up about her, I can tell. How do you know her?’
Fraser was irritated by Natalie’s curiosity. This was something new. His friendship with Claudia had never collided with his love life before. Now he was being questioned about it. ‘I haven’t seen her for a couple of years. People move on. Find new relationships. For goodness sake, Natalie, stop quizzing me and get dressed.’
Natalie sauntered off towards the wardrobe. ‘Don’t be so touchy.’
Fraser turned back to the window and looked down at the marquee. By next week, his life would be unrecognisable. Work would be focused on Wainford. He wondered about Claudia’s plans, how long she would take to complete the tapestry. What she would do then. Would she disappear again? They were never in each other’s pockets, but that was the beauty of it, the unconditional relationship, the simplicity of being able to meet up now and then without it becoming complicated. It was always so easy. From the moment they first met, in St James’s Park.
It was during the flat, empty period after Christmas. Fraser had been tied up in a conference for what seemed like hours, and the bright, crisp day had lured him to the park. When he saw Claudia, something special happened. It wasn’t one of those explosive, erotic moments that guys talked about when they saw a woman and described her as gorgeous, sensational or hot. This was easy, calm, fascinating, and he was mesmerised. She wore a light blue, button-up coat, a bulky scarf wound around her neck, and a ridiculous woollen hat trimmed with a bunch of little pom-poms, like cherries, that danced about as she moved. Her breath made visible clouds in the frosty air as she searched the ground beneath a tree. He wondered if she’d lost something and was about to offer to help. But she took off her glove and bent to pick up a pinecone, then ran her fingers over the tightly shut surface of it, smiling at it as if it was made of gold. He felt cheated of his chance to speak to her. He moved on very slowly as if he’d seen a rare bird and didn’t want to scare it away. Then he saw that she rested the pinecone on her cheek before slipping it into her pocket. What was so special about it he would never know, but it pleased him to witness her pleasure in something so simple. They acknowledged each other with a smile, and reluctantly he moved on, afraid that if he lingered it would look sinister. A couple of weeks later, he saw her again. They graduated to a brief interaction regarding the weather. But after that, their visits obviously didn’t coincide, and she just became a pleasant memory.
It was a happy surprise when he next saw her. Daffodils were blooming in great carpets all around the park, the weather was cool but pleasant. She was sitting on the grass, leaning against a tree, the ridiculous hat had been discarded, revealing her short, light brown, boyish hair. Dressed in light blue jeans and a very arty sort of chunky sweater, arms linked around her knees, she gazed around.
‘Haven’t seen you for a while,’ he said casually, it never occurred to him to use a chat-up line or flirt with her.
She smiled up at him. ‘I was in Scotland, working.’ She chuckled and added, ‘Too far away to spend my lunch breaks here.’
‘Mind if I join you?’
‘Not in that suit, surely, I’ll come to the bench.’
Something compelled him to sit with her, right there, leaning against the tree, surrounded by daffodils. ‘You look very comfortable, I’d rather join you.’ He sat by her side and offered his hand. ‘Fraser,’ he said.
‘I’m Claudia.’
Fraser then had a closer view of her face. Her brown eyes seemed to shine. But she turned away and stared ahead, she wasn’t flirting either―or speaking. The amazing thing was that they sat in silence. It surprised him because it was so comfortable.
After a long pause, Claudia sighed and said, ‘I love it when the daffodils come out everywhere, don’t you?’
‘Er…sure, they’re lovely,’ he agreed.
‘Summer flowers are beautiful, but daffodils are so…’ Her hand waved about as she searched for a word then, as if she plucked one from mid-air, she added, ‘…Giving. That’s what they are, they give so much pleasure.’
Fraser had never considered them to be any more remarkable than other flowers. They were yellow, arrived in great numbers and then left, other flowers bloomed in their place. He didn’t want to contradict her, so he said, ‘Giving? That’s an interesting angle.’
She smiled, her eyes lit up again. ‘Every year, they come back.’
‘I’ve noticed that.’
Her brow puckered a little. ‘Oh, the gender divide,’ she sighed ruefully. ‘You’re not on my wavelength are you? Am I boring you?’
‘No…God, no,’ the words flew from his mouth without first consulting his brain.
‘I’ll try and explain myself.’ She drew a long breath and then said, ‘Each year they all come back. We’ve already agreed that, right?’
‘Absolutely! We’re on the same page so far.’
‘It’s like a bequest, only it’s given to us over and over again…year after year. Makes you think, doesn’t it?’
Her question confused him, but he wanted so much to understand. Very carefully, he said, ‘What does it make you think about?’
‘How a magnificent display like this came to be here.’
Another thing he’d never considered, but he was glad to make a contribution to the discussion. ‘It’s simple, bulbs, soil manpower, rain, time…’
She looked at him and expelled a gentle laugh. ‘Well, that’s the mathematical way of looking at it. You’re a businessman, right?’
Fraser laughed. ‘You guessed.’
She wrinkled her nose. ‘We’re not very alike, are we?’ She commented with honesty that shattered his belief that they were comfortable together.
He frowned. ‘Don’t sa
y that. Give a guy another chance to understand your theory.’
She laughed. ‘Theory?’ She gestured to the daffodils. ‘OK, here’s my…theory. You mentioned bulbs, soil, manpower rain…but you missed something out.’
He smiled and said, ‘That was careless. What did I miss?’
‘This proverbial host of golden daffodils didn’t just sprout through the grass. Somebody had the vision to make it happen, to bring together the bulbs, the soil, the rain etcetera. Over time, it grows into something spectacular, that’s enjoyed by so many people year after year…an ongoing festival.’ She smiled and said, ‘What if nobody bothered to plant them?’
‘Good point,’ Fraser said with a nod.
‘Do you employ a lot of people?’ Claudia said, seemingly changing the subject.
‘Yes I do.’
‘Did you start the business?’
‘No, my father did.’
‘And it thrived?’
‘Yes, it’s very successful.’
‘So thanks to your father, who did the original spadework, planted the daffodils, so to speak, you can afford to sit on the ground in a very expensive suit.’
Fraser chuckled at her blunt honesty. ‘What you mean is that there are pathfinders whose actions are fertile and go on giving long after the original deed was done.’
‘Yes,’ she said and sank back against the tree with a sigh, as if she reaped some kind of contentment to have been understood. ‘I’ve never beaten a path anywhere. I’m not sure what a textile restorer could do to make a difference. I don’t do anything new, I just patch up the old.’ She expelled a brief laugh. ‘I’m sorry. I’ve been rambling, haven’t I? It’s just that I love this time of year so much. I didn’t mean to bore you.’
‘I’m not in the least bit bored,’ he had told her. But he had failed to convince her because she smiled, got up and moved on.
‘Fraser!’ Natalie’s voice was sharp.
He turned. ‘Hmm?’
‘What is it with you guys and windows?’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘You and Tony, you’re always standing by a window.’ She spread her arms wide and turned about. ‘Will I do?’
Alyona's Voice Page 4
