by I'll Get By
‘You’d better wait until this is over,’ she said.
There was the sound of the key in the lock and Leo and her aunt were blown into the house on a gust of wind, laughing together. Leo called out, ‘We’re home, Meggie, and soaked through.’
‘I’m in the kitchen.’
Leo’s voice got louder as he moved towards them. ‘Es started to walk home because I wasn’t there on time to pick her up, and the bus had gone. The storm got to her and beat her up before I did.’ He deposited a kiss on her cheek and gazed over her shoulder. ‘Hello . . . who’s this?’
Rennie had already risen to his feet. He held out a hand, ‘Rainard Stone. I’m the solicitor handling Margaret’s legacy.’
Aunt Es came in after Leo, her stocking clad feet leaving a trail of wet footprints behind her. Her hair was a draggle of rats tails. She smiled ruefully as she shed water all over the kitchen floor. ‘It’s nice to meet you before we go dancing together at the weekend.’
Rennie smiled at Esmé. ‘You look rather wet, Mrs Thornton.’
‘I am rather. I must go upstairs and change.’
‘And I must go too. I hadn’t realized how late it was.’
‘Must you, when we’ve only just met? Unless you have a prior engagement, stay for dinner. We’ve bought enough sausages haven’t we, Meggie?’
Rennie protested. ‘It’s tempting . . . but you haven’t had time to cater for a guest.’
Aunt Es won the argument with her killer smile. ‘Nonsense, I won’t hear of it. It’s bangers and mash day, with lashings of onion gravy on top, and there’s always plenty.’
‘That will be followed by one of Meggie’s delicious apple crumbles and custard, I hope,’ Leo said, shamelessly ingratiating as he got his order in for a pudding.
Rennie grinned at that, ‘It sounds more tempting by the second. May I use your telephone?’
‘Of course you may. I’ll leave you with Leo to sort it out,’ Esmé said, drifting off in the direction of the stairs. ‘I’ll change into something dry, and then come down and give you a hand, Meggie.’
‘Are you quite sure?’
Meggie laughed. ‘Not another word, Rennie. I bought some lovely fresh runner beans at the Southend market, and some carrots.’
Leo raised an eyebrow. ‘Southend?’
‘Rennie took me there for lunch today. He needed some fresh air.’
‘It’s a long way to go for it, but there’s plenty of that at Southend,’ Leo said.
‘He didn’t really give me the option of saying no.’
Leo laughed. ‘Well done, Rennie. Let’s leave the kitchen to the women and go and catch up on the news. We’ll crack open a bottle of wine while I give you the third degree. Since I hold the position of guardian while Meggie is in London, I don’t want to disappoint her.’
The thought mortified Meggie. ‘I’ll never speak to you again if you do. Besides which, apple crumble will be off the menu . . . and for ever.’
‘Now that’s what I call a punishment.’
Rennie chuckled when she said. ‘Honestly, Leo, you must be the most convincing liar on earth. And to think I actually believed you.’
‘You take everyone at face value. In fact, your lack of guile is quite refreshing. Don’t worry, love, I won’t embarrass you.’
The two men disappeared towards the hall, where Rainard had a short conversation on the telephone with someone. She couldn’t help but overhear some of it in the space created when the door opened to allow Aunt Es through, and it closing behind her.
‘I’m sorry, Pam, my sweet, but I’m dining with a client.’
Meggie wondered who Pam was.
Her aunt had changed into navy slacks and a lacy pink twinset with pearl buttons. Her hair was drying into its natural curls as she reached for an apron from the hook behind the door, and tied it around her. As she began to scrape the carrots she said, ‘Rennie Stone seems rather nice. Did you have a good time today?’
‘Oh . . . rather. At first I thought we were going to argue over the telephone because he thought I was being rude and I thought he was being just as rude. When I told him to apologize, he didn’t. And then . . . just when I was about to go to market he turned up on the doorstep with that bunch of violets in his hand – don’t they smell heavenly? He said he was sorry he’d upset me. I had to go to lunch with him then, else it would have been horribly embarrassing and too cruel leaving him standing there on the doorstep with a bunch of flowers in his hand.’
Aunt Es smiled. ‘Good job you had your best dress and make-up on then.’
‘Yes . . . it was rather. I invited him in because the house looked a bit menacing in the storm and gave me a bit of a shivery feeling, and I didn’t want to go in by myself.’
‘I know the feeling. I hate going inside by myself now, have done since we were burgled.’
Meggie laid out the ingredients for the crumble and fetched two bottles of preserved cooking apples from the pantry, Bramleys picked from the garden of her mother’s house at Eavesham and preserved for winter use. ‘Do you think two jars will be enough?’
‘It should be.’
She imparted a little confidence to her aunt. ‘Rennie kissed me. I was telling him about my father, and he just kissed me. It was rather nice. I was worried in case he might think . . .’ She lowered her voice and looked at the door. ‘I don’t want to give him the impression that I’m . . . fast.’
‘Be careful, Meggie. He’s a nice man, but he’s quite a bit older than you, and I really don’t think you should encourage him.
As Esmé was to say to Leo later, when they’d gone to bed. ‘Meggie is quite naive. Would you mind if I invited her to stay longer? I’m sure Livia wouldn’t mind. She wouldn’t be a drain on the finances since she gets a small allowance from her legacy, and she could probably find employment. I might be able to get her a temporary job at the hospital, in administration perhaps.’
‘My darling . . . anything that makes you happy makes me happy. Besides, she doesn’t cost much to keep, and she’s a good cook.’
‘Trust you to think of your stomach. You can be awfully mercenary at times.’
‘A man needs his nourishment in all matters, if you get my drift.’
‘So does a woman.’
He kissed the junction where her neck met her shoulder, making her skin quiver. ‘Tell me how can I nourish you then?’
‘There’s something I want rather badly, Leo.’
He propped himself up on one elbow and gazed into her eyes. ‘You only have to name it?’
‘A baby.’
The breath left his body in a rush and he gave a rueful smile. ‘I didn’t see that one coming. Have you thought this through?’
‘Yes, and I don’t want to leave it for much longer. You do want children don’t you?’
A smile touched his mouth and he reached up to turn off the lamp. ‘You bet I do. Place your order, my love. Would you prefer a boy or girl.’
‘Surprise me?’
He took her in his arms and nuzzled against her ear, ‘I love you, Esmé Thornton.’
Two days later a bicycle went along the road, pedalled by a man in a dark postal officer’s uniform. He stopped at number forty-three and rang the bell.
Touching his cap when a man answered his ring, he said, ‘Parcel for Thornton sir. Sign there if you please.’
Leo scribbled his signature on the paper the man held out, then took the parcel and gazed at the name on it. It was for Esmé.
Curious, he placed it against his ear and shook it. A faint rattle came from inside. There was no return address on it. He placed it on the hall table, looked at the clock and groaned. It was only six o’clock. What sort of hours did the post office keep?
Then he remembered that he and Es had managed to wangle a day off together. He got back in bed and snuggled up against her back, sliding his hands around her waist to her stomach.
She squirmed. ‘Your hands are cold.’
‘They’ll soon war
m up.’
‘Who was that?’ she said, sleepy and receptive to his exploration, despite the coolness of his touch. She made little cooing noises and wriggled at exactly the right times to let him know his attention was definitely being encouraged.
‘It was a parcel delivery addressed to you,’ he said against her ear.
‘What was in it?’
‘How would I know? I tried my best, but I couldn’t see through the brown paper wrapping. It rattles though. Are you expecting a delivery?’
‘Not yet.’ She turned in his arms and laughed when he captured a firm buttock in each hand. ‘Not of the kind you’ve been talking about. Besides, it’s Saturday and I didn’t think the post office delivers parcels today.’
‘They just have. Perhaps they didn’t have time to deliver them yesterday. He had several packages in his tray.’
He drank her in, her cheeks flushed with sleep and her body relaxed. ‘You look gorgeous when you’re rumpled, and you have such a lovely bum.’
‘So do you.’ She moved against him in a sinuous stretch and gently blew a quivering breath into his ear.
‘For that alone, I’ll make you a cup of tea, fetch your parcel and kiss your feet . . . but not until after.’
‘After what?’ She placed her hand on him, and caressing his length with a light fingertip, she laughed. ‘Your little Joey wants to come out and play, I think.’
Her touch had him reacting instantly and he grunted. ‘He’s not so little now.’
‘I don’t know how you get yourself in such predicaments Leo.’
‘You don’t, hey? How about this for starters.’ He turned her on her back and kissed each swelling nub of her breasts.
Her initial grunt turned into a growl.
When Esmé finally found time to unwrap the parcel, she said, ‘Odd. It hasn’t got any post office stamps on. Her face paled as she gazed at the contents and she fell quiet.
Leo, who’d just decided to snatch an extra half-hour in bed after his exertions, felt the change in atmosphere and opened his eyes. ‘What is it, Es?’
She gazed at him, the expression on her face bewildered. ‘It’s the money and jewellery that was stolen from us. I don’t understand, Leo . . . This must be some idiot’s idea of an April Fools’ joke.’
Six
Rennie had booked a table at a nightclub. Judging by the number of patrons it was a popular watering hole, crowded with a mass of people who seemed to be trying to fill every minute of their evening with enjoyment.
If anyone were looking in from the outside they wouldn’t have considered that Europe might be on the brink of war, but it didn’t escape Meggie’s notice that most of the dancing couples were of an age to kill – or be killed.
The laughter was just a little too forced, the drinking too hard and the dancing too frenetic. It was one of those instances when Meggie appreciated being a woman rather than a man. She wouldn’t like someone to place a gun in her hand and order her to go out and kill, especially if she was disinclined to do so.
When Leo disappeared on to the dance floor with her aunt, Rennie said, ‘You’re looking rather serious. What are you thinking about?’
‘I’m thinking there’s a reckless feeling in the air that’s driven by fear, and it’s likely my generation will lose its innocence too quickly if there’s a war.’
He took her hands in his. ‘I’m trying not to think about the war.’
‘Somebody has to, especially when we live on such a small island.’
‘Somebody does. It’s the government. No doubt they have it all organized, and the rest of us will do as we’re told. Buck up, Margaret my dear . . . we survived the last war.’
Not everyone, she wanted to say, remembering her father. But she shrugged off her instinct to argue because she remembered that Rennie would be one of the men called on to fight, and besides, it wasn’t his fault that her father had died. ‘I’m sorry if I’m being a bit of a drag. I won’t mention war again, I promise.’
He had quite a delightful smile, one with an endearing sense of shyness to it, so it came and went swiftly, like a mouse popping out of its den for a quick look round. ‘I must say I’d appreciate it if you didn’t, for tonight, at least. Come on, Margaret . . . let’s dance. I’ve been practising all week so I don’t tread all over your toes, and I feel as nimble as Fred Astaire. You look really lovely, by the way.’
‘That’s sweet of you to say so. It took me three hours to get ready. I tried everything on in my aunt’s wardrobe first and ended up in an old dress of my own. Not old as in old, you understand. I’ve only worn it once, but that was when I was sixteen. Fashion changes so quickly, doesn’t it?’
‘I suppose it does for women.’
‘Aunt Es always looks elegant. My maternal grandmother was a dress designer and my mother thinks that Aunt Es has inherited her flair for fashion. She took the frilly bits off this dress, said it looked more sophisticated without them. She gave me these butterfly clips to use, instead.’ When he chuckled she gazed at him. ‘You’re not really interested in my discarded frills are you?’
‘I can’t pretend that I am, but the butterflies are pretty. Are we going to dance, or not?’
‘As long as you’re not expecting a Ginger Rogers to partner your acute attack of Fred Astaireness.’
Still, she wasn’t too bad at dancing and neither was Rennie. He was light on his feet. They managed a foxtrot without mishap then tripped over each other’s feet and laughed when the music turned into a quickstep. Then they began to adjust their dancing styles as they got used to one another.
They gazed at each other, shaking their heads when an elimination tango was announced with a prize of five pounds. It wasn’t a dance that could be taken lightly. There was a rush of couples from the floor as the weaker dancers abandoned it, until there were only six left.
Leo and Es were among them.
Rennie raised an eyebrow. ‘A tango? They’re game. That couple with the woman wearing the black dress usually wins the prize. They go from club to club.’
The couple did look professional, and confident. ‘My aunt is a very good ballroom dancer, and so is Leo.’
Her aunt wore a figure-hugging dress of dark rose satin that flared from below the hip and had a scattering of gold sequins. Gold shoes with ankle straps completed her outfit. They stood, quite relaxed, Leo’s arm around her aunt’s waist, waiting to be issued with a number to be pinned to the back of Leo’s evening suit.
When her aunt turned towards him and murmured something, he smiled, and brushed a kiss against her hair.
The lights were lowered, leaving only the dancers illuminated.
Leo was a natural show-off so he didn’t mind being in the spotlight. Her aunt was used to it from her experience as a dancer on a cruise ship. She’d taught Leo the various dances in exchange for flying lessons, and both were a regular activity with them.
They were soon absorbed by the throbbing music, and glances joined they concentrated only on each other, while most of the other couples were eliminated, unnoticed by them. The professional couple started to do some fancy leg kicks, and although they were experts, there was something mechanical about them.
Leo handled Esmé as though she was a delicate twist of liquid crystal he was sculpting into an exquisite art form. It was a sensual dance, two lovers becoming familiar with each other’s bodies. Meggie’s cheeks heated slightly and she stole a glance at Rennie. There was so much she didn’t know about that sort of thing.
Neither Aunt Es nor Leo seemed to see the remaining couple beckoned from the floor. Es was completely in Leo’s hands as he twisted and turned her, moving her around as though he was stalking her. At the last turn she reclined backwards over his arm in surrender, ankles crossed. He brought her upright.
They smiled at each other, and then, loosening her hands Esmé hugged his leg and slid down it to the floor. Leo pulled her up, set her lightly on her feet and kissed her, to prolonged applause.
They
were laughing as they walked back to the table, fiver in hand. Folding it, Leo pushed it through the slit in a wooden box that stood on the bar, designed to collect donations for the Red Cross.
Half an hour later Esmé stated their intention to leave. ‘We’ve both got work in the morning. But you stay and enjoy yourselves Meggie. We’ll take a taxi cab. You’ll see her safely home, won’t you, Rennie?’
‘Of course.’ Rennie extended a hand to Leo. ‘I enjoyed this evening and I hope we’ll meet again sometime. Thanks for the dance, Esmé. I hope I didn’t ruin your shoes.’
After her aunt and uncle had gone they ran into four of Rennie’s friends. They were older than her, more sophisticated – confident.
‘Ah, here you are, Rennie, we’ve been tracking you down,’ one of the women said, and threading her arm through his she kissed him gently on the mouth and whispered, ‘I’ve missed you.’
Meggie was out of her depth, and a little embarrassed by the smart talk of who was doing what and with whom.
So this is Pam, Meggie thought. The woman couldn’t tear her gaze away from Rennie, who avoided her self-consciously. Soon the close proximity of the quartet dominated the comfortable space she and Rennie had once occupied, and she felt like a fish out of water. Her head began to ache with the sound of loud laughter and cigarette smoke.
As the evening wore on Rennie lost his initial reticence and his face assumed an animation he didn’t bother to disguise. When he danced with Pam there was a barely disguised familiarity between them, and a lot of teasing. Even so, Meggie wondered if it were the done thing to ask an escort to take her home in the middle of a date.
‘What’s the girl drinking?’ Pamela said. ‘Give her a gin and tonic, Rennie darling, it might wake her up.’ She peered into her face and breathed, ‘My God, what perfect skin you have. You look as though you belong in the nursery wing, tucked into a cot. What did Rennie say your name was, darling?’
Meggie’s hackles began to rise. ‘It’s Margaret Elliot, and I’m already wide awake . . . darling.’
‘Good grief, it bites.’ The shrill giggle Pam gave was halted by an attack of hiccups. ‘So this is the reason why you lost interest in me, Rennie darling. You’ve taking up dating children.’
