Sally Wentworth - Garden of Thorns

by Sally Wentworth

  'Have you got much furniture for the room?' Mr Reynolds asked her.

  'Only a couple of armchairs and a bookcase, I'm afraid. We moved here from quite a small apartment, you see,' Kirsty explained.

  'Hm. I wonder then if you'd like to come with me to a sale I'm going to later on this week? There will be a lot of stuff pulled out of old pubs when they were modernised. You might be able to pick up something quite cheaply.'

  Kirsty agreed enthusiastically and he arranged to pick them up early oil Wednesday morning.

  So when Penny got home biter that night she found Kirsty waiting up for her and poring over a list she was making. Kirsty showed her the sitting-room and then said eagerly, 'I've been going into our finances and we're not too badly off at all really. I think we could probably afford to buy a settee or something, and perhaps a sideboard. And do you think you could alter the curtains we brought from the apartment to fit these windows?'

  'I don't see why not. Yes, they'd look good in here.'

  'Do you think you could do it by the weekend?’

  Penny looked at her elder sister in surprise. 'Why? What have you got in mind?'

  'Well, I though tit would be rather nice if we gave a small party as a kind of thank-you gesture to all the people who've helped us. And I thought we could invite Mrs Anderson, because she was so kind to us when you were ill.'

  Penny's eyes lit up with anticipation. "That's a great idea. Can we invite Dave?'

  Kirsty smiled inwardly. 'Of course, that goes without saying.'

  'And you could invite Simon down; he's bound to be impressed when he sees how well we're getting along.'

  'Mm. Look, I've made a list. It would come to about twenty people if everyone came.' She hesitated. 'There is just one other person I wanted to invite.' Penny raised her eyebrows enquiringly and Kirsty said .slowly, 'It's Mrs Grantham. If it hadn't been for her the room would still be a horrible mess. And I think it would be good for her if she agreed to come.'

  'But she's in a wheelchair,' Penny objected.

  'Yes, I know. Which means that we can't ask her without asking her son to bring her.'

  'The Squire? You'd ask him after all he's done to us? No, I don't want to see him again!' Penny said vehemently.

  'Penny, please. You've only met him once and that was under the very worst circumstances. I don't know who it was who poisoned the cows, but it certainly wasn't him; after all, he lost more by it than we did. In fact it was probably done by someone who wanted to hurt him and we were just conveniently on hand to throw the blame on.'

  'Well, I can believe that,' Penny exclaimed. 'He probably has loads of enemies if he goes round accusing people as he did us.'

  'But dial's all over," Kirsty said persuasively. 'He's offered us friendship and I think the least we can do is meet him halfway.'

  Penny was still extremely reluctant, but by dint of a great deal of cajolery Kirsty eventually got her way, although afterwards she lay in bed and wondered just why she'd gone to such lengths. For his mother's sake, of course, she told herself sternly, so that she might be induced to leave the Manor for a while. What other reason could there possibly be?

  The invitations they wrote out and dispatched the next morning, but Kirsty approached the phone call to Simon with less confidence.

  'This Saturday?' he said rather sharply, and Kirsty could almost imagine his frown. 'That's rather short notice. I'm afraid I've already arranged to play in a cricket match.'

  'Please try, Simon. I so much want you to see the work we've done on the place and meet our new friends and neighbours.'

  'No, I'm sorry, Kirsty, but I can't let my team down.

  We'll have to make it some other time.’ He was about to say more, but Kirsty broke across him.

  'Simon.’ She hesitated, and then said with a definite catch in her voice, 'Simon, I need you.'

  There was a long pause. 'All right, I'll come. I'll be down on Saturday evening, after the match.' ' And Kirsty replaced the receiver with a hand that shook despite all her efforts to control it.

  There had been more than a hint of entreaty in her voice and she felt a great wave of relief when she knew that Simon was coming. She found that she needed desperately to see him again, to be reassured of her own feelings for him. And she felt confident that once she saw him all the emotions which had started to get mixed up inside her just lately would immediately sort themselves' out and become straightforward again. It could only be not having seen him for so many weeks that made her feel so unsettled and on edge. In her heart she knew that the whole idea of the party had really been only an excuse so that she would have a reason for inviting Simon to come down for the weekend.

  By Saturday evening Kirsty was a bag of nerves. They had gone with Mr Reynolds to the sale and had bought an old carved oak cupboard and a wooden settle which Kirsty had polished till they shone. Penny had altered the curtains and with the material left over had covered some cushions for the settle. They had also purchased a light fitting and had arranged a few ornaments and vases of flowers round the room as well as lighting a log fire in the inglenook so that the room looked warm and inviting. They had spent the whole of the morning cooking, and now the dishes of cheese straws, plates of vol-au-vents, salmon mousse, pate, and baskets of French bread and bowls of salad were

  all ready. For drinks, Kristy had made a big bowl of wine cup for the women and had got beer for the men, together with a couple of bottles of sherry,

  At six-thirty she went up to have a leisurely bath and to change into her favourite dress; pale mauve and full-skirted, it had batwing sleeves and a U-shaped neckline. It was simply cut but it fitted her perfectly, emphasising her slim waist and the curve of her firm breasts. She added the kind of make-up she would normally wear for a party in London and her hair she had already Mow-dried into a flicked-back style that l was all the rage among her modish contemporaries. When she Was ready she added scent and a gold locket that had belonged to her mother and then examined herself critically in the mirror. Not bad, considering she hadn't been near a hairdresser in weeks, and working so hard had made her lose a little weight, which helped. And she definitely looked a different person entirely than in her usual workaday outfits of jeans and sweater.

  Glancing at her watch she saw that it was nearly eight, and suddenly she began to shake with nerves and her chest felt tight and constricted. She put up a trembling hand to her flushed face. What was the matter with her? It was only a party. Nothing to get so worked up about. She realised that it must be because Simon was coming and resolutely told herself -that she'd be fine once he arrived. But her legs still felt like jelly when she went downstairs, and she had to force herself to smile at Penny and compliment her on the pretty print dress she was wearing.

  There was nothing more to do really, but they were both excited and nervous and moved about unnecessarily straightening cushions and repositioning ashtrays, so that it came almost as a relief when the knocker sounded and the first guests arrived. They had arranged that Penny would open the door and take the coats while Kirsty introduced everyone and handed’ out drinks, but she was so sure that Simon would be the. first to arrive that she went out into the hall with Penny. But it was Mr Reynolds, who had brought his wife along and had also given a lift to two members of the Society, and Kirsty had to hide a deep feeling of disappointment as she smilingly greeted them and ushered them into the sitting-room. They were soon followed by others, including Dave who arrived escorting Mrs Anderson from next door, and Kirsty was kept busy handing out beer and wine cup.

  Everyone was chatting away and the room was quite noisy, but about twenty past eight. Penny held the door open and Gyles pushed his mother's wheelchair into the room. There was the little embarrassed silence that always falls when healthy people are suddenly faced with someone less fortunate, but Kirsty immediately put down her glass and crossed to greet them. She was aware of Gyles running his eyes over her appraisingly, but she concentrated on Mrs Grantham.

  She smi
led warmly and reached out to shake the older woman's hand. 'Hallo, I'm so glad that you could come."

  Her own hand was held very tightly for a moment and Kirsty pressed it reassuringly, knowing how much courage had been needed for even this short journey from the Manor. And it was dear that Mrs Grantham had made a great effort, for her hair was set in a becoming style and she had added a little make-up, as well as putting on a smart black dress. Kirsty gave her her whole attention, chatting easily about nothing in particular until the grip on her hand eased a little and

  the .other woman was able to answer her. Mr and Mrs Reynolds came over then and Mrs Grantham was able to let go of Krirsty's hand and greet them calmly enough. Only then did Kirsty turn to Gyles. He, was watching her with an expression she couldn't define and she found to her annoyance that she flushed beneath his gaze.

  'Good evening, Mr Grantham. Can I get you a drink?' she asked rather stiltedly.

  'Thank you. But I thought we agreed to call each other by our Christian names, he said, moving over to the drinks table with her.

  'You mean you decided, don't you? I certainly don't remember agreeing to it.'

  Her hand was resting oh the table and suddenly he put his over it, imprisoning it. 'Kirsty,' he said softly.

  To her dismay she found that her hand was trembling violently. Slowly she turned her head to look at him and saw that he was watching her with a half rueful, half exasperated look in his dark eyes. 'When are you going to stop fighting me?"

  Hastily she turned away. 'We have beer and sherry, or there's wine cup, if you'd prefer it."

  He didn't .answer, so that she had perforce to look at him again. He was watching her quizzically, waiting.

  'Gyles,' she said unevenly.

  He smiled, his eyes warm. 'Beer would be fine, thank you.'

  Dave came up to greet him then, fortunately, and Kirsty was able to pour out Gyles' beer without his seeing how much she spilled because her hands were still shaking. Carefully she carried it across to him, and the smile was still in his eyes as he took it from her and immediately included her in their conversation.

  'The Society's done a tremendous job on your room. A great improvement on the way it used to look.'

  'Why, yes, it is, but how you…' Then she remembered how he had torn through the house looking for his imaginary hippies, and her voice grew stiff. "I'd forgotten that you'd seen the room before.'

  'But that was a long time ago—during the war.' His eyes looked into her mockingly and she knew immediately that he was referring to their private feud. Her chin came up.

  'You think it's over, then?'

  'Oh, I'm sure of it. Entente is the order of the day.'

  His eyes were looking deep into hers and Kirsty felt that the two of them were the only ones in the room, talking a language that no one else understood.

  'How do you know it isn't just a temporary truce?'

  'Because from now on I intend to make love, not war—isn't that what your contemporaries believe in?' he added after a definite pause.

  Someone touched her arm and she dragged her eyes away to become aware that Penny had come up to her and that Dave was looking at them both with a mystified expression on his face. Hurriedly she said, 'Will you excuse me?' and moved aside with Penny.

  'Everyone's here now except Simon," her sister told her.

  'I expect he got held up in the traffic. Come and meet Mrs Grantham properly.'

  They joined the little group round Mrs Grantham's chair and chatted for a while until the elder woman caught her son's eye. Gyles went out into the hall and came back with a parcel which he handed to her.

  'This is from Gyles and myself,' she told, the girls, 'A house-warming present.'

  They looked at her in surprise. 'Oh, but really you shouldn't have…' Kirsty began in embarrassment, but Mrs Grantham stopped her.

  'It's our pleasure. Please—open it.'

  Kirsty gave it to Penny and watched the younger girl excitedly taking off the ribbon and gift wrapping. Penny had always loved opening parcels and at Christmas times it had been torture for her to wait until Christmas Day. But that had been when their parents were still alive. A small ache of grief filled Kirsty for a moment and she looked away, but then Penny gave an exclamation of pleasure and Kirsty saw her taking a beautiful antique copper, kettle from its box. The mellow sheen of the copper, with a polish that owed nothing to modern lacquers, caught the light and reflected it as everyone crowded round to admire it.

  'We thought it might look well in your inglenook,' Mrs Grantham told them.

  'Oh, it will. It's perfect,' Penny said enthusiastically, and carried it across to the huge fireplace and set it on a shelf near the front. 'There—how does that look?'

  Kirsty turned to Mrs Grantham. "Thank you, it was very thoughtful of you. We'll treasure it always.' And she impulsively leaned forward to kiss the elder woman lightly on the cheek.

  'And thank you, my dear,' Mrs Grantham said softly.

  Penny came over to add her thanks and Kirsty turned to Gyles. 'Thank you, it's a lovely present. We're very grateful to you.'

  His left brow rose quizzically. 'But not as grateful as you were to my mother?' '

  Kirsty frowned slightly. 'We're equally grateful to you both, of course.'

  'But you kissed her,' Gyles pointed out.

  Her eyes flew to meet his, not sure whether or not he was teasing, but he was looking at her half mockingly, half expectantly, and she still didn't know, so she merely laughed politely and said, 'Let me get you another drink?'

  His mouth twisted with amusement. 'Little coward! No, you circulate, I'll help myself to a drink.'

  She moved away and joined a group of Society members who were discussing the possibility of opening a museum in Barham, but after a while she looked at her watch rather worriedly; already nine o'clock and Simon still hadn't arrived. Soon Penny came up to her and wanted to know when they were going to serve the food.

  'Give him ten more minutes and then we'll just have to serve it.'

  She was becoming increasingly worried, her imagination working overtime with mental pictures of terrible accidents and the possible consequences. She was standing talking to Dave when Gyles strolled over and joined them. He asked her-how the herb farm was progressing, but Kirsty answered him rather abstractedly. She glanced at her watch again; nearly half past nine, and she bit her lip anxiously. Eyes narrowed, Gyles went to speak to her, but just then the knocker sounded and looking across at Penny as she hurried to answer it, Kirsty gave a sigh of relief.

  When he came into the room, Simon paused a moment on the threshold, looking round for her. He looked very handsome in a well-cut navy velvet jacket, and he appeared quite unruffled by any embarrassment at his late arrival. Kirsty waited for her heart to swell at the sight of him, to feel excitement running through her veins, but apart from the feeling of relief that he had arrived safely, there was nothing—absolutely nothing!

  Catching sight of her, he walked across and put his hands on her shoulders. 'Hallo, darling.' Then he bent and kissed her on the mouth.

  Kirsty expected the usual thrill at his touch, but again she felt nothing and stepped quickly away. 'You're late. I was worried you'd had an accident.'

  'No, nothing like that. There was a bit of a get-together after the match and I couldn't get away.'

  'Couldn't you have telephoned? You must have known that Kirsty would be worried about you.'

  To her surprise Gyles had intervened and there was a rather harsh look in his eyes. Hastily she introduced them. 'Our neighbour, Gyles Grantham. And this is Dr Simon Granger, a friend.'

  Simon laughed. 'She means her boy-friend, but she's too shy to say it. And Kirsty needn't" have worried-— she knew I'd turn up some time tonight.' He put his arm round her waist and possessively pulled her to him to kiss her again. Immediately Gyles turned away, his mouth set into a thin line.

  Flushing hotly, Kirsty pulled away from Simon and went to get him a drink, although she st
rongly suspected that he'd had one or two already. Immediately after that they served the food and she was kept busy for quite a time before she had a chance to get Simon on his Own and whisper, 'Talk to Mrs Grantham for me—she's in the wheelchair. See if she'll tell you anything about her condition.'

  He looked at her indignantly. 'That wasn't what you got me down here for, was it?'

  'No. No, that was something else entirely. Please, Simon.'

  He shrugged rather irritably, 'Oh, all right.'

  Kirsty watched him go and give Mrs Grantham his charming smile and hook forward a chair to sit beside her, setting himself to win her over. And he probably would too. Standing a little apart from everyone, she glanced from Simon to Gyles, who was talking to Mr Reynolds on the other side of the room. His face in profile seemed hard and autocratic until she remembered the warmth in his eyes when he had smiled at her earlier that evening. Slowly she looked from one to the other of the two men again, both unaware of her scrutiny. It seemed a very strange time and place to discover that she had got over an infatuation for one man, only to fall headlong in love with another I

  At about eleven the party began to break up, Gyles and his mother being among the first to leave.

  'Goodnight, my dear, and thank you for a very pleasant evening. I've enjoyed myself immensely,' Mrs Grantham said with a smile.

  'You must come whenever you feel like it,' Kirsty replied warmly. She straightened and looked at Gyles rather shyly.

  He nodded brusquely, 'Thank you. Goodnight,' and turned abruptly away to push his mother through the doorway.

  Feeling rather numb, Kirsty stared after him, completely bewildered by his attitude, but just then someone else came up to say goodnight and she was kept busy until everyone, except Simon, had gone’

  There was the usual rather flat feeling one experiences when faced with the aftermath of a party. Penny looked tired, so Kirsty made her go to bed while she

  cleared up the debris and washed the dishes and glasses.