The Lie

by Linda Sole

  ‘Don’t let that Searles lad turn your head, love,’ Mrs Robinson had said, sensing Alice’s hurt that Daniel hadn’t asked her to sit with him in church. ‘I know he’s asked you out a couple of times, but that doesn’t mean much. His brother Clay had a name for going with the girls, and look at him now. I pity the lass he married, a baby every year and him . . . well, I’m not one for gossip, but I wouldn’t want you to be in the same case, Alice.’

  ‘Daniel isn’t like that,’ Alice told her. ‘He’s nice, Mum, honestly.’

  ‘Then why hasn’t he asked you to sit with him today?’

  ‘I don’t know – perhaps because he knows I’m going to leave as soon as they go into the vestry so that I can get back to the house and help when the guests start arriving.’

  ‘Because that’s the way he sees you? As one of the hired help?’

  ‘I do help out there,’ Alice said sensibly. ‘It doesn’t matter to Daniel or me. I know he likes me a lot.’

  ‘But does he love you – does he respect you?’ Her mother gave her a straight look. ‘I can’t see him asking you to marry him, Alice, and that’s a fact.’

  ‘Maybe he doesn’t want to get serious yet, Mum. There’s a war on – and I’m young. You and Dad would say I was too young if he asked me, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘Yes, we probably would,’ her mother admitted, and she smiled. ‘I’ve nothing against Daniel, love. I just don’t want to see him break your heart.’

  ‘He might hurt me,’ Alice said. ‘But I shan’t let him break my heart – besides, he isn’t like that.’

  ‘Have it your own way then.’

  Alice had dismissed her mother’s warnings, but inside she couldn’t help feeling a little hurt that Daniel hadn’t asked her to sit with him in the church. He could easily have waited for her, walked her over from the house, but he hadn’t mentioned it, even though he’d said they might go out one day next week.

  Was he using her to pass the time away while he was home? Was he only going out with her because he was bored? She hadn’t thought he was like that, but it was a bit disappointing that he seemed to have drawn back. She had thought he was really interested at first, but now . . .

  Alice became aware that the bride and groom were going into the vestry to sign their names. That was her cue to slip out and get back to the house. Millie was coping on her own for the moment, but she couldn’t do it all.

  Emily took her place next to the bride and groom for the photographs. There was an official man from the photographer’s studio in Ely who everyone used for occasions like this, and several amateur ones snapping away with their box cameras. The photographer was asking for a picture with the bride and all her brothers now so Emily moved away, standing next to Simon.

  ‘At least they’ve got a good day for it,’ he said, glancing at her. ‘You look lovely, Emily. I like that dress.’

  ‘Yes, I was lucky,’ she said. ‘I think it’s pre-war actually. They got it out for me from a back room. Frances and I have shopped there a lot in the past so I expect we get special treatment.’

  ‘Yes, I thought it looked better than most of what’s in the shops now.’ He raised his brows at her. ‘You are coming with me later, aren’t you?’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ Emily said. She was feeling better about it now that she’d seen him again. Simon was very nice and she had been silly to get cold feet earlier. She didn’t understand why she had felt reluctant to meet his family, because usually she enjoyed visiting. Her father had always encouraged her to stay with friends and she was certain he would have approved of Simon, because he came from a good family; after all, it wasn’t as if she was going off alone with him. ‘I’m looking forward to it, Simon.’

  ‘Good. So am I . . . oh, it looks as if Marcus needs me. I’d better see what he wants. We shall have plenty of time to talk later.’

  ‘Yes, we shall,’ Emily said, and experienced a feeling of pleasurable anticipation. It would be rather nice to meet Simon’s family and have a little holiday before she started her new job. She went over to stand by Daniel after the photographer moved on to the groom’s family. ‘I thought Alice might be with you in church, Dan?’

  ‘Oh, did you?’ Daniel gave her an odd look. ‘Why was that?’

  ‘Aren’t you going out with her? I saw you together in Cambridge one afternoon and thought you might be courting.’

  ‘We’re friends, of course,’ Daniel said. ‘We’ve been out a couple of times – but she had to get back to the house to help with the food and things. Margaret was relying on her. I thought it might be awkward if she had to walk the whole of the church to get out so I didn’t mention it.’

  ‘Oh . . .’ Emily was surprised. ‘I thought it might have been more than just casual when I saw you out together. She’s a lovely girl, Daniel – don’t hurt her, will you?’

  ‘I know Alice is a nice girl. I have no intention of hurting her.’

  Daniel’s eyes strayed to where Margaret was standing. Clay was next to her, whispering something in her ear. It was obvious to him that he was very interested in her – and glancing at Dorothy, he saw that she had noticed too. He would have to speak to his brother, warn him not to get too involved – and the same went for Daniel himself. Margaret was trouble. If she wanted her money, the best thing would be to pay her and let her go before she caused mayhem.

  ‘I know you wouldn’t do it intentionally,’ Emily said. ‘But if you ask her out several times she may think—’

  ‘Yes, well, I shan’t,’ Daniel said, a touch sharply. ‘Just forget it, Emily. I’m not a child and I’m not a womanizer either.’

  ‘No, of course not. I didn’t mean . . . sorry.’

  Frances was beckoning to her and she left Daniel to see what her sister wanted, feeling a bit hurt. She hadn’t been preaching to him, but it had probably sounded that way. It was just that she liked Alice a lot and felt it must have hurt her to be shut out of an affair like this, treated as if she were just the hired help.

  Frances wanted to tell her that they were ready to go across the road now. ‘Is my dress all right at the back?’ she asked. ‘It keeps blowing about and I think it may have got dirty on the hem at the back.’

  Emily had a quick look and reassured her. ‘No, no, it’s fine, but I’ll carry the train for you as we go over the road, shall I?’

  ‘Yes, please, love,’ Frances said, and smiled at her. ‘I should hate it to spoil.’

  They were ready to make the move now. Because the house was so close, everyone waited for Frances and Marcus to walk down the church path and cross the road, and then they all joined in the procession, holding up the traffic. As the only vehicle on the road was a horse and cart driven by an old man, he was happy to sit and wait, grinning and waving to people he knew as they trooped behind the bride and groom. It was quite an occasion in the village and he would have something to tell his wife when he got home.

  Alice was waiting in the front hall to take hats and coats and hang them away in the cloakroom. Emily gave her a special smile, determined to slip into the kitchen and have a word with her before she left. But then everything started to happen at once, and she forgot about Alice as the speeches got under way.

  Simon was very funny, teasing both bride and groom with wicked hints about the groom’s reputation, and Henry made a short speech about Marcus being a lucky man. Marcus replied in kind. And then they were having the toasts, everyone tucking into the sandwiches, little pastry cases filled with chicken and a creamy sauce, and sausage rolls that made up the bulk of the buffet meal. It wasn’t as lavish as Frances would have had in normal times, but they had managed very well. Someone had found some tinned fruit and jelly, and Emily noticed that Connor was helping himself for a second time, smiling to herself. If she knew anything, the extra portion was for his friend Peter. She went over to him and asked if he was enjoying himself.

  ‘Yeah, it’s all right,’ he said. ‘Frances looks pretty and so do you, Emily. I shall miss you when you g
o away.’

  ‘I’ll miss you too,’ Emily said. ‘But you’ll be all right with Daniel and Margaret, won’t you?’

  ‘Dunno,’ he said, and scowled. ‘I could go and stay with Henry if I want, when Dan goes back to his unit anyway. He told me that just now.’

  ‘Well, I suppose you might,’ Emily said, feeling a bit guilty. She hadn’t considered Connor when she’d been asked if she would transfer somewhere else. ‘It would mean you had a bit further to come to school, of course.’

  ‘It’s better than being with her on my own.’

  Emily nodded, ruffled his hair and walked off to speak to Henry. He seemed to be having a bit of an argument with Clay, but they broke off as she approached and Clay went to join his wife, who had her eldest child on her lap and was feeding her a piece of cold chicken with her fingers.

  ‘Connor was telling me you have asked him to stay with you?’

  ‘Well, he may not be able to stay here much longer anyway. It depends on Margaret . . .’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘The house is half hers if she wants to sell,’ Henry said. ‘And it seems she does, sooner than we can manage it. We may have to put it on the market.’

  ‘Sell the house? But where shall we live?’ Emily was stunned by his announcement. ‘You can’t, Henry. It’s our home.’

  ‘It was when Dad was around,’ he said gruffly. ‘Now it’s just a house. I don’t want it and nor does Clay – I couldn’t afford it, not at her price anyway. Besides, you will be away most of the time, and you’ll probably get married soon. You can stay with one of us if you need to, Emily. We’ll manage somehow, I suppose.’

  ‘Manage somehow?’ Emily felt as if the ground had fallen away from beneath her feet. She hadn’t expected this – to lose the home she’d known all her life. It made everything that much worse. ‘Do we have to sell, Henry? What about Daniel and Connor? It’s their home too. Surely we can keep it?’

  ‘We’re having a meeting soon,’ Henry said. ‘We’ll know better then – but Connor will be all right with me. You and Daniel will find something, I expect.’

  ‘Yes, if we have to,’ she agreed, and walked away feeling pretty miserable. What was she going to do if there was no home to come back to? It had always been there, just as her father had been there for her, and now everything was different. She felt lost and lonely.

  ‘Marcus says they are off in a few minutes,’ Simon said. ‘Your sister is going up to change out of her dress. We could leave as soon as they’ve gone – couldn’t we?’

  ‘Yes, why not?’ Emily said. The mood she was in at the moment, she would be glad to get away. What she had expected to be a happy day had gone horribly wrong for her. ‘Yes, all right. I’ll go up to Frances now and say goodbye, and then we’ll leave as soon as she’s gone.’

  She smiled at him, then ran up the stairs to her sister’s room. Frances was struggling with her gown and turned to her sister with a look of relief. ‘I was hoping you would come,’ she said. ‘Can you unhook me at the back, please?’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ Emily said, and started to unfasten the dress. She wanted to ask if Frances knew about the house, but decided not to cast a shadow over things. Frances would be back in Stretton in a week, and so would she. They could talk about it then. ‘Has Marcus told you where you’re going?’

  ‘No, it’s a surprise,’ Frances told her. ‘But I think it’s down south somewhere – probably Devon I should think. I know Marcus likes it that way, and we had a holiday in Torquay with Dad once – do you remember?’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ Emily said. ‘It was a couple of years after Mum died and we all went – Daniel and Connor too. Connor was just a toddler.’

  ‘Marcus was there with his family. We all met up a couple of times. I think it was that summer I first knew I wanted to marry him.’

  ‘Well, you have now,’ Emily said. ‘So be happy, love.’

  ‘I intend to be,’ Frances said, and hugged her. ‘I shall be living with Marcus’s family until we get a house of our own. Marcus has told me to keep an eye out and let him know if there’s anything going that might be suitable.’

  Emily hesitated and then decided to say nothing. It wasn’t official yet. Besides, Rathmere might not be what Marcus was looking for.

  When Frances was dressed in her outfit and going away hat, she kissed Emily again and then followed her downstairs. Frances threw her bouquet. She aimed it at Emily but she let it go by her and one of the other young girls stretched out and caught it.

  Simon came to her as soon as her sister and Marcus had left, and she nodded, picked up her suitcase and let him usher her out of the house. She didn’t bother to say goodbye to anyone. She had forgotten that she wanted to talk to Alice, and she wasn’t in the mood to speak to the rest of her family. It wasn’t fair that they had all known what was going on or that she had been left in the dark until now. It seemed that she was to have no say in the decision; they were going to present her with the results of their meeting and she had to accept whatever was decided.

  ‘Cheer up, Emily,’ Simon said, as he heard her sigh. ‘It won’t be that bad, I promise. My family will love you.’

  ‘Oh, it wasn’t that,’ she said, and looked at him apologetically. ‘I’ve just discovered that my brothers and stepmother are probably going to sell the house.’

  ‘Does that mean you’ll be homeless?’

  ‘I’ve been told I can stay with one of them when I need to, but it won’t be the same.’

  ‘Not a very bright prospect,’ Simon agreed, and frowned. ‘Never mind, Emily. You won’t be there much in future. You can probably find somewhere to share with friends wherever they post you.’

  ‘Yes, I expect so,’ she said, and smiled. ‘I’ll face that when I have to – but I’m glad I’m coming with you today. I’m out of sorts with my family and that’s the truth.’

  ‘It’s often like this when stepmothers or divorce comes into a family,’ Simon said. ‘My parents were divorced when I was young, but my stepmother is great. I get on well with her – all the family does.’

  ‘I didn’t know your parents were divorced. Do you see your mother at all?’

  ‘Not often. It caused a terrible scandal at the time. She went off with an American millionaire. My father sued him for enticement and won; it cost the American a packet, but that was ages ago – and he could afford it.’

  ‘It must have been upsetting at the time.’

  ‘It was I suppose.’ Simon shrugged. ‘I remember feeling sorry for my father. He cried a lot, and had a bit of a breakdown I think. I blamed my mother. I still do, though she says that he was impossible to live with . . .’

  ‘It’s very sad,’ Emily said, and looked at him curiously. ‘Do you have any brothers or sisters?’

  ‘No brothers, one sister; she is married now,’ Simon told her. ‘Vanessa’s husband is something in the War Office – a fusty old devil but rich and clever. We don’t see much of them. I don’t particularly want to personally. Her tongue is pretty sharp.’

  ‘How old is your stepmother?’

  ‘About the same age as yours I would think,’ Simon replied with a slight frown. ‘But a very different type. Amelia is horsey, not a bit flighty or sexy. I think Father wanted to make certain he didn’t get a bolter this time.’

  Emily nodded but made no comment. She knew what he meant about Margaret – there was something about her. She had suspected for ages that Clay was attracted, and she wasn’t sure how Daniel felt. She had noticed him looking at Margaret a few times recently, but he wasn’t as easy to read as Clay.

  Emily was under no illusions about Clay. She knew that there was talk about him and various women, that Dorothy suspected him of having affairs, and she was pretty sure that he fancied his stepmother. And that was an awful thing to think! She shut her mind against it at once. Clay wouldn’t do anything like that with his father’s widow . . . would he?

  She wasn’t going to think about any of them fo
r the next few days, Emily decided. She was with Simon, who was very nice and whom she liked a lot. She was going to enjoy herself and let the future sort itself out.

  ‘Did Emily say goodbye to you?’ Margaret asked Daniel a little later that evening. ‘I saw her go but she didn’t even nod in my direction.’

  ‘No, she didn’t say goodbye to any of us,’ Daniel replied. ‘I think I upset her earlier.’

  ‘Well, I think that is very rude of her,’ Margaret said, and looked annoyed. ‘I am going away for a few days myself and it’s awkward, but there, if she can’t be bothered to speak to me, she will have to fend for herself.’

  ‘I shall be here,’ Daniel said. ‘When are you leaving?’

  ‘Tomorrow. A friend of mine is picking me up, and we’re going on to a party at the house of mutual friends.’

  ‘I see – well, that takes care of a few questions I wanted to ask, but there are others. When should we expect you back?’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I’ve been told you want to sell your share of the house, and we need to discuss it, Margaret. I’m afraid we can’t pay what you want. You will probably have to accept less.’

  ‘But it’s worth every penny,’ she said, and looked annoyed. ‘I’ve had it valued so I know.’

  ‘You may have had it valued, but try selling it at the moment,’ Daniel said. ‘It could take years to sell – but if you’re prepared to wait of course you might get a better price.’

  ‘What does Clay say about this?’

  ‘Clay is only one. There are three of us – and Connor and the girls, of course. We have to think about them.’

  ‘I shan’t sell cheaply . . .’ Her eyes glittered angrily.

  ‘Think about it while you’re away. I think we could manage half of what you’ve asked.’