Roses and Champange

by Neels, Betty

  She looked at him in surprise. ‘Well, I’m twenty-seven, and I suppose you saw me in my pram—you’d have been seven years old.’

  ‘And you would say we’ve been good friends during those years?’ He added with faint mockery: ‘Until I broke Virginia’s heart.’

  She said gruffly: ‘Well, you know we have.’

  ‘And do you really suppose I would allow a friend of such long standing—as close—no, closer—than a sister, to be ridiculed by her sister, even if it was meant as a bad joke and no one really believed it?’

  Katrina stared at him, drank her sherry at one gulp and said in a small voice: ‘You mean you...I thought you were pretending it was true so that you could get even with Virginia.’

  He raised his eyebrows. ‘My dear girl, I’ve never wished to get even with anyone; but since, according to Virginia, I’ve been—er—bowled over by your brains and elegance, and what was the other thing? Ah, yes, knowledge of the world, and not forgetting your maturity, then let our friends assume that that is the case.’

  ‘Yes, but it’s not, is it? I mean, we can’t go on for ever walking out.’

  ‘Of course not, that would be too tedious, it sounds to me to be a very straitlaced procedure. We’ll work our way by easy stages to a vague engagement and by then everyone will have lost interest.’ He broke off as Cobb came to tell them that dinner was served, and during the meal Lucius kept up a gentle flow of small talk which took them pleasantly through the delicious consomme, the fried whitebait, the duck with brandy, pineapple and curacao and the mince tart with clotted cream. Katrina, feeling much more herself after such good food and with two glasses of Lucius’s best hock inside her, turned a much less jaundiced eye on the situation.

  Back in the drawing room, pouring coffee from the George the Second coffee pot, she said suddenly: ‘Well, it’s very kind of you, Lucius, and I feel very mean about it, because I didn’t realise...that is, I thought you were pretending just to please yourself. Won’t it be a bore for you?’

  His face was in shadow and, she couldn’t see it very clearly, but his voice was reassuringly matter-of-fact. ‘Why should it bore me? We’ve always seen a great deal of each other, all we have to do is spend an evening in town from time to time and take care to be seen together in public. Besides, I’d planned to go to Greece for a week or two after Christmas—you can come too—in fact, you’ll have to, otherwise people will think I’ve jilted you as well as Virginia.’

  ‘Greece?’ Katrina’s voice came out a surprised squeak, she said the first thing which came to her head. ‘But I haven’t any clothes...’

  ‘Then we can spend a pleasant day in town buying whatever you need.’

  She said crossly: ‘You’ve always had an answer, to everything, Lucius. So soon after Christmas,’ she grumbled.

  ‘There couldn’t be a better time. Your staff can have a few weeks’ holiday. We won’t be here when James and Virginia come back from their honeymoon—and that might be a good thing. You’ll come here for Christmas Day, of course. The usual aunts and uncles and cousins will be here—you can help me entertain them.’

  She said feebly: Td planned a quiet few days...’

  ‘Out of the question. Have a drinks party on Christmas Eve if you want to, and come here for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.’

  ‘You’ve got it all nicely arranged,’ Katrina said feebly.

  ‘Naturally these things need to be planned ahead. You surely didn’t think you’d spend Christmas alone?’

  ‘Well, I had thought I’d have a few people in for a drink—we always have done, you know.’ She added defiantly: ‘I thought I’d like a quiet time to myself.’

  ‘In theory, yes, in practice, no. Tomorrow we’ll go and tell Lovelace and Mrs Beecham what we’ve decided.’

  ‘But I’ve not decided anything,’ she said with a flash of spirit ‘Don’t bully me, Lucius!’

  ‘Dear girl, if I didn’t bully you, you’d sit here alone, dressed in navy blue or beige, only going out when bidden, and then in a garment which shrouded your still youthful charms from neck to ankle.’

  ‘I’m twenty-seven,’ she told him bleakly.

  ‘And I’m thirty-four. We have all our lives before us, my dear. You’ll spend Christmas here and we’ll go together to Greece.’ He smiled at her with great gentleness. ‘When you were a little girl, you never questioned anything I suggested. Don’t do it now.’

  ‘I’ve never been to Greece,’ said Katrina slowly

  ‘Athens, I thought, and Cape Sounion where we’ll get a fine view of the Aegean Islands. I’ll hire a car and we can go farther afield. There should be plenty of sun and it will be pleasantly warm.’

  ‘It sounds interesting.’

  ‘Good, I’ll get the tickets—some time in early January.’

  He took her home presently, seeing her through her own front door and wishing her a casual goodnight It was still quite early. Katrina told Lovelace to lock up and went to bed, falling asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.

  The next day was totally taken up with getting the house back to normal, packing up the wedding presents to be taken over to the Lovells’ house, and making plans for Christmas, and hi the evening after dinner she sat at her desk, writing the Christmas cards and making a list of friends who should come for drinks. It was a lengthy business and once or twice she found herself wishing Lucius might come in and chat for half an hour. But there was no sign of him, nor the next day, either.

  One day after that she got up earlier than usual, took Bouncer for a walk, had breakfast and went up to the Studio. There was the book jacket to get started on; she did some rough sketches, not content with any of them, and was sitting staring at them when the door opened and Lucius walked in.

  ‘Up early, aren’t you? I saw you out with Bouncer hours ago. If you’ve nothing better to do we’ll go up to town and do some shopping.’

  Katrina eyed him coolly. ‘I thought I’d get on with this—they want it before the New Year.’

  He came and peered over her shoulder. ‘Don’t you like any of them? I don’t. A change of scene will help. Go and put on a coat. I’ll take you to lunch and you can help me choose the crackers for the school party.’

  She hesitated. The village school was something everyone bothered about; so far they had hung on to it, despite Authority’s ideas about sending the children to Chipping Norton by bus each day and closing the cosy little building by the church in the centre of the village. The party was an annual affair; her mother had always been one of its organisers and Katrina had taken over this task. She had already planned the tea and been to a meeting about presents for the children, but the tree would need new baubles. She said: ‘OK, give me ten minutes. Have you sent your cards yet?’

  They left the room and started downstairs. ‘Mrs Beale’s doing the envelopes today,’ Lucius told her.

  Mrs Beale was an elderly treasure who arrived twice a week to deal with any correspondence Lucius hadn’t time for. She saw to the wages sheets too and sat in on the weekly sessions he had with the Home Farm Manager. Katrina nodded. ‘What a paragon she is—what are you giving her for Christmas? I found a rather nice scarf in Liberty’s.’

  ‘You shall help me choose something.’ He went on down the staircase and left her to run to her room and change into a skirt and cashmere woolly and matching top coat, cram her feet into boots, stuff her shoulder bag with necessary odds and ends, and then go to the kitchen. Lucius was in the hall and as she went past him she asked: ‘Do you want to eat here this evening?’

  He didn’t answer at once, then: ‘That would have been nice, but I’ve a date.’

  She barely paused on her way. ‘OK. Blonde and beautiful, I suppose.’ She said it lightly and felt surprised at her disappointment; she was a bit lonely without Virginia around the house, of course, but no one needed to know that.

  She asked Mrs Beecham to let her have a tray in the sitting room when she got back that evening. Tm sure to have an e
normous lunch, so soup and an omelette will be fine,’ she said.

  Mrs Beecham gave her a thoughtful glance. ‘I hope you both have a nice day,’ she observed. ‘It’s a pity Mr Massey can’t come back for dinner; there’s the tenderest capon in the larder.’

  ‘Another time, Mrs Beecham!’ Katrina nipped away before Mrs Beecham had time to frame the next question. Til be back about six o’clock,’ she told Lovelace.

  ‘Probably nearer seven,’ said Lucius as he ushered her through the door.

  The Jaguar wasn’t there. Katrina stood gazing open-mouthed. ‘That’s a Bentley Turbo,’ she said at last.

  ‘Yes—I drove it back yesterday. I’ll be needing a second car.’ He didn’t tell her why, and she didn’t ask. She thought she knew; when all this silly nonsense Virginia had started was over and done with he would get married. Perhaps it was the girl he had the date with that evening; he would, she thought shrewdly, have to use all his considerable charm to convince her that going on holiday to Greece with a girl he had practically grown up with was absolutely nothing to worry about. She had no doubt that he would succeed.

  ‘She’s super,’ she observed. ‘Is she easy to drive?’

  ‘Goes like a bird. Get hi and I’ll show you.’ It was indeed a magnificent car, and Katrina was sorry when Lucius parked in the mews behind his office, told her to stay where she was for five minutes and disappeared inside.

  ‘We’ll leave her here,’ he said when he got back, ‘and get a taxi. Where shall it be first? Shall we try Fortnum and Mason for the crackers and something for Mrs Beale, have lunch and take a look at some holiday clothes for you?’

  She was getting out of the car. ‘All right, Lucius. You’re sure you want me to come with you? I mean, it wouldn’t really matter if I didn’t, would it?’

  He looked down at her, frowning, his grey eyes cool. ‘Backing out?’ he wanted to know. ‘You never used to, Katie.’

  That stung. ‘Well, I’m not. I just wanted to make sure.’ She reflected rather sadly that until now she would have asked him to tell her who the girl was, even offered advice about marrying her, just as a sister might, but somehow she couldn’t. She hadn’t felt shy or awkward with Lucius in the whole of her life, but now she did, and she didn’t like it.

  They had a wonderful time choosing the crackers, first for the children’s party, then for themselves, and while they were there it seemed a pity not to buy some of the delicacies so temptingly on display. Lucius arranged for their purchases to be sent round to his office, hailed a taxi and bore her off to lunch; Claridges, as he had promised.

  From there, fortified by hot lobster patties, roast turkey and a souffle Harlequin, washed down by hock, they made their way to the boutique where Ka-trina had bought her dresses. She was welcomed as an old customer, Lucius was settled at a discreet distance, and the saleslady and her assistants, warmly enthusiastic at the idea of a holiday in Greece, brought out armfuls of colourful garments.

  ‘Oh, I wouldn’t want half of those,’ declared Ka-trina, and then, quite carried away, bought almost all of them—tops and skirts, Italian knitteds, vivid scarves, slacks. They totalled an astronomical figure, and she wrote the cheque with a steady hand before rejoining Lucius.

  The packages would be parcelled up and ready within half an hour, she was assured, as she floated out of the shop, quite carried away with her extravagance. On the pavement outside she recovered sufficiently to say: ‘We still have to buy something for Mrs Beale.’

  Lucius smiled faintly. ‘So we do. What do you suggest?’

  ‘One of those big square shawls—paisley and fringed; she could use it if she goes out in the evening, or just when she’s at home—I mean, she wouldn’t have to put it away in a drawer, if you see what I mean.’

  He agreed seriously enough and then asked: ‘You seem to have bought a great deal, Katie.’

  ‘I’ve been wickedly extravagant, but everything was so bright and pretty.’ She added anxiously: ‘I shall never have the chance to wear them all, shall I?’

  ‘Undoubtedly. I can’t wait to see you in them.’ She remembered then that he had a date that evening. ‘We ought to be getting back,’ she said firmly, and refused the tea he offered her, saying she had a great deal to do when she got home. It vexed her rather that he didn’t try to persuade her to do anything else.

  He dropped her off outside her front door with the excuse that he was already a little late, so she said quite sharply: Til get Lovelace to help with the parcels—don’t get out.’ It annoyed her very much that he took her at her word.

  She didn’t see him for the next two days; indeed, it wasn’t until the afternoon of the third day, when she was knee deep in children playing Hunt the Slipper, serving jellies and ice creams and handing out balloons, that he appeared, armed with a great tin of sweets which he handed out by the fistful. He was popular with the children, even though they were in slight awe of him, and he sat down at the long trestle table and ate a jelly with an unselfconscious pleasure which she found endearing.

  The party ended with the pulling of crackers and handing out of a present to each child, and the various ladies who had come to help started on the clearing up, while the school caretaker, a cantankerous old man, began to dismantle the tables and chairs. Lucius filled the car with children who lived outside the village and drove off with them. The school was itself once again by the time he got back and Katrina was getting into her own car. He got out of his car and put his head through the window, within inches of her face. ‘Go and wash your sticky fingers,’ he told her. ‘I’ll call for you in half an hour.’

  ‘But Mrs Beecham will have started cooking dinner,’ she protested.

  ‘Then she can eat it. You’re having dinner with me. I’ve got all my presents to wrap and I need some help.’ She sighed loudly. ‘You’re so helpless!’

  ‘Yes, I know, that’s why I want some help.’ He smiled gently at her and she said: ‘All right—half an hour, then.’

  Actually the evening was fun. They ate their dinner in the little morning room at a small round table before a roaring fire and then went into the drawing room where the presents had been piled high on one of the sofas. Katrina wrapped each carefully, examining it first, while Lucius tied on the labels. One or two of the boxes she wasn’t allowed to open and she amused herself guessing what was inside.

  ‘Wait and see,’ said Lucius. ‘What have you got for Virginia and James?’

  ‘Table linen for their patio—white linen appliqued with flowers. Mrs Lovell said they always had lunch there in the summer, so I daresay Virginia will do the same.’ She added: Tve not heard from them.’

  ‘Did you expect to? They’re spending Christmas in the Bahamas, aren’t they? I’d rather be here.’

  ‘Oh, so would I.’ Katrina looked around her at the grand room, somehow so homelike and cosy with the three dogs bunched before the fire and Lucius sprawled out in his chair. ‘I think Bouncer considers this place his home.’

  Lucius glanced up. ‘Possibly. How strange it will be when we don’t visit each other anymore.’

  She looked bewildered and then said quickly: ‘Yes, won’t it?’ she hadn’t quite understood; she would think it over, later, she couldn’t dismiss it as a chance remark because Lucius never made chance remarks. To get away from her unease she asked: ‘Which date do we leave for Greece?’

  ‘January the tenth, that gives us time to breathe after the New Year.’

  ‘Virginia and James don’t get back until the fifteenth...’

  ‘That’s why we’re going on the tenth. You’re going to Lady Ryder’s tomorrow evening? Ill pick you up and you can invite me to dinner afterwards.’

  ‘All right. I’ll get Mrs Beecham to make one of those mince tarts you like so much.’ She glanced at the lovely old bracket clock on its ledge between the windows. ‘Heavens, look at the time. I must go home.’

  It had been a pleasant day she told herself sleepily, lying curled up in her bed later, and she ha
d enjoyed it, doing the parcels with Lucius. He was a pleasant person to be with; true, he had a nasty temper, but he seldom allowed it to show and just lately he had been positively mild. Possibly because he’d got his own way with this silly business of pretending to fancy her. It was kind of him, of course. Perhaps he had thought that she would mind people gossiping about Virginia’s silly remarks; he had said so, hadn’t he? She shut her eyes tightly and frowned. Tomorrow she would ask him about the girl he’d dated. Perhaps after all this time, he had really fallen in love—properly in love—at last. She found the thought upsetting, but she was too tired to bother; she fell asleep and dreamed that she was bridesmaid at his wedding—the bride was tantalisingly out of focus, but Lucius wore the look of a man who had got his own way and was delighted with himself. To her great surprise she woke up crying.

  Chapter 5

  Lady Ryder’s parties were a class apart. She lived in a small Queen Anne house in the centre of the village, looked after by a grumpy middle-aged housekeeper and an equally grumpy old man who saw to the small but delightful garden, drove her around in an elderly Austin motor car, and opened the front door to callers. Twice a year she invited her friends to her house, where she crammed in as many people as possible, serving them with indifferent sherry, very small meat-paste sandwiches and sweet biscuits. And everyone came because it was an open secret that she had almost no money now that she was widowed and even such refreshments as she offered were a drain on her slender purse. And in return she was invited everywhere; seldom a week went past without her dining out, enjoying drinks with some friend or other, or being bidden to tea. She was an imposing old lady, very upright, with beady eyes and a hawk’s nose and a resounding voice, much given to criticism but never known to utter a single complaint about her circumstances. Everyone loved her; although when she had been extra tart, with reservations.

  The low-ceilinged drawing room was already full by the time Katrina and Lucius arrived. They found their hostess, accepted sherry from the old man and circulated, which meant edging their way gingerly from group to group and shouting greetings above the din. It wasn’t long before they were separated, and Katrina found herself with Mrs Turner, Mrs Lovell and two youngish women she didn’t know.