Page 102 of A Good Heart is Hard to Find
‘What?’ he looked up, brow furrowed.
‘I said, shall I cancel your booking for tomorrow at the Hall?’
‘Funnily enough, I’m making my first Barbarella appearance there tomorrow,’ Orla said brightly. ‘One of the guest’s birthdays. A Mr Bream.’
‘Definitely not Marilyn Monroe then?’ I said.
She shrugged. ‘My dress is at the cleaner’s – but I don’t suppose he’ll complain.’
‘I don’t expecthewill but his wife might,’ I objected.
‘Don’t you dare!’ Jason said. ‘If you show up tomorrow night dressed like that I’ll—’
At that interesting point I had to leap in Francis’s path and head him off before he honed in on Orla and spoiled everything. He was single-mindedly transfixed: her bosomclearly held the same lure for him as mountain peaks.
Taking him firmly by the arm, I steered him to a seat some way away with his back towards her, then asked him the state of play.
‘State of play?’ he said vaguely, then gave himself a sort of mental shake. ‘Oh yes, the parents. Pa’s been round to the cottage and seen Jane’s car there, so he’s even more convinced that you’re hiding her. ButI’d told him you were away, and he could see for himself that there were no lights on, and the telephone was ringing and ringing with no one answering it.’
‘Max,’ I said resignedly. ‘I might have known he wouldn’t take no for an answer.’
‘Oh? Have you broken up with him? Trust you to do it just when you could finally get married and placate the parents!’
‘Even if I had married Max, it wouldnever have made things right again,’ I told him.
‘Maybe not. Well, anyway, then this old bat next door opened her window and started screaming at us, and singing snatches of “Men of Harlech”, and Pa told her she was possessed by the devil and she must be a great sinner.’
‘Oh dear! Mrs Bridgeswillkeep watchingZulu, and it always upsets her. Perhaps I ought to steal it next time I’m in herhouse? Or Eddie, if he goes round there to do something for her?’
‘Is Eddie here? In Westery?’
‘Yes, didn’t you know? His van’s up at the hall because he’s helping Rosetta – she’s the sister of Dante Chase, the new owner of Kedge Hall – to run her Ghastly Weekends. Sort of a themed country house weekend.’
Francis looked at me like I was mad butI’mnot the one who swings about on sheer rockfaces on a bit of string.
‘Maybe I’d better not mention Eddie,’ he suggested. ‘Ma would want to see him, but I always worry that Pa will have a stroke. It’s touch and go with his outbursts lately, sober or not.’
‘No, better keep Eddie quiet if you can.’
‘Jamie isn’t still here somewhere too, is he? Only Ma and Pa were expecting him home, and he never turned up. He just sent a postcard thatdidn’t make sense.’
‘No, he was here, but he lost his bottle and bolted. So, what’s Pa’s next move, Francis?’
‘Well, he asked me where you were, but luckily I didn’t know. But then he asked Orla. Great outfit, by the way!’ he added enthusiastically.
‘Stick to the point,’ I told him severely.
‘Right. So Orla told him you were Dante Chase’s slave for the weekend. That went down a treat.’
‘I’llhave to thank Orla for that one. What was she thinking of?’
‘Well, you know Pa – can charm the birds from the trees when he’s sober and puts his mind to it, even if he’s damning them all to hellfire for wanton tweeting ten minutes later.’
‘True. I suppose I’ll have to forgive her.’
‘So now Ma and Pa think you’re having some kind of dirty weekend with bondage and stuff, but at least it shouldput them off following you up there to demand Jane’s whereabouts. I tried phoning Phily’s house again to speak to Jane, but there was no answer.’
‘Probably out having fun.Iremember fun – I think,’ I said bitterly.
