Page 91 of A Good Heart is Hard to Find
‘Hello, Cass. I was waitingfor you.’
‘I thought you’d turn up eventually, Gerald, but it’s like I told you on the phone: Jane isn’t here.’
‘I know she doesn’t want to see me, and I don’t mean to try and force my way in or anything,’ he said pathetically, looking about as violent as a stuffed koala.
‘You don’t have to force your way in,’ I said opening the door invitingly. ‘You’re quite welcome to. And Jane really isn’there – she’s in London, because George has had to go abroad and Phily’s being prosecuted for a spot of her old trouble.’
‘You mean she’s been in London all this time helping poor Phily?’ he said, his face clearing as if by magic.
Fortunately he was not expecting an answer to this question.
‘Oh that’ssolike Jane, not to want to tell people when she’s helping someone in distress!’
‘Yes, isn’tit?’ I said, possibly a little sarcastically.
‘And people have been implying the most horrible things,’ he said indignantly, ‘like she wasn’t really staying with you, but was off with this Clint whatever he was called.’
‘Really? Well, you only have to ask yourself, George: would Jane throw up her happy and comfortable life with you to go and live in a tent in Cornwall? I mean, how likely isthat?’
‘A tent?’ His slightly protuberant eyes widened like a surprised baby’s.
‘Yes, Clint Atwood lives in a tent in a commune. Now, can you see Jane teetering about a wet boggy field in her stilettos and beige cashmere? Come on!’
I certainly wishI’dseen it, though. It would have cancelled out a whole load of debts.
George glowed happily as if he’d had a transfusion of something. Whateverit was, I wished I could have one too, because I’d never managed glowing: a pallid pearly glimmer was about the best I could do.
‘What a weight off my mind,’ he said. Then his face clouded again a little: ‘But will she ever forgive me for the horrible things I accused her of – the things I did? She sent me a wonderful letter explaining everything, and I felt totally unworthy of her!’
I’d liketo have seen that letter: clearly there’s hope for her novel-writing skills yet.
‘I’m sure she will, Gerald, she’s dying to see you,’ I said reassuringly. ‘Aren’t you on holiday? Why don’t you go down for the weekend? George and Phily have got lots of room and I’m sure they won’t mind.’
‘Do you think I should? Does she really want to see me?’
‘Of course she does!’ I said firmly, because bythen I was pretty sure Jane was regretting her moment of muddy madness and was longing to sink back into her usual groove.
‘Then I will! But first, perhaps I ought to try and explain to your parents? I mean in the heat of the moment—’
‘You said more than you should?’ I said. ‘I know, Gerald, Pa’s been burning the wires with messages of eternal damnation ever since, for Jane as well as me, whichis a novelty. But you can’t get in touch with them, because they’re making Francis drive them here to see Jane and there’s no way to head them off. They must be staying with some of the godly en route, and Pa doesn’t let Francis drive at more than thirty miles an hour even in an emergency, so they probably won’t arrive before Friday when they’re booked into a local B&B.’
‘I’ll have to try andtalk to them later, then. But at least their journey won’t be wasted even if Jane isn’t here, because once they see you again they are bound to want to become reconciled, aren’t they?’
‘I wouldn’t hold your breath.’
‘You may be surprised, now you’ve completely finished with Max.’
‘But I haven’t quite done that, yet, Gerald.’
His eyes widened in surprise. ‘Haven’t you? I thought you would haveafter it came out about his affair with that personal trainer, the one who’s admitted pushing Rosemary’s chair over the edge.’
‘Kyra?’ I exclaimed. ‘So he really was having an affair with her? I suspected as much after he told me about her shoving Rosemary’s wheelchair during an argument, and he denied it! But he said the police were satisfied the accident was nothing to do with him?’
‘Yes,though he will probably have to go back for the court case since this Kyra said the argument with Rosemary was because she’d found out about their affair. Sorry, Cass – I thought you knew all this,’ he apologized.
‘Never mind – I’m glad you told me. Gerald, do you think Max knew what Kyra had done all along?’
‘Apparently she’s sworn he didn’t.’
