Page 26 of An Ill Wind in Seabury
‘Stop it,’ said Claudia sharply, dropping her hands. ‘Don’t do that.’
‘Do what?’
‘Talk about yourself like that. Like you’re…less than.’ Her eyes flashed. ‘You’re happy, aren’t you? You said you love your job, and you love this place. You’ve got friends who clearly adore you. Do you have any idea how rare that is?’
George blinked, taken aback by the passion in her voice. He opened his mouth to make a joke and change the subject.
‘Don’t joke it away, George, I’m serious!’ said Claudia. ‘Do you know what I’ve been doing for the last ten years? Trying to live up to everyone else’s idea of what my life should looklike. I’ve had two marriages to men my mother approved of. Two spectacular failures that have left me feeling like a complete fraud.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ said George quietly. ‘That must have been…’
‘Rubbish,’ said Claudia. ‘The first one treated me like a decorative accessory and the second one… well, let’s just say that he had some verytraditionalideas about what wives should and shouldn’t do. He’s the reason I gave up my job in design—the one thing that was really mine. Anyway, in hindsight, I don’t think either of them even liked me very much. They liked the idea of me. The posh accent, the family connections… but not the real, messy, human me.’
‘Then they were clearly idiots,’ said George, surprised at the sudden wave of protectiveness that washed over him.
‘Yeah, but I was too, for thinking I could just turn into what they wanted me to be,’ said Claudia, picking up her wine glass and taking a gulp. ‘Things have been really tough since the second divorce came through. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret it… but it pretty much cleared me out. I had to move back in with my mother and stepfather.’
‘That must be… interesting?’ said George, doing his best to hide his horror.
‘Something like that.’ She huffed out a mirthless laugh.
George nodded, not sure what to say. He’d always liked Claudia’s dad, and he’d been gutted when he’d heard on the grapevine that he’d passed away. From what Claudia had told him so far, though, it sounded like her stepfather couldn’t be more different if he tried.
‘Is your mum still in the same place?’ he said, thinking of the vast property with its five bedrooms and sprawling gardens.
‘Yes… but when I say Imoved back in, they’ve put me in the pool house,’ said Claudia. ‘I’m not exactly welcome when they’re entertaining guests. I’m the family embarrassment.’
‘Blimey, Claudia…’
‘And now they’ve got me running errands and doing their dirty work like some sort of unpaid private investigator,’ she continued. ‘Because heaven forbid Freya should marry into a family that isn’t “suitable”.’
George set down his fork. ‘So they’ve sent you here to what… spy on the Pepper brothers?’
‘Something like that,’ said Claudia miserably. ‘Mother wants me to find out about their family background, their financial situation, whether they’re “our sort of people”.’ She made air quotes around the last bit, rolling her eyes. ‘As if any of that matters as long as Freya’s happy and in love.’
‘Your mother’s not convinced, I take it?’ said George, trying to keep his voice light.
‘She doesn’t believe in love,’ said Claudia flatly. ‘She believes in strategic alliances and social climbing and making sure the family name stays respectable.’ She paused, then added more quietly, ‘She’s never forgiven me for not being more like her.’
‘You know what I think?’ said George.
‘What?’ said Claudia.
‘I think your mum’s an interfering old bat who wouldn’t know happiness if it bit her on the behind.’
Claudia snorted out a laugh. ‘George!’
‘Tell me I’m wrong!’
Claudia shook her head.
‘You know what else I think?’ he continued. ‘I think you’ve spent far too long trying to please someone who doesn’t actually know how to be pleased about anything.’
Claudia nodded but didn’t say anything. Instead, she picked up her knife and fork and began cutting a chunk of steak as if her life depended on it. She popped it into her mouth and began to chew. ‘Oh… em… geeeeee!’ she murmured, closing her eyes in bliss for a second.
‘Hattie knows what she’s doing!’ said George with a grin.
Claudia smiled and grabbed a chip, dunking it into the thick, creamy peppercorn sauce.
