‘I’m on my way to meet Martin’ Jeremy sits on the edge of the sofa, his car keys in hand ‘it wasn’t far out of my way so I thought why not leave a teeny bit earlier and pay Harriet a visit. You don’t mind me dropping by unannounced, do you?’
‘Not at all, it’s wonderful to see you’ Harriet removes her reading glasses and puts them on the table beside her. ‘And how is Martin? Thrilled, I should imagine’ she claps her hands together with delight ‘Although I quite expected to see you there too’ she dips her head as though looking over the glasses she has just taken off.
‘Oh’ Jeremy turns his head away shyly ‘I’m not a red carpet sort of person, am I?’
‘Nevertheless...’
He holds up his hand and closes his eyes, brushing away her comment ‘I would absolutely shrivel with embarrassment if a camera came anywhere near me. I was quite content to stay home and mind the babies. Let the man have his day, why not’
‘Babies?’ Harriet modulates her squeak ‘Babies?’
‘The horses’ Jeremy giggles ‘Goodness, Harriet, did you think we’d become parents?’
‘Nothing would surprise me at all in this day and age’ she gives a little cough and settles herself more comfortably in her chair.
‘Well, no....although I simply adore having my friend’s children around, they’re little poppets, they really are. We have such fun but I couldn’t be doing with all that nappy changing’ he makes a face ‘I like them walking and talking and old enough to look after themselves, thank you very much’ he finishes with a smile ‘And Martin’s far too old, but don’t let him know I said that’
‘Christopher has adapted rather well’ Harriet says in his defence, her words sounding like a mild rebuke.
‘Oh, I didn’t mean other people his age shouldn’t have them’ Jeremy rushes on, his face reddening ‘But Martin’s done all that so there’s no reason why he should want to do it all again, is there?’ A moment’s silence grows and his blush deepens ‘I’ve put my foot in it for a second time, haven’t I?’
‘No matter’ Harriet tinkles a laugh ‘I understand what you are trying to say but I thought for one awful moment you had fallen victim to the current trend in fashion accessories’ she says scathingly. ‘Little Cerys may have been unplanned but she is loved dearly for what she is, not for the chance to flaunt her presence to the world’ Her brow furrows as she muses ‘Now I think on it, I cannot remember a single photograph of her appearing in the press, posed or otherwise, and that to my mind is how it should be. Ruth was somewhat practised at parading my other grandchildren in front of the camera and I did not like it one bit!’
‘I can imagine’
‘Now then’ Harriet folds her hands in her lap and looks at him with eager anticipation ‘Tell me all your news. It seems such a long while since you were here last’ she changes the subject completely.
‘Well’ Jeremy looks nonplussed at the sudden jump ‘There’s not a great deal to tell’
‘I’m sure there must be’
‘Not really...Martin you know about and I’ve been pottering the same as ever. Head cook and bottle washer, me’ he smiles happily ‘I have some wonderful friends in the village, the horses to look after and when we crave something other than a game of darts in the evening, we pop up to town. I have the best of both worlds and I have never been so happy
‘The life certainly seems to appeal’ she says fondly ‘You have a....sparkle about you’
‘Thank you’ he lowers his eyes again ‘How about you?’ he looks up ‘I heard you hadn’t been too well’ his forehead puckers with concern ‘Now be truthful’
‘I am quite recovered, thank you. A dizzy spell, that is all’
‘I heard it was more than that. Didn’t you have a fall?’
‘No more than a faint I can assure you. As there has been no repetition of the event, I fail to see how that may be interpreted as being none too well’ Harriet says irritably ‘I shall make us some tea’ she says, evading any further comment by changing the topic again ‘Jeannie has left it all prepared, I need only place another cup on the tray’
‘Let me do it’ Jeremy gets to his feet ‘I know where everything is’
‘I am perfectly capable...’ Harriet starts to say
‘I know but it’ll be fun for me to do it for once’
‘You do have a somewhat distorted idea of fun’ she scoffs but follows him into the hall on his way to the kitchen, with a smile.
‘I daresay you have some of Mrs. Brown’s fruit cake hidden away too’ he says over his shoulder as he pushes the door open ‘Shall we be wicked?’
‘Wonderful idea’
‘You sit down then and I’ll get busy’ Jeremy bustles the length of the breakfast room to switch on the kettle while Harriet makes her way to the table and sits as bidden.
‘I did not need for you to do this. I am quite capable, you do understand that?’
‘Then what....’ Jeremy closes the wall cupboard and reappears from behind the door with his lips pressed together in a straight line of disapproval ‘is all this nonsense about you needing a companion?’
Harriet scowls ‘No doubt Christopher has been talking to Martin and that is the reason for your visit’ she accuses him crossly ‘I will not have other people interfering in my affairs!’
‘Nobody is, darling. I got to hear about it but if I hadn’t, I would still have come visit. You’re a very dear friend, why shouldn’t I call on you if I feel like it? I expected to see you at death’s door ‘he says bluntly ‘But here you are looking as fit as a fiddle and the last person I would think of as needing some old starchy drawers looking out for them’ He marches back to the table with a fruit cake on a plate. ‘That’s not the Harriet I know, I’m sure’
‘If it puts my family’s mind at rest, then that is what I have to do’
‘Clap-trap!’ he slides onto the chair opposite her, checking first that the kettle has not come to the boil. ‘If you don’t need it, why go to all that bother? It’s not as though they’re miles away is it?’ he cranes his neck to look out of the window and across the courtyard ‘All you need is a whistle’ he laughs merrily ‘No’ he says in a less frivolous tone ‘Why have someone come cramp your style when you can be as free as a bird on your own?’
‘Ah’ his face falls ‘I didn’t know that. See? I don’t know everything’ with a small sigh he gets up to fill the teapot ‘Well..’ he brightens as he brings the tray ‘That makes little or no difference, there’ll still be someone reliable nearby and I don’t doubt for one second that one or other of them will be calling in every day, wherever they might move to and you can’t tell me you haven’t got people popping in and out all the time. I’m here for a start’
‘It is the night times which are of most concern’ Harriet finds little to contradict. ‘A knife and plates if you are to do the job properly’ she stares pointedly at the cake.
‘Ooops, sorry, pardon’ he grins and goes to fetch them ‘I still don’t see the need for a companion’ he says as he sits down ‘I mean to say, the time you think you’ll need them, they’re going to be tucked up in bed while you’ve had to put up with them all day and paid through the nose for the pleasure. Seems daft to me, don’t you think so? They could be snoring their head off while you’re busy popping your clogs and nobody would find out until morning anyway’
Harriet stares at him for so long he starts to feel uncomfortable.
‘Only my opinion, don’t go taking offence’ he busies himself pouring the tea ‘but it’s obvious when you think about it, isn’t it?’ he passes her cup. ‘Whoever came up with that idea wants shooting’
‘I did’
‘Ah....Look’ he says slowly replacing the teapot on its stand ‘How about I go out and come back in again? I’ve done nothing but put my size nines in it ever since I got here’
‘No’ Harriet inclines her head towards him ‘I freely admit you have a point’
‘Well, I thought so’ he visibly relaxes and picks up the knife to cut into the cake ‘If you need the company, take in lodgers and have them pay you, I say....or how about a nice little gigolo?’
Harriet chokes on her tea ‘I would imagine’ she says on a hoot of laughter ‘a gigolo would prefer his meat a little more tender’
‘Don’t you believe it’ Jeremy sits with both elbows on the table, holding his cup between both hands. ‘I could name you a few who’d be glad to have you on their arm’
‘Oh, Jeremy’ she says with an unladylike chuckle ‘The thought of it. What a tonic you are!’
‘There you go, you see?’ he blinks over the rim of the cup and takes a sip ‘What you need is taking out of yourself, not a companion. One little faint and you go into panic mode. Don’t give up on life yet, dear’
‘It was my grandson who set all this in motion. He insisted I needed more care. Originally, I had nothing to do with the idea at all’
‘There’s nothing to say you can’t change your mind. What’s this about them leaving? You say that Jeannie and.....and Duncan, yes, that’s it, forgot his name for a minute, you say they’re moving into the annexe? That’s a bit strong, isn’t it? Kester’s only got to mention he’s worried and you give him his marching orders!’
‘It was not like that at all!’ Harriet objects.
‘Only teasing’ Jeremy brushes her annoyance away with a grin and the flap of a hand. ‘You’re lucky to have a family who cares, some aren’t so fortunate. I’m sure he only had your best interests at heart. I wouldn’t go blaming him for worrying about you’
‘I am not blaming him’
‘Oh dear, you really have got a fit of them, haven’t you? I think I’d better forget about this tea and get on my way. I’ve done nothing but upset you today’ Jeremy puts his cup down and pushes it away from him.
‘Stay and finish’ she makes it sound like a command ‘Please’ she adds in a softer vein ‘and eat your cake. It really is too good to miss’
‘Oh, alright then, you’ve twisted my arm’ he rolls his eyes and snorts as his hand darts forward to retrieve his plate.
‘I apologise. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately’
‘I’m not surprised you’re grumpy. Seems to me you’ve given up. Get out there and have some fun’ he enthuses through a mouthful of cake ‘like you used to. I know what you’re going to say’ he points a finger, pausing while he chews and swallows ‘you’re not as young as you used to be. I know you’re not and I realise you can’t gad about like you did before but to hole up here and be thinking about getting some old biddy in to talk to, well that’s enough to stick in anyone’s craw. There’s lots of life still worth living, you just have to go about it a different way. Go out with a bang, dear, that’s what I say’
Harriet’s eyes glint with wry amusement ‘Are we back to that gigolo again?’
Tawny House, Manor Road
Chapter Thirty-six
