‘Who the fuck let her in?’ Nathan pauses, his glass half way to his mouth. He grimaces an apology for the language.
Chris James turns towards the door and Lynn stiffens, putting a hand on his arm as he starts forward. ‘Please don’t’
‘Don’t what?’ Chris growls.
‘And what the hell do you think she’s here to do, wish them well? I’ll get rid of her before they arrive…and the little shit she persuaded to bring her!’
‘Need some help?’ Nathan offers, putting his glass down on a nearby table.
Blythe turns her back to the rest of the group to whisper ‘Kester’s mother’
Charlene’s eyes widen ‘The one that was so horrible to Helen?’
‘That’s her’ Blythe continues their whispered conversation.
‘Oh God!’ Charlene chews at a fingernail. ‘She going to cause bother?’
‘I have no idea’
‘She’d better not!’ Charlene straightens, a fiery look in her eyes. ‘They’re my friends. Nobody upsets my friends’
‘Calm down…his father and Nathan are going to sort it out’
The room falls silent as the musicians set on a corner stage play a deep booming chord and the double doors between the formal dining room and the conservatory are swung open by two of the waiting staff.
Kester and Helen stand arm in arm on the threshold. A ripple of applause starts tentatively, gaining momentum until, to whistles, clapping and a stamping of feet, they make their way to the stage. They stand back, grinning and embarrassed while Harriet takes the microphone.
‘Ladies and gentlemen….and those who are not sure’ Harriet smiles sweet innocence, eliciting a guffaw of laughter from Martin Gunnery. ‘It is my very great pleasure…’
‘Stop this!’ Ruth James shakes off restraining hands and starts to push her way through the assembled guests.
Bemused and unsure of what is happening, people stand back. From the stage, Harriet looks on in angry astonishment and Kester puts his arm protectively around Helen, his face flaming with temper.
‘This is unbelievable!’
‘Ruth’ Christopher James hisses urgently, catching her arm again. ‘Please leave’
‘I will not leave! I will have my say’
‘Go now before we have to do it forcibly and make you look a complete fool’
‘He is my son. I have every right to be here! Kester, darling, you are making the biggest mistake of your life, Listen to me!'
Around them, people hear only one side of the exchange; Christopher’s voice a low and insistent murmur, Ruth’s a high pitched and strident screech.
‘Let go of me!’ she snarls as she throws off Nathan’s hand from her other arm. ‘You!’ She points an accusing finger at Helen ‘Are nothing but a whore!’
People gasp and a rumble of disgust circulates the room.
‘Get out and get out now!’ Furious, Kester jumps down from the stage.
Andrew Ward blocks his path. ‘Let them see to it’ he says in a gruff undertone, putting the flat of his hand on Kester’s chest. ‘Get back up there. Ignore the cow’
‘A whore!’
‘That’s enough’ Christopher James growls, dragging her away.
‘Like father like son!’ she spits. ‘And you had the nerve to bring your whore here too… part of the family? A family of whores!’ she sneers.
Jeannie Brown comforts a trembling Lynn.
‘I’ll tell you who’s a whore. It ain’t her and it ain’t her neither!’ Charlene surges forward into the middle of the room to face Ruth, her fists clenched at her side, anger overcoming any shyness.
Ruth looks her up and down. ‘And who the hell are you?’
‘It don’t matter ..... but nobody talks t’my friends like you been doing’
‘Charlene, come on …it’s not worth it’ Nathan speaks quietly but firmly, signalling for Blythe to persuade her away.
‘I know where I seen you before now but big ‘eads like you don’t never notice people like me’ Charlene continues.
‘What, common little tarts?’ Ruth says scornfully. ‘Why would I?’
Charlene glances at Blythe who has taken her arm, but refuses to move. ‘Oh, yeah…I’m common. I know it an’ all…but I int no tart…not like you’ She pushes her face into Ruth’s. ‘It’s you what’s a slut’
‘Char-lene!’ Blythe hisses and pulls her back as Ruth raises a hand to slap her.
‘She is! You gonna go before I tells everybody what you’re like?’
Ignoring Charlene completely, Ruth turns to where Kester and Helen stand. ‘Listen to me! You cannot do this. She is…’
Charlene carries on relentlessly. ‘I hadn’t never met him before…’ she says, nodding in Christopher James’ direction ‘So I dint know what a nice bloke he was….I thought p’raps he was a bit of a pig an’ that was why you wanted to bonk that cameraman’
‘What?’ Chris frowns, his hand gripping Ruth’s arm, ready to throw her out but interested in what Charlene is saying.
‘She’s the tart…not me’ Charlene insists. ‘I was on the food wagon…catering…you know… when they was filming summat in that little village out past Oatfield…can’t remember what it was now…but she weren’t very good in it’
‘Shut up!’ Ruth glares.
‘No!’ Charlene retaliates hotly. ‘I told you what you should go’ She raises her voice further until she is almost shouting. ‘She bonked one a the cameramen’ she announces ‘We was all laughing about it…so was he! She ain’t got no cause to call no one a whore…cos she’s one herself!’ She smiles contemptuously at Ruth. ‘You weren’t special nor nothing…he’d bonk anything…. and he only did you so he could get a full card’
‘Card?’ Ruth says disdainfully trying to maintain her composure.
‘You don’t reckon he really wanted to bonk you, do you? They all had little cards with names on and they got points for who they went with. He won a bottle of vodka cos he was the only one what could stomach the thought a going with you’
Christopher James starts to laugh. ‘Is my solicitor is going to be pleased to hear this’
‘I got his number if you want it’ Charlene tells him as people start to snigger.
‘Kester…listen to me!’ Ruth makes one final and desperate attempt to be heard. ‘You cannot marry this…..tramp!’
‘Touch a the pot callin’ the kettle black, I reckon’ George Harris can be heard remarking to Jessie. Other guests laugh.
Taking Helen’s hand, Kester approaches the microphone. ‘Mother….as with every other important occasion in my life…' he says with sarcastic aplomb. 'You are too late.....Helen and I were married this morning’
Ruth looks stunned, her mouth opening and closing as Chris and Nathan join in the applause.
‘Wooo!’
‘Yes, yes yes!’ Blythe jumps up and down, clapping her hands.
‘Aaaw’ Charlene bursts into tears.
‘I knew didn’t I?’ Jessie laughs, pointing at Helen and scrunching her shoulders with glee.
The room comes alive with a buzz of conversation.
‘Time you went’ Chris decides. ‘And you can tell your solicitor that my solicitor will be in touch’ he smirks.
‘But it’s not been consummated…. It can be annulled!…I can arrange it…it can be annulled’ Ruth screeches as she is dragged backwards by a grinning Chris and Nathan.
Kester and Helen look at each other, sharing a smile before Kester bends sideways to the microphone again. ‘Once again....too late’ he chuckles and hugs a blushing Helen to him.
Tawny House, Manor Road
Chapter Twelve
