‘Dreadful, int it?’ Liz leans her arms on the counter, shaking her head at the headlines on the ranks of newspapers in the rack ‘Not that she’ll be mourned much be the folk round ‘ere. It’s the family what I feel for. Terrible for ‘em, terrible’
‘I must go and pay my respects as soon as they get back’ Jessie stares at the newspaper in her hand.
‘They’re back!’ Liz stands up’I saw ‘em go past not hour ago. Not sure ‘bout young Christopher, if he’s come or not, but that were Kester’s motor what I saw right enough’
‘I may take a walk up there, then’ Jessie gives a sympathetic sigh. ‘Let them know….you know…that we’re all thinking of them…Usual things when something like this happens’
‘Thank the Lord summat like this dunt ‘appen too often!’ Liz reaches a box of chocolates from the shelf ‘Dreadful do! Ere, give ‘Arriet these from me. I knows they’re ‘er favourites cos that’s what Christopher gets. Might cheer ‘er up a bit. Nothing like a bit o’summat nice t’take yer mind off things’
‘I’m sure they will, thank you, I’ll do that’ Jessie tucks the box into her shopping bag ‘No reporters as yet?’ she asks.
‘Everythin what’s appenin’ll be appenin up London. They won’t want no comments from the likes o’us. Not this time. ‘Er never ‘ad nothing t’do wi’the village, did um?’
‘Hated the place’
‘An’ we never took to ‘er neither!’ Liz huffs ‘Not like that young lady e got now’ her scowl transforms to a soft smile ‘She’s proper ‘andsome, she is. I thought p’raps they might end up movin ere, she were that took wi’folk. Lovely gal’
‘She is too’ Jessie lays her newspaper on the counter and takes out her purse.
‘There int nothing ‘bout who they got for it’ Liz taps the headline ‘On’y that she’s thirty some odd’
‘Thirty three…..and known to her’ Jessie reads from the front page. ‘Doesn’t say how or when they knew each other’
‘That’ll come out t’morrow. I ‘spect, when they’ve had time t’ferret around an’ find stuff out’ The till drawer rings open.
Milliwick Newsagents
Chapter Twenty-nine
‘What you have to remember is that I am totally traumatised by all this’ Imogen flutters her eyes closed and sighs deeply as she lounges at the kitchen table.
‘I’m sure you are very upset’ Lynn replies mildly, the angry flare of her nostrils barely perceptible as she draws a calming breath ‘But what you have to remember is to have some consideration for Ellis’ she spoons the last of the tiny portion of baby rice into Cery’s mouth. ‘He has been deeply affected by his mother’s death too’
‘But he’s a man’ Imogen presses her hand to her forehead ‘they don’t feel like women do. Mummy said they were a species of their own’
‘They may feel in different ways but they do have emotions’
‘Really?’ she arches a withering eyebrow.
‘Yes, really’ Lynn says, her mouth tightening. She wipes Cery’s mouth with her bib and settles her on her lap, unbuttoning her blouse and preparing to feed.
Imogen’s lip curls with distaste.
‘Your remark about him not caring and having abandoned your mother was uncalled for and very hurtful. He didn’t deserve that’
‘Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t say?’ Imogen flares indignantly ‘You can’t stop me saying whatever I like!’
‘I can’t stop you being a spiteful bitch like your mother’ Lynn’s patience finally snaps ‘But I can stop you upsetting people I care about while they are in my house’
‘He’s just a wimp’ Imogen sneers
‘A wimp who managed to break free and make it on his own!’ Lynn champions furiously ‘Do you know just how many doors have miraculously sprung open since he stopped playing Robin to your mother’s Batman?’
‘I expect that was Daddy’
‘No, it was not. Your father told Ellis he would be happy to put in a word any time he needed him to but would keep well out of it unless Ellis asked. Ellis never has. Your brother is going to be a star, Imogen and he’ll owe thanks to no one but himself’
‘My mother was a star!’ Imogen flicks her hair over her shoulder.
‘And?’
‘I am her daughter!’
‘Ain’t that the truth’ Lynn mutters under her breath, adjusting Cery’s position on her lap and pulling the side of her blouse around the baby’s head. She turns to confront her future stepdaughter ‘But when was the last decent part you auditioned for, Imogen? When was the last time you got through to the final sift? I think it’s about time you recognised that you do not have a career on the stage and started looking for some other way to support yourself’
‘Daddy will give me an allowance’ Imogen sniffs disdainfully.
‘I think not’ Lynn’s eyes widen. ‘You are not a child; you are a grown woman and quite capable of earning your own living. Why should your father support you?’
‘But I will have Mummy’s money now, won’t I?’ Imogen crows as she reaches into her handbag and produces a packet of cigarettes. ‘I won’t need to work’ Her head tilts and she smirks as though having gained a winning point.
Lynn eyes the packet with a frown. ‘I’m sorry’ she says with exaggerated sweetness ‘we don’t allow anyone to smoke in the house, not around the baby. Please would you take that outside?’
‘But I am too traumatised to go outside!’ Imogen sighs theatrically, holding a cigarette between the index and middle fingers of her left hand and rubbing at her temples with the tips of her thumb and ring finger.
‘Then you will have to do without that cigarette won’t you?’
‘You can’t tell me what to do’
Lynn jabs her finger on the tabletop. ‘This is my house and while you are here you will abide by my rules. Light that….’ she warns with a jab of the same finger towards her ‘and I will physically put both you and it in the pond to cool off’
Imogen looks momentarily taken aback by Lynn’s hitherto unseen temper. ‘You think I wanted to come here?’ she screeches in retaliation ‘You think I wanted to be in the same house with my father’s whore?’
‘Believe you me’ Lynn reddens furiously ‘I was just as reluctant to have you here! We are never going to get on, Imogen, but your father, God knows why, was concerned about leaving you on your own. I agreed you could stay here for a while as a favour to him, not you!’ She lifts Cerys to her shoulder to comfort her as she starts to cry.
‘How decently middleclass of you’ Imogen puts the cigarette between her lips and clicks her lighter. She blows a defiant stream of smoke across the table.
‘Put that out, NOW!’
‘Make me!’
Lynn stands up and in one swift movement, pulls the daffodils from the jug in the middle of the table and throws the water over her and the cigarette.
‘How dare you!’ Imogen splutters, water dripping from her hair and face as her cigarette starts to droop.
‘You were given fair warning’ Lynn snaps.
The back door opens and Christopher steps in carrying a collection of supermarket carrier bags ‘Think I managed to get everything we needed’ he smiles before becoming conscious of the situation. ‘Is…er…everything alright here?’ he stares at Imogen’s sodden state and Lynn’s high colour as she stands rocking Cerys.
‘Everything is just fine!’
Imogen starts to cry. 'Dad-dy'
‘Sweetheart?’
‘Urgghh!’ Lynn gives a snort of exasperated disgust and stalks from the room
Orchard Barn, Nr. Bath
