Mothers and Daughters (31 page)

News must have got round that she was coming to Suffolk because just before she left London she had a call from Freya asking if she’d mind coming over for a drink; Nick was away and she wanted to talk about the wedding.

‘OK, see you about seven, then,’ Alice said, anxiety clutching at her. It was so annoying, tactless even, of Laura inviting them, well Nick anyway. She could imagine him schmoozing round, chatting up any pretty women and perhaps even boasting about his sexual prowess by showing off Raffi, adding to the embarrassment of having to explain about Evie’s new role as a single mother. With any luck, Freya, wanting to see her on her own, was going to refuse the invitation.

She told Evie she was going to meet up with Freya, Evie just shrugged and asked if she’d mind keeping an eye on Raffi while she worked. Raffi was beautiful, round and plump and very smiley. She sat with him on the sofa as Evie scuttled back to her drawing, planning out a new set of illustrations for the next book. Watching him looking round chortling to himself, Alice felt bathed with a feeling of completeness of the continuity of life, though for the scene to be perfect, Julian, the man she thought he was, should be here too, basking in the joy of their grandchild. Raffi chuckled waving his fists at her; it was a bittersweet moment.

Sitting with him on her lap while Evie worked, she thought of her youngest daughter. She seemed different; she’d noticed it the moment she’d arrived about an hour ago. She was blooming and she hadn’t once mentioned Nick. She’d been so pleased to see her too, not in a relieved way as if now she was here she could take over the baby, cook a decent meal, tidy the place up a bit, but just pleased to see her as if she wanted to share her happiness with her. Could it be motherhood giving her a sort of peace, someone to love of her own, or more likely someone else to love? Unless… and the thought worried her, Nick had decided to leave Freya and come to Evie. Was that why Evie seemed so upbeat? Why Freya wanted to talk to her?

The thought now became a reality and she almost jumped up to go and confront Evie, tell her in no uncertain terms that having a child with a married man was bad enough but him leaving his wife and family for her was much worse. But what if Freya had chucked him out and he’d come here? If that were the case, how long would he stay, until he took up with the next woman? She glanced round the room as if expecting to see some evidence of him, a discarded jacket, the battered once expensive brief case he carried with the papers concerned with his work, but untidy though the room was, there seemed to be only Evie’s shoes flung in a corner, her coat over the back of a chair and Raffi’s things strewn around.

She heard Evie coming out of the study and she came into the room interrupting her panic.

‘It’s so dreadful about Glen,’ Evie said, scooping Raffi from her arms and sitting down on the floor, putting him between her legs, propping him against her now flat stomach. ‘Don’t you remember how Dad always wondered how they’d managed to buy that house. Buying a derelict house and doing it up and selling it on for a profit is one thing, but they didn’t sell it did they, they kept it and lived in it.’

Alice thought the same thing and they’d filled the house with expensive things, but she didn’t want to say too much in front of her children who might inadvertently pass it on to Margot and ruin their friendship. ‘I don’t know exactly what happened. Glen had shares and things and the value of the Fulham house had gone up,’ she said vaguely, her mind more concentrated on Nick and his whereabouts than Glen’s troubles. How could she broach the subject of the state of play with him without antagonizing her? ‘Have you got something nice to wear for the wedding?’ she asked to gain time.

‘I’ll find something, I’ll come to London a few days before and… Mum…’ Evie didn’t look at her but kept her eyes on Raffi. ‘Would it be all right if I asked someone, just one person, to the wedding?’

Alice looked at her sharply. Here it was… but Nick had been asked to the wedding already, with his wife and Lexie who was to be one of the bridesmaids. But it was obvious from Evie’s manner that this was not some random friend. Evie was rather self-consciously playing with Raffi, tickling his fat little feet.

‘We’re pretty much full up,’ Alice said. ‘Is it someone we know?’

Evie looked at her, her face defiant, the face she always put on when she had done something, or was about to do something, she suspected her parents would disapprove of. ‘It’s just someone I’ve met, and we’ve got quite close.’ She threw it out as if it was not important, though it was obvious from the light in her eyes that it was very important indeed.

Alice’s heart lurched; it wasn’t Nick. But if not him then who? Oh not another married man drawn in by Evie’s beauty and vulnerability? She couldn’t bear it. ‘His name?’ she asked weakly, it was bound to be a man.

‘Luke, he’s a sculptor. We met in the pub, he’s…’ she didn’t look at her mother, ‘we’ve become quite close,’ she repeated.

‘Is he single and does he know about Raffi?’ Alice asked. She was definitely going to take a gap year, escape from her family… and Frank and all the problems they kept throwing at her, expecting her to accept them without question and share the responsibility of them.

Evie scowled, ‘Yes to both, he loves Raffi, wants to sculpt him, says his rounded squidgy limbs are perfect for something he’s working on.’

Was that the only reason this Luke was close to her? When he’d finished his work, would he leave her or was this a more hopeful chapter in Evie’s love life? ‘So is that the end of Nick?’ she asked.

‘He doesn’t want to know, does he?’ Evie burst out as if she was somehow at fault for finding someone else. ‘He hasn’t been near us since Raffi was born, he pays money for him but that’s all. I suppose Freya won’t let him out of the house.’

‘That’s hardly fair, darling, but I’m glad you’ve found someone else, someone who is not attached,’ she finished lamely, hoping that was true.

‘So it’s all right if he comes then?’ Evie demanded.

‘I suppose so. Will he pop in while I’m here? You know I’ve got to go back early the day after tomorrow. Laura’s coming down for the last fitting and we’ll go back together.’

‘He might, he’s working very hard,’ Evie said, ‘but you’ll meet him at the wedding.’

‘Does Laura know him, have you asked her if he can come?’

‘No… I’ll ask her when I see her tomorrow. He won’t take up much room and it’s only one more person.’

Alice refrained from asking if he was a midget or a ghost. ‘Laura and Douglas know the numbers, square it with her when you see her,’ she said.

Evie showed no interest when Alice told her Freya had asked her to pop over for a drink.

‘Perhaps she’s going to say she doesn’t want to come to the wedding.’ She watched Evie for her reaction.

Evie shrugged, pushed a strand of hair from her face. ‘Don’t know, I haven’t seen her or Nick for ages. Don’t know why Laura asked them anyway, they’re not exactly family.’

‘They are old friends and now sort of family,’ Alice said. ‘And apparently Lexie begged to be a bridesmaid and Laura found it difficult to refuse her.’

‘There’s lots of friends we haven’t asked, and anyway there’ll be more champagne for Luke if they don’t come,’ Evie said, handing Raffi to her to kiss goodnight before taking him upstairs to bed.

Alice drove over to Freya, wishing she didn’t have to go out again especially as it was dark now with winter setting in. She felt apprehensive about the meeting. She’d driven down from London that morning and gone over to Edith and Amy with all the fabrics, trimmings and such for the baskets this afternoon and now here she was, just when she’d like to curl up with a glass of wine and a gossip with Evie, driving the five miles or so over to Freya.

The house was in turmoil. As Freya led her through to the living room, she heard sounds of squabbling coming from the back of the house and a voice saying, ‘Oh Lexie, stop being such a brat.’

They had just sat down together when there was the sound of small stomping feet coming down the passage and the door was flung open dramatically and Lexie, in a purple feather boa, one hand hitching up her pyjama bottoms, wailed, ‘Jonty won’t let me have the cherry on the top and I’m the littlest and I should have it.’

‘Lexie, it’s very rude to disturb people like this, say hello to Alice nicely and stop being silly. If you can’t behave you can go to bed, it’s time anyway,’ Freya said wearily. ‘Tell Jonty to come here now, please.’

Pouting theatrically, Lexie stomped off again chanting, ‘Jonty, Mum wants you and she’s very cross.’

Freya raised her eyes heavenwards. ‘Sorry, she’s such a drama queen, like her father really, though not the queen bit.’ Her smile was bitter.

Alice smiled weakly back, wondering what it was Freya wanted to talk to her about. It was going to be difficult if her children were going to disrupt them all the time. She wondered if Raffi would have inherited some of his father’s traits, though Evie was a drama queen too, so, poor baby, he might have inherited a double dose.

Jonty a tall slim boy, looking like a mini Nick came in, his expression defiant. ‘She’s such a pain, Mum. Rowan has eaten the cherry anyway.’ There was a howl as Lexie had obviously just discovered this. Jonty smiled at Alice, ‘Hello.’

She smiled back, wondering if he knew that she was the grandmother of his newest brother?

‘Alice and I want a bit of peace,’ Freya said firmly, ‘see that we get it please.’

‘I’ll try,’ Jonty said darkly, leaving the room and shutting the door carefully behind him.

‘Lovely boy,’ Alice said.

‘He is and very artistic. I don’t want to push him but he’s great at painting.’

Alice was about to tell her about Evie’s painting, how as a child she drew everywhere, the margins of newspapers and magazine, school books, even the blank flyleaves of books, but she stopped herself in time. It would be tactless in the circumstances. Oh, these complicated relationships.

‘I wanted to discuss the wedding invitation with you,’ Freya said, ploughing in before they were disturbed again. ‘It was very kind of Laura to ask us and ask Lexie to be bridesmaid but I wondered if you really wanted us there… well Nick really. I mean, Evie and the baby are sure to be there or is the baby being left behind?’

Now was the time to say that Nick’s presence might be embarrassing. Freya looked as if she expected it, even hoped for it. Alice admired her even more for asking her opinion, though she knew it would probably be a worse embarrassment for Freya than for them, and who could blame her for wanting to stay clear of it? But Alice found herself floundering, saying that Laura and Douglas had the guest list and as Laura was coming to Suffolk tomorrow perhaps she’d like to talk to her.

‘No, it’s you I want to discuss it with. I saw Laura in the street and made some remark about her wedding and Lexie pushed herself forward. You know how the bride hardly notices the day, it goes by like a blur, my wedding day did anyway, but I want to know what you feel, Alice.’ She leant forward a little in her chair as if she were a doctor enquiring about her health.

‘I probably won’t notice either,’ Alice said, ‘but I’ll discuss it with Laura tomorrow, but it’s you I worry about, Freya, I don’t want to cause you any more pain over this. Evie tells me…’ She paused, wondering how much to tell Freya and if it would be some comfort to her, ‘She’s met someone else. I haven’t met him yet, Luke his name is, a sculptor. Do you know him?’

‘Luke Morgan, I expect. I know who he is. Oh…’ She looked surprised, filling Alice with more anxiety, was he some weirdo, someone else likely to cause yet more drama and disruption? ‘He’s young and, as far as I know, not in a relationship. He’s a bit here today and gone tomorrow, doesn’t really settle down enough to his work to show how talented he really is, but perhaps with a steady relationship he might improve. Evie might make him more committed.’ She threw her a pitying smile. ‘These relationships are the devil, aren’t they? I’ve got them all still to come with my brood, though their father has led the way spectacularly.’ She sighed. ‘Still, Laura seems happy; do you like the man she’s chosen?’

Her eyes were sharp on her face and Alice had the unwelcome feeling that Freya was a little jealous of Laura, though why, she couldn’t think, unless it was because she seemed to be on track for a happy, uncomplicated life.

‘Douglas is very nice, divorced with two children – I suppose that’s pretty common these days. His ex-wife is high-powered and was head-hunted to Hong Kong.’ Even as she said it, Alice realized that Freya knew it was not what she wanted to hear. She went on, ‘Julian’s death seems to have caused such extreme reactions in the girls, Evie with Nick and Laura rushing into marriage with Douglas.’

‘So you don’t approve of him?’ Freya asked.

‘He is nice…’ She was not going to admit she found him dull. ‘But I just wish she’d wait awhile before she commits herself to him and his children. It’s a lot to take on and she’s no experience of children. They are quite sensitive, well the boy is, he needs a lot of care with his mother gone, though she does come back and see them, loves them I’m sure, only her work comes first.’

‘You wouldn’t say that if their father’s work came first,’ Freya said. ‘Even today, in these enlightened times, women, even if they are more successful than their husbands, are criticised for putting their work before their children. Most of these jobs only have a small window of opportunity and they must grab it or lose it forever.’

‘I know, it is difficult.’

‘If I hadn’t grabbed that chance with the V and A, I’d have lost it. There are so many talented people in the creative world and someone else would have jumped eagerly into my place. I worked very hard to get there but perhaps I should have kept more of an eye on Nick.’

‘Don’t blame yourself, Freya. Evie is old enough to know better than to go after a married man,’ Alice said.

‘Maybe, but I know how persuasive Nick can be,’ Freya said darkly. ‘I want my pottery to take off. I’ve put a lot of effort and time into it, and I suppose I knew deep down that if I gave too much attention to it, it would mean I’d have less time for the family. Nick is only supportive up to a point and the children are still young and I feel he should help out, it’s not as if he is tied to an important office job. He can fit his garden jobs round them sometimes and even take them with him to help dig and prepare the ground, Rowan is good at planting.’