Whispers in the Village (14 page)

But the village still couldn’t sleep because of the party-goer’s car that had slid into the pond and had to be pulled out. Neville coerced the firemen to attach ropes to it and pull it out. The wheels had sunk well down into the sludge at the bottom and the car, after a lot of revving on the part of the fire engine, emerged from it with a great sucking noise amidst rousing cheers from the party-goers and half the village, who’d flung on trousers over pyjamas and coats over nightdresses in order to join in the fun.

It was two o’clock in the morning before the village quietened down enough for everyone to get to sleep. What a night! What fun they’d had! And this was only the opening night of their festivities.

A pale moon appeared from behind the clouds, shining on the white painted cottages, highlighting the dark beams and the thatched roofs and the occasional cat out hunting. So peaceful now the village looked, as though it had been forgotten by time. But under the ancient roofs a new spirit beat, a new energy, a feeling of anticipation nothing could dim. If this was what could happen at a pyjama party, what on earth could they expect from the skinny-dipping night and the afternoon at the races? And that pair found upstairs in a bedroom after the fire! Still, you were only young once, and it had happened dozens of times before in this village, except it had been haylofts and barns then, not one of Neville’s splendid bedrooms. Time made little change to that kind of hanky-panky. More than one chuckled at the thought as they hunched their duvets a little higher and drifted off to sleep.

The knocking at the rectory door at nine o’clock on the Monday morning woke Anna with a start. Look at the time! Heavens! She leaped out of bed, opened the bedroom window and looked down to find Sir Ralph on her doorstep. She called out, ‘Sorry, slept in. Can you come back, please?’

Ralph looked up. ‘Good morning. Of course I can. Back in an hour.’

‘Thanks.’ Anna closed the window and sat down on the bed a moment to collect her thoughts. How the blazes had she slept in? She picked up her bedside clock to check the time. She’d never set the alarm. For Ralph to catch her oversleeping! Blast it. She dashed out onto the landing and called up, ‘Paddy! Are you there? Have you gone?’

She heard a grunting noise and realized he’d slept in, too. Would he lose his job? ‘Paddy, it’s nine o’clock. You’re late.’

‘I’ll take a sicky. The dragon said I’d be out on my ear if I was late, so I’m sick. Forgot to set the alarm.’

She heard the bed creak as he turned over. ‘So did I. I’ll ring up for you, then.’

Anna took the briefest of showers, dried herself, omitted the body lotion, flung on the nearest clean things she could find and charged downstairs. She phoned Michelle on Paddy’s behalf saying they’d both slept in and he’d be coming in late and sorry. Fingers crossed, she hoped she’d manage to persuade him to do just that. If she couldn’t … well, she’d have to think of something else. Paddy was like that, though; you found yourself doing things you’d never intended for him, and he didn’t give a fig. But lying for him was something she wasn’t prepared to do. Anna went into the kitchen to start breakfast.

Paddy came down in a few minutes still in his pyjamas.

‘Thought you were taking a sicky?’

‘I am. But I need my breakfast and then I’m going back to bed.’

‘Don’t ask me to phone for you again. Don’t mind if it’s genuine but not when it’s a total fib and all you’ve done is oversleep.’

‘Look who’s talking.’

‘I’m not going to argue. I’ve something better to do with my time.’ She handed him the cereal packet and watched the flakes pouring into his bowl until it was filled to the brim. He couldn’t half eat. ‘By the way, you’ve been paid now. How about something for the housekeeping?’

Paddy mumbled a reply through a mouth crammed with cornflakes.

‘Mmm?’

‘I said all in good time. I’ll leave it an hour or two and then I’ll wander up there, saying I feel better and thought I wouldn’t let her down. Do an extra couple of hours tonight instead.’

‘You sound as though you enjoy working up there.’

There was a brief hesitation and then Paddy said, ‘Of course not, work’s for fools.’ But he thought about sitting in the wheelbarrow in the sun, eating his lunch, and how much he enjoyed that blissful hour with his back resting against the brick wall of the potting shed, thinking about life. His life. ‘I only work to eat.’

‘Then pay me for it, please.’

‘OK. OK. Keep your hair on.’

Anna went upstairs to clean her teeth, got nicely into her two-minute cleaning routine and so was unaware that someone had rung the doorbell. Paddy launched himself from the kitchen table and went to answer it.

Ralph, well-schooled in good manners, kept his astonishment to himself and said, ‘Ralph Templeton to see Anna.’

‘Come in, come in. She’s cleaning her teeth, she won’t be a minute.’

Paddy showed Ralph into the study.

‘You’ll excuse me. We overslept, you see. Got to get ready.’

Ralph sat in the comfy armchair, fuming. Just back from holidaying abroad, suffering from jetlag and on top of that kept awake by the pyjama party and then the fire. Ralph was in no mood for finding the rector, apparently, sleeping with some unshaven down-and-out. No, of course not, there must be some other explanation. It wasn’t what it looked like. Of course not. She wouldn’t, would she? Certainly not, though the evidence pointed to guilt. What were things coming to? A live-in lover in the rectory. But he mustn’t judge.

The door burst open and there was Anna. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting, Sir Ralph. Slept in. Must be the aftermath of Saturday night. What a successful evening we had, well, apart from the fire and the car in the pond, but even that added to the fun. Have you had a good trip?’

‘Yes, thank you. Just a few days but it has perked us both up.’

‘Now what can I do for you?’

‘An explanation would be welcome.’

‘Explanation? Of what?’ Anna sat down at her desk, wishing he’d been shown into the sitting room; in the smaller study he was too close.

‘I came about parish business only to find you have a lodger.’

‘Oh, you mean Paddy.’

‘Well?’

‘Well, he’s a down-and-out I’ve rescued from the streets in Culworth. He slept under the railway bridge and I felt he needed a leg-up, so I offered him a home.’

‘I see.’ How to phrase it? thought Ralph. ‘Is he purely a lodger?’

Anna was horrified. ‘Of course he is. My God, you don’t think—’

‘It appears that way.’

Anna got to her feet. ‘I can assure you that is what he is. He’s got a job in the gardens at the Big House. Going every day, well, except today but that was a mistake, sleeping in. I’m surprised at you, Sir Ralph, even thinking on those lines.’ She managed to give the impression of an outraged person. Which she was, of course.

‘I’m not really into these liberal ideas, all this bending over backwards to be politically correct. PC they call it, don’t they? Trying hard to see the other’s point of view, instead of standing up for what you know is right. I call a spade a spade and if I thought for one minute that you were co-habiting, I would put a stop to it. It’s enough that we tolerate modern hymns and arm-waving but that—’

‘Frankly I think it’s none of your business, Sir Ralph, none at all, what goes on in my home.’

‘In Peter’s home.’

‘Well then, in Peter’s home.’

‘He wouldn’t allow anything of that nature. Very strict he was.’

‘Not strict enough from what I hear.’

Ralph saw he’d stepped straight into a moral abyss. How much did she know? ‘Well, he can’t help women running after him. He’s a very attractive man.’

‘Indeed. However, I can assure you …’

The door burst open without so much as a knock. It was Paddy. ‘Just off to the gardens, Anna. Back tonight. I’ll be late, got to catch up. See yer, Ralph.’ Paddy left as quickly as he came.

‘I can assure you that nothing of an immoral nature is going on in this house. I really shouldn’t have to defend myself, you know, you’re not being quite fair.’

Ralph got to his feet. ‘I’m sorry, of course you shouldn’t. I’m at fault, jumped in with both feet. Just back, jetlag and Saturday night, trying to sleep … well …’ He pulled a wry face. ‘You must accept my apologies. It went off all right, did it? The pyjama party?’

‘Oh, yes! Absolutely fine. Everyone very well behaved, and Neville even wore a red wig!’

‘My word! Good for Neville, time he relaxed a little. Stuffed shirt, you know, even by my standards! Must go. I’ve decided I’m too tired to go through the parish business. I’ll delay it for another day. Thank you for being frank with me.’

‘He’s all right, you know, is Paddy. Hard life. But he’s pulling himself up and making great strides. Good morning, Sir Ralph.’

‘Good morning to you.’

Anna dashed into the sitting room to pick up her bag and keys before going to Penny Fawcett. For some reason, though, she felt things were not right. She stood gazing round, wondering what had alerted her. Then she realized, checked and checked again. There’d been four of Caroline’s Staffordshire figures on each shelf in the left-hand alcove, sixteen all together, but today there were only three on each shelf. The remaining ones had been spread out evenly to disguise the fact that four were missing. The right-hand alcove still had four on each shelf. Damn and blast him. Damn and blast him. She’d throttle Paddy when he got back. Thing was, how long had they been missing? He’d gone into Culworth on Saturday; perhaps he’d sold them there. They were worth a mint.

Anna drove to Penny Fawcett Monday market with her head in a whirl. And she’d defended him too, given him a character reference. It would be impossible to replace them. In any case, she couldn’t remember each individual one. They weren’t hers but even so, she loved them. Just when she thought he was making good, this happened. One step forward, two steps back.

Penny Fawcett was proving a difficult nut to crack. They were very polite to her, but that was all. She had a suspicion that a woman rector was one step too far. Well, they’d only a year to tolerate her, then their beloved Peter would be back. So with the theft of the figures and the feeling of rejection she suffered about Penny Fawcett, Anna set off home with a heavy heart. Damn that Paddy. He hadn’t one single grain of gratitude or he wouldn’t have done such a thing. But having done a good deed should one expect gratitude? Was that one’s reward?

She ate her evening meal alone. At least he’d not lost his job. Obviously he’d stayed on to complete a full day, like he’d said. It got to eight o’clock before she heard him at the front door. He sounded cheerful enough, calling out, ‘Anna! You haven’t waited for me, have you?’

‘No. Yours needs two minutes in the microwave.’

‘Right.’

Anna put down the book she was reading and listened to him pottering in the kitchen. She’d prepared a big pile of food: lamb chops, peas, new potatoes, courgettes, mint sauce, large helpings of everything. He’d be a while, which gave her time to contemplate how she would phrase her inquisition. In her mind she tried out a few opening questions.

‘How much did you get for them?’

Or: ‘I’m not a complete fool, I know what you’ve done.’

Or: ‘Can you explain where the figures are?’

Or: ‘Why?’ with a dramatic finger pointing to the shelves.

She got up and placed the figures in their original position, three and then a space, on each shelf. Picking up her book again, she continued reading.

‘Anna, can I finish this pie off?’ Paddy shouted from the kitchen.

‘Yes, of course.’

He eventually came in, carrying his cup and saucer. He put them on the coffee table and sat himself down on the sofa. Right where Gilbert had sat when they’d had that row. She wished it was him sitting there now and not this betrayer of faith.

‘Had a good day, Anna?’

‘Not really.’

‘Penny Fawcett day? You always come back a misery when you’ve been there.’

‘They refuse to accept me. Polite yes, liking me, no.’

‘Never mind, they’ll come round. I’ve had a brilliant day. The Dragon was grateful I’d made the effort. I’ve won myself some Brownie points there, believe me.’

‘I’m glad. So, how much did you get for them?’

‘Them? What them?’

‘Don’t play the innocent with me, Paddy.’ She noticed his eyes flick up to the alcove.

‘I honestly don’t know what you mean.’

Anna could almost believe the innocence of his expression. He was very convincing. ‘I mean Caroline’s figures in the alcove. There are four missing.’

Paddy looked along the shelves. ‘There’s always been three on each shelf that side. I remember thinking it looked odd. Expect she was hoping to buy four more to fill the spaces.’

‘Paddy, frankly I don’t believe you.’

‘What the blazes would I want with four Staffordshire figures? I’m not an expert, I wouldn’t even know where to go to sell them.’

‘I would.’

‘Well then, it must be you,’ Paddy laughed, ‘hoping she wouldn’t notice they were missing. You should have organized the shelf better, covered up what you’d done.’ He stood up and walked across to the alcove, spaced the remaining figures out more evenly and sat down again. ‘There you are, you see. Who’d know? Best if you sold four from the other side then it wouldn’t be noticeable at all.’ Paddy grinned at her and, picking up his cup, drank down the last of his coffee. ‘I’ll have another cup. Do you want one?’