The Gift of Friends Page 13

  ‘It’s so suburban, Justin,’ Celia-Ann was saying as they came through the front door. ‘No, I can’t see you being happy here. I think you’ll be back in Meath with us very soon. And what in the name of God is that thing in your driveway?’

  Danielle frowned, wondering what she could be talking about.

  ‘That’s Danielle’s car, Mum,’ she heard Justin say.

  ‘That’s a heap of junk, darling, and it’s completely ruining the look of your house. They don’t belong together, your beautiful Beamer and that piece of trash.’

  Danielle sucked in a breath. She just knew Celia-Ann was really referring to her and Justin when she’d said that. It was exactly how she saw them – mismatched, uneven, one far superior to the other.

  ‘It’s a grand little run-around,’ Justin said loyally. ‘And if you must know, I’ve just ordered Danielle a brand new Range Rover. We’ll have it in a couple of weeks.’

  Every time Danielle thought about the new car, she felt a bit sick. While she was grateful that she was being showered with yet another atrociously expensive gift, she was terrified in case she scraped it or, even worse, banged it off a gate or a wall, or crashed. Her own little Yaris had been passed down to her from her mam. She’d learned to drive in it, passed her test first time in it and she was basically comfortable about driving it. More to the point. she was grateful to have it at all. The jeep scared the living daylights out of her, but Justin had been absolutely certain she needed a new car. He’d argued the safety angle, for when she was driving the baby about, and how could she argue with that?

  ‘Well a Range Rover sounds far more suitable,’ Celia-Ann said as their voices came closer.

  There was a pause – Justin must be taking their coats, Danielle thought. And then his mother’s annoying posh voice started up again.

  ‘This is a terribly narrow vestibule, Justin. And why did you choose those insipid grey tiles? It doesn’t work at all.’

  Danielle’s heart sank.

  Justin opened the door to the sitting room, and she could see his face relax into a smile when he saw the set-up.

  ‘Hi darling,’ he said, winking at her. ‘Mum and Dad arrived just as I did.’

  Danielle stepped forward, hand outstretched. ‘Good to see you again, Celia-Ann,’ she said.

  Justin’s mother looked her up and down, nostrils flaring. ‘Did you forget the date?’ she asked pleasantly.

  Danielle was confused. ‘No, I . . .’

  ‘You seem dressed for a different event perhaps?’ she said, her mouth twisted in a smile but her eyes cold. ‘I thought maybe you had forgotten we were joining you for afternoon tea today.’

  ‘No, no,’ said Danielle, feeling about two inches tall. ‘I have everything ready and I hope you’ll enjoy it.’

  Celia-Ann looked around the room and saw the food all laid out and pursed her lips. God bless you, Nancy, Danielle thought. Obviously this obnoxious woman was expecting Danielle to have got it all wrong and was annoyed to see she had pulled it off expertly.

  ‘Please come in and sit down, Jeremy,’ Danielle said, taking Justin’s father’s hand. He smiled warmly at her and kissed her on both cheeks

  ‘Lovely to see you looking so well, Danielle,’ he said. ‘Are you feeling as well as you look?’

  Danielle nodded. ‘Yes, I’m very tired but otherwise . . .’

  ‘You chose a terribly difficult colour for the carpet, Danielle,’ Celia-Ann interrupted loudly. ‘It’ll look grubby and unkempt. That shade of blue is far too delicate for flooring. You should have asked me about it.’

  ‘We’re just trying out things to find out what we like,’ Justin said quickly.

  He was always smoothing things over when it came to his mother. Danielle had only met them once before, at a restaurant they had brought them to after Justin had told them he was in love with her. The place was dead fancy, and Danielle was uneasy all throughout the meal. She liked Jeremy, but he just moved in his wife’s shadow and said very little. Celia-Ann was most definitely the queen of her little world, presiding over Jeremy and their four sons and expecting everyone to do her bidding. She had made Danielle feel small that night too, making comments in that pleasant tone that were cutting and cruel. She had remarked on Danielle’s background, the fact that she was ‘the product of a single mother’, as she put it, and managed to get the word ‘gold-digger’ into the conversation five times, all under the pretence of talking about someone else. She had talked constantly about Justin’s ex and Danielle knew she saw the ex as worthy and herself as entirely unworthy of Justin’s affections. It looked like she hadn’t changed her mind one bit on that score.

  ‘How was the mare this morning?’ Jeremy asked Justin as he put scones onto his plate and accepted a cup of tea, then took a seat on the sofa.

  ‘Temperature is still up,’ Justin said, sitting down, ‘but I think she’s more comfortable than yesterday. I’d say the fever will have broken within another twenty-four hours. I’m not worried about her anymore. I think she’ll be fine.’

  ‘Wonderful news,’ Jeremy said, biting into a scone. ‘Fantastic,’ he said, smiling at Danielle. ‘Lovely and buttery. Did you make them yourself?’

  Danielle channelled a bit of Nancy, looked him straight in the eye and said, ‘Yes, I did. Fresh out of the oven an hour ago.’

  Celia-Ann looked sceptical, but didn’t say anything.

  ‘The mare – what’s wrong with her?’ Danielle asked. She hadn’t a clue about the horse world, but she wanted to learn for Justin’s sake.

  ‘An infection,’ Jeremy said. ‘At any other stables it probably would have finished her off, but we have the best horse-whisperer on this island on our books, thankfully,’ he said, smiling at Justin. ‘So she’ll be back on her feet soon.’

  ‘Have you ever been to a stables, Danielle?’ Celia-Ann asked.

  ‘No, just the one time. Justin brought me out to see it,’ she answered. ‘I really enjoyed it.’

  ‘You have to be born into it,’ Celia-Ann said grandly. ‘Horse families are a particular breed, as we always say.’ She let out a peal of laughter. Danielle smiled politely.

  ‘Well, when Danielle’s name is Johnston, she’ll be adopted into it,’ Justin said loyally.

  His mother’s eyes went wide and she looked from him to Danielle and back. ‘Never marry in haste, Justin,’ she said sternly, ‘or you’ll regret it for a lifetime. Especially, when, if you’ll excuse my forthrighness, Danielle, you are thinking of marrying outside of your own circle. That’s a particularly delicate situation and must be handled carefully. If you are seriously thinking of such a thing, we will of course get our solicitor to draw up a pre-nup and cover every single angle.’ She looked pointedly at Danielle. ‘It has to be watertight when you come from a family such as ours, Justin,’ she said.

  Danielle could see the little vein in Justin’s temple starting to throb.

  ‘Mum, you know full well that Danielle and I are having a baby, and that we will of course be getting married. I’d marry Danielle in the morning, but I’ve agreed to your suggestion of waiting until after the birth.’

  ‘It’s the right choice,’ his mother said. ‘Trust me.’

  ‘More tea anyone?’ Danielle said. She thought Justin might fling a plate into the fireplace if his mother kept up this kind of talk.

  ‘Yes, I’d love some,’ said Jeremy.

  ‘No you won’t,’ Celia-Ann said sharply. ‘We’re leaving now. I have an appointment and I don’t wish to be late.’

  ‘Wouldn’t you like a guided tour?’ Justin asked, sounding disappointed. Danielle felt disappointed too, given all the work she’d done to make every room perfect.

  ‘No thank you,’ his mother said. ‘Judging by the tiles and the carpet, I can’t imagine Danielle’s taste has much in common with mine.’

  Danielle blushed, but said nothing. This woman wasn’t worth it. Like Nancy had said, if she was a decent person, she wouldn’t go out of her way to make her feel bad
about herself. She might be rich, but she was a nasty piece of work all the same.

  ‘Now, both of you, keep the night of thirtieth October free, please,’ Celia-Ann said as Justin helped her into her coat. ‘I’m planning a rather fun bash, a masked ball, and I want you both at it. And Danielle, I’d like to invite your mother as well. I think it’s important we all meet, don’t you?’

  Danielle was taken aback, but Justin looked so delighted she just stammered out a thank you and assured Celia-Ann that they would both be there.

  ‘Good. Now come along, Jeremy.’

  ‘Yes dear,’ he said as he hugged Justin awkwardly and banged him on the back. ‘Good show, son, good show.’

  ‘See you in the morning with the vet, Daddy.’

  ‘Yes, indeed. See you then. Bye-bye, young lady. Thank you for a marvellous tea. Catch you later!’ he said and tried to make a peace sign that ended up being a V-sign. Danielle and Justin just managed to hold their laugher until they shut the door behind them.

  Justin wandered back to the food table to fill another plate, chatting all the while about the mare and ‘the bash’ and the box-set he wanted to watch that evening. Danielle was pleased that he was happy, and relieved she had played her part well enough, but she didn’t share his conviction that Celia-Ann had somehow changed her mind and wanted to play happy families. She was astonished about the party invite, but unlike Justin, she found herself wondering about motives. What did Celia-Ann stand to gain from inviting Danielle and her mother?

  Chapter 11

  BETSY WAS ENJOYING EVERY MOMENT WITH BABY Arnie. He was the most cheerful little boy and so easy to mind. He ate anything she put in front of him and loved playing with his toys. She was glad she’d gone to the trouble of fishing Graham’s old things out of the attic and buying a few more, otherwise he’d have had nothing. He’d arrived all the way from Australia without so much as a teddy. She’d made up for that now. It was such a joy to have a grandchild to spoil.

  ‘He’s so good, isn’t he, Noel?’

  ‘He’s a little star. But I suppose the poor child is delighted with anything after living in a squat and eating gone-off food from a skip.’

  Noel had never got over Tasha’s admission of how they’d been living, and every time Betsy thought of it she shuddered. How had Graham gone from being so well brought up to that? She couldn’t help feeling it was partly her fault. Clearly she hadn’t raised him well enough or else he would’ve made better choices.

  Noel was constantly telling her that the past was in the past and that things would be different from here on in. ‘Arnie was only a dot when they lived in that dreadful squat,’ Noel reasoned. ‘With a bit of luck he won’t have any memories of that time. Instead he’ll know about living with his loving grandparents and his doting parents.’

  The doting parents comment was a bit of a stretch, Betsy mused. Tasha wasn’t any nicer than she remembered, and she didn’t lift a finger around the house. There wasn’t a single offer to help with the washing or cooking or cleaning. Instead she sat on the sofa reading Betsy’s magazines while calling Gray and asking for a cup of tea, a glass of juice, a coffee, a few biscuits, a packet of crisps . . . She never stopped, and Graham ran after her like a little lap dog.

  Betsy was in the kitchen, preparing dinner for Arnie and for the adults when Noel stormed in, his face red with anger.

  ‘I’m going to strangle that woman if she doesn’t start to pull her weight,’ he growled.

  Betsy absolutely agreed with him, but she knew that they needed to butt out of the situation.

  ‘It’s not our business, Noel.’

  ‘It bloody well is if they’re living in our house,’ he said. ‘I’ve told her that she’s to stop sitting in the front garden smoking those roll-up cigarettes. If she must do it, she’s to keep it to the back where nobody can see her. The cheeky cow has been shoving her cigarette butts into the planter at the front door. My poor cyclamen display is being burned and ruined.’

  ‘That’s not on,’ Betsy admitted. ‘Did she say she’d stop?’

  ‘I got the usual glower followed by a nudge in the shoulder as she bumped past me.’

  ‘What is that all about?’ Betsy said, as anger rose inside her. ‘She’s dreadfully aggressive and seems to have no respect for the fact that she’s living in our home – for free, I might add.’

  ‘Maybe I’ll have a word with Graham later on, in private, and suggest he prints off a CV,’ said Noel. ‘Much as I adore little Arnie, neither of us is really able to mind him full-time. We’re not getting any younger, Betsy, and young children are a lot of work.’

  Noel had been a wonderful hands-on father with Graham and Betsy knew he would gladly do it again for little Arnie, but he was right, people in their sixties weren’t really cut out for full-time parenting. There was a good reason why Mother Nature didn’t give babies to pensioners.

  ‘Leave it with me, love. I’ll do it now in fact,’ Noel said, suddenly looking determined. ‘No time like the present, and I reckon Graham will listen to me. No offence, pet, but I think it’s time for a man-to-man talk.’

  ‘None taken,’ she said holding her hands up in defeat. ‘Anything you can do to improve things will be most welcome.’

  Before Betsy could blink, Noel had taken Graham into the parlour, which wasn’t often used, although it was a beautiful room and contained her most prized ornaments. The three of them knew that a summons to the good room meant business. Betsy huddled close to the door with her hands clasped and her eyes shut and prayed Graham would listen to Noel.

  There was no noise at first, but then the shouting began in earnest. Clearly, what Noel had said wasn’t going down too well with Graham. Meanwhile Tasha appeared with Arnie, dumped him on the floor with an armful of toys she’d scooped up from the playroom and flicked on the TV. As Arnie played on the floor, Tasha sat watching a dreadful programme where people with missing teeth and tattooed knuckles were hurling abuse at one another. There was more beeping than talking and Betsy longed to change the channel.

  ‘They’re not the nicest of people on there, are they?’ Betsy ventured. ‘It might be an idea to put on a children’s programme for Arnie to watch.’

  ‘He’s a baby, Ma,’ she said, without so much as a glance in Betsy’s direction. ‘Besides I can’t stand kiddies’ programmes. They do my head in with all the crappy music and stupid storylines.’

  ‘Well they aren’t aimed at us, dear.’

  ‘Exactly my point,’ said Tasha. ‘So that’s why I watch something that I enjoy. God knows I spend enough time doing what he wants.’ She pointed to Arnie as if he were nothing more than a nuisance. Betsy opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

  A short time later Graham appeared, looking flushed and furious.

  ‘How did it go?’ Betsy asked with trepidation. ‘We both love you, darling, but this situation has to change.’ She gave a vague wave of her arm so as not to point at anyone in particular.

  ‘Come in here for a moment please, Betsy,’ Noel said.

  Arnie began to cry, so Betsy picked him up and brought him with her. Graham closed the door behind her and went over to the bay window and stood there staring out with his back to them. Noel shot her a look and she knew things weren’t good.

  ‘We’ll be gone as soon as I can find some place we can squat,’ Graham said, his voice flat with restrained anger. ‘I had a bit of a tip-off from a guy I met at the park yesterday.’

  ‘You can’t take that baby to a squat again,’ said Noel. ‘It’s not right and it’s not the way you should be raising a child.’

  ‘It’s fine. You don’t know the first thing about it so keep your nose out of it, yeah?’

  ‘Don’t speak to your father that way,’ Betsy said. ‘We all need to calm down a bit. Arnie deserves to have a proper home where he has warmth, food and love. I don’t know about squats, you’re dead right there. But I have an imagination and I’m using it. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it wouldn’t be
similar to living here?’

  ‘Mum, don’t go down the smart-ass route,’ Graham said, spinning around. ‘Nowhere is as good as bloody Kingfisher Road, I get it. But sadly, I’m not having a house handed to me so I can become all high and mighty.’

  ‘That’s enough!’ Noel shouted, making them all jump.

  Arnie burst into tears and Graham instinctively took him and cuddled him until he stopped.

  ‘Right, I’m now laying down the law. You won’t be going to a squat,’ Noel said. ‘You will stay here until you are in a position to fend for yourselves. But you and Tasha must pull your weight with the housework and you will be pleasant while you do it. Do I make myself clear?’

  Much to Betsy’s astonishment, Graham seemed to back down. He nodded and then left the room. They filed after him to where Tasha was still watching TV.

  ‘Eh, what’s the problem, babes?’

  ‘My folks want us out of here and they’re saying they don’t want Arnie near a squat.’

  ‘Right,’ she said, seeming totally uninterested. She turned back to watching her programme.

  Arnie was plonked down on the floor and Graham stormed out of the front door, slamming it for added drama. Much to Noel and Betsy’s astonishment, Tasha’s gaze still didn’t leave the TV and she didn’t look as if she might be ready to have a conversation with them either.

  ‘Eh, Tasha . . .’ Noel said. ‘We’re wondering if you’ve had any thoughts on what you might do. You can’t carry on doing nothing and, as I’ve just said to Graham, we’ll gladly help out as much as we can . . .’

  ‘Yeah, great,’ she said and turned up the volume.

  Not sure of what else to do, Betsy put a howling Arnie into the buggy and said she’d take him for a walk.

  ‘I don’t mean to be awful,’ Noel said. ‘I’d love a walk in the fresh air, it’s also getting dark so I don’t like you being on your own, but I’m not leaving Tasha here on her own. I don’t trust her.’

  ‘No, neither do I, unfortunately,’ Betsy agreed. ‘I won’t be long, love. I’ll only go until Arnie falls asleep.’