Despite the Angels - By Madeline A Stringer Page 0,40

put his arm round Kathleen and gradually she allowed herself to be led into the bedroom.

David let himself out of the house and set off to walk the mile to his mother-in-law’s house. As he walked he found his mood lightening as he anticipated seeing the girls again. He’d missed the softness of them, the beginnings of smiles, their happiness to connect with people without asking anything of them. So much easier than Kay. He pushed the disloyal thought down. Poor Kay, she can’t help it, it’s been tough on her, being ill and all.

“She could help it if she tried,” said Jotin. “Haliken is working on her, trying to get through. It’ll help if you don’t fuss over her too much. Don’t encourage her. Make her care for the twins when you get home. And tell your mum about what happened in Rome, how she behaved. Don’t carry this all alone.”

I’ll talk to Mum, thought David. Get her advice, she’s had babies too, she might understand. She had to look after us alone, too, with Dad being away so much. He had a frisson of guilt as he remembered; I still have to confess to Kathleen that I’ve applied to go on that field trip to Oxford. For two weeks. And I really would like to go and it really would help me, would look good on my C.V., never mind just impressing the Prof. And it will be interesting, seeing the labs there, how they do things. David rang the doorbell and waited, watching his breath make clouds, filling the porch momentarily with his own microclimate.

“You’re back! Come in quick, before that damp gets in too. The girls are just back, they’ve been visiting,”

“Yes, and you didn’t get him here fast enough, now he’s missed her again.”

“Who, Trynor?” asked Jotin.

“They were taken round the block to meet Mary and Peter, you know, half their garden backs onto ours. Their nieces were visiting, such nice little girls, Lucy and Alison. They came and wheeled the twins round. Much more fun than dolls.”

“How are they? Did they miss me and their mum?” David went through to the back room, which was always kept snug. The babies would be there.

“Did you organise that, you chump?” Jotin looked at Trynor and tried to put on a stern expression. “Didn’t I tell you, the age gap is too big now. And what if Lucy had met Kathleen?”

“What if she had?” said Trynor.

“She could have ended up as Kathleen’s pal, as a useful babysitter in a few years, far sooner than she will be able to meet David on equal terms. That could ruin everything. Keep her away from those babies.”

“But she was meant to be their stepmother and bring them up,” Trynor protested. “How can she do that if she never meets them? As their babysitter at least she’d have some input.”

“Yes, she was, before you fluffed by forgetting to get her born in time. She can’t bring up these babies. And it’s far more important that she gets together with David eventually. If we don’t mess things up again. Now, go and stop her getting run over, or something.”

“Nag nag nag. I’m gone.”

Jotin followed David through into the back room.

David was holding Clare in the crook of one arm and was stroking Caroline with the other hand. A cup of tea stood cooling on the low table beside him.

“Why didn’t Kath come with you?” Mrs Kearney was fussing around, offering cake and tucking in the babies.

“She’s not very well. Nothing in particular, just low.”

“After the travel, I suppose. You should have let us give you the money to stay longer, get more rest.”

“Well, it’s a nice idea, Mrs K, but I don’t think it would have been better. Kay really enjoyed the first day, she came right out of herself, back to how she used to be. The second day she was okay, but by the third day she said Rome was horrible and she couldn’t wait to leave. It was lovely to see her so well on Friday,” he ended lamely. It had been. They had done almost no sight-seeing that day, had stayed in bed all morning, finding out again what the original attraction between them had been. He had had to get up eventually, to go out in search of more condoms. Easier to get in Italy than at home. He had bought a huge supply, but by the next day Kathleen had lost interest again and they were