The Holiday Home Page 0,87

made his eyes sting even more than the tears.

He took in his reflection. Broken arm in its dingy plaster, grey scattered through the once luxurious hair on his chest, and the hint of a pot belly hanging over his shorts.

He turned on the cold tap of the basin and splashed his face. He spoke to himself: ‘Gregory, mate, you’ve been in some tight corners before and come out fine. This is just another. Get through tonight and by tomorrow you will have come up with a plan. You are not going to lose everything you have. You’re a winner, Greggy boy. A winner.’

*

The assembled throng stood at the bottom of the stairs watching as Abi made her descent, dressed as a shimmering pink mermaid. Belinda had sewn scallop shells to the cups of a pink halter-neck bikini and had scattered sequins and seed pearls all over them. Abi’s midriff was bare and from her hips to her toes she was clad in a tight pink shiny lycra side-split skirt, again smothered in sequins. At the back, a frothy train of sparkling pink net billowed over each step. Her long hair had been tonged into rippling waves. A circlet of tiny shells formed her crown.

‘Ta-dah!’ she laughed, holding out her arms and posing.

Connie was holding her camera. ‘Smile!’ The flash lit Abi’s face like a film star.

‘Mum, Dad, I want a picture with you both. Belinda, would you take it?’

‘I’ll take it.’ Janie had stepped in and taken the camera from Connie.

‘Thanks, Janie.’ Connie smiled and took Greg’s hand as they posed with Abi.

‘Hey, Dad. You smell nice!’ Abi sniffed appreciatively. ‘You look pretty hot too!’

‘Doesn’t he?’ said Connie, smiling at him and touching his cheek tenderly. She leaned in to kiss him. ‘Love you.’

Greg’s eyes flicked towards Janie, who looked as if she had neither seen nor heard anything. He glanced at Henry, who was busy whispering to Dorothy, and then he spotted Francis, who was giving him a discreet thumbs-up.

There was a loud pop from the drawing room as a champagne bottle was opened, followed by the sound of Jem laughing and apologising. ‘Oops! Went off a bit early. Sorry.’

Henry walked to the drawing room. ‘I told you I was going to give you the signal!’

‘I know. Soz and all that! I’m not trained in this.’ He held the foaming bottle.

‘Get it in some glasses, Jem. It won’t do us any good on the carpet.’

‘Yes, Poppa.’

Henry took centre stage and held out a hand for Dorothy to join him as all the family, along with Janie, Belinda and Emily, stood round in a semi-circle.

‘Friends and family,’ said Henry, ‘we are here tonight to celebrate Abi’s birthday. Before her guests start to arrive on the beach, I thought we’d take a moment together to raise our glasses and toast our Abigail.’

‘Abigail!’ they all said as one, and drank.

Henry waved his arms to quiet the chatter. ‘I have another important announcement to make.’ He put his arm round Dorothy’s waist. ‘Dorothy and I have been together for more than forty happy years. She is my best friend and the love of my life. What I have to tell you now may come as a shock, but you are all old enough to accept and understand.’ He took a deep breath and looked over at Connie and Pru. ‘Your mummy and I fell in love with each other so quickly that we didn’t have time to make things legal. We set up home and had you girls, but we never actually got married.’

The room was silent. Connie and Pru looked stunned. ‘So the other day, I took Dorothy ring-shopping. I have in my pocket the diamond she has always deserved.’ He turned to Dorothy, taking a small box from his jacket pocket. ‘Darling, I know this might seem a bit sudden …’ He smiled at his own joke. ‘… But would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?’

Dorothy held out her hand and he slipped the large and perfect solitaire diamond ring she had chosen on to the third finger of her left hand. She kissed him tenderly on the lips and said, ‘I’ll need some time to think about it … Oh, OK. You’re a silly old fool, but who else would have you?’

Connie and Pru went to their parents and hugged them tearfully, full of questions, while Francis called out, ‘Three cheers for Henry and Dorothy – hip-hip …’

Belinda, unnoticed, slid out into the hall and sat on