The Holiday Home Page 0,88

the bottom step of the stairs, her heart breaking.

27

After the big announcement, Abi, Jem and Emily walked across the garden and down to the beach to greet the first arrivals.

Francis took Greg into the kitchen on the pretext of needing him to help with the food.

‘Here, have one of these.’ Francis handed his brother-in-law a large glass of punch. Greg downed it in three gulps and held the empty tumbler out for another. As Francis ladled the punch into the glass he looked at Greg closely. His skin was pale and his hands were shaking slightly. His breathing was more like panting. ‘Are you OK?’

‘Of course I’m not bloody OK. I feel as if I’m about to have a heart attack. My life has turned into a living nightmare.’

‘You’re doing fine. Just keep smiling and stay by Connie’s side. Don’t give Janie a chance to get you on your own.’

He looked gratefully at Francis. ‘Thank you for punching me on the nose. You brought me to my senses.’

‘Any time. It doesn’t look bruised.’

‘It was a bit red, but I told Connie I had a cold coming on and she covered it with some makeup. How’s your hand?’

‘Sore. I’ve never hit anyone before.’

They looked at each other and chuckled. ‘This is the closest we’ve ever been, Francis,’ said Greg. ‘I don’t know what I’d have done without you.’

They fell into an awkward embrace, Greg’s plastered arm grazing the painful knuckles of Francis’s hand.

*

Pru and Connie were in the drawing room with their parents. Henry and Dorothy were on one of the sofas and the girls were sitting on the floor by their feet.

‘When you launched into your speech, I thought you were going to tell us that one of you was about to die,’ said Pru, shaking her father’s knee in mock anger.

‘Me too,’ said Connie. ‘It made the rest sound so trivial in comparison! Why on earth did you leave it so long to tell us the truth? Why didn’t you just get married? Why keep it a secret? We wouldn’t have minded.’

Dorothy shrugged her shoulders. ‘We told everyone we’d eloped, and that was that really …’ she finished lamely.

‘I don’t understand,’ persisted Connie. ‘Why did you pretend you’d eloped? Why didn’t you just elope?’

Dorothy looked at Henry for help. He had already warned her not to tell the girls about Susan.

‘Silliness on my part. It seemed an innocent white lie at the time. A bit of fun. But once everyone considered us married, it became impossible to tell the truth.’

Pru frowned. ‘I still don’t get it. That was so stupid of you.’

Henry looked at his elder daughter and admired her reasoning. He felt very uncomfortable in persisting with the fictitious story. But what choice did he have? Luckily, Connie unwittingly came to the rescue.

She got to her feet. ‘So when are you going to get married? You’ve had a long enough engagement.’

Again, Dorothy looked to Henry for a lead.

‘We’ll sort something out in good time. Let’s get Abi’s party on the road first, shall we?’

‘We’re not allowed to stay too long because we’re considered old and uncool,’ said Connie.

‘Speak for yourself,’ said Pru, standing up and shrugging on a new black leather jacket over her skinny jeans. ‘Francis and I are going to dance the night away.’

*

Belinda had slipped back to Dairy Cottage to repair her tear-stained makeup. When she was done, she formed her lips into one of her well-practised over-bright smiles and went in search of Francis. When she found him, serving punch to an ill-looking Greg, she asked for a glass herself.

‘It’s nice. But not enough oomph,’ she proclaimed.

‘There’s almost half a bottle of vodka in there,’ said Francis. ‘That’s plenty. I don’t want the kids getting drunk.’

‘Fat chance of that. It’s as weak as tea!’ said Belinda. ‘Greg, can you manage to take down a couple of bowls of salad with your broken arm?’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘Good. Francis, you take the big tub of chilli, and I’ll be down with the punch in a minute.’

She watched as the two men did as they were asked. When they were out of sight, she found the rest of the bottle of vodka, a bottle of Cointreau and some tequila, and poured them all into the big punch bowl.

*

Down on the cooling sand, the sun was slipping towards the horizon and the sea was at its lowest ebb. Music from Merlin’s Mobile Disco was setting the party mood and the first of the guests were chatting and laughing with Abi.