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Authors: Rebecca Tope
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quite got uttered.
‘I’m afraid I’ve got to go.’ She made a small movement towards the car.
‘No, no . You silly girl. I’ve come to help , don’t you see? I’ve got three valiant sons at home, ready and willing to come and lend a hand. You’ve obviously got troubles, you poor thing. It would be stupid to turn down any offers of help.’
‘I don’t think I need any help.’ Thea spoke loudly, forced onto the defensive by the onslaught of this outrageous woman.
‘Of course you do. You can’t possibly carry on here by yourself. I don’t know exactly what might have happened, but I can see it was serious. Such a little thing, too, aren’t you. No match for any intruders or whatever they are.’
‘I won’t be by myself,’ Thea almost shouted. ‘I’ll be perfectly all right. Now, I do have to go.’ Ordinarily she would have expressed thanks for the concern, but already she was finding it impossible to be polite to somebody so pushy.
‘All right. When will you be back? I’ll bring the boys round to see you – just so you know whatreinforcements are at hand if you need them.’
How had this happened, Thea wondered. Suddenly she was plunged into a game she didn’t want to play. She found herself searching for evasions, diversions, anything that would ensure she never had to see this woman again. But already she understood that escape was impossible, resistance useless. Valerie Innes lived at the Manor, which Thea guessed had to be the large and very beautiful stone house set on rising ground half a mile to the west. And Thea was trapped here at Juniper Court for another twelve days.
‘I’m not sure when I’ll be back,’ she said. ‘But I’ll have my sister with me. And we’ve got a lot to talk about.’ Even now, she couldn’t say directly – Do not visit me. Leave us alone. Go away, you pest. Women like this exploited a person’s natural civility, marching through the gaps left by an inability to speak the naked truth.
‘This evening, then,’ said Valerie. ‘I’ll bring the boys.’
As she drove the few miles to Minchinhampton, Thea wondered about ‘the boys’. How would it be to have a mother like that? Were they cowed little wimps, brokenly obeying her every word? Or did they somehow tune her out, going through the motions while effectively barricaded against her intrusions? Ordid each one have his own strategy for dealing with her? Or, improbably, was she a whole different person at home – loving and accepting, inspiring devotion and concern from sons who must surely be in their late teens at least?
Chapter Five – Monday
Jocelyn was standing outside the lychgate of the church close to the centre of Minchinhampton as Thea drove her car into a free place only a few yards away at four o’clock. She and Hepzie had spent a soothing hour on the Common, in the meantime. Her sister didn’t see her, which gave Thea a chance to examine her unawares. She looked fatter and older than she had only six weeks earlier. Her hair had been cut very short, and sat like a limp earth-coloured rag on her head. Her shoulders sloped and all her weight was on one leg, reminding Thea unpleasantly of the limping youth she’d seen a few days before.
‘Here I am,’ Thea announced, approaching quickly. ‘Didn’t you see me?’
Jocelyn shook her head. ‘I was thinking,’ she said. ‘And trying to work out whether this place is a real town or just a sort of film set. Have you seen the churchyard?’ She pointed through the lychgate, where manicured grass and paved paths surrounded very soldierly headstones, with awooden seat and war memorial for good measure.
Thea looked. ‘Unreal,’ she agreed, remembering the church at Duntisbourne Abbots, which had infinitely more character.
She inspected her sister with a long steady gaze. ‘You look ghastly,’ she concluded.
‘I know.’
‘So, what the hell’s going on?’
Jocelyn heaved a deep sigh, and looked around her. ‘Can we go
‘I’m afraid I’ve got to go.’ She made a small movement towards the car.
‘No, no . You silly girl. I’ve come to help , don’t you see? I’ve got three valiant sons at home, ready and willing to come and lend a hand. You’ve obviously got troubles, you poor thing. It would be stupid to turn down any offers of help.’
‘I don’t think I need any help.’ Thea spoke loudly, forced onto the defensive by the onslaught of this outrageous woman.
‘Of course you do. You can’t possibly carry on here by yourself. I don’t know exactly what might have happened, but I can see it was serious. Such a little thing, too, aren’t you. No match for any intruders or whatever they are.’
‘I won’t be by myself,’ Thea almost shouted. ‘I’ll be perfectly all right. Now, I do have to go.’ Ordinarily she would have expressed thanks for the concern, but already she was finding it impossible to be polite to somebody so pushy.
‘All right. When will you be back? I’ll bring the boys round to see you – just so you know whatreinforcements are at hand if you need them.’
How had this happened, Thea wondered. Suddenly she was plunged into a game she didn’t want to play. She found herself searching for evasions, diversions, anything that would ensure she never had to see this woman again. But already she understood that escape was impossible, resistance useless. Valerie Innes lived at the Manor, which Thea guessed had to be the large and very beautiful stone house set on rising ground half a mile to the west. And Thea was trapped here at Juniper Court for another twelve days.
‘I’m not sure when I’ll be back,’ she said. ‘But I’ll have my sister with me. And we’ve got a lot to talk about.’ Even now, she couldn’t say directly – Do not visit me. Leave us alone. Go away, you pest. Women like this exploited a person’s natural civility, marching through the gaps left by an inability to speak the naked truth.
‘This evening, then,’ said Valerie. ‘I’ll bring the boys.’
As she drove the few miles to Minchinhampton, Thea wondered about ‘the boys’. How would it be to have a mother like that? Were they cowed little wimps, brokenly obeying her every word? Or did they somehow tune her out, going through the motions while effectively barricaded against her intrusions? Ordid each one have his own strategy for dealing with her? Or, improbably, was she a whole different person at home – loving and accepting, inspiring devotion and concern from sons who must surely be in their late teens at least?
Chapter Five – Monday
Jocelyn was standing outside the lychgate of the church close to the centre of Minchinhampton as Thea drove her car into a free place only a few yards away at four o’clock. She and Hepzie had spent a soothing hour on the Common, in the meantime. Her sister didn’t see her, which gave Thea a chance to examine her unawares. She looked fatter and older than she had only six weeks earlier. Her hair had been cut very short, and sat like a limp earth-coloured rag on her head. Her shoulders sloped and all her weight was on one leg, reminding Thea unpleasantly of the limping youth she’d seen a few days before.
‘Here I am,’ Thea announced, approaching quickly. ‘Didn’t you see me?’
Jocelyn shook her head. ‘I was thinking,’ she said. ‘And trying to work out whether this place is a real town or just a sort of film set. Have you seen the churchyard?’ She pointed through the lychgate, where manicured grass and paved paths surrounded very soldierly headstones, with awooden seat and war memorial for good measure.
Thea looked. ‘Unreal,’ she agreed, remembering the church at Duntisbourne Abbots, which had infinitely more character.
She inspected her sister with a long steady gaze. ‘You look ghastly,’ she concluded.
‘I know.’
‘So, what the hell’s going on?’
Jocelyn heaved a deep sigh, and looked around her. ‘Can we go
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