Read Online A Week in Winter: A Novel by Marcia Willett - Free Book Online Page A

truth, have it out in the open whilst the other, more cowardly, part of him feared exposure; foolish and pathetic. Mary was frightened too. What she had now, which was precious little—a tiny, rented ground-floor flat, her part-time job, a place for Stuart at the Care Centre three days a week—was hard-earned, painfully achieved, and she was terrified of losing any of it.
    ‘I simply can’t afford to mess it up,’ she’d said, anxious that he shouldunderstand. ‘I know that it makes me sound terribly selfish but I have to be, you see. Because of Stuart. I need to earn money and this little flat is so convenient. The bus picks Stuart up at the door and I can walk to school and to see Mum and Dad. It’s so difficult on public transport with a wheelchair and I couldn’t possibly afford to buy a car. It’s not that I don’t love you, Pat. It’s just that I can’t see how it would work, being together.’
    He’d held her hand, looking beyond her to where Stuart sat, immobile before the television set. How would the school governors react if they found out about the affair; if he announced that he was leaving his wife for one of the supply teachers? Would he or Mary be asked to leave? Perhaps they would both he dismissed.
    ‘It’s just not that easy, is it?’ she’d asked, watching him—and he’d smiled quickly, attempting reassurance, convincing neither of them.
    ‘I’ve been speaking to Patricia.’ Selina was at the door. ‘She’s furious, of course. Well, I knew she would be, and she thinks it’s a brilliant idea.’
    He stared at her, puzzled, only partially concentrating.
    ‘Thinks what’s a brilliant idea?’
    ‘Buying Moorgate,’ said Selina impatiently. ‘You know! My idea that we should all contribute and buy Moorgate ourselves. She agreed that it would be great to be able to have holidays there when they come over.’
    ‘Ah, I see.’ Patrick turned on his swivel chair so as to be able to look at her properly. ‘And how much are they intending to contribute?’
    ‘We didn’t go into details. They were in the middle of supper. I just wanted to sound her out.’
    ‘It’s out of the question.’ He turned back to his desk, too dispirited to pretend. ‘Even if Patricia and Simon were prepared to put a bit in, we still couldn’t afford it. And anyway, what’s the point? It’s a hell of a long way down to Cornwall. You might make an effort to get down for weekends in the summer but it would stand empty all winter, getting damp. It’s a ridiculous idea and you know it is.’
    ‘You think anything’s ridiculous if it’s out of the ordinary,’ she said bitingly. ‘You have no vision. No sense of adventure. You’ve always been afraid to take risks.’
    ‘I married you, didn’t I?’ The words were out before he could prevent them and he dropped his head into his hands. ‘Sorry,’ he muttered. ‘I’m sorry. That was unnecessary. But really, Selina, this is just too much. Patricia will agree with you, of course she will. She’s thousands of miles awayand doesn’t give a damn. But do you seriously imagine that Patricia and Simon will sink money into an old farmhouse in Cornwall so that they can have a holiday in it once every three years? Dream on!’
    Selina leaned against the door jamb, arms folded, and looked at him thoughtfully. Her instinct warned her that there were other issues involved here and she considered carefully before she spoke.
    ‘I realise that it sounds crazy,’ she said. Her voice was friendly, almost amused, and he looked up at her, taken aback. ‘But Moorgate really is special to me. OK.’ She chuckled a little, holding up her hands as if warding off protest from him. ‘I promise I won’t go over the past again. After all, you know better than anyone else about my feeling. It’s just that I had another idea about it. Look,’ her voice was intimate now, almost conspiratorial, ‘I utterly agree with you about Patricia and Simon but I thought it was