mercenary, hard and devious. Eva
thought that might be because as students they’d have all been on their uppers,
and they were probably jealous of Flora’s success. It was clear from the clothes
and the cars of these old student friends that they were still poor, and coming to The
Beeches to discover Flora had never had to struggle financially, as they had, might have
resurrected that envy.
But why had Flora cut herself off from them?
And why when she had been a successful artist had she given it up?
Was it Andrew’s doing?
Eva had watched him as these people tried to
talk to him during the day and she could see by his strained expression and body
language that he was struggling to be polite and had absolutely no interest in any of
them. But then Andrew was a businessman through and through – his interests were the
stock market, politics and sport, not art. Maybe when he found Lauren’s phone
number in her mother’s address book he’d thought she was a more recent
friend.
Eva doubted he’d ever grown his hair
long, worn tie-dye T-shirts or patched jeans. He’d never gone to a rock concert,
was appalled at drug taking or even smoking cigarettes, and he sneered at New Age
people, alternative lifestyles, astrology and vegetarians. In fact he was probably
appalled that by contacting Lauren about Flora’s death he had unwittingly given an
open invitation to a bunch of people he saw as just cranks.
But if these people had been Flora’s
friends, Eva wondered how and why she ever got together with Andrew. It was odd for a
woman who had apparently seen life in technicolour to settle down with a man who only
saw black and white and who lived his life through spreadsheets.
Eva knew that Andrew hadn’t been wealthy
when he married Flora; that came later, when they moved to Cheltenham. This house had
been dilapidated at the time. It was selling off the land at the back of it which had
enabled them to turn it into what it was today. Yet Flora was the creative one, so why
did she always bow to Andrew’s taste?
Eva was about sixteen when Andrew first came
up with the idea of putting a swimming pool in the old stables. She remembered Flora
gently pointing out that pools cost a lot to maintain. Nothing more was said about it
for months, then one night Eva walked in the front door and overheard them in the
sitting room having a row about it.
She went halfway up the stairs, but stayed
there to listen.
‘It’s just showing off,’
Flora insisted. ‘The stables aren’t big enough for a decent size one that
you can really swim in. You just want the neighbours to be impressed. But they
won’t be forking out for the heating bills, will they?’
‘It’s me that brings the money
in, so I can decide what to spend it on,’ Andrew argued. ‘The kids will love
it.’
‘They might at first. But
they’ll be bored with it in no time. They aren’t that keen on swimming, and
you’ve never been interested.’
‘I would be if it was right
here,’ he said. ‘Besides, it’s a statement that I’m doing
well.’
‘As I thought, you just want to
pose,’ Flora snapped back at him. ‘It’s a waste of money.’
‘My money,’ he said, and with
that he opened the sitting room door to walk out.
Eva had no alternative but to flee up to her
room before he caught her eavesdropping.
They went on rowing for some time that
night. Eva couldn’t hear what they were saying but at one point she heard
something smash, then it went quiet.
Flora was very silent and brooding for the next
few days, and although Eva asked her what was wrong, she refused to say. As nothing
further happened for a few weeks about the swimming pool, Eva assumed Andrew’s
plan had been abandoned.
When the conversion of the old stables
finally got started, Flora didn’t protest, but Eva was aware she was still against
the idea, because of her tight-lipped false smile. Eva, Ben and Sophie were all thrilled
with the pool when it was finished. But, as Mum
thought that might be because as students they’d have all been on their uppers,
and they were probably jealous of Flora’s success. It was clear from the clothes
and the cars of these old student friends that they were still poor, and coming to The
Beeches to discover Flora had never had to struggle financially, as they had, might have
resurrected that envy.
But why had Flora cut herself off from them?
And why when she had been a successful artist had she given it up?
Was it Andrew’s doing?
Eva had watched him as these people tried to
talk to him during the day and she could see by his strained expression and body
language that he was struggling to be polite and had absolutely no interest in any of
them. But then Andrew was a businessman through and through – his interests were the
stock market, politics and sport, not art. Maybe when he found Lauren’s phone
number in her mother’s address book he’d thought she was a more recent
friend.
Eva doubted he’d ever grown his hair
long, worn tie-dye T-shirts or patched jeans. He’d never gone to a rock concert,
was appalled at drug taking or even smoking cigarettes, and he sneered at New Age
people, alternative lifestyles, astrology and vegetarians. In fact he was probably
appalled that by contacting Lauren about Flora’s death he had unwittingly given an
open invitation to a bunch of people he saw as just cranks.
But if these people had been Flora’s
friends, Eva wondered how and why she ever got together with Andrew. It was odd for a
woman who had apparently seen life in technicolour to settle down with a man who only
saw black and white and who lived his life through spreadsheets.
Eva knew that Andrew hadn’t been wealthy
when he married Flora; that came later, when they moved to Cheltenham. This house had
been dilapidated at the time. It was selling off the land at the back of it which had
enabled them to turn it into what it was today. Yet Flora was the creative one, so why
did she always bow to Andrew’s taste?
Eva was about sixteen when Andrew first came
up with the idea of putting a swimming pool in the old stables. She remembered Flora
gently pointing out that pools cost a lot to maintain. Nothing more was said about it
for months, then one night Eva walked in the front door and overheard them in the
sitting room having a row about it.
She went halfway up the stairs, but stayed
there to listen.
‘It’s just showing off,’
Flora insisted. ‘The stables aren’t big enough for a decent size one that
you can really swim in. You just want the neighbours to be impressed. But they
won’t be forking out for the heating bills, will they?’
‘It’s me that brings the money
in, so I can decide what to spend it on,’ Andrew argued. ‘The kids will love
it.’
‘They might at first. But
they’ll be bored with it in no time. They aren’t that keen on swimming, and
you’ve never been interested.’
‘I would be if it was right
here,’ he said. ‘Besides, it’s a statement that I’m doing
well.’
‘As I thought, you just want to
pose,’ Flora snapped back at him. ‘It’s a waste of money.’
‘My money,’ he said, and with
that he opened the sitting room door to walk out.
Eva had no alternative but to flee up to her
room before he caught her eavesdropping.
They went on rowing for some time that
night. Eva couldn’t hear what they were saying but at one point she heard
something smash, then it went quiet.
Flora was very silent and brooding for the next
few days, and although Eva asked her what was wrong, she refused to say. As nothing
further happened for a few weeks about the swimming pool, Eva assumed Andrew’s
plan had been abandoned.
When the conversion of the old stables
finally got started, Flora didn’t protest, but Eva was aware she was still against
the idea, because of her tight-lipped false smile. Eva, Ben and Sophie were all thrilled
with the pool when it was finished. But, as Mum
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