him, one magnificent physical specimen acknowledging another, then watched him head down the drive, out of the gates and on to the Uppercross road.
Walter would not have been quite so complacent if he’d been wearing those hideous spectacles. Then he might have recognised the man as that young upstart from France and responded far less charitably to his V-sign.
Chapter Ten
‘Mona!’
Anna jerked her head up, Rick Wentworth temporarily forgotten. Charles was at the sitting-room door, his face ashen, his breath coming in great gulps.
Mona quickly drained her glass and glared at him. ‘Can’t I have a quiet drink without–’
‘It’s Ollie … he’s had … an accident,’ he said, between gasps.
As Mona burst into noisy sobs, Anna asked, ‘Is it serious?’
At the sound of her voice, his breathing seemed to steady. ‘I don’t think so, but – but I want to take him to hospital, have him checked out.’
‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Do you need to call for an ambulance?’
He shook his head. ‘It’s just his ankle, he twisted it when he fell out of the tree–’
‘ Tree ?’ Mona cut in, angrily. ‘What the hell was he doing up a tree? Weren’t any of you watching him, for God’s sake?’
His thin face flushed. ‘You can’t watch them every single minute.’
‘Evidently not.’ Mona got to her feet, knocking over the empty wine bottle. ‘Shit, who left that there?’
Charles’s lips tightened. ‘Anna, will you walk her home? I’m going there now for my car, but I’m in a hurry, got to bring it up here for Ollie. Shall I call for you on my way to Yeovil? I could do with some moral support, in case–’
‘He’s my son, I’ll go to the effing hospital with you!’ Mona kicked the bottle aside and slammed her glass down on a nearby table.
For a minute or so, nobody spoke; yet it seemed to Anna that bitter words hung in the air, too exhausted to find a voice. At last she stood up, collected the two plates – the food barely touched – and gave Charles a reassuring smile.
‘You get the car, I’ll take Mona to see Ollie so she can put her mind at rest. Where is he?’
‘In the garden,’ he said, and went.
They found Ollie lying on a sunlounger, pale and silent, with his left leg raised on a pile of cushions. Barbara was kneeling at his side and holding a bag of frozen peas on his ankle.
She glanced up and said cheerfully, ‘Charles fell from the same tree when he was seven too, or was it eight? Such a fright at the time, but boys will be boys.’
Mona sat gingerly on the edge of the sunlounger. ‘My poor baby, Mummy’s here now.’
Ollie’s hand crept into hers. ‘Hurts.’
‘No wonder.’ She scowled at Barbara. ‘I’ll sit with him until Charles arrives. You’d better phone round and cancel the party.’
Barbara looked puzzled. ‘Not sure I follow you, dear.’
‘You can’t possibly be going ahead after this!’
‘But everything’s arranged and Roger’s so looking forward to it. And you weren’t coming anyway, were you, my pet?’ Barbara patted Ollie’s arm kindly, then smiled at Mona. ‘I’ll give Gemma a ring for you, though, and tell her not to come and babysit. This young man’ll want his mother with him tonight.’
Mona’s scowl deepened. ‘You can cancel the babysitter, but I’ll decide what my own son wants, thank you very much. And it’s Charles who’ll be staying at home with Ollie – it’s all his fault anyway, letting the poor kid fall from a tree .’
Anna eyed her sister’s flushed face and quickly intervened. ‘Why don’t you leave me your house key? Then I’ll make sure Harry has his tea and goes to bed at the usual time, if you’re still at the hospital.’
‘Be my guest.’ Mona turned abruptly towards the door out of the garden, which Charles had left ajar. ‘That sounds like our car. Here’s to a fun afternoon in Accident and Emergency.’
Harry was running wildly about with the dogs, Belle and Bracken. Anna let
Walter would not have been quite so complacent if he’d been wearing those hideous spectacles. Then he might have recognised the man as that young upstart from France and responded far less charitably to his V-sign.
Chapter Ten
‘Mona!’
Anna jerked her head up, Rick Wentworth temporarily forgotten. Charles was at the sitting-room door, his face ashen, his breath coming in great gulps.
Mona quickly drained her glass and glared at him. ‘Can’t I have a quiet drink without–’
‘It’s Ollie … he’s had … an accident,’ he said, between gasps.
As Mona burst into noisy sobs, Anna asked, ‘Is it serious?’
At the sound of her voice, his breathing seemed to steady. ‘I don’t think so, but – but I want to take him to hospital, have him checked out.’
‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Do you need to call for an ambulance?’
He shook his head. ‘It’s just his ankle, he twisted it when he fell out of the tree–’
‘ Tree ?’ Mona cut in, angrily. ‘What the hell was he doing up a tree? Weren’t any of you watching him, for God’s sake?’
His thin face flushed. ‘You can’t watch them every single minute.’
‘Evidently not.’ Mona got to her feet, knocking over the empty wine bottle. ‘Shit, who left that there?’
Charles’s lips tightened. ‘Anna, will you walk her home? I’m going there now for my car, but I’m in a hurry, got to bring it up here for Ollie. Shall I call for you on my way to Yeovil? I could do with some moral support, in case–’
‘He’s my son, I’ll go to the effing hospital with you!’ Mona kicked the bottle aside and slammed her glass down on a nearby table.
For a minute or so, nobody spoke; yet it seemed to Anna that bitter words hung in the air, too exhausted to find a voice. At last she stood up, collected the two plates – the food barely touched – and gave Charles a reassuring smile.
‘You get the car, I’ll take Mona to see Ollie so she can put her mind at rest. Where is he?’
‘In the garden,’ he said, and went.
They found Ollie lying on a sunlounger, pale and silent, with his left leg raised on a pile of cushions. Barbara was kneeling at his side and holding a bag of frozen peas on his ankle.
She glanced up and said cheerfully, ‘Charles fell from the same tree when he was seven too, or was it eight? Such a fright at the time, but boys will be boys.’
Mona sat gingerly on the edge of the sunlounger. ‘My poor baby, Mummy’s here now.’
Ollie’s hand crept into hers. ‘Hurts.’
‘No wonder.’ She scowled at Barbara. ‘I’ll sit with him until Charles arrives. You’d better phone round and cancel the party.’
Barbara looked puzzled. ‘Not sure I follow you, dear.’
‘You can’t possibly be going ahead after this!’
‘But everything’s arranged and Roger’s so looking forward to it. And you weren’t coming anyway, were you, my pet?’ Barbara patted Ollie’s arm kindly, then smiled at Mona. ‘I’ll give Gemma a ring for you, though, and tell her not to come and babysit. This young man’ll want his mother with him tonight.’
Mona’s scowl deepened. ‘You can cancel the babysitter, but I’ll decide what my own son wants, thank you very much. And it’s Charles who’ll be staying at home with Ollie – it’s all his fault anyway, letting the poor kid fall from a tree .’
Anna eyed her sister’s flushed face and quickly intervened. ‘Why don’t you leave me your house key? Then I’ll make sure Harry has his tea and goes to bed at the usual time, if you’re still at the hospital.’
‘Be my guest.’ Mona turned abruptly towards the door out of the garden, which Charles had left ajar. ‘That sounds like our car. Here’s to a fun afternoon in Accident and Emergency.’
Harry was running wildly about with the dogs, Belle and Bracken. Anna let
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