Read Online Summer on the River by Marcia Willett - Free Book Online Page A

Pat, confined and hedged about, but simply accepted everything Russ had to give – the love, the sharing, the passion – before they moved apart.
    Thinking about it now, it seems that Pat hardly entered into that scholarly part of Russ’s life. It was as if she had her own private, separate, inviolable existence – Russ’s wife and the mother of his son – that was never discussed, certainly never to be questioned or threatened. It didn’t occur to Evie that she might be a threat to Pat. In her late twenties, ten years Russ’s junior, sharing ideas, research, Evie knew very well that she was just one in a line of young women that Russ attracted. She began to write novels in her spare time, he encouraged her, and, after her early success, she left the university. He pursued his television career but at some point it lost that first impact, was crowded out by the competition. Then, nearly ten years after their affair, she had the letter from him.
    Evie stops to lean on the wall opposite the Merchant’s House where she first met Tommy. It was Tommy who told her to have nothing to do with it. They were still in the early stages of their relationship and she’d told him about Russ. There were similarities between the two men: Tommy was nearly ten years older than she was; he had the same ability to inspire enthusiasm, to enter into the world of her imagination.
    â€˜My darling girl,’ he said, ‘you can’t possibly commit to something like that. Five years’ public school fees? It’s madness. OK, so you’ve done well, but you’ve invested nearly all your money in your house and you’ve still got a mortgage, which you’re relying on the sales of future books to pay. It’s much too risky and he has no right to ask, no matter how much help he gave you with your research.’ He paused. ‘
Did
he help you that much?’
    Evie considered the question. ‘It’s impossible to answer that truthfully,’ she said at last. ‘Who can actually define what has informed someone’s work? We are all inspired by the great artists in our field; we read books, or listen to music, or look at great art. We absorb it, digest it, live with it. Who can accurately say what is directly attributable? Russ never gave me specific ideas or information but he inspired me with his love of his work. How can I evaluate that?’
    â€˜It’s your decision,’ Tommy said gently, ‘but you asked me for my opinion and I’m telling you what I think. It’s too risky and not fair on the boy. If you had to stop halfway through it would be a disaster.’
    So she’d written back to Russ, explaining, saying how sorry she was, and a few weeks later she had another letter, beseeching her, telling her that Jason had set his heart on Winchester, that it would mean so much to Pat, who was now very ill, and then a stronger hint this time about how much Evie owed him for his help in her research.
    In this letter she recognized another voice – Pat’s? – and her reply this time was more forceful and after that there was silence. Evie stares across the roof-tops: no wonder Jason had been watching her with such dislike. Clearly he recognized her and he was remembering her refusal to help. Perhaps he blamed her for his missed opportunity, though it was possible that his parents had found the money from another source. Perhaps he guessed at her relationship with his father and was resentful on his mother’s behalf. It certainly explained that sense of hostility.
    Nevertheless, she would like to speak to the boy: Jason’s son; Russ’s grandson. She feels sad that her relationship with Russ was spoiled at the end; that she must have seemed so uncaring – selfish, even – in refusing to help. Looking back, she wonders how much she was influenced by Tommy; whether left to herself she might have agreed to pay out, though she