Read Online The Boy I Love by Marion Husband - Free Book Online

walk towards the house. ‘Childbearing hips.’ He glanced at Paul. ‘Funny, I imagined she’d be ever so fragile-looking. A frail, delicate doll with an obscene little bump. But she has tits and an arse. I’m surprised at you, Paul.’
    â€˜Are you?’
    Taking off his glasses Adam took a handkerchief from his pocket and polished the lenses vigorously. ‘Sorry. I suppose I’m just a bitter bastard.’ He sighed. ‘She seems sweet, really. And she smokes! You’ve one thing in common, at least.’ Quickly he said, ‘I’ve left you both a bite of supper in the pantry – just cheese and bread, that kind of thing. Milk and tea of course – I presume you’re not going away anywhere?’
    â€˜No.’
    â€˜Probably best, this time of year. Not much fun.’
    â€˜Thanks for standing by me today.’
    â€˜We coped, didn’t we?’
    â€˜Yes. We coped.’
    Adam stepped forward and hugged him, the stiff, awkward embrace of an ordinary best man. Stepping away hastily he said, ‘Shall we go in? I think you have to cut the cake.’
    From the house George called, ‘Paul, for heaven’s sake boy, come in out of the cold!’
    Adam laughed emptily. ‘He’s always wanted you in out of the cold, hasn’t he? Well, at least someone’s happy.’
    They turned to walk back to the house. Startled, the graveyard rooks hurled themselves into the sky.
    In the house on Tanner Street, Margot stood in the bedroom doorway and looked around the little room. Paul had brought furniture from his father’s house, a chest of drawers and a bedside table made from some dark expensive wood, recently polished and smelling of beeswax. On top of the drawers stood a jug and basin, decorated with the cheerful faces of blue and yellow pansies. Tucked discreetly under the bed was a chamber pot in the same pattern. Beside the jug was a vase full of holly, heavy with berries.
    Placing her suitcase beneath the sash window Paul said, ‘Sorry about the smell of paint.’
    â€˜That’s all right.’
    â€˜I kept the windows open for a while but I didn’t want the place getting too cold.’
    â€˜Really, I can barely smell anything.’
    â€˜Right, well, I’ll go and light the fire downstairs. Would you like a cup of tea?’
    â€˜Tea?’
    â€˜Unless you want something stronger?’
    â€˜No! I mean I just thought …’ Lamely she said, ‘Tea would be nice.’
    He went downstairs. Margot took off her new, going-away hat and tossed it at the chair in the corner of the room. Suddenly exhausted, she lay down on the bed. The stink of fresh paint hung heavily in the air and she tried to breathe only through her mouth, turning to bury her nose in the eiderdown. Smelling lavender she tugged the quilt back to reveal freshly laundered sheets. He had taken care with their wedding bed. She shivered.
    That morning, as she’d twisted and tugged her hair into place, her mother said, ‘Your father’s not a good judge of character, for all that he’s supposed to be.’ She’d met her eye in the mirror. ‘I like Paul. You should consider yourself lucky to catch him.’
    â€˜I didn’t catch him.’
    Her mother had laughed grimly, pinning a lump of hair with a quick stab. ‘Perhaps you should put a little lipstick on. You look far too pale.’
    Paul returned with a cup of tea and placed it on the bedside table. He sat down at the foot of the bed. ‘I’ve made up my bed in the other room.’
    â€˜Oh.’ She felt herself blush and busied herself reaching for the cup of tea, only to spill some of it on the eiderdown. The stain spread darkly. ‘Sorry.’ She looked up at him. ‘I’m so clumsy.’
    â€˜It’s nothing, don’t worry.’
    To the tea cup she said, ‘You don’t have to sleep in the other room, if you