conversation with Proust’s daughter would be difficult? Stupid question.
‘Better ring your sister and tell her not to come,’ Simon said in a monotone. ‘What did she want, anyway?’
‘You’re asking me
now
?’ Charlie nodded towards the closed door. To consolidate their image as ungracious hosts, she and Simon had left Regan Murray alone in the lounge and shut themselves in the kitchen.
‘She’s an intruder. Let her wait. What does Liv want, and why the secrecy?’
‘Not secrecy – reluctance to get involved,’ said Charlie. ‘On my part. Liv wanted me to ask you. I said no, because I knew there was no point, you’d never agree. If she wants to try and persuade you, that’s up to her.’
‘So she said she’d come round tonight. And you didn’t tell me.’ Simon was picking up individual granules of instant Kenco and transferring them from the worktop to the mug. Some were too wet from the pools of water they’d been lying in; they’d lost their solidity, and smeared across his fingertips.
‘Like I said, I wanted nothing to do with it. But—’
‘Tell me, for fuck’s sake.’
‘Give me a chance! I was about to say, let’s skip the bit where we demonstrate that what I want couldn’t matter less, since we’re short of time. Liv wants to beg you – wanted me to beg you on her behalf – to go to her and Dom’s wedding.’
Simon looked up. ‘Why wouldn’t I? I’m married to you: her sister. You’re going, aren’t you?’
Charlie was surprised. ‘Yes, but I assumed, and Liv assumed, that you’d be giving it a morally judgemental wide berth. Have you decided you approve of infidelity?’
‘Not my infidelity, not my business.’ Simon picked up the mug. Water dripped from it onto the floor. He tilted it to wipe its bottom on his shirt, spilled coffee on his trousers, put the mug back on the worktop. ‘What do you think I’m going to do? Co-opt Liv and Dom’s wedding into my courageous moral odyssey by boycotting it? That’d make me a pompous arsehole. Which I’m not.’
‘Since when?’ said Charlie. ‘No one notified me.’
‘Very funny.’
‘It wasn’t meant to be. All right, since you’re full of surprises tonight: Liv also wanted me to ask you if you’d read something. At the wedding. I told her there was no way you’d stand up in front of a crowd of media luvvies and lawyers . . .’
‘I’ll read,’ said Simon.
‘You
will
?’
‘Why me, though? She’s got plenty of people to choose from who love the sound of their own voices – all her friends.’
‘She came over all coy when I asked her why you. I think she wants to show you off: her brother-in-law, the brilliant detective.’
‘As long as I don’t have to introduce myself, say my name, any of that shit. If all I have to do’s walk up to the front, read, go and sit down, I’ll do it. I’ll read a passage from
Moby-Dick
.’
He sounded enthusiastic, for Simon. Charlie felt guilty. ‘Not quite,’ she said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘She wants you to read something else. And I’m not telling you what it is.’
‘Why not?’
Because I’m incapable of relaying the information in a neutral tone of voice. Because I think it’s utterly ridiculous, and I don’t want to influence you
.
‘Well?’ said Simon. ‘I’m waiting.’
He wasn’t the only one. Charlie glanced at the closed kitchen door. She was starting to feel jumpy. ‘Can we discuss this later?’ she said. ‘Don’t you want to know what our intruder wants?’
Simon turned away. ‘Why’s she got two names?’ he said.
‘You’re asking the wrong person, Simon. She’s sitting just through there. I’m sure she’d be happy to tell you.’
‘How does she know our address? What’s she doing turning up here at ten o’clock on a Thursday night?’ He often referred to particular hours of particular days in a way that implied they were only acceptable if nothing at all happened in them. He could be alive, awake,
‘Better ring your sister and tell her not to come,’ Simon said in a monotone. ‘What did she want, anyway?’
‘You’re asking me
now
?’ Charlie nodded towards the closed door. To consolidate their image as ungracious hosts, she and Simon had left Regan Murray alone in the lounge and shut themselves in the kitchen.
‘She’s an intruder. Let her wait. What does Liv want, and why the secrecy?’
‘Not secrecy – reluctance to get involved,’ said Charlie. ‘On my part. Liv wanted me to ask you. I said no, because I knew there was no point, you’d never agree. If she wants to try and persuade you, that’s up to her.’
‘So she said she’d come round tonight. And you didn’t tell me.’ Simon was picking up individual granules of instant Kenco and transferring them from the worktop to the mug. Some were too wet from the pools of water they’d been lying in; they’d lost their solidity, and smeared across his fingertips.
‘Like I said, I wanted nothing to do with it. But—’
‘Tell me, for fuck’s sake.’
‘Give me a chance! I was about to say, let’s skip the bit where we demonstrate that what I want couldn’t matter less, since we’re short of time. Liv wants to beg you – wanted me to beg you on her behalf – to go to her and Dom’s wedding.’
Simon looked up. ‘Why wouldn’t I? I’m married to you: her sister. You’re going, aren’t you?’
Charlie was surprised. ‘Yes, but I assumed, and Liv assumed, that you’d be giving it a morally judgemental wide berth. Have you decided you approve of infidelity?’
‘Not my infidelity, not my business.’ Simon picked up the mug. Water dripped from it onto the floor. He tilted it to wipe its bottom on his shirt, spilled coffee on his trousers, put the mug back on the worktop. ‘What do you think I’m going to do? Co-opt Liv and Dom’s wedding into my courageous moral odyssey by boycotting it? That’d make me a pompous arsehole. Which I’m not.’
‘Since when?’ said Charlie. ‘No one notified me.’
‘Very funny.’
‘It wasn’t meant to be. All right, since you’re full of surprises tonight: Liv also wanted me to ask you if you’d read something. At the wedding. I told her there was no way you’d stand up in front of a crowd of media luvvies and lawyers . . .’
‘I’ll read,’ said Simon.
‘You
will
?’
‘Why me, though? She’s got plenty of people to choose from who love the sound of their own voices – all her friends.’
‘She came over all coy when I asked her why you. I think she wants to show you off: her brother-in-law, the brilliant detective.’
‘As long as I don’t have to introduce myself, say my name, any of that shit. If all I have to do’s walk up to the front, read, go and sit down, I’ll do it. I’ll read a passage from
Moby-Dick
.’
He sounded enthusiastic, for Simon. Charlie felt guilty. ‘Not quite,’ she said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘She wants you to read something else. And I’m not telling you what it is.’
‘Why not?’
Because I’m incapable of relaying the information in a neutral tone of voice. Because I think it’s utterly ridiculous, and I don’t want to influence you
.
‘Well?’ said Simon. ‘I’m waiting.’
He wasn’t the only one. Charlie glanced at the closed kitchen door. She was starting to feel jumpy. ‘Can we discuss this later?’ she said. ‘Don’t you want to know what our intruder wants?’
Simon turned away. ‘Why’s she got two names?’ he said.
‘You’re asking the wrong person, Simon. She’s sitting just through there. I’m sure she’d be happy to tell you.’
‘How does she know our address? What’s she doing turning up here at ten o’clock on a Thursday night?’ He often referred to particular hours of particular days in a way that implied they were only acceptable if nothing at all happened in them. He could be alive, awake,
Similar Books
