Chapter 13
There was no getting away from the fact that Peg was curious.
She had no idea what to expect from Adam and Sofia’s house, and all she really knew was that Sofia had bows on the backs of her dining room chairs which matched the table napkins.
Oh, and that the room itself was too small.
Beyond that, Peg had been given various impressions, and she was intrigued to see how reality matched with expectation.
At first glance, it looked no different from most modern houses; neat, square and with few characteristics to distinguish it from its neighbours.
However, as Peg drew nearer and swung into a driveway at the side, she could see the property extended to the rear far further than she’d first thought.
It wasn’t a mansion, but it wasn’t of average size either.
Sofia had phoned Blanche to tell her that Peg was on her way, but Peg still rang the doorbell rather than use the keys she’d been given; it didn’t seem right to simply walk in.
The door was opened in a matter of seconds, and Peg was surprised anew by how tiny Blanche was.
She was slender as a rake and now, in daylight, Peg could see she had bright silver, almost white hair.
Importantly, she wore a grateful, welcoming smile.
She ushered Peg inside where a wave of stifling heat hit her.
‘Come in and sit down,’ she said. ‘It sounds as if you’ve had quite a day. Can I get you something to drink? Or eat? I don’t suppose you’ve had anything.’
Admittedly, Peg hadn’t been able to form much of an impression about Blanche from the brief occasion when they’d met yesterday, but Blanche was obviously far more sprightly than she’d been led to believe.
It was clear that she was quite capable of looking after herself.
She cleared her throat. ‘A glass of water would be lovely, thank you.’
Blanche nodded. ‘It’s so damn hot in here, isn’t it? I’d turn the heating down but you want to see the gadget that controls it. It looks like a NASA launch pad. One glass of water coming up.’
Peg followed her into the kitchen, awed momentarily by the grandeur of the decoration and the decorations – glittering gold and pale pink baubles and bows hung everywhere, with not a shred of tinsel in sight.
At first glance it all looked incredible, like something from the pages of the magazine Peg wrote for, but the longer she stood there, the more she realised how sterile it was compared to the cosy comfort of her own cottage. She couldn’t get home soon enough.
Blanche handed her a tall glass. ‘How is Henry?’ she asked, turning to lean up against a vast island unit. ‘Sofia wouldn’t tell me much.’
‘He’s very poorly,’ Peg replied. ‘I’m not sure what your daughter said, but he’s just come out of surgery. There were a few problems, which they’ve fixed, so now it’s just a question of waiting.’ She gave an apologetic smile, not sure how much information she should give.
Blanche’s eyes narrowed. ‘What kind of problems?’ She was studying Peg’s face with gentle concern. ‘Is he going to die?’
Peg almost choked. ‘No… I’m sure—’ She broke off.
Blanche didn’t look as if she’d fall over if she told her the truth.
‘Actually, we don’t know yet. It’s possible.
And I think the next twenty-four hours or so are going to be the worst. He has some broken ribs and a collapsed lung, which they’ve corrected with surgery, but he had a bleed on the brain while he was under the anaesthetic and that has obviously eclipsed all else. I’m sorry.’
Blanche nodded, reflecting on Peg’s words for a moment. ‘I appreciate you being honest with me,’ she said. ‘Sofia has just told me that everything will be fine, and clearly that’s not the case… Poor Henry. He doesn’t deserve to die.’
‘No,’ said Peg quietly, not sure what else to say.
‘It’s such a shame he never reached you either. Then at least he might have had a nice day. He wasn’t going to get one here.’
Now Peg really didn’t know what to say. ‘I gather there was a bit of an argument…’
‘There was. I was in the living room and heard every word; very unpleasant.’ She gave Peg a sharp look.
‘I hope for everyone’s sake that Henry pulls through.
Having your final words to someone be as unkind as these ones were is not the sort of legacy you want to leave behind.
But, just for the record, I don’t blame Henry.
Yes, he told Adam some very plain truths but, in my opinion, they were long overdue.
You only have to look at the man to know how much he loves his son, but Adam almost goes out of his way not to believe it.
And Sofia… All she cares about is having her grand occasion ruined.
Sorry, but I speak as I find, and there we are. ’
Peg wanted to smile. Blanche sounded so like Mim they could almost be twins. Smiling would have felt inappropriate, but she let the corners of her mouth twitch, just a little. And judging by the expression on Blanche’s face, she appreciated it.
‘Henry’s a lovely man,’ Blanche added. ‘But I’m sure you already know that.’
Peg cleared her throat again. ‘Actually… I really don’t know him that well at all. But yes, he seemed lovely. Seems lovely.’
Blanche was puzzled. ‘How did you know Henry was in hospital?’
‘He was asking for me, apparently, so Sofia came and got me. I imagine it was down to the pain he was in. Perhaps he was a bit delirious.’
‘Hmm… perhaps.’ Blanche gave her a warm smile. ‘And so here you are. It’s lovely to see you again, even under such horrible circumstances. We didn’t have a proper introduction yesterday, did we?’
‘No, I…’ She gave Blanche a curious look. ‘What did you mean by your comment, when you came up to me just as you were all about to leave? You said you were sorry. Why sorry?’
‘Yes, that’s right. Sorry to hear about your aunt.’ Blanche sighed as she looked around the kitchen. ‘It’s such a bloody awful time of year.’
Peg was slightly taken aback by the cheerful way Blanche swore, but this time she did smile; a woman after her own heart.
‘Mim gave me quite a shock, that’s for sure. But there’s not much gets her down.’
Now it was Blanche’s turn to look surprised. ‘Oh… I think I thought… that you’d lost her.’ She shook her head. ‘Ignore me, when you’re old like me you think everyone dies.’
‘No, not Mim. She’s made of stern stuff. I had a devil of a job getting her to come home with me, mind. She was determined to stay at her house. If it wasn’t for the hospital virtually insisting, I don’t think she would have.’ She raised her eyebrows at Blanche. ‘The more the merrier.’
Blanche was instantly contrite. ‘No, that’s not right. If your aunt’s with you then we mustn’t take advantage. Offering to take me home with you is very kind, but you’ll have no need of me under your feet. No, I shall stay here. I can look after myself perfectly well.’
Peg eyed her resolute expression. ‘I don’t doubt it, but you’re not staying here by yourself. It’s Christmas, that would be horrible. Besides, Sofia’s car is still at my house, so she and Adam will have to come back there at some point before going home.’
‘You do realise this might go on for some time? With Henry so poorly it could be days before the picture is any clearer. And I imagine that Adam will want to stay at the hospital, at least until he knows his dad is out of danger.’
‘I know,’ said Peg. ‘But that’s all right.
’ She looked around the kitchen, noticing for the first time how neat it was.
In fact, it was spotless. ‘I was going to say, “right, let’s get things sorted”, but it appears they already are.
Sofia made it sound as if she’d just dropped everything when they heard about Henry. She said she had a turkey in the oven…’
‘Mmm, it’s still there,’ said Blanche. ‘But only because I daren’t throw it away. It’ll be no good now, of course, but I’ve cleared up everything else. We should take some of it, actually, there’s a mountain of food, ridiculous, really.’
Peg nodded. ‘Sofia mentioned a pavlova?’
‘Ah…’ Blanche coloured slightly. ‘I’m very partial to those. We can take what’s left, anyway.’ She flicked an amused glance at Peg. ‘But let’s leave the trifle behind…’ She shook her head. ‘I’ve never liked trifle.’
In the end, Peg had taken responsibility for the turkey and bundled it into a carrier bag, before throwing it in the bin.
She reasoned that nobody would want to come home and have to deal with it.
She let Blanche decide what else they should take, and after waiting so that she could also pack a few precautionary things for an overnight stay, they set off back to her cottage. The relief was immense.
‘Oh, this is lovely,’ declared Blanche, walking into Peg’s kitchen. ‘And don’t take this the wrong way, but everything looks so comfortable. Not spartan at all.’
Peg laughed. ‘It’s all very well used, but at least when it’s like this it doesn’t matter if you make a mess. It is a kitchen, after all.’
‘Oh, and you have a Rayburn…’ added Blanche, wandering over to look at the cooker. ‘Oh, no, it’s not, it’s an Essie. Goodness, I haven’t seen one of these in years. I had one not long after I was married. Good, aren’t they?’
‘I love it,’ replied Peg. ‘Makes incredible cakes and roast dinners, so I can forgive it all else. Do you want to sit in here for a minute? I left Mim having a lie-down, so I expect the fire in the living room has gone out. It will be chilly in there if it has, and it will be a while before it warms up.’
‘Shall I put the kettle on?’ asked Blanche.
‘Oh yes, do. Thanks.’
She beetled off to check on Mim, leaving Blanche to make the drinks. It tickled her that Sofia thought Blanche needed someone to look after her. The opportunity to sit down a little more frequently, perhaps, but that was about all.