26
‘IF YOU WANT to make your excuses for dinner, I’d quite understand,’ said Archie when they were both lying on his bed before they had to get ready for the evening meal.
‘Given that Betsy has barely even said hello to you yet, I wonder what she might unleash over dinner. Do you think she’ll bring up the vase with me there?’
‘Probably. If she’s already told Mama that she wants to talk about it, she won’t be able to keep it in. That’s probably why she’s been avoiding me. It’ll be the first thing she says.’
Nora snuggled into his side, her cheek resting on his shoulder. She loved being with him. She’d never felt so safe with anyone. And she needed Archie to know that he could rely on her in the same way. And that was why, even though she was already exhausted by the whirlwind of an afternoon, she was going to show up for everything all weekend.
‘We’ll get through it. Your sister intimidates people to get what she wants. Don’t let her do that to you. Remember how you’ve turned things around in the last few months by having the Christmas market and then starting the lake project. You’re lord of the manor, Archie, and you’re doing a great job. And it’s not your job to support your sister when she has a capable partner in Caspar.’
‘You like him?’
‘I do. I think he’s henpecked to death and needs to stand up for himself a bit more, but perhaps he does when he’s not here with us,’ said Nora. She knew Betsy had told Archie and Constance that Caspar wasn’t able to provide the standard of living she required, but having met both of them now, and with an outsider’s perspective, she thought it was more to do with Betsy’s unrealistic expectations than anything Caspar was lacking.
‘I’ve never had the chance to get to know him,’ said Archie. ‘It’s always like today has been. A bloody circus, even before they had Florence.’
‘Why don’t you take him out for a drink tonight?’
‘I can’t leave you with Betsy and Mama,’ he said. ‘It’s not fair.’
‘Yes, you can. And it might be good for you to hear Caspar’s side of things. Get a feel for whether they really are struggling financially. Because if they’re not, you can stop feeling guilty about not being able to help her out.’
‘You’re so wise,’ Archie sighed. ‘It’s so obvious when you say things like that, yet I never think of it myself.’
‘It’s only because I’m not as close to it as you. And my view isn’t coloured by knowing anything about what’s gone on before.’
‘Do you think everyone has things like this going on in their families?’
‘Yes. Look at Seb, he’s had all kinds of issues with his dad, hasn’t he?’
‘But you don’t.’
‘I think it helps that I’m an only child from a very ordinary family. My mum and dad went straight from steady jobs they’d had all their lives to living a very full life between their retirement village and several holidays a year. They’re no trouble, just hard to keep track of.’
‘We should invite them up to stay,’ Archie said.
‘One family at a time,’ Nora said, closing her eyes for five minutes.
Dinner started out as a relatively civilised affair. Florence was in bed and the baby monitor sat on the dining table next to Caspar. Betsy had still barely said a word to Archie and was now sitting on his left opposite Constance.
‘I thought we might venture out for a drink later,’ Archie said to Caspar.
‘He doesn’t want to do that,’ Betsy said at the same time that Caspar said ‘That sounds great.’
‘Oh, come on, darling,’ Constance said, ‘let the men have some fun. Us girls can open a bottle of bubbly or something. It’ll give you and Nora the chance to get to know each other. How does that sound?’
Betsy harrumphed but said nothing else.
‘Where’s your local?’ Caspar asked.
‘If you don’t mind walking, we can take a shortcut through the woods to the Cricketers Arms. It’ll take about twenty minutes.’
‘Looks like a lovely evening for a stroll,’ Caspar said. ‘It’s nice to get some country air, isn’t it, Bets?’
‘Perhaps tomorrow we could take Florence for a romp around the garden,’ said Constance. ‘You two loved running on the lawns when you were toddling. It’s nice and soft if she falls over.’
‘Lovely idea, Constance,’ said Caspar.
‘Is anyone going to address the elephant in the room?’ Betsy said.
‘Not tonight,’ said Caspar, in a warning tone, that made Nora think he had balls after all.
Betsy gave Caspar a mutinous look, but said nothing else. Nora braced herself for an evening which wasn’t shaping up to be much fun. But she wanted to help, and she was pleased Archie had gone with her suggestion of taking Caspar out.
‘We could play poker,’ Constance blurted out, surprising them all.
‘Is that what you’ve been doing when you’re out at your knitting circle?’ Nora teased her. ‘Playing poker with Penny and Mary?’
Constance laughed and when everyone else did too, even Betsy, despite herself, it diffused the tension and by the time Caspar and Archie left for the pub, she seemed to be in a much more amenable mood.
‘I’ll just pop up and check on Florence,’ she said.
Nora and Constance went into the drawing room.
‘Shall I light a fire?’ Nora asked, thinking that it was too chilly in the room to sit comfortably.
‘I can ask Ursula,’ said Constance.
‘I don’t mind,’ said Nora. Ursula had more than enough to do already.
‘Thank you for staying tonight. I’m so pleased Archie and Caspar have gone out together. I’m sure that was your idea, and it’s wonderful.’
Nora didn’t want to take the credit because, although she’d suggested it, she knew it had been a big step for Archie to actually ask Caspar. ‘Hopefully it’ll help Archie understand where Betsy’s coming from.’
‘Because Betsy was still so young when her father died, I overcompensated and spoiled her. She used to be such a loving child, and now she seems so cross with me and Archie all the time. It can be very difficult.’
‘Hopefully, now Archie has got things on track with the estate, she will see how hard he’s working to secure it for Florence’s future. That must be important to her.’
‘I do wonder whether she’s thinking of that, or the short-term gains to be had from selling everything we own now. Still, at least we’ve managed to avoid the topic for tonight. Long may it continue.’
Ursula delivered a chilled bottle of Prosecco on a tray with three beautifully delicate champagne coupes and some nibbles.
‘Oh, lovely Ursula, thank you,’ said Constance.
By the time Betsy came down, Nora had a roaring fire going and Constance had poured them each a glass of bubbly and was curled in the corner of the sofa.
‘I thought you said champagne, Mama,’ said Betsy, sitting on the sofa opposite Constance and making a face as she sipped her drink.
‘I said bubbles, darling. We don’t run to champagne anymore.’
‘If I’d known, I’d have bought a case with me.’
‘It’s lovely, Constance,’ said Nora, seeing Constance’s face fall. It was no wonder Betsy felt she needed her funds topping up if she was buying champagne by the case.
‘So, you spotted the vase that we sold the other week,’ said Betsy to Nora.
Nora looked at Constance, who looked horrified.
‘Yes. Just a lucky find. I think it’s one of those things that goes in and out of fashion and perhaps wasn’t considered valuable until recently.’ This wasn’t true, but Nora was wary about seeming too knowledgeable about anything in case Betsy wanted to check every nook and cranny of the Court for other things to sell. And anyway, that wasn’t the point. The Court was full of beautiful things that were worth some money. But those were the things that had been handed down through the generations and it seemed very different to sell anything like that rather than a vase that had been languishing in a cupboard for who knew how long.
‘Mmm, makes one wonder what else might be here,’ Betsy said.
‘I think it was very much a one-off. We won’t be doing it again,’ said Constance, hoping to put an end to the conversation.
Nora was desperate to chip in and say that it wasn’t any of Betsy’s business, but that was difficult since it wasn’t her business either. So she kept quiet.
After another sip of Prosecco, Nora was overwhelmed with nausea. ‘Sorry, could you excuse me a moment,’ she said, trying not to run out of the room as dramatically as she felt she needed to, while also trying not to throw up on anything expensive.
She ran for the nearest toilet, which was thankfully just down the corridor and was sick. She sat on the floor trying to compose herself, but was clammy and not at all sure that being sick had helped her to feel better. Perhaps the Prosecco had been a bad idea after having had an upset stomach. She felt awful, leaving Constance to deal with Betsy alone, but all she wanted to do was go to bed.
Once she was sure that she could leave the safety of the toilet, Nora headed back into the drawing room.
‘I’m so sorry, but I’m not feeling too well. I’m going to head to bed.’
‘Oh, Nora, is there anything you need? Perhaps the food was too rich,’ Constance said, looking concerned.
‘Thank you. I’ll be fine. It’s nothing a good sleep won’t fix.’ She was certain it wasn’t the food since she’d barely eaten anything at dinner.
As she left the room, she heard Betsy say, ‘Do you think she’s pregnant?’
‘I don’t think so, darling. Archie says she’s had a bug. It’s not exactly morning sickness at this time of night, is it?’
Nora lingered outside the door. She remembered Val had said the same thing. Was she being stupid not to consider that? However reliable it had been until now, the pill wasn’t a hundred percent effective.
‘I had a friend who was sick at all times of the day and night when she was pregnant. But you’re right, she’s probably too old, anyway.’
Nora was aghast at this comment and had to stifle a giggle as she crept away from the door and went upstairs. Perhaps to Betsy, who was probably almost ten years younger than her, she seemed old, but certainly not too old.
She lay in bed, one hand on Tatty, who was dozing on top of the covers and snuggled into her side, mulling over what Betsy had said. She’d dismissed the idea that she might be pregnant because she was on the pill. All the time she’d been with Julian, she’d had no cause to worry, but then it felt as if they’d had less sex in the past twenty years than she and Archie had had since they’d met. Surely it didn’t become less effective the more work it had to do?
She was spiralling. But tomorrow she’d buy a pregnancy test to put her mind at rest. Being stressed about it wouldn’t help her shake off the virus or whatever it was.