Chapter 22
‘Are you sure there’s nothing else I can do? It’s so exciting.’
‘Honestly, Martha, you’ve been brilliant already helping to get the rooms ready, and I think Léo and Sylvia have the rest of it under control. I’m surprised you even know who she is.’
‘And I’m surprised that you don’t! What’s in a Kiss? is the biggest show on TV. Even if you don’t watch it, Pandora James is on every magazine cover and chat show in the country.’
Juliet laughed.
‘But why are you watching that rubbish, Martha? I don’t get it. It’s exploitative, cheap TV. I just think it’s funny that someone as romantic as you are falls for all that stuff.’
‘You’re wrong, it’s so romantic. Pandora and Hugh made the sweetest couple from the start and now they’re getting married. I loved watching them fall in love. Oh, do watch an episode or two on catch up before she gets here. We could kidnap Frankie and make her join us, have a telly night in like we always used to.’
‘Oh, all right, I suppose it could be fun. But you mustn’t get upset if we take the piss.’
‘Deal. I’ll speak to Frankie, and we’ll find a time before they arrive.’
Juliet watched as her sister floated off, phone in hand. She wondered if Frankie would agree to join them; she was hardly around these days, and her latest piece was sitting forlorn and unfinished in her studio room. But maybe Frankie knew – and cared – who Pandora James was. All Juliet knew was that the woman had won a TV dating show and was now marrying the man she had paired up with on screen. It had all happened very quickly – barely six months between meeting and marrying – and she had her doubts as to how successful the union would be. But Pandora had decided that part of her hen party was to be spent at Feywood, doing cookery classes with her friends and staying over a couple of nights.
‘What on earth does she want to come here for?’ demanded Frankie the following evening, as they set up the pizzas they had ordered, a couple of bottles of wine and some pouches of chocolate. Martha had somehow miraculously managed to persuade her to join them for the big viewing of What’s in a Kiss? and Frankie seemed to be on her finest sarcastic form. ‘Doesn’t strike me as much fun as a hen party, although,’ she added, with a sly sideways glance at Martha, ‘hen parties of any description don’t strike me as much fun.’
‘What?’ shrieked her eldest sister, taking the bait. ‘I love them! The ones I’ve been to have been brilliant. And anyway, it’s a tradition.’
‘Not one I’d ever make my friends suffer,’ said Frankie. ‘They’re totally naff. Don’t you remember that awful one we went to for Tabitha Merchant?’
Juliet seized a bottle of wine and started opening it.
‘God yes, it was horrendous.’
‘What are you both talking about?’ said Martha. ‘It was beautiful – all those cupcakes they’d made in those gorgeous white lacy cases, and the photos of the bride and groom as babies.’
Frankie pretended to stick her fingers down her throat and made a loud retching noise.
‘It was ghastly, M, and you know it. So smug – didn’t her sister pat you on the shoulder and reassure you it would be “your turn next”? You cried.’
Martha went red.
‘Well, yes, that bit wasn’t very nice. But the cupcakes were pretty.’
‘They didn’t make up for the lack of booze,’ said Juliet, pouring each of them a generous glass of rosé. ‘Don’t you remember when they asked us what we wanted to drink, and we all said “wine” and they said there wasn’t any? You nearly walked out then and there, Frank.’
‘Yeah, well, I would have done if I hadn’t had my flask. Even you have to admit that saved the day, Martha.’
She smiled.
‘Well, I suppose it was all a little bit too polite. But I’ll defend those cupcakes forever. And I think it’s nice that Pandora’s coming here for her party; there’s something rather touching about learning how to cook before you get married.’
Frankie gave such a loud bark of laughter it made Juliet spill her wine.
‘Touching? Oh Martha, I do love you, but come on. She’s not some little surrendered wife who wants to make a hearty home-cooked meal for her man. All she wants is to jump on the inexplicable bandwagon of 1950s nostalgia that seems to be sweeping this country. It’ll make her Instagram grid look pretty and HELLO! Magazine will be all over it. Very Princess Kate. Give it a few years, and she’ll be baking biscuits for the camera with her adorable family as they dab flour on each other’s cute little noses. Then it’ll be a family cookbook, a TV tie-in and a range of kiddie snacks in Waitrose. The whole thing is just marketing shtick – a savvy selling ploy in a flowery apron.’
And with that, she drained her glass and held it out for a refill. As she poured, Juliet glanced at Martha, who looked stricken. Poor Martha, she so longed for her romantic view of the world to be true, while Frankie refused to entertain it for even a second.
‘Come on,’ said Juliet, shooting Frankie a warning look. ‘Let’s find What’s in a Kiss? and make a start on the pizza before it goes cold.’
They watched several episodes of the programme, including the grand finale, that evening. While Juliet had to admit that it was engrossing, she still couldn’t shake off the feeling that the contestants were being exploited and manipulated. But she kept her opinions to herself, not wanting Martha to feel upset again or Frankie to go off on another rant. When the final piece of metallic confetti faded away into the end credits, she switched off the television.
‘Well, now we know who’s coming to stay,’ she said. ‘She’s certainly not going to be boring.’
‘I can’t wait to meet her,’ said Martha dreamily, ‘even if neither of you could care less. Maybe if we manage to gel, I’ll get an invitation to the wedding. I wish Hugh was coming as well, though, it would be lovely to see them together.’
‘She should be the one dying to meet you,’ said Frankie. ‘She should be in awe of your talent, but I doubt any of them knows who you are.’
‘Ooh, that’s an idea,’ said Martha, her eyes lighting up. ‘Maybe I’ll ask her if she wants me to paint their portrait. It could be a wedding present. Then I’d be almost certain to get an invitation – and it wouldn’t do business any harm if I got a mention in HELLO! either.’
‘That’s more like it,’ said Frankie approvingly. ‘That’s not a bad idea at all, actually. She can hang in your rogues’ gallery with Rascally Ralph.’
‘Oh, drop it, Frank,’ said Juliet, concerned that Martha would feel low all over again about her unrequited feelings for one of her previous subjects. ‘I don’t see you doing much work recently. What have you been up to?’
‘Nothing of any interest to you,’ said Frankie airily. ‘I’m sure I’m very boring. Now, if you do get invited to this wedding, M, who are you going to take as your plus one? You could pluck up the courage to ask Wet Will along?’
‘If you’re not careful, Frank, I’ll take you,’ said Martha, squaring her shoulders.
Juliet laughed.
‘Now that I would love to see. Game, set and match to Martha, for once. Come on, it’s late, I’m going to bed. We’ve got to welcome this paragon tomorrow, and if she’s as gorgeous in real life as she is on screen, I for one would like a decent night’s sleep first.’
The next day, there was a palpable buzz at Feywood. Although they had entertained small groups previously, this was the first time they had welcomed in a celebrity, however ‘Z list’, as Frankie put it. When Juliet woke up, early, the bed next to her was empty, and she could hear Léo and Sylvia downstairs. Looking longingly at the coffee pot and the sofa, she groaned and instead pulled on some clothes and went to see if she could help.
‘I think everything’s ready,’ said Sylvia, ‘but if you could be a dear, Juliet, and ask the girls if they’ve got their pieces ready, that would help.’
‘No problem. It all looks lovely; I’m sure Pandora and her friends will have a great time – and the photos will look amazing. Are you looking forward to it, Léo?’
He shrugged.
‘I am going to treat it like any other class. I’m not pleased about the magazine photos, but I know it’s good for business.’
‘Why not?’ asked Juliet. ‘You’re not camera shy at all.’
‘Just publicity shy,’ he muttered. ‘Can you go and ask your sisters? The party will be here soon.’
Feeling rather dismissed, Juliet pushed open the door and stepped into the morning. The autumn sunshine lifted her mood, and she breathed in the chilly air with its sharp yet comforting scent of fallen leaves. Léo was being scratchy yet again, although he had been fine the previous night, and her concern that he was playing some sort of game to keep her on her toes was beginning to harden into certainty. Why did he suddenly have a problem being photographed for a magazine? She shook her head. Surely there was no problem. It was just another way to be snippy with her, to squash her. Well, he needed to be careful; she was not going to put up with that kind of thing for a second time. As she reached the house, she squared her shoulders; today was no time to be dwelling on such things. For now, he still had the benefit of the doubt, and she smiled as she remembered his gentle touch and loving, sincere words of the night before. Today was an important day for the whole family, and she was going to do her bit.
‘Frankie, Martha!’ she called, as she went in. There was no response. She jogged up the stairs and opened Frankie’s door. The bed was empty and had not been slept in: no chance Frankie would be up already and have made it so neatly. Martha’s room was also empty, so she went along to the room she used as her studio and found her sister there.
‘Morning.’
Martha jumped and quickly pulled a sheet over the painting she was working on.
‘Oh, hello, Juliet, how are you? I was too excited to sleep late so I thought I’d come and get some work done.’
‘What is it?’
‘Oh nothing, nothing. Not ready to be seen yet.’
‘Well, Sylvia asked me to come and get the pieces you and Frank want up in the cookery school. Have you got them? I can’t find Frankie.’
‘She went out last night. I wish I knew what she was up to. But yes, she left the sculpture, it’s gorgeous. And I’ve got a little painting I did of Sylvia. Here they are.’
She handed the items to Juliet who looked at them in admiration tinged, she had to admit, with a little jealousy.
‘You’re both so ridiculously talented. I doubt the readers of HELLO! Magazine will appreciate these, but you never know. Thanks, I’ll take them down. The party’s due to arrive at ten, so don’t get lost in what you’re doing and forget, will you?’
‘Not a chance. Not today. I’ve got my eye on the clock, I promise.’
‘Good. See you later then.’
At ten o’clock, even Rousseau was hovering around, pretending to look for a book he’d lost which Juliet had seen on his desk just the day before.
‘You’re such a fraud, Dad, why don’t you just admit that you’re dying to see Pandora James in the flesh?’
‘Well, if I am, you only have yourselves to blame. I had no idea who this woman was until you all started twittering about her and leaving glamorous photos littering the place. Samuel Johnson said that curiosity is “one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect”, so my being here is rather to my credit, I think.’
Juliet laughed.
‘You’ve got me there. Oh, look, is that them?’
A sleek silver car pulled up in front of the house and started to disgorge glamorous women with improbably long hair and enormous sunglasses. Léo emerged from the front door, and they watched as he greeted them warmly and introduced them to Sylvia. Martha was next out, followed by Will, and Juliet was spurred into action.
‘Come on, Dad, you can help with their cases as well. This could be a big thing for Feywood’s future. Think of the roof.’
‘I only ever think of the roof,’ he said morosely, following his daughter outside.
Although she didn’t have much involvement, it seemed to Juliet that the weekend went well. Sometimes, perhaps, rather too well. Although she told herself repeatedly that Léo was just doing his hosting duties, and perhaps laying things on extra thick so that Pandora and her friends would gush about the experience once back home, she couldn’t help comparing his manner with the moodiness he had been showing towards her recently. She had tried to speak to him once, just to catch up, but had been disappointed.
‘Hey, how’s it going? From what I can hear when I’m upstairs, they’re having a great time.’
‘Yes, yes, they seem to be enjoying it. They’re pretty demanding, though.’
‘Oh, I know. Even I’ve been changing beds up at the house, and Martha sent me out for a special kind of disgusting sounding coffee substitute for one of them.’
‘Thanks for your help. I’m sorry, I can’t talk right now. Are you coming to the final dinner party tonight?’
‘I’ll certainly be there to help things get going…’
‘Great, great. See you later then.’
And he was off. Juliet trudged back up to the house to see what help Martha needed now. Doing the extra housework was the worst part of their contribution to Feywood, but she doubted any of them would have been able to concentrate on their work anyway, and she wasn’t allowed to take any photos because of the magazine people being there. At least Agnes and the ‘girls’ were coming at the end of the weekend to help with the final clear-up, but they couldn’t afford to have them every day.
‘It won’t be like this forever,’ said Martha, as they changed the sheets on Pandora’s bed yet again. ‘If things go well, then we’ll be able to get people in to help more.’
‘It would’ve helped if Frankie had been here,’ grumbled Juliet, balling up a sheet and tossing it into the doorway.
‘I wonder,’ said Martha. ‘She’s even sharper than ever at the moment, so I’m not sure she’d make the perfect hostess – unlike us, of course.’
‘I’m not sure it’s really my thing,’ said Juliet, wrestling a pillow into its cover. ‘But I don’t mind helping to get Feywood back on her feet again. Just as long as we don’t get many more guests like these ones.’
‘They have been rather demanding, haven’t they? No one’s ever asked us to change their bed daily, and some of their dietary requirements are extremely strange.’
‘I’ve got no idea how Léo and Sylvia are handling all that in the school,’ said Juliet. ‘I’m not sure that almond milk freshly squeezed by the light of the moon is a decent substitute for double cream.’
Martha giggled.
‘Sylvia’s always so calm, but even she was looking wild-eyed yesterday when one of them said they needed to have “any bread, as long as it was non-processed”.’
‘I hope she gave her a sheaf of wheat and wished her luck.’
‘I think she was on the verge of it. Oh well, maybe a weekend’s cooking will teach them a bit about ingredients and what not to be scared of.’
‘Maybe. At least they’re doing the food for tonight’s final dinner party, then there’s only one more breakfast to get through. Dad had to drive all the way to Oxford to find organic seaweed powder for one of them to add to their smoothie.’
‘Yuck. So, are you still hoping for an invitation to the wedding?’
‘Oh Juliet, I’d love it, but only if I don’t have to do any of the organisation.’
Everyone gathered in the living room that evening for drinks before dinner. Even Will put in an appearance, at Pandora’s insistence. She and her friends had rather taken to him in what Juliet suspected to be something of a Lady Chatterley fantasy. She wasn’t going to break it to them that, far from being some hired muscle, Will had a degree in estate management and was currently studying for an accountancy diploma. But she didn’t like seeing the pain in Martha’s face as the women flitted around him, flirting and pretending to be helpless so that he would come and open a window for them. Mind you, Will seemed completely impervious to their charms and remained his usual stoic, professional self. It wasn’t long before Léo tapped his glass with a knife.
‘Welcome, everyone, and thank you for coming. Over to our hostess for the evening, Pandora.’
There was a polite round of applause as she stood up.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, we hope you have enjoyed the canopies which we have served.’
Juliet didn’t dare glance at Martha for fear she would start giggling and sent up a silent thanks that Frankie wasn’t there to comment, as she surely would. All the same, she couldn’t erase from her mind the image of Pandora and her friends solemnly handing out large canvas awnings, rather than the delicious goat’s cheese canapés they had in fact enjoyed.
‘Please now be seated in the dining room, where we will start the, er, starter.’
Another flutter of applause, and everyone went through.