Ashleigh and Remy Brett 1982 Aged 20 #7
Dickie was still holding court with Archie and the rest of the boys, who were all hanging on to his every word.
As their volume increased, more bottles of champagne were duly deposited into silver buckets full of iced water.
She wondered if they were ever going to get to the ball.
Not that she wasn’t having a good time, she was, but the more people who saw her frock, the better.
The more people who saw her and Archie together, a couple to be envied, the better, because to be envied meant she was worthy of envy; it meant she wasn’t a fraud, but was one of the girls who was winning, winning in her own right.
‘You must be Ashleigh.’ Archie’s mother let her gaze sweep her head to toe.
Only yesterday, this kind of scrutiny would have had the power to erode her confidence, like taking an axe to the vines of self-assurance that wrapped her and kept her upright.
But this was not yesterday, this was today, when a boy like Archibald Oxton Fitch had told her that he loved her!
More than that, he had woven words into poetry, the power of which made her feel almost invincible!
She was under his skin and inside his bones.
‘I am. It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs Fitch.’ She smiled.
‘Lovely to see you too.’ Ashleigh made a mental note, Lovely to see you, to use in the future. ‘You like it here in Exeter?’
‘I do! I really do. I’m from just outside Salisbury, so another beautiful cathedral city.’
‘And what is it you’re studying?’ Elaine sipped her bubbles.
‘History.’
‘Mmmn. I like history.’ It felt a lot like approval and Ashleigh felt her chest bloom with joy. A very different reaction from her parents, who had looked at each other, mouths open: History! What’s the point in that? ‘What period?’
‘At the moment, I’m looking at the economics of war, mainly the Second World War.’
‘Oh dear! That sounds a little dreary, I rather like the Tudors. All that lovely architecture, infidelity, and the most marvellous frocks!’
Ashleigh laughed loudly, not because she felt it the right thing to do, but because the woman was funny.
‘You’re right. It is a little dreary, but I only have a year left, then out into the big wide world.’
‘And what then? What’s the grand plan?’ Elaine’s ice-blue eyes gave little away, and Ashleigh felt she was still making her mind up as to whether she was a suitable date for her only son.
‘No plan, exactly.’ She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, deciding that honesty was the best policy.
‘Much to the annoyance of my parents, I have a very clear idea that I want to work for myself. Not sure in what capacity yet, and I don’t know what area of business.
’ She drew breath, almost as if she anticipated questions.
‘But Guy and I have talked about working together. We get on well and have the same outlook on life. We agree we want to work hard when we’re younger and then sit on a beach when we’re older. ’
That was the dream. She could picture Archie sitting right by her side on the sand.
‘Interesting. Of course, Guy and Archie were at Clifton together. I know his mother.’ The woman narrowed her eyes as if deep in thought. Ashleigh wasn’t sure if it was interesting good, or interesting bad. And as was the case in moments like this, she babbled, a little.
‘I do know that, succeed or fail, I want it to be on my own shoulders. My dad has worked for the same company since he left school and could only ever progress when someone else set the framework. It was always on their timescale, their terms, and often those promotional leaps weren’t leaps at all, more like small sideways hops, with a pat on the back for good measure.
I admire my dad.’ She spoke freely with a lump in her throat at the thought of him in his company tie, eating his cereal each morning. ‘But I guess I want more.’
‘Well, good for you!’ Archie’s mother seemed genuinely impressed. ‘You can’t underestimate the importance of independence and self-reliance, and strength, especially when there’s a crisis. It’s the difference between surviving or sinking. I learned that.’
Ashleigh pulled a wide-eyed expression of agreement at the loaded statement, remembering that, according to Guy, Archie’s mother had never worked in a traditional sense, but spent her days, and Dickie’s money, decorating and redecorating any one of their three homes.
It didn’t sound like independence or self-reliance to her.
‘And what is it your parents do?’
My mum fusses, cleans the kitchen, worries over us, and loves us with a ferocity that could shame a tigress.
‘My father’s in concrete.’ She spoke with pride, picturing her lovely dad, hoping Elaine didn’t want to delve too deeply into his exact role.
Elaine laughed loudly, open-mouthed, revealing small, uneven teeth.
‘Well, that sounds jolly uncomfortable. Do we need to head over there with a chisel or two?’
‘Ha!’ Ashleigh, entirely aware of how she had set the woman up, laughed again; this time it was affected, but she knew it would help build a bridge.
‘So what do you think, Ma?’ Archie placed his arm around her shoulders and addressed his mother, a cigarette dangling from his bottom lip. ‘Isn’t she great!’
‘I think she’s charming.’ Elaine spoke softly, as if Ashleigh were not present.
‘Isn’t she just.’ He clumsily plonked a wet kiss on Ashleigh’s cheek in a manner that told her he had consumed more than a glass or two.
‘Why don’t you bring her out to Mulverton? Daddy and I are there for a few days before we go back to London.’
Ashleigh liked the way the woman said London, giving it emphasis, as if it really was the only place to be.
She was also more than a little chuffed with the invitation.
Mulverton was the Fitches’ Gloucestershire country house, a pretty red-brick Queen Anne mansion, according to Guy, with perfect symmetry and an unparalleled art collection that was open to the public once a year.
He had been very keen to give her all the details, telling her how Archie’s wealth had been a great source of interest, even at a school like Clifton, where the termly boarding fees were the equivalent of an average year’s salary.
She would be lying to say she hadn’t found it fascinating, alluring even, but knew at this point that even without money, she would still love him, love everything about him.
‘That’d be great! What do you think, Ash?
Can you cope with a few days of board games, real fires, wet country walks in wellingtons, and stodgy food cooked by Miss Mallory, who you’ll love?
’ Archie lowered his hand and placed it just above her bottom, applying pressure with his fingers that she knew was an indication of his want for her.
She kept a straight face as she looked at his mother.
‘I think that sounds fabulous. I’d love to!
’ She did her best to contain her delight, knowing that to whoosh around the room like a firework, fizzing with anticipation, would not meet Elaine’s approval.
But an invitation to Mulverton! It felt a lot like acceptance.
Not only was she keen to have a look at the grand house, she also knew it was the perfect way to all get to know each other.
It would help seal the deal with Archie.
‘Splendid.’ Archie’s mother gave a tight-lipped nod of approval.
‘Ouch! Oh my God!’ Ashleigh yelped.
It was sudden, scary, and painful. Ashleigh jerked, as her arm shot out. And there she rested, doubled over briefly, and leaning to one side with a sharp pain that tore through her left shoulder and arm, so acute it caused her to catch her breath.
‘What’s the matter?’ Archie held her hand with a look of concern.
‘Should we get you a seat?’ Elaine looked over her head, as if searching for a chair.
‘No, no, I’m fine!’ She straightened and took a second to breathe slowly.
It was the most curious thing. Almost as quickly as it had occurred, the pain went.
She rubbed her shoulder and flexed her wrist. She was desperately not wanting to make a fuss and a little overawed at the severity of the discomfort that had, thankfully, been brief.
‘What on earth happened?’ Archie stood in front of her, and seemed to study her face, looking for clues.
‘I don’t honestly know.’ She forced a smile.
‘It just came out of nowhere, a sharp pain, like an electric shock in my shoulder and arm, but it seems fine now.’ She rolled the shoulder that carried the faintest lingering twinge of discomfort, but nothing compared to the searing pain that she feared returning. Her breathing was a little laboured.
‘Have you been doing any vigorous exercise today?’ Elaine asked with a tone of concern.
Archie grinned at her, and she felt her blush spread over her face, neck, and chest.
‘No, no, not really no.’ She looked at the floor.
‘How very odd.’ His mother again looked her up and down.
Ashleigh could only agree: it was.
Remy
The blue light on the top of the van spun around, flooding the market square with its eerie glow. Remy took great comfort from its presence, which felt a lot like coming to rest on the dock beneath the safety of the lighthouse. Finally out of the water, thankful to be on solid ground. Safe.
Their attackers were duly cuffed and thrown into the back of the meat wagon, spitting, snarling, and swearing at those who arrested them as they went.
She couldn’t look directly at them, but rather concentrated on the cloud of their venom that hovered above them, venom with the power to infect them all.
Sitting up now, and in spite of her trembling limbs, she breathed a little easier, knowing they were gone and couldn’t hurt her anymore.
Straining her neck, she tried to glimpse what the medics were doing with Tony as they crowded around him on the cobbled floor.
She could see they’d cut his jacket and shirt and were bent low, busy, attentive, and she was grateful for their urgency.