A Village Feud (6 page)

‘I met his mother this morning. I thought the name meant something but I couldn’t think what. You must have mentioned him to me before.’

‘Quite likely I did.’

‘What I don’t understand is how you know him.’

‘I told you, but you were so busy rubbing that stuff on yourself you weren’t listening. When he was at college in Cambridge. I was a college servant.’

‘Oh, I see. So you heard it all?’

‘Exactly. The servants talked of nothing else for a whole week. All the domestic staff were involved in one way or another, turning a blind eye to what went on, that kind of thing. What a coincidence though, us coming here and meeting up with him after all these years, right out of the blue. Thing is, can we turn this to our advantage?’

‘Did he recognize you?’

Andy shook his head. ‘Didn’t get a good look at me. Anyway, he wouldn’t remember a college servant, not he. Oh, no. Far too superior. There must be ways of making him squeal. I’ll think about it.’

Andy tapped the side of his nose and gave Jenny a slow conspiratorial smile. He’d make that Jimbo squeal and not half. It might be thirty years since he’d last seen Jimbo but he was as vivid in his mind today as he had been all that time ago. Put on a bit of weight, he had, but he knew him. Oh, yes, he knew him. What was the name of the girl involved? He ought to know because he’d come out of it very well indeed. The money he’d got from her kept him going for a while after he’d been dismissed. Fiona, that was it. Yes. Andy began to plan his approach. There might be more money in this than he could ever have dreamed of.

Caroline had gone back to the Rectory feeling she hadn’t handled Jenny’s antagonistic attitude very well at all. Well, she’d more important things to think about right now. This was yet another day when Beth had not managed to go to school. Alex, quiet and self-absorbed as he was, trundled off to school as though he were glad to get away from the house, whereas Beth daren’t leave it. What the hell had happened when they were missing in the African bush those six long weeks?

Sylvia came later in the morning now so it was up to Caroline to get some breakfast ready for Beth. She’d no idea if she was still asleep, as she’d allowed Beth to awake in her own time ever since they got back. Disturbing her too early could bring on one of her terrified screaming fits and Caroline, quite frankly, had had enough of those. Alex could calm Beth down but she couldn’t.

But she’d decided this morning that she would take her breakfast up to her, wake her gently and see what happened.

Caroline called to her as she climbed the stairs with her tray, ‘Beth, darling, breakfast coming up. Are you ready?’

‘Yes,’ came the reply.

They met on the landing.

‘Loo first, won’t be a minute.’

Caroline put the tray down on Beth’s desk in the window and poured the tea while she waited. Having brought up an extra cup for herself, she sat down on the end of the bed and took a sip. What was it about tea that was so comforting? You didn’t even have to wait until it had gone down before you felt the benefit. Beth came back in and sat at her desk, looking at her breakfast.

‘This is nice. You and me drinking tea. I missed a cup of tea.’

‘Well, you can have as many cups of tea as you like now, for ever and ever.’

Beth looked out over the garden. ‘I love this view, your garden, then the Rectory meadow, then the wood and if it’s winter you can just see the redbrick of Turnham House.’

‘It is lovely. It’s your garden as well as mine, you know, you’ve always worked in it with me.’

‘This toast is very tasty. It’s just right.’

Beth had developed this annoying habit of never answering anything directly. It was like two conversations going on at the same time.

‘Mum?’

‘Yes?’

‘Alex gone to school?’

‘Yes.’

‘One day, not yet, I’ll go to school.’

‘Good, only when you’re ready … Are you able to tell me yet what makes you wake screaming in the night?’

Beth’s knife clattered onto the plate and she shuddered.

‘It’s all right, darling. If you can’t, don’t worry.’

‘I wish Dad was here.’

‘So do I, but he isn’t and won’t be till next July.’

‘I need him here.’

‘He can’t help it. He has a vocation, a personal vow to God, and we can’t go against that. He gave his word to work at the mission for a whole year. He saw us safe home, so now he’s gone back. They’ll all be so grateful he’s returned.’

‘Why didn’t you ask him to stay?’

‘Because it would tear at his heart if I did and I wouldn’t want to do that. Don’t think he’ll have forgotten about us, because he won’t. We’ll be in his prayers every single day.’

Beth finished her cup of tea and got back into bed. ‘I’m going to sleep for a while. It’s not the same as having him
here
every day. I could go in his study and tell him everything right now.’

‘Can you not tell me?’

Beth replied abruptly, ‘No.’

‘Look, would you like me to get someone for you to talk to? A doctor or someone? I know people who could help.’

‘No!’

‘What about Anna? She’ll be in the study soon, it’s almost nine.’

Beth said no again, but more fiercely.

‘OK, I shan’t mention it ever again. But you can, that is, if you want to you can.’

‘I don’t.’

Caroline took the tray downstairs with her and cursed the day Peter had been called to go to the New Hope Mission. She’d gone with him though, gladly and willingly, to get away from the Village because of the one thing which had dominated her life almost from the first week of their arrival: Peter’s unfaithfulness. What kind of a life would she be leading right now if the twins hadn’t come into it she honestly couldn’t imagine. She heard the front door opening and then …

‘It’s only me.’

‘Good morning, Sylvia.’

‘Good morning.’ Sylvia appeared in the kitchen doorway, putting on her apron. ‘How’s things?’ She nodded her head towards the stairs.

‘Beth? Not gone to school, I’m afraid. She wants to talk to Peter, I won’t do.’ Without warning, tears filled Caroline’s eyes.

‘Well, you know what he’s like. Everyone can tell the Rector anything, he just has that way with him. Compassion, you know. Wonderful. He has it in spades. I won’t do her room, then?’

‘I wonder if she might talk to you?’

Sylvia shook her head. ‘I doubt it. It must be something very deep-seated. Alex won’t tell either?’

‘No. He’s always kept things to himself and this time he’s even worse. She said last night to me that I mustn’t ask Alex, because he mustn’t tell. She got quite hysterical about it. So I haven’t. But he can’t keep it bottled up for ever. I don’t think it’s just hiding in the bush all that time. I feel sure something happened, that there was an incident of some kind.’

‘One day they will get it out and be all the better for it.’ Sylvia got out her cleaning things, picked up the vacuum and set off up the stairs, dreading talking to Beth in case she
did
feel like telling her. Whatever must have happened?

But Beth was in the bathroom, taking a shower by the sound of it. Some days she had three or four showers, as though she had to wash something away. It suddenly came to Sylvia’s mind about a film her and Willie watched one Saturday night about a girl who’d been attacked and did just what Beth was doing. Showered and showered time and again. Blamed herself for it happening and trying to wash away her shame.

Sylvia’s blood ran cold. If that was it, if it came out Beth had been attacked, she’d go to Africa herself and find and strangle whoever was responsible with her own bare hands. How dare anyone do anything nasty to her dear Beth. She was such a dear, dear girl.

Beth came out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped turban-wise in a hand towel, a bath towel tucked up around her armpits.

‘Beth, love, how’s things?’

‘No different, thanks.’

‘Get dried and dressed and come in the kitchen for a chat. I’m baking when I’ve done the bathroom. You could help me, like you used to do.’

The reply lacked enthusiasm but Beth agreed to help.

They spent a happy hour in the kitchen together making cakes, in particular Farmhouse Delight, which Alex loved, and a lemon curd cake, which was Beth’s favourite. Surprisingly, Beth actually stayed long enough to help clear up, even so far as to scrape out the bowl with her finger like she’d always done.

‘I’m going to lie down now on the sofa. Thanks for letting me help.’

‘The pleasure was all mine. Willie and me think of you as our grandchildren, did you know? We’ve been so upset about you being missing, imagined all sorts of things, but now we can thank God you’re both home and safe. Do you feel grateful?’

Beth, her hand on the kitchen door knob, turned to say, ‘Not yet. But perhaps I should be.’

*

It was only some awful old movies and Teletubbies on the TV, so Beth watched the end of it and fell asleep only to wake with one of her nightmares.

The feelings were so powerful, the fear so real, that she could hear herself screaming and screaming but couldn’t stop it. Sylvia had popped home for a few minutes and didn’t hear. Caroline was in the garden giving it the last of her pre-winter routine and didn’t hear. The only one who heard was Anna, using Peter’s study as she did every day in his absence.

She rushed into the sitting room and took hold of Beth, trying to comfort her. But Beth fought her off. ‘Get off me! Let me go!’

‘Steady, Beth, it’s only Anna. Please calm down, dear, you’re safe at home. There, there, that’s better. Gently does it. Nothing to fear. Would you like a glass of water perhaps?’

Beth nodded, dug in her jeans pocket for a tissue, saying, ‘Sorry. I didn’t know who it was. Sorry.’

‘That’s OK. Water coming up.’ Anna went into the kitchen, ran the tap and carried the glass to Beth. Just as she crossed the hall Sylvia came through the front door.

‘Just a minute. What are you doing?’

‘Just getting Beth a glass of water.’ She held up the glass for Sylvia to see.

‘You’re not here to look after Beth, you’re here to do the Rector’s work and that’s
all
.’

Anna went through to the sitting room. Beth was still sobbing, though less panicky than she had been. Anna handed her the glass. ‘Here we are, Beth dear. Drink it steadily, you don’t want to choke.’

Then she turned back to Sylvia in the hall. ‘So because you weren’t here I should have left the child to cry? Mmmm?’

‘Well, no, but she’s best with her mother or me, not a stranger.’

‘Her mother is in the garden and didn’t hear. You weren’t here so what was I to do? There’s no need to boil over about it. I’m not interfering, just caring.’

By now they were talking by the study door and neither of them heard Caroline wiping her boots on the mat outside the back door, but she heard their raised voices and couldn’t avoid over-hearing their conversation while she struggled to take them off.

Sylvia was hopping with temper and saying belligerently, ‘Well, don’t bother.’

‘You’re being unreasonable. I’m not trying to usurp your position with Beth who’s known you all her life. Certainly not. I think—’

‘Well, don’t. This is my domain. Full stop.’

‘This is ridiculous.’ By now Anna was furious at having found herself in the midst of this petty squabble. ‘I have nothing more to say.’ She banged the study door shut and left Sylvia fuming.

Caroline had walked into the hall in her stockinged feet so Sylvia had no warning she was listening. ‘What on earth is going on?’

Sylvia spun round and immediately felt embarrassed, which brought on a spiteful attack against Anna, concluding with. ‘… So I won’t have it, she’s here because the Rector isn’t and that’s all.’

Caroline called out, ‘Beth! Are you all right?’

‘Yes, thanks, Mum, just woke up frightened. But it’s OK now.’ The tremble in Beth’s voice hurt Caroline to the core.

‘Sylvia, in the kitchen, please.’

Caroline closed the door very positively, and asked Sylvia to sit down. ‘I will not have rows going on in my house. We have enough problems with Alex and Beth, and we don’t want anything else right now. Don’t ever speak to Anna in that manner again. She is a member of the clergy doing an excellent job of minding the store, so to speak, while Peter’s away. If he’d heard you speak to Anna in that tone you would have been ashamed of yourself, wouldn’t you?’

Sylvia began fumbling for a tissue in her apron pocket.

‘What on earth had she done?’

Sylvia found the tissue.

‘Well?’

‘Got a glass of water for Beth because she’d woken up frightened and I’d popped home for a minute and you were in the garden—’

‘So you’d rather Beth was left to scream?’

‘No, no, of course not, but—’ Sylvia wiped her eyes.

‘But nothing. I would prefer you to apologize to Anna, it’s only right to do so.’ Sylvia showed no signs of getting up from her chair. ‘Go and apologize to Anna, this minute, please.’