Best Laid Plans (7 page)

Was she making a big mistake in bringing him here? You only introduced somebody into the family if you were moderately serious, didn’t you? And was her motive in doing so just to shut her mother up? Janet thought Brian was wonderful but she had only met him the once and she was going purely on physical looks and the winning way he seemed to have with the older ladies. Increasingly, she was beginning to doubt her judgement when it came to Brian and she wondered sometimes just what his hold on her was and how long she would put up with it.

Too late now, for they were here now and she would have to make the best of it.

She aimed the remote at the car, clicked it. ‘There’s Mum. Come and meet her.’

C
hristine was pinning a lot of hope on Brian.

It had been a big surprise, a shock even, when Amy had phoned and asked if she could bring a friend along for Christmas. She could sense her daughter’s anxiety and was quick to reassure her that they would be delighted to meet the friend, a man called Brian.

She knew nothing about Brian yet but she determined that over the course of the next few days she would find out the lot. Amy had had only a few boyfriends over the years, was never one for flitting between men, thoroughly focused as she was both at school and university, although of course Christine was not privy to what might have gone on there. It is a funny time when you send your children off to university, grown up kids in theory, but there was that pang in letting them go into that big bad world. It was a disappointment but also a relief when Mike did not get good enough grades because she felt he was the kind of person to be more easily led than Amy whom she was confident could stand her ground with the best of them. Amy was a bright young lady and not easily intimidated, as had been proved. She was proud of her but she worried that her daughter was missing out on the things that mattered in life and that one day, when it was much too late, she would finally cotton on to that and look back with regret.

Amy was late arriving and those familiar mother-nerves
kicked in, her imagination on overdrive as the minutes passed with no answer from Amy’s phone. So the relief was great as she saw the little yellow car coming up the drive at last. She waited a moment, hidden behind the curtain in the dining room as the two of them got out, retrieving bags and wrapped presents from the boot. The first thing she noticed was that Amy had had her dark brown hair cut short; the elfin style suited her. She was a striking girl who had always had unfounded doubts about her appearance, tall and strong-looking, very much her father’s daughter with her light brown wide-set eyes and, not visible but there all the same, his steely determination to succeed.

She saw at once that Brian was an attractive-looking man, about the same height as Amy with fairish hair, wearing jeans over tan boots and a leather biker-style jacket, an outfit that seemed altogether too young for him, for at first glance she saw he was older than Amy by maybe as much as ten years. She saw him leaning in towards her, caught the smiles they exchanged, which confirmed what she had expected – that the two of them were very close.

Frank was less happy than she was about the unexpected guest.

‘What do we know about this guy?’ he asked when she informed him, going straight into overprotective father mode.

‘Nothing, yet.’

‘She must be serious about him if she’s bringing him to meet us. She’s never brought anybody home before, has she?’

‘Yes she has. There was that lovely boy at school,’ Christine said, recalling that, like her own parents, she had hoped something might come of that one. He was from such a nice family and because she liked him and his family so much she had kept track of him over the years. He became a doctor and was married now with three children living
away from his home town. Occasionally she met his mother and they chatted about him and Amy, never quite saying what they were both thinking.

‘What boy?’

Clearly Frank’s memory was not as good as hers or maybe he had never seen the potential there.

‘Never mind.’ She shrugged it off.

‘What does this man do? How long has she known him?’

‘I’ve told you. I don’t know. She’s thirty-five, Frank, not a teenager and she’s a good judge of character. He’ll be fine, you’ll see.’

But now, as Amy came smilingly towards her, the man following, Christine had a sudden unexpected and totally bizarre reaction.

For reasons she could not decipher, as he took hold of her hand and smiled at her, she took an instant dislike to him.

It could snow all it liked now that Amy was here and wouldn’t you know it, as the afternoon progressed it did just that. The forecast had promised snow for the last week and indeed there had been a brief flurry the day before but it had not settled.

Christine showed Amy and Brian up to their rooms, feeling stupidly flustered as they stood in what was earmarked as Brian’s room pointing out the interlocking door. She caught the slightest smile from him as she explained about the shared bathroom arrangements between this room and Amy’s and was reminded of one of her son’s school friends whom she had never taken to either who had, not
surprisingly
at all, turned out to be a rotten apple in every respect. As she grew older and wiser, she was rarely wrong about men but hoped in this case she was for he was the first adult man Amy had brought home and Frank was quite right, for that must mean something.

‘Do make yourself at home, Brian’ she said, pointing out the wardrobe and chest of drawers as if he couldn’t see
these damned huge pieces of furniture for himself before giving him a run-down on how the radiators worked.

‘Mum, stop fussing, we can adjust a radiator,’ Amy laughed, giving her a quick hug. ‘And it’s boiling in here, anyway.’

‘We like to keep the heating on otherwise it’s like that ice hotel I’ve seen on television. Have you seen that, Brian? You actually lie on a bed shaped from ice. You have warm furs to cover you, of course, and candles and it’s all rather lovely….’ She tailed off, knowing she was rambling on about nothing because she was nervous. ‘If you need anything else just give me a shout,’ she finished, wishing she could stop acting like a B&B owner.

Leaving Brian to unpack in his room she followed Amy through to the adjoining one. All the bedrooms were a good size and this was no exception, with the addition of an elegant modern chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. It was a well-proportioned room with a brass-framed double bed dressed with simple pale blue linen so that it was feminine without being too girly. A comfortable armchair covered in a blue floral fabric was turned towards the window and the view of the rear garden that sloped gently down to the river. The view was softened when the trees were in leaf but today with the branches bare they could see beyond the river and over to a cluster of houses on the opposite bank towards the hill that dominated the village. Snow was falling steadily now and it looked as if it might settle.

‘It looks just the same,’ Amy said, taking a moment to stand and stare.

‘Exactly. Why change something when it’s perfect?’

‘You’ll miss this place if you have to leave.’

‘Why would we leave? We have no intention of leaving.’

‘Oh come on, Mum, it’s too big for just the two of you.’

‘It was too big for the four of us.’ Christine changed the subject abruptly. ‘He seems very nice,’ she said, lowering
her voice and smiling brightly, watching as Amy placed her suitcase on the bed and opened it. She noticed how neatly it was packed but that was no surprise, for Amy liked to keep things tidy. ‘How long have you known him?’

‘Since September.’ Amy ran her fingers through her hair, looking surprised as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. ‘This is a mistake. I’m going to let it grow again. I can’t get used to it like this.’

Ah. So she wasn’t keen to talk about Brian. Sensing the rebuff, Christine determined she would not allow it to upset her. It would all come out, in bits and pieces, and she could observe them together and come to her own conclusion.

‘I like your hair like that and it’s lovely to have you here, sweetheart, even if it’s only for a few days.’ She hoped that didn’t sound like a criticism but honestly you would have thought she could have got a few more days off as they hadn’t seen her since August, just before she met this man. She knew that it was partly their fault as she did not relish the trip down to Leeds. Amy’s flat was poky and they had to stay in a hotel and after a few days she was left with the distinct impression that their daughter would be glad to see the back of them as they were causing serious disruptions to her routine.

‘A few days off is the best I can manage,’ Amy said without a trace of regret or apology. ‘You’ve no idea how busy it is just now. We need our Christmas figures to be a big improvement on last year so it’s make or break time. It’s a tough business, Mum.’

‘I know.’ She very nearly said that perhaps it might have been easier if she had stuck to what she had known from childhood. Amy knew all there was to know about the removal business, had gone into the office with her dad when she was quite young to ‘learn the ropes’ because they had always known that getting Mike motivated would be a challenge.

And so it had proved. Frank had come close to sacking him but she had persuaded him otherwise for how on earth could they live with themselves if they did that? As it was, his job description was vague in the extreme and the rest of the workforce did not know quite what to make of him, unsure if they should treat him as one of the lads or the boss-to-be?

‘Are you missing the office?’ Amy asked. ‘I was surprised when Dad said you had walked out on him.’

‘Did he tell you that?’ She knew that Frank rang Amy more than she did although he rarely bothered to tell her when he did so. ‘I didn’t walk out on him. What a daft thing to say. I’ve been threatening to do it for ages so it came as no surprise.’ She laughed. ‘I might have been only going in a couple of times a week but I suddenly realized I was working twice as hard as everybody else. I was just paid a token wage because I needed to be on the books.’

‘I told you that was a mistake. You should have paid yourself a proper salary, Mum, otherwise you’re just fooling around with the figures.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘Is Shirley still bossing everybody about? Dad’s allowed that woman to get too big for her boots and I was never that impressed with her. She forgets things.’

‘Your father likes her and she’s been there for ever.’ She had to put a stop to this conversation as it was always difficult to talk about Shirley. She didn’t really believe Frank was having an affair but it wasn’t for want of Shirley trying. She was one of those women who enter a room bosom first. ‘I’ll leave you to unpack, darling. Come down when you’re ready.’

Now, some time later as she brought a pot of coffee and mince pies through to the drawing room, the flakes were becoming bolder and starting to lie.

Perfect. It was Christmas Eve and most people would now be where they needed to be so travel disruption would
be at a minimum. In any case, even though it was a selfish thought, her little family was safe so that was all that mattered.

She looked happily around the room trying to visualize it through Brian’s eyes. It was difficult to achieve a cosy feel in a room this size and it was maybe a touch cluttered for the modern man but frankly she did not care. She loved it and that was all that mattered.

‘Look, it’s snowing,’ Amy said delightedly, turning to Brian who was sitting beside her on the sofa. ‘I love snow. One winter when we were little we made a snowman and it was so cold that he stayed out there for weeks.’

‘Days, sweetheart, don’t exaggerate.’ Frank was burrowing into the drinks cupboard. ‘We’ve got the lot here. Do you fancy a drink, Brian?’

‘I’m fine just now with coffee, thanks.’

‘Mike and Monique will be here soon,’ Christine said, settling herself down. Amy had commented on the tree, said it looked lovely and silvery, which had made Christine shoot Frank a triumphant look. The fire was lit with the log basket stacked high and now that all the Christmas food was bought in, sitting in the refrigerator and freezer, and the larder shelves were heaving with extra items, Christine could at last relax.

She had a new flatteringly draped red dress for tomorrow and she had the silly hats ready for them to wear for the Christmas day meal although she was not sure about them, wondered if that little tradition should be dropped, especially with a newcomer at the table. Brian did not look as if he would be comfortable wearing a pirate’s hat.

She tried to signal a warning to Frank across the room, wondered what his initial reaction to Brian had been for they had not been alone since his arrival, wondered also when the interrogation would start.

‘So what do you do with yourself, Brian?’ Frank said, swirling the whisky round his glass before taking a sip but
not before he flashed Christine a mischievous glance.

‘I run my own business, Frank,’ Brian said after a moment.

Brian had jumped in immediately with first names, not something Frank was necessarily used to but, if he was surprised, he did not show it. Christine was much more relaxed about such things and would have instantly corrected him if he had addressed her as Mrs Fletcher. She was worried about her initial reaction to him but then she had always done that with people, formed an instant impression and it had to be said that her instincts were usually right. She had taken to Monique at once, for instance, and what a delightful uncomplicated daughter-in-law she was proving to be.

‘You say you run your own business?’ Frank said easily but not before Christine spotted the slightest smile Amy and Brian exchanged. ‘What line are you in?’

‘Art and antiques,’ Brian said with a quick look around. ‘You have some interesting items.’

‘My parents had a good eye and a lot of these pieces belonged to them.’ Christine said, standing up to pass round the plate of warm mince pies and the linen napkins, taking the opportunity to shoot her husband a warning glance. No more questions please.

‘Must be difficult at the moment, this moving lark,’ Brian commented, turning the tables on him. ‘Everybody’s staying put so far as I can make out. And nobody can afford to buy a house, not at today’s prices. I’m glad I bought my property a few years ago when it was a bit easier.’

‘Do you live in Leeds, then?’ Christine asked with a smile, feeling it was an easier subject.

‘I live out in the sticks, on the outskirts of Wetherby.’

‘Brian lives in a converted barn, Mum,’ Amy told her. ‘It’s beautiful. It’s enormous and very modern.’

‘How lovely.’ She had a vision of soaring ceilings and stripped pine floors. Converted barns with no cosy corners
were not her thing at all but she was in no hurry to confess that and it was a relief, therefore, when the bell rang and Mike’s voice rang out to announce their arrival. She hurried out into the hall to greet them.