Scandal in the Village (9 page)

It didn’t take much imagination to guess who it was who’d climbed up the church tower and out onto the parapet to fasten the banner up there to the square bit of the tower below the spire.
Happy Birthday Georgie
it read, in bright pink letters on a white background. The letters ran in a line one below the other right to the bottom where it had been secured to the drain pipes either side of the tower door.

The stockman who’d rented one of Ralph’s houses in Hipkin Gardens was the first to see it when he left for milking at Nightingale Farm at half past four. The next was Malcolm from the dairy coming specially early to do his round because his girlfriend was due any minute and he wanted to get back as soon as he could. There wasn’t much Malcolm didn’t know about the village and he chuckled to himself, wondering what their response would be when they woke to find that. They couldn’t miss it. Definitely they couldn’t!

The people in the queue waiting for the first bus into Culworth reeled with laughter.

‘Oh God! It must be Dicky!’

‘He’s a right one.’

‘And not half!’

‘But poor Bryn.’

‘Poor Bel.’

‘Whatever next.’

‘Wish my husband would think up something like that for my birthday, I’m lucky if I get a card when he gets home from work. Thinks he’s done wonders “Well, yer’ve got it on the day ’aven’t yer?” he goes. Huh!’

‘I’d wring his neck if it was my wife!’

‘Give over! You couldn’t knock the skin off a rice pudding, you couldn’t!’

Willie, unable to sleep because Sylvia had been tossing and turning all night worrying about Dr Harris, went out earlier than usual to set about his duties of putting the heating on and getting the children’s hymn books out ready for the school Friday morning service, except Kate Pascoe would have to conduct it seeing as the Rector would be taking Dr Harris into Culworth as soon as they’d seen the twins off to school. He went through the lych gate and took his regular long distance view of the church before he headed up the path. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he spotted the banner. Not that it took much spotting it was so big, you couldn’t avoid it. Blowing there, brazenly in the breeze! Just wait till he got his hands on that Dicky Tutt. Always supposing it was him. But it must be. Certainly wouldn’t be Bryn. Nice chap but not very imaginative.

‘The fool. The absolute fool. That Dicky needs his brains examining.’

Willie unlocked the church and went to switch on the heating. Rector didn’t like the church to be cold. My, what changes he’d wrought since he came. Wasn’t like the same place. Everything alive, bouncing with energy. Congregation bigger than it had ever been in his lifetime, and all of ’em people who
wanted
to be there, not coming just because it was the thing to do.

Halfway down the aisle Willie stopped in his tracks. This morning of all mornings he’d have to have a quick word with his Maker. He wasn’t what could be called a praying person, due respect and all that, but not prayerful. But this morning he went to kneel in the little memorial chapel, where he knew Peter prayed every morning of his life except today, and said a prayer for Caroline. ‘I may not be much cop Lord, at praying but, by Jove, I’m praying today. I ’aven’t got words like the Rector has, no book learning yer see apart from the village school, but if yer can listen to a prayer from an ordinary man then this is it. Whatever you do don’t call on Dr Harris to be one of your angels this week. Nor for that matter any day in the immediate future. The Rector needs her something bad and them children which, as you know Lord, she took under her wing under very difficult circumstances, they don’t half need her too. Matter of fact, we all do, she’s such a good young woman and we all love her. So if it pleases you Lord, leave her with us. Amen. By the way, I shall be back tomorrow, expecting to thank you for bringing her through the operation. Amen.’

He got up from his knees and for extra measure crossed himself, then set off to get the big step ladder to see if he could reach the banner and drag it down.

When he got outside with the ladder he found Dicky standing on the church path with his camera, laughing fit to burst.

‘Hey! Willie doesn’t it look good. Won’t she be pleased?’

‘Pleased! See here, it won’t do. Simply won’t do. When the Rector sees it he’ll be livid.’

‘Livid? Whatever for?’

‘The church isn’t here to display your love messages, Dicky Tutt. It’s disgusting!’

‘Disgusting! What’s disgusting about being in love?’

‘You’re both married or has that escaped your notice? You ought to know better.’

‘You’re a spoilsport you are. Move your ladder and buzz off and do whatever you’re going to do and then you won’t be the wiser. I want to take a photo.’

‘I’ll do no such thing. Hop it, go on, hop it.’

‘Come on, Willie, you know what it’s like when you’re in love. Give us a chance. I want her to have a memento. Go on, just one teeny weeny photo. No one will know.’

‘It’ll be you having the memento if you don’t move, and your memento’ll be a black eye. Now get off home to Bel. You ought to be ashamed.’

A thought suddenly occurred to Dicky. ‘What are you doing with that ladder? You’re not thinking of taking Georgie’s banner down?’

‘I am.’

‘You’re not.’

‘We’ve the school coming for morning prayers in an hour. I’m not having the evidence of your … your illegal amours ’anging ’ere for them to see.’

‘But that means Georgie won’t see it, she never gets up before nine with working late.’

‘Hard cheese.’

‘Just one photo, that’s all I ask.’

‘No. I’m not moving from this path.’

‘Right then, I’ll have you on the photo, and it’ll look as if you helped me to put it up.’

Willie already angry almost exploded and he shouted, ‘Don’t you dare. Take your damned camera away.’

Dicky laughed, went much further down the path turned round and took several photographs. He guessed that Willie would be hardly recognisable because he had to stand so far away to get the whole of the banner in, but so long as Willie was left in doubt that was all that mattered.

‘I’m having them developed this morning at a shop near work, I’ll let you have a couple of prints!’

‘Don’t bother!’ Willie propped the ladder against the church wall and set off down the path to see Dicky off church property. Dicky dashed away, still laughing, leaving Willie angrier than he could remember ever having been. He knew the Rector wouldn’t see the banner before he left, it was out of sight from the rectory, but he didn’t want him coming back from the hospital and finding it there.

But no matter how he tried he couldn’t budge it. Now what could he do? There was no way he could climb up the tower steps. He hadn’t done that for years, not since he was a boy when he’d been taken so ill climbing them on the annual saint’s day. He’d managed to get to the top and then all but collapsed when he’d gone out and looked over the edge and seen how high up he was. So ill he was paralysed and they’d had to carry him down. Acrophobia they’d said it was and he’d never climbed the tower since. He’d have another go and then … but it wouldn’t come down. Drat that Dicky. Drat him. He’d have to get Jimmy. He’d do it, he’d go knock him up right now. But Jimmy must have left early, because there was no reply.

Peter came home from the hospital, parked his car outside the rectory and went straight to Church to say his morning prayers. He saw the banner as soon as he went through the lych-gate. He guessed immediately that it must be Dicky’s doing. Why on earth hadn’t Willie got it down?

‘I tried, sir, I did, but I couldn’t budge it.’

‘Not even from the top? What on earth has he fastened it with then?’

Willie looked uncomfortable. ‘Well, not from the top, no.’

‘Why ever not? I would have preferred the children not to see it.’

‘So would I, sir.’

‘Then why ever not?’

Willie shuffled his feet and then had to confess. ‘You see, Rector, I never go up there.’

‘Never go up there?’

‘I’ve got acrophobia?’

‘What’s that?’

‘Fear of heights.’

‘Are you telling me that you’ve been the verger all these years, how many is it now?’

‘Fifteen.’

‘And you’ve never been up there?’

‘I am.’

‘Who does then? Who sweeps and things?’

‘Jimmy. He does it for me.’

Despite his anxiety Peter had to laugh. ‘Well, well.’

Willie had to ask. ‘How’s the Doctor, is she all right? When you left her, you know?’

Peter said, looking anywhere but at Willie, ‘Being brave, not wanting to worry me. They said to ring about four, but I think I’ll go rather than ring.’

‘That’ll be best. Yes. Now about this banner. I’ve knocked at Jimmy’s door but he’s not in.’

‘I’ll do it. Have you the key? How did Dicky get in?’

Willie scowled his annoyance. ‘I don’t know, but when he gets back from work I’ll ask him. Taken a photo of it he has. I could strangle him.’

‘I’m not too pleased with him myself.’

‘You’d better take scissors or, I know, I’ve got my Stanley knife in my tool box in the boiler house, I’ll get that.’

Peter began the long climb up the stone spiral staircase. It was narrow, and the steps too small for his large feet, it had been built for men much shorter than himself. Once he caught his knee on the rough stone walls, twice he caught an elbow. As he climbed he thought about the bells being rehung and them ringing out across the fields. That would be wonderful. He imagined the sounds of the bells calling people to worship again like they had done for hundreds of years. Thank you Mr Fitch. In fact thank you Mr Fitch for the central heating, for the newly repaired organ and now thank you Mr Fitch for the bells. Decent chap but he seemed to have been born without a heart, though he had been visibly moved by Sadie’s death. Death. For now he wouldn’t think about it. Not today. He climbed the rest of the stairs, pushed open the trap door and climbed out.

He’d been up before on All Saint’s Day each year but then it was always so busy that there wasn’t time to contemplate the view. He unfastened the Stanley knife, secured the blade in place and went to cut the ropes holding the banner. Dicky had certainly done a good job. He leaned over to shout to Willie, and saw Georgie standing on the path talking to him. Even from such a height he could see she was agitated, and when she saw him looking down at her, her face flushed red.

‘OK, Willie! Here goes!’ Peter sliced through the ropes and the banner fell fluttering to the ground. He watched Willie begin cutting through the bottom ropes and then turned his attention to the view. From this side he could see the village. As he walked round the parapet he could see the Big House, then Bicker by Rocks, the fast moving traffic on the bypass and, he thought he could just catch a glimpse of the great spires of Culworth Abbey something like eight miles away. Between Turnham Malpas and Culworth were rolling fields, some still stubble, some already ploughed for next year. Next year. Would there be a next year for him? If Caroline … But then there’d be the children. He’d have to keep going for their sakes. Prayer. He’d go say prayers.

By the time he got to the bottom of the tower Georgie had gone and Willie was still struggling to fold up the banner. ‘Too blowy, sir, can’t keep control of it.’

Between them they managed to roll it up and store it in the boiler house.

‘Tell Dicky I want to see him. Not today, I’ve other things on my mind but I’ll see him tomorrow some time. Georgie, what did she think?’

‘Half embarrassed, half delighted. He’d rung her from work and told her to come out to have a look. He’s a fool is Dicky.’

‘More than a fool. Just going to say prayers. Here’s the tower key.’

As Peter was leaving the church after his prayers he met the Duchess coming in with an armful of flowers.

‘Good morning, Mrs Charter-Plackett! Lovely flowers.’

‘I’m taking a turn at doing the altar flowers with Sheila Bissett being laid up! I would normally have done them Saturday morning but I’m going out with Harriet and the children so I thought I’d do them today. Aren’t they lovely? Mr Fitch gave me them. Such a kind man.’

‘Very generous.’

‘He is. I can’t let this chance go by, seeing as we’re on our own. Will you allow me to say how pleased I am?’

‘How pleased you are?’

‘Yes, about the, well I know it’s a secret, but about the baby. I saw Caroline in the hospital in the antenatal clinic. I suspected as much when she fainted in church, but when I saw her there I knew. You must be thrilled and I expect she is too.’ She was so delighted with herself she didn’t notice the change in Peter’s expression.

‘It’s you then who spread this rumour?’

The Duchess was about to exonerate herself from being a rumour-monger when something in his tone of voice pulled her up short.

‘Rumour?’

‘Yes. In truth she’s having an operation today. I took her to the hospital this morning. For cancer. Ovarian cancer.’

The Duchess was left standing completely devoid of speech. She watched Peter walk down the path, and disappear from sight as he passed Willie’s cottage. The blood hammered in her head and she couldn’t see properly. Whatever had she done? That poor man. He wouldn’t have said that just to upset her would he? Not something as serious as … cancer? She knew all about the fear that word instilled in one’s soul. She’d known all about that, oh yes. But a young woman Caroline’s age and with children to bring up. It didn’t bear thinking about and here she’d been telling everyone … She’d never live it down. Fifty years Jimbo had said. It might as well be one hundred and fifty. Well, she hadn’t meant to be malicious. Not at all. She was only going on the fects. Facts? People fainted for all sorts of reasons, as had Caroline. Obviously she
had
been seeing a friend in the antenatal department. It took her well over an hour to arrange the flowers. She’d so looked forward to doing it and now she couldn’t make them look good for love nor money. Flowers! She never wanted to see another flower as long as she lived. Lived. What if Caroline … She’d better have a quick word of prayer before she left. In fact she’d better be on her knees all day. Contrite heart. That was what she’d better have. A contrite heart.