Rosemary For Remembrance by Susan Sallis

Author:Susan Sallis [Sallis, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Corgi

11

BRIDIE WAS NEVER to forget her arrival home that winter night. For once, she had taken all the children out with her. There was a special tea at the Bon Marché to celebrate the commencement of Lend-Lease, and Bridie had wanted Mannie to take them. When he had told her smoothly that he must spend an hour with Mrs Williams ‘going over the books’ she was furious, though she knew better than to show it.

‘That’s all right,’ she said airily. ‘I’ll take them. It’s too good to miss. There will be crackers and American waffles. Marlene can come to look after Barty.’

‘No, Birdy. Marlene will be busy preparing tea. She will stay at home.’

Bridie drew a breath. ‘I’ve just told you, dear. We’ll be having our tea at the Bon.’

He made one of his foreign sounds of dismissal. ‘An English afternoon tea! Not good enough for any of you. Marlene will prepare tea as usual. Besides, I need Marlene to get my tea. You can surely manage, dearest? Natasha and Beatrice are quite old enough to help with the little ones.’ He kissed her affectionately. ‘Dear little Birdy. Enjoy your Christmas shopping. And hurry back to your husband.’

She did not hurry back. None of them wanted to hurry back. For three hours it was almost like it had been when Kitty was alive. There was a proper orchestra at the Lend-Lease tea, and they played American tunes. One of them was ‘Mr Franklin De Roosevelt Jones’. Charles Adair looked in for half an hour in between his duties with the Observer Corps, and he quickstepped Natasha around the floor; then Bridie.

‘You’re finished with me then?’ he asked, pulling a comic face at her. ‘My silk stockings and petrol weren’t good enough. You had to find someone to make an honest woman of you.’

‘Oh Charles …’ she tried to laugh but the sudden recollection of her life before her second marriage, when Charles had spent time and money on trying to get her to bed again, and Monty Gould had flirted with her, and she had gone to the office and felt she was going on with Tolly’s work, was almost too much for her. She leaned her cheek against his and closed her eyes. The trouble was, she had a very passionate nature, and Mannie could satisfy her physically. More than satisfy her sometimes.

‘Regrets?’ Charles whispered into her ear. ‘I’m always here, you know. When Tilly goes off with her Pole at weekends we could use the house.’ He snickered. ‘At least we could use it with your Olga’s permission.’

Bridie jerked away from him. ‘Olga? What are you talking about, Chas?’

‘Oh Christ. Have I put my foot in it? You know that Olga is Robin’s latest?’

Bridie was genuinely horrified. ‘Of course I didn’t know. She is supposed to be with the Cresswell girl. D’you mean to tell me she’s been spending weekends with Robin at your house?’ She stared into his eyes. ‘Charles … Charles, you should know better than

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.