The Bachelor's Wedding

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‘You would have time for a nap before you have to return.’

‘I’m flattered by your concern, Miss Smith, but I am quite rested.’

Snubbed, thought Araminta, and looked out of the window again.

Halfway down the A303 he stopped at a Happy Eater, and everyone piled out except Tibs, asleep in her basket. The dogs on their leads were walked by Jimmy and his uncle while Araminta and Gloria went inside, in a hurry to get to the ladies’, and then to find a table. They were joined shortly by Jimmy and the professor, who ordered coffee for all of them and a plate of buns. The coffee was hot and the children wolfed the buns as though they were starving, but no one wasted time in casual talk. In ten minutes they were back in the car and on their way. Tisbury wasn’t far; Professor Lister took a left-hand turning into a side road and they were at once surrounded by rural Wiltshire. There was only one village on their way, Chilmark, then they were back running between high hedges and scattered farms. Araminta gave an appreciative sniff and the professor observed, ‘Restful, isn’t it? When we arrive I shall leave you to open up the house, make the beds and so on. I’ll take the children into the village—you’ll need bread and milk and so on, won’t you?’

‘Yes, do you want a list? I can take a quick look in the fridge and the freezer.’

‘That would help. Do you feel up to cooking a meal?’

‘Yes, of course.’

They lapsed into silence, but this time it seemed to her that the silence was friendly.

The children were glad to be home. They rushed inside as soon as the professor had unlocked the door and then, at his placid request, carried the bags indoors and upstairs. That done, he said, ‘If you’ll see to Tibs, Gloria, Jimmy can see to the dogs while Miss Smith and I make a list of the food we’ll need. We’ll go down to the village and do the shopping while she gets the place aired.’

Whatever made me think that he was absent-minded? reflected Araminta, busily writing a list of the food to be bought.

Once they were out of the house, leaving her with Tibs for company, she set about opening the windows, looking into the cupboards and peering into drawers. The linencupboard was nicely filled; she took the bedlinen off the beds and filled the washing-machine. The beds could be made up later. She laid the table for lunch, peeled the potatoes she found in the garden shed, and nipped round with a duster—not ideal, but all she had time for.

They came back laden. ‘Sausages,’ said the professor, emptying plastic bags all over the table, ‘spring greens, carrots and turnips. Apples, oranges and lettuces. Jimmy has the rest and Gloria went to the baker’s. We’ll go into the garden while you get the lunch—do you want a hand?’

‘No, thanks.’ She glanced at the clock. ‘Half an hour?’

All the same he stowed away the butter, milk and cheese before he went into the garden, the dogs trailing after him.

Araminta was a good cook: the sausages, grilled to a golden brown, lay on a mound of creamed potatoes, she had glazed the carrots with sugar and butter, and the spring greens, chopped fine, added a note of colour. Everything was eaten, as were the cheese and biscuits which followed. A pot of coffee washed everything down nicely and the professor sat back with a sigh.

‘A delicious meal, Miss Smith,’ he observed. ‘We’ll wash up while you do whatever you want to do. Gloria, don’t forget to feed that cat of yours, and what about the dogs?’

Araminta left them to it, and sped upstairs to make beds, put out towels and tidy the rooms. There would be several loads of washing, but she could iron all day, if necessary, when the children had gone back to school.

When she got back to the kitchen everything had been tidily put away and she found the three of them in the hall by the open door.

‘There you are,’ said Professor Lister. ‘I’m going back now—I’ll phone you this evening and, if you need help or advice, don’t hesitate to ring me. I’ll do my best to come down.’

He nodded to her, said goodbye to Jimmy and Gloria, got into his car with the dogs and drove away. The three of them stood watching the car disappearing down the drive and into the lane, and even when it was out of sight they still stood there.

It was Araminta who said briskly, ‘I expect you’ve heaps of things you want to do, but first will you let me have all your washing? I dare say there are some things you’ll need for school on Monday.’

‘Patty usually…’ began Gloria, and thought better of it. ‘All right, but then I want to go and see Jean down at the Rectory.’

‘Why not?’ agreed Araminta cheerfully. ‘But please both be here for tea. Half-past four. We can discuss supper then.’

She was surprised that they didn’t demur, but fetched their washing, put Mutt on his lead, and went off together—which gave her time to check the cupboards again, pick some flowers from the garden and unpack her own things; all the while, Professor Lister was never far from her thoughts.

CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_fcf67ac4-84aa-589a-af03-ff6d04162b20)

ARAMINTA went to bed that night thankful that the day had gone so well. The children had returned for their tea and afterwards had helped her wash up, albeit grudgingly. They were still unfriendly but at least they did what she asked them to do with only a modicum of grumbling. The professor had telephoned as he had promised, a brief conversation undertaken against a background of voices—women’s voices as well as men’s. Probably he was relaxing with his friends; she pictured him in his lovely house, entertaining them. A mistake, of course. He was in Theatre Sister’s office, drinking coffee after operating…

At breakfast the next morning Jimmy said reluctantly, ‘Uncle Jason said we were to take you to church with us.’

‘Why, thank you, Jimmy, I shall be glad to go. The morning service?’

‘Yes—who’s going to cook our dinner?’

‘I shall. It can cook in the oven while we are away. What do you do with Mutt?’

‘Shut him in the house; he doesn’t mind as long as Tibs is there too.’

So they went to church, and when they got back the steak and kidney pie she had made from the contents of the freezer the night before was nicely cooked. She left it warm in the oven while the potatoes and the greens cooked. They had brought a carton of ice-cream back with them on the previous day; she scooped it out into three dishes, embellished it with some chocolate sauce she had found, and put it back in the freezer. Everything was ready by the time the children had fed Mutt and Tibs.

They both ate everything she put before them, although they didn’t say if they liked it, and once they had finished they told her that they were going over to a friend’s house. ‘We’ll probably stay for tea,’ said Gloria airily.

‘Why not? But please tell me where you are going, in case I should want you rather urgently.’ And at their blank stares she added gently, ‘Your mother might telephone, or your uncle, and do give me a ring if you’re staying for tea, will you? Do you want to take Mutt?’

‘Of course, and I wish you wouldn’t make a fuss,’ said Jimmy rudely.

‘Well, of course I could wash my hands of the pair of you,’ observed Araminta cheerfully, ‘but your uncle asked me to be here until someone gets back and I said that I would. We’ll all have to make the best of it, won’t we?’ She began to gather up the plates. ‘Write it on the pad over there, will you, and please put the phone number. Tea at half-past four, if you decide to come home.’

She was prepared for them to ignore her request, and it was an agreeable surprise when Gloria phoned to say that they were staying for tea and would be home in time for supper. It gave her a chance to sit down for a bit with a pot of tea and a plate of scones while she jotted down menus for the week ahead.

It was while she was getting the supper that she realised that there was a problem she hadn’t thought of—Mrs Gault had driven the children to their schools each day and either she or Patty had fetched them back. There was a car in the garage but that wouldn’t be of much use since she couldn’t drive. There would be a school bus, of course, but probably that served the comprehensive school and the other state schools in Salisbury. Gloria was at a private girls’ school a few miles from Tisbury, and Jimmy at a minor public school lying in the other direction. Not far in a car, but they could be at the North Pole if there was no transport. She sat and wrestled with the problem for some time, and reluctantly decided to wait until the children came back to see if between them they could think of a way out of their dilemma.

Hire a car? she wondered. But would Professor Lister agree to that? Perhaps she could phone him and ask his advice.

She had no need to do so, for he phoned within the next half-hour.

Her, ‘Hello,’ was breathless with relief.

He said at once, ‘Problems? You sound quietly desperate.’

‘I am.’ She explained with commendable brevity.

‘I should have thought of that. Leave it with me. My sister has several friends in the village. I believe the doctor’s sons go to Jimmy’s school—he can give him a lift and drop Gloria off on his way. I’m sure that he will help. I’ll ring you back, so don’t worry.’ He rang off with a quick goodbye and she went back to her cooking. It was all very well to tell her not to worry, but she wouldn’t feel easy until he phoned again.

Which he did, shortly before the children came home. ‘Mrs Sloane—Dr Sloane’s wife—will collect Jimmy and Gloria at eight o’clock and bring them back after school.’

Araminta thanked him. ‘I’m sorry I had to bother you.’

He said coolly, ‘It was merely a question of picking up the telephone, Miss Smith.’ His goodbye sounded like an afterthought.

As they sat down to supper presently, Jimmy said, ‘We shan’t be able to go to school—Mother always took us in the car—or Patty. I don’t suppose you can drive a car.’

‘No, I can’t. Mrs Sloane is calling for you both each day and will give you a lift back in the afternoon. Your uncle has arranged it.’ She smiled at him. ‘Eight o’clock at the gate, so we’d better have everything ready before you go to bed. Do you take anything with you? Lunch or a snack?’

Gloria said prissily, ‘We don’t go to state schools, Araminta.’

A remark Araminta let pass. ‘What about Mutt and Tibs? Will you let me know if they have to be fed and when—and does Mutt go for a walk during the day?’

‘If you take him on his lead, and he has a biscuit at lunchtime.’

‘Tibs has a meal then too,’ said Gloria. ‘Of course, you don’t belong here so she might run away—then it’ll be your fault.’

Araminta reminded herself silently that this was a job and she was being paid for it. She said equably, ‘Oh, I like cats, but if you don’t like to leave her in my care perhaps we could find a good cattery where she would be safe.’

Jimmy frowned at his sister. ‘Tibs will be OK—you’re being a bit silly.’

‘And rude,’ added Araminta mildly.

They weren’t an easy pair to handle; they loitered over their breakfast, had a last-minute hunt for school-books, and their rooms, when she went upstairs to make the beds, were in a state of chaos. ‘Patty must be an angel,’ observed Araminta to Tibs, who was comfortably snoozing on Gloria’s bed. At least she had the house to herself while she vacuumed and dusted, hung the washing on the line at the bottom of the garden and gave the kitchen a good clean. Jimmy had said something about a Mrs Pretty, who came twice a week, but perhaps Mrs Gault had told her not to come while she was away. Araminta, armed with a shopping-basket and the household purse and with Mutt on his lead, took herself off to the village to buy lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. The children wanted baked beans for their supper; she intended to add bubble-and-squeak and a small salad. As for their demands for Coca-Cola, she had different ideas. Without conceit she knew that her home-made lemonade was perfection itself. She added lemons to her basket at the village stores and replied suitably to the proprietor’s questions. Mr Moody was stout and bald and good-natured, and he liked a chat.