A Village Affair

Totally unchanged.'

She gave a little squeal.

'Rubbish,' she said. 'Nonsense. Cheeky as ever. Go on through, quick. Your mother's panting for a sight of you-'

He went through the hall and caught the familiar scent of polish and flowers and age. The garden door was open and through it he could see a strip of bright green lawn on which a small boy was standing, bent double, and watching Anthony through his legs. Anthony did not much like children. They were, he found, too honest on the whole.

'He's here!' the little boy shrieked, his voice strangled by being upside down. 'He's coming! He's coming!'

He stepped out into the sunlight. Cecily came almost running across the grass and flung herself into his arms. He thought she might be crying. She held him in a tremendous embrace, her face pressed fiercely to his.

'Darling. Darling Ant. Oh, how lovely. You can't think, you simply can't-'

A small, plump young woman with red curls held back by a band was watching them from a group of chairs under the willow tree. The little boy who had called out ran over to her and said with piercing distinctness, 'But you said he was a boy. You said he was Mrs Jordan's boy. And look, he's only a man.'

'Just what I feel,' Juliet Dunne said, laughing and getting up, 'every time Daddy comes home.' She came over to Anthony and Cecily, holding out her hand. 'I'm Juliet. And you are awful Anthony who wouldn't come home and now you have. I've been sort of adopted here, for the summer. Suchluck!'

Cecily put out one arm to encircle Juliet so that they were all three linked.

'Anthony, you must take no notice of her. She has a wicked tongue but I put up with her because she makes me laugh.' There was a tiny pause. 'She is a great friend of Alice's.'

'Alice?'

Juliet sighed. She was extremely pretty, like a kitten, with little features grouped close together in a creamy freckled face.

'So boring. Allie's got a new friend and won't play with any of her old ones just now.'

Cecily drew them away across the lawn to the willow.

'I'm not awful really,' Anthony said, 'I'm just lonely and misunderstood.'

'I expect,' Juliet said, looking straight at Cecily, 'you had a simply horrible childhood.'

Cecily nodded, laughing.

'Horrible.'

'It was,' Anthony insisted. 'Martin was the goodie who could do no wrong. I was the baddie.'

The small boy was trotting beside him. He looked up at disappointing Anthony.

'Mummy likes the baddies on television best.'

'Mummy sounds very promising.'

They sat down in the cane chairs in the speckled, drifting shade.

'Let me look at you,' Cecily said to Anthony.

'I shouldn't. Father didn't like what he saw.'

Juliet said, 'You have bags under your eyes.'

Anthony turned to his mother.

'Is she always like this?'

'I'm afraid so.'

'I feel I've stumbled into a dormitory party-'

'Not quite,' Juliet said. 'It's more like a coven. We're plotting.'

'What?'

'How to get Alice back.'

Cecily said warningly, 'Juliet-'

'Oops. Did I say something I shouldn't have?'

'You might be making too much of too little.'

Anthony scented intrigue.

'What's going on? What is Alice up to?'

'She has thrown herself into village life,' Cecily said. 'That's all. So she hasn't much time for any of us, and we miss her.'

'She used to ring all the time,' Juliet said. 'She was the one person I could have a really good complain about Henry to. Your mother's no good at all because she thinks Henry is a dear. I suppose he is really, in rather the same category as a dear old armchair. Or pair of bedsocks.' She began to squeal with laughter. 'You know what's really the matter. Allie thinks I'm so funny and I've got no audience just now. Cecily thinks I'm quite funny but not nearly as much as she ought to. Oh dear. I suppose I ought to be going.' She looked about her. 'Do you think my luck has turned and I've actually lost two children out of three for good and all?'

Her son, who was clearly used to this kind of thing, said his brothers were in the stableyard.

'Do go and get them, there's a little treasure. Isn't it sad,' turning to Cecily, 'how exactly like his father he looks?'

'She worships Henry,' Cecily said to Anthony.

'I want to know more about Alice.'

'Why do you?'

'I used to fancy Alice-'

Cecily gave a little sigh.

'I know. I used to worry that you were going to make trouble. To spite Martin.'

'I did try-'

'What happened?'

'She froze me out.'

'Oh dear. How tiresome virtue is. There it stands, blocking every path to pleasure. Here come my beastly little children.' She stood up. 'I shouldn't be cross about Allie. She looks as beautiful as the day, so clearly good works suit her.'

Cecily went out to the car and saw Juliet and her boys drive away. When she came back, Anthony was lying in the long cane chair where Alice had lain her first afternoon at Dummeridge, with his eyes shut. He didn't open them when he heard his mother return, he simply said, 'What a rattle.'

'She's sweet.'

'Really. Tell me more about Alice.'

'Why are you so obsessive?'

'I'm not. I'm keenly interested in my brother's family in a most suitable way.'

'You always have a motive.'

'Not this time.' He opened his eyes and turned his head towards his mother. Tell.'

'There's nothing to tell,' Cecily said. 'It is exactly as I said to you just now. She had a bad post-natal breakdown after the last baby, and then a big house move, and now she has taken on a whole load of village responsibilities. She's extremely tired, so that she can't see reason and take a holiday.'

'And her new friend?'

'The youngest daughter of the big house in their village.'

'Isn't that utterly suitable?'

Cecily said flatly, 'Utterly.' She took a breath. 'I want to know about you.'

Anthony shut his eyes again.

'Unemployed.'

Temporarily?'

'Oh yes. No problem. Quite rich.'

'Also temporarily?'

'Probably. Is Martin rich?'

'No.'

'Comfortable?'

'Yes,' Cecily said doubtfully.

'Rich then. Isn't he too perfect.'

Cecily let a little silence fall, then she said, 'I did , rather hope you would bring a wife home with you.'

Anthony yawned.

'I was besieged. Literally. But I didn't seem able to fall in love back. I think I'm still carrying a torch for Alice.'

'You haven't seen Alice for almost ten years. Very useful, supposing yourself to want someone you can't have, so that you need never commit yourself to anyone else.'

'I did want her.'

'Only in the same way that you wanted Martin's Meccano and Martin's friend Guy and Martin's diligence over examinations.'

That's not very flattering to Alice.'

'It's meant,' Cecily said, 'to be not very flattering to you.'

'Oh, me. I've a hide like a rhino.'

'I know.'

'First Father's unpleasant to me and now you are. I shall go to Pitcombe.'

'No,' Cecily said suddenly.

Anthony sat up slowly and put his feet on the grass.

'Why not?'

'Because you are a troublemaker.'

'I don't want to make trouble. I just want someone to be nice to me. Alice will be nice.'

'Alice,' Cecily said, 'has enough to cope with, without you,' and then she gave the game away completely by beginning, with great dignity, to weep.