‘Don’t even think of it. Because if you do …’
‘Yes?’
‘If you do … your life won’t be worth living and I mean that. I have never been more serious in my life.’
On that Harriet left the sitting-room and went into the kitchen, crashing about in there as though she was demolishing it cupboard by cupboard. Jimbo knew that things were bad when she was like that. He did think of quietly going round to his mother’s house and telling her what was afoot, but changed his mind when he recollected how much he loved his home to be a haven, not just for him, but for his children too. There was no doubt about it, this time for the sake of peace it was his mother who would have to be sacrificed.
Grandmama Charter-Plackett, fully expecting that Sheila would not come, as she was still in pain despite the tablets from the hospital, was looking forward with pleasure to chairing the Harvest committee meeting. It was her first opportunity to prove her mettle since she’d moved into the village. This was something she could really get her teeth into.
It was being held in the small committee room in the church hall. She was there first and turned up the thermostat on the radiator. That Willie Biggs was very parsimonious with the heating. The church could well afford to keep the hall warm, after all she understood Mr Fitch had paid for it to be installed so they only had the running costs to contend with. She glanced at her watch, only five minutes to go, they were all running late. Still it was a weekday evening and everyone had things to do before they came out. How did Caroline manage to keep her job with all the other things she was involved in to say nothing of those two little shockers. She’d never known two such adorable but inventively naughty children in all her life. Thank God she hadn’t had twins. Two at a time! Heavens above!
There came a shuffling at the door and a voice calling out. She went to see who it was. The last person she’d expected to see, nor indeed wanted to see, was Sheila, but there she was.
‘Hold the door for me, Mrs Charter-Plackett, please. Thank you.’
Between them they got her through the door and onto a chair. Sheila, panting with exhaustion slumped onto the chair and heaved a sigh of relief. ‘I’d no idea how far it was from our house to the church hall. I’m sure they must have moved it further away since I was last here!’
Her mind working overtime trying to adjust to this unwelcome surprise, Grandmama took Sheila’s crutches and propped them against the wall. ‘You really are extremely brave, Sheila. Considering the pain you’re in. I … We never expected you here tonight. You shouldn’t have come. No, you shouldn’t.’
‘Well, I have. Didn’t want to let everyone down. Ron’s not due back till late tonight, he’s been delayed, and so when Gilbert and Louise left for home I thought, sitting here all by myself and that meeting going on, it’s no good I’ve got to go. I thought I’ll manage somehow. So here I am! But it’s nearly killed me. Where’s everyone else?’
‘I don’t know, they’re all busy people, don’t worry they’ll be here shortly.’ Grandmama was in a serious dilemma. Her idea of being in charge, which she admitted she was perfectly capable of being, was in serious jeopardy now Sheila had arrived.
‘Oh, good! I see you’ve brought the file. I’ll have it back. Thank you.’ She held out her hand. Grandmama didn’t have an answer to this, and short of saying ‘absolutely not’ which in the circumstances she couldn’t justify, she had to hand it over. She made a last-ditch effort. ‘Are you sure? Are you really well enough to cope?’
Immediately Sheila was struck by a lightning flash of understanding. ‘Am I sure? Of course I’m sure. I sincerely hope you weren’t expecting to take over? Were you?’
‘Of course not! Simply trying to help a … friend in distress. Of course I wasn’t.’
Sheila opened the file and the first thing she saw was a list in Grandmama’s handwriting.
‘What’s this list?’ Sheila took out her reading glasses, placed them on her nose and studied the list. She didn’t speak, but she did flick through her computer lists. Here, there and everywhere were red ink notes and crossings out. She was in such a temper that the file, almost as though it had a life of its own flew into the air and fell on the floor at Grandmama’s feet, who automatically bent down to pick it up.
Sheila shouted. ‘Don’t dare! Don’t you dare pick it up! Not taking over! that was an absolute lie! You’ve changed everything.’
‘No I haven’t, just made a few notes here and there.’
‘A few notes! You’ve massacred my plans. All your pretending to be helpful, you’ve ruined it. Have you told everyone you’re in charge? Have you?’
‘Not really, no.’ She wasn’t accustomed to opposition like this, but she’d no intention of allowing this situation to become her Waterloo. She’d have to regain the lost ground and quickly.
Despite her extreme discomfort or maybe because of it Sheila almost screamed, ‘Not really! I don’t believe that. I’m in charge! Do you hear. I will not be usu … usur … I will not have you taking over. This is my pigeon.’
‘Well, really! I was only trying to help. I’m sure you would have made changes, you can’t have it the same every year and …’
‘It isn’t the same every year! We develop it. Your trouble is you think you know better than everyone else. Well, you don’t. You can’t just come to this village and ride roughshod over everybody.’
‘Let’s face it, Sheila, they’re not exactly at the leading edge all these people are they? They need a push here and a nudge there to bring them into the twentieth century never mind the twenty-first. Between us, you and I could make a real difference. You with your knowledge, me with my style. We’d be a stunning combination.’
Grandmama could be very persuasive when she chose and Sheila went silent. Having organised the big Village Show Competition marquee so successfully three times now, she’d grown in confidence and in the realisation that she had a real part to play in village life. There was no longer a need to stand her ground against stiff opposition as she had in the past. She’d arrived. Now the Duchess was undermining her all over again.
‘No good being a stunning combination if we’ve no committee, is it?’
Grandmama looked round the room. ‘You’re quite right. Where is everybody?’
Sheila looked at her watch. ‘We did say seven thirty. Or I did. Did you change it?’
‘No, of course not.’
‘There’s no “of course” about it. You’d change anything you wanted if you’d a mind to it. It won’t do. I’m not putting up with it. Pass me the file. Please.’
Grandmama picked it up and handed it to her. ‘There you are.’
Now the papers had been reshuffled by the fall, the top most one was the one where Grandmama had reallocated the tasks. ‘What’s this? Lady Templeton always does the organ flowers. You can’t reorganise her. She’s aristocracy.’
‘Oh come, come. She was only a solicitor’s secretary, you really can’t call her aristocracy.’
‘Muriel is Lady Templeton whatever you might say and I’m not moving her without her consent.’ Sheila glared at Grandmama. ‘Has she said she doesn’t want to do it?’
‘Well, I haven’t had a chance to speak to her, she’s only just back from holiday.’
‘Right that’s it. I’m taking this file home and I’m getting Louise to print it all out once more and I’m starting from scratch, again. You’re having nothing to do with it.’ She took another look at the list. ‘And, look, what it says here. Palms and things in front of the lectern. The Rector’s wife always does the lectern arrangement from time immemorial. Dr Harris will be most offended. You’re a stupid interfering old … old … old … baggage. Pass me my crutches.’
Grandmama’s mouth twisted into something like a smile. She sat quite still. Sheila persisted. ‘Please.’
‘You’ll have to wait for the rest of the committee. I’m not having some trumped up trades union leader’s wife speaking to me as you have done, knighted or n
ot. No one speaks to Katherine Charter-Plackett like that. No one. So you can sit there until tomorrow morning as far as I’m concerned. I’m going home now.’
Sheila suddenly realised the impossible position she was in. She couldn’t get off the chair without help, and she couldn’t reach her crutches from where she sat. She couldn’t reach a phone to call for help either; the Duchess had her absolutely in her power. Then another thought intruded. Where was the committee? Her devoted committee who’d never let her down, ever. Had they abandoned her? They certainly hadn’t come. Was everything she’d worked for in ruins? She glanced surreptitiously at her watch. Twenty minutes to eight. They weren’t going to come now. They always had a nice coffee before they started and Caroline or Harriet brought cake and it was all friendly and gossipy and thoroughly pleasant.
‘You wouldn’t dare walk away and leave a sick helpless woman.’
‘I would. You’ve spoken to me as I’ve never been spoken to in my life. You’re a common little woman.’
That remark struck home. Sheila had known for years that she lacked good taste. But ever since Ron had put his foot down that time when it was the Flower Festival in the church and she’d gone out with him and bought that green suit which everyone had liked and she’d stopped peroxiding her hair, she really had tried. But she knew that every now and again that lack of taste manifested itself in some ridiculous buy she made and then regretted. It was a continuous battle that, keeping the common side of her under wraps, and now this terrible woman had unearthed it all over again.
‘How dare you say that! Who do you think you are?’
Grandmama stood up. This distasteful conversation really must be brought to a close. ‘Well, I know who I am, do you know who you are? I’m going home.’
‘Righteo, Duchess. You go. It’ll be all round the village tomorrow, what you’ve done to me. It’ll be a really juicy piece of gossip for them all. Do you no end of good. I don’t think. We’ve now no committee, all because of you, so the Harvest Festival will be in ruins and I can’t face telling the Rector. I don’t know what he’ll say.’
‘Duchess? Who calls me Duchess?’
The tone of her voice gave Sheila the idea she might, just might, be able to get back at her and really slap her down. Her lip, unaccustomed to curling, did so as she said, ‘Everybody does, didn’t you know?’
But the shot misfired. Grandmama drew herself up, picked up her crocodile handbag, bought in Harrods years ago but still as good as new, and said, ‘Well, at least people do have respect for me then. I’d no idea.’ She smiled and left.
Chapter 4
‘So, there she was waiting. ’Er leg too painful to stand on and she was too unbalanced with the weight of the plaster to hop. She’d been there an hour when I found her.’
Vera laughed till the tears were rolling down her cheeks. Willie knew it was funny but he didn’t think it was that funny. He’d had to get his Sylvia to bring her car round and give Sheila a lift, because she’d been too distraught and exhausted to tackle the walk home. For once in his life he’d felt sorry for Sheila, really sorry.
Eventually Vera had calmed herself enough to speak again. ‘But what I don’t understand is where were the rest of the committee?’
‘They’d agreed not to turn up, believing Sheila would never get there anyway, and that would leave the Duchess high and dry with no committee to boss around and it would serve her right.’
Vera picked up her glass to finish the last few drops of her shandy when a thought struck her like a thunder bolt. ‘But Harriet Charter-Plackett’s on the committee. Do you mean she dared do that to her own mother-in-law?’
‘Yes, apparently she did, and her and Jimbo had a terrible row about it. He said she should go out of loyalty to ’is mother and she said she shouldn’t out of loyalty to Sheila and the rest of the committee. Right bust-up I understand. Bel Tutt said they still weren’t speaking this morning, so when Harriet went in to ’elp in the Store while little Fran was at playgroup, they passed messages to each other through her and Linda.’
‘That must have been a laugh. Still it’s not nice when yer in-laws come between yer. Jimbo and Harriet are really keen on each other, aren’t they? I’m glad you mentioned Bel Tutt though.’ She nodded her head in the direction of the bar counter. ‘Is it true do you think about Georgie and Dicky?’
‘Look, two people happen to go away for a couple of days at the same time. It doesn’t mean they’ve gone together does it?’
‘No, but Bel’s ’is wife, why hasn’t she gone? There’s no reason is there?’
From where he sat Willie had a good view of the saloon door. He was about to answer Vera when he turned and, looking straight into her eye, he said, ‘Don’t look now, she’s just come in. She’s at the bar ordering a drink. Alan’s serving ’er.’
‘Bel?’
‘Yes. She’s coming over. Don’t say a word.’
‘Right.’
‘Hello, Bel. Coming to join us?’
Bel estimated whether or not she could squeeze in next to Willie on the settle but decided the gap was too narrow and lowered herself onto the chair next to Vera, who, bursting to know the real truth of Dicky and Georgie’s holiday situation, blurted out, ‘Lonely on yer own with Dicky away?’
Bel studied Vera’s face. ‘You could say that.’ She took a long draught of her shandy, put the glass down on the table and looked about her.
Not to be put off with such bland meaningless statements Vera asked, ‘Gone somewhere nice has he?’
‘You could say that.’
Willie became embarrassed, sometimes Vera could be just too inquisitive. ‘I hear there’s been trouble at the Store today.’
Bel’s face lit up. ‘You could say that. Linda and me, we’ve been at our wits’ end. Was I glad when it got to half past eleven and I could nip off to the school. Mind you Mr Charter-P wasn’t much better in the afternoon. He has got a point though, she should have supported his mother.’
Vera was enraged. ‘Support the Duchess? I don’t see why she should. She’s an interfering old bag …’
‘Vera!’ Willie hissed between his teeth.
‘Old basket then.’
Bel smiled for the first time. Bel’s smiles were worth waiting for. They illuminated the whole of her large round face. Her smiles touched not only her lips which curved up at the corners most attractively but her cheeks lifted, her eyebrows and even her forehead rose up and a light burst forth from her eyes. Her smooth pink and white skin glowed with her delight.
‘She’s a right case is that mother of his. She comes in to the Store sometimes With a determined look on her face and you can see Mr Charter-P brace himself for a fight. She makes suggestions about him changing things round and if it was hers she’d do this and that. Quite often though you know she’s right but he wouldn’t admit it to her. When she’s gone he’ll prowl about for a bit and then change things about just like she’s said, then he shrugs his shoulders and winks at me. Some of her ideas are good, but some well …’
Vera’s thirst for knowledge still not having been assuaged she pressed on with her enquiries. ‘The midnight hike. Our Rhett’s all organised. You’ll be taking it all on your own, with Dicky away?’
Bel looked at her. ‘He’s back tomorrow. Wouldn’t miss a hike, not Dicky.’
‘Oh I see I thought …’
‘What?’
‘Oh nothing.’
Willie mused. ‘Curious name Bel, how did it come about?’
‘Isobel actually, but I couldn’t say it so I said Bel and it stuck.’
To encourage Bel to further revelations Vera commented ‘There was that Belle Watling in Gone with the Wind. Our Brenda’s favourite book, that’s why she called our Rhett, Rhett. Poor kid. He doesn’t half get teased.’
‘He should change it. He could change it to Robert or Roland or Richard.’
‘That’s what your Dicky is isn’t it, Richard.’
‘You could say that.’
‘You could say that.’
‘Perhaps he couldn’t say it either, just like you.’
‘I suppose.’
Bel sipped her drink. Willie wondered what to say next and Vera remembered she had to get to bed in good time as she was on early turn.
‘I’ll say good night then. Nine thirty for the hike, Bel?’
Bel nodded. ‘Outside the church hall. They can eat the food in their fingers, but tell him to bring a cup of some kind.’
‘Will do. Night, Willie.’ Vera wended her way out, speaking to a few people before she left. Bel watched her leave.
‘Quiet for you is it without Dicky?’
‘It is. Good company is Dicky. Georgie not in?’
‘No. They had a row did her and Bryn and she’s hopped off on holiday. Over your Dicky.’
‘Over Dicky?’
‘Didn’t you know? She’d asked him to do a turn. A comic turn like. You know what Dicky’s like with his jokes. She’s wanting to start up having entertainment here in the bar and Bryn won’t have it and she had Dicky lined up for the first turn.’
‘I see.’
‘Didn’t he tell yer? Could have been the start of a showbiz career! Yer never know.’
Bel finished her drink, heaved her bulky body out of her chair, took her glass to the counter and left without another word.
Next morning in the Store Bel was very quiet. Jimbo noticed and put it down to missing Dicky. He’d quite enough on his plate though without worrying about other people’s marital problems. He’d been in hell for over twenty-four hours now and hell didn’t suit him. The children had become seriously fractious because of the atmosphere at home and little Fran had cried at having to go to playgroup. He hated her to cry. Couldn’t bear it in fact, but what was worse was Harriet having shut him out.
Caroline came in. ‘Morning, Jimbo. Morning, Linda.’
‘Good morning, Dr Harris. How’s things?’
Scandal in the Village Page 4