An Eligible Bachelor

by Veronica Henry

  ‘Honor?’ Marilyn was looking at her, concerned. ‘Are you OK?’

  ‘Yes, I’m fine. Sorry. I didn’t get much sleep in the hospital.’

  ‘By the way, he sent these down for Ted. With lots of love.’

  She held out a carrier bag. Honor peeped inside. Beano annuals. His old Beano annuals. For some reason this made her want to cry.

  ‘Say thank you to him, will you?’ she asked rather shakily.

  The two of them spent the rest of the morning devouring the annuals. After lunch Honor tucked Ted up in bed for a proper nap, then fell asleep herself on the sofa. She woke two hours later to find Johnny standing in front of her. She sat up, confused for a moment, then realized that of course he was there – they’d agreed he would come over again to look after Ted.

  Aren’t you going to work?’

  He looked her up and down, bemused. She was still in her tartan pyjamas and slipper socks.

  ‘I haven’t been at work. They’ve had to manage without me.’ She sat up and stretched. ‘Ted fell out of the tree house yesterday and broke his collarbone.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘He’s fine. He’s got his arm in a sling, that’s all, and he’s got to take it easy –’

  ‘What do you mean, he fell out of a tree house? Where?’

  ‘At Eversleigh.’

  ‘Well, who the hell was watching him? You don’t let six-year-old boys into tree houses unsupervised.’

  ‘He wasn’t unsupervised. Guy was watching.’

  ‘What – watching him fall out?’

  ‘It was an accident.’

  ‘Why didn’t you call me?’

  ‘Because… ‘Honor stopped for a moment. She’d remembered thinking she should call Johnny, and realizing that he was the last person she wanted to see. And now realized how selfish she had been. Of course she should have called him. ‘It all happened so quickly. And once I knew he was all right – there didn’t seem any point.’

  ‘No point?’ Johnny was shouting now, his eyes blazing with anger. ‘Jaysus, Honor. What were you thinking of? I’m his bloody father!’

  Honor flashed him a warning look, but it was too late. Ted was standing in the doorway, looking backward and forward between the two of them.

  ‘Is it true?’ he demanded. ‘Are you really my dad?’

  23

  A deathly hush hung in the air for a moment. Honor looked at Johnny, aghast. He mouthed ‘Sorry’ to her, equally agonized, knowing that his outburst had brought the moment of reckoning. Honor gave a small, helpless shrug, mouthing back ‘What do I do?’ He gestured to indicate it was up to her. He wasn’t avoiding responsibility, merely deferring to her. Meanwhile, Ted stood uncertainly in the doorway, clutching his monkey, hopping awkwardly from one foot to the other.

  Honor made a split-second decision. She couldn’t hide it from Ted any longer. To deny it would be to actively lie to him, and she’d never done that. She put out her arm; Ted scuttled over and tucked himself underneath it, instinctively knowing from the expressions on the grownups’ faces that what was coming was important.

  ‘Yes,’ Honor said calmly. ‘Johnny’s your daddy. And very proud of you he is too. He’s been wanting to tell you for a long time, but I asked him to wait. Because… I wanted you to get to know each other first.’

  ‘So – does that mean I’ve got a proper mum and dad? Like everyone else?’

  ‘Yes’

  ‘Is he going to live here with us? Are we going to be like a real family?’

  There was such a look of hope and expectation in his face, Honor felt a pang. Had he always felt as if he was missing out? How could she deny him what he obviously so badly wanted?

  ‘We’re… not sure yet. We’ve got a lot of important decisions to make. But the main thing is that Johnny will always be here for you from now on.’

  Johnny was hovering awkwardly, wary of Ted’s reaction. The little boy was surveying him, still a little unsure. He frowned.

  ‘What do I call you?’

  ‘You can call me what you like. Johnny. Or Dad. Personally, I like Mr Potato Head.’

  Ted giggled. He took a step towards Johnny, the ice broken. Johnny knelt down and put out his arms.

  ‘Come here, big boy. Come and give me a hug.’

  Ted slipped obediently into his embrace. Johnny closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the emotion of at last being recognized. Ted seemed to sense how important this moment was, and snuggled into him. Honor turned away, choked. She knew in her heart of hearts that this was right, that Ted and Johnny should be united. But now she had to steel herself for the inevitable onslaught, the questions, the pressure. How on earth was she supposed to decide what was best for all of them? And did what was best for her come into it? She’d never resented making sacrifices for Ted before, but getting back together with Johnny might be going beyond the call of duty.

  One thing was certain: life was never going to be the same.

  *

  Charles was feeling decidedly po-faced. After the damp squib of his offer to buy Henty a new kitchen the evening before, things had gone from bad to worse. Henty seemed rather excitable, like a skittish mare. He’d come down the stairs earlier and heard her giggling. The sound made him stop short, because he realized he hadn’t heard it for a long, long time. It had been one of the things that had made him fall in love with her, her giggle. It wasn’t silly or irritating, like it would be in some women. It was charming, infectious.

  What the bloody hell was Travis doing to make her giggle like that?

  Even more disconcerting, she stopped as soon as Charles came into the room. The two of them didn’t look guilty, but he definitely got the feeling that he was an intruder. He bristled. This was his house. Henty was his wife. Why should he be left feeling like a gooseberry?

  She was wearing a pink T-shirt he hadn’t seen before, and a pair of black jeans that made her look… well, not thin, because Henty was curvaceous. But she’d definitely lost weight – or perhaps it was because she wasn’t wearing one of her usual baggy sweaters. She’d tied her hair up in a butterfly clip, and a few tendrils hung down either side of her new fringe, giving her a glamorous, dishevelled look. And she was wearing lipstick. She didn’t usually wear make-up unless they were going out. Charles felt a flicker of panic. Why the sudden interest in her appearance?

  Travis slid off the kitchen table where he’d been perched.

  ‘I’m off into Eldenbury for a few beers, if you guys don’t need me tonight?’

  Travis had already made himself a network of friends. He was one of those people that made new acquaintances easily: a couple of chats with the local farrier and he’d already been absorbed into his social circle. A gang of them met up every Saturday for a drinking session followed by an Indian – a high-spirited bunch, but good fun. Travis fitted in very well.

  Charles didn’t miss the look of disappointment on Henty’s face.

  ‘Shall I run you in?’ she offered swiftly. ‘You don’t need to worry about driving then; you can get a cab back.’

  ‘That would be great.’

  Travis swung his battered leather jacket off the back of his chair and slipped it on, then ran his fingers through his hair nonchalantly. That was the extent of his grooming and he looked gorgeous. Charles gritted his teeth. If he hadn’t lost his licence he could offer to drive Travis. Somehow he felt the less time Henty spent alone with him, the better.

  ‘Aren’t we going out?’ he asked Henty.

  ‘I hadn’t organized anything. Unless you have?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Shall I pick us up a video while I’m there?’

  Yippee, thought Charles. Saturday night in with a video. Wasn’t the whole point of having Travis to give them the chance of a social life, not give him the opportunity to go on the razz? But he didn’t protest.

  ‘If you like,’ he replied.

  Henty picked up the car keys.

  ‘Can you give the kids a shout? There’s a tuna bake in
the oven – it should be ready in five minutes. I’ll do us some pasta when I get back.’

  A moment later she was gone. Charles didn’t think he had ever felt the kitchen so empty.

  At seven o’clock, Johnny and Ted went into Eldenbury for champagne and 7-Up.

  ‘This is a Very Special Occasion. We need a toast,’ Johnny had announced solemnly. ‘Come on, big boy. We’ll leave your mum to get the supper ready.’

  Honor had opened her mouth indignantly, but Johnny gave her a wink.

  ‘Only joking. We’ll pick up a Chinese.’

  ‘Chinese?’ said Ted. ‘I’ve never had a Chinese.’

  ‘Well, this is where your education starts,’ said Johnny. ‘We need sesame prawn toasts and wonton and spring rolls and chow mein and prawn crackers…’

  ‘Chicken and cashew nuts for me, please,’ said Honor.

  ‘I know,’ said Johnny, holding her gaze. For some reason, she blushed. Of course he knew. How many take-aways had they had in the past?

  As soon as they’d gone, Honor sat down at the kitchen table, chewing the side of her thumb. In some ways it was an enormous relief that the burden she’d been carrying round all of Ted’s life was lifted. Oblivious to the fact that a can of worms had been opened, Ted had been thrilled, and now he wouldn’t leave Johnny’s side. There’d been a barrage of questions, some of which they’d been able to answer, some of which they hadn’t. She had to admit that Johnny was brilliant at deflecting the trickier enquiries. He had a way of being able to explain things that satisfied Ted, for the time being at least. Probably because he behaved like a child himself much of the time, thought Honor ruefully.

  ‘So, how are you my dad, exactly? I thought you had to be married to have a baby?’ Ted had asked, his mind clearly working overtime.

  ‘Sometimes God gets it a bit wrong,’ explained Johnny. ‘He’s so busy, you see. He knew your mummy was the right mummy for you, but he forgot to check if she had a husband. By the time he realized, it was too late. You had arrived.’

  Their eyes met over the top of his head, each of them aware that the questions could get more complicated and more biological the more Ted thought about the replies he was getting. Which was the point at which Johnny suggested a boys’ trip into town, leaving Honor alone to take stock of the situation. She still couldn’t believe it, even now. Ted was ecstatic; Johnny was equally enchanted. It was only Honor who was wary. Rushing off for champagne was fine, she thought, but this was only the beginning. It was all very well having a heart-warming, Disney-style reunion, but there were a lot of issues to address. Sighing, she got out some porcelain bowls and the collection of mismatched chopsticks she had accumulated over the years. No doubt the answers would come to her, she told herself sternly. In the meantime, she should just relax.

  The Chinese was a huge hit. Ted was as high as a kite: the combined novelty of having a father, staying up late, being allowed 7-Up and getting to grips with chopsticks, all mixed up with lashings of monosodium glutamate, meant he was in seventh heaven. Johnny too seemed euphoric: he was making crazy plans with Ted. For some reason the warning ‘It’ll all end in tears’, so beloved of parents with overexcited children, kept repeating itself in Honor’s head as she ate her chicken and cashew nuts. But she didn’t want to be a party pooper, so she kept quiet. Who was she to spoil their moment, a moment they would probably remember for the rest of their lives?

  Henty was ages. Charles fed the children, then sat at the kitchen table getting angrier and angrier. He could hear Robin and Walter squabbling upstairs, and the thump of loud music from Lily and Thea’s room, but couldn’t be bothered to go and remonstrate. Getting the girls to wash up had been like getting blood out of a stone – they’d moaned and groaned and hadn’t even touched the pasta-encrusted serving dish, leaving it on the side to soak. He couldn’t bear the thought of going up to tell them to go to bed. He didn’t need more abuse. He was starving, but it didn’t occur to him to start getting the supper ready. Women, in his experience, hated it when you took the initiative in the kitchen. He always seemed to use something that was being saved for a special occasion, or fail to use something that needed eating up that very day. So he opened a bottle of wine instead, and found some Carr’s water biscuits to keep his hunger at bay.

  An hour and a half later, Henty finally rushed in.

  ‘Sorry. Travis made me come and have a drink with his friends. They wanted me to go into Evesham to a club. Can you imagine? Everyone would have thought I was his mother.’

  She flopped into a chair. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. Charles wondered just how much she had had to drink, then decided that she wasn’t foolish enough to risk her licence when he’d already lost his. Her demeanour must be a result of the company she’d been keeping.

  ‘The kids have had their supper. The washing-up’s done.’

  Henty looked at him.

  ‘What’s the matter? You look like thunder.’

  ‘Nothing,’ said Charles sulkily. ‘Only it’s gone nine o’clock. I just wondered when we were going to eat, that’s all.’

  Henty rolled her eyes and stood up.

  ‘Nothing stopping you from cooking,’ she retorted.

  Charles only just managed to stop his jaw from dropping. She’d never spoken to him like that before. What on earth had got into her? He watched as she bent down and pulled a saucepan out of the cupboard. She was looking decidedly sexy. Charles felt a sudden urge for the comfort of her warm curves. He put his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck.

  ‘Why don’t we just have an early night?’

  Henty turned her head and looked at him.

  ‘I thought you were hungry,’ she said coolly and, slipping out of his grasp, she walked over to the sink to fill the pan with water.

  Charles felt as if she’d tipped an ice-cold bucket of water over him. That was an overt rejection of his amorous advances. He felt panic. He didn’t know what was happening to his wife, but he didn’t like it.

  ‘I’d like to take Ted away for a couple of days.’

  Honor and Johnny were still sitting at the table, finishing the dregs of the champagne. Ted had been dispatched to put on his pyjamas and brush his teeth.

  Honor looked at him, her glass halfway to her mouth.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’d like to… you know, bond with him or whatever they call it. Have some guy time together. He could come and stay at my place – it’s half-term this week, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, but –’ Honor struggled to find a valid objection. Johnny gave her an easy smile.

  ‘Don’t panic. I’m really quite house-trained these days. My new flat is as clean as a new pin – I’ve a woman who comes in once a week to keep it spotless. He’d have his own bed. I can do sausages and fish fingers without burning the place down. And there’s always McDonald’s.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Honor reluctantly. ‘What about his collarbone?’

  ‘I’m a vet, remember? I didn’t do seven years of medicine for nothing. He’d be in good hands. Anyway, it doesn’t seem to be bothering him all that much.’

  ‘No,’ Honor had to agree. Ted had been very brave and hadn’t complained at all.

  ‘I thought if we went away, even if it’s just for one night, it would give you a chance to have some space and think things over. Without us breathing down your neck.’

  He had a point. Honor was finding it difficult to be objective about her situation. Johnny made her nervous. Ted made her panic. Neither of them through anything they did, but because she knew their futures lay in her hands. Besides, she was tired. It had been a stressful week in many ways. Some time to herself would be very welcome.

  ‘I think we should ask Ted,’ she said. ‘If he wants to go, then fine.’

  Of course, Ted thought the idea of going to stay with Johnny was the most exciting thing to have ever happened. Honor wasn’t sure if she was relieved or hurt by his enthusiasm. She wanted to cry, but told herself not to be so
silly. Johnny worshipped Ted. There was no way he would let him come to any harm. And it would do Ted good to spend a bit of time away from her. She didn’t want him to turn into a mummy’s boy, after all.

  Charles and Henty had a bowl of seafood pasta in front of the telly. At eleven, Henty announced she was exhausted and went to bed. There was no hint of invitation in her voice. Charles sat alone in the living room and ploughed his way through a second bottle of wine. What on earth had he done to deserve this treatment?

  He thought back carefully. She’d changed ever since Travis had arrived. She’d gone from meek and biddable to… well, she seemed to have a sense of purpose. And drive. And she seemed to have blossomed. It wasn’t just the haircut or the make-up she’d taken to wearing. She had an aura that didn’t come out of a bottle. An aura that Charles was fairly convinced came from sex. Illicit and satisfying sex. Well, he wasn’t having it. He wasn’t having some Lady Chatterley scenario going on under his nose, especially when he was paying the wages.

  At half past twelve he heard a taxi in the driveway. Travis was back. Charles shot out of the kitchen door, into the stable yard and blocked Travis’s way into the flat.

  ‘Hey, Mr Beresford. Everything OK?’

  Charles took a step forward, realizing that the heavy Chilean Merlot had made him slightly unsteady on his feet.

  ‘Are you fucking my wife?’

  The question came out rather more belligerently than Charles had intended. He’d meant to sound casual with an underlying menace, not downright aggressive. But Travis didn’t seem fazed. He looked at him levelly. Bloody cool customer for his age, thought Charles. He should be shitting himself.