Yvonne led the way into the spacious lounge, an elegant room with a baby grand piano standing near the bay window. Debbie’s eyes flew to it at once. A young woman got up from the settee.
‘So you’re Debbie,’ she said cheerfully. ‘Pleased to meet you. I’m Wendy.’
Graham’s sister was a younger version of her mother, dark and pretty, though not as plump. ‘Pleased to meet you, too,’ replied Debbie.
‘Sit down and make yourself at home,’ said Yvonne. ‘Graham, would you take Debbie’s case and coat up to her room, please?’
Debbie sat down on the easy chair opposite Wendy. ‘Do you come home most weekends?’ she asked.
‘No, it’s rather too far, although I’ve got a car now, a mini. Much to my brother’s annoyance!’ Wendy laughed. ‘I’ve got one before he has. The school I teach at is a few miles from where I’m lodging. It’s a village school; I did a teaching practice there, then I was fortunate enough to get a post there. I’ve got digs in Bingley; that’s where I went to college.’
‘Do you like teaching?’ asked Debbie.
‘Yes … most of the time! The village children are pretty well behaved. I’ve got the infant class, but there are only two classes; the headmistress has the Juniors. We’re wondering how long the school will stay open, with the falling numbers. Anyway, we’ll see.’
‘My mother wanted me to be a teacher,’ Debbie told her, ‘but I knew it was not for me.’ She glanced at the piano. ‘Do you play?’ she asked.
‘After a fashion,’ said Wendy. ‘I had lessons but I’m not very good. I have to play nursery rhymes and hymns at school, though. I can just about manage that!’ She grinned. ‘The piano really belongs to Charles; he’s a good pianist and he plays quite a lot. and Graham plays the French horn, of course. Have you heard him?’
‘Yes, I have,’ said Debbie, trying not to smile. ‘He’s good, isn’t he?’
‘Not so bad, I suppose. He and Charles play duets sometimes, so we all have to suffer!’ She grimaced. ‘No, I don’t really mean that,’ she added with a laugh. ‘But Graham’s getting quite carried away with this new band he’s in, and everything.’
Charles and Graham joined them at that moment, then Yvonne appeared with a tray holding glasses and a bottle of sherry. ‘Let’s have a drink before dinner,’ she said. ‘It’s almost ready.’
Charles poured out the pale cream sherry and handed it round. ‘To our new friend,’ he said as they lifted their glasses. ‘You are most welcome, Debbie.’
She noticed that Yvonne called the early evening meal ‘dinner’ and not ‘tea’. It was a delicious, well-cooked meal: leg of lamb with mint sauce and a selection of vegetables; and an Eve’s pudding to follow. They drank Chardonnay from crystal glasses.
Conversation flowed easily enough, about work and college and teaching. Yvonne said that she was retiring soon from her office job. Charles was the managing director now of the insurance firm – that was where they had met – but they had decided it was time now for her to stay at home.
‘I shall be a lady of leisure,’ she smiled, ‘but I’ve got our newest family member to look after, haven’t I?’ A chocolate Labrador puppy lay asleep in a basket near the fireplace. Debbie had met him earlier and he had pawed her excitedly and tried to lick her. ‘I think Ollie might be quite a handful in a while,’ Yvonne went on, ‘and it’s not fair to leave him on his own all day.’
‘What are you youngsters doing tonight?’ asked Charles. ‘Have you any plans?’
‘I think we’ll just go for a drink,’ said Graham. ‘We can’t talk if we go to the pictures. Is that OK with you girls?’
They both agreed that it was. Debbie was rather surprised that Wendy would be accompanying her and Graham; on the other hand she was quite pleased about it. Graham had made it clear, more than once, that he didn’t want to rush things. It seemed as though he was still of the same mind. She wondered, then, why he had been so keen for her to meet his family, unless it was that they had been curious about the girl that Fiona had given birth to before she knew Simon?
‘I’ll drive us somewhere tonight,’ offered Wendy. ‘Maybe we could try The Blue Boar. What do you think, Graham?’
‘Good idea,’ he said. ‘I know you’re showing off, though, because you’re the one with the set of wheels! Never mind; my turn will come.’ They piled into Wendy’s little blue mini car, Graham sitting at the back where he had more room to stretch his long legs. The Blue Boar was a cosy little pub a few miles away, not exactly in the country but away from the built-up surroundings of Manchester. When they were settled with their drinks – Wendy was sticking cautiously to bitter lemon whilst Debbie and Graham opted for shandies – the conversation drifted to their complicated family relationships. The subject had not been mentioned earlier with Yvonne and Charles.
‘Yes, it’s certainly a muddle,’ said Debbie. ‘My mother – Vera, I mean, not Fiona – found it all really confusing at first, Simon and Fiona both having had a child before, out of wedlock, as they used to say.’
‘Your mum doesn’t mind you seeing Fiona and her family then?’ asked Wendy.
‘No, not at all. I was rather naughty, though, doing what I did …’ She explained how she had ferreted away at the issue until she had discovered enough to go looking for her birth mother. ‘It could have been disastrous, but it’s all worked out well. I know Mum and Dad must have been hurt at first, understandably, but it’s all fine, now.’
‘We had a shock, too,’ said Wendy, ‘when we found out that our dad, Keith, wasn’t Greg’s dad as well, didn’t we, Graham? It was only after he died that Mum told us about it. he was a wonderful father to us all. He loved us all just the same.’
‘We knew that Greg didn’t look much like either of us,’ said Graham, ‘but there’s nothing strange about that; he has Mum’s dark hair and her brown eyes. When I met Simon, though, I saw how much Greg resembled him.’
‘I haven’t met Simon yet,’ said Wendy, ‘or Fiona. ‘I hope I will sometime.’
‘You’ll meet them at Greg and Marcia’s wedding,’ said Graham. ‘Don’t say you’ve forgotten! And there’ll be an invitation for you as well, Debbie.’
‘Oh, thank you,’ she replied, wondering what her relationship with Graham would be by then. ‘Where is it, and when?’
‘The end of May, at the church that Marcia’s family attend. And they’ve booked the reception at a nearby hotel.’
‘I’m to be a bridesmaid, along with Marcia’s sister,’ said Wendy. ‘What is it they say? Three times a bridesmaid and never a bride? This’ll be the second time for me, so I hope nobody else asks me!’
‘No suitors on the horizon then?’ asked her brother.
Wendy looked coy for a moment. ‘Well …’ she began. ‘I’ve got friendly with the father of a little girl on my class. We met at an Open Evening and we seemed to hit it off straight away. He’s a widower,’ she added. ‘Quite a bit older than me … I haven’t said anything to Mum yet.’
‘That wouldn’t worry her,’ said Graham. ‘Both her husbands have been older than her, haven’t they?’
‘And Simon’s thirteen years older than Fiona,’ said Debbie, ‘and they are perfect together.’
‘Yes, so they are,’ agreed Graham. ‘Simon’s one of the best; he’s a great guy. And Fiona’s a smasher! That’s where Debbie gets her good looks from.’
‘Thank you!’ She laughed ‘But I’m quite a lot like Mum as well, perhaps not in looks – although we both have dark hair – but I have the same mannerism and tone of voice and all sorts of little things. I talk like my parents, of course,’ she laughed. ‘Our accent is one on its own, isn’t it? It’s seems that your upbringing plays just as large a part as hereditary in forming your personality. Nature as against nurture, they call it, don’t they?’
‘Whatever it is, I reckon you’ve turned out very well,’ said Graham. ‘I remember meeting your parents at the triplets’ christening. Perhaps I’ll meet them again, sometime?’
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br /> ‘Perhaps …’ agreed Debbie. She was not sure about that. It would depend on … quite a lot of things.
They spent a companionable couple of hours at The Blue Boar before Wendy drove them home. When they got back she said goodnight to them, disappearing upstairs with her book and a drink of chocolate.
‘I shall read till I’m tired,’ she said, ‘like I do every night, and let you two have some time on your own.’ Debbie noticed that she winked slyly at her brother. ‘See you in the morning.’
Yvonne and Charles had retired to bed as well, so Debbie and Graham were left alone for the first time since she had arrived. They sat together on the settee drinking the hot chocolate that Wendy had made for them. Debbie wondered if Graham had another session of brass band music in mind, but she soon discovered that he just wanted to talk. As his sister had said he was very wrapped up in the new band he had joined.
‘We had our first concert just before Christmas,’ he told her. ‘I’m sorry you couldn’t be there, Debbie, but it was after you’d gone home for the holiday. It was quite an informal affair at a church hall in Leeds. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and we hope it will lead to bigger things. I hope you’ll be able to come to our next concert?’ He looked at her eagerly.
‘I hope so too,’ she answered, trying to sound enthusiastic. ‘When is it?’
‘We’re not sure yet. Possibly in March, if we can find a suitable venue.’
‘I shall be there,’ she said, smiling brightly at him.
‘It’s lovely having you here, Debbie,’ he said. He put his arms round her and kissed her, but did not prolong the embrace. ‘They all wanted to meet you; they’d heard such a lot about you.’
‘That’s nice,’ she replied, wondering what he had told them. His body language seemed to indicate that he was ready to retire for the night. He carried their beakers into the kitchen, and she followed him there and then up the stairs.
‘Sleep well,’ he said, as they paused on the landing. He kissed her again, but made no move to follow her into her room. She was relieved about that, although she hadn’t thought for one moment that he would do so.
She slept well; she never had much difficulty in sleeping, wherever she was. After a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs Graham suggested that they should take Ollie, the puppy, for a walk. This time it was just the two of them who set off for the nearby park. Ollie was delighted to be out in the fresh air and ran ahead excitedly, pulling on his long lead.
‘Are you going to let him off on his own for a while?’ asked Debbie.
‘Oh no; I daren’t do that; he might run away. He’s not fully trained yet, so we’d better play safe.’ They sat on a park bench, and the little dog sat obediently at the side. They chatted easily together, but it was more as friends than as a couple who were going out together. He asked about her friends. How was Lisa, and was she still seeing Neil? And Karen; how was it going with her new boyfriend, Adam?
‘I don’t know for certain,’ replied Debbie. ‘I feel pretty sure that Lisa and Neil will stay together whatever her father says. As for Karen, she might be going out with Adam on the rebound from her disappointment over Charlie. Anyway, I’ll be able to find out soon, won’t I?’ She realized how much she was looking forward to seeing her flatmates again.
After another delicious meal cooked by Yvonne – roast pork this time – it was time for the young people to be on their way. They all wanted to be home before darkness fell, and it was work – or college – for all of them the next day. Wendy had offering to run Debbie and Graham to the station before making her way to Bingley.
Yvonne hugged Debbie and said how lovely it had been to meet her, and she hoped she would come again. Charles shook her hand and said they had enjoyed having her. Debbie smiled and thanked them again, making no remark, though, about hoping to see them again.
There was little opportunity to talk on the journey to Leeds as the train was quite full and they were seated at a table with two people opposite them. They took a taxi from City Square as Debbie had a heavy case, and it was the simplest way to get them both home to their respective lodgings. When they arrived at Debbie’s digs Graham asked the taxi driver to wait while he carried Debbie’s case up the stairs for her. Their goodbye, therefore, was short and unemotional.
‘I’ll ring you soon, Debbie,’ he said as he kissed her cheek and gave her a brief hug. ‘Thanks for coming to meet my family. It’s been great; see you soon …’
She felt a sense of relief as she opened the door to the flat. She was glad to be back despite the sadness that she had felt on parting from her parents … and from Kevin. She was relieved, though, that the weekend with Graham’s family was over. She had enjoyed it, although she had felt guilty about lying to Kevin; but her friendship with Graham was still a mystery to her. She had an idea that it might be Yvonne who was keen for her son to have a steady girlfriend. She had certainly made her very welcome and genuinely seemed to like her, just as Debbie liked Yvonne and the rest of the family. But she was ambivalent about her feelings for Graham.
The four flatmates soon settled down again to their domestic routine and to their college courses. Lisa was overjoyed to be reunited with Neil. Karen and Adam were still friendly as were Fran and Alistair, although Debbie sensed that sparks flew now and again between the latter pair.
It was almost two weeks before Graham contacted her again. They went into town to see a film, during which he held her hand. They walked the mile or so to her flat, then he kissed her goodnight and said he would see her again soon.
In the meantime she had received two letters from Kevin, which was quite an achievement as he confessed he was not a good or an enthusiastic letter writer. He said how much he missed her and was looking forward to seeing her again, soon, he hoped. She wrote to him in the same vein.
She was pleased when Fiona rang and invited her to Aberthwaite for a weekend in mid-February. She would try to put her complicated relations with the opposite sex to one side for a couple of days.
Nineteen
Debbie travelled to Aberthwaite early on the Friday evening, after lectures had finished. Simon met her at the bus station, and she could see at once that all was well with his world.
‘Fiona’s fine,’ he said in answer to her question. ‘She’s completely over her depression, or whatever she was suffering from. A lot of it is thanks to our new helper; she’s a sort of nanny, I suppose, but she’s really a general help to Fiona in all sorts of ways. She’s called Tracey; I’m sure you’ll like her as much as we do.’
Debbie soon found herself drawn into the happy, busy and noisy household. All the triplets recognized her and greeted her with smiles and hugs; even Mark was less shy this time. Stella, of course, was delighted to see her again. She was full of stories about her nursery school, and how she was looking forward to going to ‘proper school’ – which would be in September – and about Tracey, the new lady who had come to help Mummy.
Debbie soon realized that Tracey Moffat was a very welcome and much needed addition to the rectory family. She was seventeen years old, a sturdy, healthy girl who was well able to cope with her small charges. She had a pleasant manner; she was friendly and not at all shy, but respectful to Fiona and Simon. She was firm with the children but loving and caring as well. Fiona said that she could not be more pleased with her.
They had needed to review their sleeping arrangements as Tracey was living in with the family. The fourth bedroom which had formerly been the guest room was now Tracey’s room. This weekend, however, she was sharing with Stella so that Debbie could have her usual room. Debbie suggested that it was unfair, but Fiona insisted that it was the way it must be. Tracey didn’t mind at all. She was a most accommodating girl, and Debbie took to her straight away.
The two of them took all the children to the playground on Saturday morning. Mark and Michelle seated in one pushchair and Matthew on his own in the other one, with Stella helping to push first one and then the other.
‘
This is the best way of keeping the boys apart,’ said Tracey. ‘Matthew loves to torment Mark; he pokes and pushes him to make him cry, then he laughs and says he’s a crybaby.’
‘Yes, I’m afraid Matthew does have rather an unkind streak,’ said Debbie. ‘But he’s bigger and stronger than the other two, and I suppose he likes to show off and make out he’s the boss.’
‘And yet he can be so lovable as well,’ said Tracey. ‘He loves to cuddle up to me when I read a story; you wouldn’t believe it was the same child. They’re all adorable, though. I really love them. Michelle is the most placid; I think she’ll be the sensible one. They’re so different, considering they’re triplets.’
‘You really love your job, don’t you,’ said Debbie, really impressed by the girl’s comments.
‘Yeah, I do. I wanted to be a teacher but I’m not brainy enough, so they suggested at school that I should go in for child care, and I’m glad I did. I couldn’t have a nicer place to work for my first job. It’s worked out very well because my gran lives in Aberthwaite and goes to St Peter’s Church – that’s how I got the job, really – so I’m able to see her. And my parents aren’t far away; they live in Richmond.’
‘I can see you’re doing a grand job,’ said Debbie. ‘How’s Mark going on? He seems a little more advanced than when I last saw him, though he still doesn’t say very much.’
‘Yes, he’s coming on gradually,’ replied Tracey. ‘Fiona told me she was worried about his progress, but I’ve seen children like him before – not that I’m all that experienced – but I’ve come across kids like Mark. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with his brain, which was what Fiona was worried about. He’s maybe a bit slower than the other two, but so what? I’m not exactly the brain of Britain!’
‘That’s not everything,’ said Debbie. ‘I think you’re doing fine.’
The children played happily in the playground and, for once, there were no scuffles between the boys. Debbie noticed that Mark tried to keep his distance from his brother, and Stella, who was clearly aware of the situation, took special care of Mark, helping him on the slide and pushing him gently on the swing. She didn’t seem to want to have a go on anything herself, preferring to act as nursemaid along with the two grown-ups.
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