‘You look lovely, dear niece,’ Fifi says, giving me the briefest of hugs.
‘Thank you,’ I say, wondering if I’ve made a mistake on the tickets regarding the dress code. Both Fifi and my dad look as if they’ve come in fancy dress: Fifi as the lady in red, and my dad as an overweight emperor penguin. ‘You look great too.’
‘Is everything under control?’
‘I think so. The band’s done their soundcheck, the DJ’s ready to go, dinner will be served as planned – except the chef’s prepared a different veggie starter from the one on the menu – and I’ve taken Dad through the items for the auction of promises. He’s stepped in as auctioneer after Mr Lacey had to drop out with laryngitis.’
‘That’s kind of him,’ Fifi says.
‘I did have to twist his arm.’
‘Well, you’ve done a great job, Tessa.’
‘It isn’t over yet,’ I point out lightly. Another minor glitch is the malfunctioning chocolate fountain, and the manager is attempting to source another one from the hotel at the opposite end of the seafront.
‘There is one other thing …’ Fifi says.
‘Oh no, what have I missed?’
‘I’ve tweaked the seating plan.’
‘Fifi, why? I spent hours on that.’ I drew up several versions, taking into account feedback from guests and my knowledge of which social group people belong to, keeping the horsey set, the bridge players and the actors from the Am Dram Group in their cliques as far as possible, and putting the whole of the committee of Talyton Animal Rescue together at the same table.
‘You put us on the same table as Diane. I can’t sit anywhere near that woman. I can’t be in the same room as her.’
‘You’ll have to be,’ I point out, my face deadpan, ‘unless you want to eat on your own in the bar. I can’t please everyone and, besides, you all need to talk, so talk you will.’
‘I’ve come here to enjoy myself,’ Fifi says.
‘Well, I suggest you get the business part of the proceedings over as quickly as possible.’
‘That’s why you put us together, isn’t it?’ my aunt says, in a moment of enlightenment. ‘Tessa, that’s most underhand’ – she chuckles – ‘I didn’t think you had it in you to be so devious. You used to be such an innocent girl.’
‘If you went back to the committee and served as an ordinary member, as they’ve invited you to, you would show that you’re committed to the cause and not put off by all that petty infighting. You’ll demonstrate your resolve and strength of character by rising above it, not joining in with all the bitching and catty comments.’ I pause before continuing, ‘So leave my seating plan well alone. If you move just one couple, it will set up dangerous perturbations elsewhere.’ I don’t explain, but it includes the possibility that I’d end up on the same table as Jack and I don’t think I could bear that.
‘Oh dear.’ My aunt looks past me towards the door. ‘Keep your chin up, Tessa.’
It’s Jack, accompanied by his girlfriend, and Libby and Ash who look happier than ever, Libby in a short sleeveless dress with a flouncy hemline. I take a step back, hoping that Fifi will greet them while I hover in the background at the bottom of the white marble staircase that leads to the ballroom on the first floor, but it’s too late. Jack catches my eye straight away with a somewhat sheepish glance, walking across hand in hand with the woman he chose over me. My heart plummets because although I was hoping she’d be like one of Cinderella’s Ugly Sisters, some haggard crone with cataracts and no teeth, or what I imagine a cougar to be, a platinum blonde in an animal-print catsuit with pumped-up, artificial breasts, she’s very attractive, petite and slender, with big grey eyes and elfin features.
‘This is Karen,’ Jack says awkwardly, introducing her to me. ‘Karen, this is Tess.’
‘Hello,’ she says. ‘Jack’s told me all about you.’
Not all, I hope, raising one eyebrow towards him, and I detect the faintest sign of a blush in his cheeks.
‘I expect we’ll catch up with you later,’ Jack says.
‘I don’t know what he sees in her,’ Fifi says to me when they’ve moved on.
I can, I’m afraid. Her dress might be plain and her make-up understated, but a smile plays on her lips as she looks up at Jack, much like Buster looks – I correct myself – how Buster used to look adoringly up at me when he wanted his breakfast.
‘She seems pleasant enough,’ I counter, ‘and she must be all right because she’s into animal welfare like us.’
‘She’s old enough to be his mother.’
‘There’s no need to be kind to me,’ I tell my aunt. ‘She isn’t that old.’
‘Verging on too old to start a family. I wonder if Jack’s thought about that.’ Fifi sighs. ‘Oh, who knows what men think? I’ve met many men and I’m none the wiser.’
I smile to myself. It’s no secret that my aunt has had a few affairs of the heart during her marriage. In fact, I’m surprised my uncle’s put up with it, although my mum says it’s because they have an open relationship and my uncle has behaved just as badly, if not much worse, than her sister.
‘Hi, Tessa.’ Katie joins us, clutching Nathan’s arm. I feel a sense of satisfaction when I see that he looks pretty wrecked already, his tie dangling from his collar, his face red and eyes bloodshot. He’s let himself go since I last saw him, but he’s still the same: a nasty piece of work who virtually bankrupted me when he bankrupted himself. I can’t stand him. I try to suppress the flares of anger that erupt at the sight of him.
‘Welcome to the ball,’ I say, acting my heart out. ‘Katie, you look fab. I love the dress.’ She looks stunning in a lilac gown, and all I can think is that she could do better than accessorising it with the rat on her arm.
Drinks are served, followed by a sit-down banquet, some dancing and an interlude for the auction of promises. My dad takes over the stage and the microphone to introduce himself, although most people here know very well who he is. I look around at the audience, hoping we haven’t left it too late because many of the guests are looking pretty sozzled, but maybe they’ll spend more than if they were sober.
‘I hope you’re enjoying this evening, having plenty of fun, and raising lots of money for Talyton Animal Rescue at the same time. Well, ladies and gents, girls and boys, dust off those wallets and loosen those purse-strings for tonight’s very special auction of promises.’ My dad pauses. ‘We have to thank Tessa, my lovely daughter’ – he looks across and I think, Please don’t embarrass me – ‘the best daughter anyone could have, who has begged, cajoled and fleeced the good people of Talyton St George for this wonderful variety of promises.’
Good people? I think. He’s beginning to sound like Widow Twanky.
‘Give yourselves a huge pat on the back for your generosity. Now, where shall we begin?’
‘Look at the list, Dad,’ I say, bustling over to join him with my copy.
He looks at me. ‘That’s no good, love. I haven’t got my glasses.’
‘The first one is Jack,’ I whisper to him. ‘Go on.’
‘Right, thank you, love.’ I walk off the stage and Dad turns to the band. ‘Drum roll, please. And our first lot is’ – his voice booms across the sound of the drums – ‘a slave for a day, our very own Jack Miller. Jack, where are you?’
I look towards Jack’s table, but he isn’t there. He’s walking out from the door at the side of the stage, dressed only in a bow tie, dress shoes, a scarlet apron with ‘All Yours’ across the front and a thong, to applause and wolf whistles.
Blushing and bashful, Jack inclines his head to acknowledge the crowd, and stands with his feet apart and hands behind his back, awaiting his fate, which, when I look around at the eager faces, could be dire. I’m afraid he could end up being eaten alive.
‘Okay,’ my dad says, ‘Jack says he has many attributes, but he’s particularly handy around the house. He’s good at DIY, can fit you a smoke alarm or make minor repairs. He can walk your dogs—’
>
‘I’d like him to bring me breakfast in bed,’ someone pipes up from the top table. It’s Diane. ‘Then run me a hot bath with bubbles.’
I watch Jack’s expression. He’s more likely to run for it than run Diane a bath, I think, amused, then I sober up, the ache of loss returning, seeping back into my soul. I don’t believe I’ll ever get over him. He’ll always be the one that got away.
He doesn’t escape Diane though. She starts the bidding – or, rather, tells her husband to – and keeps bidding until she’s secured Jack’s services, at which she insists on tottering onto the stage – with encouragement from the other members of the committee, I notice – in a clinging pale green dress and black patent T-bar shoes to check the goods for herself. Jack takes her prodding in good humour, but she won’t let him go in a hurry, taking the microphone from my dad and holding herself upright, with her hand around Jack’s back.
‘I shall make sure I get my money’s worth,’ she shrieks. ‘You’d better be prepared to work hard, young man.’
‘Edward’s money’s worth,’ Fifi calls out. ‘It’s your husband’s money you’ve just spent. Go on, Diane. Make your speech.’
I catch my dad’s eye. ‘Hurry up,’ I mouth. He needs to move the auction along because we’re running out of time, and I begin to feel like Cinderella did, knowing that she has to leave the ball at the stroke of midnight otherwise her clothes will turn to rags and her carriage into a pumpkin. In fact, we have to finish by two, but the band still has to play one final set.
There’s no stopping Diane, though, when she’s in full flow.
‘Fifi, you must join us on stage,’ she says, ‘and Wendy and Frances and the rest of our loyal members. We have an important announcement to make.’
The gaggle of women surround Jack, who obliges by kissing each one in turn as Diane speaks of new beginnings for Talyton Animal Rescue.
‘Tonight, the phoenix has risen from the ashes. We have had a tough few months and lost our way, but thanks to this evening …’
And a few bottles of champagne, I think.
‘… we’ve put our difficulties aside. I would like to confirm that I have been elected as chair in the proper manner, while we have made Fifi, who has served us so well over many years, our honorary president.’ Diane searches for me. ‘Tessa, come and join us.’
‘Oh no,’ I say, but it’s Jack who steps forward, offers me his hand and leads me onto the stage where Diane delivers her thanks for my work at the Sanctuary and confirms that the money has come through from the trust fund, ready to be spent on extending the kennel block and replacing the shed.
‘And the vets’ bills,’ I finish for her.
‘Hear hear,’ Alex Fox-Gifford’s voice calls from one of the tables at the back of the room.
‘Dad, grab that mike, will you?’ I say, as Diane is about to pass it over to Fifi. ‘Don’t let her get started.’
‘But I have so much to say,’ my aunt protests, and it’s for exactly that reason that I want Dad to retrieve the microphone, because if my aunt gets going, she’ll never stop.
The auction is a success, raising much more than I ever expected with the highest bid going for a year’s supply of cupcakes from Jennie’s Cakes and the least for a jar of Frances’s prize-winning pickle. At the end, the band strikes up once more and my aunt clambers onto the table to dance with my mum.
‘What’s wrong with those two?’ I ask my dad. A ticket for the ball appears to be a licence to misbehave, and the older their generation becomes, the worse they get. They are outrageous.
‘I know what you’re thinking, that they have no decorum,’ he says with a broad grin, ‘but those two girls certainly know how to have fun. Cheer up, Tessa. Why don’t you have a dance with your old dad? Come on.’ He holds out his arm. ‘I won’t take no for an answer.’
I dance, but my heart isn’t in it. I should have been dancing with Jack.
Later, I check my watch as the band strikes up ‘Hi-Ho Silver Lining’ and most of the couples who are sitting at the tables take to the floor. It’s approaching midnight and I don’t want to be here when the slow dances start, so I make my escape, heading up the next flight of stairs to the balcony with a drink in my hand to look out at the sea glittering in the moonlight and the rocks that are humped on top of each other along the beach. On the lawn below, the committee – Fifi, Wendy, Diane, Frances and the rest, and my mum and dad – are playing mini-golf with fluorescent golf balls. I can hear their laughter and the occasional knock of a club hitting a ball, and I smile to myself. That’s one thing sorted.
I lean over the railings, taking in deep breaths of salt air.
‘Hey, Tess?’ I jump at the sound of my name. ‘Don’t jump, will you?’
‘Jack?’ I say, turning to face him.
‘I, uh, saw you walking up the stairs. Can I join you?’
‘Feel free.’ I take a sip of wine: Dutch courage. Keep it light, I think, my pulse flickering and dying again at the thought that Jack and I are alone together, but nothing can happen because he is with Karen. Where is Karen? I wonder. If I was Jack’s girlfriend, I wouldn’t let him out of my sight, not because I didn’t trust him, but because I couldn’t bear to be apart from him, even for a minute. I bite my lip. Is that why he took me up and dropped me? Because he interpreted my willingness to fall into bed with him as desperation and fore-saw a lifetime with a girlfriend as clingy as a limpet?
‘Hole in one!’ someone screams from the mini-golf course below.
‘That was my ball, not yours. You hit the wrong one.’ It’s Fifi and Diane bickering again.
‘I didn’t.’
‘Did!’
‘Oh no, she didn’t,’ my dad’s voice joins in.
‘Oh yes, she did …’ There’s more laughter and general agreement to go back inside, and silence descends.
‘They’re mad,’ Jack begins. ‘A slave for a day. It seemed such a great idea at the time.’
‘Thanks for offering yourself up like that,’ I say. ‘I didn’t realise you were going to dress up.’
‘Dress down, I think you mean. Your dad thought it would be a bit of fun, and it probably was – for everyone else. Diane has wandering hands.’ He smiles ruefully. ‘How on earth am I going to survive a whole day with her?’
‘I don’t know,’ I say, thinking that if he hadn’t been with Karen, I would have put in a bid.
‘It’s a beautiful view from here,’ he says, but he isn’t looking at the sea. He’s gazing at me, and I can’t help wondering if he’s slightly drunk.
‘Shouldn’t you be elsewhere?’
‘Probably.’ He clears his throat. ‘Tess, I wish—’
‘Don’t,’ I cut in quickly. ‘Please don’t mention it again. Whatever it was, it’s over. I’ve moved on.’
‘Have you really?’ I can read disappointment in Jack’s voice. ‘You pretend you’re so hard—’
‘You took advantage,’ I say harshly. ‘That night …’
‘I know that’s how it looks now, but I didn’t intend it to work out this way.’
‘I suppose I didn’t turn out to be the kind of lover you expected. I didn’t quite do it for you,’ I say bitterly.
‘It wasn’t like that. Tess, I never meant to hurt you.’
‘Change the record, Jack. I’ve heard it all before.’ I stare out to sea, wishing I was anywhere but here. ‘What’s wrong with you men? You’re all so bloody predictable. Look at Nathan, hooking up with my best friend. Why Katie of all people?’
‘They’ve been together for a long time,’ Jack says quietly.
‘Not that long, a couple of weeks, that’s all.’ I frown as I try to read Jack’s expression in the near-darkness.
‘It’s quite a bit longer than that. Nathan has been living at Katie’s flat since he was forced to move out of your old house when it was repossessed.’
‘How long?’ I don’t let him answer, continuing, ‘Katie wouldn’t lie to me.’
‘She might to
protect her reputation – what’s left of it, anyway.’
‘You never have had a very high opinion of her, have you?’
‘With good reason.’
I look back at the sea as the clouds move across the moon, gradually blocking it out, so everything, the sky, the water and beach, grows black.
‘What do you know that I don’t? Jack, tell me.’ Instinctively, I know he’s telling the truth and Katie has been lying to me. ‘Please don’t leave me in the dark.’
‘I wasn’t going to say anything – sometimes it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.’
‘Jack, please,’ I repeat. I need to know.
‘Your bridegroom was seeing Katie before the wedding.’
It takes me a moment to realise that he means before my wedding, the one that didn’t happen, and it’s as if someone has smashed the balcony away from beneath my feet. I grab the railings and hold on, my knees buckling in shock as Jack wraps his arms around me.
‘Are you all right, Tess?’ he murmurs.
‘I’m okay. I feel a bit faint, that’s all.’ I force a smile. ‘Too much champagne, I expect.’
‘I’ve been watching you – you haven’t been drinking.’ Jack touches my cheek. I shouldn’t, but I rest my head against his chest. ‘I caught Nathan and Katie in Nathan’s car the night before you were getting married, and they weren’t talking, if you know what I mean.’
‘Where? No, spare me the gory details.’
‘I tried to call you, but you weren’t answering your phone, and I went round to your house, but you weren’t there.’
‘I was at my parents’ house.’
The Village Vet Page 25