快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

　she　was　not　going　to　go　all　the　way　to　that　smug　little　town　to　get　double　helpings；　to　travel　back　in　time；　once　a　week；　to　the　place　where　Nana　Cath　had　said　she　would　keep　her；　but　let　her　go。　She　would　have　to　pass　that　pretty　little　school　that　had　sent　horrible　letters　home　about　Krystal；　saying　that　her　clothes　were　too　small　and　too　dirty；　that　her　behaviour　was　unacceptable。　She　was　afraid　of　long…forgotten　relatives　emerging　from　Hope　Street；　as　they　squabbled　over　Nana　Cath’s　house；　and　of　what　Cheryl　would　say；　if　she　knew　that　Terri　had　entered　into　voluntary　dealings　with　the　Paki　bitch　who　had　killed　Nana　Cath。　Another　mark　against　her；　in　the　family　that　despised　her。

‘They　ain’t　making　me　go　to　fuckin’　Pagford；’　Terri　muttered　aloud；　pulling　Robbie　towards　the　checkout。

II
‘Brace　yourself；’　teased　Howard　Mollison　at　midday　on　Saturday。　‘Mum’s　about　to　post　the　results　on　the　website。　Want　to　wait　and　see　it　made　public　or　shall　I　tell　you　now？’

Miles　turned　away　instinctively　from　Samantha；　who　was　sitting　opposite　him　at　the　island　in　the　middle　of　the　kitchen。　They　were　having　a　last　coffee　before　she　and　Libby　set　off　for　the　station　and　the　concert　in　London。　With　the　handset　pressed　tightly　to　his　ear；　he　said；　‘Go　on。’

‘You　won。　fortably。　Pretty　much　two　to　one　over　Wall。’

Miles　grinned　at　the　kitchen　door。

‘OK；’　he　said；　keeping　his　voice　as　steady　as　he　could。　‘Good　to　know。’

‘Hang　on；’　said　Howard。　‘Mum　wants　a　word。’

‘Well　done；　darling；’　said　Shirley　gleefully。　‘Absolutely　wonderful　news。　I　knew　you’d　do　it。’

‘Thanks；　Mum；’　said　Miles。

Those　two　words　told　Samantha　everything；　but　she　had　resolved　not　to　be　scornful　or　sarcastic。　Her　band　T…shirt　was　packed；　she　had　had　her　hair　done　and　she　had　bought　new　heels。　She　could　hardly　wait　to　leave。

‘Parish　Councillor　Mollison　then；　is　it？’　she　said；　when　he　had　hung　up。

‘That’s　right；’　he　said　a　little　warily。

‘Congratulations；’　she　said。　‘It’s　going　to　be　a　real　celebration　tonight；　then。　I’m　sorry　I’m　missing　it；　actually；’　she　lied；　out　of　excitement　at　her　imminent　escape。　Touched；　Miles　leaned　forward　and　squeezed　her　hand。

Libby　appeared　in　the　kitchen　in　tears。　She　was　clutching　her　mobile　in　her　hand。

‘What？’　said　Samantha；　startled。

‘Please　will　you　call　Harriet’s　mum？’

‘Why？’

‘Please　will　you？’

‘But　why；　Libby？’

‘Because　she　wants　to　talk　to　you；　because；’　Libby　wiped　her　eyes　and　nose　on　the　back　of　her　hand；　‘Harriet　and　I’ve　had　a　big　row。　Please　will　you　call　her？’

Samantha　took　the　telephone　through　to　the　sitting　room。　She　had　only　the　haziest　idea　who　this　woman　was。　Since　the　girls　had　started　at　boarding　school　she　had　virtually　no　contact　with　their　friends’　parents。

‘I’m　so　desperately　sorry　to　do　this；’　said　Harriet’s　mother。　‘I　told　Harriet　I’d　speak　to　you；　because　I’ve　been　telling　her　it’s　not　that　Libby　doesn’t　want　her　to　go　…　you　know　how　close　they　are；　and　I　hate　seeing　them　like　this　…’

Samantha　checked　her　watch。　They　needed　to　leave　in　ten　minutes　at　the　latest。

‘Harriet’s　got　it　into　her　head　that　Libby　had　a　spare　ticket；　but　didn’t　want　to　take　her。　I’ve　told　her　it’s　not　true　–　you’re　taking　the　ticket　because　you　don’t　want　Libby　going　alone；　aren’t　you？’

‘Well；　naturally；’　said　Samantha；　‘she　can’t　go　alone。’

‘I　knew　it；’　said　the　other　woman。　She　sounded　strangely　triumphant。　‘And　I　absolutely　understand　your　protectiveness；　and　I　would　never　suggest　it　if　I　didn’t　think　it　would　save　you　an　awful　lot　of　bother。　It’s　just　that　the　girls　are　so　close　–　and　Harriet’s　absolutely　wild　about　this　silly　group　–　and　I　think；　from　what　Libby’s　just　told　Harriet　on　the　phone；　that　Libby’s　really　desperate　for　her　to　go　too。　I　totally　understand　why　you　want　to　keep　an　eye　on　Libby；　but　the　thing　is；　my　sister’s　taking　her　two　girls；　so　there　would　be　an　adult　there　with　them。　I　could　drive　Libby　and　Harriet　up　together　this　afternoon；　we’d　meet　up　with　the　others　outside　the　stadium　and　we　could　all　stay　overnight　at　my　sister’s　place。　I　absolutely　guarantee　that　my　sister　or　I　will　be　with　Libby　at　all　times。’

‘Oh　…　that’s　so　kind。　But　my　friend；’　said　Samantha；　with　a　strange　ringing　in　her　ears；　‘is　expecting　us；　you　see　…’

‘But　if　you　still　wanted　to　go　and　visit　your　friend　…　all　I’m　saying　is　there’s　really　no　need　for　you　to　attend；　is　there；　if　somebody　else　is　with　the　girls？　…　And　Harriet’s　absolutely　desperate　–　really　desperate　–　I　wasn’t　going　to　get　involved；　but　now　it’s　putting　a　strain　on　their　friendship　…’

Then；　on　a　less　gushing　note；　‘We’d　buy　the　ticket　from　you；　of　course。’

There　was　nowhere　to　go；　nowhere　to　hide。

‘Oh；’　said　Samantha。　‘Yes。　I　just　thought　it　might　be　nice　to　go　with　her—’

‘They’d　much　prefer　to　be　with　each　other；’　said　Harriet’s　mother　firmly。　‘And　you　won’t　have　to　crouch　down　and　hide　among　all　the　little　teenyboppers；　ha　ha　–　it’s　all　right　for　my　sister；　she’s　only　five　foot　two。’

III
To　Gavin’s　disappointment；　it　seemed　that　he　would　have　to　attend　Howard　Mollison’s　birthday　party　after　all。　If　Mary；　a　client　of　the　firm　and　the　widow　of　his　best　friend；　had　asked　him　to　stay　for　dinner；　he　would　have　considered　himself　more　than　justified　in　skipping　it　…　but　Mary　had　not　asked　him　to　stay。　She　had　family　visiting；　and　she　had　been　oddly　flustered　when　he　had　turned　up。

She　doesn’t　want　them　to　know；　he　thought；　taking　fort　in　her　self…consciousness　as　she　ushered　him　towards　the　door。

He　drove　back　to　the　Smithy；　replaying　his　conversation　with　Kay　in　his　mind。

I　thought　he　was　your　best　friend。　He’s　only　been　dead　a　few　weeks！

Yeah；　and　I　was　looking　after　her　for　Barry；　he　retorted　in　his　head；　which　is　what　he’d　have　wanted。　Neither　of　us　expected　this　to　happen。　Barry’s　dead。　It　can’t　hurt　him　now。

Alone　in　the　Smithy　he　looked　out　a　clean　suit　for　the　party；　because　the　invitation　said　‘formal’；　and　tried　to　imagine　gossipy　little　Pagford　relishing　the　story　of　Gavin　and　Mary。

So　what？　he　thought；　staggered　by　his　own　bravery。　Is　she　supposed　to　be　alone　for　ever？　It　happens。　I　was　looking　after　her。

And　in　spite　of　his　reluctance　to　attend　a　party　that　was　sure　to　be　dull　and　exhausting；　he　was　buoyed　inside　by　a　little　bubble　of　excitement　and　happiness。

Up　in　Hilltop　House；　Andrew　Price　was　styling　his　hair　with　his　mother’s　blow…drier。　He　had　never　looked　forward　to　a　disco　or　a　party　as　much　as　he　had　longed　for　tonight。　He；　Gaia　and　Sukhvinder　were　being　paid　by　Howard　to　serve　food　and　drinks　at　the　party。　Howard　had　hired　him　a　uniform　for　the　occasion：　a　white　shirt；　black　trousers　and　a　bow　tie。　He　would　be　working　alongside　Gaia；　not　as　potboy　but　as　a　waiter。

But　there　was　more　to　his　anticipation　than　this。　Gaia　had　split　up　with　the　legendary　Marco　de　Luca。　He　had　found　her　crying　about　it　in　the　back　yard　of　the　Copper　Kettle　that　afternoon；　when　he　had　gone　outside　for　a　smoke。

‘His　loss；’　Andrew　had　said；　trying　to　keep　the　delight　out　of　his　voice。

And　she　had　sniffed　and　said；　‘Cheers；　Andy。’

‘You　little　poofter；’　said　Simon；　when　Andrew　finally　turned　off　the　drier。　He　had　been　waiting　to　say　it　for　several　minutes；　standing　on　the　dark　landing；　staring　through　the　gap　in　the　door；　which　was　ajar；　watching　Andrew　preen　himself　in　the　mirror。　Andrew　jumped；　then　laughed。　His　good　humour　disposed　Simon。

‘Look　at　you；’　he　jeered；　as　Andrew　passed　him　on　the　landing　in　his　shirt　and　bow　tie。　‘With　your　dicky…bow。　You　look　a　twat。’

And　you’re　unemployed；　and　I　did　it　to　you；　dickhead。

Andrew’s　feelings　about　what　he　had　done　to　his　father　changed　almost　hourly。　Sometimes　the　guilt　would　bear　down　on　him；　tainting　everything；　but　then　it　would　melt　away；　leaving　him　glorying　in　his　secret　triumph。　Tonight；　the　thought　of　it　gave　extra　heat　to　the　excitement　burning　beneath　Andrew’s　thin　white　shirt；　an　additional　tingle　to　the　goose…flesh　caused　by　the　rush　of　evening　air　as　he　sped；　on　Simon’s　racing　bike；　down　the　hill　into　town。　He　was　excited；　full　of　hope。　Gaia　was　available　and　vulnerable。　Her　father　lived　in　Reading。

Shirley　Mollison　was　standing　in　a　party　dress　outside　the　church　hall　when　he　cycled　up；　tying　giant　gold　helium　balloons　in　the　shapes　of　fives　and　sixes　to　the　railings。

‘Hello；　Andrew；’　she　trilled。　‘Bike　away　from　the　entrance；　please。’

He　wheeled　it　along　to　the　corner；　passing　a　brand…new；　racing　green　BMW　convertible　parked　feet　away。　He　walked　around　the　car　on　his　way　inside；　taking　in　the　luxurious　inner　fittings。

‘And　here’s　Andy！’

Andrew　saw　at　once　that　his　boss’s　good　humour　and　excitement　were　equal　to　his　own。　Howard　was　striding　down　the　hall；　wearing　an　immense　velvet　dinner　jacket；　he　resembled　a　conjuror。　There　were　only　five　or　six　other　people　dotted　around：　the　party　would　not　start　for　twenty　minutes。　Blue；　white　and　gold　balloons　had　been　fastened　up　everywhere。　There　was　a　massive　trestle　table　largely　covered　in　plates　draped　with　tea…towels；　and　at　the　top　of　the　hall　a　middle…aged　DJ　setting　up　his　equipment。
。电子书
‘Go　help　Maureen；　Andy；　will　you？’

She　was　laying　out　glasses　at　one　end　of　the　long　table；　caught　gaudily　in　a　stream　of　light　from　an　overhead　lamp。

‘Don’t　you　look　handsome！’　she　croaked　as　he　approached。

She　was　wearing　a　scant；　stretchy　shiny　dress　that　revealed　every　contour　of　the　bony　body　to　which　unexpected　little　rolls　and　pads　of　flesh　still　clung；　exposed　by　the　unforgiving　fabric。　From　somewhere　out　of　sight　came　a　small　‘hi’；　Gaia　was　crouching　over　a　box　of　plates　on　the　floor。

‘Glasses　out　of　boxes；　please；　Andy；’　said　Maureen；　‘and　set　them　up　here；　where　we’re　having　the　bar。’

He　did　as　he　was　told。　As　he　unpacked　the　box；　a　woman　he　had　never　seen　before　approached；　carrying　several　bottles　of　champagne。

‘These　should　go　in　the　fridge；　if　there　is　one。’

She　had　Howard’s　straight　nose；　Howard’s　big　blue　eyes　and　Howard’s　curly　fair　hair；　but　whereas　his　features　were　womanish；　softened　by　fat；　his　daughter　–　she　had　to　be　his　daughter　–　was　unpretty　yet　striking；　with　low　brows；　big　eyes　and　a　cleft　chin。　She　was　wearing　trousers　and　an　open…necked　silk　shirt。　After　dumping　the　bottles　onto　the　table　she　turned　away。　Her　demeanour；　and　something　about　the　quality　of　her　clothing；　made　Andrew　sure　that　she　was　the　owner　of　the　BMW　outside。

‘That’s　Patricia；’　whispered　Gaia　in　his　ear；　and　his　skin　tingled　again　as　though　she　carried　an　electric　charge。　‘Howard’s　daughter。’

‘Yeah；　I　thought　so；’　he　said；　but　he　was　much　more　interested　to　see　that　Gaia　was　unscrewing　the　cap　of　a　bottle　of　vodka　and　pouring　out　a　measure。　As　he　watched；　she　drank　it　straight　off　with　a　little　shudder。　She　had　barely　replaced　the　top　when　Maureen　reappeared　beside　them　with　an　ice　bucket。

‘Bloody　old　slapper；’　said　Gaia；　as　Maureen　walked　away；　and　Andrew　smelt　the　spirits　on　her　breath。　‘Look　at　the　state　of　her。’

He　laughed；　turned　and　stopped　abruptly；　because　Shirley　was　right　beside　them；　smiling　her　pussycat　smile。

‘Has　Miss　Jawanda　not　arrived　yet？’　she　asked。

‘She’s　on　her　way；　she　just　texted　me；’　said　Gaia。

But　Shirley　did　not　really　care　where　Sukhvinder　was。　She　had　overheard　Andrew　and　Gaia’s　little　exchange　about　Maureen；　and　it　had　pletely　restored　the　good　mood　that　had　been　dented　by　Maureen’s　evident　delight　in　her　own　toilette。　It　was　difficult　to　satisfactorily　puncture　self…esteem　so　obtuse；　so　deluded；　but　as　Shirley　walked　away　from　the　teenagers　towards　the　DJ；　she　planned　what　she　would　say　to　Howard　the　next　time　she　saw　him　alone。

I’m　afraid　the　young　ones　were；　well；　laughing　at　Maureen　…　it’s　such　a　pity　she　wore　that　dress　…　I　hate　seeing　her　make　a　fool　of　herself。

There　was　plenty　to　be　pleased　about；　Shirley　reminded　herself；　for　she　needed　a　little　bolstering　tonight。　She　and　Howard　and　Miles　were　all　going　to　be　on　the　council　together；　it　would　be　marvellous；　simply　marvellous。

She　checked　that　the　DJ　knew　that　Howard’s　favourite　song　was　‘The　Green；　Green　Grass