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rvellous。

She　checked　that　the　DJ　knew　that　Howard’s　favourite　song　was　‘The　Green；　Green　Grass　of　Home’；　Tom　Jones’　version；　and　looked　around　for　more　little　jobs　to　do：　but　instead　her　gaze　fell　upon　the　reason　that　her　happiness；　tonight；　had　not　quite　that　perfect　quality　she　had　anticipated。

Patricia　was　standing　alone；　staring　up　at　the　Pagford　coat　of　arms　on　the　wall；　and　making　no　effort　to　talk　to　anybody。　Shirley　wished　that　Patricia　would　wear　a　skirt　sometimes；　but　at　least　she　had　arrived　alone。　Shirley　had　been　afraid　that　the　BMW　might　contain　another　person；　and　that　absence　was　something　gained。

You　weren’t　supposed　to　dislike　your　own　child；　you　were　supposed　to　like　them　no　matter　what；　even　if　they　were　not　what　you　wanted；　even　if　they　turned　out　to　be　the　kind　of　person　that　you　would　have　crossed　the　street　to　avoid　had　you　not　been　related。　Howard　took　a　large　view　of　the　whole　matter；　he　even　joked　about　it；　in　a　mild　way；　beyond　Patricia’s　hearing。　Shirley　could　not　rise　to　those　heights　of　detachment。　She　felt　pelled　to　join　Patricia；　in　the　vague；　unconscious　hope　that　she　might　dilute　the　strangeness　she　was　afraid　everyone　else　would　smell　by　her　own　exemplary　dress　and　behaviour。

‘Do　you　want　a　drink；　darling？’

‘Not　yet；’　said　Patricia；　still　staring　up　at　the　Pagford　arms。　‘I　had　a　heavy　night　last　night。　Probably　still　over　the　limit。　We　were　out　drinking　with　Melly’s　office　pals。’

Shirley　smiled　vaguely　up　at　the　crest　above　them。

‘Melly’s　fine；　thanks　for　asking；’　said　Patricia。

‘Oh；　good；’　said　Shirley。

‘I　liked　the　invitation；’　said　Patricia。　‘Pat　and　guest。’

‘I’m　sorry；　darling；　but　that’s　just　what　you　put；　you　know；　when　people　aren’t　married—’

‘Ah；　that’s　what　it　says　in　Debrett’s；　does　it？　Well；　Melly　didn’t　want　to　e　if　she　wasn’t　even　named　on　the　invitation；　so　we　had　a　massive　row；　and　here　I　am；　alone。　Result；　eh？’

Patricia　stalked　away　towards　the　drinks；　leaving　Shirley　a　little　shaken　behind　her。　Patricia’s　rages　had　been　frightening　even　as　a　child。

‘You’re　late；　Miss　Jawanda；’　she　called；　recovering　her　posure　as　a　flustered　Sukhvinder　came　hurrying　towards　her。　In　Shirley’s　opinion；　the　girl　was　demonstrating　a　kind　of　insolence　turning　up　at　all；　after　what　her　mother　had　said　to　Howard；　here；　in　this　very　hall。　She　watched　her　hurry　to　join　Andrew　and　Gaia；　and　thought　that　she　would　tell　Howard　that　they　ought　to　let　Sukhvinder　go。　She　was　tardy；　and　there　was　probably　a　hygiene　issue　with　the　eczema　she　was　hiding　under　the　long…sleeved　black　T…shirt；　Shirley　made　a　mental　note　to　check　whether　it　was　contagious；　on　her　favourite　medical　website。

Guests　began　to　arrive　promptly　at　eight　o’clock。　Howard　told　Gaia　to　e　and　stand　beside　him　and　collect　coats；　because　he　wanted　everyone　to　see　him　ordering　her　around　by　name；　in　that　little　black　dress　and　frilly　apron。　But　there　were　soon　too　many　coats　for　her　to　carry　alone；　so　he　summoned　Andrew　to　help。

‘Nick　a　bottle；’　Gaia　ordered　Andrew；　as　they　hung　coats　three　and　four　deep　in　the　tiny　cloakroom；　‘and　hide　it　in　the　kitchen。　We　can　take　it　in　turns　to　go　and　have　some。’

‘OK；’　said　Andrew；　elated。

‘Gavin！’　cried　Howard；　as　his　son’s　partner　came　through　the　door　alone　at　half…past　eight。

‘Kay　not　with　you；　Gavin？’　asked　Shirley　swiftly　（Maureen　was　changing　into　sparkly　stilettos　behind　the　trestle　table；　so　there　was　very　little　time　to　steal　a　march　on　her）。

‘No；　she　couldn’t　make　it；　unfortunately；’　said　Gavin；　then；　to　his　horror；　he　came　face　to　face　with　Gaia；　who　was　waiting　to　take　his　coat。

‘Mum　could　have　made　it；’　said　Gaia；　in　a　clear；　carrying　voice；　as　she　glared　at　him。　‘But　Gavin’s　dumped　her；　haven’t　you；　Gav？’

Howard　clapped　Gavin　on　the　shoulder；　pretending　he　had　not　heard；　and　boomed；　‘Great　to　see　you；　go　get　yourself　a　drink。’

Shirley’s　expression　remained　impassive；　but　the　thrill　of　the　moment　did　not　subside　quickly；　and　she　was　a　little　dazed　and　dreamy；　greeting　the　next　few　guests。　When　Maureen　tottered　over　in　her　awful　dress　to　join　the　greeting　party；　Shirley　took　immense　pleasure　in　telling　her　quietly：　‘We’ve　had　a　very　awkward　little　scene。　Very　awkward。　Gavin　and　Gaia’s　mother　…　oh；　dear　…　if　we’d　known　…’

‘What？　What’s　happened？’

But　Shirley　shook　her　head；　savouring　the　exquisite　pleasure　of　Maureen’s　frustrated　curiosity；　and　opened　her　arms　wide　as　Miles；　Samantha　and　Lexie　entered　the　hall。

‘Here　he　is！　Parish　Councillor　Miles　Mollison！’

Samantha　watched　Shirley　hugging　Miles　as　though　from　a　great　distance。　She　had　moved　so　abruptly　from　happiness　and　anticipation　to　shock　and　disappointment　that　her　thoughts　had　bee　white　noise；　against　which　she　had　to　fight　to　take　in　the　exterior　world。

（Miles　had　said：　‘That’s　great！　You　can　e　to　Dad’s　party；　you　were　only　just　saying—’

‘Yes；’　she　had　replied；　‘I　know。　It　is　great；　isn’t　it？’

But　when　he　had　seen　her　dressed　in　the　jeans　and　band　T…shirt　she　had　been　visualizing　herself　in　for　over　a　week；　he　had　been　perplexed。

‘It’s　formal。’

‘Miles；　it’s　the　church　hall　in　Pagford。’

‘I　know；　but　the　invitation—’

‘I’m　wearing　this。’）

‘Hello；　Sammy；’　said　Howard。　‘Look　at　you。　You　needn’t　have　dressed　up。’

But　his　embrace　was　as　lascivious　as　ever；　and　he　patted　her　tightly　jeaned　backside。

Samantha　gave　Shirley　a　cold　tight　smile　and　walked　past　her　towards　the　drinks。　A　nasty　voice　inside　her　head　was　asking：　but　what　did　you　think　was　going　to　happen　at　the　concert；　anyway？　What　was　the　point？　What　were　you　after？

Nothing。　A　bit　of　fun。

The　dream　of　strong　young　arms　and　laughter；　which　was　to　have　had　some　kind　of　catharsis　tonight；　her　own　thin　waist　encircled　again；　and　the　sharp　taste　of　the　new；　the　unexplored；　her　fantasy　had　lost　wings；　it　was　plummeting　back　to　earth　…

I　only　wanted　to　look。

‘Looking　good；　Sammy。’

‘Cheers；　Pat。’

She　had　not　met　her　sister…in…law　for　over　a　year。

I　like　you　more　than　anyone　else　in　this　family；　Pat。

Miles　had　caught　up　with　her；　he　kissed　his　sister。

‘How　are　you？　How’s　Mel？　Isn’t　she　here？’

‘No；　she　didn’t　want　to　e；’　said　Patricia。　She　was　drinking　champagne；　but　from　her　expression；　it　might　have　been　vinegar。　‘The　invitation　said　Pat　and　guest　are　invited　…　huge　bloody　row。　One　up　to　Mum。’

‘Oh；　Pat；　e　on；’　said　Miles；　smiling。

‘Oh；　Pat；　fucking　e　on　what；　Miles？’

A　furious　delight　took　hold　of　Samantha：　a　pretext　to　attack。

‘That’s　a　bloody　rude　way　to　invite　your　sister’s　partner　and　you　know　it；　Miles。　Your　mother　could　do　with　some　lessons　in　manners；　if　you　ask　me。’

He　was　fatter；　surely；　than　he　had　been　a　year　ago。　She　could　see　his　neck　bulging　over　the　collar　of　his　shirt。　His　breath　went　sour　quickly。　He　had　a　little　trick　of　bouncing　on　his　toes　that　he　had　caught　from　his　father。　She　experienced　a　surge　of　physical　disgust　and　walked　away　to　the　end　of　the　trestle　table；　where　Andrew　and　Sukhvinder　were　busy　filling　and　handing　out　glasses。

‘Have　you　got　any　gin？’　Samantha　asked。　‘Give　me　a　big　one。’

She　barely　recognized　Andrew。　He　poured　her　a　measure；　trying　not　to　look　at　her　breasts；　boundlessly　exposed　in　the　T…shirt；　but　it　was　like　trying　not　to　squint　in　direct　sunlight。

‘Do　you　know　them？’　Samantha　asked；　after　downing　half　a　glass　of　gin　and　tonic。

A　blush　had　risen　before　Andrew　could　marshal　his　thoughts。　To　his　horror；　she　gave　a　reckless　cackle；　and　said；　‘The　band。　I’m　talking　about　the　band。’

‘Yeah；　I　–　yeah；　I’ve　heard　of　them。　I　don’t　…　not　my　kind　of　thing。’

‘Is　that　right？’　she　said；　throwing　back　the　rest　of　her　drink。　‘I’ll　have　another　one　of　those；　please。’

She　realized　who　he　was：　the　mousy　boy　from　the　delicatessen。　His　uniform　made　him　look　older。　Maybe　a　couple　of　weeks　of　lugging　pallets　up　and　down　the　cellar　steps　had　built　some　muscle。

‘Oh；　look；’　said　Samantha；　spotting　a　figure　heading　away　from　her　into　the　growing　crowd；　‘there’s　Gavin。　The　second　most　boring　man　in　Pagford。　After　my　husband；　obviously。’

She　strode　off；　pleased　with　herself；　holding　her　new　drink；　the　gin　had　hit　her　where　she　most　needed　it；　anaesthetizing　and　stimulating　at　the　same　time；　and　as　she　walked　she　thought：　he　liked　my　tits；　let’s　see　what　he　thinks　of　my　arse。

Gavin　saw　Samantha　ing　and　tried　to　deflect　her　by　joining　somebody　else’s　conversation；　anybody’s；　the　nearest　person　was　Howard　and　he　insinuated　himself　hastily　into　the　group　around　his　host。

‘I　took　a　risk；’　Howard　was　saying　to　three　other　men；　he　was　waving　a　cigar；　and　a　little　ash　had　dribbled　down　the　front　of　his　velvet　jacket。　‘I　took　a　risk　and　I　put　in　the　graft。　Simple　as　that。　No　magic　formula。　Nobody　handed　me　–　oh；　here’s　Sammy。　Who　are　those　young　men；　Samantha？’

While　four　elderly　men　stared　at　the　pop　group　stretched　across　her　breasts；　Samantha　turned　to　Gavin。

‘Hi；’　she　said；　leaning　in　and　forcing　him　to　kiss　her。　‘Kay　not　here？’

‘No；’　said　Gavin　shortly。

‘Talking　about　business；　Sammy；’　said　Howard　happily；　and　Samantha　thought　of　her　shop；　failed　and　finished。　‘I　was　a　self…starter；’　he　informed　the　group；　reprising　what　was　clearly　an　established　theme。　‘That’s　all　there　is　to　it。　That’s　all　you　need。　I　was　a　self…starter。’

Massive　and　globular；　he　was　like　a　miniature　velvety　sun；　radiating　satisfaction　and　contentment。　His　tones　were　already　rounded　and　mellowed　by　the　brandy　in　his　hand。　‘I　was　ready　to　take　a　risk　–　could’ve　lost　everything。’

‘Well；　your　mum　could　have　lost　everything；’　Samantha　corrected　him。　‘Didn’t　Hilda　mortgage　her　house　to　put　up　half　the　deposit　on　the　shop？’

She　saw　the　tiny　flicker　in　Howard’s　eyes；　but　his　smile　remained　constant。

‘All　credit　to　my　mother；　then；’　he　said；　‘for　working　and　scrimping　and　saving；　and　giving　her　son　a　start。　I　multiply　what　I　was　given；　and　I　give　back　to　the　family　–　pay　for　your　girls　to　go　to　St　Anne’s　–　what　goes　round；　es　round；　eh；　Sammy？’

She　expected　this　from　Shirley；　but　not　from　Howard。　Both　of　them　drained　their　glasses；　and　Samantha　watched　Gavin　drift　away　without　trying　to　stop　him。

Gavin　was　wondering　whether　it　would　be　possible　to　slip　out　unnoticed。　He　was　nervous；　and　the　noise　was　making　it　worse。　A　horrible　idea　had　taken　possession　of　him　since　meeting　Gaia　at　the　door。　What　if　Kay　had　told　her　daughter　everything？　What　if　the　girl　knew　that　he　was　in　love　with　Mary　Fairbrother；　and　told　other　people？　It　was　the　sort　of　thing　that　a　vengeful　sixteen…year…old　might　do。

The　very　last　thing　he　wanted　was　for　Pagford　to　know　that　he　was　in　love　with　Mary　before　he　had　a　chance　to　tell　her　himself。　He　had　imagined　doing　it　months　and　months　hence；　perhaps　a　year　down　the　line　…　letting　the　first　anniversary　of　Barry’s　death　slip　by　…　and；　in　the　mean　time；　nurturing　the　tiny　shoots　of　trust　and　reliance　that　were　already　there；　so　that　the　reality　of　her　feelings　stole　gradually　upon　her；　as　they　had　upon　him　…

‘You　haven’t　got　a　drink；　Gav！’　said　Miles。　‘That　situation　must　be　remedied！’

He　led　his　partner　firmly　to　the　drinks　table　and　poured　him　a　beer；　talking　all　the　while；　and；　like　Howard；　giving　off　an　almost　visible　glow　of　happiness　and　pride。

‘You　heard　I　won　the　seat？’

Gavin　had　not；　but　he　did　not　feel　equal　to　feigning　surprise。

‘Yeah。　Congratulations。’

‘How’s　Mary？’　asked　Miles　expansively；　he　was　a　friend　to　the　whole　town　tonight；　because　it　had　elected　him。　‘She　doing　OK？’

‘Yeah；　I　think—’

‘I　heard　she　might　be　going　to　Liverpool。　Might　be　for　the　best。’

‘What？’　said　Gavin　sharply。

‘Maureen　was　saying　this　morning；　apparently；　Mary’s　sister’s　trying　to　persuade　Mary　to　go　home　with　the　kids。　She’s　still　got　a　lot　of　family　in　Liver—’

‘This　is　her　home。’

‘I　think　it　was　Barry　who　liked　Pagford。　I’m　not　sure　Mary　will　want　to　stay　without　him。’

Gaia　was　watching　Gavin　through　a　chink　in　the　kitchen　door。　She　was　clutching　a　paper　cup　containing　several　fingers　of　the　vodka　that　Andrew　had　stolen　for　her。

‘He’s　such　a　bastard；