“Any excuse to drive Dad’s car,” David added.
Joshua chuckled. “Yes, he’s like Toad of Toad Hall at the wheel of the Aston Martin.”
Phaedra laughed, and Joshua’s eyes flickered a moment with pleasure. “I’m not sure he’d be too pleased with that description,” she said. “No one would like to be compared with Toad!”
“He’d be the first to see the parallel; there’s a lot of Toad in Tom,” Joshua continued, delighted that Phaedra found him amusing.
Roberta sat directly opposite Phaedra and watched as David and her husband placed themselves on either side of her. “So, you’re a Kenneth Grahame fan,” she said.
“Of course. The Wind in the Willows is one of my all-time favorites.”
“Where were you educated?”
“In Vancouver,” Phaedra replied with a shrug. “I hated school.”
“But you went to university?”
“No, I worked from the age of sixteen. I left home as soon as I could.”
Roberta crinkled her nose. “Really, why would you do that?”
“Long story,” Phaedra replied dismissively. She’d never share it with Roberta.
“Such a shame not to finish your education. I bet you regret it now.” Roberta pulled a saccharine smile.
“Not at all. Life has been a great educator.”
“You know, my favorite character was always Ratty,” said Joshua.
“Oh, me, too,” enthused Phaedra, happy to turn away from Roberta. “Steady old Ratty.”
“I think David’s a little like Ratty,” said Joshua.
“I’d rather be Badger. He’s more charismatic,” David interjected drily.
“David’s much more like Badger than Ratty!” Phaedra exclaimed.
Roberta stiffened and tapped her fingers on the table impatiently. “Tell us about you and George, Phaedra. We’re all dying to know.”
There followed an uncomfortable silence. Joshua glared at his wife, but Roberta smiled the smile of a wily crocodile. Antoinette struggled to find something to say. It was inevitable that the subject would swing around to George at some stage of the evening, but she hadn’t expected it to turn so early on. Roberta was unforgivably rude. But Phaedra seemed not to mind. Harris filled her glass with white wine, and she took a slow sip. David would have liked to change the subject to save Phaedra any embarrassment, but he was as curious as everyone else.
“What exactly are you wanting to know, Roberta?” she asked.
“Everything, from the very beginning. Let’s start with your mother.”
Phaedra frowned. “My mother’s memories are her own. She never confided in me.”
“Roberta, this isn’t the Spanish Inquisition,” said Rosamunde, repeating what she had heard her sister say to Margaret.
“Don’t pretend you’re not interested, Rosamunde. George’s illegitimate daughter suddenly appears at his funeral and inherits a fortune, not to mention the Frampton Sapphires.” At the mention of the jewels Roberta’s voice thinned with emotion. “I think it’s our right, as his family, to know how it all came about.”
“Phaedra must tell us only what she wants to tell us,” said Antoinette diplomatically.
“You don’t have any objection, do you?” Roberta asked Phaedra.
“She’s not in the dock, Roberta,” said Joshua.
Roberta rounded on her husband. “Well, I’m obviously the only one here who is honest enough to admit that I find the whole situation deeply shocking.”
“Roberta!” David exclaimed, his face hardening with fury.
Phaedra forced a smile and raised her hand. “Please, let’s not start a war. I’m very happy to answer for myself. Of course you’re shocked, Roberta. I would be in the same situation. The man you thought you knew had a big secret, one he didn’t share with anyone. But aren’t we all multifaceted? Don’t we all harbor secrets in one way or another? Isn’t that natural? He kept me secret to avoid hurting all of you, and, as you can see from Roberta’s reaction, he was right to do so. Had he not died, you’d all be none the wiser.”
“But apparently he was going to tell us . . .” said Antoinette keenly.
“That’s what he told me, too. But maybe he never would have.” Phaedra shrugged. “I mean, he talked about it, and he certainly made his intentions very clear to Julius. But it’s one thing saying you’re going to do something and quite another actually doing it.”
“And we all know how impulsive George was,” Roberta interjected. “He developed short crushes on things, didn’t he? Remember those cigars from Havana? How long did those last? A year at the most. Then he decided to import llamas from Peru. His crushes extended to people, too.”