Just then the door swung open and Tom stood in the doorway, his hair standing on end like a monkey. “Sorry I’m late. I came all the way down from London with the roof off. Fast as I could. Mmmm, what’s for dinner?”
8
Phaedra was relieved that Tom had arrived in time to deflect the conversation from her. She was uncomfortable talking about George. She felt exposed having to field questions about their relationship. As far as she was concerned, they all missed him—and that was all that mattered.
She wished she hadn’t got involved with his family, but she had been determined to attend the funeral. Julius did warn her of the consequences, but she had insisted. Now she understood why he had advised her to act with caution. The sooner she could return to Paris and put this all behind her, the better.
Antoinette was relieved to see Tom. The constant churning of anxious thoughts in her head was momentarily stilled as her son bent down to kiss her. “Sorry, Mum. I overslept.”
“That’s okay, darling. I’m just glad you’re here.” She watched him greet Phaedra, happy that Roberta’s badgering had come to a halt. Perhaps they could all enjoy a nice family dinner now.
“And I’m glad you’re here, sis,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m loving the sound of that—sis—it has a nice, cozy kind of ring to it.” Roberta rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.
David glowered at her from the sideboard. “If you don’t tell your wife to back off, I’m going to,” he hissed at Joshua, who was now helping himself to roast potatoes.
“She’s suspicious, that’s all,” Joshua replied.
“Well, she can keep her conspiracy theories to herself.”
“Go and get some dinner, darling, or it’ll get cold,” said Antoinette to Tom, noticing how tired he looked around the eyes. His lifestyle was dreadfully unhealthy, but apart from a general weariness, he looked well. Tom helped himself to a large portion of salmon crêpes then sat beside his mother. He entertained the table with the latest drama from his nightclub. An employee had been selling stories about their celebrity clients, and they had trapped him by giving him an invented piece of gossip then waiting to see whether it came out in the papers. He was full of excitement because it had appeared in the Daily Mail the following morning.
“I fired him,” said Tom. “We can’t have that sort of thing going on in the Red Lizard!”
Phaedra chatted to Joshua. He didn’t ask her about George; what interested him was the person she was, not her relationship with his father. It seemed that only Roberta needed to know details, as if she suspected her of lying and was intent on catching her out. Phaedra felt very safe sandwiched between Joshua and David. She felt the same sense of security as when she’d been in their father’s company, and she relaxed and enjoyed the dinner because she was now part of something stronger than herself.
After dinner she played bridge with Tom, David, and Joshua at a small table set up near the large bay window at the other end of the drawing room. Roberta disappeared upstairs to check on Amber, but Phaedra suspected she didn’t want to remain in her company and was using her daughter as an excuse to get away. Antoinette sat beside the fire with her sister and watched the four siblings interact. “This is what it might have been like if I’d had another child,” she said softly to Rosamunde. “George so wanted a little girl.”
“Yes, it would have been nice to have had a daughter. There’s not a hint of pink anywhere in the house.”
“I was worried that Roberta was going to frighten her away, but judging by the sight of the four of them now, playing bridge so happily together, I think my fears are unfounded. Phaedra is made of sterner stuff.”
“Roberta is unforgivably rude,” Rosamunde agreed. “I don’t know why she’s taken it upon herself to be the family sheriff. The jewels were never going to belong to her, but to David. Margaret would know.”
“Yes, she would, of course, but George has changed all that now. I really don’t care about them at all. In fact, I’d say they’re very ostentatious, the sort of thing Margaret likes to wear. But they’re a part of our family history. It would be a shame to watch them vanish down another family line.” She thought of Phaedra disappearing to Paris with the sapphire suite, never to be seen again, and her chest grew tight. “However, you’re right, it’s not Roberta’s place to represent the family,” she added. “Whatever anyone thinks, George’s wishes must be honored.”
“She should remember that she’s a married-in, not blood.”