Phaedra lowered her voice. “I disagree: it’s important that she cries in public so they all know who’s boss.”
Roberta fought against the sudden softening of her resolve. It was easy to see how weaker people were seduced by the girl’s charm. “You wouldn’t say that if you’d heard her wail,” she replied coolly and wandered into the hall.
As she made for the stairs she noticed what must surely be Phaedra’s stripy canvas handbag left carelessly on the sofa. She looked about, like a thief with an opportunity to steal. She was alone. It would take only a moment to rifle through it. Struck by the intense desire to expose her, Roberta sat on the sofa, placed Amber on her knee, and thrust her hand into the bag. She rummaged about a set of keys, diary, lipstick, papers, sweet wrapper, and goodness knows what else until her fingers felt the hard surface of an iPhone. Hastily she pulled it out and pressed the button at the bottom. The light went on, and Roberta gasped. There, to her delight, one clear sentence shone out: Missed call: Julius Beecher. Hearing voices from the drawing room, she hurriedly slipped it back in the bag and set off up the stairs. It wasn’t proof, but it was a lead. Julius Beecher and Phaedra were up to no good together, and Roberta was determined to find out what.
A moment later David escorted Phaedra into the dining room, where roast beef and Yorkshire pudding were waiting on the sideboard. “You need to gather your strength if you’re to be summoned,” he said mischievously.
Phaedra laughed. “Don’t you think you’re being a little unkind? Roberta’s right. She’s just lost her son. She might not cry in public, but she’d be superhuman if she wasn’t howling inside.”
He frowned at her. “I’ve never thought—”
“Sometimes people are aggressive to hide their true feelings, not only from others but from themselves. I’ll bet she sweeps it all under the carpet so she doesn’t have to suffer. The trouble is, she suffers all the more because she holds it all in.”
David pulled a face. “I hate to think of Roberta being right about anything.”
“You don’t like her, do you?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“The atmosphere in this house when you’re all together is shocking.”
“She rubs me up the wrong way.”
“Probably because she thinks no one ever listens to her.”
“We would, if what she said was sensible.”
“Don’t make her feel like an outsider.” She sat down and draped her napkin over her knees. “I tell you what, the next time you have the urge to say something squashing, do the opposite. I find that usually works.”
He pulled out the chair beside her and sat down. “You mean, say something nice?”
“Yes, let’s see what happens.”
“You’re asking a great deal of me, Phaedra.”
“To whom much is given, much is expected.”
“I’ll give it a go,” he said. “But only for you.” Her smile filled his heart with effervescence.
“Thank you.”
Roberta returned with the baby monitor and reported that Margaret was still asleep.
“Is she snoring?” Tom asked.
Roberta shook her head impatiently. “She’s as quiet as a mouse.”
“That’s a contradiction in terms,” Tom laughed.
Roberta bent down to plug the monitor into the wall and gave a long-suffering sigh. “God, I do hate it when Kathy has the weekend off.”
“Is Kathy your nanny?” Phaedra asked.
“Yes, I don’t know how I manage without her.”
“Looks like you manage very well from where I’m sitting.”
“It’s full-on, not a moment to myself.”
“She’s a very good little girl,” said Phaedra.
“That’s true,” Roberta agreed. “She rarely cries.”
“She knows there’s no point because her mother will just leave her,” said Tom.
“Which is exactly what a mother should do,” David interjected, winking at Phaedra.
“How do you know so much about child care all of a sudden?” Roberta replied, taking a seat at the table.
“I don’t, but I assume you’re doing the right thing. Amber’s a happy child. That speaks volumes,” David continued.
Roberta poured herself a glass of water. “Well, I don’t know whether or not I’m doing the right thing, but I can safely say I do my best.”
“Your best is good enough,” David added cheerfully.
“Are you mocking me, David?”
“No.” He shrugged innocently.
David’s enthusiasm made Roberta feel uneasy, so she changed the subject. “What do you think of Fairfield, Phaedra?” she asked.