Loving, Living, Party Going (18 page)

'Just let 'im be,' Edith said indifferent.

'There's one thing I won't have,' Kate quoted looking with malice at Edith, 'an' that is the children bein' worried by it the little lambs.'

Edith gave a short laugh.

'Why who said that?' Albert asked.

'Miss Swift.'

'What for?' he enquired.

'And I say she's an old duck stickin' up for them,' Edith interrupted. 'They don't want to be bothered with what I witnessed, not yet awhiles any old how. They got plenty of time to learn.'

'You mean what you saw when you called Mrs Jack?' the lad said scornful. 'That old tale?'

' 'E won't believe it yet,' Kate announced as if delighted.

'Call it a tale if you will,' Edith answered. 'There's many a time I've wished I hadn't been the one. But you ask Agatha Burch if you disbelieve me. Stark naked she sat up in bed as the day she was born.'

'Get out?' Albert politely said.

'Well she's right Miss Swift is,' Edith added above the boy's head. 'Their mother's everything to them I should hope? Nor you'd never get 'em to believe if you did tell them. Not like you and someone I could mention.'

'That's enough,' Kate said violent. 'I've had all I can stomach from...'

'Land's sakes,' Edith called scrambling to her feet, 'will you just look what they're at now all three,' she cried making off. at a run down to the ocean.

'Come on,' Kate said, 'give us a kiss when she's not lookin'.'

But he would not, did not even bother to reply. Yet the moment Edith came back he rolled over to ask if she had forgotten she had still to return him that gauntlet glove.

'What glove?' she asked as she sat down once more.

'Why the one you had full of eggs it must be six weeks since.'

'I got one or two things of hers when Mrs T. arrives,' she said.

'How's that Edie?' Kate asked opening her gimlet eyes.

'Oh nothing dear, nothing which is to say that concerns you,' Edith sweetly answered. 'It's only that she will leave things lying idle.'

'Like her ring,' Kate commented shrewd. 'Which was worth more than an old king's ransom I'll be bound.'

'Which ring?' the lad enquired.

'Why Albert I will admit you're chronic,' Edith said. 'You mean to lie there and tell us you never heard of Mrs Tennant's ring that was mislaid.'

'I never heard nothing.'

'No more he would,' Kate announced. "He's simple that's all.'

'Well,' Edith said, 'I made sure you must have. It was only that she's lost another valuable, a ring this time. But I chanced to come upon it the other day.'

'You did?' Kate exclaimed sitting up, 'an' you never told me.'

'Oh I've got it hid away trust little Edith,' Edith announced dully. 'They're never goin' to pin a thing on me they can call stealing by findin'. Once she gets back I'll tell her just where she'll come upon it,' she said.

'An object like that,' was Kate's comment.

'It's hid well away. There's only Miss Moira I've showed to an' she'd never tell. I worship that child,' Edith said.

'There you go again,' Kate exclaimed, 'when she's right under the thumb of Mrs Welch's precious lad. They both are. After what 'e done to that peacock one or two sapphires in a ring would be mincemeat for 'im.'

'So you've seen it,' Edith asked suddenly intense.

'Me?' Kate wanted to be told. 'Not me I never.'

'How do you come to know it was a sapphire ring then?'

'Because I've got eyes in my head, silly. I've seen 'er wear it.'

'Oh if that's all,' Edith pronounced turning away again. 'From the way you talked I thought you must've known.'

'So you 'id the ring away then?' Albert said.

'Well what else could I do, use your sense do. I didn't want to hand that over to Agatha Burch so she could get the credit did I?'

'She'd've told you were the person that came across it.'

'That's what you think Albert. You talk like one of these Irishmen you're so innocent but then there's more behind what they say than they let on to If you want to know they're an improvement.'

'Edie,' Kate said in an admiring voice, 'you've changed.'

'Too true I have,' Edith answered, 'but there you are you see. Circumstances alter cases,' she said.

'Over at Clancarty,' Kate began, 'that Captain Davenport strips 'is men naked when their day's work diggin' is done to see they don't take nothing. Paddy says the priest 'as taken the matter up.'

'I bet you wishes you was there,' Albert surprisingly remarked.

In reply Kate fetched him a swipe with the back of her hand across his cheek. He scrambled up while she sat on fists clenched, ready to fight and get the better of him. But he walked off and did not say a word. The dejected donkey followed at his heels. Against the everlastingly hurrying ocean with its bright glare from the beginning of the world, he wandered with the donkey drooped to his tracks as if he was a journeying choirboy.

'The sauce,' Kate said.

' 'E's only a kid,' Edith remarked and lay back along the sand after spreading out 'I love you' for her head. She looked straight up at the sky without wrinkling the skin about her eyes.

'There's times I could go scatty in this old country,' Kate announced calm as though nothing had occurred, 'I could really. Come on let's have one of them talks like we used to. Now what about you for a start? You tell your own girl what it's like to be loved.'

'Kate you are awful.'

'Come on now there's no one to hear with this sea. Your boy friend is in the sulks along of 'is precious donkey. You tell your Kate.'

'Oh him,' Edith said, 'you want to go easy with him. What you let slip when we woke you upset Bert.'

'What d'you mean?'

'Oh I wasn't referring to that name you mentioned.'

'Then what you're gettin' at Edie is my poking fun at you lyin' over 'im to reach me?'

'That's right. You see Kate 'e's touchy. It's calf love.'

'Don't make me laugh,' Kate said scornful. 'Calf love you call that? Why you talk like you was your young lady. We got no time for calf love dear as you call it. We're ordinary workin' folk. 'E'll be going off in a faint next.'

'Just because when I see a mouse caught by its little leg in a wheel and he opens a great mouth at me...'

'Now then,' Kate interrupted,' 'old on. I wasn't gettin' at you. I don't know why we can't be like we used to I'm sure but nowadays we don't seem able ever to do anything but go sarky at one another.'

Edith turned away from her once more. 'O.K. let it pass,' she said.

'But surely you don't intend to permit that lad to go moonin' after you like a drowned duck?'

'Well what d'you want me to do then?' Edith asked her.

'You should've seen 'is face when you was leant over. It was enough to make me bring up my dinner. And you lookin' down into his eyes as though you liked it.'

'If he'd so much as touched me I'd've shown him dear I can tell you,' Edith said. 'I'd've given a lesson he'd remember all his life,' she added.

'Well if you want my advice that's what I'd learn the kid before this day is done.'

'Why,' asked Edith, 'you don't suppose I relish his goin' mushy surely? A child like that? He wants his old mother, that's his trouble. But live an' let live is what I always say.'

'Then don't you keep on about me and you know who,' Kate said.

'O K. dear. Now let's have a nap,' said Edith.

And in no time both were well away. The children got wet through.

Raunce's Albert crept back followed by the donkey that he could not rid himself of. He sat down by Edith. He never took his eyes off her body.

Edith found out that Agatha had a cup of tea most days with Mrs Welch. So she persuaded Miss Burch to put forward a claim to tea all round after dinner, a privilege not enjoyed by the others since before the war. Everyone was surprised when the cook agreed But that was not all. Edith feared for Raunce's neck. She said those draughts in the servant's hall might harm him. Now coal was so short it was only a small peat fire she could lay each morning in the butler's room, and she insisted that the grate Raunce had was too narrow for peat. This no doubt could be her excuse to get him to take his cup along with her to one of the living rooms where huge fires were kept stoked all day to condition the old masters.

So it came about next afternoon that Charley and Edith had drawn up deep leather armchairs of purple in the Red Library. A ledge of more purple leather on the fender supported Raunce's heels next his you-and-me in a gold Worcester cup and saucer. Pointed french windows were open onto the lawn about which peacocks
stood pat in the dry as though enchanted. A light summer air played in from over massed geraniums, toyed with Edith's curls a trifle. Between the books the walls were covered cool in green silk. But she seemed to have no thought to the draught.

'You ever noticed that little place this side of the East Gate?' he was asking.

'Well I can't say I've looked over it if that's what you're after,' she replied. He hooked a finger into the bandage round his throat as though to ease himself.

'Next time you pass that way you have a look, see.'

'Why Charley?'

'It's empty that's why.'

'It's empty is it?' she echoed dull but with a sharp glance.

'The married butlers used to live there at one time,' he explained. Then he lied. 'Yesterday mornin',' he went on canny, 'Michael stopped me as he came out of the kitchen. You'll never guess what he was onto.'

'Not something for one of his family again?' she enquired.

'That's right,' he said. 'It was only he's goin' to ask Mrs. T. for it when she gets back, that's all. The roof of their pig sty of a hovel 'as gone an' fallen on 'is blessed sister-in-law's head and's crushed a finger of one of their kids.'

'The cheek,' she exclaimed.

'A horrid liar the man is,' Charley commented. 'But it's not the truth that matters. It's what's believed,' he added.

'You think she'll credit such a tale?' Edith wanted to know.

'Now love,' he began then paused. He was dressed in black trousers and a stiff shirt with no jacket, the only colour being in his footman's livery waistcoat of pink and white stripes. He wore no collar on account of his neck. Lying back he squinted into the blushing rose of that huge turf fire as it glowed, his bluer eye azure on which was a crescent rose reflection. 'Love,' he went on toneless, 'what about you an' me getting married? There I've said it.'

'That'll want thinking over Charley,' she replied at once Her eyes left his face and with what seemed a quadrupling in depth came following his to rest on those rectangles of warmth alive like blood. From this peat light her great eyes became invested with rose incandescence that was soft and soft and soft.

'There's none of this love nonsense,' he began again appearing to
strain so as not to look at her. 'It's logical dear that's what. You see I thought to get my old mother over out of the bombers.'

'And quite right too,' she answered prompt.

'I'm glad you see it my way,' he took her up. 'Oh honey you don't know what that means.'

'I've always said a wife that can't make a home for her man's mother doesn't merit a place of her own,' she announced gentle.

'Then you don't say no?' he asked glancing her way at last His white face was shot with green from the lawn.

'I haven't said yes have I?' she countered and looked straight at him, her heart opening about her lips. Seated as she was back to the light he could see only a blinding space for her head framed in dark hair and inhabited by those great eyes on her, fathoms deep.

'No that's right,' he murmured obviously lost.

'I'll need to think over it,' she gently said. Folding hands she returned her gaze into the peat fire.

'She's a good woman,' Raunce began again. 'She worked hard to raise us when dad died. There were six in our family. She had a struggle.'

Edith sat on quiet.

'Now we're scattered all over,' he went on. 'There's only my sister Bell with the old lady these days. There's her to consider,' he said.

'The one working in the gun factory?' she asked.

'That's right,' he replied. Then he waited.

'Well I don't know as she'd need to come to Ireland,' Edith said at last. 'She's got her job all right? I'd hardly reckon to make the change myself if I was in her position.'

'You have it any way you want,' Raunce explained. 'I thought to just mention her that's all. Mrs Charley Raunce,' he announced in educated accents. 'There you are eh?' He seemed to be gathering confidence.

She suddenly got up half turned from him.

'I'm not sayin' one way or the other, Charley. Not yet awhile.'

'But it's not no for a start,' he said, also rising.

'No,' she replied. She began to blush. Seeing this he grinned with an absurd look of sweet pain. 'No,' she went on, 'I don't say I couldn't.' And all at once her mood appeared to change. She whirled about and made a dive at the cushion of the chair she had been using.

'What's more I'll wear this old ring for the engagement,' she crowed, 'oh let me it won't only be for a minute.' He approached doltish while she hooked with her finger in the tear. 'That's funny,' she said. 'Why it can't have,' she murmured. 'But it has,' she announced drawing herself up to look him in the face. 'It's gone,' she said.

'What's gone?'

'Mrs Tennant's ring,' she said.

'It can't have,' he objected. 'Give here,' and he took that cushion, ripped the seam open. 'Must've slipped inside that's about the long and short of it,' he said as he worked.

'I don't know about can't have gone,' she said looking intently at him with something in her voice, 'but it's not there that's all.'

He felt round the edges.

'You're right,' he pronounced, 'there's nothing.'

'Yet a ring wouldn't have wings now would it?' she said meaningly.

'Edie,' he said, 'if you think I took that you must consider me worse than the lowest thing which crawls.'

'No,' she murmured, 'I don't,' and leant over to give him a light kiss.

'Then you ain't never found nothing, see,' he said putting his arms round her. 'Oh honey...' he began when both heard a car turn towards the Castle over the ha-ha.