EPISODE NINETY-SIX
As soon as Marjorie was helped onto the bed in the delivery room, she was
overcome with fear and regret. Here eyes
had the fearful expression of a cornered animal, and her breathing was shallow
and quick.
‘Try to breathe deeply and slowly,’ the staff nurse advised.
‘Where’s Ted?’ Marjorie demanded.
‘Your husband?’
‘Of course.’
‘I think he’s on his way.’
‘But where is he? I want him here.’
The staff nurse sighed, then smiled comfortingly at Marjorie as she propped up
her pillows. ‘I expect he’ll be here any
minute now.’
‘Huh!’ Marjorie exclaimed loudly, deliberately showing the staff nurse what she
thought of her husband.
The nurse turned away to conceal an amused smile.
*
Ted was at Charing Cross station when he received news that his wife had gone into
labour. He immediately telephoned Donald
at the antique shop to share the news, but Bamber answered. Ted paused, pressing the mobile close to his
ear, then asked if he could speak to Donald.
‘Who wants him?’ Bamber enunciated carefully, as if demanding a password.
Ted paused again. ‘It’s Ted here.’
‘Ah,’ Bamber chuckled. ‘I thought I could hear trains being announced in the
background. Are you Donald’s Shakespeare
friend?’
‘Er – ye-es,’ said Ted, guardedly.
‘Sorry? You’ll have to speak up. All I heard was a loudspeaker announcing the
next train for Dover.’
‘Yes!’ yelled Ted, looking around foolishly at the people milling about him on
the platform. ‘I’m Donald’s Shakespeare
friend.’
Bamber sniggered. ‘But soft, what light
through yonder window breaks? It is the
East and Donald is the sun. D’you like
that, Ted?’
Ted was at a loss. ‘Erm – I have some
news to tell Donald. Can I speak to him,
please?’
‘He’s not here. He’s gone out buying.’
‘Could you give him a message for me?
Can you tell him my wife’s gone into labour?’
‘I’ll tell him on one condition.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Come round soon and let’s have that threesome.’
Ted was about to speak, to tell Bamber he had to get back on his train, but he
was numbed by the thoughts running through his head. Intriguing and deliciously tempting, an
invitation to explore things which he had only fantasised about. He was brought back to reality by Bamber’s
harsh laugh.
‘Didn’t my partner tell you? I asked him
to.’
Ted cleared his throat. ‘I think he may
have mentioned it.’
Bamber chuckled delightedly. ‘Well?’
‘Yes. All right. But I really do have to get back on this
train. Be sure to give Donald my
message.’
‘I will. And I look forward to meeting
you properly, Ted.’
Ted hung up quickly and boarded the train.
*
‘Say cheese for a cheesy grin,’ giggled Nigel, his arm round Jackie’s waist. She snuggled up to him and sighed
contentedly.
‘Oh, Nigel.’
Vanessa and Nicky exchanged pained expressions, which the photographer caught
as he took the picture. ‘Just one more
like that,’ he coaxed. ‘And could the
girls try to look happy this time.’
Several of Jackie’s relatives and friends stopped smiling and stared at Vanessa
and Nicky with enquiring expressions.
Nigel sniggered. He was too full
of his own satisfaction to worry about his wife’s daughters. The ceremony had gone well, and he had
managed to banish the disappointment he felt at his own son not attending, and
hadn’t given it another thought since they had arrived at the registry office.
‘Come on, you two,’ he said, heartily.
‘Don’t be miserable all your life.
Have a day off.’
Jackie smacked him playfully on the bottom.
‘Behave yourself, you.’
Vanessa, not wanting to be thought of as a complete killjoy, grinned
artificially and said, ‘I think he’s got over-excited.’
The photographer gritted his teeth. He had a far more interesting assignment to
attend soon and he was becoming anxious.
He clapped his hands together and shouted: ‘Come on now, everyone! Big smile!
Here we go!’
They all posed, grinning at the lens.
Even Nigel’s uncle, who was well into his eighties, and not known for
his high spirits, managed a lopsided grin.
Unfortunately the camera was unable to capture evidence of this rare
smile. The instant was lost as he raised
a hand in front of his face to wipe a dew drop from his nose.
*
As soon as Ted walked into the delivery room, Marjorie took the mask away from
her face. ‘You took your time,’ she
panted. ‘Where’ve you been?’
‘I didn’t think you’d want me here in uniform,’ he said. ‘So I went home to change first.’
‘You’ve got about as much sense as...’ she began. Then, unable to think of a suitable analogy,
she smacked the mask back over her mouth and inhaled deeply.
Ted sank unobtrusively into a chair by her bedside.
‘I’ll leave you to it for a minute,’ said the nurse.
Ted looked panic stricken at her departure.
‘But what about...’
The nurse turned at the door and smiled.
‘I don’t think anything’s likely to happen for a while. I won’t be far away if you need me.’
As soon as they were alone, Marjorie glared at her husband over the top of the
mask. Ted felt he had to make some sort
of gesture of affection, so he stroked her hand gently. But she found his touch feeble, more
irritating than comforting, and snatched her hand away.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Ted.
*
Jackie held Nigel’s hand under the table and beamed at her guests. But as she looked around the table, the smile
faded, giving way to a puzzled frown.
She hadn’t thought about it up until now, but why did Nigel only have
one decrepit old uncle attending? It was
odd to go through life without making any friends. No wonder he had moaned about her having
eleven guests, not counting Vanessa and Nicky, to attend the wedding. It wasn’t so much a reluctance to pay a hefty
bill for the wedding breakfast, she realised, more a feeling of inadequacy. It showed him to lack popularity. She had been going out for almost a year with
a man who had no friends, and she had never noticed up until now
Nigel smiled at the waiter who had taken all the orders except for the bride
and groom. ‘My wife...’ He stopped to give Jackie a possessively
loving glance before continuing. ‘Will
have prawn cocktail, followed by the Dover sole. And I’ll have the prawn cocktail to start off
with, followed by a sirloin steak.’
Jackie frowned. ‘Is that wise, darling?’
‘Is what wise?’
‘Steak.’
Nigel frowned back at her. ‘What’s wrong
with steak?’ He looked pointedly at some
of Jackie’s other guests, the ones who had ordered steak.
‘Well...’ Jackie dropped her voice, and glanced shyly up at the waiter, hoping
he would come to her rescue.
‘Nothing wrong with the beef, madam,’ he said.
‘Only the best. We’ve never had
any complaints.’
Jackie coloured slightly. ‘No, I’m sure
it’s perfectly...but we don’t normally eat red meat.’
Nigel snorted. ‘Speak for
yourself.’ He followed this with a
bellowing laugh, lest others thought him serious.
‘I mean,’ Jackie went on, becoming more flustered, ‘that fish is far
healthier. And Nicky’s practically
vegetarian. Aren’t you, Nicky?’
‘I don’t mind fish,’ said Nicky.
‘Oh, well,’ said Nigel reluctantly, ‘I seem to be outnumbered. I may as well have the sole too. But I warn you, I’m going to be hungry again
by dinner time.’
After the orders had been taken, Vanessa stood up and raised her champagne
glass, inviting the guests to toast the happy couple. Gratefully, Jackie smiled warmly at her
daughter as they all raised their glasses and wished them happiness. But she
noticed that Nicky, who was sitting opposite her, was staring pensively
at her glass and hadn’t joined in with the toast. Jackie leaned forward and asked her if
anything was wrong.
‘I was just thinking...’ said Nicky.
‘I thought I could smell burning,’ laughed Nigel.
Nicky gave him a withering glance before continuing. ‘I wondered where we’re going to live now
you’re both married.’
‘Well,’ said Jackie, taking a delicate sip of champagne, ‘Nigel and I have
talked about selling our house and moving into his house.’
‘But what about us?’ demanded Nicky, rather forcefully.
‘There’s enough room for all of us.’
Without warning, Nicky burst into tears.
‘But I’m going to miss my room.
I’ve always lived where we are now.
I don’t want to move. And you
can’t make me.’
She pushed her chair back from the table and ran out of the dining room. The other guests offered Jackie expressions
of concern and sympathy, some of them shaking their heads disapprovingly at her
daughter’s behaviour. The only one not
to have noticed anything was amiss was Nigel’s uncle, who had busied himself
with blowing his nose loudly during the exchange, and was now closely examining
the discharge in his handkerchief.
IN EPISODE NINETY-SEVEN
Nicky confesses to a terrible crime