The Bachelor's Wedding

‘I doubt if he notices,’ said Araminta prosaically. ‘He’s a bit absent-minded.’

Alice tossed her head. ‘I’ll make him notice me…’ She turned to smile at him as he came back into the house. ‘You run along, dear,’ she said sweetly to Araminta. ‘I daresay Professor Lister would like a cup of coffee.’

Araminta climbed the stairs to her room and set about the business of finding fresh clothes, stout shoes and an all-enveloping overall, since it seemed likely that she would be expected to do the housework as well as keep an eye on Jimmy and Gloria. That done, she took a pile of undies and blouses down to the kitchen, stuffed them into the washing-machine and switched it on. Alice wasn’t likely to iron them, but at least they would be clean when she got back. She could hear voices in the sitting-room, and Alice’s laugh, as she went back upstairs to collect her writing-case and choose a book to take with her. She thought that she might need soothing by bedtime each day, and ran her hand along the row of books by her bed. She chose Vanity Fair and Thackeray’s Ballads and Songs. She hesitated, her small, nicely kept hand hovering over Jane Eyre, but there wasn’t room for it in her case. She closed the case, carried it downstairs, and went into the sitting-room. The professor was sitting in one of the shabby armchairs by the fireplace and he got up as she went in. Alice was sitting on the old-fashioned sofa. She looked prettier than ever, thought Araminta without envy, but it was a pity that the room was so untidy, more than untidy, grubby. Why did Alice look so cross, anyway?

She looked quickly at the professor, but he looked as he always did, pleasant and at the same time unconcerned, as though his mind were elsewhere. She could hardly blame him for that; she longed to get a duster and tidy up a bit. All the same, Alice was surely pretty enough to override her surroundings—something must have gone wrong…

‘I’m ready, Professor,’ she said briskly. ‘I’ll let you know as soon as possible when I’ll be coming home,’ she told her sister, and was rewarded by a pouting face.

‘I suppose I’ll have to manage. Lucky you, it’ll be as good as a holiday.’

Alice got up and offered a hand to Professor Lister, looking at him in a little-girl-lost manner which Araminta found irritating, although probably, being a man, he liked it. He showed no signs of either liking or disliking it; she had never met a man who concealed his feelings so completely.

‘I’m sure you must be relieved to know that, after all this time, whatever it was your doctor diagnosed has apparently cured itself. I must urge you to go and have a check-up. It isn’t for me to say, but I feel sure that you have little reason to fear for your health.’ He shook her hand firmly and stood aside while Araminta kissed her sister’s cheek, but Alice was still peevish. She went over to the door with them and wished them a cold goodbye as they got into the car, shutting the door before they had driven away.

Araminta peeped at her companion’s profile; he looked stern.

‘As I said it is, of course, not for me to say, but I believe that your sister is in excellent health. I suggested that she should see her doctor so that he might reassure her. If she had needed medical care when she first went to him he would have advised her to see him regularly.’

‘He told her that she had to take things easily.’

‘But not for two years or more.’

‘It’s very kind of you to concern yourself, Professor Lister,’ said Araminta frostily, ‘but perhaps…’ She paused, not quite sure how to put it. ‘You’re a surgeon,’ she pointed out.

‘I am also a doctor of medicine,’ he told her blandly. ‘Have you all that you require for the next week or so?’

She wondered if she had been rude. ‘Yes, thank you. I’m sorry if I was rude; I didn’t mean to be.’

‘It is of no consequence. Indeed, I prefer outspokenness to mealy-mouthed deception.’

They were almost back at his house. ‘We shall leave directly after breakfast,’ he observed, with the cool courtesy which she found so daunting. ‘Will you see that the children are ready by nine o’clock—and the animals, of course?’ He drew up before his door and got out and opened her door for her. ‘I expect you would like an hour or so in which to pack for yourself—I’ll take the children out with the dogs.’

He stood in the hall looking down at her, unsmiling, while Buller fetched her bag from the car. He must find all this a most frightful nuisance, she reflected, his daysturned upside-down and, even if he’s fond of the children, he doesn’t like me overmuch. A sudden wish to be as pretty as Alice swam into her head; it was the impersonal indifference which she found so hard to bear.

She thanked him in her quiet way, and went upstairs and began to pack her things before going to see if Jimmy and Gloria had made a start on theirs. They hadn’t, and it would be too late by the time they got back and had had dinner; getting them up in the morning would be bad enough. She fetched their cases and began to pack for them as well.

The professor went to his study after dinner and Araminta, mindful of his placid, ‘We shall leave directly after breakfast. Will you see that the children are ready by nine o’clock,’ finished the packing, persuaded the children to go to their beds and went to her room, intent on a long hot bath and washing her hair, but she had got no further than taking the pins out when there was a tap on the door. There was Buller with a request that she would go at once to the study as the professor had been called away and wished to see her before he went.

‘He’ll have to wait while I get my hair up,’ said Araminta.

‘If I might venture to say so, miss, the professor is anxious to be gone—an urgent matter at the hospital, I believe. Could you not tie it back or plait it?’

‘Well, all right, I expect I’d better.’ She began with quick fingers to weave a tidy rope of hair over one shoulder; it hung almost to her waist, thick and mousy, and she was braiding the last inch or so when Buller knocked on the study door and held it open for her.

The professor was stuffing papers into his bag. He looked up as she went in and, if he noticed the hair, he made no comment.

‘Miss Smith, I have to return to the hospital, and I am not sure when I shall get back. There may not be time to discuss anything at our leisure before we leave. You will need money for household expenses—it is in this envelope, together with the telephone numbers you might need in an emergency. You will not hesitate to get in touch with me should you judge it necessary, or if you need more money. Does the agency pay you?’

‘Yes, when I’ve finished the job.’

‘You have enough money for yourself?’

She had very little, but she wasn’t going to say so. ‘Quite enough, thank you, Professor Lister.’ She had spoken quickly and he gazed at her sharply. He didn’t say anything, though, only nodded and gave her the envelope. ‘I’ll keep an account of what I spend,’ she assured him.

‘If you wish to do so.’ He sounded uninterested. ‘I’ll see you in the morning. Breakfast at eight o’clock.’ He went to open the door for her and, as she went past, he said softly, ‘I like the hair. Why do you bundle it up out of sight?’

Araminta was annoyed to find herself blushing. ‘It gets in the way,’ she said and added, for no reason at all, ‘I was going to wash it.’

She slid past him and away across the hall and up the staircase; halfway up she remembered that she hadn’t wished him goodnight.

By some miracle Araminta managed to get the children and the animals ready and down to breakfast by eight o’clock. There was no sign of their uncle, and Jimmy was quick to point out that she need not have chivvied them into such haste, but he had scarcely finished his grumbling when Professor Lister came in. He was wearing casual clothes and greeted them in his usual manner, but he looked tired, and Araminta wondered if he had been up half the night. She had the good sense not to ask, though, but ate her breakfast, saw to it that Jimmy and Gloria ate theirs, and then excused the three of them so that the animals could have last-minute attention. Obedient to his wish, she presented her small party at nine o’clock precisely in the hall. The cases had already been brought down and Buller had put them in the boot. Goldie and Neptune were there too, and the professor began to load the Rolls with its passengers.

‘You will sit in front with me, Miss Smith,’ he observed. ‘If you will have Tibs and his basket on your knee, Mutt can sit on Jimmy, and Goldie and Neptune can sit on the floor.’

If they felt rebellious the children didn’t say so, but got into the car and settled down with room to spare, leaving Araminta to settle herself in the comfort of the front seat.

Beyond enquiring as to everyone’s comfort, the professor had little to say, and Araminta, guessing that he was tired, kept silent. The children sounded happy enough and the animals were giving no trouble; she sat back and allowed her thoughts to wander.

They didn’t wander far. She was very conscious of the professor’s vast silent bulk beside her; if he had a private life—friends, girlfriends, a woman he loved—there had been no sign of them during the week; as far as she had seen, his days were wholly occupied by his work. He must have a private life, she thought. I dare say he’s tucked it out of sight while we’ve been living in his house. She began to think about the kind of woman he might love. Beautiful, of course, exquisitely dressed, amusing and witty, knowing just how to soothe him when he got home from a busy day at the hospital…

She looked out of her window and saw that they were well away from London; the A303 wasn’t far off. He wasn’t wasting time.

She turned to see if everything was as it should be on the back seat and, since it was, settled back again.

‘Comfortable?’ asked the professor.

‘Yes, thank you. Have you been up all night?’

He laughed a little. ‘Am I driving so badly? Not all night; I got home just after two o’clock.’

‘You would have time for a nap before you have to return.’

‘I’m flattered by your concern, Miss Smith, but I am quite rested.’

Snubbed, thought Araminta, and looked out of the window again.

Halfway down the A303 he stopped at a Happy Eater, and everyone piled out except Tibs, asleep in her basket. The dogs on their leads were walked by Jimmy and his uncle while Araminta and Gloria went inside, in a hurry to get to the ladies’, and then to find a table. They were joined shortly by Jimmy and the professor, who ordered coffee for all of them and a plate of buns. The coffee was hot and the children wolfed the buns as though they were starving, but no one wasted time in casual talk. In ten minutes they were back in the car and on their way. Tisbury wasn’t far; Professor Lister took a left-hand turning into a side road and they were at once surrounded by rural Wiltshire. There was only one village on their way, Chilmark, then they were back running between high hedges and scattered farms. Araminta gave an appreciative sniff and the professor observed, ‘Restful, isn’t it? When we arrive I shall leave you to open up the house, make the beds and so on. I’ll take the children into the village—you’ll need bread and milk and so on, won’t you?’

‘Yes, do you want a list? I can take a quick look in the fridge and the freezer.’

‘That would help. Do you feel up to cooking a meal?’

‘Yes, of course.’

They lapsed into silence, but this time it seemed to her that the silence was friendly.

The children were glad to be home. They rushed inside as soon as the professor had unlocked the door and then, at his placid request, carried the bags indoors and upstairs. That done, he said, ‘If you’ll see to Tibs, Gloria, Jimmy can see to the dogs while Miss Smith and I make a list of the food we’ll need. We’ll go down to the village and do the shopping while she gets the place aired.’

Whatever made me think that he was absent-minded? reflected Araminta, busily writing a list of the food to be bought.

Once they were out of the house, leaving her with Tibs for company, she set about opening the windows, looking into the cupboards and peering into drawers. The linencupboard was nicely filled; she took the bedlinen off the beds and filled the washing-machine. The beds could be made up later. She laid the table for lunch, peeled the potatoes she found in the garden shed, and nipped round with a duster—not ideal, but all she had time for.

They came back laden. ‘Sausages,’ said the professor, emptying plastic bags all over the table, ‘spring greens, carrots and turnips. Apples, oranges and lettuces. Jimmy has the rest and Gloria went to the baker’s. We’ll go into the garden while you get the lunch—do you want a hand?’

‘No, thanks.’ She glanced at the clock. ‘Half an hour?’

All the same he stowed away the butter, milk and cheese before he went into the garden, the dogs trailing after him.

Araminta was a good cook: the sausages, grilled to a golden brown, lay on a mound of creamed potatoes, she had glazed the carrots with sugar and butter, and the spring greens, chopped fine, added a note of colour. Everything was eaten, as were the cheese and biscuits which followed. A pot of coffee washed everything down nicely and the professor sat back with a sigh.

‘A delicious meal, Miss Smith,’ he observed. ‘We’ll wash up while you do whatever you want to do. Gloria, don’t forget to feed that cat of yours, and what about the dogs?’

Araminta left them to it, and sped upstairs to make beds, put out towels and tidy the rooms. There would be several loads of washing, but she could iron all day, if necessary, when the children had gone back to school.

When she got back to the kitchen everything had been tidily put away and she found the three of them in the hall by the open door.

‘There you are,’ said Professor Lister. ‘I’m going back now—I’ll phone you this evening and, if you need help or advice, don’t hesitate to ring me. I’ll do my best to come down.’

He nodded to her, said goodbye to Jimmy and Gloria, got into his car with the dogs and drove away. The three of them stood watching the car disappearing down the drive and into the lane, and even when it was out of sight they still stood there.

It was Araminta who said briskly, ‘I expect you’ve heaps of things you want to do, but first will you let me have all your washing? I dare say there are some things you’ll need for school on Monday.’

‘Patty usually…’ began Gloria, and thought better of it. ‘All right, but then I want to go and see Jean down at the Rectory.’

‘Why not?’ agreed Araminta cheerfully. ‘But please both be here for tea. Half-past four. We can discuss supper then.’

She was surprised that they didn’t demur, but fetched their washing, put Mutt on his lead, and went off together—which gave her time to check the cupboards again, pick some flowers from the garden and unpack her own things; all the while, Professor Lister was never far from her thoughts.

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