Life Skills by Katie Fforde

Author:Katie Fforde [Fforde, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780099280231
Publisher: Century
Published: 1999-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

In spite of pleading with them not to, Bill and Sylvia had insisted on ceremonial thanks and speeches of farewell on their last night, before dinner. Julia stood in the galley doorway suffering silently. She had - foolishly, it turned out - decided to make cheese souffles as a last-night treat and didn't know if they'd survive better with the oven on or off. Mrs Anstruther would make some acid comment whatever happened, and was now listening to praises being sung to people she despised in a way which reminded Julia of a stuffed polecat she had once seen in a museum: static but vicious.

It had been a long and tiring fortnight, and Julia was keen to get this last dinner over before she lost what remnants of sanity she still had and committed grievous bodily harm on an elderly widow, having failed to drown her son. But she had to watch, agonising about her souffles, as first Wayne, then Suzy, then she herself were presented with wildly unsuitable gifts.

Oscar cleared his throat, unable to miss out on any ceremony going, and produced a plastic carrier. 'A small gesture of gratitude for the splendid time you've given m'mother and myself.’

He handed Julia and Suzy boxes wrapped in chemist's bags which turned out to be embarrassingly expensive scent. Suzy thanked him with her usual lusty enthusiasm and Julia was forced to kiss his cheek. Both girls avoided Mrs Anstruther, lest they be turned into pigs.

‘Can I serve dinner now?' Julia asked, when she'd judged everyone had oohed and aahed enough. It was hard not to sound churlish when everyone had been so kind.

‘Not quite, it's Fergus's turn,' said Suzy. 'He's been so good to us when we were short-handed.'

‘Gave me a hand out of the cut when I needed it,' put in Oscar, with a guffaw, forgetting for a moment that Fergus was his supposed rival.

‘And as you all know, he's leaving us tomorrow . . Suzy went on.

Julia, who hadn't realised it was so soon, suffered a pang of anguish which made her hiccup.

‘And so I've got him a present too.' She handed him a box which he duly unpacked. 'Your very own windlass,' Suzy announced, 'to make sure you don't forget the canals.'

‘That's really very kind of you, Suzy.' Fergus kissed Suzy firmly. 'Just being on the canals with you all was reward enough.’

Julia blushed, sure there was a double entendre there intended for her. 'I really do think we should eat now,' she said. To their enormous credit, the souffles were still inflated.

The following morning, possibly because of the hyperbole written by the school party and Oscar, Mrs Anstruther declined to write in the visitors' book. Considering she had hated the canals from the moment she had set foot on the boats this was just as well. It was only, according to Fergus, in whom she had confided, her devotion to her 'beloved son', and her determination to keep him out of the hands of 'that harpy', which made her come at all.

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