The Lett Family Trilogy by Maggie Ford

Author:Maggie Ford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo Digital Publishing Ltd
Published: 2022-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Eleven

He should have known something was wrong when Pam and Geoffrey did not appear at Letts’ New Year’s Eve party this year, offering no good excuse, only saying offhandedly that they were thinking of having a small private party at their own home. Henry guessed immediately what it was over, especially having heard nothing from them since then.

They had gone off on a winter skiing trip to Austria, that he knew. So much for saving to sail on the Queen Mary, he’d thought scathingly. They’d be back in two weeks, Geoffrey’s butler informed him – it was just a short break. Henry had moderated his unkind cynicism and silently forgave them, Geoffrey no doubt having taken his advice to save for his ocean voyage after all.

True to their word, the pair came home in early February, but still there was no contact. His refusal to finance Geoffrey’s cruise probably still rankled, and they wouldn’t leave it at that. It would come to a head sometime, he reasoned. So he wasn’t surprised when Pam, on her own, came marching into the restaurant one late February morning saying that she wanted a word with him. Not discreetly, not even with a please, but demandingly and in full hearing of all those having coffee. There was no doubt by her manner that she’d been brooding all this time over his own earlier attitude, and like badly fermented wine ready to blow its cork, no sooner had she uttered the normal salutatory opening – that in itself more a command than a greeting – than hers blew.

“Good morning, Henry.”

He blinked at the harsh tone, the set expression, but nevertheless smiled. “Why, hello, Pam. What brings you here? Where’s Geoffrey?”

“Henry, I want to speak to you.”

Henry stalled. “Did you enjoy your holiday? When did you get back?”

Already anticipating that look on her face, he guided her hastily away from the restaurant as he spoke, going up the gilt stairs with her to the less occupied dance floor area where only a few businessmen quietly conversed with each other at the bar or at one or two of the little round tables around the perimeter of the carpeted, oval-shaped upper area.

Gaining the balcony above the main restaurant, he saw it was deserted but for a couple coming through the main glass doors above a flight of eight steps, Mary welcoming them. In a moment they would descend the stairs to be conducted by William down the second more ornate flight to the restaurant itself and shown to a table.

Henry, having managed to get Pam out of hearing and hopefully out of sight before she could say what she had undoubtedly come to say, took his eyes off Mary to ask Pam the obvious: “Is something wrong?”

In answer, she uttered a single word – “Mary.” Her tone was deliberately offensive.

Henry reached into his breast pocket for his cigarette case. “What about her?”

“I should have thought that was obvious,” she said.

Henry shook his head, extracting a Player’s Navy. These days only the strongest kind could satisfy his smoke-congested needs.

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