The Newcomer by Fern Britton

Author:Fern Britton [Fern Britton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2019-02-19T05:00:00+00:00

19

‘Ladies, would you please give a warm welcome to tonight’s special guest. The chairman of the parish council, Mr Mike Bates.’ Angela ushered Mike into the vicarage lounge.

‘Good evening, ladies.’ Mike beamed at the familiar faces. ‘I am delighted to be here.’

Angela ushered him to the comfiest armchair.

Mamie, looking extra glamorous this evening, brandished a bottle of very good whisky towards him. ‘You look like a whisky-and-soda man to me.’

Audrey rolled her eyes from the second-most comfy armchair and tutted loudly.

Mike either didn’t hear or pretended not to. ‘You guess right, Mamie. Just a small one, thank you.’

‘Ice?’ Mamie asked seductively.

‘Rather. Thanks awfully.’ Mike pulled at his tie nervously.

‘So why are you here, Michael?’ Queenie would always voice the question everyone else wanted to ask.

Angela explained. ‘Mike has kindly agreed to explain a little about what will happen during the Big Pond Dig and what he and Piran think we may find. But also, and some of you may know this, Mike fought in the Falklands War. He happened to mention the fact to me the other day and I thought it would be a fascinating story for us to hear from a real-life hero in our midst.’

Mike was embarrassed. ‘Well, I don’t know about that. I’m rather afraid that you’ll think me an old war bore.’

‘Not at all,’ said Sarah. ‘My Joe, Santi’s dad, he joined the navy after meeting Simon Weston.’

‘Oh, yes,’ said Mamie, handing Mike his whisky, ice cubes clinking. ‘He was that marvellous boy who got so badly burnt when his ship – Sir Galahad, wasn’t it? – was bombed. Such an inspiration.’

‘I remember it like it was yesterday,’ said Queenie. ‘We hadn’t a clue where the Falklands was. Thought they were up near the Orkneys or something, couldn’t believe it when we found out they was down near the South Pole. Penguins and everything.’

‘Let’s get on with it, shall we,’ grumbled Audrey. ‘We don’t have all night and I have cancelled an engagement to come here and discuss my choice for the first book club.’

‘Oh, I had no idea your agenda was so busy,’ said Mike. ‘Are we all ready?’

Angela made sure everyone had their glasses topped up and Sarah asked Mike if he minded her breastfeeding Santi in front of him. Loosening the grip of his collar from his throat, he said it would be ‘absolutely fine’. But he made sure he kept his gaze firmly away from where it was all happening on the sofa.

‘You are quite right, Queenie. No one knew where the hell the Falklands were, but very quickly we knew that our training on Dartmoor would not go to waste. The Falklands terrain is very similar. Rocky, craggy, windy, cold.’

‘Yomping,’ Queenie said knowingly. ‘That’s what you did, weren’t it?’

‘Oh, by jingo we yomped. No other way of getting around. Marching day and night with very heavy kit bags. About six or seven stone each.’

Sitting nearest to the door, Angela slipped out of the room, remembering she’d left her choices of book club books by her bed.

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