a few moments of uncomfortable silence.
‘We’ve brought our ration books.’ Elvira pushed them across the table to him and snapped shut her crocodile handbag.
‘Oh dear, I know nothing about rationing.’ James pushed them back. ‘Dando deals with all that for me but I can’t ask him to buy for you too. Why don’t you cater for yourselves, Elvira?’
‘Good, I will.’ She sounded short. ‘Marcus can show me where the local shops are.’
There was another silence and then Marcus asked as their soup arrived, ‘What about dinner tonight?’
‘In the evenings I mostly eat out, except for the weekends,’ James said. The soup smelled delicious, he’d have preferred that to the omelette. ‘With a few friends,’ he added hastily. ‘Old fogies really, I don’t think you and Elvira would have much in common with them. It might suit you better if you found your own places to eat.’
‘Yes.’ There was no mistaking the relief on Elvira’s plump face.
‘And you can use your ration books to buy food for your other meals. I don’t get up for my breakfast so it’s just lunch I eat here, possibly more on Saturday and Sundays, but possibly not.’
James hoped he’d see John Maddox this evening at the Connaught Club. He’d spent his working life running an estate agent business and his son was carrying on, with offices in several suburban areas of the city. He would ask him to find a house for Marcus to buy. Or rent. A house of any sort, a flat, or rooms, furnished or unfurnished, anything. And there was Nigel to think of too. He was due to dock in Southampton in the next few weeks and it was no good expecting him to have fixed himself up with somewhere to live.
‘You’d think now the war is over things would be getting easier,’ Elvira said, biting into her sandwich.
‘They will soon,’ James said but she was soon into her conversational stride, going on about shortages. He got to his feet. ‘It’s time for my rest now. Why don’t you ask Mrs Trotter to show you round the kitchen? She comes only three mornings a week and would normally be gone before now. Perhaps I’ll see you at teatime. Dando usually makes a pot between four and five. Good luck with your search.’
Marcus held his breath as he waited for the door to click shut behind his father. He knew Elvira was seething and had held back until they were alone. ‘I can see we aren’t going to be made too comfortable here,’ she said. ‘You didn’t tell me we’d have to share a bathroom with your father and he’s not exactly welcoming, considering he hasn’t seen us for two years or more.’
‘He’s an invalid; we can’t expect much from him. We’ll have to look after ourselves.’
‘You mean I’ll have to look after you.’
‘We’ll find a place of our own just as soon as we can.’
‘And should anything decent ever come on the market, what are we supposed to use for money? You’re a damn fool, Marcus. You should have stayed put until you’d earned enough to buy us a house. It was ridiculous to get up and go on the spur of the moment as you did.’
‘You know why I had to,’ he said through clenched lips. ‘Don’t start on that again.’
It didn’t stop Elvira. ‘It was a stupid thing to do. Hamish said there was nothing to worry about.’
‘I thought there was. I don’t want to end up in jail and—’
‘Shush,’ Elvira hissed, as the door opened and Mrs Trotter came in.
‘If you’ve finished,’ she said, ‘I’ll take your plates. Shall I make you a cup of tea before I go, madam?’
‘Is there any coffee?’
‘No, I’m sorry.’
‘Tea will have to do then, thank you.’
As soon as they were alone again, Elvira went on, ‘For heaven’s sake don’t let anybody hear you saying things like that or you really will end up there. Don’t forget, our story is that we came straight from Catterick and that the army dispensed with your services yesterday.’
‘As if I could,’ he said angrily.
‘We’ve brought our ration books.’ Elvira pushed them across the table to him and snapped shut her crocodile handbag.
‘Oh dear, I know nothing about rationing.’ James pushed them back. ‘Dando deals with all that for me but I can’t ask him to buy for you too. Why don’t you cater for yourselves, Elvira?’
‘Good, I will.’ She sounded short. ‘Marcus can show me where the local shops are.’
There was another silence and then Marcus asked as their soup arrived, ‘What about dinner tonight?’
‘In the evenings I mostly eat out, except for the weekends,’ James said. The soup smelled delicious, he’d have preferred that to the omelette. ‘With a few friends,’ he added hastily. ‘Old fogies really, I don’t think you and Elvira would have much in common with them. It might suit you better if you found your own places to eat.’
‘Yes.’ There was no mistaking the relief on Elvira’s plump face.
‘And you can use your ration books to buy food for your other meals. I don’t get up for my breakfast so it’s just lunch I eat here, possibly more on Saturday and Sundays, but possibly not.’
James hoped he’d see John Maddox this evening at the Connaught Club. He’d spent his working life running an estate agent business and his son was carrying on, with offices in several suburban areas of the city. He would ask him to find a house for Marcus to buy. Or rent. A house of any sort, a flat, or rooms, furnished or unfurnished, anything. And there was Nigel to think of too. He was due to dock in Southampton in the next few weeks and it was no good expecting him to have fixed himself up with somewhere to live.
‘You’d think now the war is over things would be getting easier,’ Elvira said, biting into her sandwich.
‘They will soon,’ James said but she was soon into her conversational stride, going on about shortages. He got to his feet. ‘It’s time for my rest now. Why don’t you ask Mrs Trotter to show you round the kitchen? She comes only three mornings a week and would normally be gone before now. Perhaps I’ll see you at teatime. Dando usually makes a pot between four and five. Good luck with your search.’
Marcus held his breath as he waited for the door to click shut behind his father. He knew Elvira was seething and had held back until they were alone. ‘I can see we aren’t going to be made too comfortable here,’ she said. ‘You didn’t tell me we’d have to share a bathroom with your father and he’s not exactly welcoming, considering he hasn’t seen us for two years or more.’
‘He’s an invalid; we can’t expect much from him. We’ll have to look after ourselves.’
‘You mean I’ll have to look after you.’
‘We’ll find a place of our own just as soon as we can.’
‘And should anything decent ever come on the market, what are we supposed to use for money? You’re a damn fool, Marcus. You should have stayed put until you’d earned enough to buy us a house. It was ridiculous to get up and go on the spur of the moment as you did.’
‘You know why I had to,’ he said through clenched lips. ‘Don’t start on that again.’
It didn’t stop Elvira. ‘It was a stupid thing to do. Hamish said there was nothing to worry about.’
‘I thought there was. I don’t want to end up in jail and—’
‘Shush,’ Elvira hissed, as the door opened and Mrs Trotter came in.
‘If you’ve finished,’ she said, ‘I’ll take your plates. Shall I make you a cup of tea before I go, madam?’
‘Is there any coffee?’
‘No, I’m sorry.’
‘Tea will have to do then, thank you.’
As soon as they were alone again, Elvira went on, ‘For heaven’s sake don’t let anybody hear you saying things like that or you really will end up there. Don’t forget, our story is that we came straight from Catterick and that the army dispensed with your services yesterday.’
‘As if I could,’ he said angrily.
Similar Books
