horror in his eyes, ‘Oh, you don’t mean I’m to miss
Siegfried
? I was so looking forward to it, and dinner afterwards and everything. No, Olga, surely not that.’
‘Listen, you chump, Lucia’s in a hole with that septic Mapp and she’s going to need all the support she can get. I really don’t think this is a good time for you to be gallivanting off to London and leaving her on her own.’
‘In a hole?’ Georgie asked, puzzled. ‘But that’s all going to be alright, isn’t it? You’ve fixed it for Noël to come down at the weekend as a surprise.’
Wordlessly she pulled a telegram from her handbag and passed it to him. He gasped with dismay as he read it.
REGRET WEEKEND IMPOSSIBLE DUE TO SATURDAY MATINEE STOP UNDERSTUDY SICK AND USELESS ANYWAY STOP HEY HO STOP NOËL
‘That’s why I’m leaving early,’ Olga informed him mournfully. ‘I’m going to try to appeal to his better nature and get him to change his mind.’
‘Wretched man!’ Georgie exclaimed in a sudden spasm of irritation. ‘Why, I’m sure he could perfectly well come if he really wanted to. “Hey ho” indeed!’
‘Maybe, maybe not,’ Olga opined. ‘That’s what I’m off to find out.’
‘But he promised! It’s really jolly well not fair.’
‘Well,’ said Olga with a weak attempt at a smile, ‘I do remember him telling me once that you should never take seriously anything anybody says before two o’clock in the afternoon.’
‘Well, thank goodness we didn’t tell her,’ Georgie said. ‘She’d already have invited the whole of Tilling to meet him, and then think how Mapp would have crowed when she had to cancel everything.’
‘I know,’ Olga agreed. ‘It makes my blood run cold just to think of it.’ She glanced at her watch.
‘Hell’s teeth, I must go. Bye, m’dear.’
She pecked him on the cheek and trotted quickly out to the car, beside which Cadman was looking pointedly at his own watch while distractedly polishing the radiator.
‘If I
can
get away …’ Georgie shouted hopefully after her.
From the departing car Olga wagged an admonitory finger.
Lucia was understandably surprised when Georgie appeared at lunch.
‘Oh!’ she said. ‘You’re here then?’
‘Well, um, yes,’ he mumbled.
‘But I thought you were going up to London with Olga?’
‘Yes, I was,’ Georgie replied awkwardly, ‘but then I decided to stay here with you instead.’
‘Why,
caro mio
? Isn’t it
Siegfried
tonight? That’s your favourite.’
Georgie motioned to Foljambe, who was serving the fish sauce, and waited for her to leave the room.
‘It’s just that I thought I should stay here and support you,’ he began, searching for the right words. ‘You see, you’re in a real spot with Mapp over that wretched Noël Coward business. and I know you must be worried and upset about it …’
Lucia gazed at him in open astonishment.
‘… so I thought I should stay,’ he finished rather lamely.
‘Georgie,’ Lucia said in a very unusual tone of voice, ‘are you really proposing to give up
Siegfried
for me?’
‘Well, yes,’ he answered. ‘I am.’
She looked at him tenderly and for a moment it was almost as if she was going to reach across the table and take his hand, but the moment passed.
‘Out of the question,’ she said briskly, normal service being resumed.
‘But why?’ he asked blankly. ‘If I stay here we can talk about it and work out what to do, what to say.’
‘It’s extremely kind of you, Georgie,’ she replied, ‘and please don’t think I’m not touched because I am, but there’ll be plenty of time to have a council of war when you get back tomorrow. It’s only Mapp, after all. You and I have faced far worse crises than this, yes, and overcome them too.’
‘You say “only Mapp”,’ Georgie countered, ‘but she’s really got her teeth in this time and she’s not going to let go.’
‘I know, Georgie,’ Lucia agreed, ‘but I’m sure it’s not beyond our
Siegfried
? I was so looking forward to it, and dinner afterwards and everything. No, Olga, surely not that.’
‘Listen, you chump, Lucia’s in a hole with that septic Mapp and she’s going to need all the support she can get. I really don’t think this is a good time for you to be gallivanting off to London and leaving her on her own.’
‘In a hole?’ Georgie asked, puzzled. ‘But that’s all going to be alright, isn’t it? You’ve fixed it for Noël to come down at the weekend as a surprise.’
Wordlessly she pulled a telegram from her handbag and passed it to him. He gasped with dismay as he read it.
REGRET WEEKEND IMPOSSIBLE DUE TO SATURDAY MATINEE STOP UNDERSTUDY SICK AND USELESS ANYWAY STOP HEY HO STOP NOËL
‘That’s why I’m leaving early,’ Olga informed him mournfully. ‘I’m going to try to appeal to his better nature and get him to change his mind.’
‘Wretched man!’ Georgie exclaimed in a sudden spasm of irritation. ‘Why, I’m sure he could perfectly well come if he really wanted to. “Hey ho” indeed!’
‘Maybe, maybe not,’ Olga opined. ‘That’s what I’m off to find out.’
‘But he promised! It’s really jolly well not fair.’
‘Well,’ said Olga with a weak attempt at a smile, ‘I do remember him telling me once that you should never take seriously anything anybody says before two o’clock in the afternoon.’
‘Well, thank goodness we didn’t tell her,’ Georgie said. ‘She’d already have invited the whole of Tilling to meet him, and then think how Mapp would have crowed when she had to cancel everything.’
‘I know,’ Olga agreed. ‘It makes my blood run cold just to think of it.’ She glanced at her watch.
‘Hell’s teeth, I must go. Bye, m’dear.’
She pecked him on the cheek and trotted quickly out to the car, beside which Cadman was looking pointedly at his own watch while distractedly polishing the radiator.
‘If I
can
get away …’ Georgie shouted hopefully after her.
From the departing car Olga wagged an admonitory finger.
Lucia was understandably surprised when Georgie appeared at lunch.
‘Oh!’ she said. ‘You’re here then?’
‘Well, um, yes,’ he mumbled.
‘But I thought you were going up to London with Olga?’
‘Yes, I was,’ Georgie replied awkwardly, ‘but then I decided to stay here with you instead.’
‘Why,
caro mio
? Isn’t it
Siegfried
tonight? That’s your favourite.’
Georgie motioned to Foljambe, who was serving the fish sauce, and waited for her to leave the room.
‘It’s just that I thought I should stay here and support you,’ he began, searching for the right words. ‘You see, you’re in a real spot with Mapp over that wretched Noël Coward business. and I know you must be worried and upset about it …’
Lucia gazed at him in open astonishment.
‘… so I thought I should stay,’ he finished rather lamely.
‘Georgie,’ Lucia said in a very unusual tone of voice, ‘are you really proposing to give up
Siegfried
for me?’
‘Well, yes,’ he answered. ‘I am.’
She looked at him tenderly and for a moment it was almost as if she was going to reach across the table and take his hand, but the moment passed.
‘Out of the question,’ she said briskly, normal service being resumed.
‘But why?’ he asked blankly. ‘If I stay here we can talk about it and work out what to do, what to say.’
‘It’s extremely kind of you, Georgie,’ she replied, ‘and please don’t think I’m not touched because I am, but there’ll be plenty of time to have a council of war when you get back tomorrow. It’s only Mapp, after all. You and I have faced far worse crises than this, yes, and overcome them too.’
‘You say “only Mapp”,’ Georgie countered, ‘but she’s really got her teeth in this time and she’s not going to let go.’
‘I know, Georgie,’ Lucia agreed, ‘but I’m sure it’s not beyond our
Similar Books
