everything, sells your pictures, allows you the run of this ravishing house. All you do is moan.’
‘Not viz desire for him. He’s impotent.’
‘Probably queer like my brother Adrian, who works in an art gallery. Maybe all dealers are queer.’
‘Freud cured Mahler’s impotence,’ observed Galena.
‘He’d better cure Raymond then.’
‘Freud’s dead, stupid. Ven I marry Raymond I told him I must have freedom to do vot I like.’
‘To have and to cuckhold.’ Rupert shook his golden head. ‘I couldn’t cope with an unfaithful wife.’
He picked up Galena’s sketch.
‘That’s good, can I have it?’
‘Ven I’ve signed it.’ Galena scrawled G.B. on the bottom.
‘Thank you.’ Rupert laughed. ‘We should all have G.B. tattooed on our bumpers to show we’ve been to bed with you. Now that is nice.’ Rupert had just noticed the Raphael Pandora, on the right of the bed. ‘Where did Shrimp Villy find that?’
‘In some flea market in France.’
‘Did he buy that little flea who tried to stop me coming up here? Who is he?’
‘David someone, Raymond hired him for the summer to coach the boys. Are you jealous?’
‘Of that?’ asked Rupert incredulously.
I love his arrogance almost more than his beauty, thought Galena, holding out her arms. ‘Come back to bed.’
Her breath reeked of drink and fags. Fucking Galena, reflected Rupert, was like going to the pub. They were interrupted by thunderous banging.
‘Bugger off!’ Rupert hurled the empty champagne bottle at the door. ‘Mrs Belvedon! Galena!’
‘Go away.’
‘I’m sorry to bother you, the boys are back, and Sir Mervyn Newton and his daughter, Rosemary, have been downstairs for half an hour.’
‘Tell them I’m vorking.’
‘They’ve come all the way from Cornwall to see you.’
‘Well, tell Mrs Robens to give them a drink and get rid of them.’
‘You gave the Robenses the day off. She’s gone to see her sister. Sir Mervyn’s expecting supper.’
‘Oh, you sort something out.’
Having left Sir Mervyn and Rosemary on the terrace with more huge drinks, David belted back to the kitchen. Perhaps supper had been left, but as he opened the fridge, only a large raw fish, as balefully uncooperative as Mrs Robens, glared out at him.
He telephoned Raymond’s favourite local restaurant, the Lark Ascending, only to be told they were fully booked.
‘It’s for Raymond Belvedon,’ protested David.
There was a pause, followed by a different voice.
‘We’ve got a wedding party, but we could fit Mr Belvedon into our private room any time after nine.’
It was only seven now. By nine, Sir Mervyn would be horizontal in the delphiniums.
‘Leave it,’ snapped David.
When he was rich and famous, he vowed, people would empty restaurants to accommodate him and his guests. He was roused by an excited squeak as Maud heaved herself out of her basket and limped out of the kitchen. For the second time, Galena and Rupert were interrupted by thundering on the door.
‘Mrs Belvedon, Mr Belvedon’s home.’
‘Holy shit.’ Rupert ran to the window. ‘Holy even shittier.’
Seeing Maud joyfully dancing on her rheumaticky legs to greet her master, Badger, Rupert’s Labrador, bored of being confined to the Rolls, had wriggled through the lowered black glass window, and was now cavorting on the lawn with her.
Examining the label on Badger’s collar, Raymond read: ‘Campbell-Black, Penscombe 204’. So that was why Galena had been so manic recently.
Having yelled to David that she’d be down in a minute, Galena ordered Rupert to stay put.
‘Raymond’ll change in his dressing room, then go back downstairs to sell pictures. The deal is all. I’ll smuggle you out later.’
Drenching herself in Mitsouko to disguise the reek of sex, Galena slipped into her flamingo-pink dress and, not bothering to wash or comb her hair, ran downstairs out onto the terrace.
‘Forgeeve me, Sir Mervyn, I have been painting since early this
‘Not viz desire for him. He’s impotent.’
‘Probably queer like my brother Adrian, who works in an art gallery. Maybe all dealers are queer.’
‘Freud cured Mahler’s impotence,’ observed Galena.
‘He’d better cure Raymond then.’
‘Freud’s dead, stupid. Ven I marry Raymond I told him I must have freedom to do vot I like.’
‘To have and to cuckhold.’ Rupert shook his golden head. ‘I couldn’t cope with an unfaithful wife.’
He picked up Galena’s sketch.
‘That’s good, can I have it?’
‘Ven I’ve signed it.’ Galena scrawled G.B. on the bottom.
‘Thank you.’ Rupert laughed. ‘We should all have G.B. tattooed on our bumpers to show we’ve been to bed with you. Now that is nice.’ Rupert had just noticed the Raphael Pandora, on the right of the bed. ‘Where did Shrimp Villy find that?’
‘In some flea market in France.’
‘Did he buy that little flea who tried to stop me coming up here? Who is he?’
‘David someone, Raymond hired him for the summer to coach the boys. Are you jealous?’
‘Of that?’ asked Rupert incredulously.
I love his arrogance almost more than his beauty, thought Galena, holding out her arms. ‘Come back to bed.’
Her breath reeked of drink and fags. Fucking Galena, reflected Rupert, was like going to the pub. They were interrupted by thunderous banging.
‘Bugger off!’ Rupert hurled the empty champagne bottle at the door. ‘Mrs Belvedon! Galena!’
‘Go away.’
‘I’m sorry to bother you, the boys are back, and Sir Mervyn Newton and his daughter, Rosemary, have been downstairs for half an hour.’
‘Tell them I’m vorking.’
‘They’ve come all the way from Cornwall to see you.’
‘Well, tell Mrs Robens to give them a drink and get rid of them.’
‘You gave the Robenses the day off. She’s gone to see her sister. Sir Mervyn’s expecting supper.’
‘Oh, you sort something out.’
Having left Sir Mervyn and Rosemary on the terrace with more huge drinks, David belted back to the kitchen. Perhaps supper had been left, but as he opened the fridge, only a large raw fish, as balefully uncooperative as Mrs Robens, glared out at him.
He telephoned Raymond’s favourite local restaurant, the Lark Ascending, only to be told they were fully booked.
‘It’s for Raymond Belvedon,’ protested David.
There was a pause, followed by a different voice.
‘We’ve got a wedding party, but we could fit Mr Belvedon into our private room any time after nine.’
It was only seven now. By nine, Sir Mervyn would be horizontal in the delphiniums.
‘Leave it,’ snapped David.
When he was rich and famous, he vowed, people would empty restaurants to accommodate him and his guests. He was roused by an excited squeak as Maud heaved herself out of her basket and limped out of the kitchen. For the second time, Galena and Rupert were interrupted by thundering on the door.
‘Mrs Belvedon, Mr Belvedon’s home.’
‘Holy shit.’ Rupert ran to the window. ‘Holy even shittier.’
Seeing Maud joyfully dancing on her rheumaticky legs to greet her master, Badger, Rupert’s Labrador, bored of being confined to the Rolls, had wriggled through the lowered black glass window, and was now cavorting on the lawn with her.
Examining the label on Badger’s collar, Raymond read: ‘Campbell-Black, Penscombe 204’. So that was why Galena had been so manic recently.
Having yelled to David that she’d be down in a minute, Galena ordered Rupert to stay put.
‘Raymond’ll change in his dressing room, then go back downstairs to sell pictures. The deal is all. I’ll smuggle you out later.’
Drenching herself in Mitsouko to disguise the reek of sex, Galena slipped into her flamingo-pink dress and, not bothering to wash or comb her hair, ran downstairs out onto the terrace.
‘Forgeeve me, Sir Mervyn, I have been painting since early this
Similar Books
