Soldiers' Wives by Fiona; Field Page A

pretty much left en masse to get other children from the playgroup or kindergarten, before preparing a meal for their menfolk. Maddy rose and made a move to escape. Nate had finally drifted off to sleep and was temporarily silent, and Maddy felt that if peace lasted a little longer she might get a few of Seb’s shirts ironed, before he came home for lunch.
    â€˜Hang on,’ said Susie. She rummaged through a pile of papers, stuffed behind the clock on the mantelpiece. Maddy noticed the number of invitations wedged by their corners into the frame of the overmantel mirror. No wonder Susie ran the babysitting circle, she must be constantly out and, when her daughters were back from prep school, in need of childcare. Susie found what she was looking for and handed it to Maddy.
    â€˜Your tokens,’ she said. ‘Plus a list of the circle members, telephone numbers, number of kids, that sort of thing.’
    Maddy opened the envelope and glanced at the sheet. If nothing else, it would be a useful aide memoire as to who lived where on the patch. She stuffed it back in the envelope.
    â€˜Thanks.’
    â€˜Stay to lunch.’
    â€˜That’s really kind but Seb’s expecting me back.’
    â€˜Ring him. Tell him to have lunch in the mess. He’ll probably be happy to pretend he’s back there, living in.’ Susie must have seen the expression on Maddy’s face. ‘Sorry, that came out all wrong. I didn’t mean he might be regretting getting married but it’s a big step for the lads when they move out of that all-boys-together atmosphere and have to grow up.’
    Frankly, Maddy didn’t think Seb had really grown up. She still felt a nagging irritation about the way he’d abandoned her and Nate when they’d moved house and sometimes it seemed as if she was his personal scout now, the way she picked up after him, did his laundry and had his meals ready on demand. Fuck it, she thought, fuck his shirts, she
would
stay to lunch and if they didn’t get done,
he
could iron them. Even if Susie did intimidate her more than a little it would be nice to make another friend on the patch.
    Seb seemed very relaxed about Maddy’s decision when she phoned him. Then he said,
sotto voce
, ‘Good move, getting in with the boss’s wife. You could offer to have her round to ours for lunch, too. Never does any harm to be friends with the OC and his missus.’
    He was right, of course, but Maddy preferred to have friends just because they got on, not for ulterior reasons.
    Susie bustled about in her kitchen, which Maddy noted with interest was just as shabby as her own.
    â€˜Just soup and bread. Wine?’
    Maddy shook her head. She might gag for a gin in the evening, but she tried not to drink during the day, except very occasionally at weekends. ‘No thanks,’ she said.
    Susie stopped in her tracks. ‘Just one, surely?’
    â€˜No, really.’ She looked at Nate, who would provide the perfect excuse. ‘I’m still breastfeeding. Maybe something soft?’
    Susie rummaged in a cupboard which, as far as Maddy could see, was mainly used for storing tonic water, and emerged with a bottle of elderflower cordial.
    â€˜Perfect,’ said Maddy. Susie poured it into a tumbler and added a couple of ice cubes.
    â€˜You don’t mind if I do?’ said Susie, whisking a bottle of white out of the fridge and cracking off the screw top. She filled a large glass to the brim. ‘Now then, what can I tell you about army life and the patch…?’
    Maybe it was the wine that loosened Susie’s tongue, but after a while Maddy felt that she was hearing just a little too much gossip about the other wives. Which was frankly disturbing because it made Maddy wonder what the hell Susie would say about her and Seb. For instance, Maddy wasn’t really sure she needed to know quite what a bad influence Susie thought Caro was.
    â€˜She’s very