to bereavement, the important roles of Moses and Lazarus need to be recast and, as always, we need a new baby Jesus. Rehearsals will start in mid-September.
I’m sure I will never be able to watch the Raising of Lazarus scene again without thinking of Tom, though actually when Lazarus’s mother says to Jesus, ‘Our Lazarus hath popped his clogs, and he were my only child,’ my eyes tend to well up anyway.
Of course, Jesus immediately tells Lazarus to stop larking about, because his mother is in a proper state about him, and up he jumps with a cheery, ‘Hello, our ma. Is summat up?’
But there will be no miracle this time for Tom, who hath well and truly popped his clogs.
‘Hi, Lizzy, I hear fate caught up with Tom before I did,’ was Nick’s bluntly uncompromising opening gambit later that day when he did finally phone. ‘Roly told me what happened.’
I gripped the receiver tightly. ‘Oh, Nick! Did Unks tell you it was
my
car? The wheel came off, and it was the one I’d just changed the tyre on, so I’m sure the police think I did it on purpose!’
‘Don’t be so bloody stupid, of course they don’t think that! Why would you tamper with the wheel on your own frigging car?’ he snapped, and I stopped wilting over the receiver and glared at it, as though Nick could see me.
‘That’s true, I wouldn’t — but his van was at the garage and for once I’d left my keys out somewhere where he could find them.
And
we’d just had an argument, which Polly Darke overheard — she told the police. Nick, she was the one Tom was having the affair with, but I don’t think anyone except the police and Jasper know about that yet.’
‘Well, I certainly didn’t, but it doesn’t surprise me, because apart from you, he always did have crap taste in women.’
That was as close to a compliment as I’d ever got from Nick — and he can’t include his own wife in that statement either, can he? So he mustn’t
really
think Tom and Leila were having an affair, after all. The idea of Leila as Tom’s lover is even more ludicrous than Polly, so I expect Tom was simply after free bed and board in London and lied to me to spur me into finally leaving him.
‘I had to go and identify Tom,’ I said abruptly, my thoughts taking a sudden, darker turn. ‘It was all right until we actually went in, because I thought it was a nightmare, so it didn’t matter. But then there he was and … I kept expecting his eyes to open. I couldn’t believe he was really dead, even though they said his neck was broken. Now I keep thinking about him, so white and … gone.’
‘
Don’t
think about it, then,’ he said sensibly. ‘It’s a pity I wasn’t home to identify him for you. Anyway, it wasn’t your fault and I think he’s given you a rough time the last year or two. I’ve kept my nose out, but I’ve heard things.’
Tears pricked behind my eyes. ‘Well, it’s over now and they’re releasing the body. They’ve done the post-mortem and adjourned the inquest,’ I said, shivering. ‘The inquest will reopen again later, but not for ages probably, so the funeral can go ahead on Tuesday.’
‘Then they
don’t
suspect you of anything, you stupid bat,’ he said, with what sounded suspiciously like relief. Surely Nick didn’t secretly think I’d bumped Tom off, too? ‘I’m heading down to London tomorrow,’ he added, ‘but I’ll be back in a couple of days, if you need any help with the arrangements.’
‘Thanks, but I’ve got Annie — and the rest of my friends in the CPC have volunteered to help. The new vicar seems very pleasant and helpful too. In fact, everyone has been so kind. Roly offered to have the bunfight after the funeral up at the Hall, but I wanted it here. I’m going to do everything just the way the Tom I married would have wanted it — the fun one with a sense of humour.’
‘Let’s hope it’s a nice day then, because you won’t get more than six people standing up in your sitting
I’m sure I will never be able to watch the Raising of Lazarus scene again without thinking of Tom, though actually when Lazarus’s mother says to Jesus, ‘Our Lazarus hath popped his clogs, and he were my only child,’ my eyes tend to well up anyway.
Of course, Jesus immediately tells Lazarus to stop larking about, because his mother is in a proper state about him, and up he jumps with a cheery, ‘Hello, our ma. Is summat up?’
But there will be no miracle this time for Tom, who hath well and truly popped his clogs.
‘Hi, Lizzy, I hear fate caught up with Tom before I did,’ was Nick’s bluntly uncompromising opening gambit later that day when he did finally phone. ‘Roly told me what happened.’
I gripped the receiver tightly. ‘Oh, Nick! Did Unks tell you it was
my
car? The wheel came off, and it was the one I’d just changed the tyre on, so I’m sure the police think I did it on purpose!’
‘Don’t be so bloody stupid, of course they don’t think that! Why would you tamper with the wheel on your own frigging car?’ he snapped, and I stopped wilting over the receiver and glared at it, as though Nick could see me.
‘That’s true, I wouldn’t — but his van was at the garage and for once I’d left my keys out somewhere where he could find them.
And
we’d just had an argument, which Polly Darke overheard — she told the police. Nick, she was the one Tom was having the affair with, but I don’t think anyone except the police and Jasper know about that yet.’
‘Well, I certainly didn’t, but it doesn’t surprise me, because apart from you, he always did have crap taste in women.’
That was as close to a compliment as I’d ever got from Nick — and he can’t include his own wife in that statement either, can he? So he mustn’t
really
think Tom and Leila were having an affair, after all. The idea of Leila as Tom’s lover is even more ludicrous than Polly, so I expect Tom was simply after free bed and board in London and lied to me to spur me into finally leaving him.
‘I had to go and identify Tom,’ I said abruptly, my thoughts taking a sudden, darker turn. ‘It was all right until we actually went in, because I thought it was a nightmare, so it didn’t matter. But then there he was and … I kept expecting his eyes to open. I couldn’t believe he was really dead, even though they said his neck was broken. Now I keep thinking about him, so white and … gone.’
‘
Don’t
think about it, then,’ he said sensibly. ‘It’s a pity I wasn’t home to identify him for you. Anyway, it wasn’t your fault and I think he’s given you a rough time the last year or two. I’ve kept my nose out, but I’ve heard things.’
Tears pricked behind my eyes. ‘Well, it’s over now and they’re releasing the body. They’ve done the post-mortem and adjourned the inquest,’ I said, shivering. ‘The inquest will reopen again later, but not for ages probably, so the funeral can go ahead on Tuesday.’
‘Then they
don’t
suspect you of anything, you stupid bat,’ he said, with what sounded suspiciously like relief. Surely Nick didn’t secretly think I’d bumped Tom off, too? ‘I’m heading down to London tomorrow,’ he added, ‘but I’ll be back in a couple of days, if you need any help with the arrangements.’
‘Thanks, but I’ve got Annie — and the rest of my friends in the CPC have volunteered to help. The new vicar seems very pleasant and helpful too. In fact, everyone has been so kind. Roly offered to have the bunfight after the funeral up at the Hall, but I wanted it here. I’m going to do everything just the way the Tom I married would have wanted it — the fun one with a sense of humour.’
‘Let’s hope it’s a nice day then, because you won’t get more than six people standing up in your sitting
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