pearl earrings, and the next time we saw her she was wearing some which she told me were
much
bigger than mine!’
‘I know, and –’
‘That Joseph coat I bought, exactly. Which I’d saved up for ages to buy, and then she went straight on the internet and bought the exact same one. Albeit several sizes larger.’
‘Well, that’s the other thing, Flora. She’s lost some weight, apparently.’
‘So Mum said.’
‘Which means she’s much more marketable, if you see what I mean.’
‘Well, that’s no bad thing, although, knowing Sally, it’ll be a couple of pounds at the most and it’ll all be back on by the end of the holiday. Oh God.’ I glanced at my watch. Got hastily to my feet. ‘We must go down to supper, Lizzie. Thérèse said eight o’clock, and I don’t want to be late on the first night. James will kill me. He wants us all on parade.’
‘Yes, OK, but hang on a moment, going back to this
competitive thing.’ Lizzie looked strangely nervous. ‘The reason this guy she’s with is unsuitable –’
‘Is because he’s one of Mum’s ex-boyfriends. I’m already there, Lizzie.’
‘No, not one of hers …’
‘Shit – one of yours? Please don’t tell me it’s that chiselled-faced moron you met last time we were in Scotland? The druggy-looking one?’
‘No, no, nothing like that. It’s –’
‘Well, thank the Lord, because, frankly, I sometimes think that despite Amelia being so opposed to it all at the moment it wouldn’t take much to skew her in the opposite direction. She is so mercurial, and the last thing I want is some good-looking dude peddling wacky bacc –’
‘Oh,
wouldn’t
it take much!’
Suddenly, Amelia flew through the open door and was amongst us. I froze, horrified.
‘Oh! Darling. I was just saying –’
‘Just saying you think I’m so fickle that if some sad boyfriend of Sally’s or Granny’s turned up with an ounce of grass in his pocket I’d be like – ooh, how exciting, can Tobes and I have a spliff, you experienced old hippies, you? Thanks for that, Mum. No, really. Thanks. I came to tell you supper’s ready, by the way.’
She turned on her heel and stalked off towards the staircase, furious. I raced after her, appalled. Flew down the stairs after her.
‘No! Amelia, I did
not
mean that! All I meant was that, delighted though I am that you
don’t
indulge, I certainly don’t want the older generation to think that just because they’re with the young, you won’t be shocked. Have carte
blanche to roll up wherever they want. You know how Mum likes to be part of the cool gang, and –’
Amelia turned on her heel at the bottom of the stairs. I nearly banged into her. ‘No, Mum, she
is
cool. Just because she doesn’t act as everyone expects an older woman to act,
you
think she’s embarrassing. Well, she’s not. She’s true to herself. And that is so refreshing.’
‘Refreshing! To you it might be, because you’re a generation removed, but let me tell you, young lady, it wasn’t much fun having no example to follow when I was growing up, and I am determined –’
‘To revert to the 1950s? Call me young lady?’
‘No, I’m just saying –’
‘What, Mum? Think about it.’ We were glaring at each other in the hall; the colour was high in her cheeks. ‘You didn’t turn out like Granny, did you? If anything, you’re prim and proper, so how does it follow that setting a
good
example is going to create a good child? You should probably go in for a bit of free love and dope-smoking if you really want to take your responsibilities to me and Tara seriously. If you really want us to end up exactly like
you
.’
Her dark eyes blazed right into mine before she turned and marched off. Through the double doors she swept, in her long patchwork skirt, to the inner hall, then out through the open French windows to the terrace, where supper was laid on a pretty Provençal cloth, and where everyone was sitting waiting, ready to eat.
much
bigger than mine!’
‘I know, and –’
‘That Joseph coat I bought, exactly. Which I’d saved up for ages to buy, and then she went straight on the internet and bought the exact same one. Albeit several sizes larger.’
‘Well, that’s the other thing, Flora. She’s lost some weight, apparently.’
‘So Mum said.’
‘Which means she’s much more marketable, if you see what I mean.’
‘Well, that’s no bad thing, although, knowing Sally, it’ll be a couple of pounds at the most and it’ll all be back on by the end of the holiday. Oh God.’ I glanced at my watch. Got hastily to my feet. ‘We must go down to supper, Lizzie. Thérèse said eight o’clock, and I don’t want to be late on the first night. James will kill me. He wants us all on parade.’
‘Yes, OK, but hang on a moment, going back to this
competitive thing.’ Lizzie looked strangely nervous. ‘The reason this guy she’s with is unsuitable –’
‘Is because he’s one of Mum’s ex-boyfriends. I’m already there, Lizzie.’
‘No, not one of hers …’
‘Shit – one of yours? Please don’t tell me it’s that chiselled-faced moron you met last time we were in Scotland? The druggy-looking one?’
‘No, no, nothing like that. It’s –’
‘Well, thank the Lord, because, frankly, I sometimes think that despite Amelia being so opposed to it all at the moment it wouldn’t take much to skew her in the opposite direction. She is so mercurial, and the last thing I want is some good-looking dude peddling wacky bacc –’
‘Oh,
wouldn’t
it take much!’
Suddenly, Amelia flew through the open door and was amongst us. I froze, horrified.
‘Oh! Darling. I was just saying –’
‘Just saying you think I’m so fickle that if some sad boyfriend of Sally’s or Granny’s turned up with an ounce of grass in his pocket I’d be like – ooh, how exciting, can Tobes and I have a spliff, you experienced old hippies, you? Thanks for that, Mum. No, really. Thanks. I came to tell you supper’s ready, by the way.’
She turned on her heel and stalked off towards the staircase, furious. I raced after her, appalled. Flew down the stairs after her.
‘No! Amelia, I did
not
mean that! All I meant was that, delighted though I am that you
don’t
indulge, I certainly don’t want the older generation to think that just because they’re with the young, you won’t be shocked. Have carte
blanche to roll up wherever they want. You know how Mum likes to be part of the cool gang, and –’
Amelia turned on her heel at the bottom of the stairs. I nearly banged into her. ‘No, Mum, she
is
cool. Just because she doesn’t act as everyone expects an older woman to act,
you
think she’s embarrassing. Well, she’s not. She’s true to herself. And that is so refreshing.’
‘Refreshing! To you it might be, because you’re a generation removed, but let me tell you, young lady, it wasn’t much fun having no example to follow when I was growing up, and I am determined –’
‘To revert to the 1950s? Call me young lady?’
‘No, I’m just saying –’
‘What, Mum? Think about it.’ We were glaring at each other in the hall; the colour was high in her cheeks. ‘You didn’t turn out like Granny, did you? If anything, you’re prim and proper, so how does it follow that setting a
good
example is going to create a good child? You should probably go in for a bit of free love and dope-smoking if you really want to take your responsibilities to me and Tara seriously. If you really want us to end up exactly like
you
.’
Her dark eyes blazed right into mine before she turned and marched off. Through the double doors she swept, in her long patchwork skirt, to the inner hall, then out through the open French windows to the terrace, where supper was laid on a pretty Provençal cloth, and where everyone was sitting waiting, ready to eat.
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