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Passing the corner where she sometimes met Marie, Abi remembered that she hadn’t seen her But Marie’s life was all over the place She had to sort out her mother and her waste-of-space boyfriend She soether for a week at a time

But as she reached hoht and found Marie’s nuht? c u love abi xx

Fourteen

‘I don’t see hoe could possibly go’

Judith Serrailler got up from the table She went to the rubbish bin, pulled out the full black bag, tied the top and carried it out, letting the kitchen door bang It relieved her feelings, though only slightly It was bitterly cold and the new one froolden autumn to rainter in a couple of days The air s if Cat’s carinto the drive, but it was probably too early When the St Michael’s Singers rehearsal finished she sometimes went to the Golden Cross with the rest of theo, rather than duck out and race for home, as she had done for so ,’ she had said ‘It’s the one thing I have felt like doing – it’s kept o and be sociable in the pub’ But the last couple of Thursday nights she had done just that and said that it had been fine, better than she had expected

All three children were asleep upstairs, collected froht collect Sarandchildren any easier than he had found his children, did not unbend or feel able to throw himself into their affairs He spoke to them, Cat had said once, exactly as he had spoken to her and Sie and understanding She had hated it, but her own children responded differently, Hannah telling her grandfather that heto hi solemn in his attempt to match up to Richard’s expectations of hiht now, rubbing her arms in the cold She ell aware Cat was unhappy that her father still see, she herself knew that, and she thought that she had helped him to be more at ease and happier in his own skin But he found it hard to let down his guard and perhaps he was too old to change Tonight he had annoyed her and now she was annoyed with herself as er of doors, nor a sulker – and as she doing standing out in the cold if not sulking?

There was no sign of Cat

The kitchen was eone to bed, but the maps he had spread out were still there

When he had produced them, she had been interested Richard’s idea was an extended trip, starting in California But when it becaht after Christmas, she had objected and he had becoone so hiood deal further to go

She poured herself a glass of wine, wondering whether she should go and find him and try tohappened, or continue with the argument When she had been married to Don, this sort of situation had almost never arisen because Don had been the e plans, ideas, sides, al, not because he eak or any sort of a pushover but because he had believed conflict was generally self-defeating and few things worth falling out over To hiument should be reserved for entirely trivial ed or pointed against a chair back Richard would take a position on cushions and stick to it, expecting everyone else to see his point of view ‘Your father has never been gainsaid,’ she had once said to Cat, ‘and it is not good for soh The Ti Handel

‘All well?’

‘If you mean with the children, all fine, if you mean with your father, so-so’ She indicated the wine ‘Medicinal’

Catto drink reat rehearsal But for the first time since I have been a worshipper at Michael’s, which is nearly twenty years, the place is riven by faction – I mean serious faction And it’s not nice If the Dean isn’t careful he’ll be looking for a new organist and , a lot of people in the congregation are so unhappy they’re seriously thinking of going elsewhere –’

‘Dear God, the man’s only been in office a fewdohat has been built up over centuries’

‘How? You know if I’s differently’

Cat took a long slow drink of wine before replying ‘Loosely, Stephen Webber is evangelical-charismatic – what my mother would have called Low Church and I call happy-clappy I dare say it has its place – but that place is not at St Michael’s or any other of our great cathedrals which have a tradition of excellence in liturgy and music That’s what cathedrals are about – excellence The best It shouldn’t e, so do people But change is not the sa as wanton destruction’

‘You’re rather cross’

‘I’h – cross and upset’

‘Did you get‘Two for Saturday, about six rows back … I chose with care’

‘Thank you, darling – how " If I come to your concerts, I pay my way’

‘Thirty quid then, I’m afraid Top price’

‘Fine Your father borrowedof Dad …’

‘Don’t ask’

‘Ah Ahed and refilled her glass ‘Richard decided he would like us to fly to California soon after Christmas, hire a camper van and tour in it’

‘A camper van? Dad? I’m surprised he even knohat a camper van is’

‘Apparently he read an article about them, did soe and extremely comfortable’

‘They are, we had one ere in Australia But why on earth should he want you to do that when you can fly and stay in hotels Muchpensioners’

‘I didn’t mean that and you know it But if you don’t like the idea, say so’

‘I don’t mind the idea of a camper van in the least, I think it would be rather fun What I doround the States in one for a whole year’

Cat felt as if she were standing on a ledge overhanging soe had suddenly started to move beneath her feet

‘A year?’

‘Which of course we cannot possibly do There is no e could leave you and the children except for a short holiday A year’s out of the question You rely on us and so you should’

‘Judith …’

‘I mean it’

‘I confess I’m not sure if I could cope You do such a lot for us’