The Library of Lost and Found(78)

After she finished, Thomas surveyed the table. “It looks wonderful,” he said, kissing her on the forehead. “Well done. I think my parents will see now that the decision I made to marry you was the right one.”

Betty cleared her throat. “Why? Did they ever think otherwise?”

Thomas presented one of his long silences. “Let’s not talk about that now.”

Snatching up her action list, Betty gave her tasks a green tick. “Can you help me out with the desserts? I’ve got an apple pie to make, and a rhubarb crumble.”

Thomas hesitated. Wincing, he reached up and massaged his temples with his fingertips. “Ouch.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’ve got a migraine. A real humdinger. Today of all days.”

Betty wrinkled her nose sympathetically. “Martha’s not feeling well, either. She’s all shivery.”

“Where is she?”

“In bed, in her pajamas.”

“I’ll tell her to get up and dressed. Mum and Dad will expect to see her.”

“Hmm, okay, but she doesn’t look well at all.”

“She’ll be fine when I’ve spoken to her.” Thomas slipped his arm around Betty’s waist. “It will be a lovely evening, won’t it? My family, and Anthony…”

“And don’t forget that Mum is coming, too…”

A shadow seemed to fall across Thomas’s face. “Oh yes,” he said. “How on earth could I forget that?”



* * *



Thomas tried to persuade Martha to come downstairs, but her forehead was hot and sticky. She had a fever and had been sick in the bathroom. Thomas used half an air freshener as he huffed and puffed about the smell.

“Perhaps I should take her to the doctor,” Betty mused, looking up at the ceiling.

“She’ll be fine,” Thomas said. “Everyone will be here within an hour. You don’t have time.”

“I’ll have to keep a close eye on her.”

“Don’t forget that you need to look after our guests, too.”



* * *



Thomas’s family arrived together, in a taxi from their hotel. Betty stood ready, by the door. She smiled and kissed cheeks, she cooed at brooches and dresses and hung up coats. Thomas paced the dining room with his hands behind his back. He dealt out handshakes to everyone, and his mother got a kiss to her cheek. He insisted that everyone admire a new blue dress he’d bought for Lilian.

“And where’s our Martha?” Dylan looked around.

“Oh, she’s got a bug.” Thomas shrugged. “I don’t want her passing it on to anyone.”

Betty was relieved when her mother turned up on time. Zelda brought a good bottle of white wine and a classy box of chocolates. “Eleanor,” she announced when she spotted Thomas’s mother. “How delightful to see you again.”

Anthony was the last to arrive, fifteen minutes late. “A busy day at the office,” he said as he handed his coat to Betty. He was balding with a horseshoe of black hair. He wore round black-rimmed glasses on the end of his nose. “It’s getting too much for me and I need to think about my retirement soon. Succession planning is a must.”

Thomas smiled to himself as he pulled out the chair for his boss.

“This all looks very delightful, Betty. Very, very nice,” Anthony said. Fixing his eyes on Zelda, his lips twitched into a smile. “And how wonderful you could make it, too, Ezmerelda. It’s such a pleasure to see you again.”

From across the table, Zelda smiled sweetly. “For me, too, Anthony,” she said. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

Everyone filled their plates with food except for Eleanor, who took only the smallest amount of salmon. Anthony dug into the sandwiches, piling them into a pyramid on his plate. Betty limited herself to two small sausage rolls and a few crisps.

Before she started to eat, she allowed herself an inward sigh of relief. Her mother was behaving charmingly this evening. She hadn’t sniped at Thomas, or rolled her eyes once, though she had already moved on to her second glass of wine.

And Thomas was being gracious, too, though Betty could tell he was still suffering from his migraine. His face was pallid and lips pursed. Occasionally, he closed his eyes and pressed a hand to his forehead.

The nine of them made conversation together about the weather and Lilian’s schoolwork. Thomas and Dylan discussed accountancy. Trevor’s fiancée, Teresa, was a small, dithery woman who Betty felt instantly protective of, but who she couldn’t manage to talk to because of the seating arrangements. She tried to spark a random conversation about the engagement but no one else joined in. Lilian enjoyed the attention of the group. She played with her blond hair and giggled.

Anthony bit into a sandwich, a piece of grated cheese sticking to his top lip. He eyed Zelda. “It’s lovely we’re celebrating sixteen years of wedded bliss, for Thomas and Betty. Sadly, me and my wife have parted ways. It’s not a pleasurable situation. Are you single, too, Ezmerelda?”

Zelda gulped a third glass of wine. “I think I need the toilet,” she announced loudly and stood up. “I’ll call in and see Martha.”

As she left the room, Betty saw her shoot out a hand and pick up a half-full bottle of wine.