She smiled again but the conversation had stalled, and Peg worried that if it went on any longer someone would ask the kinds of questions she didn’t want to answer. She regretted her opening comment now; wished she hadn’t made reference to the traffic jam and revealed how she and Henry had met. His family might not have heard it, but it would be natural for them to ask how she and Henry knew one another, or for how long and, given the look on Sofia’s face, she was desperate to find out. Peg wasn’t sure why, but she wanted to keep their friendship (was that even the right word?) private. It existed in a little oasis of time and space which Peg was keen to protect.
There were things she wanted to say to Henry, but now couldn’t, and wondered if he felt the same. Someone should say something, though; the seconds were ticking by and the silence was becoming a little awkward. She pulled her coat tighter and gave an involuntary shiver.
‘We should let you get back to your evening,’ said Henry. ‘But it was lovely to see you.’
‘You too…And have a lovely Christmas, won’t you?’ The echoes of their very first conversation drifted back to her.Wouldhe have a lovely Christmas? Given all that she knew? She wanted to hold onto him for a bit longer but he was already preparing to leave.
He reached out slightly, then thought better of it. ‘You too…’ The lights were glinting off the curls in his hair.
He hesitated, and she had the distinct impression he wanted to say more. But his family were already moving away, backto their house with the bows on the backs of the chairs and matching napkins, the lavish brunches and trips to the theatre. She stood still for a moment, watching them go, heading towards an enormous car parked by the edge of the green, and then she turned for her own door. She’d only gone a couple of steps, however, when a gentle touch on her arm turned her back.
‘It was lovely to meet you,’ said Blanche. ‘I’m so sorry. Henry told us…’ She trailed off as a voice came from behind her.
‘Mum…?’
A look of such pained exasperation came over Blanche’s face that Peg almost laughed out loud.
‘I’d better go,’ said Blanche. ‘Compliance doesn’t always come easy, but it certainly makes life easier.Take care…and Merry Christmas, Peg.’
Peg stared at Blanche’s tiny frame in astonishment as she walked slowly towards her daughter, picking her way carefully over the frozen ground.
‘You too,’ she said.
Sometimes Henry wondered about the universe. Mostly, he thought it to be benevolent but at times it was downright irritating. He’d almost fallen over when Adam had revealed the location of the church they were planning to visit for the carol service, and he had vacillated between a secret excitement that he might see Peg again, and terror that he would. Even though he knew the chances of it were next to non-existent, it could have been the perfect opportunity to ‘bump’ into her, but not with Sofia, Adam and, to a lesser extent, Blanche in tow. It seemed unfair in the extreme. And, as he climbed into the car, he knew the universe was going to enjoy watching him squirm.
‘She seemed nice,’ said Adam.
It wasn’t a bad opening statement, and one Henry could deflect relatively easily, but he knew his son was only biding his time. Sofia, however, had no such reticence.
‘Obviously quite a character. Not sure I could pull off plaits at that age, but they suited her, didn’t they? And I loved her dress…so colourful.’
Henry thought her dress was lovely, too, only he wasn’t being disparaging.
‘Yes,’ said Henry. ‘Although I don’t know her all that well, just to talk to, say hello, you know.’
‘Oh…I wondered if you were old friends,’ said Adam. ‘As inveryold friends. Didn’t you used to live around here, Dad? When you were little?’
Henry closed his eyes briefly. ‘I went to primary school here,’ he said. ‘But no, she’s not someone I knew from school.’
‘So wheredidyou meet?’ asked Sofia.
Henry could see how they would be curious. He only came to visit them twice a year at most, and apart from last night’s shocking departure from the norm, he’d never been out of their sight while staying with them. He might as well own up to it though, because the questions wouldn’t stop if he didn’t.
‘It was purely by chance, when I was on my way down to you. I bumped into her at a petrol station before I hit the motorway and then again when we both got caught up in the traffic jam. We got talking, that’s all.’
Sofia made a little dubious noise. ‘Got talking? How did you manage that in a traffic jam? Come on, Henry, we’re not daft, there must be more to it than that.’
‘No,’ he replied. ‘That’s really all it was. We’d been sitting there for quite some time, she spotted my car, thought I might be hungry, and tapped on my window to offer me a mince pie.’
‘And she just happens to live fifteen minutes away?’
‘Yes,’ intoned Henry, ‘she does. One of life’s little coincidences. What can I say?’
From the back seat he could see Adam and Sofia exchange glances. There wasn’t a chance they were about to leave it there. He was waiting for the inevitable next question when Adam suddenly turned around in his seat to face him.
‘Hang on a minute…Is this the woman, the “friend” that you rushed off for yesterday? The mercy mission that you drove halfway across the country for? For God’s sake, Dad.’
Henry wasn’t about to confirm or deny his son’s statement. ‘For God’s sake what?’
