‘Christabel was vile,’ Jules said to Carrie as they walked up through the woods to the Longstone later that afternoon.
‘She’s not the friendliest. I’m sorry if she upset you.’
‘Actually not, she’s just made me really angry. I don’t know how Rita tolerates her.’
‘From what I hear most people think that.’
‘What on earth did Alastair see in her?’
‘She can turn on the charm when she wants to, apparently, and she is attractive. According to Irene, Guy’s grandmother,Christabel has delusions of grandeur. When she met Alastair and heard about the farm and saw the farmhouse, which is undeniably beautiful, she thought she’d be taking on a lady of the manor role.’
‘Sounds as if she’d be better with The Major’s son.’
‘Oh, I think she’s fluttered her eyelashes at him a few times in the past, but he’s never here for long enough for her to really work her charms.’
‘It can’t be a happy marriage.’
‘How do you define a happy marriage? Maybe it suits both of them. I don’t know. She comes and goes pretty much as she pleases and Rita’s always around to look after the children.’
Jules picked up a stick from the path and threw it for Wilbur.
‘I know that Christabel has the lives of both the children mapped out,’ Carrie said.
‘That’s a mistake.’
Carrie grinned.
‘You don’t have to tell me that. My mother’s still reeling from me staying here and not heading back to Manchester to try and get another job in a big PR company. In fact, she’s so distraught that they’ve extended their world tour. I feel a bit guilty because they ended up staying with my brother in New Zealand for a lot longer than planned.’
‘But you said your dad’s lent you some money to tide you over?’
‘Yes. He’s been great actually. Much nicer than I expected, but I’m not to tell Mum about the money. It could cause a problem if she finds out.’
‘Do you think many people have happy marriages without secrets?’
‘Everyone has secrets, don’t they? Things they’re ashamed of that they don’t want other people, even the people who love them unconditionally, to know about. But yes, I do think thereare happy marriages, although I also think there has to be a lot of compromise on both sides.’
They reached the top and Jules looked out across the valley. Dark clouds were gathering to the west. It felt as if there was a storm coming.
‘Life is a compromise, isn’t it?’ she said.
‘Up to a point, yes,’ Carrie said. ‘That’s the benchmark of a civilised society. But compromise doesn’t always have to be a negative thing. It can lead to contentment.’
‘That’s what I’m looking for,’ Jules said, ‘contentment. It sounds less exhausting than happiness.’
‘You’ll find it,’ Carrie said.
‘Yes,’ Jules said with a nod. ‘Yes, I will.’
They both heard the crash from the kitchen.
‘Oh my, what was that?’ Beulah exclaimed.
‘It sounded like something breaking,’ Jules said, bolting through the sitting room, across the hall and up the stairs.
She stood in the doorway of her bedroom and stared at the angular shards of her mother’s magnifying mirror scattered over the floor.
‘I forgot I’d left that on the sill,’ Beulah said, appearing behind her. ‘I was using the better light in here to pluck my eyebrows.’
