‘This is good, isn’t it?’ Carrie said, licking her ice cream.
‘It would be,’ Jules said, ‘if it wasn’t for…’
Suddenly, she shoved her ice cream at Carrie and ran across the grass towards a clump of bushes. A woman in a large straw hat retreated around the far side.
‘Mum!’ Jules shouted. ‘What on earth are you doing here?’
Beulah emerged sheepishly with some greenery stuck in the pink ribbon around the brim of her hat.
‘I thought I’d drop by and check you were all right.’
‘Drop by? It’s not exactly next door. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming and how long have you been following me for and…?’ She gasped for breath. ‘And where are you staying?’
‘Did you know that you’ve got ice cream down your front?’ Beulah replied. ‘Pistachio by the look of it.’
Jules stared down at her top where a splodge of green was soaking into the white broderie anglaise.
‘Don’t change the subject,’ she snapped.
‘This is a marvellous place,’ Beulah said, expanding her lungs and throwing back her head. ‘You just know that you’re heading somewhere special even before you get on the ferry. There’s that lovely man at the port who ushers you up the ramp with a flourishing bow. He looks as if he enjoys his job so much.’
‘I didn’t notice.’
Beulah cast her a glance.
‘For a nurse you’re a bit short on observation sometimes, Julianna.’
Aargh, why did she insist on calling her that? Everyone else called her Jules, but Beulah insisted on that name which she hated.
‘And the journey itself is delightful.’ She sighed one of her well-practised sighs. ‘Thank goodness the Solent was as smooth as a millpond. I’ve been very worried about you, darling, and it’s played havoc with my digestion.’ She patted her stomachtenderly. ‘But everything went perfectly. I felt the cares begin to slip from my shoulders. Of course, they never completely go away when you have children, however old they are. When I disembarked, I fancied a little drive around, just to get the feel of the place, and here I am. Is that lovely Caroline over there?’
‘You know perfectly well it’s Carrie. Your eyesight isn’t that bad. Did she know you were coming?’
Beulah shook her head vigorously. The long pink ribbon swished across Jules’s face.
‘Oh no, no, no. I’ve spoken to her once or twice and she was very reassuring, but…’ Beulah put her palms together. ‘I felt the need to come. It was so strong, I couldn’t deny it. You’re my baby, Jules. At a time like this a girl needs her mother.’
‘I’m not your baby, Mum, and actually I don’t…’ She stared at Beulah’s imploring face. ‘…want you to worry. I’m fine.’
Beulah looked at her disbelievingly.
‘I’m sure you’re not, my darling girl. You look thin. Haven’t you been eating?’
‘Yes, mainly cake and now ice cream.’
‘It must be the stress then. Heavens above, I know what that’s like.’ She pressed her fingertips against her cheekbones, lifting them upwards. ‘It plays havoc with one’s facial muscles. If I could do anything to make you feel better, darling, I would. You know that, don’t you?’
Staying away would have made me feel better, Jules thought. Not forcing yourself on me, but she hated herself for thinking it. Thoughts like that left a sour taste in your mouth despite the sweetness of the ice cream. The trouble was, the harder her mother tried to make her feel better, the worse she became.
‘Are you all right for money? I haven’t got much spare. Work’s been a bit thin on the ground recently. I’m getting to that difficult age for an actress, but I can help a bit.’
She still hadn’t let the cheekbones drop to their normal resting place, so her voice sounded a bit strained.
‘Phoebe, too. She’s got some savings because she’s much more sensible than me. She says you only have to ask if you need any bills paying.’
And suddenly Jules felt a surge of emotion as if something had given way from the force of it, a dam bursting. She doubled over.
‘Julianna. What is it? Are you ill? Oh, my giddy aunt! I must call a doctor.’
