The woman put her hand up to touch it. ‘Isn’t it? Sheila lent it to me. I suddenly remembered how coldvillage halls can be, even in summer, so Sheila produced this. I really like it.’
So did Hattie, but for different reasons. ‘It goes well with your top. Now come along, Fiona,’ she said, leading the way to her table.
‘I’m quite glad not to be with Lance and Daddy, they’re so confident they’re going to win and won’t let me give any answers anyway,’ said Fiona when the introductions had been made.
‘Oh, that’s a shame for them,’ said Nick with a smile. ‘Becausewe’regoing to win.’
‘Well said!’ Rose patted his arm encouragingly. ‘I’m afraid I can get awfully competitive, although as there are such huge gaps in my knowledge, I’m very willing to let other people give answers.’
‘Can I get you a drink?’ Nick asked Fiona.
‘Don’t worry. We’re just about to start,’ she replied, obviously not wanting to be a nuisance.
‘There’s plenty of time,’ said Nick calmly. ‘What would you like?’
‘I don’t suppose they’ve got any Prosecco?’ she said.
‘I think they have. What would you like otherwise? Nick said.
‘Something not too – you know – alcoholic.’
‘He’s very nice,’ she said, when Nick had gone.
‘Yes, he is,’ said Rose, trying to catch Hattie’s eye.
Mrs Anstruther-Jones scraped her chair back and the hall quietened. She announced that because in past years there’d been the implication that teams marking each other’s papers was not perhaps a method to be entirely trusted, the papers would now be marked by the committee. ‘The raffle will be drawn while themarking is being done so it won’t be a late night. A list of prizes is on the back of the leaflets.’
‘Ooh, a week away in a Paris apartment,’ said Rose, reading the list. ‘That would be amazing. Have we bought raffle tickets?’ Sam knew his cue and dutifully approached the bar for tickets.
At last the quiz began. The first question was asked, and heads drew together.
Although Hattie could be a keen quizzer, tonight she was intent on studying Nick and Fiona for signs of chemistry. He was very courteous to her, that was certain, but he was being very polite generally. It was hard to know.
‘We seem to be doing quite well,’ said Rose. ‘Xander, your knowledge of computer games is encyclopaedic.’
‘That’s not what my mum would call it,’ he said, but was apparently pleased with the compliment in a quiet way.
Once Fiona realised that her answers were given the same weight as everyone else’s, she started to make more suggestions. But only Nick said much during the round on flags. It was the last one before the interval.
Lance came over. ‘How are you doing? We’re pretty well spot on apart from that last round,’ he said. ‘Even the ladies made a contribution when we had to recognise celebrities. Who says readingHello!is a waste of time!’ He laughed in the way of a man who definitely thought readingHello!was a waste of time.
‘Fiona was good on the birds round, wasn’t she?’ said Rose.
‘Oh, yes. Sheila was good on those too,’ Lance acknowledged. ‘And I suppose you had the computer games round licked,’ he said to Xander.
‘Yes,’ he said.
‘He was also good on the film round,’ said Rose. ‘He was the only one among us who knew anything about Francis Ford Coppola. I just about knew he’d directedThe Godfather—’
‘Oh,’ said Lance, still patronising, ‘that was a tough one, wasn’t it? No shame for not getting that. We did, of course.’
‘The Conversation,’ said Xander. ‘So did we.’
‘Oh,’ said Lance again, deflated. ‘Does anyone need a drink? What have you got there, Fiona? Prosecco? I didn’t know they had that.’
‘It was under the counter,’ said Nick. ‘Very nice red, Lance. I gather we have you to thank.’
The conversation then went on to wine and most of the group tuned out.
