‘Ah,’ Rosie said, nodding as if that told her everything she needed to know.
‘Don’t be mean,’ Mam said.
‘Don’t be mean? He tried to show me up every Friday for weeks,’ Alison said indignantly.
‘I’m sure he didn’t,’ Mam said firmly, sprinkling vinegar liberally over her chips.
‘Oh yes he did.’ Alison turned to Rosie, who was clearly more ready to believe her. ‘We used to have a spelling test every Friday morning. We had to go round the classroom, taking it in turns to ask one of our classmates to spell a word out of this book the teacher had given us. Most of us chose straightforward words, likecontinue, orearthquakeor something. Do you know what words he gave me?Archaeologistandmiscellaneous! I still remember the terror to this day.’
‘Did you spell them right?’ Rosie asked, enthralled.
‘Well, yes. I wasn’t even going to try, but I remember looking in horror at Miss Sayers?—’
‘Aw,’ Mam interrupted. ‘She was a lovely woman.’
‘Yes, she was. And she just nodded and smiled at me and said, “Go on, Alison.” So I did. And,’ she finished smugly, ‘I got them right and he was gutted.’
Miss Sayers had looked so proud of her. Alison remembered how happy it had made her feel for ages afterwards. Like she could achieve anything. She thought Miss Sayers had probably had a lot to do with her wanting to become a teacher herself.
‘I’m sure Ian only asked you because he knew you could do it,’ Mam mused.
‘Because he fancied you, more like,’ Rosie said gleefully.
They all broke off as Briar returned with the remaining plates of food. ‘Sorry for the delay,’ she said. ‘Enjoy your meals. Is there anything else I can get you?’
They all assured her they had everything they needed, and she rushed back to the kitchen.
‘Why is she in such a hurry?’ Dad pondered. ‘We’re the only ones here.’
‘Never mind that,’ Mam said. ‘What do you mean, Ian fancied her?’
‘Isn’t it obvious?’ Rosie shrugged. ‘He singled her out every week and he deliberately got her attention by giving her such hard words that she’d remember him forever.’
‘We were ten!’
‘What’s that got to do with it? I had my first boyfriend at seven.’ Rosie sighed. ‘Aw, little Jon Day. He followed me round like a puppy for months, bless him. If his dad hadn’t got that job near Blackpool, who knows what might have happened? Maybe I’d have been Mrs Day by now.’
‘Well, if he’d actually married you, he’d have got my blessing,’ Elaine said heavily. She’d never approved of Rosie and Craig ‘living in sin’ for twenty years, especially with Niall being a vicar, and him with a reputation to uphold.
Rosie ignored the jibe. ‘Point is, it was clearly a strategy on Ian’s part. Quite clever really.’
‘Hardly!’ Alison said with a snort of laughter.
‘Worked, didn’t it? How long is it since you left primary school? Fifty years or thereabouts. Yet here you are, still talking about it.’
‘This is the first time I’ve mentioned it! Anyway, forget it. We were talking about Sheila’s will.’
‘Oh yes.’ Elaine’s eyes brightened. ‘So, like your mother said, Sheila left Watersmeet to Ian, lock, stock and barrel.’
‘It doesn’t seem fair,’ her mam added. ‘He left Kelsea Sands to go to university and never came back, whereas Stella’s been in the area the whole time, and did all sorts for her mother, didn’t she?’
‘Exactly,’ Elaine said. She shook her head as she stuck a fork in her bacon-wrapped chicken breast. ‘It’s not right at all. But then, Ian always was her golden boy, wasn’t he? She spoke about him in such glowing terms, whereas her daughter never really got a look-in. Poor Stella never had a chance.’
Rosie and Alison exchanged knowing looks. Alison wondered how Elaine could be so lacking in self-awareness. Good job Rosie was so understanding.
‘Didn’t you ever go out with him then, Ali?’ Rosie asked.
‘Who, Ian? God, no. To be honest, I don’t even remember seeing him after we left primary school and went up to Millensea High.’
