‘I am. It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs Fitch.’ She smiled.
‘Lovely to see you too.’ Ashleigh made a mental note,Lovely to see you, to use in the future. ‘You like it here in Exeter?’
‘I do! I really do. I’m from just outside Salisbury, so another beautiful cathedral city.’
‘And what is it you’re studying?’ Elaine sipped her bubbles.
‘History.’
‘Mmmn. I like history.’ It felt a lot like approval and Ashleigh felt her chest bloom with joy. A very different reaction from her parents, who had looked at each other, mouths open:History! What’s the point in that?‘What period?’
‘At the moment, I’m looking at the economics of war, mainly the Second World War.’
‘Oh dear! That sounds a little dreary, I rather like the Tudors. All that lovely architecture, infidelity, and the most marvellous frocks!’
Ashleigh laughed loudly, not because she felt it the right thing to do, but because the woman was funny.
‘You’re right. It is a little dreary, but I only have a year left, then out into the big wide world.’
‘And what then? What’s the grand plan?’ Elaine’s ice-blue eyes gave little away, and Ashleigh felt she was still making her mind up as to whether she was a suitable date for her only son.
‘No plan, exactly.’ She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, deciding that honesty was the best policy. ‘Much to the annoyance of my parents, I have a very clear idea that I want to work for myself. Not sure in what capacity yet, and I don’t know what area of business.’ She drew breath, almost as if she anticipated questions. ‘But Guy and I have talked about working together. We get on well and have the same outlook on life. We agree we want to work hard when we’re younger and then sit on a beach when we’re older.’
That was the dream. She could picture Archie sitting right by her side on the sand.
‘Interesting. Of course, Guy and Archie were at Clifton together. I know his mother.’ The woman narrowed her eyes as if deep in thought. Ashleigh wasn’t sure if it was interesting good, or interesting bad. And as was the case in moments like this, she babbled, a little.
‘I do know that, succeed or fail, I want it to be on my own shoulders. My dad has worked for the same company since he left school and could only ever progress when someone else set the framework. It was always on their timescale, their terms, and often those promotional leaps weren’t leaps at all, more like small sideways hops, with a pat on the back for good measure. I admire my dad.’ She spoke freely with a lump in her throat at the thought of him in his company tie, eating his cereal each morning. ‘But I guess I want more.’
‘Well, good for you!’ Archie’s mother seemed genuinely impressed. ‘You can’t underestimate the importance of independence and self-reliance, and strength, especially when there’s a crisis. It’s the difference between surviving or sinking. I learned that.’
Ashleigh pulled a wide-eyed expression of agreement at the loaded statement, remembering that, according to Guy, Archie’s mother had never worked in a traditional sense, but spent her days, and Dickie’s money, decorating and redecorating any one of their three homes. It didn’t sound like independence or self-reliance to her.
‘And what is it your parents do?’
My mum fusses, cleans the kitchen, worries over us, and loves us with a ferocity that could shame a tigress.
‘My father’s in concrete.’ She spoke with pride, picturing her lovely dad, hoping Elaine didn’t want to delve too deeply into his exact role.
Elaine laughed loudly, open-mouthed, revealing small, uneven teeth.
‘Well, that sounds jolly uncomfortable. Do we need to head over there with a chisel or two?’
‘Ha!’ Ashleigh, entirely aware of how she had set the woman up, laughed again; this time it was affected, but she knew it would help build a bridge.
‘So what do you think, Ma?’ Archie placed his arm around her shoulders and addressed his mother, a cigarette dangling from his bottom lip. ‘Isn’t she great!’
‘I think she’s charming.’ Elaine spoke softly, as if Ashleigh were not present.
‘Isn’t she just.’ He clumsily plonked a wet kiss on Ashleigh’s cheek in a manner that told her he had consumed more than a glass or two.
‘Why don’t you bring her out to Mulverton? Daddy and I are there for a few days before we go back to London.’
Ashleigh liked the way the woman saidLondon, giving it emphasis, as if it really was the only place to be. She was also more than a little chuffed with the invitation. Mulverton was the Fitches’ Gloucestershire country house, a pretty red-brick Queen Anne mansion, according to Guy, with perfect symmetry and an unparalleled art collection that was open to the public once a year.
He had been very keen to give her all the details, telling her how Archie’s wealth had been a great source of interest, even at a school like Clifton, where the termly boarding fees were the equivalent of an average year’s salary. She would be lying to say she hadn’t found it fascinating, alluring even, but knew at this point that even without money, she would still love him, love everything about him.
‘That’d be great! What do you think, Ash? Can you cope with a few days of board games, real fires, wet country walks in wellingtons, and stodgy food cooked by Miss Mallory, who you’ll love?’ Archie lowered his hand and placed it just above her bottom, applying pressure with his fingers that she knew was an indication of his want for her. She kept a straight face as she looked at his mother.
