Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop
Page 41
No doubt about it. She was.
Stephen managed to glide over the whole Steve thing completely – he had never, ever been anything like a Steve – putting out his hand to shake Pip’s.
‘Hello,’ they said to each other.
‘Pip, are you wearing shorts?’ said Rosie. ‘You know it is snowing and everything.’
‘I know,’ said Pip, looking down absent-mindedly. ‘I don’t know what I was thinking. It was really warm when I packed.’
‘I can lend you some trousers if you like,’ said Stephen.
‘Ooh, you’re SO kind,’ said Angie.
‘I’m sure my brother can buy his own trousers,’ said Rosie tightly, missing the amused glance Stephen gave her.
‘Where are the kids?’ he asked.
‘Oh, they’ve been outside since it was light… Hi there,’ said Desleigh, for whose straightforward, breezy Australian friendliness Rosie was suddenly very grateful. ‘They’ve never seen snow before. Kelly was furious that it was actually wet. She thought it was basically candyfloss. Mind you, it hasn’t stopped Meridian eating about a pint of the stuff.’
‘Let’s go round the back,’ said Rosie. ‘They can meet Mr Dog.’
‘His name isn’t really Mr Dog, of course,’ said Stephen. ‘That’s a holding name. We’re actually calling him Reuben Macintosh.’
‘Yes, we’re not,’ said Rosie, teeth firmly gritted.
‘Can I get you a tea? Coffee?’ said Angie anxiously.
Round the back was a cheerful sight: all three of the children, wrapped up in brand-new snowsuits, were rolling around the garden. Mr Dog ran up to them immediately to give them a good licking, and there were squeals of delight.
‘You’ve got a dog!’ said Shane. ‘We need a dog. Our dog got bitten by a snake.’
‘And we’re not going through that again,’ said Desleigh. ‘I had to hit it on the head with a spade.’
‘The dog or the snake?’ asked Stephen.
‘Oh, the snake, yeah? They’re dangerous bastards.’
‘What happened to the dog?’
‘Yeah, then we had to hit the dog. There’s no coming back from something like that.’
Rosie felt she was representing a family of sycophantic, animal-hitting, shorts-wearing imbeciles. Meridian came up and gave her another cuddle.
‘Hello!’ she said. ‘We like the snow. Except, did you know? It’s wet.’
‘I did know,’ said Rosie. ‘But you still like it, yes?’
Meridian nodded.
‘Who are you?’ she said. Kelly wandered over to see what was going on.
‘I’m Stephen,’ said Stephen. ‘This is my house.’
‘I like your house,’ said Kelly.
‘I BOUNCE BOUNCE BOUNCE ON THE BED,’ said Meridian.
‘Good,’ said Stephen.
‘Then I fell off the bed,’ said Meridian. ‘Ow ow ow. But I didn’t cry.’
‘You did,’ said Kelly. ‘You cried a lot.’
‘I AMN’T!’
‘DID!’
‘AMN’T!’
‘Oh, it doesn’t matter,’ said Rosie briskly.
‘What do you do?’ asked Kelly, still curious.
‘Do you know,’ said Stephen, crouching down to her height, ‘I’m a school teacher.’
Her eyes widened.
‘A boy school teacher?’
Stephen smiled.
‘Yes, I know. There are some boy school teachers.’
‘Do you teach kids who are like my age?’
‘I certainly do. Would you like to come and see my school sometime?’
Kelly nodded.
‘Actually,’ said Desleigh, who was bespeckled with toast crumbs from Rosie’s second breakfast and filling her mouth with another slice as she wiped her hands on her dressing gown, ‘that’s a great idea. Chuck ’em in school for a few days and I can go out and enjoy myself.’
‘Um, yes, I don’t think that’ll be possible,’ said Rosie.
While Stephen was still explaining the mysteries of a male primary teacher to Kelly, Angie grabbed Rosie in a completely unsubtle neck hold.
‘HE’S GORGEOUS,’ she hissed at the top of her voice, clearly audible in Carningford. ‘MILES BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE YOU’VE EVER BEEN OUT WITH! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU LANDED SOMEONE LIKE HIM! MY LITTLE ROSIE!’
‘MUUUUM!’ warned Rosie. Stephen didn’t look round, but she could see him stiffening.
‘WELL DONE, GIRL!’
‘MUM!… Um, I’ll see you later, we have to go.’
Angie marched up to Stephen.
‘So… are you going to make an honest woman of her?’
Everyone froze then, even the children. Rosie could have dug a hole in the snow and buried herself in it for ever.
Stephen smiled a fake social smile that stabbed Rosie like a dagger to the heart, and muttered something about being late.
Stephen drove, trying to hold on to his conflicting emotions. Rosie glared at him to see if he was going to make a remark, but he kept his face totally in neutral.
‘So, they seem nice,’ he ventured, finally.
‘They are,’ said Rosie shortly. She could kill her mother. This was so absolutely not the time.
There was a long pause as Stephen skilfully manoeuvred the Land Rover round the snowy bends.
‘Of course,’ said Rosie nervously, ‘you shouldn’t listen to any of Mum’s prattle really.’
‘Yes, she was a bit Mrs Bennet, wasn’t she?’ said Stephen without thinking.
Rosie stiffened.
‘She’s wonderful,’ she said tightly.
‘Of course,’ said Stephen and dropped her off with a small kiss. Rosie watched the Land Rover vanish into the distance, partly furious with her mother, partly with a horrible sudden cold finger of doubt curling around her heart.
Chapter Twelve
The old man’s heart rate was threadier than he’d like, thought Moray, but he was in a safe place now. The smell of lunch – roast chicken, it seemed – permeated the hallways, and the heating was cosy without being hopelessly overbearing, which Moray also approved of. Hot, stuffy rooms spread infection; an open window here and there was a useful state of affairs. Blankets were dotted around to make sure nobody got cold. Edward Boyd was hovering anxiously. He would stay for the medical check-up then make his way home – alone.
Stephen managed to glide over the whole Steve thing completely – he had never, ever been anything like a Steve – putting out his hand to shake Pip’s.
‘Hello,’ they said to each other.
‘Pip, are you wearing shorts?’ said Rosie. ‘You know it is snowing and everything.’
‘I know,’ said Pip, looking down absent-mindedly. ‘I don’t know what I was thinking. It was really warm when I packed.’
‘I can lend you some trousers if you like,’ said Stephen.
‘Ooh, you’re SO kind,’ said Angie.
‘I’m sure my brother can buy his own trousers,’ said Rosie tightly, missing the amused glance Stephen gave her.
‘Where are the kids?’ he asked.
‘Oh, they’ve been outside since it was light… Hi there,’ said Desleigh, for whose straightforward, breezy Australian friendliness Rosie was suddenly very grateful. ‘They’ve never seen snow before. Kelly was furious that it was actually wet. She thought it was basically candyfloss. Mind you, it hasn’t stopped Meridian eating about a pint of the stuff.’
‘Let’s go round the back,’ said Rosie. ‘They can meet Mr Dog.’
‘His name isn’t really Mr Dog, of course,’ said Stephen. ‘That’s a holding name. We’re actually calling him Reuben Macintosh.’
‘Yes, we’re not,’ said Rosie, teeth firmly gritted.
‘Can I get you a tea? Coffee?’ said Angie anxiously.
Round the back was a cheerful sight: all three of the children, wrapped up in brand-new snowsuits, were rolling around the garden. Mr Dog ran up to them immediately to give them a good licking, and there were squeals of delight.
‘You’ve got a dog!’ said Shane. ‘We need a dog. Our dog got bitten by a snake.’
‘And we’re not going through that again,’ said Desleigh. ‘I had to hit it on the head with a spade.’
‘The dog or the snake?’ asked Stephen.
‘Oh, the snake, yeah? They’re dangerous bastards.’
‘What happened to the dog?’
‘Yeah, then we had to hit the dog. There’s no coming back from something like that.’
Rosie felt she was representing a family of sycophantic, animal-hitting, shorts-wearing imbeciles. Meridian came up and gave her another cuddle.
‘Hello!’ she said. ‘We like the snow. Except, did you know? It’s wet.’
‘I did know,’ said Rosie. ‘But you still like it, yes?’
Meridian nodded.
‘Who are you?’ she said. Kelly wandered over to see what was going on.
‘I’m Stephen,’ said Stephen. ‘This is my house.’
‘I like your house,’ said Kelly.
‘I BOUNCE BOUNCE BOUNCE ON THE BED,’ said Meridian.
‘Good,’ said Stephen.
‘Then I fell off the bed,’ said Meridian. ‘Ow ow ow. But I didn’t cry.’
‘You did,’ said Kelly. ‘You cried a lot.’
‘I AMN’T!’
‘DID!’
‘AMN’T!’
‘Oh, it doesn’t matter,’ said Rosie briskly.
‘What do you do?’ asked Kelly, still curious.
‘Do you know,’ said Stephen, crouching down to her height, ‘I’m a school teacher.’
Her eyes widened.
‘A boy school teacher?’
Stephen smiled.
‘Yes, I know. There are some boy school teachers.’
‘Do you teach kids who are like my age?’
‘I certainly do. Would you like to come and see my school sometime?’
Kelly nodded.
‘Actually,’ said Desleigh, who was bespeckled with toast crumbs from Rosie’s second breakfast and filling her mouth with another slice as she wiped her hands on her dressing gown, ‘that’s a great idea. Chuck ’em in school for a few days and I can go out and enjoy myself.’
‘Um, yes, I don’t think that’ll be possible,’ said Rosie.
While Stephen was still explaining the mysteries of a male primary teacher to Kelly, Angie grabbed Rosie in a completely unsubtle neck hold.
‘HE’S GORGEOUS,’ she hissed at the top of her voice, clearly audible in Carningford. ‘MILES BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE YOU’VE EVER BEEN OUT WITH! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU LANDED SOMEONE LIKE HIM! MY LITTLE ROSIE!’
‘MUUUUM!’ warned Rosie. Stephen didn’t look round, but she could see him stiffening.
‘WELL DONE, GIRL!’
‘MUM!… Um, I’ll see you later, we have to go.’
Angie marched up to Stephen.
‘So… are you going to make an honest woman of her?’
Everyone froze then, even the children. Rosie could have dug a hole in the snow and buried herself in it for ever.
Stephen smiled a fake social smile that stabbed Rosie like a dagger to the heart, and muttered something about being late.
Stephen drove, trying to hold on to his conflicting emotions. Rosie glared at him to see if he was going to make a remark, but he kept his face totally in neutral.
‘So, they seem nice,’ he ventured, finally.
‘They are,’ said Rosie shortly. She could kill her mother. This was so absolutely not the time.
There was a long pause as Stephen skilfully manoeuvred the Land Rover round the snowy bends.
‘Of course,’ said Rosie nervously, ‘you shouldn’t listen to any of Mum’s prattle really.’
‘Yes, she was a bit Mrs Bennet, wasn’t she?’ said Stephen without thinking.
Rosie stiffened.
‘She’s wonderful,’ she said tightly.
‘Of course,’ said Stephen and dropped her off with a small kiss. Rosie watched the Land Rover vanish into the distance, partly furious with her mother, partly with a horrible sudden cold finger of doubt curling around her heart.
Chapter Twelve
The old man’s heart rate was threadier than he’d like, thought Moray, but he was in a safe place now. The smell of lunch – roast chicken, it seemed – permeated the hallways, and the heating was cosy without being hopelessly overbearing, which Moray also approved of. Hot, stuffy rooms spread infection; an open window here and there was a useful state of affairs. Blankets were dotted around to make sure nobody got cold. Edward Boyd was hovering anxiously. He would stay for the medical check-up then make his way home – alone.
