‘I’ll see what I can do.’
I put my head in my hands. For now, she had to be satisfied with that.
SIXTEEN
I could feel myself burning with anger and embarrassment as we continued with breakfast. Now that she had me caught nicely in her net, Mum moved on to talk about what dress she might wear, and I had no need – or requirement – to join in with that particular topic. Luckily, Coco was more interested, and kept Mum diverted.
‘Are you all right?’ asked Constance, buttering a piece of toast lavishly and putting it on my plate. I was touched by the gesture and picked it up gratefully.
‘I’m okay,’ I said, glancing across at Mum to make sure she wasn’t listening. ‘Remember that I’m used to her.’
‘Don’t want to be rude about your mother,’ murmured Constance, who was clearly itching to do just that, ‘but she’s extraordinarily manipulative. Didn’t like seeing you and Alexander backed into a corner like that. I do hope Douglas will be all right.’
I gave a small smile.
‘You can be as rude as you like about her – it’s refreshing. I hear a lot about how terrific she is. The truth is that, like all of us, she has her good side and her bloody awful side. But from what I’ve seen, I don’t think you need to worry about Douglas– she’s besotted with him in a way I’ve never seen before, and I think that if he were to challenge her on something, she loves and respects him enough to compromise. Which is a word I’ve not associated with Mum before.’
Constance laughed.
‘Well, he’s a grown man, he can look after himself. And you’re a grown woman and no doubt more than capable of looking afteryourself…’
‘But I’m a doormat where Mum’s concerned?’ I supplied.
She shrugged.
‘I wouldn’t have gone so far as to say doormat, but you do seem flattened by her at times. Maybe anyone would be. She’s a force of nature, your mother.’
‘As are you, I think.’
She nodded thoughtfully.
‘Yes, but I tend to direct it towards myself and my work, rather than pulling other people’s strings.’
‘Mum is just so convinced of her own rightness that it’s hard for her to understand that other people might see the world differently. And besides, steamrollering and manipulating people has paid dividends over the years. She can be kind, too, and she’s a great person to have on your side if something goes wrong.’
‘I can imagine. Perhaps I just need to get to know her better.’
‘Just don’t get sucked into her orbit. I’m already dreading being asked to be a bridesmaid, and what monstrous outfit she’ll make me wear, but you don’t need any peach taffeta in your life.’
Constance roared with laughter, causing everyone at the table to look our way.
‘Something funny?’ asked Mum, with an arched eyebrow.
I was also giggling now and waved her away with my fork. She frowned and returned to her dress conversation, which had already been going on for ten minutes or so – about nineminutes longer than I am able to talk about wedding dresses. I concentrated on finishing my breakfast, difficult when, at regular intervals, Constance hissed various horrors at me: Watered silk! Crepe de chine! Kitten heels! Alexander looked over at us queryingly a few times, but of course we couldn’t share the joke with him.
As breakfast drew to a close, Mum turned her attention back to me.
‘Are you busy this morning, Fallon?’
The truth was that Alexander and I had nothing big to do now until the Citroën turned up, but I had planned to do a proper, long Moors walk with a pub lunch at the end of it. As is her style, Mum took my lack of instant response for an answer – one which was to her liking.
‘Good. I’d like to get some of your toxins flushed out: I’m taking you for a colonic cleanse!’
This was announced much as if it were a special treat, but the ripple of horror that went around the table swiftly put paid to that.
‘What’s wrong with you all?’ demanded Mum. ‘It’s a fantastic way of restoring energy and the practitioners who do it are very discreet.’
I started to say thatno waywas I spending my morning doing anything of the sort when, like a beautifully trained, supportive chorus, everyone at the table spoke at once:
