I saw Anna and Harriet sipping margaritas at the far end of the deck, laughing about something, while Marjorie and Evelyn sat at a table with glasses of wine, and I went to join them. Perhaps I felt a little guilty that I had spent such a lot of time with Jack over the last few days. But then they were the ones who kept sidling off, leaving me to it.
‘I don’t know how you do it,’ I said. ‘I don’t think I could take any more alcohol at the moment.’
Evelyn raised her glass in my direction.
‘You know what Victor Hugo said; wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy. There is time for abstinence tomorrow. He didn’t say that last bit; I did.’
Marjorie nodded. ‘Wine improves with age; the older I get the more I like it. But I do tend to fall asleep these days. Whereas once of course I would have been dancing on the tables.’
‘I wouldn’t dare do that,’ Harriet said, ‘I’ve only just got over my first knee replacement.’
‘Anyone seen Dawn or Craig?’ Anna asked.
We all agreed we hadn’t.
‘Just as well,’ Marjorie said, ‘I’m afraid being drunk when you are an adult is like being a child again. Everyone remembers what you did afterwards except you.’
‘I’m sticking to water for a bit,’ I said, ‘or I’ll be fit for nothing in the morning.’
‘Here comes Jack,’ Anna said. ‘He’ll be sorry to hear you say that.’
Jack, who still appeared to have clean clothes, or perhaps he had taken advantage of the laundry service more than I had, came across towards us, a glass of white wine in his hand.
‘Evening, ladies, you are all looking lovely this evening,’ he said, and I raised my handbag a little higher to cover the stain on the front of my dress.
‘And where are you off to tomorrow, when we go home?’ Evelyn asked.
‘Dubrovnik,’ he said. ‘I have a booking in the Old Town. I’m looking forward to exploring.’
‘What a shame you can’t go too, Lizzie,’ Marjorie said mischievously.
I gave her a meaningful look, which she ignored.
Evelyn chimed in. ‘And we are flying to Aix-en-Provence to stay with some friends of ours, Audrie and Victor, who have an absolutely delightful place. Chateau de St Cyr, have you heard of it? They produce divine sparkling rose wine, Souffle de St Cyr. Even the name is adorable, don’t you think?’
‘You are never in one place for long by the sound of it,’ I said.
Evelyn nodded. ‘It fills my life. What I will do when – well, never mind.’
‘I’ve told you already, you can come and live with me in Little Rissington,’ Marjorie said, patting her hand.
‘We’ll drive each other mad,’ Evelyn murmured.
‘Yes, but what fun!’ Marjorie replied. ‘I’ve got it all worked out. We will be the scatty old ladies who go to the village shop on the ride-on mower. You can sit in the trailer and hang on to the shopping.’
I considered this terrifying prospect for a few minutes while the chatter carried on around me. I assumed Marjorie was joking, but then again…
What would I do when I was old, older, and not able to cope on my own? I’d thought about this a great deal recently.
I had friends and far-flung family, but would I just struggle on as best as I could for as long as possible until one day I fell down the stairs? Or would I have to rely on Ben for support, or go into a home? All of it sounded awful. And the worst thing was no one ever knew when these choices had to be made. I was sixty-four; would I be okay for another year, five years, ten years? Or was it possible I would develop some awful illness or have an accident sooner than that?
‘The police would probably stop us,’ Evelyn said.
‘I will bribe him with cake,’ Marjorie replied, ‘and tell him you mustn’t be upset because you are old and might have one of your turns. And you are also inclined to fly off the handle.’
‘As long as I don’t fly out of the trailer. And don’t write me off just yet,’ Evelyn said, ‘I am going to have as much fun as possible for as long as possible, otherwise what’s the point? Seize the day. One can’t help getting older but you don’t have to get old. There’s a difference.’
Yes, I thought suddenly, she was right.
