‘Promise, Mum.’
‘Honestly, darling!’ Grace huffed, as if mortally wounded not to be trusted.
‘Promise, Mum.’ Kate knew what her mother was like.
‘Okay, okay,’ Grace said. ‘I promise.’
* **
Grace tapped a long red talon against the phone.Who to call first?That was the question. Normally she would have rung Rachel, but she was just back from her honeymoon and still wrapped up in her own newly-wed status. Lorcan would be hopeless and, no doubt, extremely disapproving and uncooperative. Helen, she decided. She’d know what to do.
‘Helen?’
‘Grace! How lovely. Just hang on a sec – I’ve got something on the stove.’
Grace felt calmer already. There was something so comforting about Helen’s domestic proficiency. It made her feel that everything was going to be all right. All she had to do was tell Helen and it would be taken care of.
‘Okay, I’m all yours,’ Helen said, returning.
‘Helen, I’ve got some news,’ Grace began.
‘Not good, by the sound of it. What is it?’ Helen sounded concerned.
‘It’s about Kate,’ Grace hedged, feeling a little guilty now to be betraying her daughter’s confidence so soon.
‘What’s she done?’ Helen hooted. ‘Run off to the Himalayas with a circus?’
‘Nothing so sensible, I’m afraid.’ Grace paused for effect before dropping her bombshell. ‘She’s gone and got herself engaged to the dreaded Tree-hugger.’
‘Gosh!’ Gratifyingly, Helen gasped at this.
Good old Helen,Grace thought.Trust her to grasp the full horror of the situation straight away.
‘It’s supposed to be a secret. I shouldn’t even be telling you. But I needed to talk to someone – and you’ll know what to do.’
‘Do? What’s the problem?’
‘I’ve just told you the problem,’ Grace replied, a little impatiently. It wasn’t like Helen to be obtuse. ‘Kate’s got engaged to the Tree-hugger.’
‘Oh, you mean the engagement itself?’ Helen asked, a little disconcerted.
‘Yes!’
‘The fact that you can’t stand the Tree-hugger?’
‘Exactly.’
‘I see. Well, I know it’s difficult, Grace, but?—’
‘We’ve got to stop it, Helen!’ Grace interrupted. ‘We can’t let her go ahead with it.’
‘I don’t see how we can stop it.’
‘Don’t you?’ Grace wavered. Surely Helen wasn’t going to fail her.
‘Well, what did you have in mind?’ Helen asked.
Grace sighed. ‘I don’t know,’ she admitted. ‘I thought you’d have some ideas.’
