Page 69 of Just for the Season

‘Yeah.’ She smiles and then slides her hands up my chest a little. ‘What’s with all this modern crap that youngsters listen to nowadays.’

I laugh, and reach my hands a little further around her, to splay them against her back.

‘Method acting,’ I whisper to her.

‘Mmm,’ she whispers back.

This is an amazing dance. We do a lot of… method acting.

‘Awww.’ Simon’s voice penetrates our little bubble. ‘The adoring couple. Seriously, you two are doing an amazing job at looking like you’re together. Frankie, I think your gran would like to speak to you.’

Frankie has twisted round in my arms to face him and we both stand there for a moment, staring at him, as though we’re emerging from a strange spell. For a few moments I’m shocked that he would interrupt us when we were clearly busy, but then I remember that we are not in fact a genuine couple, and Simon knows that.

‘Thank you,’ Frankie says. ‘I should go and see her.’

‘I think she wants to see you both,’ Simon says. ‘She was looking for you. She asked me to come and find you.’

‘Great.’

Accompanied by Simon, Frankie and I walk hand in hand over to where Rose and Roderick are seated. The hand-holding is what a couple would do in this situation, plus after that dance it would feel odd not to.

Rose addresses Simon: ‘Thank you so much. Now we have a secret to tell Frankie and Marcus. Which we will immediately tell you straight afterwards.’

‘Of course.’ Simon blows kisses at us all and disappears in the direction of the bar at the other end of the room.

‘Bring chairs,’ Rose requests.

She holds Frankie’s hand while I carry over two chairs that were against the nearest wall.

‘Sit,’ Rose commands.

We sit.

‘So,’ she says. She turns to Roderick and takes his hand and gives him what I can only describe as a saucy look.

My eyes swivel to Frankie’s. She’s looking at me too, jaw dropped. Clearly, the on-the-lips kiss they did earlier did mean something.

‘It’s sixty-three years since I left your grandfather at the altar,’ Rose tells me. I nod. ‘The reason,’ she continues, ‘is that I was scared by how much I loved him. And also because he’s from a wealthy family and I thought if we had children they’d be taken away from me and wet-nursed by nannies. But mainly because it was all too much.’

‘I see,’ I say. I take another look at Frankie. Her jaw is further dropped.

‘Obviously neither of us regret that, because we both went on to have happy marriages and of course none of our children and grandchildren would exist if we’d got married.’

‘True.’ Frankie’s voice sounds very strangled.

‘When I saw you together,’ Rose continues, ‘it reminded me of Roderick. Obviously. And I’m eighty-five and if there’s one thing I’ve learnt it’s that you should seize the day and also admit to mistakes. Well, that’s two things. Anyway. I telephoned Roderick.’

‘And I agreed immediately to meet for lunch,’ Roderick takes over the telling of the story. ‘And during that lunch I told Rose that I still love her. And she told me she still loves me.’

‘And that’s why I’ve been out more than usual,’ Rose says. ‘Also, we have news to announce this evening and we wanted to tell you two first.’

‘More news?’ Frankie clarifies.

‘Yes.’ Roderick says. ‘Your grandmother has done me the very great honour of becoming my wife.’

‘Has done?’ Frankie asks. ‘As in already done?’

‘Yes,’ Rose says. ‘We got married yesterday.’