Page 10 of Old Girls Behaving Badly

I was tucked away at the end of the table next to Dorothy and trying to engage with the woman, but Leonard was holding court at the other end and seemed determined to involve the entire group in his conversation. He’d disappeared briefly and returned with his hair tamed. It was now slicked back with some sort of oily product and he’d changed out of his leathers into a white shirt with a simple black jacket and tight-fitting trousers.

‘So, Rufus, what have you been up to?’

He directed his question at Caroline’s brother and Rufus seemed to jump in his seat.

‘Um, a bit of this and that,’ he said quietly. ‘You know.’

‘I certainly do know, young man,’ Leonard said.

‘Rufus has been very busy working at the law firm,’ his mother said, throwing a dangerous look at Leonard. The expression if looks could kill sprung to my mind. But then the woman seemed to catch herself and her face transformed into the picture of serenity. She reminded me of a woman I used to work with many years ago. A mercurial person who was quietly known as Worzel Gummidge among some of the staff because no one would ever know which head she would have on when she arrived in the morning. I made a mental note to try and avoid Rufus’s mother and perhaps Leonard too. I’d just stick to looking after Dorothy and keep my head down. With that thought in mind, I refilled Dorothy’s glass of water.

Leonard nodded and smiled before turning his attention to the whole group. There was a small glass of champagne in front of each of us and Leonard picked up his and pushed his chair back. ‘This is a very special occasion,’ he said. ‘I haven’t had the pleasure of your collective company since the engagement party. To see all those I hold dear to me under my roof is marvellous.’ He paused for a moment and turned his attention toward Dorothy. ‘Sadly, not everyone could be here, though. How missed dear Philip is to us, myself especially. And it’s with this thought that I’d like you all to raise a glass: to absent friends.’

Everyone did exactly that, mumbling the names Philip, Dad and Grandad too, but I noticed that Dorothy put her glass to her lips and didn’t drink. When Leonard sat back down and resumed eating, Dorothy turned to me and began to explain the family dynamics in a whisper. She’d only just managed to say that Sandra and Paul were Rufus’s parents and that Paul and Leonard were brothers when Leonard’s voice boomed out again, making me jump.

‘And who is this beguiling creature at the other end of the table?’ he asked.

For the first time, Leonard looked directly at me and I felt a chill rush through me. He was smiling broadly, but I couldn’t help feel a sense of menace.

‘This is Gina, a friend who’s come to help me in my decrepit old age,’ Dorothy said, with a tinkly laugh.

‘Ah, a carer,’ Leonard said and I could feel Dorothy bristle beside me.

‘A companion, actually, but yes, I do need a bit of help these days. I am eighty-nine after all.’ Then, as if to prove her point, her knife slipped off the side of her plate and onto the carpet. ‘Oh, dear,’ she said, flustered and I quickly bent down to pick it up. When I brought it back up to the table I noticed Leonard’s eyes were still on me and I busied myself by taking a clean knife, laid out for the next course, and offered it to Dorothy.

‘Well, you are as welcome as any of the guests here, Gina,’ he said, seeming to drop the edginess and becoming the perfect host again. I wasn’t sure I could handle a whole week of Leonard and decided to see if Dorothy was amenable to me slinking off at mealtimes.

The rest of the meal was a blur of family banter, most of which went over the top of my head, but I did glean a little information about the group. Juliet’s parents were called Sophie and Luke. Their dynamic was instantly clear; Sophie was the boss and Luke was happy to play second fiddle. Her opinions were clear and loud and his were neither, but they both seemed likeable. Rufus tried to keep his head down despite his sister, one side of him, and his mother the other, both encouraging him into conversation. Toby and Caroline were clearly in love and it was so heartwarming to see the two of them at the start of their journey. Nostalgia flooded me as I watched them gaze at each other the same way that I’m sure Douglas and I must have done many years before. Leonard, at the head of the table watched over everyone and intermittently interrupted to add his twopence worth.

I had nothing to contribute, as usual, and I was immensely grateful to the moment that we all put our spoons down after dessert and began to vacate the dining room.

‘Shall we take that turn now, Gina?’ Dorothy asked and, without waiting for an answer, she took my arm and steered me out of the room and back towards the door to the garden.

‘Leonard seems a very interesting character,’ I said as we stepped out onto the patio and Dorothy made a beeline for the parterre garden.

‘Yes,’ Dorothy said brightly, glancing back over her shoulder as she spoke. She seemed quite sprightly for her age, especially with me on one side of her and her stick on the other. We passed some rounded box hedging and the pretty herbaceous planting before the older woman had guided me towards some steps. Our pace slowed to a crawl as we navigated them and then I found myself in a wooded area, the ground covered in ferns and with what looked like a little stone folly nestled into the trees.

Dorothy led me inside and she immediately sat down on a stone bench to catch her breath.

‘Are you okay?’ I asked her and she took a long look at me before answering.

‘Can I trust you, dear? It’s so important that I can, because there isn’t much time, you see.’

I wasn’t expecting that and I went for an air of joviality in my reply.

‘Of course you can, unless you’re going to tell me you’re a criminal.’

I laughed a little, but Dorothy’s expression was grim.

‘Hmm, well I’m not. What do you think of Leonard’s art collection?’ she asked, surprising me for a second time.

‘Eclectic?’ I suggested, because it really was.

‘I believe that Leonard has stolen a painting belonging to my late husband, Philip.’

‘Oh, dear, that’s not good. And you’ve seen it in the house, have you?’

‘Well, no, of course Leonard wouldn’t be stupid enough to have it hanging above the fireplace. I think he’s hidden it somewhere; somewhere in plain sight.’