Page 47 of The Way We Are Now

‘Secretarial college in Harrogate where daughters of the great and good find themselves,’ Theo explained with raised eyebrows. ‘Apparently it’s the place to aspire to after returning from Switzerland.’

‘Come on, Theo!’ Vivienne tutted. ‘You know I refused to be bundled off to finishing school once I’d left Benenden. Anyway, The-o-dore…’ she elongated each syllable of his name before giving him a little poke in the ribs ‘…I thought you said you were never coming to one of these dos again after last year?’

‘Oh?’ I turned to Theo, curiosity overcoming good manners. ‘What happened last year then?’

‘The same as every year.’ Theo smiled. ‘I’d only been back from New Zealand a while and, after being out there, it all seemed a bit, you know, a bit daft, a bit… oh, I don’t know… superficial? Hooray Henry sort of English, grown men dressed up in white pants and these red coats.’

‘But you’ve changed your opinion again then? About all this…?’ I started.

Theo was saved from answering by the arrival of another sister – Araminta, this time – accompanied by two men, one who was introduced as Duncan, Araminta’s husband, and, in tow, James, belonging to Vivienne.

There was much patting and welcoming of Theo who, I gathered, hadn’t been home from Leeds as much as his family both required and expected.

‘Can’t have the next in line to Mandeville Hall not taking an interest in the place.’ Duncan laughed with another well-placed slap at Theo’s back. ‘And don’t try telling us you’re down in that library every evening and weekend, your nose in a book. I hear it’s squash that’s taking up too much of your time these days, Theodore,’ Duncan went on. ‘Don’t let on to your father what you’re up to when you say you’ve too much studying to do to come home.’

Theo smiled politely but said nothing, either in agreement or otherwise.

‘Where are you from, Anna?’ Araminta asked, turning to me.

‘Rothersley.’

There was a slight stilling of the atmosphere, but Araminta ploughed on, undeterred.

‘South Yorkshire? The miners there are out on strike again, I believe?’

‘Again…?’ I started.

‘Isn’t that Scargill chap always downing tools and shouting: “Everybody out”?’ Arabella air-mimed the words. ‘Odious little man. Doesn’t seem to care a fig for the miners not having enough money to live on.’

‘To be fair, I think it’s this government that doesn’t give a… a…’ biting down the rat’s arse I’d have come out with back at home, I substituted ‘a… fig about the miners in Rothersley and in Wales and in the North East.’

‘Anna’s dad and brother are both miners,’ Theo said calmly.

‘Goodness. Really?’ All eyes turned in my direction, taking in every aspect of me as though I were some strange creature, never before darkening the doorstep of Mandeville Hall. I probably was.

‘Come on, James.’ Araminta grinned in her brother-in-law’s direction. ‘Do you have an answer for Anna?’

‘An answer?’ I glanced warily at Araminta and then towards Theo. I really didn’t want to be getting into any political argument the minute I’d been introduced to his family.

‘James is a member of the government,’ Theo said, eyebrows raised.

‘One of Mrs Thatcher’s bright young things,’ Araminta teased. ‘We all know how our prime minister likes to surround herself with attractive young men who’ll do her bidding.’

‘Do you mind, Minty?’ Vivienne was clearly put out. ‘You’re making James appear to have no mind of his own. He’s very junior,’ she added, shaking her head slightly in my direction. ‘I doubt our leader even knows who James is.’

‘But we’re all very proud of him, aren’t we, Jamesie?’ Araminta soothed, patting his arm. ‘Even if he’s not quite caught the eye of Mrs T just yet.’

‘The thing is, Anna,’ Duncan now said, turning to me, ‘it’s in the interests of the UK as a whole that there should be a healthy and competitive coal industry.’

‘Absolutely.’ I nodded vigorously. ‘I couldn’t agree more.’ Here was someone who appeared to be on the side of the miners.

‘And there has to be high investment in modern competitive capacity and, as in any extractive industry, uncompetitive and old capacity should be closed. It’s quite simple, Anna, and what your lot don’t get…’

My lot?

‘…is that in any industry, and particularly the coal industry, there has to be live progress…’

‘Live, yes,’ I interrupted. ‘Not closed, not taking away the livelihood of thousands of families. Destroying communities…’