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“Well…” Joy paused for dramatic effect. “Maureen has only been seeing Maurice behind Charlotte’s back.”
“Are Maurice and Charlotte married?”
“No, but they’ve been stepping out since our pensioners Harvest Festival lunch so he was officially off the market. I’m pleased it came out. I haven’t met the man often, but I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. A right scoundrel he is. There were plenty of tears running into the Christmas pudding I can tell you, and both women have sworn off men for life.”
“I’m going for a lie down.”
Maddie cut through the conversation like a knife, stomping out of the room like a grumpy teenager, phone clamped to her hand.
“That girl’s got a bee in her bonnet about something,” said Joy, as Kate stared at the door in surprise.
“I don’t know what’s got into her. I know she’s hungover but Maddie’s been rude ever since she arrived. I’ve been looking forward to her coming for ages, now I’m looking forward to when she goes.”
“How long is she staying with you, dear?”
“Only a couple of days.”
“Let’s hope she feels better after a lie down. A spot of lunch should do her good.”
Bob popped his head round the door to inform them lunch would be half an hour. Once again, he insisted he didn’t need help, so Kate began setting up the table. Technically, it was a child’s table tennis court, but it was the perfect size for a makeshift dining table. Even better, she could keep it stored flat in the under stairs cupboard when not in use.
Joy hooted with laughter on seeing the table. “You are resourceful dear, just like your grandmother. She would have loved this.”
“Thanks, I hope it’s strong enough for all that food.”
“We’ll find out soon enough. Now, do you need any help laying the table?”
“If you could grab the cutlery that would be great.”
Joy bustled through to the kitchen and Kate pulled out the tablecloth she had bought. It cost more than the table, but laying white lace across the chipped, faded games table, she decided it had been worth every penny. By the time Joy returned, Kate had an impressive candle display in the centre, holly and ivy leaves trailing round an elaborate candelabra.
“This is what I imagine Michelin star restaurants look like,” said Joy, laying out the knives and forks. Kate smiled, pleased she approved. “Did you get any crackers, dear?”
“Tada,” said Kate, pulling them from the cupboard. “Are you OK if we do presents after dinner?”
“Of course. That sounds very civilized.”
“Grubs up,” Bob shouted from the kitchen.
“I’ll go and wake Maddie,” said Kate. “Grab yourself a chair, I’ll be back in a minute.”
Kate ran upstairs and knocked on the bedroom door. Maddie didn’t answer, so Kate pushed the door open and called out her name. When Maddie didn’t respond, Kate tiptoed towards the bed, assuming she must still be asleep. The bed was empty, but from the bathroom came the sound of Maddie throwing up. Kate wondered how many bottles of wine Maddie had got through the day before. Unable to stop herself, Kate picked up Maddie’s phone from the bedside cabinet. On the screen was another message from Alex-?
What the hell did a single question mark mean? The sound of the toilet flushing caused Kate to drop the phone back where she found it.
“Are you OK in there?”
“Yeah, fine, coming out now.”
Maddie appeared, looking better than when she arrived. She’d washed her face and her cheeks were regaining their pinkness.
“Maddie, how much did you have last night?”
Maddie smiled weakly and pulled on an old cardigan. “Are you OK for lunch? I can bring some up to you if you’d rather eat up here?”
“No, it’s fine, I’ll come down. You’ve gone to so much trouble. I’m sorry I’ve been a pain. I feel much better now I’ve got that out of my system.”
“OK, but don’t feel you have to stuff yourself on my account. I’m sure Bob will be happy to polish off anything you can’t manage.”
