Timothy.
Luckily, Jenny put her head round the door and summoned them to lunch.
'You'd better wash his hands in the kitchen,' said Winnie.
'I never have my hands washed,' announced Timothy.
'You do here,' said Winnie, leading the way.
A lordly dish of sausages, bacon, eggs and tomatoes graced the kitchen table, and Timothy surveyed it as Richard tried to wash the child's hands.
'I don't like sausages,' he said.
'What a pity,' said Winnie, settling herself at the table.
'And I don't like eggs.'
'Oh dear!'
'Nor bacon, nor none of what's for dinner.'
'You will be hungry,' said Winnie matter-of-factly.
She began to serve out. Richard took his seat, and Timothy was hoisted by Jenny on to a cushion in the chair beside him.
Winnie served the three adults and then looked enquiringly at Timothy.
'Are you going to try any of this?'
'No.'
'Very well, we won't worry you.'
Conversation flowed while Richard enquired about his old friends at Thrush Green, and Winnie tried to find out discreetly about Richard's domestic plans. Was the marriage still on or not? What had happened about the proposed divorce? Was Fenella's paramour, Roger Something, still living at the art gallery which was her home? If so, where did Richard fit in? It was all rather bewildering, thought Winnie, who was used to a tidy life.
Timothy, who disliked being ignored, now began to kick the table leg and was restrained by Jenny.
'Would you like to get down?' said Winnie.
'No. I want something to eat.'
Winnie lifted the servers.
'Not that old stuff!'
Winnie replaced the servers.
'So tell me about Imogen,' she said politely to Richard. 'Any teeth yet?'
Timothy began to tug furiously at Richard's arm, and a piece of sausage fell to the floor.
'I hardly know,' said Richard. 'Should she have teeth by now? I don't see much of her.'
By the time the first course had been demolished, Timothy had sunk down in his chair and was sucking a thumb disconsolately.
Jenny cleared away and returned with a steaming dish of baked apples.
'Shan't eat that,' said Timothy.
'Then you may get down,' said Winnie, serving the three adults imperturbably.
The child slid to the floor, and remained seated under the table.
Winnie looked enquiringly at Richard.
'What does he have at home?' she asked in a low voice.
'Oh, he eats when he feels like it. Bananas or peanuts, anything he fancies really. He doesn't have meals with us. He fits in very well with Fenella's work, you see. She has to be in the gallery quite a bit. We don't stop for regular meals as you do.'
When the meal was over, Jenny offered to take the child to play on the green, where there were some swings and a slide. Amazingly enough, the boy went with her, smiling.
'Now Richard,' said Winnie, when they were settled with their coffee, 'I want to know how things are with you. Are you and Fenella making a fresh start? What's happened to Roger? And are you still determined to find a home down here?'
Richard stirred his coffee thoughtfully. 'Well, first of all, Roger's gone back to his wife, but I can't see it lasting long. That's partly why I want to get Fenella away. We might make a go of it, without Roger looming over us all the time.'
'Very sensible. So the divorce is off?'
'Oh yes. So far, at any rate. I think we should consider the children.'
Better and better, thought Winnie. Richard seemed to be growing up at last.
'Mind you,' continued Richard, 'it's not going to be easy to pry Fenella from the gallery. It's her whole life really. Besides, she hates the country.'
Not so good after all, thought Winnie.
'And, of course,' went on her nephew, 'we do live rent free there. We should have to find a pretty hefty amount for a house round here. It needs thinking about.'
'I should imagine it's worth it to save your marriage,' said Winnie. 'And surely, if Fenella sold the gallery it would fetch a substantial sum, in such a good part of London.'
'I suppose so,' said Richard, but he sounded
Luckily, Jenny put her head round the door and summoned them to lunch.
'You'd better wash his hands in the kitchen,' said Winnie.
'I never have my hands washed,' announced Timothy.
'You do here,' said Winnie, leading the way.
A lordly dish of sausages, bacon, eggs and tomatoes graced the kitchen table, and Timothy surveyed it as Richard tried to wash the child's hands.
'I don't like sausages,' he said.
'What a pity,' said Winnie, settling herself at the table.
'And I don't like eggs.'
'Oh dear!'
'Nor bacon, nor none of what's for dinner.'
'You will be hungry,' said Winnie matter-of-factly.
She began to serve out. Richard took his seat, and Timothy was hoisted by Jenny on to a cushion in the chair beside him.
Winnie served the three adults and then looked enquiringly at Timothy.
'Are you going to try any of this?'
'No.'
'Very well, we won't worry you.'
Conversation flowed while Richard enquired about his old friends at Thrush Green, and Winnie tried to find out discreetly about Richard's domestic plans. Was the marriage still on or not? What had happened about the proposed divorce? Was Fenella's paramour, Roger Something, still living at the art gallery which was her home? If so, where did Richard fit in? It was all rather bewildering, thought Winnie, who was used to a tidy life.
Timothy, who disliked being ignored, now began to kick the table leg and was restrained by Jenny.
'Would you like to get down?' said Winnie.
'No. I want something to eat.'
Winnie lifted the servers.
'Not that old stuff!'
Winnie replaced the servers.
'So tell me about Imogen,' she said politely to Richard. 'Any teeth yet?'
Timothy began to tug furiously at Richard's arm, and a piece of sausage fell to the floor.
'I hardly know,' said Richard. 'Should she have teeth by now? I don't see much of her.'
By the time the first course had been demolished, Timothy had sunk down in his chair and was sucking a thumb disconsolately.
Jenny cleared away and returned with a steaming dish of baked apples.
'Shan't eat that,' said Timothy.
'Then you may get down,' said Winnie, serving the three adults imperturbably.
The child slid to the floor, and remained seated under the table.
Winnie looked enquiringly at Richard.
'What does he have at home?' she asked in a low voice.
'Oh, he eats when he feels like it. Bananas or peanuts, anything he fancies really. He doesn't have meals with us. He fits in very well with Fenella's work, you see. She has to be in the gallery quite a bit. We don't stop for regular meals as you do.'
When the meal was over, Jenny offered to take the child to play on the green, where there were some swings and a slide. Amazingly enough, the boy went with her, smiling.
'Now Richard,' said Winnie, when they were settled with their coffee, 'I want to know how things are with you. Are you and Fenella making a fresh start? What's happened to Roger? And are you still determined to find a home down here?'
Richard stirred his coffee thoughtfully. 'Well, first of all, Roger's gone back to his wife, but I can't see it lasting long. That's partly why I want to get Fenella away. We might make a go of it, without Roger looming over us all the time.'
'Very sensible. So the divorce is off?'
'Oh yes. So far, at any rate. I think we should consider the children.'
Better and better, thought Winnie. Richard seemed to be growing up at last.
'Mind you,' continued Richard, 'it's not going to be easy to pry Fenella from the gallery. It's her whole life really. Besides, she hates the country.'
Not so good after all, thought Winnie.
'And, of course,' went on her nephew, 'we do live rent free there. We should have to find a pretty hefty amount for a house round here. It needs thinking about.'
'I should imagine it's worth it to save your marriage,' said Winnie. 'And surely, if Fenella sold the gallery it would fetch a substantial sum, in such a good part of London.'
'I suppose so,' said Richard, but he sounded
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