we talk to her. She’s exhausted – she doesn’t want to have to deal with a lot of bickering relations.’
‘What on earth do you mean by that?’
‘Come off it, Rupe. You know Hugh thinks that at all costs we should keep the house, and Edward thinks we should get rid of it. And, by the way, I’m not clear what you think.’
‘That’s because I haven’t made up my mind.’ He pulled out a battered packet of Gauloises and offered it before taking one himself. ‘I mean,’ he said, after a short silence while he tried to think what he did actually want, ‘it all depends on what Rachel wants. She won’t want the Regent’s Park house, that’s for sure. The Duchy hated it – said it was far too grand for her. This was her home, and Rachel may feel that as well. I really think it’s for her to decide. And the children all love it here.’
‘I know they do. My lot look forward to it every holiday. But who is to pay for it?’
‘I suppose we could split the costs of upkeep between us.’
He had been dreading this. ‘Rupe, I have to tell you now that I’m afraid you’d have to count me out on that. I simply don’t have the dough to promise anything on a regular basis. Money has been rather tight lately.’ His voice tailed off to an apologetic smile. It was Rupert’s beloved daughter he had married, and he was hardly keeping her in a state to which she had been accustomed.
‘My dear old boy, I wasn’t expecting you to chip in. It ought to be Hugh and Edward and me and Rachel – if she wants to live here.’ Even this kindness was humiliating. ‘And we would always want you and Clary and the family to come – just as you always have done. The Duchy would have wanted that.’ Mentioning his mother made Rupert’s eyes fill with tears. ‘She always regarded you as family,’ he said, rubbing his face furiously.
‘Why do you think Edward is so keen to get rid of Home Place?’ Archie asked, to distract him.
‘Because Diana doesn’t like it?’
‘Well, I don’t think she takes much to the family as a whole.’
‘Mm. She has ugly hands,’ Rupert said absently. ‘The kind that rings only make worse. Don’t laugh, Archie – you must have noticed them. Time we got back to the fray,’ he said, as they finished their cigarettes.
‘Is there going to be a fray?’ Archie asked, as they strolled back across the tennis court to the house.
‘If marked differences of opinion surface, I think it’s likely.’
There were marked differences of opinion among the children. Laura wanted to sleep with her cousins, Harriet and Bertie, who had already determined that they would share with Georgie: ‘She’s hardly six, Mummy, we can’t possibly have her with us. She’s far too young – she’ll spoil everything.’
‘I’m more than six. It’s not fair!’
‘There you are, you see. Crying about the least little thing. Anyway, there isn’t a fourth bed.’
Jemima and Clary, who had battled with the children’s baths, looked at one another in despair.
‘And Rivers,’ Georgie now said. ‘That’s a fourth person anyway. He doesn’t like girls,’ he added triumphantly, to Laura. ‘He’ll probably bite you in the night.’
‘Couldn’t you stop him?’
‘Not if I was asleep. He only likes people who are at least. . .’ he paused, he was seven himself ‘. . . at least seven.’
‘If you sleep with Daddy and me, you can wear your pirate’s hat. How would that be?’ Jemima wiped the tears from Laura’s face. She could see that that was doing the trick: Laura adored her hat.
Meanwhile Clary had been enjoining her two to be nicer to their young cousin. ‘When you were six, you wouldn’t have liked being left out.’
‘That was ages ago,’ Bertie said uneasily, and Harriet echoed him: ‘Ages.’
‘Well,’ Clary said, loudly enough for everyone to hear, ‘I can remember being let down by my cousins and it felt awful. They didn’t want me to share a room with
‘What on earth do you mean by that?’
‘Come off it, Rupe. You know Hugh thinks that at all costs we should keep the house, and Edward thinks we should get rid of it. And, by the way, I’m not clear what you think.’
‘That’s because I haven’t made up my mind.’ He pulled out a battered packet of Gauloises and offered it before taking one himself. ‘I mean,’ he said, after a short silence while he tried to think what he did actually want, ‘it all depends on what Rachel wants. She won’t want the Regent’s Park house, that’s for sure. The Duchy hated it – said it was far too grand for her. This was her home, and Rachel may feel that as well. I really think it’s for her to decide. And the children all love it here.’
‘I know they do. My lot look forward to it every holiday. But who is to pay for it?’
‘I suppose we could split the costs of upkeep between us.’
He had been dreading this. ‘Rupe, I have to tell you now that I’m afraid you’d have to count me out on that. I simply don’t have the dough to promise anything on a regular basis. Money has been rather tight lately.’ His voice tailed off to an apologetic smile. It was Rupert’s beloved daughter he had married, and he was hardly keeping her in a state to which she had been accustomed.
‘My dear old boy, I wasn’t expecting you to chip in. It ought to be Hugh and Edward and me and Rachel – if she wants to live here.’ Even this kindness was humiliating. ‘And we would always want you and Clary and the family to come – just as you always have done. The Duchy would have wanted that.’ Mentioning his mother made Rupert’s eyes fill with tears. ‘She always regarded you as family,’ he said, rubbing his face furiously.
‘Why do you think Edward is so keen to get rid of Home Place?’ Archie asked, to distract him.
‘Because Diana doesn’t like it?’
‘Well, I don’t think she takes much to the family as a whole.’
‘Mm. She has ugly hands,’ Rupert said absently. ‘The kind that rings only make worse. Don’t laugh, Archie – you must have noticed them. Time we got back to the fray,’ he said, as they finished their cigarettes.
‘Is there going to be a fray?’ Archie asked, as they strolled back across the tennis court to the house.
‘If marked differences of opinion surface, I think it’s likely.’
There were marked differences of opinion among the children. Laura wanted to sleep with her cousins, Harriet and Bertie, who had already determined that they would share with Georgie: ‘She’s hardly six, Mummy, we can’t possibly have her with us. She’s far too young – she’ll spoil everything.’
‘I’m more than six. It’s not fair!’
‘There you are, you see. Crying about the least little thing. Anyway, there isn’t a fourth bed.’
Jemima and Clary, who had battled with the children’s baths, looked at one another in despair.
‘And Rivers,’ Georgie now said. ‘That’s a fourth person anyway. He doesn’t like girls,’ he added triumphantly, to Laura. ‘He’ll probably bite you in the night.’
‘Couldn’t you stop him?’
‘Not if I was asleep. He only likes people who are at least. . .’ he paused, he was seven himself ‘. . . at least seven.’
‘If you sleep with Daddy and me, you can wear your pirate’s hat. How would that be?’ Jemima wiped the tears from Laura’s face. She could see that that was doing the trick: Laura adored her hat.
Meanwhile Clary had been enjoining her two to be nicer to their young cousin. ‘When you were six, you wouldn’t have liked being left out.’
‘That was ages ago,’ Bertie said uneasily, and Harriet echoed him: ‘Ages.’
‘Well,’ Clary said, loudly enough for everyone to hear, ‘I can remember being let down by my cousins and it felt awful. They didn’t want me to share a room with
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