What Women Want, Women of a Dangerous Age: 2-Book Collection. Fanny Blake

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СКАЧАТЬ only saying it because he knows exactly the reaction he’ll get,’ said Ellen. ‘And you know nagging never works.’

      ‘I can’t help it. He drives me mad.’

      ‘He’s just at that age,’ Ellen reassured her. ‘You’ve got to ignore it. He’s still a great kid underneath all that.’

      ‘You think so?’

      ‘I know so. Give him a couple of years and you’ll see.’ Ellen got up to put the kettle on. ‘Now, where were we? I think it’s your turn.’

      ‘How long have you got?’ So saying, Bea launched into her latest news from the work and dating front, giggling about Mark and bemoaning Tony Castle. For the next couple of hours, they would go back and forth over the same well-trodden ground, as they examined and re-examined their lives, loves (or lack of them) and children. They had spent countless similar evenings in each other’s company, enjoying the friendship, discretion, support and advice. Even if Bea’s feathers were ruffled from time to time, Ellen took that in her stride. That was what friendship was about, thought Bea. Ultimately, nothing was strong enough to break the bond between them.

      *

      Before she went to bed, Bea made herself a cup of hot chocolate and took it to the sitting room, ignoring the debris that was evidence of Ben’s earlier occupation. Mothers and children – who’d have ’em? She opened the box Ellen had brought and took out the distinctive brown tub of pink and black pepper caramels. As the fusion of sweet and savoury flavours melted in her mouth, she thought with affection of Adele and with some sadness of the last conversation they’d had together when she’d dropped her mother at home.

      They had sorted out the shopping and sat down with a cup of tea before Bea had touched on the subject of Adele moving house. To her surprise, an uncertain look crossed Adele’s face and she said what she must have been bursting to say all day.

      ‘I’ve got something to tell you, Bea. I’ve been putting it off because I don’t know how you’ll react. Janey Blythe has asked me to move to Bournemouth with her. There.’ She sat back, looking pleased but apprehensive, waiting to see the effect her announcement would have on her daughter. Janey Blythe was Adele’s near neighbour, a sprightly, slightly younger woman who, like Adele, was widowed, with her children long established in their own lives. The two had grown particularly close after the deaths of their husbands and Bea knew they spent hours talking about their own and their children’s lives. Janey was always keen to try new things. Her last idea had been to encourage Adele to go to the local pottery class with her. The three wonky vases on top of the old upright piano suggested lots of enthusiasm but little skill.

      ‘Ye-es.’ Bea was hesitant, worried she’d been wrong in her assessment of her mother’s state of mind. She’d clearly completely lost her marbles. ‘But where? And what about the house?’

      ‘I’m going to sell it. I’ve been rattling around it for years. We’ve found two flats – actually, Janey has – in a new development principally for old crocks like us very close to the sea front.’ Adele was beaming at the prospect of something so different.

      ‘Mum! You can’t do this without talking to us.’

      ‘But that’s what I’m doing – talking to you. I’ve always wanted to live by the sea . . .’

      ‘Have you? You’ve never said anything.’

      ‘Bea, I hardly see you. And when I do, we mostly talk about you or Ben.’

      Bea was ashamed to admit that she was right. She’d imagined she knew all that there was to know about Adele’s life. She had got into the habit of assuming that her mother’s days and weeks followed the same inevitable pattern and that Adele was quite happy with that. Bea had never bothered trying to put herself into her mother’s shoes to see how the world looked from her vantage-point. Of course, a woman of seventy-something (there – she didn’t even know exactly how old Adele was) had the right to expect more out of life and still have ambitions, however modest. ‘I’m sorry.’

      ‘No, that’s not what I meant. I love hearing all your news. But Janey and I have had more cups of coffee together than either of us can count, discussing what we might do with the rest of our lives. At the moment we’re both relatively fit and healthy so it’s not too late for us to start a new chapter.’ Her eyes were bright with excitement.

      ‘Why didn’t you say something earlier?’

      ‘Because I was enjoying hearing about you and Ellen. And I was nervous. I didn’t want to spoil our outing, which I would have done if you don’t like the plan.’

      ‘But, Mum . . . the house.’ Now that the idea of Adele’s moving had suddenly become a reality, getting rid of the family home was unthinkable. Or was it? After all, she was the only one of Adele’s children who visited with any regularity any more. Why should her mother have to live there alone, just so her children could revisit their memories every now and then?

      ‘It’s only a house, dear. It’s given us plenty of good years but I like the idea of another family taking it over now. And I’d like a change while I can still enjoy it. If I move with Janey, we’ll have each other for company as neighbours again. What could be better? And you won’t need to worry about me.’

      Selling the old place would be a huge wrench, not to say a logistical nightmare as they disposed of all those years’ worth of accumulated belongings, but was that a reason to prevent Adele having one last shot at life? Bea looked around the room. She had grown up with everything in it: the faded furniture, the pictures on the walls, the green and white Penguin crime novels that Adele had collected so many years ago. Where would it all go? She turned to her mother, who was leaning forward in her chair, looking anxious for Bea’s approval. In that moment, Bea grasped that whatever her feelings about her childhood home, she couldn’t use it to deny her mother’s right to her much-cherished independence. That Adele was embracing her future with another woman close to her age should be a relief, a way of taking some of the load off her shoulders. Adele was right. The house had done them well and at last the time had come to move on.

      ‘You know what, Mum? I think it’s a great idea. Go for it.’

      The relief she saw in Adele’s face told her all she needed to know. Adele’s mind might have been made up but what she really wanted was her daughter’s blessing. Though saddened by the nostalgia provoked at the idea of selling the old house, Bea was able to enthuse over the estate agent’s details of the new flats. Soon she and her mother were making plans to travel down to inspect them as soon as they could.

      By the time she left for home, she was almost as excited as Adele by the imminent change. She was confident Will wouldn’t mind. He’d said goodbye to his childhood home long ago when he’d set off for Australia. As for Jess, she had no right to protest. She only ever visited when she felt she absolutely had to and spent much of her time eyeing up the furniture, as if mentally marking the pieces she liked with red stickers. No, this was a positive thing to do and Bea was going to support Adele all the way. Life would be easier for everyone.

      Unable to resist another chocolate, she kicked off her shoes and stretched out on the sofa as a feeling of relaxation stole over her. She wasn’t sorry that Tony Castle hadn’t turned up this evening. Having the opportunity to talk to Ellen was much more important to her. After so many years coming to terms with Simon’s death, Ellen deserved her shot at happiness. Her obvious pleasure in her new man brought home to Bea how much she wanted the best for her friend. Besides, she admitted a small afterthought, if Ellen СКАЧАТЬ