Almost a Crime Read Online Free PDF Page A

dear, what can I say? I
    forgot. How dreadful of me. Are you sure it’s too late?’
    ‘Yes, I’m afraid so. I’d arranged to meet my boyfriend at
    seven.’
    ‘You should have rung me. On my mobile.’
    ‘I did try.’
    Yes, and of course she had switched it off, for the Savoy.
    She looked at Caroline rather helplessly. ‘Well, look, you
    must have - oh, dear, not this weekend off, we’ve got
    people over from the States. Maybe next—’
    “The next one would be nice, Mrs Fleming. As actually
    we did agree - perhaps you’ve forgotten.’ Her voice was
    polite, but her expression was very hard. ‘I’ve arranged to
    go away, and—’
    ‘No, of course I haven’t forgotten,’ said Octavia quickly.
    Caroline was supposed to have three weekends a month
    off; lately it had dwindled to more like the other way
    round. She was quite good natured beneath her daunting
    manner, and she was very fond of all three children, Minty
    in particular, but reneging on what was, after all, a written
    contract, clearly made her angry. She did not smile now at
    Octavia, merely turned towards the door.
    Octavia, reading her body language, sensing danger (for
    she had seen four nannies off already in her eight years of
    motherhood), said, ‘No, of course you must have that
    weekend. Why don’t you take the Monday as well, make it
    a really long one? Friday would be more difficult, we’ve got
    some do, I think, but—’
    ‘Oh, that would be marvellous, Mrs Fleming. Thank
    you. If you can manage it …”
    ‘Yes, of course I can. We certainly owe it to you. And
    Caroline, I’m sorry about this evening. Again.’
    “Thank you, Mrs Fleming. Right, well, I think I’ll go up to my room now, I’m very tired. Oh, by the way, your father phoned. No message, but he’ll ring again.’
    He certainly will, thought Octavia; she might leave the
    answering machine to deal with him. ‘Fine,’ she said, ‘thank
    you.’
    Caroline turned and ran up the stairs. Octavia watched
    her, thinking distractedly what good legs she had, how
    pretty she was altogether, tall, fair haired, athletic looking,
    wondering why she had chosen to be a nanny of all things.
    Her father was a prosperous solicitor and she’d gone to a good school; she had A-levels, she could have done’ anything, anything at all, and yet she’d opted to take care of other people’s children. Very odd: even if the reward (Ł200 a week clear, own flat, sole use of car) were so good No status, no freedom… Well, better not waste time
    meditating on that one, thought Octavia, pouring boiling
    water on to her peppermint teabag - she could save on a lot of calories if she cut out supper — and went back to the playroom, concentrating her thoughts and the necessary
    willpower on her children. They deserved some of her,
    quite a lot of her; they really didn’t get enough.
     
    The twins had wearied of their video and were engaged in
    their favourite occupation of arguing. People who disapproved
    of Octavia — or who, more precisely, were envious
    of her, resented her success, her charmed life, her gilded
    lifestyle — often said it was irritatingly predictable that she
    would have had twins, would have instantly acquired a
    family, rather than just a child, would have got pregnancy
    and breastfeeding and postnatal exhaustion and the inevitable
    career break over and done with all at once. No
    wondering when or indeed whether to embark on the next
    pregnancy for Octavia; there it was, her family (and even a
    boy and a girl, for heaven’s sake), readymade, with the least
    possible inconvenience not only to herself but her colleagues
    and her clients as well.
    Octavia herself, delighted by the charm, the distinction
    of twins, was at first unaware of the professional benefits
    they brought her, and was surprised and hurt the first time
    she heard these expressed by an outside source; later on, she
    was amused — and faintly shocked — to find herself
    recognising its wisdom.
    The