Other People's Children Read Online Free PDF Page B

the deputy-head teacher of a secondary school at a place called Sedgebury, in the Midlands.’
    Elizabeth looked at the photograph again.
    â€˜I’m so sorry.’
    â€˜She’s a teacher, too,’ Tom said. ‘They met at a conference on pastoral care in state education. He has three children. They were married last week.’
    â€˜I’m so sorry,’ Elizabeth said again.
    â€˜Perhaps I should have expected it. Plenty of people told me so. She’s fifteen years younger than I am.’
    Privately, Elizabeth thought that this vanished wife might be about the same age as she was, herself.
    She said, cautiously, ‘Mightn’t it be a matter of temperament, not age? My parents were twelve years apart, and they were very happy—’
    He smiled at her.
    â€˜In our case, it was both.’
    The telephone rang.
    â€˜Excuse me,’ he said.
    He went across the kitchen to where the telephone hung on the wall and stood with his back to Elizabeth.
    â€˜Hello? Hello, darling. No. No, I’ve got someone here. No, a client. Yes, of course you can. Sunday morning. All well with you? Good week? I wish they’d get you a carphone with all that travelling. OK, darling, fine. Lovely. See you tomorrow.’
    He put the telephone down.
    â€˜My daughter.’
    Elizabeth looked up.
    â€˜Your daughter!’
    He came back to the table, smiling.
    â€˜My daughter, Dale. This is turning into rather a confessional. It must be something to do with your face. I have a daughter of twenty-five and another son of twenty-eight.’
    â€˜How?’ Elizabeth demanded.
    â€˜By the conventional method. My first wife died twenty years ago, from some virus contracted on holiday in the Greek Islands. She was dead in ten days.’
    Elizabeth stood up.
    â€˜Saying what bad luck seems rather inadequate.’
    He looked at her.
    â€˜But that’s all it was. I thought, at one point, I would simply die of grief but even at the lowest ebb, I knew there was no-one to blame. It was chance, a hazard, that random blow the ancient world was so respectful of.’
    â€˜Did you bring the children up on your own?’
    â€˜Yes. Until nine years ago, when Rufus was on the way and I married Josie.’
    â€˜But your first children were nearly grown up then—’
    â€˜Nearly. It wasn’t easy. In fact, it was largely awful. Dale and Lucas – Dale particularly – were used to having me to themselves.’
    Elizabeth turned to look for her coat.
    â€˜I’ve never had any competition for my father. Maybe I’m lucky—’
    Tom said, ‘Look, I’m sorry. I really am very sorry. I never meant to burden you with all this, I never intended to do anything except, in the kindest way, discover what you really want to do about this house.’
    She lifted her coat off a nearby chairback. He rose and took the coat from her and held it out for her to put on.
    â€˜I don’t know now.’
    â€˜Now?’
    â€˜You’ve made me think. Or at least, this morning has.’
    He left his hands on her shoulders for a second after the coat was on.
    â€˜Have you enjoyed it?’
    â€˜Yes,’ she said.
    â€˜Even though I’ve dumped on you?’
    â€˜I didn’t mind that. Sometimes—’ She paused.’ Sometimes, people don’t, because they don’t think I’ll understand.’
    He came round to look at her.
    â€˜I would so like to give you lunch.’
    â€˜Now?’
    â€˜Right now,’ he said.
    â€˜Well!’ Elizabeth’s father said. ‘All settled?’
    â€˜No,’ Elizabeth said. She looked round the room. ‘At least, not about the house. Did you say you’d found somebody to clean this?’
    â€˜Yes,’ Duncan Brown said. ‘Two mornings a week.’
    â€˜Has she been yet?’
    â€˜It’s a he. Part-time bartender at The Fox and Grapes. No, he