The Sweetest Dream Read Online Free PDF Page A

‘I’m not doing the play after all.’
    Sophie stared at her, her great eyes already full of tears. ‘What
do you mean? You can’t . . . it’s not . . . it can’t be true.’
    â€˜I’m not doing it, Sophie.’
    Both sons were looking at Sophie, probably even kicking her
under the table: shut up .
    â€˜Oh,’ gasped the lovely girl, and buried her face in her
hands.
    â€˜Things have changed,’ said Frances. ‘I can’t explain.’
    Now both boys were looking, full of accusation, at their father.
He shifted a bit, seemed to shrug, suppressed that, smiled and then
suddenly came out with: ‘There’s something else I’ve come to
say, Frances.’
    And so that was why he hadn’t left, but had stood
uncomfortably there, not sitting down: he had something more to say.
    Frances braced herself and saw that Colin and Andrew did the
same.
    â€˜I have a big favour to ask of you,’ said Johnny, direct to his
betrayed wife.
    â€˜And what is that?’
    â€˜You know about Tilly, of course . . . you know, Phyllida’s
girl?’
    â€˜Of course I know about her.’
    Andrew, visiting Phyllida, had allowed it to be understood
that it was not a harmonious household and that the child was
giving a lot of trouble.
    â€˜Phyllida doesn’t seem able to cope with Tilly.’
    At this, Frances laughed loudly, for she already knew what
was bound to come. She said, ‘No, it’s simply not possible, it isn’t on .’
    â€˜Yes, Frances, think about it. They don’t get on. Phyllida’s at
her wit’s end. And so am I. I want you to have Tilly here. You
are so good with . . .’
    Frances was breathless with anger, saw that the two boys
were white with it; the three were sitting silent, looking at each
other.
    Sophie was exclaiming, ‘Oh, Frances, and you are so kind,
it’s so wonderful.’
    Geoffrey, who had after all been so long visiting this house that
he could with justice be described as a member of the household,
followed Sophie with, ‘What a groovy idea.’
    â€˜Just a minute, Johnny,’ said Frances. ‘You are asking me to
take on your second wife’s daughter because you two can’t cope
with her?’
    â€˜That’s about it,’ admitted Johnny, smiling.
    There was a long, long pause. It had occurred to enthusiastic
Sophie and Geoffrey that Frances was not taking this in the spirit
of universal liberal idealism they had at first assumed she would:
that spirit of everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds ,
which would one day be shorthand for ‘The Sixties’.
    Frances managed to bring out: ‘You are perhaps planning to
contribute something to her support?’–and realised that, saying
this, she was agreeing.
    At this Johnny glanced around the young faces, judging if they
were as shocked by her pettiness as he was. ‘Money,’ he said
loftily, ‘is really not the point here.’
    Frances was again silenced. She got up, went to the working
surface near the stove, stood with her back to the room.
    â€˜I want to bring Tilly here,’ said Johnny. ‘And in fact she’s
here. She’s in the car.’
    Colin and Andrew both got up and went to their mother,
standing on either side of her. This enabled her to turn around
and face Johnny across the room. She could not speak. And
Johnny, seeing his former wife flanked by their sons, three angry
people with white accusing faces, was also, but just for the
moment, silenced.
    Then he rallied, stretched out his arms, palms towards them,
and said, ‘From each according to their capacity, to each according
to their need.’ And let his arms drop.
    â€˜Oh, that is so beautiful,’ said Rose.
    â€˜Groovy,’ said Geoffrey.
    The newcomer, Jill, breathed, ‘Oh, it’s lovely.’
    All eyes were now on Johnny, a situation