Barbara Taylor Bradford – Just Rewards (страница 10)
‘What lovely words.’
‘Yes. But they’re not mine, Evan. They’re Christopher Marlowe’s. However, they truly
And mine as well, she thought now, pulling the duvet up around her shoulders, making herself comfortable. Both Dr Addney and Gideon had impressed upon her that she should rest all day and evening, and she knew they were correct. She was all right, no harm had been done, but she’d had a bit of a shock. Rest was the best medicine, just as they had said to her.
The name hung there, floating in mid-air before her eyes.
Evan had not failed to miss the distaste in Gideon’s voice when he had mentioned her sister earlier. And she completely understood why he had sounded that way. With the innovation of the platinum blonde hair and all that awful red clothing she had looked flashy, and just a little bit cheap. And especially when contrasted with their mother, perfectly groomed and turned out in a mélange of soft beiges, and Linnet in her smart black Chanel suit with its pristine white-satin collar and cuffs.
Evan cringed inside at the memory of all that dreadful red. Pretty though Angharad was, she had never looked worse than she did today. It was the hair as well; it did not suit her, was totally inappropriate. Unexpectedly, a thought struck her. Angharad had looked like Mrs Santa Claus in the red outfit and with her platinum blonde hair. Under other circumstances it might have been amusing and she would have laughed, but not today; her coming to the store dressed like that was embarrassing. And how mean-spirited she had been.
Then it came, a sudden flash of memory – and remembrances of a Christmas long ago. In Connecticut. She had been seven, or thereabouts, and Angharad around three and a half, and very jealous of her, competitive even then … It was the Christmas that Evan’s grandmother had given her a puppy, a beautiful chocolate-brown Lab with unusual green eyes. They had named him Hudson, after the river.
‘Gran, Gran, I can’t find Hudson! He’s disappeared,’ Evan wailed, worry ringing her face as she ran into the big family kitchen where her grandmother stood at the long oak table cooking for the Christmas holidays.
Glynnis was making stuffing for the turkey, giblet gravy, apple sauce and all sorts of other good things to eat.
Glancing over her shoulder at Evan, she said, ‘I saw him trotting after Angharad a few minutes ago. Try the solarium, lovey. Perhaps you’ll find them there, playing with his tennis ball.’
Rushing back out into the front hall, Evan now raced down the corridor in the direction of the solarium. When she came to the door which led into the room she was stunned to see Angharad pushing the puppy outside into the snow and then locking the door.
‘Angharad! What are you doing?’ Evan shrieked in alarm, her shoes clattering against the terracotta flagstones as she flew into the solarium. ‘It’s freezing outside, Hudson will die out there. It’s too cold for a little puppy. He’s only nine weeks old! You’re a bad girl, very bad.’
Evan pulled Angharad away from the door, pushed her out of the way roughly, glaring at her and exclaiming, ‘You’re very bad. Bad.’ Frantically unlocking the door, wrenching it open, she ran outside, glanced around, her eyes seeking the puppy. He was nowhere to be seen and her eyes filled up with tears.
‘Hudson, Hudson, where are you?’ she shouted, her voice quavering. He couldn’t be far away, surely not, she thought desperately.
Angharad had come outside and was standing on the steps of the solarium. ‘I’m not a bad girl,’ she yelled at Evan. ‘I hate that puppy. I hate you. It’s the dog that’s bad. It wee-weed in my room. So there, Miss Big Shot!’ She went back inside, banged the solarium door and locked it.
Evan paid no attention to her. She was far too worried about Hudson, intent on finding her puppy. Then she suddenly spotted the little paw prints in the snow, and began to follow them, pulling her cardigan around her shoulders, shivering in the icy wind, regretting she had not stopped to get her coat.
It didn’t take Evan long to find Hudson. The dog had sunk down into a snowdrift against the terrace wall, and was whimpering.
Bending over the snowdrift she almost fell into it herself as she reached down to retrieve Hudson. He was wet and cold, trembling with fright, and still whimpering as she took hold of him firmly and lifted him out.
‘Little Hudsy, here I am. You’re safe,’ Evan soothed. ‘I’ll soon have you warm,’ she whispered against his wet hair, bundling him inside her cardigan, wrapping it around him, cradling him in her arms. Holding him close to her body for extra warmth, she hurried back to the solarium.
Evan turned the knob only to discover that the door had been locked by Angharad. The child stood on the other side of the French doors, making faces at her; she stuck out her tongue, then laughed.
‘Open this door!’ Evan demanded, banging on one of the glass panes, filled with irritation. It was cold in the garden.
‘No, I won’t.’ Angharad put her tongue out again, swung around and ran away from the French doors.
Racing along the path, Evan went to the back door of the house which led straight into the kitchen. Stumbling inside, she brought a blast of cold air with her, which made Glynnis swing around. She looked startled when she saw Evan.
‘You’re going to catch your death of cold, my girl, going out without a coat in this weather,’ Glynnis chastised, then stopped when she saw that Evan had the puppy dog in her arms. She also noticed that the two of them were shivering.
‘Goodness me, whatever happened to Hudson? He looks very wet,’ Glynnis exclaimed, frowning in concern. ‘Here, give him to me, Evan, I’ll wrap him in this warm kitchen towel. As for you, lovey, take off that damp cardigan at once and stand in front of the fire. You’ll be warm and dry in a jiffy.’
‘Yes, Gran,’ Evan said dutifully, handing over the puppy, then struggling out of her damp cardigan which she then laid on the hearth.
Once the puppy was dry and nestling in a cosy bed of thick towels in his basket, Glynnis said, ‘Do you want to tell me what happened, Evan?’
Evan let out a long sigh. ‘I’m not a snitch.’
‘I know that. But how did the puppy get outside in the first place?’
‘I found him in a snowdrift,’ Evan muttered, avoiding answering the question.
‘Certainly Hudson can’t open doors, so somebody must’ve put him outside, Evan. That’s the obvious answer. Perhaps a little girl called Angharad, eh?’
Evan was silent.
‘It
Glynnis nodded. ‘I understand. Well, please go and find her, Elayne, and bring her to me.
Elayne rushed off.
Glynnis looked pointedly at Evan. ‘I know you never want to confront her, but this time Angharad has gone too far.’
When Evan was silent, Glynnis said, ‘You know that, don’t you?’
‘Yes, Gran.’
Within minutes Elayne came back into the kitchen, pulling Angharad along by the hand. At five she was taller and stronger, and so she was able to control the younger child, who was struggling and looked sullen.
When they came to a stop in front of Glynnis, she said in a quiet voice, ‘Angharad, what you did was a cruel thing, putting that defenceless little puppy out in the freezing cold. Hudson would have soon died in that snowdrift, there’s no doubt about that. You’ve been a wicked girl. I don’t often use such a strong word with you, even though you are frequently extremely naughty. However, this time you deserve it.’ Leaning closer, bending slightly, looking into the child’s face, Glynnis asked, ‘Now, explain why you did such a cruel thing.’
‘The dog wee-weed in my room,’ Angharad mumbled.
‘
Glynnis, her face still grim, shepherded her three granddaughters up the front stairs and into the bedroom shared by Angharad and Elayne.
‘Now, show me where the puppy had an accident,’ she said.
Angharad hung back for a split second, then ran to a small, damp spot visible on the light-coloured carpet. She pointed to it. ‘There! It’s there.’
‘It doesn’t look like urine to me,’ Glynnis muttered, and kneeling down, she sniffed the spot, then looked up at Angharad, her face grim again. She said, ‘This spot doesn’t have a smell at all. I think it’s water.’
‘Yes, it is, Grandma,’ Elayne told her. ‘She spilled it last night.’
‘I thought it was something like that,’ Glynnis replied, getting up from the floor. ‘And now you’ve resorted to fibbing, Angharad. Well there’s only one thing to do with a girl who lies. She’s got to be left alone to think about what telling the truth means, how important it is. Girls who lie are not fit for decent company.’
‘I didn’t lie!’ Angharad cried, glaring at Elayne.
‘I believe you did,’ Glynnis exclaimed. ‘And it’s not the first time. You’re to stay here in your room until your father and mother get back from New York with Grandpa. Then we’ll see what happens.’