Chapter 12

[girlyswot]

Nicola was wrestling with an unruly leg of lamb, sturdily ignoring the huge pile of potatoes waiting to be peeled, when she saw the car turning into the makeshift driveway.  Yelping with delight she all but dropped dinner on the table and ran, somewhat ungainly, to welcome her visitors.  First Giles, unfolding long legs from the cramped seat in the front of Lawrie's Mini.  He came and gave Nicola a brief, brotherly kiss then went to unload bags from the boot.  Lawrie came prancing over and whirled her twin into an expansive embrace.

'Too luvvie for words, if you ask me,' commented Giles drily.  'Come on you and let Nick sit down.'

'Not much chance of that,' replied Nick.  'Come and sit in the kitchen and watch me make dinner.'

But Giles, dumping bags in the tiny hallway, took over, making Nicola sit and Lawrie chop veg while he competently took charge.  They'd opened the bottle of red he'd brought and were laughing raucously at Lawrie's latest anecdotes when Patrick came in.

 

Nicola smiled reassuringly at him, knowing he still suffered from the shyness which had hampered his childhood.  But he was genuinely glad to see Giles again and went forward holding out a friendly hand.  He nodded to Lawrie and went to change. 

 

Dinner was a hotch-potch, relaxed affair of slightly burnt roast potatoes, crunchy cabbage and lumpy gravy. 

'Have you heard about Gin?'  Lawrie asked her brother.

'And the enormously wealthy fiance?  Yes, Ma mentioned something.  Can you pass the salt?  Have you met him yet?'

'I have.  They came to the theatre and took me out to the swankiest restaurant.  Gin was doing a massive show-off about her genius sister – that's me,' added Lawrie for the benefit of her less impressed siblings.

'What was he like?' inquired Nicola, one eye on her husband.

'Fun.  Interesting.  Too good for Gin, I thought.'

Giles frowned.  'Why are they getting married?'

'He's in love with her face and she's in love with his cheque-book,' answered Lawrie sagely.

'Truly?' asked Giles.

'We-ll.  She was pretty interested in ordering the most expensive thing on the menu and pointing out the posh designer frock and enormous ring he'd given her.'

'Sounds doomed to me.'  Patrick spoke lightly but Nicola shot a quick look at him and saw his jaw tightening. 

'More potatoes, anyone?' 

Giles took the hint.  'Nothing we can do about it, anyway.  How about you, Lal?  All those stage-door johnnies falling at your feet still?'

Lawrie stuck her tongue out and began to mimic the attentions of some of her most earnest groupies.

 

Much later, Patrick got up to make coffee and suggested they move through into the sitting room.

'First we wash up,' said Giles, firmly.  'Not you, Nick.  Patrick and I can take care of this.'

So Lawrie and Nicola found themselves alone together.  For an instant there was nothing to say.  Then, suddenly, Nicola gasped.

'What is it?'

'The baby.  It's kicking.'  She showed Lawrie where to put her hand so she could feel it.

'Gosh.'  She looked thunderstruck.  'Are you scared, Nick?'

'Not really.  Not any more.'  She'd never told Lal about the other baby and realised now that she never would. 

'Anyway.  Tell me what it's really like.  In London.'

Lawrie made a face.  'I've been in one decent play.  I had three lines.  All the rest have been…'  She paused, considering, 'trash.  And everyone's so…'  She made another face and Nicola laughed.

'You must have made some friends.'

'We-ll.  Sort of.  There's a few girls I hang out with.  But now that Tim's gone off to America, everyone seems terribly dull.  Can't you come and stay?'

Nicola shook her head.  'You know I can't, Lal.  Not now.'

'And not when the baby comes either.  It does seem odd that I'm going to be an aunt.  I mean properly, not like Kay's steps.'

'Not half as odd as me being a mother.'

'No, I s'pose not.'

 

In the kitchen, Giles and Patrick were talking with the ease of old acquaintanceship.  After a pause, Giles brought up the subject he'd been wanting to broach ever since he arrived.

'Patrick?'

'Giles?'

'How's Nick been?  With the baby, I mean.  Since the last time…'

Patrick looked sideways at his brother-in-law, remembered what Nick had said about the last time she'd seen him, and decided he had a right to ask.

'Okay.  I mean not sick or anything after the first few weeks, and no problems with the baby.  I think she was pretty scared at first.  So was I.'

'Good.  Look, I don't want to pry or tread on your toes or anything, but I think I might do the big brother thing while I'm here.  Would that be okay?'

'Sure.'  Patrick replied guardedly, not quite certain what the big brother thing entailed.  Still, Giles was only here for three days and then, doubtless, off on Her Majesty's Service again.

 

Nicola lay back along the sofa, her feet comfortably in Patrick's lap, lazily watching the fire make patterns while the others made plans.

'Well, I say we should all go for a ride tomorrow morning,' announced Lawrie.

Giles looked across at Nicola who pulled a face.

'I'm not allowed. This one here thinks it's too dangerous.'  She looked imploringly at Patrick who smiled but shook his head.

'He's probably right,' agreed Giles.  'Look why don't we go for a picnic instead?  And tomorrow night, I'm taking everyone out.  My treat.  I've got something to celebrate.'

'Promotion!' exclaimed Nicola.  'Already?'

But Giles shook his head.  'No.  You'll have to wait till tomorrow.  Patrick, can you join us for lunch or are you working?'

'Working.  But if you tell me where and when you're planning to eat I can probably make sure I'm in the right sort of area.'

'Will you have a hawk with you?' enquired Lawrie.

'Yup.  Probably Portia.  We're just beginning to make her.'

'Can one watch the proceedings?' asked Giles.

'Not really.  Unless you're on horseback.  But even then, they don't much like an audience.  Specially not of strangers.  Sorry.'

'No problem.  Well, we'll make our merry unhawk way to where, Nick?'

'Long Spinney.  'S about as far as I can get these days.  But you can see over to the sea on a good day.'  Everyone grinned.

'Come on you.'  Patrick hauled her to her feet.  'Time for bed.  D'you two know where everything is?  Help yourselves to breakfast.  I'm usually out by six and Nick doesn't surface much before nine at the moment so there shouldn't be any queue for the bathroom.'

 

They walked and ate and laughed and lay basking in the sun, waving Patrick reluctantly off to work again.  Lazily, Nick began to load the things back into the basket.

'We'll have to go.'

'Why?' inquired Lawrie.

'Be-cause, Lal, this baby has been kicking at my bladder for half-an-hour now and it won't wait much longer.'  Lawrie stuck her tongue out but picked up the rug and headed down the hill.

Giles took the basket and extended a strong arm to Nicola as she levered herself upright.  ‘All right?’ he enquired casually.

Nicola gave him a surprised look and then realised what he was really asking.  ‘Yes.  More than all right.’  She grinned.  ‘I don’t think I ever said thanks.’

‘What for?’  He watched as she clambered ungainly over the stile.

Nicola laughed.  ‘For talking some sense into me.  Easy to get things out of perspective when you’re on your own for months on end.’

‘Tell me about it.’

Nicola frowned.  ‘When are you ever on your own?’

‘Not on my own exactly,’ he sighed.  ‘But things still get pretty skewed after nine months on a destroyer.  I even,’ he waggled his eyebrows, ‘start to miss my hordes of sisters.’

‘Really?  Gosh.’  Nicola, having never considered this possibility before, wasn’t sure she believed him.  But there was no opportunity to question him further since Lawrie, having reached the car was now blasting the horn at them impatiently.

 

'Well, now.'  Giles made sure everyone's glass was full of champagne.

Nicola looked as if she was about to burst.  'Come on!'

'Okay.  Well, there's two things.  I've got a shore appointment.  For a year.  In Portsmouth.  Which probably will mean promotion at the end.'  Nicola squealed delightedly.  Giles frowned her down. 'And I'm getting married.'

'Married?' repeated Lawrie.

'Yes.  You know what married means, don't you Lal?' replied Giles indulgently.

She grinned.  'Who to?'

'Ah.  Well, she's called Mary.  Her father's Navy.  Actually,' he continued casually, 'Nick's met him.'

'Have I?'

'Yes.  His name's Whittier.  I believe he was Commander Whittier when you met him.  Captain Whittier, these days.'

'Gosh!'  Nicola went bright red.  'How do you know about that?'

'I don't, really.  Most cagey, he was.  But I gather it was that Easter when you and Binks…'

'Peter,' interrupted Lawrie automatically.

'…Peter and Gin were shipwrecked.  The story I was told was that you borrowed a boat, crashed it on the rocks and had to be rescued.'

'Yes,' nodded Nicola.

'But, my tiddy sister, that doesn't quite explain why both you and Captain Whittier, a man not much given to blushing, both went bright red when I reminded you of the incident.  So, give.'

He looked at her expectantly.  Lawrie, suddenly remembering everything she'd been told about that weekend, drew a surprised breath.

Nicola looked embarrassed and went red again but shook her head deteminedly.

'If he wouldn't tell you, I can't.'

'Can't?  Or won't?'  Giles' voice was his most cajoling.

'Truly can't.  He threatened us all with the Tower.  I do most solemnly swear.'

'But it must have been, what… ten years ago?'

She nodded.

'So surely it can't matter anymore?'

She thought about this.  'I don't know.  How long do the treason laws extend?'

Patrick's eyes were wide open.

'Treason?!  Nick, what on earth were you doing?'

'Well obviously I wasn't the traitor, nor Commander Whittier, since we're both still at large.  Innocent victim, that's me.'

Evidently both Giles and Patrick were itching to hear more.  Clearly Nicola was equally determined to keep silence.  The two men exchanged glances, then, with one accord, turned to Lawrie.

Half an hour later, a garbled version of the story, third hand, had been relayed with suitably dramatic delivery to the accompaniment of admiring gasps and shocked expressions.

'And Peter actually shot the Admiral?'  Giles couldn't quite believe it.  Nicola nodded silently.

'Well!'  Patrick was looking equally flabbergasted.  'But weren't you scared, Nick?'

She remembered those awful days, trapped with Foley in the lighthouse, knowing that they would almost certainly be for the chop before long.

'Yup.  Quite often.  Only…'

They waited.

'Well, he was quite normal most of the time.  Friendly, even.  He showed me how to get over being seasick.  And when he thought Peter had died he looked as if he really minded.  And then when the Navy came it was terrific.  Really.  They blew the U-boat right out of the water.  And we came home on a destroyer.'

'Mad.'  Giles shook his head at Patrick, who agreed.

'Totally nuts.'

'But,' interrupted Nicola urgently, 'you can't so much as hint to Commander Whittier that you know.  Or Mary.  I mean it.  And,' she hesitated, ‘don’t ask Peter about it.  I think he’s done his best to pretend it never happened.’

'Oke,' replied Giles indulgently.  'We'll take it to the grave.  I do most solemnly swear.'

'Well,' she relaxed visibly, 'at least I don't have any other secrets I haven't told you.'

'What a dull life you must have!' Lawrie wiggled her eyebrows at her twin.  'I've got hundreds.'

Comments

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

I like to think Lawrie did find out about Burbage but, not being into family history like Nicola, was only marginally interested. But anyway, I haven't written about it, so you can speculate all you like! Glad you're enjoying the story so far...