A Glass of Blessings

A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym Read Free Book Online
Authors: Barbara Pym
screen.
    I withdrew my hand gently. Perhaps Harry was not so solid and reliable after all. Had he always rather liked me in Italy? I wondered, smiling to myself in the badgery dusk.
    ‘Funny thing happened today,’ he said in a rather booming voice. ‘I was having lunch with Smollett and he suggested a dozen oysters. Well, you know what the oyster and I think of each other!’
    ‘Indeed yes,’ I said, for Harry and I had both been poisoned by oysters, and had many times exchanged cosy reminiscences about our dreadful experiences.
    ‘Darling, not another oyster story,’ said Rowena despairingly. ‘Anyway, I hope you didn’t eat them.’
    ‘No, of course I remembered in time; but the funny part of it was—the whole point of the story, in fact, as you may remember- that Smollett was with me that other time …’ Harry yawned and stretched his arms. ‘What’s this we’re looking at?’ he asked rather irritably. ‘Seems to be all in the dark.’ He leaned forward and moved a knob on the set. The picture now became brighter and full of curious dancing lines. ‘Does anybody want it anyway?’ he asked.
    ‘You know I never look at it,’ said Rowena placidly..
    ‘I think I’ve had enough now,’ I said.
    ‘Early bed tonight, I think,’ said Rowena. ‘We’ve got quite a full programme tomorrow. Shopping in the morning, and we shall have to spend the afternoon getting ready for the party, I suppose.’
    ‘The party?’
    ‘Yes, surely I told you? We’re having a cocktail party.’
    ‘How exciting!’
    ‘It won’t be that, I’m afraid,’ said Rowena. ‘Just the same old people we owe drinks to, though I suppose they’ll be different to you. Your breakfast will be brought to you in bed, Wilmet. Ours is a terrible meal on Saturdays because we have the children with us. I shan’t inflict that on you.’
    I was glad to lie in bed next morning, listening to the sound of the children getting up and Harry shouting to them to be quiet, until a tray of orange juice, coffee and toast was brought to me. I got up at ten o’clock and we all went shopping in the near-by market town. There was an air of leisure about the restaurant of the large shop where we had our morning coffee. The children gambolled and capered with other children on the thick moss green carpet, and the chirping of their high-pitched well bred young voices mingled with the yapping of dogs, mostly poodles, whose tweed-suited owners made feeble efforts to control them.
    ‘I always do this on Saturdays,’ said Rowena. ‘It’s so nice to be able to relax for a minute.’
    ‘What do the husbands do?’ I asked, for very few of them seemed to be drinking coffee.
    ‘Oh, they potter about doing the more manly shopping—going to the ironmonger, ordering things for the garden and that kind of thing, then they assemble in one of the pubs.’
    ‘Men seem to do that in London, too,’ I said. ‘Winter Saturday mornings one sees the duffle coat and the paraffin can—carrying paraffin does seem to be quite a manly job, doesn’t it.’
    ‘We’d better not stay here too long,’ said Rowena, and began looking anxiously round for the children. ‘There’s lunch to eat and then the party to get ready for. Would you like to go in and have a gin with Harry, while I wait in the car with the children?’
    I found Harry at the bar with some rather unattractive- looking men and one or two women, all of whom were laughing at some joke. It occurred to me that these were probably the people I should be meeting at the party, and I began to look forward to it with rather modified feelings. It was some time before Harry seemed disposed to leave, and by the time we were outside in the fresh air I found that the two drinks I had so quickly tossed off had made me a little hazy and unsteady.
    Harry took my arm. ‘Pity we have to hurry back,’ he said. ‘I wanted to show you the church.’
    ‘The church?’ I asked in surprise.
    ‘Yes, you always liked things

Similar Books

A Load of Hooey

Bob Odenkirk

The Buddha's Return

Gaito Gazdánov

Enticed

J.A. Belfield

The Bone Flute

Patricia Bow

Mackenzie's Pleasure

Linda Howard

Money-Makin' Mamas

Smooth Silk

Pixilated

Jane Atchley

The Ravine

Robert Pascuzzi