Breaking the Chain by Maggie Makepeace Read Free Book Online Page A

answering with the same directness. ‘Oh I do,’ she said, ‘but Duncan isn’t keen …’
    ‘They hardly ever are,’ Becky said, ‘but they usually quite like them when they appear. I should go for it if I were you, before it’s too late. You’ve only got one life after all.’
    ‘But I’ve got a coil,’ Phoebe said feebly.
    ‘So have it taken out!’
    ‘But wouldn’t that be rather selfish?’
    ‘Well, I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be a touch selfish than a gloomy martyr. Hey, I’m sorry, that wasn’t very kind, was it? I just think that good old Dunc could be a nice gentle sort of father. Why don’t you try it and see?’ She flashed her brilliant smile and moved on.
    I’m old-fashioned, Phoebe thought, and not brave enough. I need to feel secure. Perhaps that’s why I married Duncan; because he’s even more of an old fogey than I am and he makes me feel safe. Dead safe, said a niggling voice inside her,
dead
safe.
    Phoebe saw that Becky had rejoined Herry and that they were talking to Duncan. She remembered the first time that she had met them, three years before, and the surprise she had felt when Duncan had warned her beforehand.
    ‘Herry’s a b-bit of a sh-shit.’ Such strong language from a normally mild Duncan! ‘We’ve n-never g-got on very well.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘He’s e-e-egocentric and not very r-reliable.’
    Phoebe’s first impressions of Hereward were that he was casual, rather scruffy and had insolent brown eyes. He had, however, one overwhelmingly redeeming trait. He had held firmly onto her hand when they were introduced and later he’d stood between herself and Duncan with an arm over each of their shoulders. He was a toucher. Phoebe had thought, Oh I do wish Duncan was!
    Now as she watched, Herry clapped Duncan on the back and they all laughed. Perhaps Duncan is a bit jealous of him, Phoebe wondered, even though most of his property speculations are dismal failures. He’s so much more out-going. He probablyenjoys life more. I wonder why he’s wearing jeans to this do. You’d think he’d make more of an effort for such a special event.
    Champagne was brought round on trays and the speeches started. Conrad, as the eldest son without a speech impediment, began. He said that the first fifty years of marriage were the worst, and then described in affectionate terms all the things that his parents had managed to achieve in spite of being married to one another. It was an urbane and witty speech. Phoebe was glad that Duncan had not been called upon to perform it. Stammering was certainly useful sometimes. She wondered how Hope and Peter had lasted together for so long. They didn’t seem especially happy; Hope in particular. Phoebe had never seen them touch each other; never a casual hand on a shoulder, a light kiss on the back of a neck, or a teasing tweak of an ear. They appeared to be totally buttoned up. She couldn’t tell if they even liked each other, and fifty years was a lifetime … Phoebe wondered how long she and Duncan would stay together. She was beginning to feel restless and broody. The cottage and garden were hard work and now rapidly losing their charm. Her job was dull. Duncan was dull. Phoebe had hoped for conversation, friendly arguments, some sort of mental stimulation;
any
form of stimulation. She had expected Duncan’s well-educated family to be abuzz with ideas and challenges, but the successful ones were too busy, and the nonachievers too lazy, or so it seemed to Phoebe. The only one who did have ideas was Peter. He talked enthusiastically about anything and everything, but he used his quick mind and his wide superficial knowledge as a weapon, to seek out other people’s weaknesses and reveal to them their inadequacies. It was never a friendly chat, always a duel. He didn’t converse, he cross-examined. It was demoralizing.
    Phoebe looked through the crowd at Peter as he made his speech. He was said to be very charming and irresistible