Love Is a Four Letter Word by Claire Calman Read Free Book Online

onto a pair of bone-china plates.
    â€˜What a treat – don’t tell your mother. Is this true?’ Gerald asked, stabbing his finger at a page in the magazine. ‘It says 64 per cent of women are more likely to fall in love with a man if they see him cry.’
    â€˜I doubt it. Didn’t you know, they make up 72 per cent of those statistics or they get them from asking five people in the office. Still, I suppose most women do want a sensitive man.’ She poured out the tea. ‘Not a wimp, of course, but someone in touch with their feelings and all that bollocks.’
    Gerald snorted, laughing into his cup.
    â€˜How delicately put.’
    He broke off a wodge of the bread pudding and looked at her over his steel-rimmed glasses.
    â€˜Met anyone, um, interesting recently? – he asked in his interfering-old-parent way.’
    â€˜It’s OK, Dads. I don’t mind when you do it. ’Fraid not. You can keep your morning coat in mothballs for the foreseeable future. Might as well flog it, in fact – I can’t see it happening.’
    â€˜Well, you know we love you whatever you do. We just want you to be happy.’
    â€˜Yeah, yeah. Dutiful parental speech duly acknowledged. But you want grandchildren. You all do. My friends say the same. It’s just a phase – you’ll get over it.’
    Gerald smiled.
    â€˜But what’ll we do with the Winnie-the-Pooh breakfast set we’ve been saving? We’ve got twelve rolls of cute bunny-wabbit wallpaper in the loft.’
    â€˜Oh, shut up,’ she said affectionately. ‘I’ve brought you your favourite bread pudding. What more do you want?’
    Bella slept in her old room. It was very different now, rather more restful, she mentally conceded. Alessandra had had it redecorated the week after Bella left to go to art school in London, covering with tasteful tones of subdued peach the ambitious mural of a Rousseau-style jungle painted over one wall. Of course, you’re welcome to do another if you like,Bella-darling, perhaps something a little more simpatico, hmm? A spray of lilies could be very pretty on the wardrobe door. It had been getting very tatty anyway and she wouldn’t have been bothered to retouch the whole wall. The room had been altered at least twice since then, although it wasn’t even used very often. The bed was in the same position, though, next to the window, snug between the wall and the side of the wardrobe. Lying in it now, Bella felt she wanted to be tucked in tight and read to. She pulled up the quilt over her chin and turned off the light.
    âˆ¼ ∼ ∼
    She is lying in bed, whispering to Fernando, her toy frog. His fluffiness is flat in patches, where he has been cuddled to excess. The little side lamp is on, giving out a soft, warm glow because Fernando is afraid of the dark. The light has a pink headscarf tied around the shade, to make it less bright.
    Bella can hear Mummy talking to Poppy on the landing. Poppy comes and babysits sometimes. Bella likes Poppy. She has frizzy hair with coloured threads woven into bits of it, chocolate raisins in her enormous patchwork bag, and once she let Bella stay up and watch the Saturday-night thriller, although she wasn’t supposed to.
    Out on the landing, Mummy is saying:
    â€˜â€“ and don’t let her keep getting up. She often says she thinks there’s something under the bed, but don’t allow any nonsense.’
    â€˜Rightio,’ says Poppy. ‘Have fun.’
    The bedroom door opens and Mummy comes in.
    â€˜We’re off now, darling. Don’t be a bother to Poppy now, will you?’ She comes over and leans down to kiss Bella goodnight. Mummy smells wonderful – of perfume, and silk, and sparkly earrings, and evening – andBella breathes her all in and reaches up to put her arms around her.
    â€˜Now don’t muss me, Bella. I’ve just done my hair. Goodnight, darling. Sleep