Secret Smile by Nicci French Read Free Book Online Page B

to... You won't believe it, but I've got to go round to
my parents. Things are a bit complicated with them. I'll tell you about it. But
not now.'
    'What about the day after tomorrow?'
    'That would be so lovely.'
     
     
    I arrived at my parents' house feeling
sulky. It had been bad enough, but then my mother had phoned me just before I
left, asking if I could dress up. I pulled off my trousers and top and put on
the blue velvet dress that I've had for so long its hemline's gone wavy.
    'You look lovely, dear,' said my mother,
as she let me in.
    I growled something in response. At least
she hadn't asked me how I was. My parents were also decidedly dressed up. Troy
was there as well. He looked exactly the same as usual, in corduroy trousers
and a faded green sweater which should have looked fine. Troy is a rather
beautiful young man, or should be. But something was always just slightly off.
    'It's good to see you, Miranda,' said my
father. 'We're seeing a lot of each other, aren't we?'
    'So where are the lovebirds?' I asked.
    'Miranda,' said my mother in a tone of
rebuke.
    'I didn't mean anything by that,' I said.
    'They should be here any...' my mother
said and before she could finish the sentence, the door rang and she smiled at
me. 'Why don't you go?' she said to me, pushing me towards the door.
    I opened the door and there were Brendan
and Kerry on the doorstep, entangled, laughing, in love. They gave me another
of their group hugs as they spilled into the house. When I saw them in the
light of the living room, they looked startlingly smart. Kerry was wearing a
purple satin dress I'd never seen before. It clung to her hips and breasts.
When she looked at Brendan, it was with a sort of dazed carnal pleasure. They
looked like a couple who had been in bed together about eight seconds earlier.
Brendan was wearing an expensive-looking shiny suit and a large colourful tie
decorated with some sort of cartoon character I couldn't recognize. He was
carrying a shopping bag that clinked. He removed from it two bottles of
champagne, glistening with droplets of water. He placed them on the table.
There were already six tall glasses there. He picked up one of the glasses and
lightly tapped it with his finger so that it rang like a little bell.
    'Without further ado,' he said, 'I'm so
glad you're all here. Kerry and I wanted you to be the first to know.' I felt a
lurch in my stomach. 'Yesterday, I took Kerry out to dinner. And I regret to
say that I caused a certain sensation just before the dessert course. I knelt
down beside her and asked if she would marry me. And I am very glad to report
that she said yes.'
    Kerry smiled shyly and held up her hand to
reveal a ring. I looked at my mother. Tears were spilling from her eyes. She
moved towards them with both arms outstretched and, after they'd hugged, I
stepped forwards as well.
    'Kerry,' I said, 'I'm so happy for you.'
    'Hang on, hang on,' said Brendan. 'That
can wait. I just wanted to say one more thing. I spent most of my life moving
from foster parent to foster parent. I was a lonely little boy, and I didn't
know what it was like to belong to a family, to be loved and welcomed and accepted
for what you were.' As he spoke, two huge tears welled up in his eyes and
rolled symmetrically down his cheeks. He didn't wipe them away. 'When I first
came here,' he continued, 'when I met you, Derek and Marcia, I felt I had come
home. I felt at home. What more can I say? Thank you. And now I've brought some
champagne so that you can toast our happiness.'
    It was all chaos. Brendan opened the
champagne in between hugs from my mother and handshakes from my father. Troy
gave a shrug and said it was really good and wished them luck. My mother hugged
Kerry so tightly I thought she would do her damage. When the champagne was
poured and distributed, my father gave a cough. Oh God, I thought. Another
speech.
    'I'm not going to say too much,' he said.
'It's all been rather quick, I must say.' He smiled at my