Читать книгу A Pure Clear Light - Madeleine John St. - Страница 12

‘All the same,’ said Flora, ‘I think I should ask her to come to France with us.’

‘Please, Mum, don’t,’ said Janey. ‘Please.’

‘She can sleep in my room,’ said Nell. ‘She can come with me.’

‘Can Fergus come too?’ asked Thomas. ‘Can we ask Fergus to come to France with us? Fergus can sleep with me.’

‘You won’t even have room for her,’ said Simon. A futile discussion ensued about the number and disposition of the beds and bedrooms at the gîte; ‘I mean in the car, anyway. It’ll be a squash as it is.’

‘It would have been even squashier if you’d been coming,’ said Flora.

‘The whole advantage of my not coming,’ said Simon, ‘is that you won’t be squashed in the car. Just think about it.’

‘Can Fergus come?’ Thomas asked again. ‘Fergus won’t squash.’

‘She probably can’t come anyway,’ said Flora. ‘She probably has too much to do here, at this time of the year.’

‘Sure to,’ said Simon. ‘Leave her to get on with it.’

Lydia with advancing years and a receding economy had become unemployable, so had had perforce to employ herself: she was now the sole proprietor – and, indeed, employee – of Floating World Postcards Ltd, and had been trading, latterly at a small profit, for almost three years. The postcards depicted London in its more insolite aspects (she resorted to a small stable of freelance photographers, followers of E. Atget and A. Monnier and that ilk) and were gradually finding their way into the collections of the better class of tourist. ‘I’ll give her a ring, anyway,’ said Flora weakly.

‘Please don’t ask her to come to France, Mum, said Janey. ‘I do implore you.’

‘Can Fergus come?’ said Thomas again. ‘Please, Mum, I do implore you.’

Flora, who was sitting to one side of him, and Nell, on the other, began to tickle him. ‘No, you silly sausage,’ Flora said. ‘He can’t. Fergus is going to Italy, so there!’ Fergus Carrington! That was all they needed.

‘Can we go to Italy?’ asked Thomas.

This time everyone spoke with one voice. ‘No,’ they cried. ‘We’re going to France!’