Wim’s fortune cookie said “You have been given a gift,” Daniel’s said “Fortune favours the brave,” and mine said “The time to be happy is now.”
Then Daniel drove us back. He asked Wim where he wanted to be dropped, and Wim said anywhere in cycling distance was fine, so he dropped him by the roundabout. I got out while they were getting the bike out, and boldly asked Wim for his phone number. “I could call you next week when I’m away,” I said. “And it would have been useful this afternoon.”
“No it wouldn’t, I was coming from work,” he said. But he gave it to me, and Daniel wrote it down too. Daniel then gave Wim his card—he would have a card!—in exchange. Wim and I hugged, and kissed very decorously, then Daniel drove me back to school in time for prep.
FRIDAY 15TH FEBRUARY 1980
Sharon was picked up first, as usual. There are a whole lot of advantages to being Jewish if you ask me. There’s also the whole pile of things to watch out for. I must remember to ask Sam what happens if you break the rules.
Daniel was one of the first of the regular parents though. “I liked your young man,” he said as I got into the car.
“He liked you too,” I said, putting my seatbelt on.
“I thought we might ask him to tea tomorrow, at the Old Hall. If he came to Shrewsbury on the train, we could meet him there. You two could go for a walk or something, and then we could all have tea.”
Daniel sounded so tentative and hopeful that I couldn’t really say no. Also, I knew that Wim would like it. He’d like to see the Old Hall, and he’d like to see the aunts, because he knew they were magic. He wouldn’t be afraid of them, because he isn’t afraid of anything. Also, I wanted to see Wim, of course I did, even in less than ideal circumstances. “Terrific,” I said. “But have you asked your sisters?”
“Anthea suggested it,” he said.
“I thought they might not approve of me seeing a town boy,” I said.
“Well…” Daniel hesitated. “They did say that in their day it wasn’t done, but I’m sure they’ll change their minds when they meet Wim and see how intelligent and well-spoken he is.”
Well-spoken is code for middle class, by the way. I’ve figured that one out since I’ve been at Arlinghurst. Somebody or other once said that the British class system was branded on the tongue. Wim has a Shropshire accent but he uses grammar correctly. He sounds like an educated person. He doesn’t sound stuck up and pretentious like the girls in school, but I suppose I’m glad he counts as well-spoken enough for Daniel. It’s so stupid that this sort of thing counts!
I had dinner with all of them, and had to answer lots of questions about school and Wim and more school. I was Nice Niece as best I could be. Everything went smoothly. Ear-piercing was not mentioned.
After dinner, I rang Wim. Someone I assume was his mother answered, but got me Wim quite quickly. I was relieved he was there. He could easily have been at a disco with Shirley. “What are you doing tomorrow?” I asked.
“Why?”
“Daniel was wondering if you’d like to come here to tea. You could come to Shrewsbury on the train, and we’d meet you.”
“I thought you were going down to South Wales?” He sounded very far away.
“Not until Sunday,” I said. “But it’s all right if you don’t want to come. You don’t work Saturdays, do you?”
“I do, but only in the morning.”
“Well, it’s up to you.” I didn’t want to push.
“Would I get to see you?” he asked. “On our own, I mean.”
Bless him. “Daniel said we could go for a walk or something. And they leave me alone a lot of the time.”
“So, what should I wear? For afternoon tea at a manor house?”
It was so sweet that he worried like that! “Just what you always wear would be fine,” I said. “It’s not a formal black-tie dinner.”
“Will the sisters be there?” he asked.
“Definitely.”
“What a treat!” he said, his voice dripping with irony.
“Well, see you tomorrow. On the one o’clock train?”
“Tomorrow it is.”
After he’d put the phone down I felt cold and lonely and wandered around from room to room for a while. Daniel was drinking in his study and the sisters were watching television in the drawing room. It almost makes it worse that I’m going to see him tomorrow than if it wasn’t for a week. I’d braced myself for that.
SATURDAY 16TH FEBRUARY 1980
The sun was shining and Wim showed up at the station in a collar and tie, which made him look younger, more like a schoolboy. I didn’t say that, of course. Daniel accommodatingly drove us to Acton Burnell castle. The castle is a ruin, covered in new spring grass and ivy.
“There’s nobody else here,” Wim said when we got out of the car.
“Well, it is February. Hardly grockle season,” Daniel said.