[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

her eldest brother, what is your view of our engagement, Michael?'
Earlier, Michael had been inclined to agree with his mother that for Savanna
to return from a week in the Caribbean committed to marry a man whom
none of them knew, was an act of impetuosity which she would almost
certainly regret.
Now, however, after flashing a troubled glance at his mother, he said
uncomfortably, 'Surely the purpose of an engagement is for people to test
whether they're right for each other. As long as you aren't intending to rush
into marriage too quickly, I I have no objection.'
Mrs Bancroft looked angrily at him, but before she could speak her second
son intervened.
'My opinion,' said Richard smoothly, 'is that we should defer this
conversation until later. Wherever her future may lie, at this moment
Savanna's place is in the kitchen attending to our lunch.'
'Oh, heavens the roast potatoes!' she exclaimed.
With a look of apology at Jago for deserting him, she fled to the basement to
check that the potatoes she had left in the^oven were not becoming too well
browned.
She was followed, some minutes later, by Catriona.
'Anything I can do to help?'
'No, it's all under control, thanks. What's happening upstairs now?'
'Richard is chatting to Jago, and Mike and Benjy are smoothing your
mother's ruffled feathers. I must say I can't understand why she should be
put out. Except that it's happened very suddenly, your Jago seems to
personify everything most mothers hope for in a son-in-law. Can I feast my
eyes on that gorgeous ring for a minute?'
Rather than hold out her hand, Savanna slipped the ring off and offered it for
the other girl to take from her.
'It must be worth . . . goodness knows what? If it were mine, I should be
terrified of losing it, or having it pinched. Anyway, I haven't the hands, or
the nails, to set it off,' said Catriona, comparing her stubby fingers and short,
unvarnished nails with Savanna's elegant hands.
Lunch was served in the conservatory at the side of the house. Warmed by a
radiator and with sea-grass matting on the floor, it made a pleasant place to
eat now that the indoor dining-room was no longer available.
It was a successful meal. The food was well cooked and complemented by
three bottles of claret provided by Richard, who considered himself to be
something of a connoisseur. The conversation flowed smoothly and, by the
time they were eating biscuits and cheese, Savanna could see that her
mother was mellowing towards Jago.
Having crossed swords with her earlier, he had been at pains to be
charming; and his charm, when he chose to exert it, was a force which a
woman of arty age would find it hard to resist.
Afterwards everyone except her mother, and Richard who usually managed
to slide out-of any domestic duties, helped to clear the table.
'In a family of this size, I'm surprised you haven't a dish-washer,' said Jago,
seeing Benjy, in a plastic apron, beginning to wash up by hand.
'.We have two me and Savanna,' quipped her brother. 'You're excused
today,' he said to her. 'Mike and Cat will dry for me. Why don't you two go
for a walk?' He looked at Jago. 'It will give us a chance to discuss you, and
you to discuss us,' he said, with a grin.
The older man laughed. 'A sound idea, Ben. Better get your mac, Savanna.
Mine's in the car.'
'Did Benjy tell you he doesn't really like being called that except by the
family, and to say Ben when I introduced him?' she asked, as they set out
down the road.'No, It was a guess on my part. He's a nice chap, your brother
Ben. I like the way he takes some, of the weight off your shoulders without
being asked. Would your mother be affronted if I arranged for a dish-washer
to be installed?' Jago added. 'There's plenty of room for it, and it's something
which every large family needs. In the States, you wouldn't find a
prosperous family without one.'
'We aren't a very prosperous family. Even when my father was alive, we had
problems making ends meet. The thing is that when we were born, his
income seemed equal to sending his sons to his old school. You might have [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]