As I watched, Sylvia joined Mark and the boys, holding out a box of something to them—sweets or chocolates, judging by the enthusiastic way the boys thrust their hands inside it.
The neighbour shook her head. “Sylvia spoils my boys something rotten. She’s longing to be a grandmother herself, I suppose. Anyway, excuse me; I’d better step in before they gorge themselves silly.”
When she left, it was just me and Grace again, the atmosphere so brittle it was in danger of snapping. I sneaked a look at her, surprising a complicated expression on her face. She looked . . . well, pretty much how I felt myself. I recognised a fellow child craver when I saw one. Or at least I thought I did. Were she and Mark having trouble conceiving? Surely not. They hadn’t been married long. It was far too early for them to be having problems like that. But I knew that even if they were, Grace wouldn’t dream of telling me about it. Personal confidences came with friendship, and Grace had made it clear on Christmas Day that she didn’t want to be my friend.
But then she surprised me by breaking the silence. “Have you met Jaimie’s girls yet?”
I sighed, remembering the debacle of the previous weekend. “Yes. It didn’t go very well.” I described Emily’s sulking and Olivia’s clinginess.
Grace frowned. “Emily and Olivia aren’t usually like that. They’re delightful girls. Actually, Beth, as someone who knows them well, I wonder if I could offer you a bit of advice?”
Her skin was perfect. Her makeup was perfect. Her dress looked as if it had just come from the dry cleaner’s instead of straight out of a ragbag like mine did, creased up after the drive here. I badly wanted to leave her to it and go get myself a second glass of wine.
“Of course,” I said. “Please do.”
“Well, it’s nothing much, really. Just that they absolutely adore their mother, so if I were you, I wouldn’t try to compete with her, because you’ll never win. They’ll come round to you. Just give them time.”
“After last weekend, I’m not sure I’ll be seeing them much again,” I said.
Grace’s expression grew suddenly intense. “Oh, but of course you will,” she said. “Jaimie’s crazy about you. You must know that. He told me so just the other day on the phone.”
“Did he?” I wasn’t sure how I felt about my boyfriend discussing our relationship with Grace. And shouldn’t he have told me about his feelings before he told Grace about them?
“He did. In my opinion, it’s only a matter of time before he asks you to move to Ely. I mean, neither of you can go on never having any time at weekends to do your chores forever, can you? Something’s got to break. And I definitely don’t get the feeling Jaimie wants that to be you and him.”
I should have been pleased, I suppose. I was. I just didn’t like Grace telling me how to feel and what to do. Or the fact that Jaimie had obviously confided in her about not having time to clear his guttering or iron his shirts. “You’re obviously going to be a perfect parent one day, Grace,” I said somewhat cattily. “You already know so much about it.”
There was a brief silence. I felt cruel and wished I could take my words back.
“I don’t pretend to be an expert at all,” Grace told me coolly. “I just happen to have known those little girls all their lives.”
I sighed. “Yes,” I said, “of course you have. And thank you for the advice. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” she said and moved away.
After a moment I moved away too, over to where Sylvia was helping herself to a plate of food from the buffet.
“This all looks delicious, Sylvia,” I said. “I hope you haven’t been baking for days on end?”
“No, everything’s catered. Richard insisted on it. ‘Sylv,’ he said, ‘this party is to celebrate our enduring love, not your ability to bake a sausage roll or a vol-au-vent.’” She giggled. “I didn’t put up a fight. Nice for him to think he’s spoiling me. Nice to be spoilt too.”
“He’s a very special person.”
“He is. I must admit, I’m really looking forward to us retiring together. Did I tell you we’re going to get a camper van?”
“You didn’t, but I think it’s a great idea. Will you go for a vintage VW or one of those huge Winnebago things?”
“Something between the two, I should think,” said Sylvia. “Not too big to drive along country lanes, but large enough to be comfortable. We might get a little dog as well, when we’re both around to look after it. It’s never felt right before, with us both working.” She looked over at Richard, her smile turning into a frown. “Whatever is he doing with that bell?”
I glanced over. Richard had hold of the handbell that lived on the mantelpiece above the fireplace—the one that had belonged to his grandmother and was in the shape of a lady wearing a crinoline gown. Rosie, Mark, and I had often used it in our games as kids, especially hide-and-seek. Three, two, one, extended bell ring, coming! Now, hearing the piercing sound it made as Richard rang it, I could appreciate why it had occasionally driven Sylvia crazy.
“Can I have your attention, please, everyone?” Richard called out, and we all stopped talking. “Sylv? Can you come over here for a minute, love?”
Richard held out his hand, and Sylvia went, her cheeks glowing. When she reached her husband, he pulled her close to his side. Rosie and I exchanged a smile.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming today. Sylvia and I really appreciate it. We were just saying this morning—weren’t we, love?—that we can’t believe it’s been forty years since we got married. Only feels like yesterday since I stood at the altar feeling as nervous as one of Beth’s skittish puppies.”
There was a ripple of laughter. Several people looked round at me with a smile.
“Then I turned round and saw this vision in white standing next to me.” He looked into Sylvia’s eyes and pressed her hand to his lips. In front of me, I saw Rosie and Giorgio and Mark and Grace move closer together, stirred by the romance of it.
“Every couple has their downs as well as their ups,” Richard continued, “but I’m so glad I’ve been strapped into that roller coaster next to you. Here’s to another forty years. Well, thirty, at least.”
Everybody laughed. Mark raised his glass. “To Mum and Dad, Richard and Sylvia.”
We all raised our glasses.
“Mum and Dad.”
“Richard and Sylvia.”
Giorgio began to clap, and everyone joined in. Richard kissed Sylvia soundly, a cue for all the other couples to kiss, only me and Gary, Richard’s confirmed-bachelor fishing buddy, left on our own with just our wineglasses for company.
“Wasn’t that beautiful?” Josie, their neighbour, said to me after she’d disentangled herself from her husband.
“Really beautiful,” I agreed. Because it had been beautiful. And my feeling miserable had nothing to do with anything.
But then there was the sound of a car pulling up outside. And a short while later, someone called my name. I turned to behold Jaimie walking towards me with the biggest smile on his face. And I felt as if I’d never been so pleased to see someone in my entire life.