Barbara Bradford - The Cavendon Women

‘About the Sunday luncheon,’ Susie said, rousing Hanson from his reverie.

He nodded, and replied at once. ‘Buffet style, as we decided, Cook. We always served the food that way when we had the summer cotillions. Lovely evenings they were. Well, not to digress. Lady Daphne’s menu is a good guideline for you, but you can add other dishes if you wish. Perhaps cold poached salmon, asparagus and smoked salmon, dishes like that.’

They went on talking for a few moments, and then finally Hanson left the kitchen, made his way to the wine cellar to select the champagne for tomorrow’s dinner. Definitely Dom Pérignon.

The light knocking made Diedre sit up straighter at the desk. She called, ‘Come in,’ and looked at the door expectantly.

It was Dulcie who appeared in the entrance to her bedroom, and for a second Diedre was astonished by her appearance. The girl bore a strong resemblance to how Daphne had looked when she was eighteen – was actually her spitting image. All blonde and golden and blue-eyed … well, they all had blue eyes, of course. But here was the most gorgeous girl she had ever seen, except for her sister Daphne at the same age.

Smiling hugely, Diedre got up and walked across the room to put her arms around Dulcie; she gave her a big bear hug, held her close for a moment, then stepped away.

Dulcie was astonished by this gesture from her sister, who had scared the life out of her when she was a child.

Diedre smiled at her once again, added, ‘I haven’t seen you for almost two years; you’ve become a true beauty, Dulcie. You look so much like Daphne when she was your age, it’s quite startling.’

Even more taken aback, Dulcie could only nod. After a split second, she found her voice. Peering at her eldest sister, she said, ‘What happened to you, Diedre? You were always the mean sister, saying very nasty things to me. Unkind things. Have you been taking nice pills?’

Diedre stared at her, and then began to laugh. ‘You seem to have taken a leaf out of Great-Aunt Gwendolyn’s book—’

‘No, yours!’ Dulcie shot back swiftly, cutting her off. ‘Definitely yours … there’s nothing quite like learning at the knee of the master, is there?’

‘Too true,’ Diedre replied, laughter still echoing in her voice. Years ago she would have taken umbrage at Dulcie’s attitude and comments. But not now. The death of her lover had changed her, given her a different approach to life. She was much kinder and nicer. Intense grief had taught her a lot about people, and about herself. Death had softened her; loss had taught her compassion.

Now Diedre said, ‘I must have been really mean to you when you were little. I was, wasn’t I?’

‘I’ll say!’ Dulcie answered sharply, walking into the bedroom and sitting down in a chair near the oriel window. ‘I couldn’t do right for doing wrong, as far as you were concerned. You were nasty, said some really rotten things. You called me a little madam, for one thing.’

Diedre shook her head, shocked to hear this. ‘How terrible, so awful of me actually. I must have been going through some strange stage myself.’

‘I doubt it, because you were always like that. Truly mean. At least to me. But, in a way, you toughened me up, and that’s served me well,’ Dulcie replied in her normal blunt manner. ‘However, there was no reason for you to be so cruel. I was only five. Just a little girl,’ she finished in a sharp tone.

‘I’m so very sorry, Dulcie,’ Diedre said, her voice filled with sincerity as she sat down at her desk and looked across at her sister. ‘I can’t bear the thought I treated you badly. That I was mean, unkind. Will you accept my apology? Can we be friends?’

‘I suppose so. It all depends on how you treat me now, you know. I won’t stand for any of that old nonsense.’

Diedre wanted to laugh at her outspokenness, but she swallowed hard and said, ‘I promise I won’t verbally abuse you. Or upset you in any way.’

‘All right.’ Dulcie now gave her a pointed look. ‘Why are you being so nice to me?’

‘Because I like you. No, I love you. You’re my sister, after all, and we should all stick together, be close. Closer than we’ve been in the past.’

Dulcie was still wondering what this was about. She exclaimed, ‘That’s an odd thing for you to say. You used to behave as if I was a poisonous snake.’

A look of chagrin flowed across Diedre’s face, and she felt a tightening in her chest. How could she have behaved in such a dreadful way towards her baby sister? It was suddenly incomprehensible to her. And then it hit her. She had been unhappy at that time, at odds with the family, and she had taken it out on a child. Shame filled her, rendered her silent. She had been a mean-spirited woman, it seemed, and she was saddened.

After a moment, Dulcie said, ‘You’re looking morose. What is it? Is there something wrong, Diedre?’

There was such concern in her sister’s voice, Diedre felt even worse, and she did not answer. After a short silence she finally said, ‘I am feeling very ashamed of myself for treating you the way I did … After all, you were only a child, as you’ve just reminded me.’

‘Perhaps you were a little jealous because Papa spoiled and pampered me.’

‘You might be right,’ Diedre concurred. Thirteen years ago she had faced many problems in the family; jealousy one of them.

‘I was his favourite and still am,’ Dulcie now announced, giving Diedre a hard stare.

With a faint smile, Diedre replied, ‘He’s clever, our darling father, and he always has been. He makes each of his four daughters feel special – that each one of us is his favourite and the one he loves the most. And, in fact, he loves us all equally.’

‘True. More than I can say about Felicity. She was no mother to me. She’s an odd one. Everyone says it’s because she’s under the influence of the knife-wielding Lawrence Pierce … that she’s so strange these days, I mean. What do you think? And is he really a blond Adonis, with the glamorous looks of a matinee idol jumping around a stage in the West End?’

Diedre burst out laughing. ‘My goodness, what colourful language you use, Dulcie. You’re certainly a chip off two old blocks: mine and Aunt Gwendolyn’s.’

‘Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?’ Dulcie asked, a blonde brow lifting.

‘Our great-aunt would think it was. I have a feeling she’s rather proud of her way with words, even if she’s a bit tart at times. As I often am myself.’

‘So be it. Have you ever met Felicity’s little playfellow?’

‘Once or twice, in the early days of their relationship, just after the war started. And yes, he is very good looking, loaded with charm, but full of himself. He’s a brilliant surgeon, everyone says that. But doctors like him, who save lives and perform miracles of a sort, are egomaniacs. They think they’re to be revered on bended knee.’

‘I’ve heard that before, and the quote about being God is always attributed to you, Diedre, if you care about such things.’

‘I don’t, and you were a neglected child, in my opinion – at least you were neglected by Felicity. Others loved you very much and took care of you in her absence. Still, our mother was behaving in a weird way in those days, and her mind was elsewhere.’

‘I can well imagine exactly where it was. On the scalpel-happy doctor. And a certain part of his anatomy.’

Diedre stared at her, pushed back a chuckle, and asked, ‘Have you ever thought of being a writer, Dulcie?’

‘Occasionally, but I’m studying art history … I love paintings, and occasionally I’ve thought I might open an art gallery when I grow up.’

‘I think you’re grown up now. And that’s a great idea. In the meantime, has DeLacy arrived yet?’