Brian Aldiss - Life in the West

D’Exiteuil shook his head ruefully, ‘Ah, success, success… You know that my sole book, a collection of essays, in English, called The Stupidity of the Rich , was merely a succes d’estime. Oddly enough, I see some of my more absurd ideas cropping up in this book, The Sower of the Seasons , which you published.’ He turned to Squire. ‘Tom, do you know Lippard-Milne?’

‘I know his wife quite well.’

‘Well, you see he has no guiding principle in criticism. Being English, he has a good critical eye, and is observant. That’s because you English all read your Bibles so much until a generation ago. You attended to the details, which were expressed in a fine language. Now the Bible has been rendered into civil servant English, and you are left without direction, and the whole perpetual instrument of Marxist analysis has yet to be taken up with the same expertise as it is wielded in France.’

‘Marxism naturally doesn’t suit us, any more than absinthe, garotting, or lederhosen,’ Squire said. ‘We have a monarchy, if you recall.’

‘Do you pretend that the Queen is obstructing literary criticism, Tommy?’ Séverine asked, and they all laughed.

‘No politics allowed here tonight,’ said Belinda. ‘Let’s all sink our differences at least until next year — which is only a few hours away. Come and eat now. I have just a little snack for you to keep the wolf away. We won’t wait for Teresa in case she’s late, but I’ve kept something for her.’

The little snack proved to be a pocket-sized banquet. They had just finished, and were returning to the living room, when there were sounds of a car engine in the drive, and the front door bell chimed. The Broadwell hounds barked furiously from the kitchen.

Ron Broadwell opened the door. Teresa was not there as anticipated. Instead, her mother walked in, smiling. Madge Davies was smartly dressed in a brown wool coat trimmed with fox. With her was Squire’s Uncle Willie, dressed in his customary navy blue overcoat but wearing what, even on close inspection, was a rather snappy tweed hat.

As the two of them shook hands with everyone, and removed their outer garments, Uncle Willie explained that they had intended to meet Teresa at the airport, but her plane had been delayed.

His cheeks were reddened by the cold outside, but he was very brisk; Mrs Davies seemed at first unusually subdued.

‘Teresa managed to phone through to us from Rome airport,’ Willie explained. ‘For some reason, she chose to return from Malta via Rome. Madge and I guess she had some business there, because she’s doing very well, selling to the US and so on. We think she’s arranging some special packaging. The Italians are good at packaging. Her Rome-Heathrow plane was delayed because of a strike of fuel-tender men. As soon as she gets to Heathrow, she’ll catch a taxi here.’

Séverine raised one of her immaculate eyebrows at Squire. ‘You remember what I said about putting the excitement back in travel. It soon won’t be safe for a woman to travel alone. I can’t wait for that day…’

‘It’s just a handful of communist agitators in each country,’ Willie explained.

‘The capitalists will go on saying that until their system finally breaks down completely,’ d’Exiteuil said. ‘May we play that charming little Taylor record again, Ron?’

‘Go ahead,’ Belinda said.’ I suppose you think “Everything I Have is Yours” is some kind of commie signature tune, Jacques?’

‘I certainly didn’t expect to see you, Mother,’ Squire said, touching his cheek to Mrs Davies’s cheek. She was wearing a perfume he identified as one of Teresa’s. ‘Uncle Willie even less. I thought he’d be in Norwich, tucked up safely in bed with his cat.’

‘Well, dear…’ She looked embarrassed, and allowed the Broadwells to usher her into the living room. ‘What a charming house you have here, Mr Broadwell, and so wonderfully warm. I suppose that as a publisher… I don’t believe in economizing on the heating, but my flat in Grantham is always so chilly. Double-glazing doesn’t seem to help. You’re all double-glazed here, I expect, of course.’

‘ Tell them, Madge,’ Willie prompted.

Madge adjusted her white hair, and said, looking mainly at Squire, ‘Will, at my age, I’m quite…I feel it is rather an imposition to come into a strange house and immediately… sort of… what was that poem about it? Anyhow, Tom, you know that Ernest and I were always very fond of your Uncle Will. Ernest especially. I remember the occasion when we first met him in Norwich, that was in the old Haymarket, no, in the Carlton Hotel, which was then very smart — it’s been pulled down now — and Ernest said afterwards, “I trust that man”, he said. Well, Tommy, old as we are, Will and I have decided — it’s almost a year since poor Ernest was knocked down and killed — he was never what you’d call a strong man — to get married and live together.’

As everyone clapped, Squire put on a puzzled expression and asked, ‘But which are you going to do, Mother — get married or live together?’

Amid the laughter, Willie said, ‘Madge and I are determined to start anew, as far as that’s possible at our advanced age. She’ll sell her place, I’ll sell up mine, and we’ll buy a little bungalow, possibly in Hunstanton. Settle down like Darby and Joan, whoever they were.’

Shaking his uncle warmly by the hand, Squire offered his congratulations. He embraced Mrs Davies.

‘Tom, I hope you won’t find anything too…’ She hesitated for a phrase which had vanished without trace.

‘Does Teresa know?’

‘We told her before she went off to Malta. I mean, your uncle and I are just going to be close friends.’

‘I shouldn’t trust him if I were you, Mother.’

‘It’s thirty-four years since Diana died,’ Willie said defensively. He brought out his pipe and lit it.

Broadwell moved to get more drinks. Mrs Davies’s news was received with amused pleasure. She herself became flustered and apologetic and reminiscent and flirtatious.

When Broadwell returned with champagne, she thanked him and said, ‘If Will and I are to be united, it is important to us that Tom and Teresa — you see, she’s still a child to me, Mr Broadwell, although she’s in her forties, and she and I have always been very alike in our tastes. Not all perhaps, but many. She’s always been artistic. Next year is going to be a good one for Tom, I know, so he can afford to be kind to Teresa and try and understand her point of view. As his publisher, you can exert a good influence on him, I’m sure.’

Ron Broadwell laughed. ‘That’s not a view people generally have of publishers!’

‘It’s dreadful how everyone seems to quarrel nowadays. I’m sure it was never like it is today — I don’t know what’s happening in the world. I heard just this morning that the Persians are demonstrating against the Shah. That man’s done so much for his country, it does seem ungrateful. I saw him in London once, several years ago, and he looked so distinguished.’

They all drank a toast to Madge and Willie.

‘I must remind you that Teresa will not return to Pippet Hall,’ Squire told his mother-in-law a little later. ‘You must understand my position. I will not eat humble pie forever, although I would like our life to resume as soon as possible. Do you have any notion of my present difficulties? I think you should speak to Teresa, Mother. She can manage her new business from the Hall, if that’s the problem.’

‘Oh, dear, that’s not the problem. I’m afraid you brought this on yourself, Tom, all this unfaithfulness, it’s dreadful. Such things never happened in the twenties, when I was young.’