Part 29 (1/2)

He looked at me. I looked back. The silence dragged on.

For a long time he sat, twisting his hands and looking down at his feet. Just for once, he couldnt think of anything to say. Hed stood and shouted at my aunt in the street. Hed been publicly slapped. Aunt Julia had accused him of hitting me. He really couldnt think of anything to say.

I couldnt think of anything either. I remembered my shameful struggle to speak. There were no words to make this right. Where did we go from here?

The minutes ticked away.

Finally, he looked up and said, 'Your cat bit me.

He held up a bandaged finger.

Thoma.s.s snort was echoed in the kitchen.

I didnt dare laugh.

'It throbs, he said, plaintively.

'Youd better let me take a look, said Andrew coming in from the kitchen with mugs on a tray. 'It might be infected.

'I expect it is, he said, gloomily. 'That b.l.o.o.d.y cat hates me.

'Everyone hates you at the moment, mate, said Andrew. 'Death by cat bite is nothing to what Tanyas got in store for you.

'Do you hate me? he asked.

I shook my head.

'Well, youre the only one that really matters. Everyone else will just have to get over it.

Tanya came in with the coffee and he stood, warily.

'Thank you for looking after Jenny. Both of you.

To relieve the embarra.s.sment, Andrew began to unwind the bandage. 'Oh, yuk.

'What? said Russell, anxiously. 'This is my painting hand.

'You havent painted in years so stop whining.

'No, I said. 'Thats what we were doing ... yesterday. Buying painty stuff.

'Really? Well, good for you, Russ. About time. Does that hurt?

'Ow. No, he said, unconvincingly.

'Well it should do. Youre oozing.

Everyone craned their necks to look at Russells ooze.

'Ill clean it up for you and put a proper dressing on it. If it doesnt get better go to the doctor.

Tanya poured the coffee.

'I wish youd come home, Jenny. Mrs Crisp wont stop crying. Your b.l.o.o.d.y cat bit me when I wasnt looking. Kevin wants to know whether to uproot some shrub or other, Marilyn keeps wandering around looking for you and Boxer ... hasnt worked out whats going on yet, but h.e.l.l be upset when he does. And Sharons made a cake. Please come home. Why are you crying? Now what have I done?

'For G.o.ds sake, Russell, said Andrew. 'Just shut up, will you.

'But ...

'Im sorry, Jenny, he doesnt have a clue.

'But ...

Tanya yanked Andrew back into the kitchen again. I remembered the way hed lifted her hair ...

Now Russell really was caught between a rock and a hard place. They were obviously expecting him to kiss and make up, unaware of the terms of the agreement.

'What will he do?

He crossed to the sofa and sat beside me, taking my hand. 'Youre a great deal too good for me, wife.

I thought Id help him out a little and rested my head on his shoulder. He put his other arm around me, gently lifted my chin, and kissed me softly on the lips. And who knows what would have happened next, but the telephone rang.

He looked down with an expression I didnt understand at all. 'Saved by the bell, Jenny. Although which of us had been saved wasnt really clear.

After wed drunk the coffee, he said to me, 'I thought you might like to come back with me this afternoon and help me put my studio back together.

'You mean the poor girl can lug all those boxes up all those stairs while you arrange your paints in a pretty pattern.

'No, I meant what I said. You can help me lay it all out, set up my easel, put my paper away. That sort of thing.

I remembered him saying no one ever went into his studio. He was making a genuine effort.

'Yes, I said, 'Id like that very much.

'I found your Vermeer book. Its in your room.

Your room? I saw Andrew and Tanya exchange a tiny glance.

'We will all return with Jenny and help Russell with his studio, announced Tanya. She threw him a challenging glare and he nodded. 'And then we shall see what Jenny wants to do.

'You really dont need me, do you? said Thomas. 'Its like having your own private Panzer Division.

Russells studio lay at the end of the other bit of the upstairs dogleg. It was empty. Swept clean. Hed painted it, along with the rest of the house, but he hadnt bothered with the paint-splattered floor. The windows were bare. The walls were bare. The air was stale. He forced open a window and we all looked around.

'Bleak, said Thomas.

He wasnt the only one who thought so. Andrew was staring around, his face tight. I guessed hed been in here in happier times and this had come as a shock. For the first time he saw the full extent of the damage. As Russell went to step past him, Andrew gently rubbed his arm. Neither of them looked at the other. Neither spoke, but comfort was offered and accepted. I looked away, not wanting to intrude. When I looked back, they were about six feet apart.

'Right, said Russell with a bit of an effort. 'Andrew and I will bring everything up here. Tanya and Jenny will open the boxes. Well get it all out and then Tanya will tell us where to put it. However, he was grinning at her as he said it and she smiled back. Maybe shed seen that moment too.