Page 76 of The Best Friend
The sound of Darcy’s laughter comes to me through the salty air. ‘Oh, Louisa,’ she says, her voice closing in, ‘you are funny. Thinking you could ever outrun me with your gammy knee. And I see you’re already acquainted with my brother. Actually, I think he’s got a bit of a soft spot for you.’
Her brother?‘What?… I…’ and then the penny drops. Max was working with Darcy the whole time. He’s herbrother. He’s her bloody brother. My shoulders sag. So everything Max told me was a lie! I’ve been so stupid. So gullible. No wonder Darcy’s laughing at me. I’ve been played so beautifully. She’s been several steps ahead of me this whole time. And I thought I was actually making progress, getting her out of my life.
‘Max is your brother,’ I say, my shoulders sagging.
She tuts. ‘That’s what I just told you, isn’t it? You’re a little slow on the uptake today, Louisa. I needed him to keep an eye on you this week. To see what you were up to. Find out your plans. That’s when I had the fabulous brainwave of promoting him from being your stalker, to being your friend. Clever huh?’
But she’s American. And Max is English.How can they be related?
Max eases me around so I’m facing Darcy, his arms still circling my body like chains. The moon illuminates her face, eyes gleaming, hair shining. She’s not even mildly out of breath, while I’m still wheezing like an elderly, asthmatic cat.
‘I’m going to enjoy the next part of this evening,’ she says, dropping her smile. ‘Let’s get you back into the warm, Louisa. Look at you, you’re shivering.’
Thirty
Spring 2006
She’d waited not-so-patiently all through the brutal winter, sure that eighty-seven-year-old Arthur would pop his clogs by March. But the old git was still going strong. Apart from his hearing and his sight, he was healthy as a horse, worse luck. Nicole had hoped the icy conditions would have weakened him, especially as she’d accidentally on purpose left the heating off one night. Arthur had said that it would take more than a bit of cold to see him off.
She realised with alarm that old people lived to be past one hundred these days. It was selfish. Make more room on the planet, she thought. Toddle off early for fuck’s sake. But no, now it was spring, and Arthur was still hanging in there, sprightly as ever, holding on toherinheritance.
Nicole jiggled the key in the front door, the April rain had swollen the lock and it was a bugger to open. Finally, the key hit home and she turned it and pushed open the door, shaking her umbrella out over the front step and stepping into the hallway.
It was her turn to do earlies this week. She yawned, took off her raincoat and hung it over the bannister, tramping up the creaky stairs. She wondered who had been on nights. Nicole never minded doing the night shifts; the spare room here was a lot nicer than her grotty place, and she got paid more for the privilege.
‘Morning, Arthur!’ She rapped on his bedroom door and called out again. He was becoming deafer by the day.
‘Morning,’ she heard him reply.
Nicole eased open the bedroom door. Arthur was sitting up in bed wearing a pair of checked pyjamas.
‘You just missed Natalie,’ he said. ‘She had to leave a few minutes early – her daughter had a doctor’s appointment. I told her she needn’t have bothered staying all night, I’d be fine on my own until you got here, but she’s a conscientious girl. She’s new. Have you met her?’
No, Nicole had not met her, and she didn’t like the sound of her. Not at all. She hoped this Natalie person wouldn’t become Arthur’s new favourite. If Natalie was on nights, she’d get to soothe his nightmares and while away the evenings with him. Arthur might change his Will again, and Nicole couldn’t have that. She’d have to be especially nice to the old git from now on. Nicer than she already was.
‘Let’s go and get you washed and shaved,’ Nicole said, ‘and then I’ll lay some clothes out for you. How about your grey trousers? And then I thought a pale green shirt and dark green jumper – the one your Margaret always liked. Will that be all right?’
‘Yes, that’s fine. You know I’m not fussy about what I wear, dear.’
Did she detect a bit of impatience in his voice? She’d have to be careful not to irritate him. Nicole helped him out of bed and onto his feet, wondering just who this Natalie person thought she was, trying to move in onherArthur. Nicole had been with him for months now, listening to his boring stories, cooking for him, picking up after him, having to be nice to him, and she wasn’t about to let some jumped-up newbie take preferential place. No way.
Despite his blindness, Arthur always insisted he could find his way around his own house perfectly well, but Nicole took his arm anyway, and led him out onto the landing, suddenly wanting to make herself indispensable.
‘How about I cook you a nice fry up this morning?’ she asked. ‘With all the trimmings?’ That should get her into his good books. Arthur always loved a cooked breakfast.
‘I’m not sure,’ he said. ‘Natalie was telling me about these people in California who are vegetarians and, according to her, they’re the healthiest people in the world – just eat nuts and berries and raw vegetables, can you believe it?’
‘You want nuts and berries for breakfast?’ she asked, one eyebrow raised.
‘Well,’ he chuckled. ‘Natalie was very persuasive. She wants me to try a new healthy diet – said she’d try some of her vegan recipes out on me. I was very impressed with her, I don’t mind telling you. Not sure she’d be happy with me eating a fry up.’
Nicole led Arthur over to the bathroom door, her blood boiling at the thought of this vegan bitch putting all these healthy-eating ideas into Arthur’s head. It would ruin her plans. He’d live much longer if he stopped eating fry ups and stuff. Plus she would have to work twice as hard to keep him sweet with this new girl as competition.
Or…
‘Are we going into the bathroom, dear?’ Arthur asked. ‘You’ve stopped.’
‘Sorry, Arthur, miles away.’ She eased his body around and led him away from the bathroom door.
