Page 109 of One-Hit Wonder

“How did you manage it?”

“Well—I suppose I, er… psyched myself up, as they say. And Mr. Redwood’s been marvelous. In fact”—she stopped and turned to look Ana in the eye—“Mr. Redwood has proposed to me.”

Ana stared at her mother incredulously. “What!”

“Mr. Redwood. He proposed to me. A few evenings ago.”

“And you said…?”

“Well—being a widow doesn’t really suit me, you know. I’m not the type to enjoy being alone. And now that you’ve finally come out of yourself, started making something of your life—well, I can’t expect you to sit around with me for the rest of your life. And Mr. Redwood really is a kind and caring man and…”

Ana turned to her mother and grinned. “You said yes, didn’t you!”

Her mother pinkened very slightly and nodded. Ana screamed and then put her hand over her mouth when she remembered she was in a cemetery. She almost threw her arms around her mother, too, and then remembered that her mother would probably die of shock if she did. So she just stood there and beamed at her instead. “I think that’s fantastic,” she said. “Really, really fantastic.”

“Well,” sighed her mother, “it’s not the most romantic of comings-together—more of a collaboration, really. But I think it’s for the best.”

“You will—you will be nice to him, won’t you, Mum?”

“What on earth do you mean?”

“I mean—you’ll appreciate him. Tell him he’s good. Tell him he’s kind. Tell him you’re glad you married him. Won’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Anabella. I shall treat Mr. Redwood with every respect. The same respect he shows me.”

Ana beamed at her and Gay allowed a smile to slip across her face.

“So,” she said, “what of you? What are your plans for the future?”

Ana shrugged. “D’you know?—I have no idea. None at all. I’m going to have to move out of the house I’m staying in next week. Gill’s got a long-term tenant moving in this weekend. I’ll find another flat. Or I might stay with Flint… I’ve really been too busy to think about it.”

Gay pursed her lips. “This Flint fellow. Was he a lover of Bee’s?”

Ana giggled. “What?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Well—actually, yes. They did sleep together once. A long time ago. But he’s my lover now,” she said.

She waited for her mother’s shocked reaction, but it didn’t come. “Yes,” she said dryly, “Hugh did tell me he suspected there was something going on with you two. Well. I’m glad. I like the look of him. And he’s a big man. I’ve always liked a big man. They make you feel very protected. And they tend toward gentleness.”

They were approaching Mr. Redwood’s car now and Ana sped up. “Mr. Redwood,” she gushed, “Mum’s just told me the news and I think it’s wonderful. I think you’re completely insane, but it’s still wonderful. Congratulations!”

Mr. Redwood’s neat face opened up into a massive grin. “Well—I can’t tell you how happy I am to have your approval, Anabella. That really does mean an awful lot to me.” He pulled himself nimbly from the car and gave Ana a strong, very un-English bear hug.

“Welcome to the family, Mr. Redwood. And at least I know that you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.”

He beamed at Gay. “Oh yes,” he said, “I most certainly do.”

“Now,” said Gay, ignoring Mr. Redwood’s affectionate overtures, “I’ve brought you some things. Clothes. Books. Records. Et cetera. I thought you’d probably like to have them with you.”

Mr. Redwood leapt to attention and unlocked the trunk of his car.

“And there’s this, too.” Gay handed Ana a large manila envelope. “It’s a letter. To you. From Bee. I’m afraid I, er… well—I should have given it to you before. I’m not really very sure why I didn’t. It’s not something I’m very proud of. Maybe you should save it for later—save it for a quiet moment. Urgh…” She put her hand to her forehead and drew a deep breath. “Now I really, really must be going. I really am feeling rather… urgh.”

Mr. Redwood dashed from the back of the car to the front and opened the passenger door for Gay, who collapsed daintily onto the seat.

Ana called Flint and Keith over to help Mr. Redwood transfer her boxes from the back of his car to Flint’s and then Gay said goodbye.