Kingfisher Morning

CHAPTER NINE

Two days later Emma was working in the garden with the children when she heard a car pulling up outside the gate. She straightened, a hand to her aching back, somewhat surprised, but imagining that Ross had finished early and come home for tea. He had said when he went out that he would not be back until later, but in his job he never quite knew when he would be free and when he would be working all the hours God sent. For the last forty-eight hours, in fact, he had been unusually busy, and they had seen little of him. It was possible that Edward had arranged for Ross to have a few hours' much-needed break.

The gate clicked and she gave an astonished gasp. Facing her, shy yet bravely determined, stood Fanny.

They both laughed, then flung themselves at one another, hugging and kissing with almost tearful emotion.

'What on earth are you doing here?' demanded Emma, when she had stood back to survey her friend. 'That's a nice suit. New?'

Fanny looked down at it with contentment. 'Yes, first time of wearing, in fact. I'm glad you like it.' It was a pale blue woollen suit, figure-hugging but warm, in a classical, timeless design. Blue had always suited Fanny. She looked radiant, Emma noted with pleasure. Obviously love was being kind to her.

'How's Guy?' she asked without self-consciousness. Her love for Ross, she found, had freed her even of feeling shy about Guy.

Fanny beamed, 'Here's Guy to answer for himself.' She gestured behind Emma, who turned in surprise, laughing, and found herself face to face with him.

He kissed Emma so warmly on the cheek, his face all smiles, that Emma was astonished to remember that she had ever suspected he loved her. Guy's complete indifference could not be more obvious now that the scales had fallen from her eyes. He was the same cheerful, easy companion he had always been—it had been her mistake to imagine otherwise.

How we fool ourselves! she thought wryly. We imagine so much that's not true and miss the truth which is all around us!

'You both look so well!' It was true. They looked on top of the world.

Smiling, blushing, Fanny said, 'We came down to ask you to come back to London for our wedding.'

'Your wedding?' Emma was delighted. 'When is it? Of course I'll come. I hope you want me to be bridesmaid? Is it to be a formal wedding, or a quiet affair?'

'It's fixed for the last day of October,' Guy said. 'I've got a job in Canada. I have to leave by the fifteenth of November, so this is going to be a pretty tight squeeze, but I couldn't go without Fanny, and she's agreed to do without the usual fuss and trimmings. We're having a quiet little wedding, just family and close friends like you.'

'A white wedding, though,' Fanny said, her chin determined. 'And you most certainly will be my bridesmaid, Em!'

'Yes,' Guy urged. 'Do you think you can manage it? It would ruin everything for Fanny, I think, if you weren't there, Emma.' He smiled at her, his eyes so nice, so full of friendliness, that she was touched. Far from having lost Fanny, she thought, she had gained another friend, even though they were going across to the other side of the world. Distances would not diminish the warmth between them, she was sure of that. It would take more than an air journey to separate her from Fanny.

'I'll manage it somehow,' she promised. 'I'll make my own bridesmaid's dress, something simple. What colour would you like, Fan?'

'Oh, yellow for you, darling,' Fanny said decisively. 'A pretty primrose colour suits you.'

The children were staring, all ears. Emma caught their eyes and laughed. 'I forgot to introduce you…' She drew them into the circle and told them who Fanny and Guy were, told Fanny and Guy the children's names.

Fanny bent to kiss each one. Tracy was rapt, staring with eyes wide with admiration at Fanny's beautiful golden curls, her delicate heart-shaped face and enormous eyes. 'You're just like the fairy on our Christmas tree!' she burst out.

Emma stifled a smile. Fanny looked startled, then rather shy. But Guy said seriously, 'I know what you mean, Tracy. I feel like that, too,' and the way in which he looked at Fanny made Emma feel very much in the way.

It must be wonderful, she thought wistfully, to have a man look at you like that, as if he saw rainbows and heard trumpets at the very sight of you! She knew the feeling…every time she saw Ross unexpectedly her heart fe

lt as if it was going through a giant wringer, being crushed in some ruthless machine.

'Come and see our cottage,' Tracy urged, holding Fanny's hand with eager devotion and dragging her towards the door.

'It looks enchanting,' Fanny breathed, gazing at it.

'Yes, go ahead,' Emma nodded. 'I'll put away our gardening tools and join you in a moment. We can have tea. There are plenty of cakes and scones, all home-made and delicious, I can promise you!'

'Edie spent all morning baking,' Tracy confided as she pulled Fanny away.

'Oh, yes, I heard about Edie,' said Fanny, smiling at Emma over her shoulder as she went.

'How did you?' Tracy demanded.

'Emma wrote to me about you all,' Fanny told her.