‘Right you are, sister,’ she said.
The door to the hall opened again as a waiter came in to deposit a tray of empty glasses. Over the hubbub of general conversation, a more querulous voice could be heard.
‘He’s my boy. Ain’t I allowed to drink to him?’
Jenna and Kayley swapped quick looks.
‘Linda,’ they both said.
‘Time for some damage limitation,’ added Jenna, as they headed out into the throng.
‘Ah, Jenna, at last,’ cried Tabitha, who was propping up a very woozy-looking Linda Watson. ‘She keeps trying to go over and monopolise Jason, but he’s very busy talking to potential customers and all the top critics. I’ve told her it isn’t really the time, but . . .’
‘Sorry, I should have been here,’ said Jenna. ‘Got side-tracked. Linda, please, why don’t you come into the kitchen and have something to eat?’
‘I wanna see my boy,’ she slurred belligerently, trying to extricate herself from Tabitha’s clutches by sheer force.
The force succeeded only in propelling her to her knees on the floor.
Several heads turned, faces expressing a mixture of amusement and concern, to watch the performance.
‘Linda,’ hissed Jenna, determined not to expose Jason to embarrassment on his big night. ‘That’s enough. Come with me.’
This time, Linda didn’t have enough strength left in her to resist Jenna’s firm hand on her elbow, and she followed her into the kitchen.
‘Do you know what?’ said Jenna, once Linda was safely seated and handed a glass of water. ‘This is a very big night for Jason and for me. It would be nice if I could go and join in with it. But apparently, the whole thing’s going to end without me enjoying a minute of it.’
‘S’not my fault.’ Linda sloshed the water around in her tumbler, spilling a fair bit on to the hallowed granite flagstones. ‘Big night for me too, ain’t it? My boy, ain’t he?’
‘Yes, he’s your boy. So act like a responsible parent and lay off the booze, instead of making him a laughing stock. Because that’s what you’ll do, Linda, if you don’t get a grip on yourself. Is that what you want to see in tomorrow’s papers? Big headline? Big photograph of you, paralytic drunk with your knickers on show? How do you think Jason would feel about that?’
‘’M not drunk,’ she insisted. ‘Bit merry. Thass all.’
‘Stop lying to yourself. You’re pissed. And you aren’t going anywhere near Jason until you’re sober.’ She passed a plate of smoked salmon mini frittatas over. ‘Here, eat a few of these. They might soak a bit of it up.’
‘Don’t like fish. Where’s me champagne? I had a glass of champagne.’
‘No more champagne,’ said Jenna firmly. ‘You’re going to have something to eat and then I’m going to take you up the back stairs for a little lie down.’
‘Who do you think you are? Treating me like a, like a . . .’ She belched. ‘Little kid. I’m not a little kid. I’m his mum. Everything he’s put me through . . . I deserve to be here . . .’
Jenna sighed. With any luck, Linda’s ramblings would soon subside into snores. Until then, she had to be kept out of harm’s way.
She belched again.
‘Sorry,’ she said, briefly putting a hand to her mouth. ‘Them bubbles. Not used to it. Champagne lifestyle from now on, though, eh? All them rich bastards out there, lapping our Jase’s work up, they are. Easy street for us, eh? Well, not you. You’ve always had it easy.’
‘How about a piece of toast?’ suggested Jenna brightly, moving away from Linda before she was tempted to slap her face. She took half a loaf from the breadbin. Jason’s loaf, not hers. Jenna tried to avoid carbs.
‘I’ll have a champagne, thanks,’ replied Linda stubbornly. ‘I’ve had it hard, I have.’
‘Yes, I know you have,’ said Jenna, deadpan. This was Linda’s constant refrain. It might be true enough, but it certainly got tedious to hear. ‘But, so long as things go well for Jason tonight, the hard times could well be over.’
She popped a slice of bread in the toaster.
‘I fucking well hope so,’ muttered Linda. ‘Horrible, it were. Never two pennies to scrape together. No money, no work, no dignity. Then our Jase. Getting up to all sorts. He was a good boy really, though. It was just a phase. All kids go through phases, don’t they?’
‘Oh yes. I certainly did. I was awful to my mum as a teenager.’ Jenna turned around and smiled, softening towards Linda, imagining how awkward Jason must have been as an adolescent. She probably did have it pretty hard, back then. ‘I cringe when I remember some of the things I said to her. I was a right little cow. And she near enough had a heart attack when I went off with Deano.’