A jumble of emotions held Briony still.
‘I moved,’ she said in a low voice. ‘I had to change my name because of the publicity, and I let the flat go. I bought a house, for Nicky.…’ Tears welled and splashed down on to the table, and then suddenly she was crying as she hadn’t cried in years, and Marian was comforting her as though she were Nicky’s age.
‘I think this calls for a cup of tea,’ she said firmly, when at last the flow had stopped.
Briony responded with a weak smile. ‘The universal panacea!’ She wondered if Marian thought it strange that Kieron had said nothing of all this to her himself, and then realised from the shrewd look Marian was giving her that the older woman hadn’t been entirely taken in by their deception.
‘You do love him, don’t you?’ she asked softly.
Briony managed a watery smile. ‘What would you say if I said “no"?’
‘Call you a liar,’ Marian retorted frankly. Then she smiled. ‘Because it’s your birthday, Héloise is preparing a very special meal for tonight. It’s always easy to give advice, Briony, and always hard to take it. Despite the magnificent efforts you’ve both made to hide it, I can tell that things aren’t entirely as they should be between you and Kieron. He’s a man with considerable pride and I suspect finds it difficult to lay his head on the block a second time. Find a way of showing him how you feel, and I’m sure you’ll find he will meet you half way. You already have the deepest bond that human beings can have—Nicky,’ she explained gently, when Briony looked puzzled. ‘You bore Kieron’s child even when you thought he’d deserted you, and you love him. Let that be your stepping stone across the river that divides you.’
Marian’s revelations kept Briony’s thoughts busy for the rest of the day. When Kieron and Louise returned from Nice she watched Kieron teaching Nicky to swim in the pool, Louise’s pouting face showing how much the other girl resented Kieron’s attentions to his child.
‘Let’s go out for dinner tonight,’ she suggested, with a kittenish yawn as she stretched out full length in a minute white bikini, placing herself strategically where Kieron couldn’t help but notice the smooth golden curves.
‘It’s Briony’s birthday, and Héloise is making something special to mark the occasion,’ Marian said pleasantly but firmly. ‘But if you want to go out, Louise, don’t let us stop you.’
For a moment resentment flashed in the other girl’s eyes, but then she shrugged disdainfully.
‘So, it is your name day,’ she said speculatively to Briony. ‘Did Kieron buy you a gift?’
The suspicion she had been harbouring that Louise had been responsible for the purchase of the underwear died instantly, to be replaced by a small imp of mischief.
‘Mmm…I think I’ll wear it tonight,’ she murmured idly.
Louise looked puzzled, and Kieron showed no sign of having overheard. But Marian’s revelations had given Briony the courage to do things she would not have contemplated before, and if revealing the woman she had once been was the way to re-awaken the love which had once blazed between them, then she was more than prepared to do so.
‘Look, Mummy, I’m swimming!’ Nicky shrieked, splashing enthusiastically at the water, while Kieron supported him.
‘Lovely, darling,’ Briony smiled appreciatively, mentally reviewing her wardrobe. She couldn’t wear the black dress again, and yet she had nothing else suitable for a celebratory dinner.
‘I wonder if I could borrow François and go into Nice?’ she asked Marian apologetically. ‘Birthdays haven’t come very high on my list of priorities recently, and I haven’t anything to wear.’
Marian burst out laughing. ‘Quite a change from the girl who announced she didn’t need anything yesterday!’ she teased. ‘Of course you may, my dear. Would you mind if I came with you?’
This time Briony studied the boutiques closely. She knew what she wanted, and Marian glanced at her in surprise as she examined and discarded several dresses.
‘What exactly are we looking for?’ she enquired curiously.
Briony smiled wryly ‘Something I can wear over satin and lace underwear.’
For a moment Marian’s eyes widened in perplexed surprised and then she laughed. ‘Oh, I see—the mysterious birthday present. Look, I know somewhere that specialises in silk separates. Let’s try there.’
Half an hour later they returned to the car, both feeling very satisfied with themselves. The boutique had proved to have exactly what Briony wanted—a softly shaped silk skirt in palest peach teamed with a matching blouse in silk, but embroidered like broderie anglaise, sleeveless and cut low over her breasts, edged with a tiny provocative frill and fastening down the front with tiny pearl buttons. She had also bought a pair of ridiculously spindly-heeled sandals to match, which for all their outrageous price were little more than a high heel and several slim strands of plaited leather across the toes.
‘Just right for sheer stockings,’ Briony commented impishly to Marian as she paid for them, and after a startled glance the older woman had replied thoughtfully, ‘I’m beginning to see what Kieron means when he talks about the woman you’ve buried away, although now she seems to be re-emerging with a vengeance!’
* * *
Briony purposefully waited until Kieron was ready himself before changing for dinner, and she was aided in this unknowingly by Marian, who suddenly remembered that such a celebration demanded something spe
cial to drink and asked Kieron to go out and get it.
‘Champagne, of course,’ Briony heard her saying as Kieron followed her out of their sitting room, ‘and I understand Héloise is giving us duck with orange for the main course.’
When he had gone, Briony had a leisurely bath, soaking herself in her favourite bath oil, her hair tied up in a knot to keep it dry.