CHAPTER 7
Looking back at the holiday, David thought he had had good value for money. Of course, it was all done in a very touristy way, yet he had enjoyed practically every minute of it. The darkness throughout each complete twenty four hour cycle had appealed. The sleigh rides through frozen wastes marked off with burning torches had appealed. Giving up his new gloves to a little girl whose own were inadequate and who was crying with the cold also appealed.
She had been a nice little girl, he reflected. If he ever had children, they might be very like that. An unlikely proposition. Stella knew what it was like to have children, but for himself it wasn’t remotely probable. Forget it, he chided himself. Stella’s gone. There were brighter stars in the Lapland sky than the star he had lost. They were as distant and unreachable, but certainly more dependable. They may be subject to change, but too slowly for the human mind to comprehend. That was a comforting thought at least. The grapevine had informed that she and Rupert were drifting apart, that Rupert was chasing after other women, as though there was anything new in that. There may even be another reason which might be easier to understand. As David knew to his cost, Stella never gave anything away, but held out to the highest bidder. He had reached her price comfortably, but Rupert’s had been the higher offer. At that time, he had had much more wealth. Now? Well, the same grapevine offered tantalising items of news about that.