CHAPTER 16
It was several days later that a knock came on Henry’s front door. Glancing through the window, he perceived a slight figure on the step, and hurried to open the door.
’Hello again,’ he said. ’Come for the bike?’
’Yes please.’
’Then do come in. You’ll take tea, or are you busy? I’m just about to make a cup for myself. How’s the leg, by the way? All right, I hope.’
’Quite all right thank you’ she answered. ’It’s healing up nicely. And as for tea, well if you really are just about to make some...’
’I am,’ he said firmly. ’It’s warm and muggy weather, and you seem to have been in a bit of a hurry. Tea should put you to rights in no time.’
’That’s very kind of you,’ she said. ’But I mustn’t stay too long. I want to get to the repair shop before it closes.’
’Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,’ said Henry. ’I took the liberty to have the machine fixed myself.’
’You did? Well, thank you, but there was no need to put yourself to all that trouble.’
’Oh, it’s no trouble, believe me,’ said Henry. ’I don’t have a lot to do these days. It was no bother at all. It was nice to have something to do for once. Come on through to the back while the kettle is on and I’ll show you. See if you approve. If you don’t, we’ll see about mangling it up again with one of my selection of big hammers. I’ve got plenty. Let me take your coat first.’
She shrugged off her coat. Henry took it and hung it up carefully on a hanger on a long coat rail running along the side of the entrance hall, then led the way to the other end of the house. He unfastened a door and stepped outside, walking along a gravel path to a shed at the bottom of an immensely long garden. There was her bike. Henry wheeled it out for her inspection, holding a large hammer in his right hand.
’I don’t understand,’ the girl exclaimed. ’Why, it looks like new.’
’Just cleaned up a little,’ Henry explained. ’That, and a new chain. Oh, and a new back wheel as well. The repair man said he couldn’t do much with the old one. Well, to be exact, he said the age of miracles ended a couple of thousand years ago to the best of his knowledge, and that even if they hadn’t, he wasn’t properly endowed in the miracle making area. Hence, a new wheel.’
Lynn studied the bicycle carefully, her eyes round in astonishment. It was certainly the same machine, but more than a casual glance was needed to verify the fact.
’Well, thank you very much indeed,’ she said. ’It’s certainly saved me a lot of bother. I must pay you for the repairs, of course. How much was it?’
’Nothing at all.’
’Nonsense. Chains and wheels don’t come free. It must have cost you quite a bit.’
’Nothing at all,’ he repeated. ’Honestly. Have I ever lied to you?’
She laughed. ’Not until now. Come on, how much do I owe you?’
’For the third time, nothing at all, and anything I tell you three times must be true. No, let me explain. I told you I had been in business. Well, one of my interests happened to have been in the bicycle trade, and the cycle shop owner owed me a favour or two. Even the wheel isn’t really new, although it looks like it. It’s an older one he happened to have in stock and couldn't use for anything else. In point of fact, he was only too glad to get it out of his stock room. Your machine is a little old fashioned, you know. Just like the wheel, in fact.’
’I’m not sure I can believe that,’ said Lynn.
’Go and ask the man yourself. His address is on the label there tied to the handlebar. He’ll verify it. Anyway, it’s time for tea. I can hear the kettle whistling. And I guess I can put this hammer away. You seem to approve.’
She laughed delightedly. ‘Yes please. There’s no need to mangle it up again.’
Minutes later, they were sat in what Lynn supposed was the parlour, although it gave the appearance of being as much of a library as the room she had been in earlier. Large plate glass windows drew the eyes to the garden, a garden displaying a riot of colour. Roses, she could see. There were other, smaller bedding plants, but the majority of the colour came from roses, in a wide variety of hues of reds and yellows, pinks and maroons. Apple trees dotted the well kept lawn, and there appeared to be fruit bushes at the furthermost end.
’I shall check on your story,’ she said, in between bites of cake. ’You know, about the bike repair.’
’Go ahead,’ Henry said with a smile. ’You’ll find it accurate enough. Or accurate enough to be believable, at any rate. I bribed him well. Have another piece of cake. Or a biscuit, perhaps.’
’Thank you, I will.’
’How are your studies going?’ asked Henry. ’You said you had some difficulty in getting hold of some of the books you needed.’
’That’s right. It’s a popular course, you see, and the books are in great demand. As you can see, I’m not exactly in the heavyweight class, and I can’t push hard enough to reach the front of the queue in the library.’ She laughed. ’Well, it’s not as bad as that. There is even a proper waiting list, but it doesn’t always operate as well as it should. Some people often keep the books long after they are supposed to return them. It’s not fair on the others, but that’s the way some people seem to be made. Sometimes, I go to the bookshops and sneak a quick look at their books if I want to check a fact, but of course I can’t do that very often. Really, I suppose I should buy my own, but the money never seems to stretch far enough.’
’No, ’ said Henry thoughtfully. ’I don’t suppose it does. I never went to university myself, so I have no idea of the costs. It must be pretty expensive nowadays.’
’I’ll say,’ said Lynn with feeling. ’Just paying the basic costs takes most of my money. There’s not a lot spare for extras like books.’
Henry frowned at her words. ’I wouldn’t have thought that books would be classified as extras,’ he said.
’Of course not. They are essential. However, there’s only so much money available, so buying them isn’t always much of an option. That’s what libraries are for, of course, but even they have their drawbacks.’
Henry folded his hands underneath his chin and regarded the girl with a steady gaze. She returned his look with interest.
’I have an idea,’ he said. ’And like all my ideas, it seems to be a good one. It seems a pity that your studies shouldn’t go smoothly because of lack of material. You know, you would be very welcome to use my books. You said that I have several that you need, but can’t actually get at all. Well, why not come here to study?’
Lynn stared at him. ’What, here in your house.’
’Yes, for preference. I’m not sure I would want to see the books being taken away, but if it’s convenient for you, you can certainly use my library. It would make better use of it than it gets otherwise. I do try to read the books I buy, but really they are there more from a sense of ownership than anything else. I’m a collector rather than an academic.’
Lynn sat up straight in her chair with a gasp of surprise.
’Do you mean that? Really mean it?’
’Of course. I wouldn’t have said it if I hadn’t.’
’But... ’ She came to a rapid decision. ’All right, you’re on. Consider yourself as having gained a student. I’ll be here several times a week, I warn you. The first year exams are looming. Not just coming up soon, you understand, but positively looming. I have a lot of revision to do.’
’Then do it here.’
’I wouldn’t be in your way, or anything?’
’Not in the slightest,’ Henry assured her. ’Nobody else lives here and I retired a long time ago, and fill in my days as best I can. There’s not a lot disturbs me. I don’t suppose for a moment that the rustle of turning pages, or the scratch of a pencil will turn my all too limited life upside down. And if it does, it’s probably to the good.’
Lynn was as good as her word, and did what she had warned Henry about. Rather, as she afterwards said, she did what she had threatened, and came to study almost every night. She had been offered the use of Henry’s computer for searching information and for the writing up of her notes, an offer for which she was very grateful. Writing longhand took time, more time than she felt she had to spare. Concerned at first about the number of hours she was spending in this way, she soon came to realise that her benefactor took great pleasure in helping out wherever he could. Despite his claim to the contrary, she found that he had an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the contents of his books, and could find information on practically anything she wished to know in a remarkably short space of time. Not only that, he made notes about many of the resources that Lynn felt would be useful in the future. At the very least, he was always ready to listen to her explanations as she strove to get new or difficult ideas clear in her mind, listening over an apparently constantly full teapot and the contents of a cake plate that never seemed to diminish. In addition, because of his once frequent visits to Scandinavia, he actually knew at first hand of many of the places and artifacts that Lynn was learning about, and could help to bring the book knowledge alive, translating for her whenever necessary. A quiet man he may have been in many ways, but he proved to be a good raconteur and made helped to make real the otherwise theoretical concepts.
Not that the entire evenings were taken up with concentrated study. Most were, but occasionally there were more relaxed periods when they simply sat and talked.
’You certainly work hard enough at your studies,’ he said to her one day.
’I have to,’ she said. ’The exams are very close now, and I do want a good pass.’
’Understandably,’ said Henry. ’But you know the old saying about all work and no play.’
’I know it, but my name’s not Jack.’
’Even so, you need a break of some sort. Don’t you ever go out with your friends? I see plenty of undergraduates in the pubs or on the river, and they seem to be enjoying their lives. I mean, it doesn’t seem very exciting for you to come here so often, studying with only a boring old man for company.’
’You’re not boring, Henry.’
He shook his head. ’I wish I could believe that was true. Come on now, you know the sort of life I lead here. It’s dull, boring and never changing. I do the same things day in and day out, in the same order, without a scrap of imagination. It’s not just a quiet life, it’s positively boring. You don’t look for excitement in this house, I can tell you, as if you couldn’t see that for yourself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but I am aware of the deficiencies. It’s hardly the most exotic lifestyle for someone of your age.’
’Henry,’ said Lynn with a heartfelt sigh. ’You just don’t know how lucky you are. People decry boredom. They decry stability. There’s always the urge to go on to the next activity as soon as possible. It’s what I call the that’s-something-new-I’ll-try-a-bit-of-it syndrome. Such people don’t know what it’s like to have an exciting life, at least not the sort of excitement I’m used to.’
She stopped, head on one side, considering what she had just said.
’No, that’s unfair, and probably untrue. I suppose there must be a good many who have had the same experiences. It’s just that I cope with them in a different way perhaps.’
’I wouldn’t mind a bit of excitement in my life,’ said Henry. ’I’m getting to be like an old woman, terrified of going on holiday in case someone breaks into the garden and steals the apples. Well, not quite that, but something near at any rate. Perhaps I should have got married and had a family. It might have put a bit more interest in my life. It may even have been exciting.’
’I doubt if you would care for my family’s excitement,’ said Lynn. ’Oh, there’s nothing unusual in it, I suppose. Just family fights.’ She sighed. ’I can’t remember a time when my parents weren’t fighting. Well, perhaps not lately. They’ve been separated for a long time. I never really understood why they didn’t get divorced.’
’That’s rather sad,’ said Henry. ’It always is, I suppose.’
’Oh, if that was all there was, it wouldn’t have been so bad,’ said Lynn. ’Other couples fight, I know. There’s nothing unusual about it. It’s just that, well, it all started with my gran, my mother’s mother, that is. I didn’t know my father’s mother. She died before I was born. I think I would have liked her, from what I’ve been told. But gran, the one that’s alive, is an awful character. She is an interfering old busybody who likes nothing better than to organise other peoples’ lives for them. She was the main cause of the fights between my parents, probably the sole cause. Nothing was ever good enough for her, and she was never slow to let anyone know. Still isn’t, for that matter.’
’Such people do exist,’ said Henry. ’Unfortunately. I met one or two in business. They weren’t very successful.’
’Neither is gran. She drove my father out. He couldn’t stand her constant criticism any more. She didn’t like the job he did. She didn’t like the clothes he wore. She didn’t care for the way he brought up his children. I don’t remember him too clearly, but I can remember him saying that he’d return when that dreadful old woman was refused access to the house, the children and everything else. I’ve hardly seen him since he left, and not at all for many years, so I don’t suppose he’s changed his mind. My older sister, Liz, got married and left home just as soon as she could, because of the problems. We rarely see her either. She has one child, which we have seen, but we have to go to her house to do so, as she won’t allow gran in, on the grounds that one broken marriage in the family is quite enough. That’s referring to mum’s, of course. Certainly gran hasn’t changed. She still comes round frequently, carping and criticising. She never approved of my coming to university, for instance.’
’No?’ said Henry. ’I would have thought that was something to be pleased about. Even proud about.’
Lynn gave a humourless smile. ’Not for gran. She told me, still tells me every time we meet, that university is a total waste of time, and that I should be out working for a living. There are too many parasites in the world, she believes, and another from her family is a bit more than she wants to accept.’
’I wish I’d gone to university,’ said Henry. ’I probably wasn’t bright enough for that, but I don’t think it would have been a waste of time, even if I never qualified for anything.’
’Actually, Henry, I think you would have done very well at university. You are a good deal more intelligent than many people I know.’
‘Thank you,’ said Henry. ‘But I’m not so certain you’re right. I didn’t do so well at school that I could even envisage much in the way of further education. The problem there, I think, was as much one of poor eyesight as anything else. When you can’t see the blackboard, it’s a bit hard to take anything in.’ He chuckled. ‘Do you know, I used to believe that the world consisted of strange, blurred, shimmering shapes. I never realised until long afterwards that my eyesight was so poor, and that I should have had glasses from starting school. Even now, I can see things very clearly just as long as they are meant to be fuzzy. Still, that’s the way things were. I’m not grumbling.’
Lynn’s face creased in a smile of appreciation at Henry’s words. ‘I do agree with you about university education,’ she said. ‘The experience itself is never wasted, even without a degree at the end of it. Gran can’t see that far. But do you know what really annoys me about her attitude?’
’Tell me,’ said Henry. ’I can see you’re bursting to get it out of your system.’
’You don’t mind?’ asked Lynn. ’I shouldn’t be unloading myself like this to you. It can’t possibly be of any interest. It’s just that, well, I was home last weekend, and gran started again about how I should earn a proper living.’
’I don’t mind,’ said Henry. ’In fact, it’s quite interesting, but then I was always a nosy character.’
’Don’t say you weren’t warned,’ said Lynn gloomily. ’Yes, what really, really annoys me most about gran is that she hardly ever earned her own living, yet has the cheek to push me into doing it. I intend to do so, of course, but later, when I’ve finished my degree. She was a housewife most of her life. She did work at one time, I know, as a comptometer operator, though I’m not sure if she did anything else.’
’Comptometer operator? Good lord, I thought that was a job that didn’t exist any more. I haven’t heard that term for years.’
’She was only a young woman then. Even that was only for a few weeks as I understand. She got married, and brought up one child, a girl. My mother, of course. Her parents must have been pretty well off, because I know they left her some money. It can’t have been an enormous amount, because they were only shopkeepers, but it was obviously enough to keep her in reasonable comfort.’
’Steady on,’ said Henry. ’I’ve been only a shopkeeper myself. It’s not something you have to keep secret, you know, at least not between consenting adults. I mean, it’s probably socially acceptable these days, and if not, you don’t need treatment for it.’
Lynn smiled. ’Sorry, Henry, I forgot. Anyway, your shopkeeping was clearly on a bit different scale. My great grandparents had a couple of grocery shops, or something like that. I’m not sure of the actual details. They sold up when the town they were living in was modernised, and the old shopping centre was demolished.’
’A common enough story,’ said Henry. ’But that wasn’t a time to give up. On the contrary, it was a time of great opportunity. I have some experience of that, since my own home town was rebuilt. I did pretty well out of it. Of course, I was a good deal younger then. I have to admit that I probably wouldn’t have fancied searching for pastures new if I was near retirement age.’
’I suppose not,’ said Lynn. ’I don’t think my great grandparents were so old at the time, but old enough that they didn’t want to start again. It’s not unreasonable, not when they could afford to retire.’
’So your gran turned to being a housewife, and developed a strong sense of curiosity?’
’Too strong, if you ask me. Mind, I don’t think she was like that all the time. According to my mother, she turned bitter and rather nasty after her divorce. That must have gone deep. She was a Catholic, you see, and divorce wasn’t really a word in her vocabulary. When she had to add it, the experience turned her character in undesirable ways. Undesirable from my viewpoint, at least, although there I’m probably taking a selfish attitude.’
’Divorce sometimes seems to be a more popular pastime than marriage,’ said Henry. ’I wouldn’t know myself. I never entered either state.’
’It was because of grandad. He wouldn’t leave other women alone, and she couldn’t forgive that. One she might have been able to ignore, but it was apparently several, and all at the same time. Well, when I say at the same time, I don’t mean, er, well, perhaps you can guess,’ said Lynn flushing in slight embarrassment.
’I understand. Roman orgies went out with the Romans,’ said Henry. ’That sort of thing seems to be more common nowadays, or perhaps more open. But then? It must have come as a bit of a shock.’
’I think it was,’ said Lynn. ‘Especially when one of them came to the house and demanded that gran left her man alone. She didn’t know that gran was his wife. According to the story, there was quite a noisy scene in public.’
’Now that’s nasty,’ said Henry.
’I do agree,’ said Lynn. ’Especially as it happened in a so called respectable area. Very strong on respectability is gran. Well, so would I be under similar circumstances. I guess most people would, even nowadays. Apparently the woman involved was a rather common, coarse character. It was after that, she threw him out and put in for divorce proceedings. Or maybe my grandfather threw her out and asked for a divorce himself. I’m not sure. That’s the way family history has it, anyway. I don’t know how much of it is actually true. It all happened a long time ago, long before I was born. All I am certain of is that gran is completely impossible. There, now I’ve got that off my chest, life doesn’t seem so bad.’
’It was bothering you that much?’ asked Henry with sympathy in his voice.
’It was. But not now. Not so much. Thank you. You’re a good listener.’
’I’m a good tea maker as well. Will you take some?’
’Yes please. No, you sit still. I’ll see to it for once. I know where everything is.’
Henry studied the girl, looking at her through the open door as she busied herself in the kitchen. She had seemed subdued when she arrived that evening, but had brightened up considerably in the last few minutes. Poor girl, he thought. She deserves better than that sort of hassle. If she was my granddaughter, I would be paying her way through university, and be proud to be able to do it. It would be putting the money to good use for once. He thanked her as she brought in the tray containing the tea things, and lifted the teapot to pour out. Wincing slightly, he put the teapot down and kneaded his right shoulder with his left hand.
’Something wrong, Henry?’ enquired Lynn.
’No, nothing much. I was gardening just before you came. I’ve been at it all day, in fact, and I seem to have overdone it a bit. My shoulders are a bit stiff, that’s all. Signs of old age creeping on. I’ll be better after a night’s sleep.’
Lynn came to stand behind his chair and placed her hands on his shoulders, massaging the hard and tired muscles, feeling the knotty tissues relaxing under the stimulus of her fingers. Henry’s eyes closed in pleasure. It was a warm and comforting sensation. At length she stopped and returned to her chair.
’Better?’ she asked.
’Marvellous,’ he said. ’You’ve got a gift.’
She smiled. ’Not really. I get like that sometimes after reading all day. There’s one of the older students, one I share a flat with in fact, who used to be a masseur, and she’s shown me how to do it. It’s quite useful at times.’
’Like now,’ he said.
’Well, you helped me to relax when I was fuming over gran. I’m just returning the compliment.’
’Your gran never remarried, then? From what you say, she can’t have been so old when she divorced.’
’Somewhere in her early thirties, I think. Maybe a bit older. I’m sure it can’t have been much later, although she had been separated for a long time already. But no, she never got married again. She just inflicted her bad temper on the rest of us. I did hear her comment once on a boy friend she used to have. That was someone she knew before she got married. She said she might have been better off staying with him. He was only poor, but at least he was honest.’
’And married by that time himself, I expect,’ said Henry.
’You would think so. I don’t know. She never said who he was. I do remember my mother answering that comment though. I wasn’t supposed to be listening, but you know what children are like.’
’Not really,’ said Henry. ’I can imagine. What did your mother say?’
’Something about the boyfriend being poor, and suggesting that gran wouldn’t have looked twice at him, and that if she had, then her parents wouldn’t have permitted it. It was quite daring for her, you know. She’s a bit afraid of gran normally. Actually, she’s terrified of her.’
’Not someone out of the top drawer, then, this boy friend?’
’Not someone with money, that’s for sure,’ said Lynn.
’Another common story,’ said Henry. ’Poor but honest working class lad, turned down by the girl he loves because he hasn’t a bean, and neither girl nor parents able to see the vast potential he has.’
’You have a strange expression on your face, Henry. And a strange tone of voice. Don’t say the same thing has happened to you.’
’Well, as a matter of fact, yes. It did. Oh, it’s a long time ago now. More years than I care to remember.’
’At the risk of being told to mind my own business, can I ask, did you love her very much?’
’Passionately, if that’s not too strong a word for a man who is supposed to be beyond that sort of passion by now. I know her parents poured a fair bit of cold water on the idea, although in truth, I didn’t seem to have many prospects. They had a small food shop chain, and obviously wasn’t good enough for their daughter. I think I might be a bit more acceptable now.’
’I should just think you might be,’ said Lynn. She gave a sudden nervous laugh. ’I’ve just had the strangest thought. What if my gran and your girl friend were one and the same person? There seems to be a lot in common. Now wouldn’t that be a strange coincidence?’
’It certainly would be,’ said Henry lazily. ’But it’s hardly likely. It is, as I said, a very common story. Several of my acquaintances could come up with something similar on both sides of the North Sea. Besides, your family are from southern England, while I’m very definitely from the north, as you can hear from my accent. I was too poor to go courting over a distance of several hundred miles, even if it had been encouraged.’
’My gran was from the north,’ said Lynn.
’Indeed? Go on, tell me her name. You’re dying to find out, aren’t you?’
’Sorry. I shouldn’t be prying.’
’That’s all right. As I said, it’s a long time ago. Surprise me anyway. Get it out of your system. What’s your gran’s name?’
Lynn hesitated, then spoke. ’Catriona. Maiden name Foster.’
She was alarmed to see her companion go suddenly still, eyes closed, breathing apparently stopped.
’Henry,’ she said in concern. ’Henry. Answer me. Are you all right?’
She stood up, crossed over the room and shook him gently. ’Henry?’
His eyes opened and he let out the deep breath he had been holding in for what seemed to have been an eternity.
’Catriona Foster. Married name Walker. Had a brother called James. Or was it John? Funny, I can’t remember that, though I never got to know him too well. Moved to Portsmouth to live some time after she married.’
Lynn looked serious and distressed. ’That was a long time ago, Henry. She moved again to be nearer to us. Oh Henry, I’m sorry. I would never have mentioned it if I had had any idea at all. I only said it as a joke.’
’It has to be the same one. Catriona is not the commonest of names. Well, well. Talk about coincidences.’
He smiled at the girl. ’This makes us almost relations, do you realise that? I mean, if things had turned out differently, you could have been my granddaughter, instead of just my friend.’ He licked his lips slowly. ‘Would you like to hear some of the details? Just to fill in the gaps, you understand. I can tell you things about your gran I bet you never knew.’