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"Coood, you’ll feel better for it"

"Where is it anyway?"

"Somewhere you’ll like"

"I don’t like surprises"

"You’ll like this one"

Silence A long silence He hadn’t been able to ht I’o"

"You sure?"

"I just said"

"I want you to like it I want you to enjoy yourself, it’s special"

"I will Sorry What tio?"

"Pick you up at seven"

"As early as that?"

"There’s things to look at, then we can have a drink and then we’ll eat"

"Is it far, this place, wherever it is?"

"Twenty ht Fine See you then"

"Love you"

But she had already gone

He sat, now, over his tea, Scotch egg and green beans, plu the way her voice had been In his head He’d known but he hadn’t known Of course he hadn’t They were engaged, they were gettingor the curse

He’d known

He stared at the egg on his plate Neatly halved, the pale crue ot there she hadn’t been ready and her sister, Georgina, had been there, looking at hiina had been enored it Of course he had Nothing rong How could there be? They were engaged They were going to be married There was no one like Alison who had ever been born That was how he felt, the extent of it No one who had ever been born

She’d come into the room and the sun had come out It’s what happened, what she did She wore a blue frock and a white jacket and her hair was down, floating round her head soh it as she caina had looked at her Alison hadn’t wanted to catch her eye

There was so

But when he pulled away frohed with happiness

"The Coh the gates and up the drive The gravel crunched under the wheels "I’ve heard about this place"

"You’ll like it I came and sussed it out"

"What for?"

"Us You wait"

He handed her out and she had looked round slowly, taking everything in, the inch-thick gravel and the lawns, the stone urns full of white flowers, the terrace and avenue between the trees

"Coot to be expensive"

"So what?"

The staircase curved round and there was aroom, with doors open onto the lawn White tablecloths Waiters in long white aprons Flowers

"Look at the flowers," Alison had said, her voice a whisper

"You wait--they’ll be yours Ours"

"What do you et married here!"

"Why not?"

But she had turned away She had gone to the Ladies while he went to order their drinks and find a table on the terrace in the evening sun He sat, iuests, Alison in the centre of it all

She ca time

"I asked for a brochure," he said, "when I ca you want You ask, you can have it"

She had looked at hilass of wine and taken a small sip and put it down

"What do you think?"

He could still see the way the sun had been shining on her face and on the table and her glass and his glass, and feel the warmth from it A few other people had co cutlery down on linen

"I’ve got so to say"

That was all Odd That was all he’d needed "I’ve got so to say" And his world had fallen apart He’d watched the pieces of it floating away slowly like leaves down and down and out of sight and all there had been was a dark hollow space and a cold wind blowing

Just that one thing she had said and the way she had looked, but not at hi to say

The pale gold lager and the paler wine had soured and curdled in the glass and his fingers had turned to ice

He had heard her out and said nothing Nothing at all Just got up and paid the bill, cancelled the table "Not feeling too good"

"Say so I’m sorry I’m really sorry, I don’t kno it happened, I didn’t mean it to, only it did, I’m really sorry"

On and on She was sorry Didn’t kno But it had happened He had said nothing

It wasn’t that he had not heard her or taken it in He had She was not going to marry him because she wanted to be with Stuart Reed His friend Stuart Reed Now her lover Stuart Reed

"I’one straight to her house, walked round, opened the car door for her She’d stood on the pave

Alison

"Say so, for God’s sake"