Part Two Chapter VII

VII at a time the first impulse of spite had worn off, Sa homosexualtha minute of arcterly regretted inviting Gavin and Kay to dinner. She spent Friday morning joking with her assistant nigh the dreadful level offing she was bound to relieve one and only(a)self, unless her mood plummeted once she had left Carly in charge of oer the Shoulder Boulder Holders (a name that had made Howard laugh so hard the first time he had hear it that it had brought on an asthma attack, and which made Shirley scowl whenever it was spoken in her presence). Driving back to Pagford forrad of the rush hour, so that she could shop for ingredients and start cooking, Samantha tried to cheer herself up by thinking of disgustful questions to ask Gavin. Perhaps she cogency wonder aloud why Kay had non moved in with him that would be a good one.Walking legal residence from the Square with bulging Mollison and Lowe carrier bags in for each one hand, she came crossways bloody shame Fairbrother beside t he cash- confidential information ma bring upe in the w all of Barrys bank.Mary, hi how are you?Mary was thin and pale, with grey patches al virtually her optics. Their discourse was stilted and strange. They had non spoken since the journey in the ambulance, barring brief, awkward condolences at the funeral.Ive been substance to drop in, Mary express, you were so affable and I precious to thank Miles No pack, Samantha state awkwardly.Oh, besides Id contrive care Oh, except then, please do subsequently Mary had manner of locomoteed away, Samantha had the awful feeling that she might shake up relegaten the impression that that evening would be a perfect time for Mary to come round. formerly foundation, she dropped the bags in the hall and telephoned Miles at work to tell him what she had done, entirely he displayed an infuriating equanimity some(a)what the prospect of adding a bracingly widowed woman to their quadruplesome.I brookt see what the problem is, really, he verbalise. dainty for Mary to win unwrap. except I didnt say we were having Gavin and Kay all over Mary exchangeables Gav, utter Miles. I wouldnt solicitude just about it.He was, Samantha thought, being deliberately obtuse, no doubt in retaliation for her refusal to go to Sweetlove House. After she had hung up, she wondered whether to call Mary to tell her not to come that evening, scarce she was afraid of sounding rude, and tidy sumtled for hoping that Mary would limit herself unequal to calling in after all.S lecture into the seance mode, she put on Libbys son band DVD at full volume so that she would be able to hear it in the kitchen, then carried the bags through and set to work preparing a casserole and her fall-back pudding, Mississippi mud pie. She would countenance care to purchase one of Mollison and Lowes large gateaux, to save herself some work, simply it would have got straight back to Shirley, who frequently intimated that Samantha was ove r-reliant on frozen provender and ready meals.Samantha knew the boy band DVD so well by presently that she was able to visualize the images matching the music blaring through to the kitchen. Several times that week, art object Miles was upstairs in his home study or on the telephone to Howard, she had watched it again. When she heard the abrupting bars of the foil where the muscular boy walked, with his dress flapping open, along the beach, she went through to watch in her apron, absent-mindedly sucking her chocolatey fingers.She had plan on having a long shower while Miles laid the table, for acquire that he would be late home, because he had to drive into Yarvil to pick up the girls from St Annes. When Samantha realized why he had not returned, and that their daughters would be with him when he did, she had to rainfly somewhat to organize the dining room herself, then find something to feed Lexie and Libby sooner the guests arrived. Miles found his matrimonial woman in her work clothes at half-past seven, sweaty, cross and inc government noted to blame him for what had been her sustain idea.Fourteen-year-old Libby marched into the sitting room with discover greeting Samantha and removed the disc from the DVD player.Oh, good, I was wondering what Id done with that, she say. Whys the TV on? take a leak you been playing it?Sometimes, Samantha thought that her younger daughter had a look of Shirley near(a)ly her.I was watching the news, Libby. I havent got time to watch DVDs. Come through, your pizzas ready. Weve got people coming round.Frozen pizza again?Miles I need to change. Can you mash the potatoes for me? Miles?But he had disappeared upstairs, so Samantha pounded the potatoes herself, while her daughters ate at the is nation in the midriff of the kitchen. Libby had propped the DVD cover against her glass of Diet Pepsi, and was ogling it.Mikeys so lush, she express, with a carnal groan that likewisek Samantha aback but the muscular boy was called Jake. Samantha was glad they did not like the same one.Loud and confident Lexie was jabbering about school a machine-gun torrent of information about girls whom Samantha did not populate, with whose antics and feuds and regroupings she could not keep up.All right, you two, Ive got to change. sort out away when youre done, all right?She turned wipe out the heat under the casserole and hurried upstairs. Miles was buttoning up his shirt in the bedroom, watching himself in the wardrobe mirror. The whole room smelt of soap and aftershave.E rattlingthing under control, hon?Yes, thanks. So glad youve had time to shower, spat Samantha, pulling out her favourite long skirt and top, slamming the wardrobe door.You could have one this instant.Theyll be here in ten minutes I wont have time to alter my hair and put on make-up. She kicked off her shoes one of them hit the radiator with a loud clang. When youve accurate preening, could you please go downstairs and sort out crapule nces?After Miles had left the room, she tried to untangle her impenetrable hair and repair her make-up. She looked awful. Only when she had changed did she realize that she was wearing the wrong bra for her clinging top. After a frantic search, she remembered that the right one was drying in the utility room she hurried out onto the landing but the gong rang. Swearing, she scuttled back to the bedroom. The boy bands music was blaring out of Libbys room.Gavin and Kay had arrived on the dot of eight because Gavin was afraid of what Samantha might say if they turned up late he could recall her suggesting that they had lost track of time because they were shagging or that they must have had a row. She seemed to think that one of the perks of marriage was that it gave you rights of comment and intrusion over oneness peoples love recognizes. She also thought that her crass, uninhibited way of talking, especially when drunk, constituted trenchant humour.Hello-ello-ello, utter Miles, pitiful back to let Gavin and Kay inside. Come in, come in. Welcome to Casa Mollison.He kissed Kay on both cheeks and relieved her of the chocolates she was holding.For us? Thanks genuinely(prenominal) practically. Lovely to meet you properly at last. Gavs been keeping you under wraps for far too long.Miles shook the fuddle out of Gavins hand, then clapped him on the back, which Gavin resented.Come on through, Samll be down in a mo. Whatll you have to drink?Kay would ordinarily have found Miles rather smooth and over-familiar, but she was obdurate to su devolve legal expertment. Couples had to mix with each others circles, and manage to get along in them. This evening represented world-shattering progress in her quest to infiltrate the layers of his liveliness to which Gavin had never admitted her, and she wanted to show him that she was at home in the Mollisons big, smug house, that there was no need to exclude her any more. So she smiled at Miles, asked for a red wine, an d admired the spacious room with its stripped pine floorboards, its over-cushioned sofa and its framed prints.Been here for, ooh, getting on for fourteen years, said Miles, busy with the corkscrew. Youre down in Hope Street, arent you? Nice little houses, some great fixer-upper opportunities down there.Samantha appeared, smiling without warmth. Kay, who had previously seen her only in an overcoat, noted the tightness of her orange top, below which every detail of her lacy bra was clearly visible. Her grammatical case was even darker than her leathery chest her eye make-up was thick and unflattering and her jangling gold earrings and high-heeled golden mules were, in Kays opinion, tarty. Samantha enamored her as the kind of woman who would have raucous girls nights out, and find stripograms hilarious, and flirt drunkenly with everyone elses partner at parties.Hi there, said Samantha. She kissed Gavin and smiled at Kay. Great, youve got drinks. Ill have the same as Kay, Miles.She t urned away to sit down, having already taken subscriber line of the other womans appearance Kay was small-breasted and heavy-hipped, and had indisputablely chosen her black trousers to minimize the size of her bottom. She would have done better, in Samanthas opinion, to wear heels, given the shortness of her legs. Her face was attractive enough, with even- dance stepd olive skin, large dark eyes and a generous mouth but the closely cropped boys hair and the resolutely flat shoes were undoubtedly pointers to certain sacrosanct Beliefs. Gavin had done it again he had gone and picked another(prenominal) humourless, domineering woman who would make his life a misery.So said Samantha brightly, raising her glass. Gavin-and-KayShe power saw, with satisfaction, Gavins hangdog wince of a smile but before she could make him squirm more or weasel private information out of them both to dangle over Shirleys and Maureens heads, the doorbell rang again.Mary appeared fragile and angular, especi ally beside Miles, who ushered her into the room. Her T-shirt hung from protruding collar operating systems.Oh, she said, coming to a startled verification on the threshold. I didnt realize you were having Gavin and Kay just dropped in, said Samantha a little wildly. Come in, Mary, please have a drink Mary, this is Kay, said Miles. Kay, this is Mary Fairbrother.Oh, said Kay, thrown she had thought that it would only be the four of them. Yes, hello.Gavin, who could tell that Mary had not meant to drop in on a dinner party and was on the point of walking straight back out again, patted the sofa beside him Mary sat down with a weak smile. He was overjoyed to see her. Here was his buffer even Samantha must realize that her occurrence brand of prurience would be inappropriate in front of a bereaved woman plus, the constricting symmetry of a foursome had been broken up.How are you? he said quietly. I was going to give you a ring, rattling thereve been developments with the insuranc e Havent we got any nibbles, Sam? asked Miles.Samantha walked from the room, seething at Miles. The smell of scorched core met her as she opened the kitchen door.Oh grass over, shit, shit She had completely forgotten the casserole, which had dried out. Desiccated chunks of meat and vegetables sat, forlorn survivors of the catastrophe, on the singed bottom of the pot. Samantha sloshed in wine and stock, chiselling the adhering bits off the pan with her spoon, stirring vigorously, sweating in the heat. Miles in high spirits laugh rang out from the sitting room. Samantha put on long-stemmed broccoli to steam, drained her glass of wine, ripped open a bag of tortilla chips and a tub of hummus, and upended them into bowls.Mary and Gavin were still conversing quietly on the sofa when she returned to the sitting room, while Miles was showing Kay a framed aerial photograph of Pagford, and giving her a lesson in the towns history. Samantha set down the bowls on the coffee table, poured her self another drink and settled into the armchair, making no military campaign to join either conversation. It was awfully uncomfortable to have Mary there with her grief hanging so heavily around her she might as well have walked in trailing a shroud. Surely, though, she would relinquish before dinner.Gavin was determined that Mary should stay. As they discussed the latest developments in their ongoing battle with the insurance company, he felt much more relaxed and in control than he usually did in Miles and Samanthas presence. Nobody was micro chip away at him, or patronizing him, and Miles was absolving him temporarily of all responsibility for Kay. and just here, just out of sight, Miles was saying, pointing to a spot two inches past the frame of the picture, youve got Sweetlove House, the Fawley place. Big Queen Anne manor house, dormers, stone quoins stunning, you should visit, its open to the public on Sundays in the summer. Important family locally, the Fawleys.Stone quo ins? Important family, locally? God, you are an arse, Miles.Samantha hoisted herself out of her armchair and returned to the kitchen. though the casserole was watery, the burnt flavour dominated. The broccoli was flaccid and tasteless the mashed potato cool and dry. Past caring, she decanted it all into dishes and slammed it down on the circular dining-room table.Dinners ready she called at the sitting-room door.Oh, I must go, said Mary, jumping up. I didnt mean No, no, no said Gavin, in a tone that Kay had never heard before likeable and cajoling. Itll do you good to eat kidsll be all right for an hour.Miles added his keep and Mary looked uncertainly towards Samantha, who was agonistic to add her voice to theirs, then dashed back through into the dining room to lay another setting.She invited Mary to sit between Gavin and Miles, because placing her next to a woman seemed to emphasize her husbands absence. Kay and Miles had moved on to discussing sociable work.I dont envy you, he said, serving Kay a large ladle full of casserole Samantha could see black, scorched flecks in the sauce spreading crossways the white plate. Bloody difficult line of merchandise.Well, were perennially under-resourced, said Kay, but it can be satisfying, especially when you can feel youre making a difference.And she thought of the Weedons. Terris urine standard had tested negative at the clinic yesterday and Robbie had had a full week in nursery. The recollection cheered her, counterbalancing her lithesome irritation that Gavins attention was still focused entirely on Mary that he was doing nothing to uphold ease her conversation with his friends.Youve got a daughter, havent you, Kay?Thats right Gaia. Shes sixteen.Same age as Lexie we should get them together, said Miles. separate? asked Samantha delicately.No, said Kay. We werent married. He was a university boyfriend and we split up not long after she was born.Yeah, Miles and I had barely left university ourselves, said Sa mantha.Kay did not know whether Samantha meant to draw a distinction between herself, who had married the big smug father of her children, and Kay, who had been left not that Samantha could know that Brendan had left her Gaias taken a Saturday job with your father, actually, Kay told Miles. At the new cafe.Miles was delighted. He took enormous plea sure in the idea that he and Howard were so much part of the fabric of the place that everybody in Pagford was connected to them, whether as friend or client, customer or employee. Gavin, who was chewing and chewing on a bit of rubbery meat that was refusing to yield to his teeth, experienced a further lowering in the pit of his stomach. It was news to him that Gaia had taken a job with Miles father. in some manner he had forgotten that Kay possessed in Gaia another powerful device for anchoring herself to Pagford. When not in the immediate vicinity of her slamming doors, her vicious looks and caustic asides, Gavin tended to forget that Gaia had any independent existence at all that she was not simply part of the uncomfortable backdrop of stale sheets, bad cooking and eject grudges against which his relationship with Kay staggered on.Does Gaia like Pagford? Samantha asked.Well, its a bit quiet compared to Hackney, said Kay, but shes settling in well.She took a large gulp of wine to wash out her mouth after disgorging the enormous lie. in that respect had been yet another row before leaving tonight.(Whats the subject area with you? Kay had asked, while Gaia sat at the kitchen table, hunched over her laptop, wearing a dressing gown over her clothes. Four or cinque boxes of conference were open on the screen. Kay knew that Gaia was communicating online with the friends she had left behind in Hackney, friends she had had, in most cases, since she had been in primary school.Gaia?Refusal to answer was new and ominous. Kay was used to explosions of bile and rage against herself and, particularly, Gavin.Gaia, Im talk ing to you.I know, I can hear you.Then kindly have the courtesy to answer me back.Black dialogue jerked upwards in the boxes on the screen, funny little icons, blinking and waggling.Gaia, please will you answer me?What? What do you want?Im trying to ask about your day.My day was shit. Yesterday was shit. Tomorrow will be shit as well.When did you get home?The same time I always get home.Sometimes, even after all these years, Gaia displayed resentment at having to let herself in, at Kay not being at home to meet her like a storybook mother.Do you want to tell me why your day was shit?Because you dragged me to live in a shithole.Kay willed herself not to shout. Lately there had been screaming matches that she was sure the whole street had heard.You know that Im going out with Gavin tonight?Gaia muttered something Kay did not catch.What?I said, I didnt think he liked taking you out.Whats that supposed to mean?But Gaia did not answer she simply typed a reaction into one of the scrolling conversations on the screen. Kay vacillated, both absentminded to press her and afraid of what she might hear.Well be back around midnight, I expect.Gaia had not responded. Kay had gone to wait for Gavin in the hall.)Gaias made friends, Kay told Miles, with a girl who lives in this street whats her name Narinder?Sukhvinder, said Miles and Samantha together.Shes a nice girl, said Mary.Have you met her father? Samantha asked Kay.No, said Kay.Hes a soreness s invigorateon, said Samantha, who was on her fourth glass of wine. Absolutely bloody gorgeous.Oh, said Kay.Like a Bollywood film star.None of them, Samantha reflected, had bothered to tell her that dinner was tasty, which would have been simple politeness, even though it was awful. If she wasnt allowed to molestation Gavin, she ought at least to be able to needle Miles.Vikrams the only good thing about accompaniment in this godforsaken town, I can tell you, said Samantha. Sex on legs.And his wifes our local GP, said Miles, an d a parish councillor. Youll be employed by Yarvil District Council, Kay, are you?Thats right, said Kay. But I spend most of my time in the handle. Theyre technically in Pagford Parish, arent they?Not the Fields, thought Samantha, Oh, dont mention the bloody Fields.Ah, said Miles, with a meaningful smile. Yes, well, the Fields do belong to Pagford, technically. Technically, they do. Painful subject, Kay.Really? Why? asked Kay, hoping to make conversation general, because Gavin was still talking in an undertone to the widow.Well, you see this is back in the fifties. Miles seemed to be embarking on a well-rehearsed speech. Yarvil wanted to expand the Cantermill Estate, and instead of building out to the west, where the bypass is now Gavin? Mary? More wine? Samantha called over Miles. they were a little bit duplicitous land was bought without it being very clear what they wanted it for, and then they went and expanded the estate over the border into Pagford Parish.Why arent you men tioning Old Aubrey Fawley, Miles? asked Samantha. She had, at last, reached that delicious point of intoxication where her tongue became wicked and she became disengaged from fear of consequences, eager to provoke and to irritate, seeking nothing but her own amusement. The truth is that Old Aubrey Fawley, who used to own all those lovely stone quoits, or whatever Miles was copulation you about, did a deal behind everyones backs Thats not fair, Sam, said Miles, but she talked over him again. he flogged off the land where the Fields are built, pocketed, I dont know, must have been a quarter of a mill or so Dont talk rubbish, Sam, back in the fifties? but then, once he realized everyone was cockeyed off with him, he pretended he hadnt known it would cause trouble. Upper-class twit. And a drunk, added Samantha.Simply not true, Im afraid, Miles said firmly. To fully understand the problem, Kay, you need to appreciate a bit of local history.Samantha, holding her chin in her hand, pr etended to slide her elbow off the table in boredom. Though she could not like Samantha, Kay laughed, and Gavin and Mary broke off their quiet conversation.Were talking about the Fields, said Kay, in a tone intended to remind Gavin that she was there that he ought to be giving her moral support.Miles, Samantha and Gavin realized simultaneously that the Fields was a most tactless subject to raise in front of Mary, when they had been such a bone of contention between Barry and Howard.Apparently theyre a bit of a sore subject locally, said Kay, wanting to force Gavin to express a take, to rope him in.Mmm, he replied, and turning back to Mary, he said, So hows Declans football game coming on?Kay experienced a powerful stab of fury Mary might be recently bereaved, but Gavins solicitousness seemed unnecessarily pointed. She had imagined this evening quite differently a foursome in which Gavin would have to acknowledge that they really were a couple yet nobody looking on would imagine th at they enjoyed a closer relationship than acquaintanceship. Also, the food was horrible. Kay put her knife and fork together with three-quarters of her helping unmoved(p) an act that was not lost on Samantha and addressed Miles again.Did you grow up in Pagford?Afraid so, said Miles, smiling complacently. Born in the old Kelland Hospital along the road. They closed it in the eighties.And you? Kay asked Samantha, who cut across her.God, no. Im here by accident.Sorry, I dont know what you do, Samantha? asked Kay.Ive got my own busi She sells outsize bras, said Miles.Samantha got up curtly and went to fetch another bottle of wine. When she returned to the table, Miles was telling Kay the humorous anecdote, doubtless intended to illustrate how everyone knew everyone in Pagford, of how he had been pulled over in the car one night by a policeman who turned out to be a friend he had known since primary school. The blow-by-blow re-enactment of the banter between himself and Steve Edw ards was tediously familiar to Samantha. As she moved around the table replenishing all the glasses, she watched Kays austere expression evidently, Kay did not find drink-driving a laughing matter. so Steves holding out the breathalyser, and Im about to blow in it, and out of nowhere we both start cracking up. His partners got no idea what the hells going on hes like this Miles mimed a man turning his head from side to side in astonishment and Steves bent double, pissing himself, because all we can think of is the last time he was holding something steady for me to blow into, which was nigh on twenty years ago, and It was a blow-up doll, said Samantha, unsmiling, dropping back into her seat beside Miles. Miles and Steve put it in their friend Ians parents bed, during Ians eighteenth- payday party. Anyway, in the end Miles was fined a grand and got three points on his licence, because it was the second time hed been caught over the limit. So that was hysterically funny.Miles gri n remained foolishly in place, like a limp balloon forgotten after a party. A stiff little chill seemed to blow through the temporarily silent room. Though Miles struck her as an almighty bore, Kay was on his side he was the only one at the table who seemed remotely inclined to ease her passage into Pagford social life.I must say, the Fields are pretty rough, she said, elapse to the subject with which Miles seemed most comfortable, and still ignorant that it was in any way inauspicious within Marys vicinity. Ive worked in the inner cities I didnt expect to see that kind of deprivation in a rural area, but its not all that different from London. Less of an ethnic mix, of course.Oh, yes, weve got our share of addicts and wasters, said Miles. I think thats about all I can manage, Sam, he added, pushing his plate away from him with a sizeable touchstone of food still on it.Samantha started to clear the table Mary got up to help.No, no, its fine, Mary, you relax, Samantha said. To Kay s annoyance, Gavin jumped up too, chivalrously insistency on Marys sitting back down, but Mary insisted too.That was lovely, Sam, said Mary, in the kitchen, as they scraped most of the food into the bin.No, it wasnt, it was horrible, said Samantha, who was only appreciating how drunk she was now that she was on her feet. What do you think of Kay?I dont know. Shes not what I expected, said Mary.Shes simply what I expected, said Samantha, taking out plates for pudding. Shes another Lisa, if you ask me.Oh, no, dont say that, said Mary. He deserves someone nice this time.This was a most novel point of view to Samantha, who was of the opinion that Gavins wetness merited constant punishment.They returned to the dining room to find an animated conversation in progress between Kay and Miles, while Gavin sat in silence. offload responsibility for them, which seems to me to be a pretty self-centred and self-satisfied Well, I think its interesting that you use the word responsibility, said Miles, because I think that goes to the very heart of the problem, doesnt it? The question is, where exactly do we draw the line?Beyond the Fields, apparently. Kay laughed, with condescension. You want to draw a line neatly between the home-owning middle classes and the lower Pagfords full of working-class people, Kay the difference is, most of them work. Dyou know what proportion of the Fields lives off benefits? Responsibility, you say what happened to personal responsibility? Weve had them through the local school for years kids who havent got a single worker in the family the concept of earning a living is completely foreign to them generations of non-workers, and were expected to subsidise them So your solution is to shunt off the problem onto Yarvil, said Kay, not to engage with any of the primal Mississippi mud pie? called Samantha.Gavin and Mary took slices with thanks Kay, to Samanthas fury, simply held out her plate as though Samantha were a waitress, her attention a ll on Miles. the addiction clinic, which is absolutely crucial, and which certain people are apparently lobbying to close Oh, well, if youre talking about Bellchapel, said Miles, frisson his head and smirking, I hope youve mugged up on what the triumph rates are, Kay. Pathetic, frankly, absolutely pathetic. Ive seen the figures, I was going through them this morning, and I wont lie to you, the sooner they close And the figures youre talking about are ?Success rates, Kay, exactly what I said the number of people who have actually stopped using drugs, gone clean Im sorry, but thats a very naive point of view if youre going to judge success purely But how on earth else are we supposed to judge an addiction clinics success? demanded Miles, incredulous. As far as I can tell, all they do at Bellchapel is dole out methadone, which half of their clients use alongside heroin anyway.The whole problem of addiction is vastly complicated, said Kay, and its naive and simplistic to put the problem purely in terms of users and non But Miles was shaking his head, smiling Kay, who had been enjoying her verbal duel with this self-satisfied lawyer, was suddenly angry.Well, I can give you a very concrete example of what Bellchapels doing one family Im working with mother, teenage daughter and small son if the mother wasnt on methadone, shed be on the streets trying to pay for her habit the kids are immeasurably better off Theyd be better off away from their mother, by the sound of it, said Miles.And where exactly would you propose they go?A decent foster home would be a good start, said Miles.Do you know how some(prenominal) foster homes there are, against how many kids needing them? asked Kay.The best solution would have been to have them adopted at birth Fabulous. Ill hop in my time machine, retorted Kay.Well, we know a couple who were desperate to adopt, said Samantha, unexpectedly throwing her cant behind Miles. She would not forgive Kay for the rude outstretched plate the woman was bolshy and patronizing, exactly like Lisa, who had monopolized every get-together with her political views and her job in family law, despising Samantha for owning a bra shop. Adam and Janice, she reminded Miles in parenthesis, who nodded and they couldnt get a baby for love nor money, could they?Yes, a baby, said Kay, rolling her eyes, everybody wants a baby. Robbies nearly four. Hes not potty-trained, hes developmentally behind for his age and hes almost certainly had inappropriate exposure to sexual behaviour. Would your friends like to adopt him?But the point is, if hed been taken from his mother at birth She was off the drugs when he was born, and making good progress, said Kay. She loved him and wanted to keep him, and she was meeting his needs at the time. Shed already raised Krystal, with some family support Krystal shrieked Samantha. Oh my God, are we talking about the Weedons?Kay was horrified that she had used names it had never mattered in London, b ut everyone truly did know everyone in Pagford, it seemed.I shouldnt have But Miles and Samantha were laughing, and Mary looked tense. Kay, who had not touched her pie, and had managed very little of the first course, realized that she had drunk too much she had been sipping wine steadily out of nerves, and now she had committed a prime indiscretion. Still, it was too late to undo that anger overrode every other consideration.Krystal Weedon is no advert for that womans mothering skills, said Miles.Krystals trying her damnedest to hold her family together, said Kay. She loves her little brother very much shes panic-struck hell be taken away I wouldnt trust Krystal Weedon to look after a boiling egg, said Miles, and Samantha laughed again. Oh, look, its to her credit she loves her brother, but he isnt a cuddly toy Yes, I know that, snapped Kay, remembering Robbies shitty, crusty bottom, but hes still loved.Krystal bullied our daughter Lexie, said Samantha, so weve seen a differen t side of her to the one Im sure she shows you.Look, we all know Krystals had a rough deal, said Miles, nobodys denying that. Its the drug-addled mother Ive got an issue with.As a matter of fact, shes doing very well on the Bellchapel programme at the moment.But with her history, said Miles, it isnt rocket science, is it, to guess that shell relapse?If you apply that rule across the board, you ought not to have a driving licence, because with your history youre bound to drink and drive again.Miles was temporarily baffled, but Samantha said coldly, I think thats a rather different thing.Do you? said Kay. Its the same principle.Yes, well, principles are sometimes the problem, if you ask me, said Miles. Often whats needed is a bit of common sense.Which is the name people usually give to their prejudices, rejoined Kay.According to Nietzsche, said a sharp new voice, making them all jump, philosophy is the biography of the philosopher.A miniature Samantha stood at the door into the hall, a zaftig girl of around sixteen in tight jeans and a T-shirt she was eating a handful of grapes and looking rather pleased with herself.Everyone meet Lexie, said Miles proudly. Thank you for that, genius.Youre welcome, said Lexie pertly, and she swept off upstairs.A heavy silence sank over the table. Without really knowing why, Samantha, Miles and Kay all glanced towards Mary, who looked as though she might be on the verge of tears.Coffee, said Samantha, lurching to her feet. Mary disappeared into the bathroom.Lets go and sit through, said Miles, conscious that the atmosphere was somewhat charged, but confident that he could, with a few jokes and his habitual bonhomie, steer everyone back into charity with each other. Bring your glasses.His inner certainties had been no more rearranged by Kays arguments than a breeze can move a boulder yet his feeling towards her was not unkind, but rather pitying. He was the least intoxicated by the constant refilling of glasses, but on reaching t he sitting room he realized how very full his bladder was.Whack on some music, Gav, and Ill go and get those choccies.But Gavin made no move towards the vertical stacks of CDs in their sleek Perspex stands. He seemed to be waiting for Kay to start on him. Sure enough, as soon as Miles had vanished from sight, Kay said, Well, thank you very much, Gav. Thanks for all the support.Gavin had drunk even more greedily than Kay throughout dinner, enjoying his own private celebration that he had not, after all, been offered up as a sacrifice to Samanthas gladiatorial bullying. He faced Kay squarely, full of a courage born not only of wine but because he had been treated for an hour as somebody important, knowledgeable and supportive, by Mary.You seemed to be doing OK on your own, he said.Indeed, the little he had permitted himself to hear of Kay and Miles argument had given him a pronounced sense of deja vu if he had not had Mary to distract him, he might have fictitious himself back on tha t famous evening, in the identical dining room, when Lisa had told Miles that he epitomized all that was wrong with society, and Miles had laughed in her face, and Lisa had lost her temper and refused to stay for coffee. It was not very long after, that Lisa had admitted that she was sleeping with an associate partner at her firm and advised Gavin to get tested for chlamydia.I dont know any of these people, said Kay, and you havent done one damn thing to make it any easier for me, have you?What did you want me to do? asked Gavin. He was wonderfully calm, insulated by the imminent returns of the Mollisons and Mary, and by the copious amounts of Chianti he had consumed. I didnt want an argument about the Fields. I dont give a monkeys about the Fields. Plus, he added, its a touchy subject around Mary Barry was fighting on the council to keep the Fields part of Pagford.Well, then, why couldnt you have told me given me a hint?He laughed, exactly as Miles had laughed at her. Before she c ould retort, the others returned like the Magi bearing gifts Samantha carrying a tray of cups, followed by Mary holding the cafetiere, and Miles, with Kays chocolates. Kay saw the flamboyant gold ribbon on the box and remembered how optimistic she had been about tonight when she had bought them. She turned her face away, trying to hide her anger, frantic with the desire to shout at Gavin, and also with a sudden, shocking urge to cry.Its been so nice, she heard Mary say, in a thick voice that suggested she, too, might have been crying, but I wont stay for coffee, I dont want to be late back Declans a bit a bit unsettled at the moment. Thanks so much, Sam, Miles, its been good to, you know well, get out for a bit.Ill walk you up the Miles began, but Gavin was talking firmly over him.You stay here, Miles Ill see Mary back. Ill walk you up the road, Mary. Itll only take five minutes. Its dark up the top there.Kay was barely breathing all her being was concentrated in loathing of com placent Miles, tarty Samantha and fragile, drooping Mary, but most of all of Gavin himself.Oh, yes, she heard herself saying, as everybody seemed to look towards her for permission, yep, you see Mary home, Gav.She heard the front door close and Gavin had gone. Miles was pouring Kays coffee. She watched the pour of hot black liquid fall, and felt suddenly, painfully alive to what she had risked in overthrowing her life for the man walking away into the night with another woman.