Free Best Laid Plans by Patricia Fawcett Page A

him?’
    ‘I’ve told you. I don’t know. She’s thirty-five, Frank, not a teenager and she’s a good judge of character. He’ll be fine, you’ll see.’
    But now, as Amy came smilingly towards her, the man following, Christine had a sudden unexpected and totally bizarre reaction.
    For reasons she could not decipher, as he took hold of her hand and smiled at her, she took an instant dislike to him.
     
    It could snow all it liked now that Amy was here and wouldn’t you know it, as the afternoon progressed it did just that. The forecast had promised snow for the last week and indeed there had been a brief flurry the day before but it had not settled.
    Christine showed Amy and Brian up to their rooms, feeling stupidly flustered as they stood in what was earmarked as Brian’s room pointing out the interlocking door. She caught the slightest smile from him as she explained about the shared bathroom arrangements between this room and Amy’s and was reminded of one of her son’s school friends whom she had never taken to either who had, not surprisingly at all, turned out to be a rotten apple in every respect. As she grew older and wiser, she was rarely wrong about men but hoped in this case she was for he was the first adult man Amy had brought home and Frank was quite right, for that must mean something.
    ‘Do make yourself at home, Brian’ she said, pointing out the wardrobe and chest of drawers as if he couldn’t seethese damned huge pieces of furniture for himself before giving him a run-down on how the radiators worked.
    ‘Mum, stop fussing, we can adjust a radiator,’ Amy laughed, giving her a quick hug. ‘And it’s boiling in here, anyway.’
    ‘We like to keep the heating on otherwise it’s like that ice hotel I’ve seen on television. Have you seen that, Brian? You actually lie on a bed shaped from ice. You have warm furs to cover you, of course, and candles and it’s all rather lovely….’ She tailed off, knowing she was rambling on about nothing because she was nervous. ‘If you need anything else just give me a shout,’ she finished, wishing she could stop acting like a B&B owner.
    Leaving Brian to unpack in his room she followed Amy through to the adjoining one. All the bedrooms were a good size and this was no exception, with the addition of an elegant modern chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. It was a well-proportioned room with a brass-framed double bed dressed with simple pale blue linen so that it was feminine without being too girly. A comfortable armchair covered in a blue floral fabric was turned towards the window and the view of the rear garden that sloped gently down to the river. The view was softened when the trees were in leaf but today with the branches bare they could see beyond the river and over to a cluster of houses on the opposite bank towards the hill that dominated the village. Snow was falling steadily now and it looked as if it might settle.
    ‘It looks just the same,’ Amy said, taking a moment to stand and stare.
    ‘Exactly. Why change something when it’s perfect?’
    ‘You’ll miss this place if you have to leave.’
    ‘Why would we leave? We have no intention of leaving.’
    ‘Oh come on, Mum, it’s too big for just the two of you.’
    ‘It was too big for the four of us.’ Christine changed the subject abruptly. ‘He seems very nice,’ she said, loweringher voice and smiling brightly, watching as Amy placed her suitcase on the bed and opened it. She noticed how neatly it was packed but that was no surprise, for Amy liked to keep things tidy. ‘How long have you known him?’
    ‘Since September.’ Amy ran her fingers through her hair, looking surprised as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. ‘This is a mistake. I’m going to let it grow again. I can’t get used to it like this.’
    Ah. So she wasn’t keen to talk about Brian. Sensing the rebuff, Christine determined she would not allow it to upset her. It would all come out, in