Free She's Out by Lynda La Plante Page A
Authors: Lynda La Plante
black dress and white apron.
‘Good evening, Mrs Rawlins. Welcome to the Grange.’
Dolly hesitated and then saw the elegant Ester standing with her arms wide. ‘Dolly. Come on in.’
She walked into the hall.
‘What’s going on?’
‘It’s a welcome out party for you.’
‘Is he going?’ She was almost prepared to walk after the chauffeur.
‘Oh, he’ll be back, and we’ve all got our cars round the back.’
‘All?’
‘Your old mates, Dolly, from Holloway.’
She watched as Angela closed the door, taking Dolly’s small case from the chauffeur, and then Ester embraced her warmly, kissing her on both cheeks.
‘Come, let me show you around. You’ll want a bath, won’t you?’
Dolly looked at the banks of flickering candles, still nonplussed as Ester guided her up the stairs. She stopped. ‘Why are you doing this?’
Ester continued up the stairs. ‘We’ve come out to nothing and no one, Dolly. We all know what it feels like. We wanted to make sure you got a special party, to sort of kick you off
in the right direction.’
Dolly followed Ester up the stairs, impressed by the house, then the clean room with the black lace dress laid out on the bed. There were stockings and clean underwear, even a couple of pairs of
high-heeled shoes.
‘You did all this for me?’ Dolly said, still nonplussed.
‘It’s not a new dress but it is a Valentino. Would you like me to run a bath for you? Wash your hair?’
Angela slipped in with Dolly’s suitcase and placed it by the bed. She was out again before Dolly could say a word. ‘Who’s that?’
‘Oh, she’s just a kid that used to work for me.’
‘A tart, is she?’
‘No, she’s just here to serve us so we don’t have to do anything but enjoy ourselves.’
Dolly wandered around the room. ‘Who else is here?’
Ester turned on the taps, felt the hot water – it wasn’t what you’d call
hot
hot – and poured in bath salts.
‘Kathleen O’Reilly, you remember her?’ Ester listed the other names.
Dolly sat on the bed. ‘Well, I wouldn’t call any of them friends, Ester. They all here, are they?’
‘Yes, well, I tried to get as many women as I thought you knew so it’d be a bit of a knees-up.’
‘I’m not sure what to say.’
Ester smiled. ‘Just have a nice bath. I’ll go and tell them you’ll be down soon, okay?’
Dolly slowly took off her coat, and then smiled. ‘Yeah, why not? I could do with a drink.’
They all looked towards the double doors as Ester came into the dining room. ‘She’s getting ready, won’t be long.’
‘I hope not, I’m starving,’ Gloria muttered.
Julia lolled in her chair. ‘She knows who’s down here?’
‘Yes, she does, and don’t drink any more, Kathleen. We’ve got to work her over and if you get pissed you’ll open that yapping mouth. That goes for you too,
Gloria.’
She glanced over the table and then went to the kitchen. Angela had her feet up, reading a magazine. ‘We’ll have the first course, then I’ll ring for you.’
‘Yeah, you told me that before.’
‘When she’s ready to come down, I want you to bring her in. Go up to her room when I tell you. I don’t want her wandering around.’
‘You told me that as well.’
‘Fine, I’m just making sure everything’s ready.’
Ester walked out. Angela waited a moment, then followed. As soon as she saw her heading up the stairs she crept to the phone, eased it off the hook, and dialled. She waited, eyes to the dark,
candlelit hallway.
Mike answered the phone. Susan was dishing up dinner. He spoke softly and then replaced the receiver. He was smiling like he’d just been given good news.
‘Who was that?’
‘Mum. I said I’d go over later after dinner.’
‘Oh, I’d like to have come with you. Why didn’t you tell me? I could ask the girl next door to babysit.’
‘I’m only going for a few minutes.’
Mike sat down as Susan passed him a plate of stew. She was a pretty girl, with long
‘Good evening, Mrs Rawlins. Welcome to the Grange.’
Dolly hesitated and then saw the elegant Ester standing with her arms wide. ‘Dolly. Come on in.’
She walked into the hall.
‘What’s going on?’
‘It’s a welcome out party for you.’
‘Is he going?’ She was almost prepared to walk after the chauffeur.
‘Oh, he’ll be back, and we’ve all got our cars round the back.’
‘All?’
‘Your old mates, Dolly, from Holloway.’
She watched as Angela closed the door, taking Dolly’s small case from the chauffeur, and then Ester embraced her warmly, kissing her on both cheeks.
‘Come, let me show you around. You’ll want a bath, won’t you?’
Dolly looked at the banks of flickering candles, still nonplussed as Ester guided her up the stairs. She stopped. ‘Why are you doing this?’
Ester continued up the stairs. ‘We’ve come out to nothing and no one, Dolly. We all know what it feels like. We wanted to make sure you got a special party, to sort of kick you off
in the right direction.’
Dolly followed Ester up the stairs, impressed by the house, then the clean room with the black lace dress laid out on the bed. There were stockings and clean underwear, even a couple of pairs of
high-heeled shoes.
‘You did all this for me?’ Dolly said, still nonplussed.
‘It’s not a new dress but it is a Valentino. Would you like me to run a bath for you? Wash your hair?’
Angela slipped in with Dolly’s suitcase and placed it by the bed. She was out again before Dolly could say a word. ‘Who’s that?’
‘Oh, she’s just a kid that used to work for me.’
‘A tart, is she?’
‘No, she’s just here to serve us so we don’t have to do anything but enjoy ourselves.’
Dolly wandered around the room. ‘Who else is here?’
Ester turned on the taps, felt the hot water – it wasn’t what you’d call
hot
hot – and poured in bath salts.
‘Kathleen O’Reilly, you remember her?’ Ester listed the other names.
Dolly sat on the bed. ‘Well, I wouldn’t call any of them friends, Ester. They all here, are they?’
‘Yes, well, I tried to get as many women as I thought you knew so it’d be a bit of a knees-up.’
‘I’m not sure what to say.’
Ester smiled. ‘Just have a nice bath. I’ll go and tell them you’ll be down soon, okay?’
Dolly slowly took off her coat, and then smiled. ‘Yeah, why not? I could do with a drink.’
They all looked towards the double doors as Ester came into the dining room. ‘She’s getting ready, won’t be long.’
‘I hope not, I’m starving,’ Gloria muttered.
Julia lolled in her chair. ‘She knows who’s down here?’
‘Yes, she does, and don’t drink any more, Kathleen. We’ve got to work her over and if you get pissed you’ll open that yapping mouth. That goes for you too,
Gloria.’
She glanced over the table and then went to the kitchen. Angela had her feet up, reading a magazine. ‘We’ll have the first course, then I’ll ring for you.’
‘Yeah, you told me that before.’
‘When she’s ready to come down, I want you to bring her in. Go up to her room when I tell you. I don’t want her wandering around.’
‘You told me that as well.’
‘Fine, I’m just making sure everything’s ready.’
Ester walked out. Angela waited a moment, then followed. As soon as she saw her heading up the stairs she crept to the phone, eased it off the hook, and dialled. She waited, eyes to the dark,
candlelit hallway.
Mike answered the phone. Susan was dishing up dinner. He spoke softly and then replaced the receiver. He was smiling like he’d just been given good news.
‘Who was that?’
‘Mum. I said I’d go over later after dinner.’
‘Oh, I’d like to have come with you. Why didn’t you tell me? I could ask the girl next door to babysit.’
‘I’m only going for a few minutes.’
Mike sat down as Susan passed him a plate of stew. She was a pretty girl, with long