西笔居小说网 > 名著文学电子书 > 首发偶发空缺 (临时空缺) >

第110章

首发偶发空缺 (临时空缺)-第110章

小说: 首发偶发空缺 (临时空缺) 字数: 每页3000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



 filling and handing out glasses。

‘Have you got any gin?’ Samantha asked。 ‘Give me a big one。’

She barely recognized Andrew。 He poured her a measure; trying not to look at her breasts; boundlessly exposed in the T…shirt; but it was like trying not to squint in direct sunlight。

‘Do you know them?’ Samantha asked; after downing half a glass of gin and tonic。

A blush had risen before Andrew could marshal his thoughts。 To his horror; she gave a reckless cackle; and said; ‘The band。 I’m talking about the band。’

‘Yeah; I – yeah; I’ve heard of them。 I don’t … not my kind of thing。’

‘Is that right?’ she said; throwing back the rest of her drink。 ‘I’ll have another one of those; please。’

She realized who he was: the mousy boy from the delicatessen。 His uniform made him look older。 Maybe a couple of weeks of lugging pallets up and down the cellar steps had built some muscle。

‘Oh; look;’ said Samantha; spotting a figure heading away from her into the growing crowd; ‘there’s Gavin。 The second most boring man in Pagford。 After my husband; obviously。’

She strode off; pleased with herself; holding her new drink; the gin had hit her where she most needed it; anaesthetizing and stimulating at the same time; and as she walked she thought: he liked my tits; let’s see what he thinks of my arse。

Gavin saw Samantha ing and tried to deflect her by joining somebody else’s conversation; anybody’s; the nearest person was Howard and he insinuated himself hastily into the group around his host。

‘I took a risk;’ Howard was saying to three other men; he was waving a cigar; and a little ash had dribbled down the front of his velvet jacket。 ‘I took a risk and I put in the graft。 Simple as that。 No magic formula。 Nobody handed me – oh; here’s Sammy。 Who are those young men; Samantha?’

While four elderly men stared at the pop group stretched across her breasts; Samantha turned to Gavin。

‘Hi;’ she said; leaning in and forcing him to kiss her。 ‘Kay not here?’

‘No;’ said Gavin shortly。

‘Talking about business; Sammy;’ said Howard happily; and Samantha thought of her shop; failed and finished。 ‘I was a self…starter;’ he informed the group; reprising what was clearly an established theme。 ‘That’s all there is to it。 That’s all you need。 I was a self…starter。’

Massive and globular; he was like a miniature velvety sun; radiating satisfaction and contentment。 His tones were already rounded and mellowed by the brandy in his hand。 ‘I was ready to take a risk – could’ve lost everything。’

‘Well; your mum could have lost everything;’ Samantha corrected him。 ‘Didn’t Hilda mortgage her house to put up half the deposit on the shop?’

She saw the tiny flicker in Howard’s eyes; but his smile remained constant。

‘All credit to my mother; then;’ he said; ‘for working and scrimping and saving; and giving her son a start。 I multiply what I was given; and I give back to the family – pay for your girls to go to St Anne’s – what goes round; es round; eh; Sammy?’

She expected this from Shirley; but not from Howard。 Both of them drained their glasses; and Samantha watched Gavin drift away without trying to stop him。

Gavin was wondering whether it would be possible to slip out unnoticed。 He was nervous; and the noise was making it worse。 A horrible idea had taken possession of him since meeting Gaia at the door。 What if Kay had told her daughter everything? What if the girl knew that he was in love with Mary Fairbrother; and told other people? It was the sort of thing that a vengeful sixteen…year…old might do。

The very last thing he wanted was for Pagford to know that he was in love with Mary before he had a chance to tell her himself。 He had imagined doing it months and months hence; perhaps a year down the line … letting the first anniversary of Barry’s death slip by … and; in the mean time; nurturing the tiny shoots of trust and reliance that were already there; so that the reality of her feelings stole gradually upon her; as they had upon him …

‘You haven’t got a drink; Gav!’ said Miles。 ‘That situation must be remedied!’

He led his partner firmly to the drinks table and poured him a beer; talking all the while; and; like Howard; giving off an almost visible glow of happiness and pride。

‘You heard I won the seat?’

Gavin had not; but he did not feel equal to feigning surprise。

‘Yeah。 Congratulations。’

‘How’s Mary?’ asked Miles expansively; he was a friend to the whole town tonight; because it had elected him。 ‘She doing OK?’

‘Yeah; I think—’

‘I heard she might be going to Liverpool。 Might be for the best。’

‘What?’ said Gavin sharply。

‘Maureen was saying this morning; apparently; Mary’s sister’s trying to persuade Mary to go home with the kids。 She’s still got a lot of family in Liver—’

‘This is her home。’

‘I think it was Barry who liked Pagford。 I’m not sure Mary will want to stay without him。’

Gaia was watching Gavin through a chink in the kitchen door。 She was clutching a paper cup containing several fingers of the vodka that Andrew had stolen for her。

‘He’s such a bastard;’ she said。 ‘We’d still be in Hackney if he hadn’t led Mum on。 She’s so bloody stupid。 I could have told her he wasn’t that interested。 He never took her out。 He couldn’t wait to leave after they’d shagged。’

Andrew; who was piling additional sandwiches on an almost empty platter behind her; could hardly believe that she was using words like shagged。 The chimeric Gaia who filled his fantasies was a sexually inventive and adventurous virgin。 He did not know what the real Gaia had done; or not done; with Marco de Luca。 Her judgement on her mother made it sound as if she knew how men behaved after sex; if they were interested …

‘Drink something;’ she told Andrew as he approached the door with the platter; and she held up her own polystyrene cup to his lips; and he drank some of her vodka。 Giggling a little; she backed away to let him out and called after him: ‘Make Sooks e in here and get some!’

The hall was crowded and noisy。 Andrew put the pile of fresh sandwiches on the table; but interest in the food seemed to have waned; Sukhvinder was struggling to keep up with demand at the drinks table; and many people had started pouring their own。

‘Gaia wants you in the kitchen;’ Andrew told Sukhvinder; and he took over from her。 There was no point acting like a bartender; instead; he filled as many glasses as he could find; and left them on the table for people to help themselves。

‘Hi; Peanut!’ said Lexie Mollison。 ‘Can I have some champagne?’

They had been at St Thomas’s together; but he had not seen her for a long time。 Her accent had changed since she had been at St Anne’s。 He hated being called Peanut。

‘It’s there in front of you;’ he said; pointing。

‘Lexie; you’re not drinking;’ snapped Samantha; appearing out of the crowd。 ‘Absolutely not。’

‘Grandad said—’

‘I don’t care。’

‘Everyone else—’

‘I said no!’

Lexie stomped away。 Andrew; glad to see her go; smiled at Samantha; and was surprised when she beamed at him。

‘Do you talk back to your

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的