False Charity Read Online Free

lot, and felt much better.’
    â€˜I’m just fine,’ said Bea.
    â€˜You’re far too thin,’ said Coral. ‘I always say that when a woman’s head looks too big for her body, she’s been neglecting herself. Or dieting too hard. Which is it this time?’ The kettle boiled and she made Bea tea in a giant mug, sugaring it liberally.
    Bea began to laugh, with a trace of hysteria. ‘After Hamilton died, I flew on to the South Island of New Zealand because we’d booked the flights and he’d been looking forward to it. It seemed logical at the time to carry on with our schedule, though now I think it was ridiculous. The scenery was spectacular but I couldn’t eat anything. I’m so glad he managed to see so much of the world before he died. He enjoyed everything right up to the end.’ She blew her nose again.
    Coral nodded, emphatically. ‘That was Hamilton, all right.’
    â€˜Coral, do you remember when you were doing that big wedding in the middle of the holiday season and we couldn’t get enough help for love or money, and Hamilton filled in as master of ceremonies, and Max and I helped out? And Max emptied a tray of champagne flutes into the bin, and Hamilton took the blame?’
    Coral was laughing. ‘Max wouldn’t like his pals at the House of Commons to hear that he’d once earned money as a waiter, would he?’
    â€˜Oh, I don’t know. They might think it proved he understood the working man. Let’s see what’s for supper.’ She checked the fridge and freezer. Nicole had stocked up for her with some frozen meals; a pleasant surprise. The child Maggie was looking thunderous, so Bea tried to defuse the situation.
    â€˜Don’t look so shocked, Maggie. In those days we turned our hands to anything. Silver service, escorting children around London, clearing houses when old people died, and worse!’
    There was a tinge of mischief in her tone. Maggie looked stunned, but Coral giggled. ‘I remember when …’
    â€˜Not in front of the child,’ said Bea, mock serious. ‘It was hard work, Maggie, but it was fun, too. Or is distance lending enchantment? Will you join us in a scratch supper, Coral?’
    Between them Coral and Maggie cleared up the mess left by the party, while Bea put some frozen meals into the microwave. She wondered if Nicole ever did any cooking; probably not.
    Maggie declined to join them for supper, but insisted on dealing with the stains on the carpet next door while Coral and Bea ate at the kitchen table. Bea wondered if the child was a snob but reckoned she’d probably been trained by Max not to associate with ‘the help’.
    Bea ate as much as she could. It wasn’t as much as she should, perhaps, but better than she had been doing lately.
    Afterwards she and Coral had some coffee in the sitting room, so that they could sit by the open French windows and look out over the garden in the quiet of the early evening. Planes droned on overhead on their way to Heathrow Airport, but they were never more than a background reminder of the world outside. Bea pushed back fatigue, eased off her shoes and sighed with relief.
    â€˜I must try to keep awake for another hour, if I can. So, what’s the matter, Coral?’
    For the first time Coral looked unsure of herself. Her tiny feet hardly touched the ground, seated as she was in a Victorian button-backed armchair. ‘Maybe I should apologize, breaking in on you the day you got back. Truth to tell, I got my dander up good and proper and forgot you might be too tired to listen.’
    â€˜It must be important or you wouldn’t have come.’
    â€˜It’s important, yes. Max won’t help, saying it isn’t his responsibility, and maybe he’s right in law. I know the difference between right and wrong, and I say he’s wrong. Of course, now he’s an important person with a salary in Parliament,