The Players And The Game Read Online Free

“I’m Satan’s daughter”.’
    They appealed to Alice, but she had not seen the film. She did little better when the talk turned to education, and she said she thought University was not important for most girls and that she was quite pleased Jennifer was in a job. It turned out that Sally Lowson had just come down after taking a second – but a very good second – in social science, and was now a managerial trainee at Timbals, and that the Dicksees’ son and daughter had both got splendid jobs for which a University degree was an essential qualification. When the conversation moved to gardens Alice was silent. They had had no garden in Chalk Farm. She stayed silent when they went on to the running of a jumble sale for Oxfam, for which Valerie Lowson was acting secretary.
     
    When they had all gone Valerie and Bob cleared up. The help came in the morning, so that there was really no need to do this, but the operation of the kitchen machinery delighted them both. The outsize dishwasher got to work on plates and saucepans, the waste destructor crunched up rubbish, unused things were hung on hooks.
    ‘You see what I mean,’ Valerie said. ‘What’s her name, Alice, was really a dead loss. The thing is she doesn’t try to show any interest.’
    ‘Give them a chance, they’ll settle down.’
    ‘I bet he was no better.’
    ‘He put up a black with old Felton. Still, Felton can be a bore.’
    ‘I just don’t see why you want them here. Yes, all right, I know it’s convenient, but I tell you, Bob, you’ll be sorry.’
    When she had that high colour Val always seemed to him desirable. He put aside his dish cloth, placed both arms round her, kissed her ear.
    ‘Robert Lowson. At your age.’
    ‘That’s not so old. Let’s go upstairs and play games.’
    ‘Where’s Sally?’
    ‘Out. Stop worrying. She’s a big girl now.’
    Both of them would have been surprised by the idea that this was literally true. They simply considered most other people as under normal size.
     
    The Services lived near to Bay Trees, in a very similar road. They got back to find Anne Marie, the au pair, dancing frantically up and down in an attempt to stop their three-year-old son John from screaming. He had stuffed a Teddy bear into his mouth until he choked, and had been screaming ever since. It turned out that he was soaking wet. He stopped screaming when Penelope caught hold of him, and fell asleep the instant she put him to bed.
    Penelope was inclined to blame Anne Marie, saying that she ought to have been there when John was stuffing the Teddy bear into his mouth. Anne Marie wept. Later Penelope said to Dick that the girl was slovenly and thought of nothing but getting up to London, and that they really should get rid of her. Dick stayed silent. He knew that Penelope would have forgotten the idea by the next morning. Anne Marie in tears had looked very pretty and rather exciting.
     
    ‘Do you know what we talked about?’ Alice asked as they got on to the main road. ‘Bedding plants and natural manure and who was in what at the local cinema. God, that Valerie’s a bore.’
    ‘And what do you usually talk about?’
    ‘Something a bit more intelligent. I don’t usually meet people like that.’
    He glanced at her for a moment, then back to the road. ‘There are wheels within wheels. Hartford is trying to get me out.’
    She repeated the words incredulously. ‘You’re imagining it.’
    ‘He’s got some girl in as my assistant. A Behavioural Scientist.’
    ‘What’s that?’
    ‘Don’t ask me. But she’s Hartford’s importation. I shouldn’t be surprised if she reports back to him. So don’t talk too much about Valerie Lowson being a bore. Bob likes me.’
    ‘I suppose it’s a reason for coming here. Keeping in with the boss.’ They were on a motorway. The stretch in front of them looked endless. ‘But I can feel trouble ahead. I really can.’
    He took a hand off the wheel and put it on her knee, totally without