There was silence, broken only by the whispers of Octavia and Beatrice. In unison, they got to their feet and leapt back into the pool. At the same time, Philip reached the terraced area, his face friendly and unsuspicious.
‘Hi, Philip,’ said Jenna, a note of compassion in her voice.
‘Hi!’ said Philip. He looked from face to face. ‘What’s going on?’
Good question, thought Hugh in the ensuing pause. Very good question.
‘Nothing,’ said Chloe eventually. ‘We’ve just been talking … and the girls are swimming …’
‘Well, I thought perhaps we could all have a drink,’ said Philip. ‘Toast my newfound unemployment. Everyone want some wine?’
As he began to pour out glasses of wine, Hugh cautiously moved one foot, and then another, as though unstiffening himself after months of immobility. He was aware of Chloe doing the same, of the frozen tableau around the pool beginning to dissolve back into normal life.
‘Doesn’t seem to be cooling down, does it?’ said Philip, peering up at the deepening blue of the sky. He began to hand out glasses of wine. ‘Here we are.’
‘I’m so sorry to hear about your job, Philip,’ said Amanda, as she took one.
‘Thanks,’ said Philip. ‘So was I. But now …’ He smiled. ‘Now I’m feeling pretty chipper.’
‘Are you?’ said Amanda disbelievingly. ‘Well, that’s good.’
‘Philip’s got all sorts of plans,’ said Chloe. ‘He’s going to make this the best thing that ever happened to him.’
Hugh stared into his glass for a moment, feeling his heart thump with anticipation; with apprehension. Then, summoning all his courage, he looked up.
‘Perhaps he can give me a few tips,’ he said lightly.
‘Tips on what?’ said Amanda.
‘Tips on making unemployment the best thing that ever happens to you.’
‘Unemployment?’ Amanda gave a little laugh. ‘Hugh, what are you …’ She broke off unsteadily. Hugh looked around the gathered faces and gave a small shrug.
‘You’re not saying …’ began Philip.
‘They’ve got rid of you, too!’ said Chloe in sudden realization, a slight edge of triumph to her voice. ‘They’ve sacked you, haven’t they? Turned the axe on their own people.’
‘They haven’t got rid of me.’ Hugh looked around the group. ‘I’ve resigned.’
There was a staggered silence.
‘What?’ Amanda swallowed. ‘What did you—’
‘I’ve left my job.’ As he said the words, Hugh felt a lightness spread through him. ‘I made the call this afternoon. Told them I was quitting.’
‘This … this is another joke,’ said Amanda. Her eyes darted suspiciously to Jenna. ‘Isn’t it?’
‘It’s no joke.’ Hugh exhaled sharply. ‘Amanda, I told you. I want to change my life. I’ve spent too many hours away from the children, away from you … putting work first and everything else second. I want work to come second for a change.’
‘I don’t believe it,’ said Amanda faintly. She sank down heavily onto a chair. ‘I just don’t believe it.’
‘You haven’t done this because of this afternoon,’ said Philip, looking distressed. ‘Hugh, whatever I think of PBL, you did everything you could for me. I heard you—you really put yourself on the line for me. So if it’s anything to do with that …’
‘Partly it’s to do with that.’ Hugh met Philip’s eyes. ‘Partly it’s just a realization that my life isn’t all I want it to be.’
‘No-one’s life is all they want it to be!’ exclaimed Amanda. ‘You think my life is all I want it to be? That doesn’t mean you have to throw it all away, chuck it in the bloody …’
‘I’m not throwing anything away,’ said Hugh. ‘I’m grabbing what’s important before I lose it completely.’
‘Well, as someone who’s just been made redundant, I think you’re mad,’ said Philip. ‘Utterly mad.’ His face crinkled into a smile. ‘But if it’s what you want … good luck.’
‘A lot of nannies would offer to work for nothing at this point,’ said Jenna cheerfully. ‘Can I just make it clear, I’m not one of them?’ She picked up a glass of wine and raised it. ‘Good on you, though, Hugh. That must have taken guts.’
‘What do you think, Chloe?’ said Hugh, raising his head to face her. ‘You haven’t said anything.’
Chloe gazed back at him, her face still holding traces of anger. Then her expression softened.
‘I think … you’ve done the right thing. For you. And I really hope it gives you what you want.’
‘Thanks,’ said Hugh. ‘I hope so, too.’
‘This holiday just gets better and better,’ said Amanda, staring at the ground. ‘Villa arrangements messed up. Children sick. Husband drunk. And now he’s resigned his job.’ She took a slug of wine. ‘What’ll happen next?’
‘Nothing,’ said Hugh. He walked over to the chair, placed his wine glass on the ground and put both arms round her. ‘It’ll all get better from now, Amanda. I promise.’
‘Well,’ said Philip after an awkward pause. ‘Here’s to … you, Hugh.’
‘And to you, Philip.’
Hugh stood up and the two men raised their glasses. After a pause, the others followed suit. As they drank, there was a shout from the distance and everybody looked up. Sam was running towards the pool, his face full of excitement.
‘Hey,’ he called. ‘Has someone left a bath on or something?’
‘I heard a bath running,’ said Philip, frowning slightly. ‘When I went into the kitchen. I just assumed it was all right—’
‘Well, it’s not all right,’ said Sam, with suppressed glee. ‘You’d better come. Quick.’
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The sight was spectacular. Water was cascading down the marble stairs in a steady, gushing stream, turning each step into a mini-waterfall; turning the slippery surface into an ice rink. At the base of the staircase it was puddling on the marble floor: a pale, expanding lake, edging gradually towards the door where they were standing.
For a few seconds there was a flabbergasted silence, save for a curious rushing sound in the background. Chloe turned accusingly to Sam.
‘Sam, that’s the water, isn’t it? The water’s still on!’
‘I know,’ said Sam. He saw her face, and added defensively, ‘I thought you’d want to see it in action. It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? The way it comes down the steps …’
‘See it in action?’ echoed Philip. ‘Sam, this isn’t a municipal water feature. This is someone else’s house!’
‘Where’s it coming from?’ said Amanda.
‘Dunno,’ said Sam. ‘I haven’t been upstairs. I think the stairs are pretty slippery.’
‘Lethal,’ agreed Philip. ‘Whoever goes up needs to be careful.’
‘But I don’t understand,’ persisted Amanda. ‘Who on earth can have left a bath on? Who was having a bath?’
‘We were having a bath,’ piped up Octavia from behind the crowd of adults. ‘But then we went swimming.’
‘You were?’ Amanda turned round, frowning slightly. ‘Jenna, surely you didn’t leave their bath on?’
‘Nothing to do with me,’ said Jenna. ‘Hugh took over bath-time. Told me to go. So I went. The bath was still running, but I assumed …’ She shrugged.
Slowly, everyone turned to look at Hugh.
‘I may have overlooked …’ he began awkwardly, and rubbed his reddening face. ‘I was in such a hurry …’
‘Right,’ said Philip. ‘Well … not to worry. These things happen.’
There was an explosion of laughter from Amanda.
‘These things happen? This is the man who wants to take more of an active role in looking after his children! Good work, Hugh! Great start.’
‘It was a mistake!’ said Hugh. ‘Anyone could—’
‘This is the result when you decide to give the children their baths.’ Amanda was shaking with laughter, almost hysterical. ‘Wha
t will happen when you decide to cook their fish fingers?’
‘That’s not fair,’ protested Hugh feebly.
‘Should we alert the emergency services every time you decide to do a spot of babysitting?’
Chloe met Philip’s eye and, in spite of herself, a grin spread over her face. Jenna gave a snort of laughter.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘But it is quite funny, Hugh, you have to admit.’
‘I suppose so,’ said Hugh at last. ‘Although really …’
He tailed off, and they all turned to survey the water again. As they watched, it began to cascade down in rivulets from the balustrade which ran along the side of the landing.
‘OK,’ said Philip. ‘I think someone had better get up there and turn it off.’ He looked at his canvas shoes. ‘I’ll go.’
‘No, I’ll go,’ said Hugh. ‘I’m the one who caused it.’
‘Remember, Hugh,’ said Amanda, as he began to step cautiously over the slippery floor, ‘you’re turning it off. Do you know which way that is, darling?’
A giggle rose in Chloe and she clamped her hand over her mouth to stop it.
‘I’ll go up, too,’ said Philip, following Hugh slowly across the floor. ‘Not because I don’t think you know which way off is,’ he added, as Hugh turned round suspiciously.
Chloe glanced at Jenna, trying to keep a straight face—but it was no good. Laughter was rising uncontrollably inside her like a geyser. She sank to the floor, her stomach aching, and felt as though months of tension were being relieved by this stupid, childish moment. Then she realized it was years. Years of hurt, years of suppressed pain—bubbling away in laughter.
‘D’you think they’ll be all right?’ said Jenna between giggles, watching Hugh and Philip carefully ascend the stairs.
‘They’ll be fine,’ said Amanda. ‘All they have to do is go to the bath and turn off the taps.’
‘I don’t know,’ said Jenna, shaking her head. ‘Taps are pretty tricky stuff.’
‘Tell you what,’ said Amanda seriously. ‘If they’re gone more than an hour, we’ll call in the paratroopers.’
Chloe and Jenna dissolved into fresh giggles and Amanda grinned—then she, too, began to laugh. In slight surprise, Chloe raised her eyebrows at Jenna, who gave a tiny wink back. What kind of sight are we? thought Chloe, as the sound of laughter echoed round the domed hall. Three grown women, sitting on the floor, giggling like schoolgirls. She saw Sam’s contemptuous teenage face, and gave a fresh gurgle.
There was a sound from across the hall and Nat appeared, holding a Play Station and yawning.
‘Watch out!’ called Chloe, as he made to step into the puddle. Nat looked down, withdrew his foot and walked towards them, skirting the edge of the water.
‘What’s happened?’ he said. ‘Why is it all wet?’
‘Nat!’ exclaimed Chloe. ‘Have you been inside all this time? How on earth could you sit there while this was happening?’
‘What?’ said Nat.
‘This!’ Chloe gestured to the staircase. ‘This water! Didn’t you hear anything?’
‘I was playing Pokémon,’ said Nat, and scratched his head. ‘I didn’t hear anything.’
‘That bloody Pokémon …’ began Chloe, then stopped as a fizzing, crackling sound began. A moment later, a light went out, and there was a shout from upstairs.
‘Hugh!’ Amanda’s head jerked up in alarm. ‘Hugh, are you OK?’
There was silence, and the three women exchanged anxious glances. Then Philip’s head appeared above the balustrade.
‘Hugh’s fine,’ he said. ‘We’re both fine. But the electrics aren’t. Something’s shorted, I’m not quite sure where. I think we should get the children out of here.’
‘Right,’ said Chloe, standing up. ‘Nat … girls … out we go.’
They walked outside and stood, staring up at the villa. The drive was in late afternoon shade but still warm and breezeless. They sat on low walls and steps, glancing back at the house from time to time as though expecting it to speak. The two little girls balanced uncertainly on a pair of pillars, then came and sat on the ground beside Amanda. Nat was already engrossed in his computer game again.
‘I’m going for a swim,’ said Sam after a while. He kicked roughly at the ground and added, without looking up, ‘Coming, Jenna?’
‘I don’t think so,’ she replied. ‘I think I’d better stay here until we know what’s going on.’
‘Fine,’ he said after a pause. He walked off, shooting her a betrayed, angry glance which took in Chloe, too.
A moment later, Philip appeared at the front door of the villa, followed by Hugh. Both had splashes of water on their clothes; Hugh was wiping his forehead.
‘Well, the good news is, the water’s off,’ he said.
‘Well done,’ said Amanda. ‘You found the tap, then?’
‘The bad news is, so is the air conditioning,’ said Philip.
‘The air conditioning?’ said Amanda, aghast. ‘What’s wrong with it?’
‘It seems to have short-circuited. And some of the lights.’
‘How does it look upstairs?’ asked Chloe.
‘Still a bit of a mess. And very slippery. Some rugs have got soaked—and some clothes that were on the floor.’ Philip shrugged. ‘It could be worse.’
‘Do you think somebody should tell Gerard?’ said Amanda.
‘Yes,’ said Philip. ‘We should give him a call.’
‘No need,’ said Hugh, and took a deep breath. ‘He’s coming here tomorrow.’
‘What?’ Everyone turned to stare at him.
‘Of course he is,’ said Chloe. She shook her head, almost admiringly. ‘Three days into the holiday. Perfect timing.’
‘How do you know he’s coming?’ asked Philip.
‘I spoke to him earlier. He told me we should expect him tomorrow morning.’ Hugh shrugged. ‘A sudden whim, he called it.’
‘A sudden whim?’ echoed Chloe disbelievingly. ‘Oh, that’s good.’
‘But where’s he intending to sleep?’ said Amanda, her brow wrinkling. ‘He must know what the arrangements are.’
‘He can sleep where he likes,’ said Chloe, a sudden harshness to her voice. ‘I’m certainly not staying to see him.’ She looked at Philip. ‘I’ve had enough of this place. To be honest, I’ve had enough of this holiday. I think we might head home tomorrow morning. See if we can change our flights.’
‘Tomorrow?’ said Nat in dismay. ‘Mum, we can’t.’
‘I agree,’ said Hugh, and turned to Amanda. ‘I think we might head home, too.’
‘We can’t go home!’ said Amanda. ‘The kitchen isn’t finished.’
‘Well then, we’ll go somewhere else,’ said Hugh. ‘Drive into Andalusia. Anything. I just don’t want to stay here.’ He looked for a few moments at the grandiose façade of the villa, then turned away.
‘It hasn’t been the best of holidays, has it?’ said Philip, a rueful smile flickering over his face.
‘It hasn’t been a holiday at all,’ said Chloe. ‘It’s been a game. A bloody puppet show. We should have realized as soon as we got here. We should have realized it was no mistake.’ She was silent for a moment, her face tight. ‘Well, I’m not playing any more. Gerard can arrive tomorrow and find the place empty, as far as I’m concerned.’
She looked at Philip. ‘I’m serious, Philip, I don’t want to stay.’
‘Fine,’ said Philip, nodding. ‘We’ll change our flights. We’ll still have to stay the night, though. Which will mean a bit of work.’ He pushed his hands through his hair. ‘More seriously, I’m not sure it’s entirely safe, with all this water swilling around …’
‘I’m not staying in a house with no air conditioning,’ said Amanda, with an edge to her voice. ‘Not tonight. We can’t! It’s sweltering! Hugh, we’ll have to get in the car and drive until we find somewhere with enough beds …’
‘I can’t drive,’ said Hugh. ‘I’ve drunk too much. And so have you.’ r />
‘We’ll have to!’ Amanda’s voice rose in a screech. ‘I’m not staying in this house! We’ll roast! There’s no air, it’s boiling hot, the children won’t sleep a wink …’ She clasped her head in her hands. ‘I knew we should have gone to Club Med! I knew it. Next year, I’m booking the holiday. No more villas. No more so-called friends. No more—’
‘Darling, calm down!’ said Hugh. ‘It won’t be so bad, sleeping just one more night here …’
‘Yes it will! It’ll be horrendous!’
‘Well, there’s no alternative,’ said Hugh testily. ‘We’ll just have to stick it out.’
‘There is an alternative, actually,’ said Jenna casually. ‘I’m with Amanda on this one. No way am I going to sleep inside. Not on a night like this.’
‘So … where are you planning to sleep, then?’ said Amanda, raising her head.
‘Outside,’ said Jenna, as though it were obvious. ‘It’s plenty warm enough. I’ll just grab a duvet from upstairs, roll up in it … and that’s it. Sorted.’
There was an impressed silence.
‘That’s it, then,’ said Hugh. He looked around at the others, a smile growing on his face. ‘Sorted. All of us.’
By the time they had dragged enough bedding outside for everyone, the two little girls and Nat were growing sleepy. Amanda and Chloe settled them down, smiling as they listened to each other’s bedtime routines and strictures.
Hugh and Philip were sorting out the adults’ sleeping arrangements, plumping up pillows and organizing duvets as though at a Scout camp. Sam sat on his own, staring into the dusk, his face rigid and sulky.
When Jenna came over to him, he looked up without smiling.
‘What’s up?’ she said easily.
‘I can’t believe we’re leaving tomorrow,’ said Sam without moving his head.
‘Have you been enjoying yourself, then?’
‘It’s not that.’ He gave a surly shrug.
Jenna grinned. She reached out and trailed a finger down his cheek, down his chest.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘There’s all night yet.’
Sam looked up sharply, but she was already walking away, to where Amanda and Chloe were sitting down.