Page 68 of The Bordeaux Book Club

There was murmured agreement.

‘Obviously, Heathcliff’s… well, far from stable. But even inPride and Prejudice, there’s Darcy, right. He’s a bit… well, stand-offish, and you never really know whether he loves Elizabeth properly or… I don’t know. He doesn’t treat her well at first, does he? And he’s only kind at the end to her sisters and that’s to get what he wants. Calculating rather than steady.’

‘George!’ Monica said. ‘Poor Darcy!’

‘At least he’s better than Heathcliff,’ George continued, clearly getting into his stride. ‘A bully, misogynist, self-centred… it still makes me mad that he’s considered a romantic hero.’

‘But let’s concentrate on Charles,’ Grace said, laying a hand on his arm. ‘Charles isn’t like either of them.’

‘But that’s my point,’ George said. ‘People laugh at him – call him a cuckold or whatever. And he’s oblivious to what’s goingon. And even when he finds out about Emma, he kind of… thinks of an excuse for her affairs – forgives her. And I know in lots of people’s eyes that makes him an idiot. Stupid even. But it makes me wonder…’

‘Wonder what?’

‘Well, what women want?’ George said, with a frustrated smile.

They all laughed. ‘You and Freud, then,’ Grace told him. ‘He said something like that on his deathbed.’

‘Well, clearly I’m in good company,’ he said raising his glass. ‘But seriously, Charles is steadfast, he loves her, he provides for her, he forgives her. And yet it’s Heathcliff who gets the “romantic hero award”.’

They laughed. ‘Good point,’ Leah said. ‘Perhaps we should read a modern love story next and see how the women compare. Maybe modern heroines make better life choices.’

‘Maybe the blokes have got their act together more too?’ George countered.

‘Maybe unlike women in the past, they have a choice?’ Grace suggested.

‘And men aren’t being chased for the wrong reasons?’ suggested Monica. ‘Works both ways.’

They all laughed.

George nodded. ‘I’m not totally serious, obviously,’ he said. ‘I get it. Charles is… well, he’s a drag, ain’t he? And he’s too trusting – if your spouse was disappearing mysteriously and coming back, well, all flustered or whatever. You’d be stupid to think it was something innocent.’

Leah could feel Grace’s eyes on her suddenly and felt herself flush. ‘Or maybe if you trust someone, you think they’re worthy of that trust?’ she said, hearing her tone and regretting it. ‘Sorry, I mean, maybe Charles was too trusting – but that’s hardly a crime, is it?’

George nodded. ‘Yeah, you’re right. I just feel sorry for the poor guy. Dumped for being too nice. Too ordinary. Too… well, too stable,’ he took a gulp of wine and looked into the middle distance.

It was the first time that George had drunk from his glass, Leah realised. He was driving and was sticking to a few drops. This couldn’t be the wine talking then, she realised. It must be from the heart.

‘When you get dumped or cheated on, it makes you question everything,’ George said wistfully. ‘No wonder Charles Bovary just gave up and died.’

They all looked at him. He smiled. ‘I’m kidding,’ he said. ‘But it’s like Alfie said. Nice guys finish last.’

‘Not always,’ said Grace, firmly.

‘Obviously, I’ve never had the chance to be married, so I’m not sure what kind of husband I’d be. Maybe I’d be boring like Charles Bovary. But I’m like… I like to think I’d be good at taking care of someone. Loving them. Doing the little things. Cup of tea in bed of a morning. Taking them out for a meal. Making a nice home for them. Getting involved in the things they liked, learning about them. Making them laugh, giving them a cuddle when they cry. Providing – as much as I can. Working hard for it, at least. And I’m not the sort of bloke who flies off the handle or gets angry and throws things. I don’t storm out. I stick it out and talk. And, well, I don’t think I’m that bad to look at, right?’

They all murmured that he was fine, and great, and there was nothing wrong with him.

He coloured. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘It’s just… well, you live alone in a city that people think is romantic, you see couples. It makes you feel more single, you know? And you think – what have those people got that I ain’t? You see couples fighting sometimes in the bar or restaurant. Arguing, I mean. And you see ugly blokes – even uglier than me – on the arm of someonebeautiful. And you see people kissing and cuddling and on first dates, or anniversary dates, and walking along arm in arm, or talking together, or you hear people talking on the phone and saying they love each other. And I probably have too much time to think. But I can’t help but wonder why that can’t happen for me. Is it really possible to be too nice? Does that mean boring? Do I need to be more Heathcliff to be worthy of love? Because I haven’t got that in me.’

‘That’s… of course not,’ Leah said softly.

‘I don’t mean… Obviously, I don’t think that men need to be mean or whatever. And the blokes I see who seem to have it all in the bag – they don’t look or seem any different to me. But I think I’d make a good husband, a good partner. I think I’d be there for someone through thick and thin. And I’d stick around. And I think maybe men like me – the dull ones, the ‘nice’ ones – don’t always get enough credit for that.’

He stopped.

They were all silent, looking at him.

Grace reached over and touched his arm. ‘That was beautiful,’ she said, softly.

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