Page 68 of The Girl from the Tea Garden
‘He was there too. I think he was going to make a song and dance about the confrontation. Sam pushed him out of the way and intervened instead.’
Only as Adela spoke her thoughts aloud for the first time did she believe that might be the reason for Sam’s actions. She had been so angry, believing that what he had done that day was a deliberate rejection of her. But perhaps it was something else entirely. Had Sam just acted on the spur of the moment to protect not only Pema but Ghulam too? The idea threw her emotions into turmoil. Whatever the reason– even if it had just been gut instinct– Sam was saddled with his rash actions. And she was too. Adela felt a wave of panic. She had thrown herself at Jay and revelled in their romantic affair. But where was he now?
A week later, with no sign of Jay in Simla, Fluffy ordered a listless Adela out of the house.
‘Go and see your friends at the theatre,’ she ordered. ‘They’ll be casting forCharley’s Aunt. It’s your last chance to perform before your trip to England.’
Adela steeled herself to go that afternoon. The town was pearly grey under heavy clouds, the air sultry. Another storm was brewing.
In the auditorium Tommy was handing out scripts and trying to herd a chattering crowd of players out of the wings and into seats. He was taken aback to see her. An awkward silence fell as Adela mounted the steps.
Deborah came forward and greeted her. ‘Look who the cat’s brought in.’ She brushed Adela’s cheek with a kiss. ‘You’re brave,’ she whispered.
Adela’s insides tightened.
‘Take a seat in the stalls, girl,’ Tommy said, smiling briefly, but avoiding her look. ‘You can listen in if you want.’
‘Listen in?’ Adela laughed. ‘I’ve come to audition.’
To her left someone moved out of the shadows, and a familiar voice said, ‘What a shame you’ve missed the auditions. All the parts are taken, aren’t they, Tommy?’
‘Nina?’ Adela gasped.
‘Hello.’ Nina smiled. She missed her cheek with a loud kiss. ‘We meet again at last. I’ve been telling everyone all about our school days together and what a little terror you were.’ She gave a brittle laugh.
Adela’s heart began to thud in dread. Even before anything was said, she knew that Nina had been spreading her poison. All she could do was to try and counter it with courtesy.
‘I was sorry to hear about your father’s death. It must have been such a shock for you and your mother.’
For a moment Nina seemed thrown; then just for an instant her top lipped curled in that familiar gesture of contempt Adela remembered so well, before it changed to a smile of regret. ‘No need to be sorry. You never really knew him. We received so many letters of condolence; that was a great comfort. It’s a shame you and your parents never thought to write, even though your father had been a close friend of my mother’s. I can’t deny that was a little hurtful.’
Adela stuttered, ‘I’m s-sorry, but I’m sure—’
‘I accept that,’ Nina said with a sad expression. ‘It’s not your fault you don’t know what it’s like to lose a dear father. Shall we just get on with the rehearsal? I’d rather not talk about upsetting things.’
‘Of course,’ Tommy said hastily. ‘Where were we?’
Adela’s frustration swelled. Her mother had insisted on writing a note of condolence despite the smears by MrsDavidge against the family. She threw a look of appeal at Deborah to stick up for her, but her friend was looking intently at her script.
Adela retreated and sat in the stalls. At first the read-through was stiff and the atmosphere awkward– was that because she was there?– but soon Tommy was putting them at their ease and they began laughing at the comedy and making suggestions. Adela stayed on, stubbornly determined not to be hounded out of the group by Nina’s spitefulness, sugar-coated though it was. All the old feelings of inferiority and nervousness that the bullying girl had instilled in her five years ago came flooding back. But she had stood up to her then, and she wasn’t going to back down now. They were grown women; it was ridiculous to harbour resentments from when they were thirteen. Yet Nina had power over her; in her head Adela could hear the taunt ‘two annas’ as if it were yesterday.
At the end of rehearsal she waited for Deborah, but her friend was hanging back with a group of girls clustered around Nina. Was her friend deliberately avoiding her? Adela steeled herself to walk forward and join them.
‘Are you going to Davico’s?’ she asked brightly.
Nina half turned and spoke over her shoulder. ‘No, I’m having the girls back to our bungalow for tennis and afternoon tea.’
‘Adela can come too, can’t she?’ Deborah asked. ‘She’s great at tennis.’
‘So sorry,’ Nina said. ‘I don’t mind a bit, but Mother might be awkward– all that past history with Adela’s father.’
Adela rose to the bait. ‘I don’t know what you’ve been saying, but my father did not jilt your mother. That’s just nonsense.’
‘Well, how would you possibly know?’ Nina asked with that sad smile that Adela was growing to hate. ‘Your father would never admit it, would he? But it’s a devastating thing for a woman to experience. Surely you can see that.’
‘Only if it were true!’
‘Mother would never lie.’ Nina put her hand to her mouth as if to stifle a sob.
