house of women by Yelena Kopylova

"Sit down then, slt down. And don't worry; she'll be all right. She'll have a number of these turns before she finishes. You'll have to get used to them. But come on, tell us about the man who took snuff."
    Peggy stood outside the drawing-room door for a moment. The guilt feeling brought on by her shocking thoughts was still with her, but more so was she feeling amazement at how Andrew could talk and, more strangely still, how both her gran and her great-gran had accepted him, especially her great-gran. That was surprising.
    She walked the well-worn way across the yard, through the garden, down through the strip of woodland, through the gate and into the Conways'
    back garden, there to see Charlie outside the shed pumping up a tyre of his bicycle.
    She stopped a moment, then walked towards him. He had seen her as soon as she came through the gate; nevertheless, he only slowly straightened his back, yet it was he who spoke first.
    "So you're back," he said.
    "Yes, I'm back. Had a puncture?"
    "Something like that. What kind of a time did you have?"
    "Oh' her face stretched a little but she didn't smile 'it was very pleasant. The hotel was fine, everybody was very nice."
    "Well then, everything in the garden's lovely."
    "What's the matter with you?"
    "What d'you mean, what's the matter with me?"
    "Well, the way you're acting. And you never came ... to the wedding last Saturday. Your mother said you had a cold, but you hadn't, had you?"
    "No; I hadn't." He was holding the extended bicycle pump and he now thrust it closed as he said grimly, "Why had you to go and marry him?"
    And before she could reply he went on, "Oh, I know. My mam told me, respectability and an illegitimate child, bastard, and all that, and the stigma on you, nobody would want you after that."
    She didn't actually move back from him but she pressed her shoulders and head away from this different individual, this different Charlie, who had been easy-going, kindly, very often inarticulate. Moreover she was amazed his mother could talk to him about such things. But then her Auntie May was very open, different. She watched him now turn about and, bending, place the bicycle pump in its frame on the back of the bicycle. And she recognised the old Charlie when he turned back to her and said quietly, "I would have married you, you know that, like a shot; you only had to wait."
    "Oh Charlie; we've been like brother and sister."
    "Well, we're not brother and sister, are we?" There was that aggressive note back in his voice.
    "And you know damn well we haven't been like brother and sister. Yes, you do!"
    He was swearing! She'd never before heard him use a swear word. Other boys, yes. Andrew, yes:
    he had used bloody when he was talking about his headmaster and what he had said to him when he left school; he had called him a bloody narrow minded prig.
    "Anyway, you're now Missis Jones. It's a very common name, you could be Missis anybody."
    "Peggy!"
    At the sound of her mother's voice she turned quickly, and, as if escaping from Charlie, she ran towards her and fell into her arms. And Lizzie said, "I never expected you back so soon. How are you?"
    "Fine, Mam. Fine."
    Lizzie held her daughter at arm's length now, saying, "You look it.
    You look better than you did a week ago. Where . where is he? "
    "Talking to Gran and Great-gran."
    "You've left him alone with them?"
    "Oh yes." She grinned at her mother.
    "He was getting on like a house on fire, giving them a vivid description of the place we've been staying in for the past week. "
    "That's good." Lizzie's face had broken into a smile, which disappeared as she added, "What's the matter with Charlie? He's ridden off with out a word."
    Peggy did not immediately answer but linked her arm in her mother's and began to walk her down the path towards the gate; then she said, "He was a bit short with me." She did not say 'angry' or 'rude' or why he was short; but when her mother said, "Well, he would be, wouldn't he?"
    she