The Ten Commandments by Anthea Fraser Page B

jealousy.
    Resolving from now on to brim over with charity, Sonia took the joint out of the oven.
    The studio was flooded with the mellow evening light. Hugh stood in the doorway with two glasses of wine and looked across at his wife, who was staring out of the window.
    'I thought you were working. I've brought you some sustenance.'
    She turned. 'I should be, I'm behind with this commission. But I keep thinking of what I’ve let myself in for, and it gets in the way.'
    'Talking to Alex, you mean?'
    She nodded, perching on her stool as she sipped the wine.
    'I really like Roy, you know He doesn't deserve this.'
    Hugh lowered himself on to the chaise longue. 'You think it's her fault?'
    'From what we've seen, don't you?'
    'These things are usually six of one and half a dozen of the other.'
    'Very profound, darling, but not a lot of help. If you ask me, all Roy has done is work hard and long, and not be available every time she lifts a finger. He obviously still dotes on her; when he snaps back, it's only in self-defence.'
    'If you take that attitude, you won't get far with your sister,' Hugh commented astutely.
    'She already knows it. The trouble is, when you fall out of love with someone they automatically start to irritate you. It's cruel, but a fact of life.'
    'Oh, come now, you don't think it's that serious?'
    'I'm beginning to wonder. Let's hope it's only a temporary blip.'
    Hugh was silent for a while, then he asked, 'What will you say to her?'
    'Lord knows. She won't tell me anything she doesn't want to. She never has.'
    'What about her friends? Could you approach one of them?'
    'I don't think it would help. She has plenty, but I doubt if she confides in them. Amy Paxton was the exception, and she emigrated to Australia a couple of years ago. Alex still misses her.'
    'Will you phone in advance, or just go round?'
    'Drop in, I think. If she's warned, she might try to put me off.'
    Hugh finished his wine and stood up. 'Are you coming down?'
    'In a couple of minutes. I'll just tidy up here.'
    He nodded, and went back downstairs. Gillian drained her glass and turned back to the easel, but her thoughts were still elsewhere. Sonia and Alex; she loved them both dearly, and both were unhappy. Furthermore, on Thursday they'd be here for dinner, with their respective husbands. Not, perhaps, such a good idea after all, but it was too late now to retract. The evening looked like being difficult, and Gillian felt her heart sink. Still, Hugh would back her up.
    Bless him, she thought with a rush of affection. How lucky she was to be able to depend on him so completely, confident that he would always be there to support her. If only all marriages could be like theirs. And they lived happily ever after really did seem a fairy tale these days.
    But enough philosophizing, she told herself. Briskly she rinsed her brushes, wiped the palette and closed the paint box. Then, picking up her empty glass, she went downstairs.

6
    Frederick was sorting out ideas for his talk when Paul Blake arrived the next morning. He swivelled in his chair as the younger man was shown in, and waved him to a seat.
    'Damn nuisance, this,' he said, indicating the papers on his desk. 'I wish I'd never agreed to it. Much rather get down to work on the book.'
    'Talking of which. I've typed up the notes you made in Canada.' Paul handed over a file.
    'Thanks.' Frederick laid them on the desk on top of a pile of newspapers. 'I've been reading up on this blasted murder – it's sure to come up in the questions, and I should at least know what I'm talking about.'
    'Well, this might help.' Paul took a large envelope out of his briefcase. 'It's a photo of the victim, as requested. I managed to wheedle it out of a friend who works on the News. '
    'Excellent man!' Frederick eagerly drew out the print and sat in silence for several minutes while his eyes moved slowly and assessingly over it. It showed a man in his mid-forties, whose hair was already beginning to recede.