Chapter 3

Retracing his steps to the dining room, Andrew found Toby and the girls stacking the crockery.

‘I think we’ll move into the lounge in a moment,’ explained Emma, ‘Be a love and take our glasses and the champagne through.’

‘Certainly, Miss Knight,’ replied Andrew, mimicking Rupert’s courteous tone of voice.

‘Quiet, nephew,’ laughed Laura, ‘I’ve had quite enough of that sort of thing for tonight.’

‘Haven’t we all,’ agreed Toby with feeling.

Everything was soon loaded into the dishwasher and the foursome adjourned to the lounge. Andrew and Emma made themselves comfortable on the huge sofa while Laura and Toby settled themselves back into the two commodious armchairs, one on either side of the fireplace. Toby patted his stomach contentedly.

‘That was a brilliant meal, you two.’

‘Yes, it certainly was,’ agreed Laura, ‘I loved your gazpacho, Emma. You must give me the recipe before I leave.’

‘Yes, sure,’ agreed Emma, stretching sensuously like a big pussy cat, ‘I’m glad somebody liked it. It seemed to go down like a lead balloon with you know who.’

Toby gave a sniff of disgust.

‘Talking of old ‘ykw’,’ said Andrew, looking meditatively over the top of his champagne glass, ‘What did you make of him, Lol?’

‘Well...,’ replied Laura carefully, ‘He’s tall and very good looking.’

‘Oh yes, he’s both of those all right,’ agreed her nephew, nodding sagely, ‘Like him, do you? Find him good company?’

Laura’s mobile features suggested that she was undergoing a certain amount of inner turmoil.

‘Well...,’ she said and then shrugged eloquently.

Toby was not so reticent.

‘I think he’s a shitpot of the first magnitude,’ he announced to the world in general and then lapsed back into brooding silence.

Andrew looked at him and laughed.

‘Good old Tobe. He’s always there with a nicely turned phrase when you want it.’

‘Shitpot of the first magnitude,’ repeated Laura, a smile playing round her lips, ‘Yes, I think that’s quite apt. It’s most appropriate actually.’

‘Mind you, said Emma apparently in his defence, ‘His father is a world famous brain surgeon.’

‘Though hardly a household name,’ mused Laura.

‘What, you mean something like pouff (“that’s with a double f”)?’ enquired Andrew, which caused much hilarity.

‘I think he was even worse than I had imagined he’d be,’ frowned Toby.

‘Whatever does she see in him do you think?’ asked Laura, ‘I don’t very much like the way he treats her, rather in the way that one might handle a wayward dog or a spoilt child.’

‘He was worse than usual tonight I think,’ admitted Andrew.

‘Trying to create the impression of the young sophisticate with me I suppose,’ said Laura.

Andrew smiled apologetically.

‘They seem quite unsuited,’ mused Laura then added ‘I see what Jackie meant.’

‘Did Mummy say something negative about him?’ Andrew seemed rather surprised.

‘She didn’t say anything positive about him, that’s for sure.’

‘That’s funny. I’ve been running him down for ages and she never says a word.’

‘A very tactful woman, your mother.’

‘Hmm, that’s true.’

‘You know, I don’t believe it will come to anything,’ decided Laura.

‘Don’t you think so?’ this time Emma was surprised, ‘Natasha has been mentioning engagement rings from time to time recently.’

Toby gave a hollow groan and Andrew looked at him sympathetically.

‘Never mind, old chap,’ he said placatingly, ‘You never know your luck. He’ll probably ask you to be best man. He won’t ask me, that’s for sure.’

Toby grabbed the pillow from behind his head and hurled it across the room. Fortunately it was wildly inaccurate, so Andrew managed not to lose his glass of champagne. There was general laughter and Emma went round topping up glasses.

‘I like this stuff very much,’ announced Toby, taking a swig from his glass and smacking his lips appreciatively.

‘Yes, it’s very palatable, even if it isn’t the real thing,’ agreed Andrew, winking heavily at his aunt.

‘You know...,’ began Toby, emboldened by the champagne, ‘There’s something that I wonder about Tasha and Rupert.’ The others looked at him expectantly. ‘Do they...?’ he asked. Emma giggled and Laura made a face.

‘Spasmodically from what I can gather,’ said Andrew.

‘Spasmodically?’ repeated Toby.

‘Just now and again. When he fancies it.’

‘But what about when she fancies it?’ asked Emma.

‘I don’t think that girls are supposed to in Rupert’s book. It isn’t ladylike you see.’

‘Good Heavens,’ exclaimed Laura. ‘He was born in the wrong century.’

‘Oh yes,’ agreed Andrew, nodding his head, ‘There’s definitely something of the Victorian about Rupert. There’s absolutely no doubt about that. They only ever do it in the missionary position and always in the dark. He never lasts long enough to make her come though.’

‘Gosh,’ Toby’s mouth hung open in wonder.

Andrew chuckled and leaning over he kissed Emma softly before getting up and going over to the stereo to put on a record.

‘What I can’t get over is that she seems to think it’s quite normal,’ said Emma as the opening bars of Sergio Mendes’ version of ‘Fool on the Hill’ began playing quietly behind her, ‘She says that Andrew and I are a pair of sex maniacs.’

‘She’s right about that of course,’ chuckled Toby.

‘And why not?’ enquired Laura mildly, ‘Enjoy it whenever you can, that’s my motto.’

‘Mine too,’ laughed Andrew, kissing Emma again as he sat back down, ‘I guess it must be emblazoned on the family crest.’

There was general laughter and Toby, leaning forward in his chair, held up his glass.

‘A toast,’ he announced, ‘To the Sexy Stevensons.’

‘Amen,’ said Emma solemnly and four glasses clinked together.

Andrew took the champagne bottle out of the ice bucket and inspected it.

‘There isn’t a lot here,’ he said, sharing out what there was, ‘Shall I open another bottle?’

‘How many are there left?’ asked Laura.

‘Two I think.’

‘Let’s save them then. We can have them with lunch tomorrow.’

‘That sounds like a good idea,’ agreed Toby, stifling a small yawn, ‘Actually I think I could do with a coffee. Anybody else want one too?’

There was general assent, so Toby went off to the kitchen to put on the ‘Cona’ machine. He had got out four cups and saucers, a tray, sugar and cream when he was joined by Laura.

‘Can you find everything?’ she asked.

‘Yes thanks.’

‘You obviously come here quite often then.’

Toby nodded.

‘I virtually used to live here when they first moved.’

‘But not recently.’

‘No, not recently,’ he sighed heavily.

Laura glided over to him and resting a hand lightly on each of his shoulders she looked at him seriously.

‘Poor Toby,’ she whispered, ‘It hurts so much when you love somebody that deeply and they hardly even seem to know that you exist.’

A lump formed in Toby’s throat and he swallowed twice.

‘Oh, it’s not so bad now,’ he mumbled, looking at the floor in embarrassment, ‘This evening helped a lot oddly enough. I can’t see how she could possibly fall for me if that’s her taste in blokes.’

He managed a smile and Laura, sliding her arms round his neck, kissed him gently.

‘All I can say is that in my opinion she has very strange taste,’ she murmured as they broke apart.

Toby blushed furiously, much to his inner shame, and turned quickly to the kitchen sink.

‘It’s such an odd relationship,’ he said, trying to keep his voice even. He turned on the tap and rinsed out the glasses that were sitting on the draining board, ‘I don’t think I shall ever be able to work it out.’

‘Neither will I,’ agreed Laura, ‘But as I said before, I don’t think it will come to anything in the end. One of these days she’s going to see the light. You mark my words.’

‘I do hope so,’ said Toby.

The water in the ‘Cona’ machine suddenly bubbled up into the top vessel, swirled round and then began to seep slowly back down into the coffee jug.

‘Coffee’s ready,’ observed Laura and detached the two halves of the apparatus with the air of a professional, ‘I’ll take the jug if you’ll carry the tray.’

‘OK,’ agreed Toby, doing as he was asked, ‘Will you get the door? My hands are rather full.’

Laura tugged the door open with her free hand, gave a small gasp and closed it again. When she turned to face Toby she was looking rather flustered.

‘I think perhaps that we shouldn’t go through just at the moment,’ she said in low tones.

‘Oh?’ Toby looked at her quizzically and set the tray down on the side.

‘Er ... Andrew and Emma seem sort of - ah - involved at the moment.’

‘Not again,’ laughed Toby. He moved to the door and opened it a fraction.

Andrew was half-sitting, half-lying in the middle of the couch with his feet on the floor. Emma was straddling him, and although her dress covered them both quite modestly, it was obvious from her fluid up-and-down movement that they were making love.

‘Toby,’ hissed Laura, tugging at his elbow, ‘Close the door.’

He did as he was told.

‘This is the second time today that I’ve seen them at it, he chuckled, ‘They were doing it on the tennis court when we arrived this afternoon.’

Laura looked somewhat scandalised.

‘Ever since Emma went onto the pill they’ve found that they’re much more spontaneous about it,’ explained Toby, ‘They’re also turned on by the possibility of having an audience too. There’s no doubt about that.’

‘You know I’ve never actually seen anyone else do it in real life before,’ whispered Laura.

‘Haven’t you?’ Toby was quite surprised, ‘Andrew and Emma are fun to watch. They’re so beautiful and so uninhibited. It isn’t dirty at all, just terribly erotic. Here, I’ll show you.’

He reached out and took her by the hand. Switching off the kitchen lights he led her along to the hatchway through to the dining area. Feeling carefully in the darkness he found the little doors in the wall and opened them silently. They were afforded a clear view of the couple on the couch in the lounge, who were silhouetted by the down-lighters in the ceiling above them.

Andrew and Emma had shed every last vestige of clothing and the young man was lying full out on the couch with the girl on top of him. Toby knew that this was the position in which Emma was sure to come from the friction of Andrew’s penis alone. They were moving steadily against one another and Toby and Laura could see Emma clenching and unclenching the muscles in her buttocks in a rhythmic pattern. They could also hear the couple panting quietly and muttering endearments to one another.