Chapter 2

Rupert and Henrietta married three months later. The marriage was conducted in the Registry Office at Pitsbury because Rupert was a divorcé. The reception was altogether bigger and was held at Carlton Parva. Henrietta sold her house and put the money in trust for Samantha.

Henry had never known such happiness. As far as he was concerned there was no change in the time Rupert was prepared to devote to him or to the love he gave him. In fact, both decreased marginally but were more than offset by Henrietta. She suffered no nonsense from either of the children but she was gentle and warm and Henry adored her.

Henry and Samantha's friendship blossomed and they spent most of their time in the school holidays together. They rode together, walked the dogs together and even made what Henry considered to be a major mistake together. They dammed the stream that ran through the estate. Neither was quite sure why but it seemed like a good idea at the time. They finished it one evening. That night and the following day it rained heavily. They did not venture out of the house. The stream rose and two days later there was a small lake. They decided they ought to dismantle the dam. They did so from the top. The dam weakened, burst and Henry was carried forty yards, thrown against a tree and knocked out. Samantha managed to grab him and haul him to dry ground. Henry came to quickly but was still groggy. He was also drenched. Samantha put one of his arms round her shoulder and they staggered back to the house. Henrietta was aghast at this ashen, dripping figure with a huge bruise on his forehead. She had Samantha run for a towel and Henry's dressing gown and made him strip in the boot room. Henry was acutely embarrassed to be seen naked by his mother and sister and even more so when Henrietta helped to dry him and Samantha just stood there and watched. He had to relive the whole episode when Rupert came in at lunchtime and the girls told him the story.

Rupert roared with laughter. "I don't know," he said. "I never thought of my son as a stripper."

Henry went puce which only caused more gales of laughter from the other three. At first, Samantha teased him about the episode but when she realised that it was truly upsetting Henry she stopped.

That first year Samantha began to develop into a young woman. The following summer she wore a bikini to swim. It was pretty skimpy and Henry suddenly became rather bashful.

"What's your problem?" asked Samantha. "It's not as though I've stripped off nude like some boys I know."

"No," replied Henry, "it's, um, just, er, that you've, um, got some hairs sprouting from under your bikini bottom."

Samantha looked down. Now it was her turn to be embarrassed and she fled back to the house. She found Henrietta and asked what she should do.

"What do you think, Samantha?"

"I haven't got to shave, have I?"

"No, you poop. Just snip off the ones that are sticking out with your nail scissors or," she grinned, "get yourself a less revealing bikini."

Samantha pulled a face at her and went to find her nail scissors. When she went back out again Henry said nothing but she did catch him having a furtive look.

"Thanks, Henry," she said. "Better now?"

He nodded. "What did you do?"

"Cut 'em off."

"Oh!"

When they were thirteen and fifteen respectively Henrietta introduced them to Highland Dancing and threw a number of parties to encourage other young people in the area. They were a great success and there soon seemed to be one a week somewhere.

Samantha had become beautiful. She was tall and willowy with golden hair and vivid blue eyes. She was a much sought out partner at the dances. Henry had a growth spurt at that time and suddenly grew to five foot ten. The thirteen year-old girls started developing crushes on him.

None of this had any effect on their relationship with the other. They had more dances with each other than anyone else at the parties. They pulled each other's legs continually and laughter was seldom far away. After a dance they would often continue to hold hands quite unaware that they were doing so. They were a team.

When she was sixteen Samantha started going to proper dances for the young. Henry was not the least bit envious. He reckoned that dancing, particularly the older ballroom stuff, was soppy. Two years later he found himself being invited to them too. As had happened with the Highland Dancing the two of them found themselves gravitating towards each other. To an extent for Henry it was a safety net as he really had no idea about dancing at all but he did not mind making a fool of himself with Samantha. He decided however that he needed to learn how to dance and Samantha became his instructress. He enjoyed that enormously as he enjoyed all things they did together.

It did not last long. Samantha left school that year and went on a gap year expedition to Malawi to look after refugee children from the Congo. Henry missed her badly. When she came home she started at Bristol University where she read for a degree in Economics and Finance. She was home in the vacations so she and Henry were able to resume their relationship. It had not altered. They were still in each other's pockets while they were both at home.

It did not take long for Samantha's beauty and naturalness to attract fellow undergraduates. They appeared during her vacations with one or two being regular visitors. Henry was not jealous. It was natural for Samantha to have boyfriends but he did not like all of them and would tell Samantha if he thought any one of them was suspect.

"Why don't you like him?" she demanded when Henry had said he was not too keen on one particular individual.

"I don't trust him," said Henry. "OK he appears perfectly all right: amusing, friendly and very intelligent. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"When he's not actively involved in a conversation his eyes go straight to your boobs and, if he's behind you, your bum. He just wants to screw you and is trying to charm his way between your legs."

Samantha looked at him wide-eyed. She had never known him so forthright about sexual matters.

"I don't believe you," she said.

"Promise. He's always touching you too."

"That's just affection."

"Hmph!"

They left it at that. Two weeks later Samantha put her arms round Henry's neck.

"You were right, Henry love," she said. "He started to overstep the limits and I had to be pretty firm with him. Luckily we weren't far from other people otherwise I think he might have forced me."