CHAPTER FIVE Gloucester sojourn

      The weekend after Thomas was born, Harry had agreed to drive up to Gloucestershire with Julia to meet her father for the first time. He’d already met her mother, Bobby, a trim soft-spoken lady of fifty-two. She’d been divorced from Julia’s father for ten years now, and on doing so had moved back to town, taking up residence in what used to be their town house on the King’s Road. Harry had crossed that hurdle without too much fuss as Bobby was friendly, welcoming and clearly so much a part of Julia’s everyday life. But her father, Charles, was quite a different proposition. He lived on a huge estate south of Stow-on-the-Wold, had married for a second time to a woman only eight years older than Julia, and now had another son, Dominic, to add to his other two by Bobby. Julia was clearly slightly scared of him, and did little to assuage Harry’s growing apprehension.

      ‘Do you mind terribly?’ said Julia, as they headed out of town.

      ‘No, no, I’m sure it’ll be fine,’ Harry lied. ‘Anyway, I’m intrigued.’ They had taken his Citroën. Julia insisted they should, saying it would give him something to talk about, as her father loved cars.

      ‘He’s got lots of them,’ she told him.

      ‘Really?’ said Harry, interested. ‘What kinds?’

      ‘Oh, I’m not sure. Some quite old ones I think – including a James Bond type – but none as smart as this.’

      Harry laughed. ‘Of course not.’

      ‘What? They’re not. I much prefer this to anything he’s got.’

      ‘OK, if you say so.’ With the sun breaking through, the clouds above were mirrored on the long black bonnet; the mounted headlights, bulbous and twinkling, pointed the way as they surged down the M40. Harry thought his car had rarely looked shinier.

      ‘I mean, this car really is so stylish,’ said Julia, turning to smile at Harry. ‘So much more fun than mine.’

      Did she really mean that? he wondered. He’d been in her car, a fast, luxurious BMW, with a CD player and an impressive array of additional gadgetry. His, by contrast, was slow, stark, and had no mod cons, least of all a stereo. Sometimes he couldn’t tell whether she said things because she thought it was what he wanted to hear, rather than because it was what she really felt.

      ‘I hope he isn’t too gruff with you,’ Julia said as they crossed the border into Gloucestershire, ‘only he can seem a bit grumpy and stern at times. But he’s harmless really.’

      ‘Honestly, Julia, stop worrying. I’m sure it’ll be fine.’

      ‘And you know Dominic will be there, don’t you?’

      ‘Absolutely. He’s six and a brat, but I mustn’t let him make me play with him.’

      ‘Exactly,’ said Julia, biting her bottom lip.

      ‘And Stella’s a bit thick and after his cash, but otherwise quite harmless,’ He turned to her and gave her a reassuring grin.

      ‘Sorry, you must think I’m ridiculous. It’s just, well, I adore Daddy obviously, but things haven’t been the same since the divorce. It’s weird going back home to find him with a completely different family. You know?’

      ‘I can imagine. Please don’t worry, though. I won’t disgrace myself, I promise.’ It was strange seeing Julia like this. Normally she was so confident, controlled and charming. But now, seated beside him, she was so edgy she’d even started biting her beautifully manicured nails.

      ‘And anyway, I can’t wait for you to see the house. I know you’ll love it,’ she added, rubbing his thigh.

      Harry had to admit it to himself. The house was one of the main reasons he had agreed to come. Julia had told him about it in great detail, how the main part was built in the 1760s onto the remains of a ruined abbey. The owner had made the abbey habitable, so that the house was in part solidly medieval, and part Georgian refinement.

      ‘I absolutely adore it,’ Julia had told him. ‘One minute it’s all Gothic arches and the next you’re looking out of delicate sash windows.’ What a place to grow up, Harry had suggested. Of course it was, but now that her father had remarried and started another family, she no longer felt it was her home. ‘But I love that place more than anywhere in the world,’ she’d sighed wistfully.

      ‘I’ll show you the folly when we get there,’ said Julia as they turned off towards Oxford.

      ‘There’s a folly?’ said Harry incredulously. ‘You never said anything about a folly.’

      ‘Didn’t I? I’m sure I must have done.’

      ‘Believe me, I wouldn’t have forgotten.’

      ‘I suppose it’s more of an obelisk really. Quite pointless, but rather fun. I told you the owner back then was mad.’

      ‘How brilliant. I can’t wait,’ Harry grinned.

      ‘Daddy’ll know who the designer was. Quite famous in his day, I think.’

      ‘You know, I just feel certain I’m going to love this place.’

      ‘I think it is rather up your street. You’ll have to incorporate bits of it into one of your murals.’

      Julia had always shown a great interest in his work, which he appreciated. ‘You’re creative, I just push figures about,’ She’d once said. Harry had pointed out that at least she made lots of money doing that. ‘Doesn’t make it very stimulating though,’ she’d countered. He remembered playing a game once in the pub with some friends, including Ben and Flin. You had to pick someone else and say what they did during a normal working day. Everyone got it hilariously wrong. They simply didn’t have a clue. Recounting amusing incidents at the office, or talking about plans to become the biggest entrepreneur since Richard Branson, or boasting how their company car was due to be upgraded, were regular features of the banter Harry enjoyed with his friends; but no one actually discussed what they did to earn the BMW upgrade, because, in truth, no one else cared. Harry didn’t really know how Julia spent her day either.

      As they turned into the drive, Harry saw her visibly tensing up. He’d seen the effect a broken family had had on Ben, but until now had never known how wounded Julia had been by her parents’ divorce. It made him realize just how lucky he was to have a family he adored, and parents he could still greatly depend on. Now that both had retired, they led even more active lives, always keen to try something new, whether it be travel, food, drink or anything for that matter. His parents had given him a wonderful upbringing and even now, in his thirtieth year and long gone from the nest, he still felt as close to them as he always had. He knew his was an exceptional