Chapter Thirty-Seven

‘Now, Douglas, if you can store the marinating meats in a cool place, Nathalie, you look after the salad stuff and I’ll keep all the fillings for the canapes, then we should be all right.’

Barry, who had flown back earlier that day without Sheila, had convened a pre-party meeting to ensure its smooth-running and secrecy.

‘The idea is that Anna should have nothing out of the ordinary in her kitchen. Now we’re going to need extra cutlery, so Douglas, Ginnie and Nathalie, if you could provide four knives, forks and spoons each that would be marvellous.’

He had before him a long list of items requiring discussion, and had urged the meeting’s participants to make notes.

‘The cake,’ Anna reminded him. ‘Someone needs to hide the cake.’

‘Ah yes, now that was coming up later on my agenda - ‘

‘What time are you planning on having it?’ Ginnie asked.

‘Late that afternoon, around five?’ Anna told her.

‘In that case, I’ll store it for you,’ Ginnie volunteered. ‘Only I’ll be at the Tiggles party at lunch time. I should be back by then, but if it’s a problem, I can always give you a spare key. Where’s it coming from, anyway?’

‘That patisserie by the post office,’ Anna told her. ‘Someone recommended it to me ages ago.’

‘Yes, I know that one, I’ve had one of their tarts in the past. Though I’ve heard that the best cakes come from the one near the garage on the corner, d’you know where I mean, just off Ikarou Street - ‘

Barry shot her a withering look. ‘Ladies, if you don’t mind, we have an agenda here and I don’t want to take up too much of anyone’s time, parakalo. But yes, Ginnie, if you could store that we would be very grateful.’ He turned to continue but Ginnie started again.

‘Would you like me to pick it up first thing that morning?’

‘Would you?’ Anna asked. ‘Only I’ve got guests arriving and I really should be here for them.’

‘No problem, it’s in your name, is it?’

‘Ladies, perhaps you could have this conversation another time?’ Barry cut in sharply. ‘I don’t mean to be rude, but there are others present and we’ve got a lot to get through.’ Anna and Ginnie looked suitably chastened. ‘Now, chairs,’ Barry continued, going through his list. ‘Who has any outdoor chairs they could provide?’ Douglas and Nathalie held up their hands. ‘Good, so if you could bring those out but only after Richard has left for the office, mind, at around eight a.m. Is that clear? I’ll be setting up the trestle table around then, though Douglas, I might need your help.’

‘At eight I’ll be cycling, so it’ll have to be later.’

Barry looked flustered. Setting the table was key to his plans; one of the jobs which could be accomplished well ahead of time, rather than stuffing canapes too early and watching them go soggy. ‘Couldn’t you forgo that just this once?’ ‘

‘Ten,’ Douglas said with a sharpness Barry couldn’t match.

An irritated Barry made a note on his paper. ‘Now, if everyone could fill your ice trays up so that we have as much ice as possible for wine coolers and the like? Anna’s going to fill number two’s bath with cold water and store all the beer in there.’ He turned to his paper. ‘Next on the agenda is wine and champagne storage. Nathalie, we’ll open the champagne when Richard emerges from number eight, changed and ready for a swim, around one-thirty. Would you be able to store it in your fridge?’

‘Yes, I’m only storing salad so far, so that should be fine.’

‘Excellent. Now that just leaves the final rundown and checklist. Are you all with me? Oh eight hundred hours, Richard leaves for office. Oh eight-thirty hours, I marinade the meat. Take it round to Douglas - ‘ he tutted as he remembered his neighbour’s cycling. ‘At ten hundred hours. Set up trestle table at ten fifteen hours.’ He looked sharply at Douglas. ‘Richard returns from office, thirteen hundred hours, and will go upstairs to change for a swim.’

‘He’ll have seen the table then, won’t he?’ Ginnie interjected. ‘On his way home. He’ll have already seen the table.’

Barry’s forehead started to sweat. He stared at his carefully typed pages in disbelief. How could he have failed to spot that? ‘Thank you, Ginnie,’ he said as magnanimously as he was able. ‘You’re absolutely right. That does change things, rather. Douglas. Thirteen hundred hours sharp, the minute Richard goes upstairs, we set up the trestle table.’

‘Right.’ Douglas saluted.

‘Do we need a practise run?’ Barry wondered aloud. ‘It can be a bit awkward you know.’

‘I can make sure Richard stays inside until you’re ready,’ Anna suggested.

‘Can you make it seem natural, though?’ Barry asked.

‘Yes, I - ‘ Anna started to blush. ‘I think that would be possible. As long as mummy doesn’t get in the way,’ she added doubtfully. Then, ‘I know!’ she exclaimed delightedly. ‘Richard buys the paper on his way to the office, so when he gets home he’ll just hand her the sports pages. That way she’ll happily sit by the pool without disturbing us.’

‘Perhaps your mother can give you some sort of signal when they’ve got the table ready?’ Ginnie suggested.

‘She can call up from downstairs, asking whether we’re ready for lunch,’ Anna decided. ‘I’ll go through it with her later.’

‘So then at approximately thirteen-thirty hours Richard descends to a fully set table and his neighbours all relaxing by the pool, and then your visitors spring out from number two and give him the surprise of his life.’ Barry concluded happily.

‘Then we have lunch,’ Anna resumed quickly, ‘followed by cake at around five, depending on when Ginnie gets back.’

‘But I’ll give you the keys if you prefer.’

‘Thank you ladies.’ Barry cut them off. ‘Now, to resume, we’d better go through the check list...’

Douglas’s eyes started glazing over. The others shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Anna looked at her watch. Ginnie thought about the finishing touches she needed to make to her dress, and imagined Demetrius’s hands slowly unzipping it at the back, while sensuously kissing her neck. Nathalie thought about the other morning with Anna and Richard, and how none of them had spoken much since. Anna worried that her mother was getting bored and impatient, while Douglas imagined Nathalie straddling his cock, his hands firmly grasping her small waist.

But on Barry went, oblivious to their desires and dreams.