The Last Letter from Your Lover

value. All I do – my company, I mean – is mine it and mould it into a variety of uses.’
    ‘You put out fires.’
    ‘Yes.’ He looked thoughtfully at his hands. ‘Or I make sure they don’t start in the first place.’ In the brief silence that followed, an atmosphere fell over the table. He glanced at Jennifer, then away.
    ‘So where’s the big money, old chap? Not flameproof tablecloths.’
    ‘Car parts.’ He sat back in his chair, and the room seemed to relax with him. ‘They say that within ten years most households in Britain will have a car. That’s an awful lot of brake linings. And we’re in talks with the railways and the airlines. But the uses of white asbestos are pretty limitless. We’ve branched out into guttering, farm buildings, sheeting, insulation. Soon it’ll be everywhere.’
    ‘The wonder mineral indeed.’
    He was at ease as he discussed his business with his friends in a way that he had not been when the two of them were alone, Jennifer thought. It must have been strange for him, too, to have her so badly injured, and even now not quite herself. She thought of Yvonne’s description of her that afternoon: gorgeous, poised, minxy . Was he missing that woman? Perhaps conscious that she was watching him, he turned his head and caught her eye. She smiled and, after a moment, he smiled back.
    ‘I saw that. C’mon, Larry. You’re not allowed to moon at your wife.’ Bill began to refill their glasses.
    ‘He certainly is allowed to moon at his wife,’ Francis protested, ‘after everything that happened to her. How are you feeling now, Jenny? You look wonderful.’
    ‘I’m fine. Thank you.’
    ‘I should think she’s doing terribly well holding a dinner party not – what? – not a week after getting out of hospital.’
    ‘If Jenny wasn’t giving a dinner party I should think there was something terribly wrong – and not just with her but the whole damned world.’ Bill took a long swig of his wine.
    ‘Awful business. It’s lovely to see you looking like your old self.’
    ‘We were terribly worried. I hope you got my flowers,’ Anne put in.
    Dominic laid his napkin on the table. ‘Do you remember anything about the accident itself, Jenny?’
    ‘She’d probably prefer not to dwell on it, if you don’t mind.’ Laurence stood up to fetch another bottle of wine from the sideboard.
    ‘Of course not.’ Dominic lifted a hand in apology. ‘Thoughtless of me.’
    Jennifer began to collect the plates. ‘I’m fine. Really. It’s just that there isn’t much I could tell you. I don’t remember very much at all.’
    ‘Just as well,’ Dominic observed.
    Yvonne was lighting a cigarette. ‘Well, the sooner you’re responsible for everyone’s brake linings, Larry darling, the safer we’ll all be.’
    ‘And the richer he’ll be.’ Francis laughed.
    ‘Oh, Francis darling, must we really bring every single conversation back to money?’
    ‘Yes,’ he and Bill answered in unison.
    Jennifer heard them laughing as she picked up the pile of dirty china and headed towards the kitchen.
    ‘Well, that went well, didn’t it?’
    She was seated at her dressing-table, carefully removing her earrings. She saw his reflection in the mirror as he came into the bedroom, loosening his tie. He kicked off his shoes and went into the bathroom, leaving the door open. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I think it did.’
    ‘The food was wonderful.’
    ‘Oh, I can’t take any credit for that,’ she said. ‘Mrs Cordoza organised it all.’
    ‘But you planned the menu.’
    It was easier not to disagree with him. She placed the earrings carefully inside their box. She could hear the wash-basin filling with water. ‘I’m glad you liked it.’ She stood up and wrestled herself out of her dress, hung it up and began to peel off her stockings.
    She had removed one when she looked up to see him standing in the doorway. He was gazing at her legs. ‘You looked very beautiful tonight,’ he said quietly.
    She blinked hard, rolling off the second stocking. She reached behind her to undo her girdle, now acutely self-conscious. Her left arm was still useless – too weak to reach round to her back. She kept her head down, hearing him towards her. He was bare-chested now, but still in his suit trousers. He stood behind her, moved her hands away and took over. He was so close that she could feel his breath on her back as he parted each hook from its eye.
    ‘Very beautiful,’ he repeated.
    She