Read The Doll’s House for Free Online

Harry checked up, Madge had said brightly, ‘We’re just in the middle of a rubber – Peggy’ll call you back.’ Harry knew what she was doing and it wasn’t playing cards. And Peggy knew that he saw through the lie. She went pink.
    â€˜Why didn’t you say anything? Where’re you going?’
    The paper was folded and put down.
    â€˜To Suffolk,’ Harry answered. ‘I’ve heard of a job.’
    Now the pink had turned to an angry red.
    â€˜Suffolk? What sort of a job? Why do you never tell me anything? I’m not moving to bloody Suffolk.’
    â€˜I haven’t asked you to,’ he remarked. ‘Don’t start shouting, Peggy. My cousin Liz told me about it. It sounded rather interesting.’
    Cousin Liz; she bristled, remembering the snobbish cow in the big house who’d looked down her nose at her when they were introduced. His family had made her feel small, she thought bitterly, measuring her up against the first wife, putting their noses in the air.
    â€˜Well, that’s nice for you,’ she said. ‘Never mind about me. What sort of a job?’
    She was on the defensive, hating to ask, but the money was important … the pension was a joke and she didn’t even know how much redundancy he’d got.
    â€˜Catering,’ he answered. ‘There’s a job in a local hotel. I’m going up to see it and stay with Liz and Peter. I knew you wouldn’t want to come.’
    â€˜Stay with your stuck-up bloody relatives? No thank you! What do you know about hotels? It sounds a waste of time. If you want to go on a jaunt, why don’t you say so? Catering!’ she sneered, reaching for the coffee pot.
    â€˜If I take it,’ he ignored the jibe, ‘it wouldn’t suit you to move, would it?’
    She snapped back, ‘No, too right it wouldn’t,’ and then felt he’d tricked her into saying it. ‘Why don’t you look for something round here? Go down to the Job Centre, do something instead of sitting round all day? Oh God, Suffolk, I ask you!’
    She pushed her chair back. She didn’t want the coffee, she didn’t want to sit there trying to pierce the armour-plating. She couldn’t rile him, or hurt him.
    She stood by the table and said suddenly, ‘Why did you marry me?’
    He was looking at her and he shook his head. ‘I honestly don’t know. Look, I’m going in about ten minutes. Nothing may come of it, so don’t work yourself up. I’ll let you know when I’m coming back. I don’t want to muck up your social engagements.’
    He left the kitchen.
    â€˜You shit,’ she said under her breath and started stacking the dirty breakfast china. Her eyes had filled with tears. I’ll ring Dave the minute he’s gone, she told herself. We’ll go out somewhere and have a meal and come back here … ‘The shit,’ she whispered again, and wiped her eyes.
    He packed lightly; how often he’d chucked a few things in a bag and flown off, or gone with nothing but what was on his back … under the wire, over the Wall … now he was making the trip for himself. He left the house without seeing his wife. She’d be on the phone to the lover before he was halfway down the road. It was a lovely day and he whistled as he drove to Heathrow. It was going to work out. He was confident, excited. Jan had called him the day before. It was all set. Geneva was the meeting place. He had booked on the eleven o’clock flight. For a moment his thoughts turned to the sordid squabble in the kitchen. She’d fallen into the trap so easily. She wouldn’t move to Suffolk. She’d said so, and there’d be no change of mind when he put the terms in front of her. He would be generous. She could have the house and the rest of his savings. He didn’t feel mean towards her, just a huge, wearying indifference, with the faintest tinge of