Learning to Dance Read Online Free

thought they would come back home, but they loved it in Perth. So life gradually shook into a new pattern; the good days were when Eunice managed to come and sit with them in the conservatory and look at the garden. Jack had always worked from home with forays to London to discuss his work. They were a tight-knit trio. Stupidly, Judith thought it would never change.
    For some reason, Jack worried about her and could only explain it by saying she had ‘nothing for herself’. At his suggestion she took up her painting again and he refurbished one of the bedrooms, filled it with artists’ materials – even an easel – and called it ‘Jude’s stude’.
    And now … Now he had left her.

Two
    There were six other people on the minibus: two married couples, a single man, and another single woman. The man was courtly; no other word would do. He was taller than Judith, but that was because she was so short. He was much shorter than the other woman. She was probably only just under six feet. She reminded Judith of Naomi. She followed Judith to the back of the coach and asked if she could sit with her. Judith smiled and nodded gratefully. It was immediately established that neither of them was the odd one out.
    The man took the seat in front of them and watched while the couples chose where they were going to sit and struggled out of their topcoats. The weather called for topcoats; it might be September, but the seasonal mist that morning was damp and cold.
    The man leaned over the back of the seat. ‘I expect we’ll all be introduced in a moment, but may I say what a pleasure it would be if you two ladies would look on me as your escort during this holiday?’ He smiled benevolently. Both women stared up at him. He said, ‘I am Nathaniel Jones, and Robert Hausmann was my neighbour in Cardiff when I was a boy. I’ve never kept in touch, but as my own work is to do withprinting, I thought I would look him up.’ He paused, then widened the smile.
    Judith glanced at her neighbour, and seeing a kind of numbness there, said quickly, ‘I’m Judith Freeman. I don’t know anything about the artist, but he does landscapes and I used to … when I was a student … myself …’
    Her voice petered out, and luckily the other woman carried on almost seamlessly. ‘I’m Sybil Jessup. I used to be a painter, too. I know Hausmann’s work. That’s all.’ She looked embarrassed. ‘I think, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to be on my own, but if the occasion arises …’ She petered out, too.
    Another man leaned out of his seat. ‘We’re the Olsens. Margaret and Sven.’ He shook hands all round. ‘And these are our friends. We stay with them every year. Jennifer and Stanley Markham.’ All six of them smiled, nodded, murmured things. Judith felt grateful that Sybil had said nothing about her personal history; she had no wish to tell everyone she was waiting for her divorce papers to come through and this long weekend would help the time to pass. She turned and smiled at the Markhams.
    The woman, Jennifer Markham, said, ‘Margaret and I are school friends, we go back nearly thirty years.’
    Margaret Olsen pushed up a sleeve and thrust her arm into the aisle. ‘That scar – you can only just see it now – is where we became blood sisters at the age of ten.’
    The driver loomed behind Nathaniel Jones.
    ‘Doing my job for me? Excellent! Excellent! You all know that I am Martin Morris – also from Cardiff, Mr Jones. I, too, am acquainted with Robert Hausmann and have done this trip several times. I’m sure you will enjoy the exhibition as well as the glorious countryside around.’ He flapped open a folded sheet of paper. ‘You all have copies of the itinerary,so I need not go through it too thoroughly. Our first port of call will be Taunton – a convenience stop, but time enough for coffee if you wish. And then we wind through the villages of the Blackdown hills, taking in Dunster and its castle, Blue Anchor, Minehead