The smile was the last straw. Lara was suddenly too furious to be afraid. ‘Mick thinks it has something to do with you because you were asking him what was going on at Ladybank Row.’
‘Just showing a little professional interest.’
‘And I think it has something to do with you because I know someone was in the houses a few days before all this happened. Someone who shouldn’t have been there.’
From the slight stiffening in Ed’s demeanour she felt she was on the right track. ‘You got a key from somewhere, didn’t you? And you or someone on your behalf was scouting round the houses. You threatened me and I’ll find out how you got that key and then I’ll have some real evidence for the police.’
‘Now, now, why would we want to involve the police?’
‘Don’t you realise the trouble you’ve caused us? I could get the police in right now. We’re facing a massive fine. Or should I say you are? And what about our reputation?’
‘You don’t have a reputation,’ he said with a smirk. ‘Not any more.’
‘And nor will you, if this gets out.’ Lara stood her ground, even when he jutted his chin out threateningly. ‘You can’t do this,’ she said. ‘I won’t let you get away with it.’
‘Going to set Mick and my little brother Steve on to me? Now that I’d like to see.’
‘We don’t need to use force against you. We’ve got brains. I know everyone who has had access to keys. I’ll check them all out and when one of them leads back to you then I’ll contact the police. Is that what you want?’
‘I think you’re making a bit too many assumptions there.’ Ed’s tone was still belligerent but his expression was shifty and Lara felt more than ever she was on to something. She wracked her brains. She and Alex both had keys. Ryan O’Donnell hadn’t been given one but it was possible he could have got hold of one of theirs. She hoped not, for Mick’s sake. And then there was Gary Glover. Lara trusted him, but that didn’t mean she trusted his employees. Yes, that might be the place to start.
‘I think I might go and have a little chat with Gary Glover,’ she said. ‘See which of his men have been working on site and what they might be able to tell us.’
‘Now, now, you don’t need to do that,’ said Ed. Bingo. This was it. ‘You don’t want to be too hasty. It might all have been an, er, a little misunderstanding, mightn’t it?’
‘You’re evil,’ said Lara, staring at him. She hadn’t really expected him to admit it. ‘You set us up. How could you?’
‘I’m not saying I did, but why don’t you let me have a word with one or two people, see if I can sort things out for you? Wouldn’t want any bad feeling, would we? You are a friend of my brother’s, after all.’
Lara hesitated. Ed deserved to be dragged through the courts, but if he could put things right for them, quickly, without that, maybe it was for the best?
‘I’ll give you twenty-four hours,’ she said, in what she hoped was an intimidating tone.
When she got back to Mick’s house she found she was shaking. She couldn’t believe what she had just done, and nor could the others.
‘You went there on your own?’ demanded Mick.
‘You were really brave,’ said Alex.
‘Why didn’t you wait for me?’ asked Mick. ‘It was my fault all this happened. I should have been there to sort it out.’
‘It wasn’t your fault. It was Ed’s fault. And why shouldn’t I go on my own? Don’t you think I’m capable?’
Mick opened his mouth and then closed it again. He clearly did think she was useless. Well, she had shown them. Lara felt more proud of herself than she had in months. It was a very good feeling.
Nobody was quite sure what Ed McAnulty did to resolve things, but they had permission to resume work on Ladybank Row by the end of that week. One good thing had come of that long delay: Lara had been able to line up no end of people to start work immediately permission was given. From the following Monday they had workmen in the house every day, checking the plumbing and replacing the electrics, in addition to Gary Glover’s men doing the roof. Life was back on track.
Mick was delighted that the girls could get on with work at Ladybank Row, but he still cursed himself for having caused this problem for them. He and Lara had been getting on so well, he’d felt they were moving easily from ‘good friends’ to something more. But now she was back to being wary of him, and he couldn’t really blame her.
And the last couple of weeks of the school term were always hectic. They were both so busy they were hardly home. He’d take things easily for the next little while, hope that now things were on an even keel it would all work out.
Chapter Twenty
Lara frowned at the knock on the front door. She was just about to leave for Ladybank Row and wasn’t expecting anyone. Mick was out and Alex had disappeared off on her own, as she had taken to doing surprisingly often these days. With a sigh, Lara went to open the door.
‘Mum!’ This was the very last person she expected to see here in Loreburn. Her mother should still be in Dubai!
‘Hello darling.’ Her mother, beautifully groomed as always, leant in to kiss her cheek. ‘How are you?’
‘Is everything all right? Why are you here?’ Lara couldn’t get her head around this sudden arrival. Her mother never did anything unexpected.
‘Everything is fine. We were all packed up and ready to leave Dubai, so I thought why didn’t I come over early and spend a little time with you?’ She smiled, but Lara thought she saw a hint of nervousness.
She was about to say, But why? then she changed it to, ‘Gosh.’ She took a breath. ‘Goodness. Well. Would you like to come in?’
‘I’d love to. I’ll just need a moment to pay off the taxi. I asked him to wait in case you weren’t in. I wasn’t sure …’
Lara could think of all manner of things her mother wouldn’t be sure about. How had this happened, her mother arriving unannounced on her doorstep? She was stunned.
All the same, she couldn’t help smiling. She slipped on some sandals and went out to help her mother with her luggage.
‘Of course, I’m not expecting to stay here with you, you won’t have room. Perhaps you can recommend a nice hotel and take me over there in a little while? I don’t want to be in your way.’
‘I’m sure we can sort something out. Come on in.’ Lara led the way into the narrow hall. ‘That’s the sitting room, this is the kitchen. Shall we have a cup of tea – or would you prefer coffee?’ Lara was aware she was now chattering too much because she was nervous. She knew her mother would be thinking how scruffy, not to mention untidy, the house was. At least her father wasn’t here to see it, he would have been truly appalled. ‘There’s not much to see here,’ she said, gesturing vaguely with her hand.
‘It’s, er, very nice and compact,’ said her mother diplomatically.
When Lara had made the tea and carried the tray through to the sitting room, her mother said more warmly, ‘Now, this is nice. Lovely colours.’
Lara was surprised and pleased. Her throws and pretty cushions had transformed the room into quite a haven, but her parents’ houses were always so pale and tasteful, she hadn’t expected approval.
They chatted a little about the weather, and her mother’s journey. Then Lara asked the question she had wanted to ask since her mother’s appearance.
‘Mum, why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I could have met you at the station, or even at the airport. I could have made sure there was a room booked in a hotel.’
Her mother touched her neat, short hair nervously. ‘I wasn’t sure you would want to see me,’ she said, in little more than a whisper.
‘But of course …’ Lara began to protest, and then tailed off. She remembered how hurt she had been when she left Dubai. How their disapproval had rankled. She wasn’t sure how she would have felt if her father had turned up unannounced, but her mother was different. Especially when she had taken the risk of making this visit. ‘Of course I want to se
e you,’ she said, the words choking in her throat. ‘How could you think otherwise?’
‘I’m so glad,’ said her mother, smiling properly for the first time. ‘We can have such fun. I’ll stay for a week if you can put up with me that long. I won’t get in your way, I know you have to work. But it would mean so much to me to meet your friends, see something of your life.’
‘That’ll be lovely,’ said Lara. She found she hoped it would be.
Lara found it was actually OK having her mother around. She didn’t remember Elizabeth ever being so light-hearted, but maybe that was because her father wasn’t there. He was always so serious. Now they could giggle together over Alex’s little accident with the wheelbarrow, spend ages wandering around the supermarket debating what to cook for supper, or sit out in Mick’s tidied-up garden and chatter over a glass of white wine.
It was almost the end of the school year and Lara could feel herself relaxing. Having her mother here just made it seem all the more like a holiday.
The only downside was that Mick wanted to join in, and Lara thought it would be best if she kept him and Elizabeth apart. Why would he want to get to know her family? She felt he’d been a bit cool towards her recently, which was only what she’d expected. He’d be moving on to his next enthusiasm. She tried to show that she didn’t expect him to spend time with them, and that she wasn’t hurt at all.
Her mother announced her intention of taking Lara and Alex out for a meal on the next to last evening. Lara was pleased Alex and her mum were getting on, they had never seemed to take to each other before, and was delighted when Alex accepted the invitation. Mrs Mason had opted for the restaurant in the rather smart hotel where she was saying, and both girls were eager to try it. It had a good reputation but was outside their normal price bracket.
‘I was wondering if I should invite your landlord, too,’ she said, as she and the two girls sat in the garden in the late evening sunshine.
For a moment Lara couldn’t think who her mother meant. She rarely thought of Mick as her ‘landlord’. ‘I’m sure that’s not necessary …’
‘He has been very helpful. Even offering to move out of his own room to let me stay here, which was out of the question of course, but a nice thought.’ She lowered her voice. ‘And although he looks rather young, he’s quite sensible underneath it all, isn’t he?’
‘He’s great,’ said Alex, to Lara’s astonishment. ‘He’s one of the world’s good guys. Did I tell you he has persuaded Ryan to come back and work for us? Poor boy, he got quite a fright when that inspector came round, but he’s back on the job today and proving very useful. Mick says it’ll do him good, too, keep him out of trouble.’
‘Was that the disreputable young man I saw filling the skip?’ said Lara’s mother, sounding less enthusiastic. ‘I’m glad you found him useful. I have to say, I couldn’t understand a word he said.’ Lara hoped the mention of Ryan might have made her mother cool towards the idea of inviting Mick to join them for a meal, but it wasn’t to be. When he returned after his Friday evening football practice she immediately invited him along and he accepted. Probably he was just being polite.
Perhaps this would be for the best? Her mum was trying to lighten up a little, but she was still way more serious and sensible than anyone Mick normally mixed with. And then he would realise … But Lara gave up on that thought, because she was no longer sure what it was Mick needed to realise.
Mick made an effort with his appearance for the meal. He didn’t usually take much trouble over his clothes, but if he needed to be smart he could be. Alex had also made an effort and Lara realised with a jolt that her friend must have been serious about her desire to lose weight. She certainly looked different, not thin exactly but pretty in the soft floaty dress and with her long hair pinned up.
Lara felt as though she was the one who hadn’t taken enough trouble. She was wearing a sleeveless linen dress she had worn more than once before and there wasn’t much she could do with her short hair. She shrugged at her own concern. What was she worrying about? It was just a meal with family and friends, nothing special.
The restaurant was very different to the one she had visited with Mick. Here everything was traditional, waiters clad in black and white and tables set with an intimidating array of cutlery and glasses.
‘This is posh,’ said Alex with a nervous giggle.
‘It’s meant to be,’ said Mick, seeming as at ease here as on the playing fields. ‘It’s always had the reputation as the smart place in Loreburn. The prices certainly make sure the riff raff don’t flood through the doors.’
‘Have you been here before?’ asked Lara, surprised.
‘A couple of times. Once for my parents’ silver wedding anniversary and once for some other occasion, I forget what.’
As they took their seats at the table, Lara’s mother began to ask Mick about his family and Lara was surprised when she saw how well the two of them were getting on. Mick was a little flippant as usual, but his love for his family was clear and Elizabeth seemed to be lapping it up.
‘Did you ever come here with Nana Edna?’ Lara asked Alex, hoping to change the subject.
Alex shook her head slowly. ‘No, Nana didn’t like eating out. Don’t you remember how she liked things the traditional way, a proper tea at five in the afternoon, with the teapot in its cosy on the table?’ She smiled gently as she remembered, for once not looking pained by her loss.
Lara smiled too. She remembered one of her last visits to Nana Edna’s, when she and Alex were already working and had taken along a bottle of wine as they would have done to friends. Alex’s gran hadn’t quite known what to do with it, and compromised by serving cups of tea and glasses of wine simultaneously with the late afternoon meal. It had made for a very odd mixture.
‘Nana Edna was great,’ she said.
‘She sounds lovely,’ agreed Elizabeth. ‘We were very grateful to her for inviting Lara for holidays when she couldn’t make it back to the Middle East.’
‘We loved having her,’ said Alex easily. ‘Although Nana always thought it was such a shame for you, to see so little of her.’
Lara cringed. That was not the right thing to say to her mother. Despite the effort Elizabeth was making now, Lara didn’t believe either of her parents had really regretted not seeing her during those holidays. If they had, they could have come over to the UK, couldn’t they?
‘We’re going to make up for that now,’ said her mother, smiling tremulously. ‘Devon isn’t as close as I’d like but it’ll be much easier than visiting from Dubai. And once Derek has retired he’ll have time on his hands, I’m sure he’ll be happy to explore Scotland.’
Lara made a doubtful noise, but didn’t actually disagree.
‘I’ve never been to Devon,’ said Mick, seemingly unaware of her tension. ‘Ridiculous, isn’t it, when it’s relatively close? Our holidays always seemed to be elsewhere in Scotland or, if we wanted sun, in Spain.’
‘You’ll have to come and visit us once we’ve settled in,’ said Elizabeth. ‘We’ll get Lara to bring you down.’
Lara stared at her mother. The worst thing was, she actually seemed to mean it.
It was during their second course that Lara started to notice what Alex was eating. She had had a tiny prawn starter for her first course, and was now eating grilled trout and salad. No chips. No bread rolls. ‘You don’t think you’re taking this dieting thing too seriously, do you?’ she said, beginning to be alarmed. This was so unlike Alex, who loved her food. Lara realised that for the last few weeks Alex had rarely eaten with her, always having some reason to be away at meal times.
Alex blushed as the others turned to look at her. ‘I’m fine.’
‘Losing some weight isn’t a bad thing, but you don’t want to take it too far,’ said Lara.
‘I won’t take it too far. I’m following something called Diane’s Diet Plan.’
‘Who on earth is Diane?’
‘I’ve heard about that,’ sai
d Mick. ‘One of the female PE teachers is doing it. Don’t you have to attend group sessions and all sorts of things?’
Alex blushed even more. ‘That’s right. I saw it advertised in the paper and I thought – why not? I didn’t think I’d manage to stick to it on my own but the group are really nice.’
Lara shook her head in amazement. So that was where Alex had been going when she disappeared on her own. ‘Why didn’t you say?’
Alex shrugged and said softly, ‘I was worried I might not stick to it and you would be disappointed in me …’
‘Oh Alex.’ Lara leaned across to hug her, quite overwhelmed. ‘How could you think that? I could never be disappointed in you.’
‘You do set very high standards, Lara,’ said her mother, considering her with her head on one side. ‘You probably don’t realise it, but you do. You’re very like your father.’
Lara looked at her in horror. She was not a work-obsessed perfectionist.
‘That’s why everything you do, you do so well,’ said Mick, as though this was something to be cheerful about. ‘It’s that serious level of application you have. I don’t know anyone as serious as you.’
‘Rubbish,’ said Lara, looking desperately to Alex for support.
‘It’s true,’ said Alex gently. ‘Sometimes it’s hard to live up to your standards. But look where it gets you. Ladybank Row is going to be brilliant.’
‘And one of these days, you’ll probably end up as head of department,’ added Mick, not sounding quite so cheerful.
‘Oh, darling, that would be wonderful,’ said her mother.
Lara took a sip of wine that she had trouble swallowing, and determinedly changed the subject. They were quite wrong, but it didn’t seem she was going to be able to change their opinions.
On her mother’s last day, for once Lara left school immediately after the final lesson, so that they could spend the time together. She went home to change into something less smart and then headed over to Ladybank Row.
Elizabeth had said she wanted to pop in there for one last look, and Lara was never averse to seeing what the latest progress was. What she hadn’t expected to find was her mother in (for her) casual clothes tackling the dreaded wrought iron gate. She was rather pink in the face, but looked up with a smile when she saw Lara.
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