by Ruth Hay
My present concern, if only you knew, is my incipient heart attack from this exciting news, Wesley!
She took three deep breaths and calmed her heart before repeating the entire message to make sure she had heard it correctly.
Zoe and Wesley were to be married!
Everyone would be there.
It was all arranged already.
Zoe would be leaving on honeymoon on Thursday.
She must keep the secret.
This last item was going to be extremely difficult for her. It had been a very long time since Wesley became a significant part of Zoe’s life. There had been much speculation about whether or not they were a couple, then whether they would ever marry, and finally, if so, where and when? Now all these burning questions had an answer and Valerie Westwood was the keeper of the secret until Zoe Morton chose to reveal it.
She did a quick calculation to see how many hours had to expire before she could expect Zoe to arrive.
There was the rest of the evening, then most of Sunday, and even after that there was no telling how many more hours before Zoe would make the news public. But, she thought, that had to be before Wednesday, surely? Her fingers were already itching to pick up the phone and spread the great news.
How was she going to survive?
Valerie went to heat up her rapidly-cooling bath with the intention of calming herself down while she soaked in scented water.
There was a great deal to think about and the list was growing each minute.
Sunday.
By Sunday morning, Valerie had recovered some equilibrium by dint of filling her mind with other things than the incipient wedding.
This did not last long, however. The problem of what to wear to a wedding in an elegant hotel, soon presented itself. Darn that Wesley! A man would never think of this complication.
She went straight to her closet and examined the outfits hanging there. Not much to choose from. Most of the clothing was casual. It was likely Sandra and Corinne would be in the same predicament and she could not even warn them about it ahead of time. She cast her mind around the shopping opportunities available in the Lake District. As before, the shops were definitely sports oriented. She doubted there was as much as a skirt to be found in Ambleside although she would make it her business to look as soon as possible.
Could three grown women appear in decent pants, flat shoes, and a nice sweater to a reception event with other, unnamed guests who, undoubtedly, had prior warning?
No, this was not possible. Something had to be done, and fast.
Thus inspired with a mission and a purpose, Valerie Westwood sprang into action. She estimated she had five, maybe six, hours before the first of her friends would arrive. She grabbed her purse and checked to see her credit card was there. She found her most comfortable shoes and changed into her best underwear for trying on clothes, if she actually found anything suitable. She then considered if it was worthwhile to take her rented car out to town for her first foray and quickly discarded the idea. It would take too long to park and walk back to the stores. It was the steep lane or nothing.
There was one store in town with a summer sale that looked promising initially, until she figured out the goods were rejects and cheaply made at that. She made a quick exit and toiled up the lane again thinking with each step what other options were available to her.
Without wasting any time, she got into her car and carefully manoeuvred it down the slope on the other side of the road and onto the exit toward Windermere. She held not a lot of hope as the larger town was still very much a tourist centre and tourists were not interested in buying fancy clothing as souvenirs, but it was worth a few minutes to drive around the one-way system of streets and see if there was any shop worth stopping for. She had not calculated on the weekend traffic. The drive around took close to an hour in very slow progress. It seemed everyone in the entire area had decided to do the same thing. What was even more frustrating, there was nothing approaching a women’s dress shop to be seen.
By the time she made it back to the main road she had decided to head to Kendal. It was a twenty minute drive but a larger town with the shopping centre mall. There was no time to go any further. If she had been given more warning she would have taken a train into Glasgow and solved the problem there.
As she drove on the fast winding road downhill from Windermere, Valerie could hear her husband’s voice repeating in her head.
Take it easy, Val. Don’t take any risks, it’s never worth that. Keep your eyes open.
She consciously took the advice and brought all her concentration to bear on the busy road. Once past the roundabout and heading into Kendal she relaxed fractionally. There must be something here. There just must be!
Another hour was consumed by pushing through Sunday strollers and searching side streets for hidden treasures. There had been one or two slightly useful stores in the mall which was geared to young shoppers, but she needed to see if there was a better choice elsewhere.
The day was warming up and Valerie was warming up along with the temperature. She finally made her way back to the mall to revisit the possibilities there and was distracted by the outdoor tables on the sidewalk at a Costa restaurant. Suddenly she was hungry and thirsty. She had skipped breakfast and her energy level was seriously depleted, not to mention her level of optimism. A short break might help improve both conditions. Restored by hot coffee and something cool to drink with a sweet, sugary pastry, Valerie had a brainwave. Her outdoor table was opposite the short street leading to the large Marks & Spencer store.
A recent publicity campaign in the Sunday newspaper magazines had announced their acquisition of a new Italian designer. His ‘creations’ were said to be ‘something for the discerning woman’ and the models chosen for the advertising photos were famous actresses, none of whom was under fifty or sixty in age. Some were even older, which she found remarkable.
She had not thought to look at M&S for dressy clothes but this new designer might be the answer she was looking for. Downing the dregs of her coffee, she crossed the road and practically raced up the slight incline, through the parking lot, and into the store where she found the designer section on full view right beside the entrance.
With a deep sigh of relief, she began to inspect the offerings. As ever, it required imagination to translate clothes hanging limply from a plastic hanger into items for a mature figure but she was relieved to see there was a good range of ‘fancy’ dresses. She sought out the displays with either, reproductions of the models featured in the magazine ads, or actual mannequins wearing the clothes. This made it easier to visualize the finished effect. She had a monumental task ahead but at least she had a good place to begin.
When the supervisor saw Valerie heading to the long checkout line with several expensive garments over her arms, she quickly moved from behind the desk and relieved the customer of her burden while directing her to a vacant cash register at the quieter end. She made a brief assessment of the amount this woman was intending to spend, recognized the value in the purchase of the new fashions and ensured this customer would receive the very best service M&S could offer. She chatted away, complimenting her customer’s choices and toting up the sales with efficiency and ease. She enquired politely if gift boxes might be required then double bagged the clothing after carefully wrapping the items in miles of tissue paper. When the financial transaction was completed, she wondered if she could help the lady out to her car at which point Valerie remembered her car was still in the lot belonging to the shopping mall.
“I’d be happy to keep your purchases here for you, Madam, while you retrieve your car.”
Tempting, thought Valerie when she saw the size of the bags she would have to carry but she had no time to waste. She thanked the supervisor, slung her purse over her shoulder and set off back to the mall and down to the parking levels with her purchases.
After the supervisor had assisted her customer to exit the heavy doors of the store she ret
urned to her station. She looked again at the register totals. She smiled a satisfied smile. This purchase would send her weekend targets soaring over the top. She could relax for the rest of the day. Her managers would be impressed. Hopefully, the wealthy woman, whoever she was, did not mean to return her clothing selection within the next week and spoil the result.
Valerie Westwood hummed happily all the way back to Ambleside. She had taken a risk in selecting dresses for her friends. She had a fair idea of their sizes and had hedged her bets somewhat in that respect but she was pleased to have solved the problem. Now she could wait out the hours before she could confide in Zoe and advise her to reveal the surprise wedding in time to allow her guests to prepare. She wondered where Zoe might want to stage this reveal. It was a special event and a special moment in her life.
She had just enough time to stash the new clothes in the living room closet, designed to house the luggage of fifth and six persons using the apartment’s pull-down bed. No one would look there.
She disposed of the M&S bags by stowing them under her bed and had a quick shower to freshen up. She was speculating on whether she had time for something more substantial to eat than pastry, when the hallway doorbell rang and Sandra arrived.
Sandra Halder’s first thought was that she had never seen her old friend Valerie with such high colour in her face. She discreetly peeked to see if Val was wearing more make-up than usual these days but could detect nothing there. The errant thought disappeared in the sheer joy of reuniting with her dear friend.
They fell at once into the old familiarity as if they lived a street apart rather than an ocean. Their words tumbled over each other. It was the same set of perennial questions whenever they met after an absence.
How are you? How are the family doing? What have you been up to? When this set had been properly disposed of, the next question was about how amazing it was that ten whole years had passed and how wonderful it was to be back here in this beautiful place with time to share.
Valerie agreed with it all and fervently wished she could unburden herself by telling Sandy the wedding secret. It was not her secret to tell, however, so she bit her lip and moved on to other topics.
“Did you two plan to arrive in the precise order you did a decade ago?”
“Not a bit of it, Val! I’ve hardly spoken to Corinne in months. In fact, I’m looking forward to hearing all her news. Do you have anything planned for this evening? I hope not. It’s been quite a rush for me to get away and I am looking forward to settling in tonight. We can start the celebration in earnest tomorrow when Zoe arrives. What do you think, Val?”
They were in the bedroom and Sandra was unpacking when it occurred to Valerie that she had next to nothing in the kitchen cupboards. She had tea bags, instant coffee and a small carton of milk but very little else. Grocery shopping had dropped out of her mind when the dress emergency took its place.
“I thought it would be nice to go for a meal in Ambleside. It’s still early closing on Sundays but we could get something at a pub if we are not too late.”
“That’s a splendid idea. When can we expect Corinne to arrive?”
Valerie had no definite timetable for Corinne. She would come by train then taxi, but this time she knew exactly where to go. If no one was on hand to let her into the apartment, she would not be pleased.
Juggling different expectations was beginning to weigh heavily on Valerie. She needed an exit strategy.
“Look, Sandy! Why don’t you go off on your own for a bit and renew acquaintance with the town. Keep your eye open for a decent food choice for us and I’ll stay here and wait for Corinne. Call me if you find a good spot and we’ll join you as soon as Corinne gets settled in.”
Sandra was slightly surprised at this suggestion but she nodded agreeably and soon set off on her own with a key in her pocket. Valerie sat down on a balcony chair and felt as if she had already run a marathon on this, the first full day of her week.
She had drifted into an uneasy slumber when the phone and the doorbell rang a chorus of discord, waking her up. She did not know which to answer first then grabbed the phone in her hand and staggered to the front door.
“Valerie! Here you are! So good to see you back in Old Blighty again. You look well. Who’s here already?”
Corinne had arrived.
Valerie excused herself and spoke into the phone.
“Did you catch that, Sandy?”
“I did indeed. Tell Corinne to get her act in gear and come down the lane. The pub right at the bottom is a swinging place and they tell me the food is great. See you soon. I’m holding a table and I’ve ordered a bottle of wine.”
That was all the encouragement Corinne needed. She tossed her case onto the bed in the second bedroom, washed her hands, fluffed up her hair and she was ready to go.
They made it to last orders and by the time their food was on the table the voluble crowd of weekend drinkers had begun to drift off. A horse-drawn carriage conveyed some of them in style to Waterhead for a steamer cruise back to Windermere and others were in B&B or hotel accommodations in the town.
The three women had a corner table farthest from the road and they ate and drank with relish.
“Why would anyone cook when they could eat like this every day?” asked Sandra.
“I have no idea why,” stated Corinne as she demolished her steak and ale pie and chips, washed down with a rather good red. “Personally, I am at the point in life where I could care less if I never cooked another meal. I can only hope Colin marries the lovely girl he’s seeing now. She can take over the cooking for his big appetite. Arthur and I can rub along nicely without the need for a roast and veg every day.”
A woman gets tired of all that shopping and planning and cleaning up for men. A bowl of cereal does it for me these days.”
“So, Colin has a girlfriend?”
“Yes, thank God! He’s been taking her out for years it seems, but he won’t marry her until he has savings enough for a house of some kind.”
“Are you still working full time, Corinne? I thought you quit nursing.”
“No, Sandra, I changed horses, you might say. I am almost self-employed now with a reduced client list through the Victorian Order of Nurses. What about you and the child care business?”
“I have good news on that score, ladies. I am about to retire!”
“What? It isn’t that many years since you had to fight to get the business going. Are you quitting so soon?”
Sandra sat back with a pleased smile on her face. It was good to be the centre of attention for a change. Usually the exciting events belonged to Valerie or Corinne’s lives.
“Well, you knew Ian and I bought the house by the sea in Mull? The one owned previously by friends of the woman who owns our apartment here? We spent a week there last year and we just decided to move to the island permanently.”
“But how can you possibly afford to retire early?” Corinne’s voice held a longing to be in such an enviable position.
“The day care business has been very popular. So many couples need to work to survive these days and the women don’t want to delay having babies for too long. There’s a great need for supportive help.”
“Sandra’s right, added Valerie. “In the old days there was always an unmarried aunt or a grandmother who looked after the little ones until they went to school. Today, those women are able to work and live good lives well into their later years. They don’t want to stay home with squealing babies who cramp their style.”
“And so, we have local neighbourhood small businesses like ours! Before you ask, it was always my intention to hand over the business to my girls. Joanne had been taking over from me gradually and now she’s ready to take charge completely, supported by her sisters who bring their own skills to the operation.
We now do a healthy meal service as well as having a segregation room where the sick children can get well in peace under the supervision of our nurse, Rachel.”
&nb
sp; “What a great family concern, Sandra. You should be very proud of your girls. Will they buy the house also? I can’t imagine Ian will want to stay there.”
“Ian retired about two months ago. There’s no mortgage, Val, thanks to Ian’s investments. The girls pay all the running costs from profits and we get a twice-yearly investment payout. Ian made sure it is all legal.”
“And now you will be living on the island you used to call home.”
“Truly, I can’t wait to get back to my roots. It’s so peaceful and unhurried there and we can sail over to the mainland anytime we want.”
“Sounds ideal for you, Sandy! Perhaps you can work out a location for me to bring a tour group to Mull?”
“I’d love that, Val. Let’s do it!”
The outdoor restaurant area of the bar was almost empty now. The women chose dessert from the menu and had them boxed to carry up the steep lane and enjoy with tea or coffee. All three were tired from travel and other excitements. An early night sounded appealing and Corinne still had to unpack.
One more surprise awaited them after their climb uphill.
Zoe Morton was sitting in a taxi near the entrance to the building’s hallway.
She jumped out as soon as the trio laboured to the top of the lane. Exclamations of “Zoe! You came early!” met her appearance, and the exchange of information started all over again.
Valerie had a quiet moment with Zoe when she was helping to unload her luggage from the taxi.
She quickly reassured her that the secret was safe. She received a hug and a fervent thank you in return.
“I couldn’t wait a moment longer to see you all,” she whispered. ” I’ll tell them everything tomorrow. We have several things to do together before the wedding.”
Valerie was relieved she had only one more night to wait.
Monday.
Zoe’s plan for the day required a trip to Blackwell House. She seemed to feel, as Valerie had, that it was important to honour the success of their first week by repeating much of the itinerary followed then. Everyone was in agreement. Each of them had a memory of something significant related to the beautiful place.