by Ruth Hay
“How do you mean? Please go on. It is so hard to discuss these things with my friends and family. None of them wants to think this far ahead. I am grateful for your frankness, Valerie.”
“Well, there’s the question of family versus friends. Who would you want to live closer to? Family ties are perhaps the stronger but there are spouses and children to consider. Not every relative is one we might want to stay beside, or with, for years.”
They both laughed at this honest statement.
“I have made efforts to get to know my grandchildren,” Valerie continued, “but I don’t expect them to look after me in my declining years. It could be ideal for good friends to move in together and look after each other but, eventually, that option would also come with a hefty price tag for support help.”
“And there‘s the other vital consideration; we need to be reasonably close to medical assistance when we get older. As I said at the start, it’s not simple or easy.”
Valerie decided it was time to put a more positive spin on this discussion or Anna Drake would not want to invite her to stay in this fabulous house again.
“There’s an interim choice still available to us, Anna. We needn’t make that final decision just yet. We can cut back on the constant travel and, as long as we have good health, we can still see the people and places that count the most to us, only we will see them less often and try to make sure they take up the slack in the travel hiatus and visit us, instead of the other way around.”
“Oh, my! You are not only a good conversationalist, Valerie, you also talk good sense. We’ll take this up on another occasion, I am certain. Tonight it’s time to rest. I’ll show you to your bedroom and bring up a cup of herbal tea to help you sleep. I am heading to bed now. We’ll see Bev in the morning and there’s a chance Fiona will bring the new baby. You’ll be a welcome part of this family before you can say Scotch broth!”
Saturday flew by. Visitors came and went all day, each bringing some cooked dish or tasty treat. It was obvious to Valerie, her hostess was not supposed to cook anything. Friends knew she was not staying in their midst too long and no one wanted to miss the chance to renew acquaintance.
Valerie was introduced as ‘a friend from Canada’ and warmly welcomed by all. She sat to the side and watched and listened. She could see there were stories here she did not know the beginning of. Possibly she could catch up when she was back home in London, if Alina was willing to share.
The last night proved the depth of Anna’s trust in her. As dusk was falling slowly and the house lamps were lit, Anna called her guest upstairs to her bedroom. There, on the wall above the fireplace was a huge, dramatic painting. It was the famous ‘Portrait of Three’ that had been referred to in the Museum London retrospective of Lawren Drake’s work. No copies of this had ever been made and no photographs ever produced. It was as special as it was private and a privilege beyond hope to see it in its place.
Valerie could say nothing as she gazed intently. It was a complex piece comprising the heads of three women. One was obviously a younger version of Anna. The background was intricate and suggestive of many different locations. The background detail was only a part of the total effect. The overall impression was of a deep message being conveyed. It would take Valerie an age of staring and wondering to fathom the message and she was not close enough to Anna to pose that question. Perhaps in time, she could.
On Sunday, Valerie bade farewell to Anna Mason Drake. There had been too many farewells lately and her heart was weary of them. This one, at the least, held out a promise of future connections should they be in Canada or in Scotland, or even in the Lake District.
From the time of David’s death, Valerie Westwood had understood that life is a series of losses of one kind or another. Since then she had consciously endeavoured to make gains wherever possible. This attitude had led her across countries and across oceans. She had found old friends and made them new again. She had risked rejection and found only acceptance and love. Through a chance meeting in a hotel lounge she had added a whole new circle of friends to her life list and at last she had met the one central figure of that circle who was a true kindred spirit. The heart knows these things as surely as if they were written in the stars.
Valerie Westwood boarded the train for Glasgow and another tour group. She felt enriched, and rich, in her friendships and family, both in Britain and in her homeland of Scotland. No matter what the future held for her, that was wealth indeed.
THE END
If you wish to know more about Anna Mason Drake and her circle of friends you will find their stories in Ruth Hay’s Prime Time Series available in paperback and ebook formats.