by Lily Hayden
“Toby, downstairs,” Belle’s voice was calm, and her self-control was like a red flag to Tim’s anger.
Enough is enough, Tim raged as he threw on some clothes. I won’t be spoken to like this in my own home.
The week of recovery had turned into six long and exhausting weeks of his free-loading sister and her son living in his house. Every week she came up with another excuse to lengthen her stay, but this was the final straw.
Eleanor might be a mug, he growled to himself as he stormed down the stairs prepared to give her her long-overdue marching orders. But I certainly am not.
His sister was sat on the floor of the living room; her leg encased by the walking boot stretched out in front of her, Tim’s daughter at her side. Her red curls were loose around her shoulders, obscuring her face as she passed puzzle pieces to a chuckling Bea. He paused at the scene, seeing the likeness of his mother in her profile. For just a fleeting moment, he was reminded of how serene his mother had been, like an anchor in a choppy sea.
Not that Belle is anything like our mother, he reminded himself of his sister’s spiky, challenging temperament, casting the tug of nostalgia aside. His mind turned to Eleanor, who did have the sweet demeanour of Kathleen, but with that thought came a flash of unwelcome guilt.
“We need to have a word,” he forced himself to focus on the matter at hand. “Toby, can you watch Bea while I speak to your mother?”
The little boy tore his eyes away from the television, but instead of consenting immediately, he glanced at his mother for approval. Tim watched as Belle’s jaw tightened, but she nodded at her son before awkwardly clambering to her feet. She followed him wordlessly to the kitchen stopping in the doorway.
“I don’t appreciate the way you just spoke to me,” he said through gritted teeth. “You’ve been here too long. You need to leave.”
He watched as her eyes, a mirror image of his, blazed with temper.
“Eleanor said it was fine,” she said coolly. “I’m sorry that the boys woke you up, but there’s no need to overreact.”
“It’s been six weeks,” Tim snapped. “It’s not an overreaction. You need to find somewhere else by the end of the week.”
“I’m moving in July!” She exclaimed defensively. “I know it’s not ideal, but Eleanor said…”
“Well, now I’m saying!” He burst angrily. “We’re not a hotel; you can’t stay here any longer.”
Her pretty features twisted into an ugly scowl. “You sound just like Frank,” she spat bitterly. “And you’ve got just as much compassion as him.”
Tim rolled his eyes contemptuously. “Oh, grow up, Belle. You’re thirty-years-old. Don’t you think it’s time you got your life together?”
“I’m trying,” she hit back venomously. “I haven’t got the luxury of a wealthy wife taking care of everything while I swan in and out with my bit-on-the-side.”
Her accusation was unexpected, and he jerked backwards with shock at her words before he managed to catch himself, swiftly rearranging his expression into one of incredulous disgust.
“What?” He regarded her with contempt. “Now you’re just being ridiculous.”
Her nostrils flared, a tell that showed him how far gone she was in her temper, but she glanced around to check that the children were out of earshot before she spoke.
“You might treat Eleanor like she’s stupid,” her voice was a low growl. “But she’s certainly not. It’s only a matter of time before she finds out about your little friend Emma. She deserves better than you, Tim.”
The mention of Emma’s name filled his chest with icy fear, and he was struck by the realisation that he’d underestimated his sister.
“You’re wrong,” he snapped back, but he could tell from the twist of her mouth that she didn’t believe him. “Don’t you ever try to blackmail me. I want you out of this house.”
“Get Dad to cut us in on the fields then,” she said without missing a beat. “I need the money. The only one who doesn’t is you, but maybe a divorce will be an incentive for you.”
“Are you threatening me?” He squeezed his fists to his side fighting the urge to physically throw her out onto the street.
Belle tossed her head haughtily, a glint of satisfaction in her eyes at the reaction from him. “Not at all,” she replied coolly. “I wouldn’t do that to Eleanor. I would never tear apart a family, or intentionally upset anyone.”
Her boldness unnerved him. He never backed down from his decisions, but he felt an uncharacteristic stab of doubt. It wasn’t just her threats that had him on the brink of a U-turn, he realised as he stared at her as if seeing her properly for the first time. He had always thought of his brother and sisters as weak. That was if he thought of them at all, but the fire in Belle’s eyes was like looking in a mirror, and despite his anger he felt a begrudging respect for her.
“Look,” he scowled. “I know Eleanor likes having you and Toby around, but surely it would be easier if you stayed with Will until you move.”
“I won’t stay where I’m not wanted,” she crossed her arms across her chest defiantly, but he saw the shadow of hurt in her eyes.
With nothing more to say, she turned away from him. Even though he felt that she had had the upper hand in the fight, there was a dejected slump to her shoulders and he realised with a spark of satisfaction that she wouldn’t risk hurting Eleanor for revenge.
Belle
“Thanks for helping me,” Belle said to her brother as he heaved the final black bags into the car.
Will swiped a hand across his perspiring brow exhausted from carting her belongings down the stairs from her friend’s flat. “That’s ok,” he grimaced. “Sorry that I couldn’t fit any more in.”
Belle shrugged trying not to think about all the clothes and kitchenware she’d had to give away due to her hasty move. She knew it was just stuff, but the thought of having to buy new pots, pans, plates, and bedding from an already-tight budget was another worry to add to her ever-growing list.
“That’s ok,” she tried her best to look upbeat. “I couldn’t expect Katie to keep any more of my stuff anyway. She’s already done enough.” She shot him a grateful smile. “And you have too.”
He grimaced. “I wish I could do more, Belle, I really do.”
It had stung her when Will had told her that she and Toby couldn’t move in after the showdown with Tim, but she could see that her brother was genuinely remorseful. Even in her preoccupation about her own situation, she knew he was having his own problems, and her heart went out to him.
“How’s everything?” She asked sympathetically as he started the engine carefully reversing out of the parking bay. “Are you two ok now?”
Belle had a feeling that her call to Will asking if she could stay for a few weeks had been the catalyst for his own relationship problems. He’d gone away, promising to check with Craig and get back to her, but the same day had called her back ruefully explaining that they’d had an argument, and he was going to be crashing at his friend Raya’s for a few days. Will had been adamant that it was completely unrelated, but she wasn’t convinced.
“Yeah,” Will tried to look upbeat, but Belle could see straight through him, and she tilted her head questioningly until he continued. “It’s tough. I really like Craig, but he’s at the stage in his life where he wants to buy a house, settle down and I just don’t know if that’s what I want.”
“You’re back home now though, so I thought you guys had come to a compromise?”
Will wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know. We love each other, but we’re just going around in circles. It’s more of a truce at the moment until it comes up again.”
Belle frowned disapprovingly. “Will, you still haven’t told him that you want to go to Japan, have you?”
He flushed guiltily. “No, but then I don’t even know if I will go.”
“Why?” She’d seen her brother’s eyes light up with excitement when he’d recounted the possibility of the trip, whereas
she’d only seen his eyes glaze over when Craig talked about mortgages and relocating to Bristol. “It’s clear that’s what you want, Will.”
“It’s stupid though,” he sighed heavily. “Craig is right- I do need to grow up. I could do ok if I keep up the business on my own when Raya takes off. The family photoshoots are pretty lucrative, and I can set up in Bristol just as easily. Within two years, Craig says I should be able to come onto the mortgage with him so we could get a bigger place or even a rental property. Or this time in two years, I could be living out of a backpack in exactly the same position.”
“I’m sorry,” she shook her head dubiously. “But just because that’s what Craig wants, doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Will, I know you want to go to Japan and then wherever the wind takes you. Can you honestly say that photographing babies for the rest of your life is what you want to do?”
He shook his head. “I know, I know. It’s just so hard to hurt Craig. I feel so guilty.”
“You need to make a decision,” she warned him. “The longer you drag this out, the worse you’re going to hurt him. And you cannot give up all your dreams to make him happy.”
“I’ll talk to him,” he promised. “I just need to decide what to do for the best. I’d really miss him if we broke up, but it’s not fair to expect him to wait for me to be done gallivanting around the world.”
Will eased the car to a stop outside their brother’s house, and helped Belle carry the bags to the garage where she was storing her meagre belongings until her move. Tim had reluctantly agreed to extending her deadline after Will’s rocky relationship had put paid to her back-up plan. They had come to an uneasy truce, but Belle was finding it tough; overwhelmed with guilt that she knew about Tim’s other woman. Her brother had even spent a few nights away from home, citing the flimsiest excuses to an oblivious Eleanor, and Belle cringed with shame at being complicit in his double life. She had a horrible feeling that the secret was rising closer to the surface with every day that passed; as selfish as she felt thinking it, she just hoped she wasn’t still there when it all came to a head.
“Are you staying down the night before the wedding?” Will asked conversationally as they sat in Eleanor’s kitchen drinking tea.
“We were going to drive down in the morning,” Eleanor said. “Are you all going down the night before?”
Will nodded. “Rose is staying down Friday night in a B & B. Craig and I thought it would be a nice idea rather than rushing down. We can help with setting up the gazebo on Friday. Belle, are you still going down on the Thursday?”
Belle nodded. She was staying with an old school friend, and she had a job interview lined up on the Friday. It was half-term for the schools, so it was a nice opportunity for him to get to meet some kids from the area.
“Tim didn’t say,” Eleanor looked mildly annoyed. He was conveniently out all day as he’d been gifted corporate tickets to a football match, although Belle didn’t buy his story. “That’s actually a great idea. What hotel are you staying at?”
“The Red Lion,” Will told her before hurriedly adding. “It’s not a hotel as much as a few rooms over a pub. There’s a nice Spa hotel a few miles out though.”
Eleanor’s eyes lit up. “Oh, really? That sounds nice. To be honest, it’s been forever since we had a night away. It would definitely make more sense than driving down and back.”
Will pulled up the hotel on Eleanor’s phone. Belle balked at the cost per night for a family suite, feeling a flicker of envy as Eleanor tapped her card details in for two nights without batting an eyelid. She and Toby were making do with a Megabus there that she’d paid for in advance to get the best deal and staying on a friend’s sofa while they were in the village.
“Do you want me to order anything for Toby to wear?” Eleanor asked her later when Will was gone, and Belle felt herself flush with humiliation.
She hated feeling like a charity case, and she knew Eleanor was just being thoughtful, but Belle had seen the price tags on Hugo and Bea’s little outfits. She’d never be able to afford to pay her back, even if she did get the new job. Plus, it was inevitable that when it all came out that Tim was playing away, Eleanor would want nothing more to do with his family, Belle included.
“No, thank you,” she said gratefully. “But thanks for offering.”
“Well, if you change your mind,” Eleanor replied looking like she wanted to push it but choosing not to. “Don’t worry about paying me back. That’s what family are for.”
Belle felt a lump rise in her throat, grateful for the distraction when Bea took that moment to knock over a beaker of water. She hurried to fetch the paper towels as quickly as the plastic case on her foot would allow her to.
“It’s just a bit of water,” Eleanor reassured Bea who was on the verge of tears. “Don’t worry, sweetheart.”
She’s such a great mother, Belle thought as she watched her sister-in-law comfort the toddler. And she was the one who offered us a place to stay, not Tim. God knows what would have happened to me and Toby without her.
A flame of anger hotter than anything Belle had felt before sparked up in her chest as she thought of Tim out with his fancy woman while Eleanor had no idea. It took her spiralling back to the long months when her mother had been unwell, and Frank had breezed in and out of the house, coming and going as he pleased, leaving everything to Belle even though she was just a child herself.
He’s just like Dad, she thought angrily. They’re exactly the same.
She thought of the meagre balance of her bank account, and the house where she and her mother had been happy, and she thought of Tim and Frank, so alike and selfish, both blocking her from being able to stand on her own two feet and provide for her son with dignity; a blaze of pure fury coursed through her.
I’m not going to let them win, she vowed heatedly. She didn’t know how, but she was determined that she would gain the upper hand sooner rather than later.
The Day Before the Wedding
Tim
Tim flinched as his phone buzzed again in the pocket of the door, loud and intrusive even over the chattering of the children buckled into their seats behind him. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead, but he could feel Eleanor’s eyes dart to him when it buzzed for the fourth time in succession.
“Do you need to get that?” She asked, and he thought there was an uncharacteristic edge to her tone.
You’re being paranoid, he scolded himself.
The stress of juggling two lives paired with the strain of his siblings’ constant neediness was clearly getting to him. Emma had been livid that he was staying in a hotel with his own wife for two nights, and the force of her jealousy had unnerved him. He had genuinely believed they had both been up for a no-strings-attached fling, but her behaviour was starting to concern him.
He shook his head pressing his foot down hard on the accelerator. The sooner this wedding palaver was over and done with, the sooner he could focus on sorting out his own mess before it came back to haunt him.
Rose
Rose tossed the dress carelessly onto the back seat of Jack’s car, not caring if it creased. She’d spent hours searching for the right dress, hoping that she might see Gareth after the wedding and wanting to look her best, but since she’d been unceremoniously sacked from XZ Finance, she had called time on her flirtation with him. The sense of failure had hit her hard. Another rejection would tip her over the edge, so she had nipped the blossoming romance in the bud in a polite-but-curt text message citing the distance as too much.
She knew that she had done the right thing. It was too humiliating to have to admit to him that she’d been sacked. There was no way that Gareth, so handsome with a good job, would want to date someone who had no money and no prospects.
Rose had already paid for two nights in a cheap B & B weeks before the wedding, otherwise she thought she would have cried off with an imaginary illness, and she was dreading the two days ahead of her. The last trip to Bluebell Farm,
when she took meeting Gareth out of the equation, had highlighted how cut off she really was from her family.
Let’s just get this over with.
This trip would probably be the last time she saw her family together, and as she started up the engine, she felt lower than ever.
Will
Will glanced at the message on his phone, feeling his heart speed up at Raya’s message telling him that she had booked her flights.
“Who’s that?” Craig asked looking up from the road ahead.
“It’s just Raya,” he answered, and before he could force himself to broach the conversation that he’d been avoiding he heard himself add hurriedly. “Work stuff.”
Craig made a non-committal noise before going back to humming along to the radio, and Will’s stomach knotted with guilt. After his conversation with his younger sister, he’d come to the realisation that he needed to be honest with Craig. He’d tried to raise the subject of travel several times, but each time he’d swiftly backed off and he was angry with himself for his cowardice.
As soon as the wedding is over, he told himself sternly.
Belle
Belle’s interview had gone fantastically, and she was buzzing with excitement as she walked the short distance from the shop to the park where her friend was waiting for her with Toby and her own daughter.
“How’d it go?” Stephanie called out as she approached.
“Nailed it,” Belle sighed happily. “They pretty much said that it was mine if I want it.”
“Yay!” Her friend threw her arms around her excitedly. “I’m so happy for you. It’s going to be so good to have you back!”
“Thank you so much for letting me stay,” she said as Stephanie dropped her off to the B & B later that day to meet her sister. “And for lending me all these dresses. You really are the best!”