‘It’s easing a bit, thanks,’ Eleanor told him.
‘And, how are you? I understand you were in a bicycle accident yesterday?’ asked Arthur.
‘I’m fine, thank you,’ said Eleanor.
‘I’m glad to hear it. Tom was quite concerned about you when he was telling me.’
Eleanor found herself blushing at the thought of Tom talking about her. ‘Unfortunately, the bike is a right-off,’ she said, trying to move the subject on.
‘Well, you can always borrow mine,’ said Arthur. ‘I think my Tour de France days are over.’
‘Oh, that’s a good idea,’ said Annie, coming to stand next to them. ‘And now I don’t need to worry about you getting any crazy ideas about cycling around the village.’
His eyes twinkled as he smiled down at Annie. ‘You worry too much about me,’ he said. ‘Now, where do you think we left it?’
‘I think it was outside near the patio,’ said Annie.
They had just stepped through the French doors at the back of the entrance hall when the front door opened. There was a sudden scrabbling of paws as Dylan charged across the floor towards them, followed by Tom and Sam.
‘Don’t jump up!’ said Annie, stepping in front of Arthur to protect him.
Dylan merely ran around and around them in a mad dash before veering off across the lawn.
‘He’s a bit mental,’ said Megan, staring after the dog as it jumped around the long grass.
‘He’s certainly got a lot of energy,’ said Arthur, nodding in agreement.
‘Morning,’ said Tom, as he and Sam joined them on the patio.
Eleanor felt inordinately pleased to see him, for some reason. ‘How’s the foot?’ she asked. ‘What did the doctor say?’
‘Sore but definitely on the mend,’ said Tom, smiling in his obvious relief. ‘The crutches are finally gone. Gentle exercise has been prescribed, so I’m going to take this fella for a stroll around the grounds after his bath.’
‘Well, we’ve plenty of grounds for you to use here,’ said Arthur, looking across to where Dylan was digging a large hole in the lawn. ‘I must say, it’s nice to have a dog around the place again. Regardless of what our gardener will say about it. Has the chap got a name?’
‘He’s called Dylan,’ said Eleanor.
‘After Bob Dylan,’ added Megan. ‘He’s an American singer.’
‘The answer is blowing in the wind,’ quoted Arthur. ‘Thank you, my dear, but I was young too once, you know. Although it may be hard for you to believe it.’ He gave Eleanor a wink and then walked slowly away, saying, ‘I’m sure we must have some old tennis balls somewhere in my study for the young pup to play with.’
As Sam took a call on his mobile, Tom excused himself to get changed.
Left alone once more with her friends, Eleanor drew her face up to the sun, enjoying the warmth that it now held in its rays.
‘Isn’t it lovely?’ said Annie, also relishing the sun. ‘I thought it’d be a nice lazy summer this time round, but I can’t see me having any time to sunbathe out here.’
Eleanor tried to remember the last time she had been able to enjoy a day like that. She couldn’t recall any at all. Most of her time had been spent indoors and mainly at night. On the plus side, that did mean no freckles. But it also meant no tan either, except what St Tropez would give her occasionally.
She tried to throw a couple of the balls for Dylan that Arthur managed to find. But the grass was still wet from the previous day’s rain. Her white Converse were soon sopping wet and dyed green. And Dylan looked more shaggy and in need of a bath than before. She felt pleased when she saw Tom join them on the patio a while later. Perhaps Dylan would help her get the story she so badly needed. Who would have thought a stray animal of all things would finally bring her some good luck?
Chapter 18
Tom walked carefully back downstairs, having changed into his cargo shorts in preparation for what was likely to be a wet bath for him, as well as Dylan.
His foot was a bit sore having been pulled and prodded, but he definitely felt far more clear-headed for taking himself off the painkillers.
He still felt guilty about the moonwalk and had apologised again to Annie earlier that morning.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ she had told him. ‘Honestly. I think we still raised a ton of money.’
He asked for the details of the hospital from her, intending to add his own personal contribution later to the other donations.
‘Hey,’ said Sam, heading across the hall to see him as he reached the bottom of the stairs. ‘We’ve just had the most amazing news. It turns out that Chris Martin has contracted some kind of virus, unfortunately.’
Tom raised his eyebrows. ‘I’m not sure that’s amazing news, especially for Chris.’
But he could sense the excitement bubbling away at Sam. ‘Yeah, I know. But that was Emily Eavis and they’d like you to do the Sunday night gig instead of Coldplay.’
Tom hadn’t had much sleep, thanks to Dylan howling the house down until he had brought him upstairs to sleep next to his bed. ‘What are you talking about?’ he said, dragging a hand through his hair.
‘Glastonbury, mate. I’m talking about you headlining a week on Sunday at Glastonbury!’
Tom was shocked. ‘Me?’ He immediately began to shake his head. ‘I don’t know if I’m up to that. What about my foot?’
‘Nobody’s asking you to dance.’
Tom’s gut reaction was that he really didn’t want to play Glastonbury. Which was ridiculous, he told himself. It was the ultimate festival. The most famous one in the world. It was likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime offer. But he had just taken himself away from all the pressure and crowds. His massive world tour had just finished. He really just wanted some peace. However, he could sense Sam’s excitement. And after all the recent bad publicity, it would probably help smooth things over with the record company.
‘Come on,’ urged Sam. ‘You know you want to. And you’ll be my first ever artist to headline at Glastonbury!’
The reviews would probably be awful, thought Tom. The press were likely to have the knives out for him. And he’d end up doing his foot more harm than good.
But after looking once more at Sam’s excited face, he finally nodded his agreement. He owed his friend so much that he should do this one big favour for Sam.
‘Fantastic!’ said Sam, whooping with delight. ‘I’ll get back to them.’
Tom took a deep breath, still somewhat in shock. He was therefore pleased to see Eleanor playing with Dylan on the back lawn and went out to them, thankful of the distraction.
Dylan leapt up to greet him.
‘Hey, boy,’ he said, crouching down on one knee to stroke the dog’s head. Dylan wagged his tail in response.
‘Is he ready for his bath?’ asked Eleanor.
‘He might not be,’ said Tom. ‘But it was pretty smelly in my bedroom this morning so, yes, definitely.’
Dylan was less than impressed about his bath but he stood relatively still whilst Tom hosed him down with water near the outside tap on the patio. The dog almost seemed to enjoy the rub-down when Eleanor used the mild dog wash that her mum had given her.
‘He’s going to need at least another bath before he’s fully clean,’ she said, rubbing his back into a frothy, foamy cloud. ‘And a clip. Mum knows someone who could give him a decent haircut.’
Tom began to rinse Dylan down with the hose. At least he was beginning to look and smell better. ‘He might have to wait for the next bath,’ he said. ‘I won’t be around at the weekend.’ He paused. ‘I’ve been asked to step in to replace Coldplay at Glastonbury at Sunday.’
Eleanor looked up at him. ‘That’s amazing,’ she told him. ‘You must be thrilled.’
He nodded. Was he thrilled? He wasn’t sure.
Tom had just finished giving Dylan his final rinse down when the dog gave himself a good shake, causing water to shower over them both.
‘Eewww!’ crie
d Eleanor, now dripping with water.
‘Here,’ said Tom, lobbing a tennis ball across the lawn for Dylan to chase. ‘That should dry him out.’
He glanced over at Eleanor who was wringing out her wet top. He noted that it was expensive-looking material, probably designer. However, he had a feeling that the real Eleanor had been the one he had seen at The Forge.
He could understand why she was quite defensive about the messy house. Perhaps that was why she always liked to look so smart. Maybe she was trying to be the complete opposite of her mum. She had seemed fake and unreal when he had first met her and yet he was certain there was real pain there.
‘I was going to stretch my legs and take a short walk around the grounds,’ he said. ‘Hopefully Dylan will dry out at the same time. Want to join us?’
She looked pleased. ‘Of course. Maybe I’ll dry out too.’
They both watched the dog rush ahead of them across the overgrown back lawn, trying to chase the butterflies which were fluttering over the weeds that were flowering everywhere.
‘I checked with the vets,’ she told him as they walked. ‘Nobody’s claimed him yet.’
Tom felt secretly glad. He had never had a pet growing up. He had had enough trouble trying to feed himself, let alone anyone else. But Dylan came with no pressure. He had spent the last part of the night curled up on a huge mound of old duvets that Annie had produced. No barking, no whining. Just happy to be there with him. Tom wasn’t sure how many people had ever felt like that about him personally.
Dylan came bounding up to them, covered in grass and flower seeds.
‘I don’t believe it. Eleanor’s just taken an extra splashing to get you clean,’ he told the dog before turning to smile at her.
They locked eyes for a moment before Tom closed his eyes and held his face up to the sun. The warmth was flooding his body, helping the aches and pains fade somewhat. At least he was sleeping well. In fact, even though he hadn’t taken any painkillers for a couple of days, he was sleeping more soundly than he could remember. It must have been all the country air.
They followed Dylan towards the west side of the grounds. Tom glanced over at the recording studio and then quickly turned away. He’d pretended to spend the previous afternoon there for Sam’s sake, but nothing was happening. The words were still far out of reach. But at least he had finally come clean with Sam. Maybe together they could face his writer’s block.
They continued walking in silence towards the side of the house and onwards so that they were facing the front lawn. Rose and Arthur were getting into the car with Annie. They all waved before they headed off down the driveway.
After his minor meltdown the previous evening, Tom had to admit that he was starting to enjoy being around the family. He liked watching them interact. The love, warmth and humour they shared was in stark contrast to the scattered pieces of his own family. Not that he counted any of them as family.
Apart from his beloved gran, of course. Nothing had been the same since she had passed away during the winter. That was when the writing block had begun, because he felt as if he had nobody else to write for. Nobody to impress. Nobody to listen who knew the real him. He still couldn’t shift the feeling of loneliness that surrounded him all the time.
Eleanor had found a stick and had thrown it across the front lawn for Dylan to retrieve. However, he picked it up and rushed off towards the willow tree.
‘You’re supposed to retrieve it, you fool,’ said Eleanor, chasing after the dog.
He watched her rush through the knee-length grass, anxious that Dylan shouldn’t get into any more trouble. It gave him a brief moment to enjoy her lithe figure, especially as he himself wasn’t up to running at the moment. She was soon at the boughs of the great willow tree and disappeared through the leaves.
However, she was gone for such a long time that Tom started to worry and made his cautious way through the tangle of grass. He couldn’t wait until his foot was fully mended and he felt fit and healthy once more.
Once he had reached the tree, he pulled the curtain of greenery to one side and found Eleanor having a tug of war on the ground with Dylan. Her jeans were now grass-stained and wet. Her top was crumpled and splattered with mud.
Eleanor looked up and blushed when she found him watching her. ‘Sorry,’ she said, with a rueful smile. ‘I was trying to get back to you but Dylan here had other ideas.’
‘No worries,’ he replied.
In fact, he was enjoying watching her play with the dog. Her dark hair was flying around her face and she looked relaxed for the first time since he had met her. As if this was the true Eleanor.
Suddenly, a line of a song came to him from nowhere. ‘Suddenly I see the real you,’ it whispered into his head. ‘As if the stars have come out at night.’
He continued to watch her play with the dog, her green eyes flashing as she laughed and tried to wrestle the stick from the dog.
And he realised he was definitely not in a hurry to leave Willow Tree Hall any more.
Chapter 19
The following day, an excited-looking Rose rushed into the kitchen. ‘Have you all seen the local newspaper?’
Eleanor looked up. She had been helping Annie pack up some of the bigger items from the kitchen before the builders moved in to start the renovation after the weekend.
‘Is it the charity walk?’ asked Megan, straightening up from a box she had been packing.
‘Well, yes, but it’s mostly all about me, darlings!’ said Rose, flourishing the paper.
They all rushed forward to look at the photo which was, indeed, Rose wearing her bodice as she strode through the high street.
‘They’ve caught me in a very flattering light, I must say,’ cooed Rose. ‘This is going to do my husband-hunting the power of good!’
‘What does it say?’ asked Annie, looking hopeful as she peered over Rose’s shoulder.
‘It says some lovely things about the local WI. And how it was all Eleanor’s idea, of course,’ carried on Rose.
Eleanor noticed that Annie’s smile had dropped a little as she turned away.
‘Well, it was Annie that brought everyone together,’ she said quickly. ‘She’s the countess around here!’
‘And I’ve been thinking,’ carried on Rose, powering her megawatt smile towards Eleanor. ‘We must compare wardrobes. You must come and see my little fashion show upstairs. Nobody else appreciates my designer clothes around here.’
‘Well, that’s nice, I must say! What about me?’ asked Annie, half-joking as she started to pack up another box.
‘Darling girl,’ said Rose, giving her a squeeze. ‘You’re many things, but you’re no lover of fashion. Whereas Eleanor here, well, look at you today!’
Eleanor checked what she was wearing. Victoria Beckham trousers. Wedge heels. Funky logo top. She had been particularly pleased with her outfit. Not that she had anything else to concentrate her mind on at the moment.
They were interrupted by the arrival of Arthur and Tom coming into the kitchen through the back door.
Rose waved the newspaper at him. ‘We’re back in the news. Isn’t it marvellous?’
‘I read it this morning. Jolly good show. And I understand it was all your idea, my dear,’ said Arthur, beaming at Eleanor.
Eleanor blushed and shrugged her shoulders. ‘It was nothing.’
‘I disagree,’ Arthur told her. ‘I understand that it is the largest amount ever raised by the WI for one of their charities. And that, in conjunction with Tom’s kind donation, will make a vast difference to those struggling with cancer.’
Eleanor looked across at Tom. ‘You gave the hospital some money?’
Now it was his turn to look uncomfortable. ‘Just a small amount,’ he muttered. ‘To make up for me not opening the walk as I promised.’
Eleanor couldn’t believe it. Was he actually blushing? ‘Thank you,’ she said.
He gave a shrug in reply.
‘I think that I can safely sa
y that it was a most generous amount of money,’ said Arthur, before he frowned. ‘And I’ve just remembered that you also wanted it to be anonymous. My apologies, dear boy.’
‘That’s fine,’ said Tom, heading across the kitchen.
‘Oh and I’ve dug out my old bicycle for you,’ carried on Arthur, looking at Eleanor. ‘Tom has just checked the brakes and chain.’
‘Thank you so much,’ said Eleanor, still looking at Tom, who seemed anxious to leave.
There was a short silence before Tom said, ‘Well, I’d better get back to the recording studio, otherwise I’ll be in trouble with Sam.’
Eleanor was still mulling over the huge donation that he had made to the hospital.
‘Of course,’ said Arthur, following him. ‘And I really must see to my paperwork.’
Eleanor squeezed in front of Arthur and dashed into the entrance hall after Tom, who was already at the French doors leading onto the patio.
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ she asked him, rushing up to stop him going any further. ‘About the donation, I mean.’
He looked down at her. ‘It was a personal decision and nobody else needed to know.’
He turned away, leaving her feeling mortified that she had ranted at him a week ago.
She sighed. He was a nice guy. Too nice, she told herself. It was no use pretending to herself any longer. She was never going to write an expose on him. It just wasn’t fair.
Because she really was beginning to like Tom and enjoy his company. She inwardly groaned.
Besides, he was too close to Annie and the family. She couldn’t let any scandal touch them. She wouldn’t betray any of them.
So what did that mean for her future now?
She headed back to the kitchen deep in thought, nearly bumping into Rose as she went down the stairs.
‘Just remember,’ said Rose, as they went in opposite directions. ‘My wardrobe is always open, darling! But I’ll only show you mine if you show me yours.’ She gave a gurgle of laughter.
‘Thanks,’ said Eleanor, smiling. ‘I will.’
But she was still so deep in thought about Tom that she didn’t register how quiet it was in the kitchen until she reached the table. Then she looked up and realised that Annie was looking upset.
Escape to the Country Page 13