Accounting for Love

by Chrissie Loveday

  Accounting For Love

  Chrissie Loveday

  © Chrissie Loveday 2014

  Chrissie Loveday has asserted her rights under the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

  First published by Endeavour Press Ltd in 2014.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Extract from For the Sake of Love by Chrissie Loveday

  Chapter One

  Fiona looked through the window of her parent’s home. It was raining the way it can only rain in Britain in summer. She sighed, feeling distinctly depressed. It was her twenty-fifth birthday the next day, and she wondered what on earth she was doing with her life. Fiona Theobald, aged twenty-five (almost), was unmarried and the second of three children. Her mother, Jenny, looked at her daughter.

  ‘What’s up? You look a bit down.’

  ‘Pre-birthday blues. I’m going to be twenty-five tomorrow, and what have I done with my life? No man to speak of, and I haven’t got a proper job of my own.’

  ‘Of course you have a job. You help with the business most of the time. Just because you have your day off and it happens to be raining. I thought you liked having time to yourself, anyway. Gives you time to paint. You’re very good, you know.’

  ‘It doesn’t do me much good though. James is happy enough working for Dad. Mary doesn’t think about anything more than her kids. Paula’s just filling in time anyway.’

  ‘You are in a bad mood. I know Paula’s really only working with Dad while she waits for her uni results. James, well, it was always understood that he would go into the retail business with your father.’

  ‘Oh, don’t listen to me. I’m going for a walk.’

  ‘But it’s raining.’

  ‘Then I’ll wear a mac. I’m going slowly bonkers here.’ It was her day off, and she felt totally bored. She found her mac and set off out. It was a pleasant town, Norminster. It did actually have a minster, which dominated the midland town and all the roads that led to it. She walked up the high street, and saw her parent’s shop: a large shop which sold everything anyone could want to make clothing and curtains. The trouble was, not many people made clothes anymore, and the business was flagging. She pushed open the door and went inside.

  ‘Just checking out the trade,’ she announced to her brother, James. He was busily sorting out one of the displays of new fabrics.

  ‘Hi there. Not a great deal to check out at the moment. Anyway, isn’t it your day off? You just can’t keep away, can you? Nothing to do? Dad’s in the office with Patrick looking through the accounts, according to them. Looks more like a misery conference to me. Go and cheer them up. You know, Patrick fancies you. Any luck, he’ll ask you to marry him, and so we’ll have an accountant in the family.’

  ‘You wish. I doubt it would help the business though, even if I did marry him. Which, may I say, is pretty unlikely. I think I’m destined for the proverbial shelf.’

  ‘Rubbish. You just haven’t found the right one yet. Heavens, you’re gorgeous. Clever. Talented. What’s your problem?’

  ‘I am twenty-five tomorrow.’

  ‘So what? I’m twenty-nine. Paula’s still the baby of the family.’

  ‘Could never imagine the parents still ... well you know. You’d have thought two kids were enough, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘So, if Paula was an accident, maybe, does it really matter?’

  ‘I suppose not. You and Mary are sticking with two, aren’t you?’ James gave her a grin and nodded his confirmation. ‘I’ll go and see Dad and the oh-so-wonderful Patrick.’ She went and knocked at the door of her father’s office, pushing it open. ‘Hi Dad. Patrick.’

  ‘Hallo, dear. Did you want something?’

  ‘I was just passing and thought I’d call in. How are you, Patrick?’

  ‘Fine, thanks. And you?’ He was always oh so polite, in his smart suit and silk tie.

  ‘I’m fine, thanks. Am I interrupting?’

  ‘We’re about done for today.’ Her father hesitated. ‘Why don’t you two go and get a cup of tea from somewhere?’

  ‘That would be great,’ Patrick responded. ‘If you’ve got the time.’

  ‘I have endless time,’ Fiona replied. ‘Let’s go then.’

  He quickly tidied up his papers and put them into his briefcase. She watched him, thinking how exactly like an accountant he was. James had to be joking when he suggested she might marry him. Still, she’d share tea, and she would be polite to him. Wasn’t she always polite?

  ‘Where would you like to go?’ he asked her.

  ‘There’s the little place along from here. They do tea and coffee.’

  They went out together, and James nodded at her with a grin on his face. She ignored him and slipped her hand into Patrick’s arm. That should give James something to think about.

  ‘So, what have you been doing with yourself lately?’ he asked.

  ‘Not a lot, really. I’m actually rather bored at the moment. I suspect Dad doesn’t really want me to work full time any more, but he’s much too polite to tell me. Oh, and I’m going tobe twenty-five tomorrow. Depressing, isn’t it?’

  ‘I wouldn’t mind being twenty-five again. In here, is it?’ They reached the tea shop and pushed open the door. ‘I’m glad to get out of that rain.’

  It was a rather twee little shop, meant for ladies with time on their hands to meet for tea or morning coffee. The woman who ran it was always flustered, however busy or slack was trade.

  ‘Table for two, is it?’ Patrick nodded. Fiona was tempted to make some clever remark, but held her tongue, smiling sweetly.

  ‘I’ll have a cup of tea, and maybe a piece of your delicious fruit cake.’ Fiona was positive about her order.

  ‘Same for me, please. And if you could hurry it along, I’d be very grateful.’

  ‘I’ll be as quick as time allows,’ replied the woman.

  ‘Sorry. Haven’t you really got time to do this? Fiona asked, feeling slightly guilty.

  ‘Oh, of course. Any time spent with you is worthwhile.’ He was quite charming, she thought.

  ‘Nice of you to say so. Do you have a lot of clients?’

  ‘A fair few. Enough to keep me busy most of the time, anyway. So what would you really like to do? Job-wise I mean.’

  ‘No idea. All I’ve done is to work in the store since I left university. Three years of shopkeeping doesn’t exactly prepare you for another career. I suppose it was all just too easy to slip into. Well, easier than looking for another job, at least. Dad seemed pleased enough to have me there. Oh, good. Here’s the tea.’

  Patrick spooned in sugar and stirred it vigorously.

  ‘Has your father spoken to you about his plans?’

  ‘What plans are those?’

  ‘I won’t say anything unless he’s mentioned them. Breach of confidence and all that. Never mind. He obviously hasn’t said anything.’

  ‘You can’t stop there. Come on. Tell me.’

  ‘Would you like to have dinner with me?’

  ‘Is that your price for telling me?’

  ‘No. But I would quite like to have dinner with you.’

  ‘Okay. When?’

  ‘Tomorrow?’

  ‘I must consult my diary.’ She pretended to hold out her diary and turned imaginary pages. ‘Yes, I am free tomo
rrow. Oh lordy, no. It’s my birthday and Mum’s invited the entire family. You could come too, if you can face it.’

  ‘Not entirely what I had in mind, but thanks. As long as your mum won’t mind.’

  ‘Of course she won’t. She’d probably have invited you if she’d thought about it. Seven o’clock is kick-off time. Nothing too formal. Are you sure you can cope with my entire family at the same time?’

  ‘I think so. I do know you all, after all. It’ll be nice.’

  ‘My Mum’s cooking is always delicious. I know she’s made a cake for after too.’

  ‘Don’t worry. I’m sold on the deal. I’ll look forward to it. You will remember to tell her, won’t you?’

  ‘Course I will. Twenty-five. It’s the short road to middle age.’

  ‘Yes, indeed. You’ll be drawing pension before you do but know it.’

  She grinned at him. He wasn’t so bad, really; not that she was actually looking for a husband, of course. They finished their tea and cake, and, regretfully, he said,

  ‘I’m sorry, but I should get back to the office now. I’d love to stay longer, but I’ll never get home this evening if I don’t move soon.’

  ‘Thank you very much for the tea and cake. See you tomorrow evening. And you really don’t need to bring a present, honestly. That wasn’t why I invited you.’

  ‘We’ll see.’

  ‘No, I mean it. Please don’t bring anything.’ He smiled at her earnest words and said goodbye. She turned to walk back home, waving goodbye to him. At least the rain had stopped.

  *

  Fiona’s mother was delighted that her daughter had invited Patrick to the family meal. She also rather hoped it was the start of a romance. She was cooking a large joint of beef, so one extra made no difference. All the same, she made an effort to make everything that little bit more special. Today was Paula’s day off from the shop, so she was drawn into helping her mother.

  ‘I’m going to feed the little ones beforehand so then they can go to bed,’ she said, talking aloud to no-one in particular. There were two little ones, belonging to James and Mary. She adored them all, and wanted all her chicks to be settled down and produce grandchildren for her. ‘I’ve made up beds for them so they can stay over if they want to. Now, I need you to lay the table please. Paula? Where are you?’

  Fiona arrived home slightly early, wanting time to get ready. She heard her mother calling for Paula.

  ‘What’s up?’ she asked.

  ‘I don’t know where Paula’s disappeared to. I was talking to her in here, and now she’s disappeared. I was hoping she’d lay the table.’

  ‘I’ll do it.’

  ‘No you don’t. Besides, you’ve been working all day. And it’s your birthday, after all. I’ll fit it in somehow.’

  ‘Please, Mum. Don’t get yourself into such a tizz. It’s only the family coming, after all.’

  ‘And Patrick, of course. I don’t want him seeing us in a mess.’

  ‘Oh, Mum. You know Patrick. He’s almost one of the family.’

  ‘Is he really? Does this mean ...?’

  ‘No, of course not. I just mean he knows all of us. Now, what do you want on the table?’

  ‘I’ll call Paula again. She can do it. Now, go and spend your time getting yourself ready.’

  ‘Okay. Little sisters are the pits, aren’t they?’ She ran upstairs, yelling her sister.

  ‘Get your ass downstairs immediately. Mum’s having a crisis.’

  ‘Oh, really. I’ve been at her beck and call all day. Honestly, you’d think she was entertaining royalty, at least.’

  ‘She wants you to lay the table, and I’m not allowed to do it. Ah well, you wait till you’re twenty-five, and I’ll have to lay the table for you. Go on, little sister. Do your work.’

  Fiona went into her room. She stripped off her shop outfit, as she called it, and stood in the shower. It seemed most of the family were expecting her to announce her engagement to Patrick at any moment. It was ridiculous. She liked him, and he knew all the family, but marry him? It just wasn’t going to happen. She turned the water off, wrapped herself in a towel, and went into her room. She looked at herself in her mirror. She was in quite reasonable shape. Her long blond hair wasn’t bad, especially when she coiled it into a sort of French pleat. She got out her hair dryer. Dressed in one of her best dresses, a pretty lilac colour, she went downstairs.

  It was already after six o’clock when she went down. The table was laid, and a table in the kitchen was ready for the little ones.

  ‘What can I do to help Mum?’ she asked.

  ‘Well, if you’re sure you don’t mind, you could stir the gravy for me.’

  ‘Sure. I can stir anything. Isn’t Dad home yet?’ She grabbed her mother’s apron.

  ‘No. He said he might be late. Something about someone coming in to see him at five-thirty.’

  ‘Oh? Who was that?’

  ‘Don’t ask me. Something to do with his business. You know as much about it, if not more, than I do. I’m just going to dash and change. Keep your eye on the oven, please. I’ve got the starters ready. And the pudding.’

  ‘Go and change before anyone else gets here. I’ll watch everything. Go on, shoo.’

  ‘Yes, I will. Just watch ...’

  ‘Mum. Go and get ready, please.’

  ‘Sorry, darling. Yes, I’ll go up now.’

  Dear Mum, she thought. She’ll do anything for anyone, especially the family. She rather wished she could be like her mother ... entirely happy with her family. Maybe, one day, she might find someone she could really love. She stirred the gravy thoughtfully. It wouldn’t be Patrick, she felt sure. He was such an accountant. Even his spectacles looked like an accountant. He was very nice, but just not her sort of man. Mind you, she was thinking, how many men had she actually been out with since she got back from uni? None. Zero. Zilch. She smelt burning and came down to earth. She peered into the oven and took out the large tray of roast potatoes, putting them down on the side bench and hoping she was doing the right thing. The gravy was coming to a boil, so she turned that off too. Was this meal all going to be ready much too early? Come on, Mum, she breathed, not wanting to call her. She wondered who was going to see her father at five-thirty. And Patrick had muttered something about changes in the offing.

  At six-forty-five, James arrived, along with Mary, his wife, and their two children.

  ‘Have you got a kiss for Grannie?’ Jenny asked them, and was subjected to their big hugs and slobbery kisses. ‘Good children. Now, if you’d like to go and wash your hands, I’ve got a delicious tea for you.’

  ‘Happy birthday, Sis,’ James said, handing her a large gift-wrapped box.

  ‘Thank you both,’ she replied, kissing her sister-in-law and her brother.

  ‘Now shoo out of here,’ Jenny said as she put the vegetables on to cook. ‘Take your present into the lounge and help yourselves to a drink. I don’t know where your father is. Typical of him to be late. Do you know, James?’

  ‘He had someone come in to see him around six. I left them to it.’

  ‘I expect he’ll be here at some point. Go on with you.’

  The trio left her to it, and went into the lounge, where Paula was sitting.

  ‘Sorry, I couldn’t cope any longer,’ she told them all. ‘I’ve helped myself. Do you want a drink? There’s stuff on the side. Help yourselves. Oh, what have you got there?’ she asked, spying Fiona’s parcel.

  ‘It’s my pressie from James and Mary,’ she replied, tearing away the paper. ‘Oh, great. Thanks so much. I’ve been wanting one of these for ages.’ It was a facial sauna, and the latest model.

  ‘Hope you like it,’ said Mary. ‘I wasn’t sure, but James said you’d mentioned it.’

  ‘It’s great, and thank you very much.’ Fiona was genuinely pleased.

  At seven o’clock on the dot, Patrick appeared, carrying a bunch of flowers for Jenny and a small box for Fiona.

  ‘I said you mustn
’t bring anything,’ Fiona scolded him.

  ‘I know. But I couldn’t come empty-handed, now could I? Happy birthday.’ He leaned down to kiss her.

  ‘Thank you very much.’ She opened the box and discovered a pretty necklace. ‘Oh, it’s gorgeous. Thank you so much. It must have cost a fortune.’

  ‘I hope you like it,’ said Patrick rather shyly.

  ‘It really is beautiful. Can you help me put it on?’ He did so, and she looked in the mirror. She nodded happily. ‘I’m sorry Dad isn’t here. We’re all a bit puzzled as to who his mysterious visitor was. I suppose you don’t know, do you?’

  ‘I really couldn’t say,’ hedged Patrick.

  ‘But you do know, don’t you?’

  At this point, Jenny came in with the two little ones.

  ‘They’ve eaten really well. Shall we ask Mummy to put you to bed upstairs?’ They stood looking quite angelic, hand in hand.

  ‘Okay kids. Let’s go and see where Grannie’s made you beds, shall we?’ Suddenly, the angelic look left them, and they began to behave like typical two and three-year-olds.

  ‘No,’ said the elder one. ‘Stay here.’

  ‘But we’re going to have our meal in a moment. It will be very boring for you. Come on now.’

  ‘No, no, no.’ the elder insisted. The second one joined in, laughing as he squeaked his ‘no’. They stood there, stamping their feet, refusing to go to bed.

  It took quite some time for them to go upstairs and get settled. Jenny was most apologetic to their guest, but Patrick said not to worry, as he was quite used to children, having nieces and nephews of his own. She also apologised for the absence of her husband.

  ‘I’m sorry, but I think we may have to start without him. Do you mind too much, darling?’ she asked Fiona.

  ‘Shall we wait a little longer? Quarter of an hour perhaps? Or will everything be ruined?’

  ‘I’m keeping things hot in the oven. I don’t suppose it will matter if we wait another fifteen minutes.’

  Within ten minutes, their father arrived home, along with another guest.

  ‘Sorry to keep you. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve brought Adam with me. He was going to eat alone in the hotel, so I invited him to join us.’