She felt Jude’s warm hand on her shoulder, and then, after a while, another. The feeling of the second hand made her skin tingle beneath the paint-splattered T-shirt. She looked up and saw the biggest pair of green eyes staring down at her. Ellie’s heart leapt in her chest as Holly’s hand caressed her tearstained cheek. She looked at Jude’s back as she receded to somewhere deep in the garden.
“Holly, I want to…”
“Shush,” was the reply. “I know what you want to do.”
Holly’s lips came down forcefully onto Ellie’s… soft, warm and inviting. Their tongues danced the tango, firing the wants and needs into dramatic action. Ellie’s body flooded with desire. As they parted, Holly dragged Ellie to her feet, embracing her and touching her body in all the right places.
“We need to go,” Holly whispered in her ear. “Now,” she added breathlessly.
Ellie nodded. “Let me get my bag and lock up,” she said, wondering whether the woman before her was an apparition.
The two women lay side by side on Ellie’s bed at the B&B. Both were depleted of energy. It was a long time since either of them had experienced an extended lovemaking session. Ellie knew she would ache like the devil before long. Her leg muscles were already beginning to tighten, and her abdomen pained when she clenched it. Ellie didn’t care. She wouldn’t have missed her time with Holly for anything.
Ellie started to sit up quickly in bed displaying her nakedness to the world. “Where’s Leah?” she asked.
Holly turned on her side exposing her breasts to Ellie, who gave an involuntary shudder. Holly smiled, lighting up those big green eyes. “She’s with your dad. Your mum was there yesterday when we turned up. She said I had to pack Leah’s school clothes and everything else she needed for Monday and to bring them with me when I dropped Leah off. Then she said I had to get my arse over here and sort you out and not to come back until I had. Well, not using those words, you understand.”
Ellie nodded and gave a little laugh. “Well, you certainly did that. I can’t believe she’d even get involved.” Ellie raised her hands above her head and flopped back on the bed. “I just want to say how sorry I am about leaving. I just thought I’d messed up everything and needed to escape.” Ellie sighed heavily and hoped Holly would understand. “Luckily, I’ve met a couple of great women on my travels, who’ve helped me so much. They gave me different perspectives to consider. Jude was the woman who was there when you arrived. She’s the gardener. Ciara lives in Scarborough and owns a coffee shop.”
“Seeing as you said they’d finally convinced you to come home to see me, I will have to thank them both when I meet them. I must say, though, Ellie. The gardener… really?” Holly laughed aloud. “Who do you think you are? Lady Chatterley?”
As Holly was about to laugh again, Ellie grabbed her and pinned her to the bed. “Take this,” she said as she covered Holly’s mouth greedily with her own.
33
A beautiful day at the end of May heralded the party at Rochford House. The caterers had filled the length of the Great Hall, taking up the rear of the E-shaped property with food and drink of every description. The centrepiece of the display housed a large two-tiered fruitcake, bearing the inscription Rochford Manor in dark and light green lettering, edged with gold-leaf leaves. Ellie eyed the dishes suspiciously as waiters and waitresses fussed up and down the two aisles created by the banqueting table. She could have sworn the cakes were the ones Sue made for the café, spotting the coconut one immediately amongst a plethora of others. The blinis had the same toppings, and Ellie’s mouth watered when she saw the cream cheese and cornichon. Although others were added, everything she’d had at Alex’s birthday get-together was there in front of her. Perhaps all catering companies stayed with the same menus, she mused.
Her eyes saddened when she thought of Sue. The library wouldn’t be the same when the large chain replaced Sue’s Place. She pursed her lips at the thought of the extra money being good for the library fund, though. Good from bad. The love of her life would hopefully still be there when she visited the library, so the trip would definitely be worth it. As if by magic, a pair of familiar arms enfolded her, squeezing tightly. Ellie loved their closeness. They both revelled in it. As she turned, Holly gave her a quick peck on the cheek with soft, giving lips. Ellie yearned to feel them moving around her body, seeking their own agenda.
“How’s it going?” Holly asked, nervousness apparent in her voice.
“I wish you two would get a room,” said a voice from behind Holly. Leah giggled loudly.
“And I wish my daughter would be quiet for two minutes,” replied Holly, as she relinquished the hold on Ellie and grabbed her daughter the same way, making her squeal.
Ellie noticed how relaxed the two were in each other’s company. “Anyway, squirt,” Ellie said addressing Leah. “Are you all packed and ready to go?” Leah nodded and gave an excited little jump.
Holly laughed. “You have got to be joking. She’s been ready for the last week, and she’s changed her mind about what she’s taking at least six times.”
Leah reacted by sticking out the tip of her tongue. “It’s not my fault they keep changing the weather forecast, Mum. It looks as though most days it will be good, though, so I’ve picked mostly thin tops.”
Ellie nodded at Leah’s choice. “I’m must admit, I’m getting excited myself.” Ellie clenched her fist and put them either side of her mouth.
Holly rolled her eyes. “Oh, please! How many children are going to Disneyland?”
Leah laughed and put her arm through Ellie’s. “Come on, squirt, it’s nearly time. Let’s go and get a decent seat.”
Tables and chairs filled the huge lawn at the front of the house. At the front, the owner could make their speech from a raised dais. According to Amelia, their arrival was imminent. Across the other side of the tables, Ellie spotted Mick and his crew. They drank beer from bottles and laughed raucously at intermittent intervals. As the men parted, she saw Sue standing quaffing on a glass of champagne. So she had catered for the party! She would have words later. She didn’t want to interrupt now. Ellie suspected dirty jokes were doing the rounds. Mick waved when he saw her, then the crew also waved, no doubt taking the Mickey out of him. Sue raised her glass in salute. Mick was pleased when Holly and Leah both waved too. His reaction was to blow them all a kiss. The action made Leah laugh.
The familiar voice of Ciara carried on the gentle breeze. She was chatting to Jude as they ambled towards Ellie’s table. Without another thought, Ellie pulled the next table towards her own, putting them side by side. She rearranged the seating, so they could both join in with herself, Holly, and Leah.
Then Ciara put down her cocktail and Jude her bottle of beer, smiles all around. “Wow,” said Ellie, “don’t you two brush up well!”
Jude and Ciara looked at one another. It was Ciara who spoke first. “What are you trying to say, Ellie Hanray? Are you implying we don’t normally make an effort?” The comment was haughty, but the dark blues eyes flashed with merriment.
Leah began giggling and covered her mouth.
“Yes,” said Jude, “is that what you’re implying? I’d look pretty bloody silly in a frock riding on my lawnmower, wouldn’t I? The wind would get in all the wrong places.” She pinched her lips together and opened her eyes wide.
The conversation was too much for Leah, who bent over the table as she laughed aloud and quickly followed by everyone else’s laughter.
Eventually, Ciara composed herself. “Now, if you’ll excuse me a wee while, I have to see a man about a date.” She picked up her cocktail and took a delicate sip, and then she looked over and spotted Mick taking a swig from his beer bottle. She smoothed down her strapless summer dress, the yellow floral material deepening the colour of her eyes. Her hair shone unforgivingly in the sunlight. She looked like a happy woman in love.
As she reached him, he stood and hugged her close, kissing her lightly on the lips. “They make a lovely couple,”
said Jude, eyeing their actions closely.
“Yes,” said Holly, “they do. What’s more, her parents seemed pleased too. She was telling me her dad is over the moon at the prospect of her hooking up with a man from the ‘old country’. I hope everything works out for them.”
Jude made no comment but had a faraway look in her eyes. “What time is your date arriving,” asked Ellie with a little trepidation. She knew Jude had met the person at the local farm shop where they worked. The father was a farmer, growing crops locally. Despite Jude’s up-front attitude, Ellie knew she was treading carefully with the new person in her life. Ellie had no idea whether it was a man or a woman. This meeting would be a reveal all.
Jude took her phone from her pocket and checked the time. “Five minutes ago, to answer your question.” She chewed nervously on her bottom lip as she scanned the fast-growing group of people.
Ellie was distracted when she heard the low rumble of a large engine engaged in a low gear. As she turned towards the drive, a large coach came into view, sleek and black with tinted windows. She’d wondered why a large portion of the front turning circle had been cordoned off with as many cars as possible being urged to park at the rear. Now she knew. It rumbled to a halt in the given space, sounding a hiss as the air brakes took effect and then the doors opened. All the friends and family of the owner, no doubt, thought Ellie. She turned away as people she didn’t know alighted the coach.
“Quite a crowd,” said Holly, scanning the crowd now emerging.
“That damned thing better not churn up my grass when it turns around,” said Jude seriously.
Ellie was too busy grinning at Jude’s comment to notice how quiet Holly and Leah had become.
“Excuse me,” said Jude. “My date’s here I’ll be back in a tick.”
It was no surprise to Ellie as she saw Jude kiss a tall, leggy blonde woman on the cheek when she met her on the drive and smiled at the thought of Jude having company again. She’d been a little upset when Ellie returned home, although they still spoke and texted regularly.
The noise around them had increased so much, Ellie could barely hear herself think as people chatted and shouted as they secured tables and seats, amongst great arm waving. She thought she’d heard Leah’s voice and turned to see her taking off at a great rate of knots. It was then she spied her mum and dad as Leah ran into her dad’s outstretched arms while Dee looked on benignly.
Holly’s face looked puzzled. “Did you know they’d been invited?” she asked, her voice questioning.
Ellie shook her head. “I think I would have mentioned it, sweetheart.”
Leah was directing Daniel and Dee towards the table. Dee looked a little sheepish in a smiling kind of way. Daniel just beamed.
“All my favourite women in one place. A man couldn’t ask for more,” he said, cheerily.
Ellie stared open-mouthed. “What on earth are you doing here?” she asked quickly but in a quiet voice.
“We were invited,” said Dee, wafting a piece of card under Ellie’s nose.
“Very official,” said Daniel as he ruffled the top of Leah’s head.
Ellie was still in a state of shock, wondering what the hell was going on.
“We were told on the invite to keep it to ourselves, which we did,” piped up Dee, bubbling with excitement.
Ellie noticed the crowd begin to hush as two tall men walking with two red setters approached the dais at the front. A few children ran down to fuss the creatures who jumped and fussed the company excitedly. She heard a laugh that sounded faintly familiar, but with a knotted brow, carried on watching the tableau. She turned and looked at Holly who shrugged her shoulders. Dee and Daniel just smiled to themselves.
There was tapping on the microphone, which gathered everyone’s attention. Amelia bent forward to speak. “Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the new owners of Rochford Manor, Roman Bartosz and Michael Devlin.” A broad smile swept Amelia’s face as the crowd erupted with applause, cheers, and whistles.”
“I’ve heard of Michael Devlin,” said Leah, excitedly. “He’s the man at the library. The one who gave Mum a job.”
Holly nodded as though all the pieces were now beginning to fit. “Yes, darling, it is,” she replied matter-of-factly. Now she knew why Ellie, Leah, and she had been invited with an email from Amelia.
Ellie sat, stunned into silence. To her, it still didn’t make sense why Michael Devlin had kept his identity as co-owner of Rochford Manor a secret. Both ensuing speeches from the men included her and Mick’s involvement in turning the neglected Manor into a home for them both. Michael mentioned his up-and-coming retirement from his business, handing over the reins to his new CEO. Roman, it appeared was already retired, yet both men seemed too young. How the other half lived, thought Ellie. When Michael mentioned his future marriage to Roman, the crowd went deathly quiet, until a single handclap was joined by others, bringing a smile to both men’s faces.
Throughout, Ellie just stared, not making any comment at all. When they’d finished, her mother spoke first. “Well, I never…” she began to say until Daniel cut her off.
“Come on, Dee. We’ve been invited by Michael and Roman to eat, drink, and take a look at the house. That’s what we should do.”
“Yes,” said Leah. “Come on, I’ll show you.” The three set off to explore.
“Would you mind very much if I had a short walk alone,” asked Ellie with a little hint of pleading in her eyes.
Holly shook her head. “Not at all. I’ll hold the fort here.” She caressed Ellie’s hand as she passed her.
Ellie found a quiet spot to sit on the bench next to the outside edge of the maze. She should be annoyed with Michael Devlin for keeping the secret from her, but she wasn’t. She could understand in a way, keeping private life and work separate. She should just be glad he’d employed her to do the job. It had been hard work, and she’d felt the pressure of being away from home, yet he’d still trusted in her ability to make the Manor into the home he and Roman had wanted it to be.
A scuffling in the hedge attracted her attention. A flutter of wings at the top dragged her eyes upward until she caught sight of the robin. At first, she thought it was her robin, but it looked slightly larger and wasn’t quite as red on its chest… and no black patch. She felt her tummy wobble in her disappointment. She so wanted to see Alex again but feared she wouldn’t. It had been a long time since his last visit. Now she had to face up to the fact he was a bird. A fragile bird who could have met with any kind of downfall. A tear appeared in her lower lid.
The bird hopped up and down, but she felt no need to speak. A fluttering of wings from either side of her drew her attention again. The first robin was joined by another smaller bird. It looked like a sparrow with brown spots on it creamy white chest. Ellie studied it for a moment, deciding she had never seen a bird like that before. Then her eyes came to rest on the third bird. Same size as Alex and the same colour on the chest. Then she spotted it. The black patch was there in all its glory. Ellie’s heart leapt. Her son had brought his family to see her.
Ellie was stunned beyond speech, and even if she wanted to, the lump in her throat would have prevented it. The situation was so unbelievable, so… beyond words. Alex began to flit from place to place in the hedge until finally he landed near her shoe on the path. Ellie swallowed. “Alex,” she said haltingly, “I don’t think I can put into words how I’m feeling at the moment. I love you so much and the fact you’ve brought your family to see me, is… is…”
She couldn’t continue. She leant over and reached out her hand. With her forefinger, she caressed the top of his head and felt the downy-softness, expecting him to fly away any moment. But he didn’t. She closed her eyes and pictured herself stroking Alex’s hair as he slept. She was so full of emotion, she could feel the panic rising within her. Suddenly, the bird shifted position and her finger trailed down its back. Over and over, she repeated the action. The robin stood stock-still and
allowed her to continue. The surrealism was shattered by the squawking cry of the juvenile from above. Alex took one last look at her as he joined his family on the top of the hedge, and then they flew away in unison.
Ellie sat for a while enjoying her calmness, listening to the other songbirds making use of the gardens. Her thoughts were interrupted by crunching on the gravel behind her. The arms, which were so familiar to her now, swept round either side of her body. She felt the soft caress of Holly’s lips on her hair.
“Are you okay?” Holly asked softly. Ellie nodded her head slowly, knowing inside all was right with her world. She would probably never share about Alex and his disguise as a robin. Once she thought Jude would understand, but now she knew it didn’t matter. The robin had brought with him some life lessons as he’d guided unknowingly—or was that knowingly—to the path she had found herself on. Most importantly, he’d brought her hope. Everything was all right in her world, and he’d made one last visit to tell her so.
One thing she knew for certain—they would meet again one day. It didn’t matter the guise because they would recognise each other.
Now, it seemed, they both had lives to live with families they loved.
THE END
Acknowledgments
My wife, Denise, without whom I would be totally lost.
Lilian, the eldest and the busiest. She never seems to stop.
Barbara and Eric – always there and totally reliable.
My sister-in-law Kath, who has faith in everybody.
Julie, the youngest, who has fought hard battles herself – and won.
Lots of love to the rest of the family, with a special mention for Joanna and Lauren, who have taken up the slack at a moment’s notice when we’ve found ourselves well and truly stuck; Doug who did the transport run, and Vicky always on the phone!
The Harbinger Page 28