“So you think I’m chasing a lost cause?”
“I didn’t say that but if someone wants to disappear then they usually can. You must know that Emlyn, from your legal work.”
He’d nodded even though she couldn’t see him. “Sadly I do but I’m not giving up. I’ll just get Dorothy to widen her search.”
“Maybe your brother will come up with a solution.”
“Maybe,” he’d cut the call without pursuing it further, and now he was sitting with his head in his hands wondering what he could do to turn his life around.
“Anyone at home?” His brother’s voice echoed up the stairway separating the office from the apartment above. When Emlyn answered he took the stairs two at a time and bounded into the cramped sitting room with a smile that died on his face as he took in the surroundings.
“For goodness sake Emlyn, I didn’t know you were living here? I thought you were at the cottage with Mum, which has to be better than this even if it cramps your love life.”
Indicating that his brother should sit on the couch, Emlyn sank into his chair again. “I moved out of the cottage long ago when it became clear that Mum needed a professional companion.”
“Why? There are more than enough bedrooms for you, Mum, and half a dozen nurses.”
Despite himself, Emlyn grinned. “You haven’t seen the nurses, especially the last two. The village gossips would have a field day if I lived there too.”
His brother shook his head. “Not a good enough excuse for living in this dump. There are a lot of very nice properties in Corley, places you could buy or rent. If you are so intent on living close to Mum instead of persuading her to move into a nursing home, which is where she should be, then the least you can do is make yourself comfortable. Look at this place. When did it last see a coat of paint or new curtains? It’s terrible Emlyn.”
“I know it is but I can’t afford anything else, not now I’ve resigned from my Chambers in the city. Every penny I’ve got goes to keep up the family business as well as employing the nurses I told you about.”
With a look of horror, his brother sat forward on the couch so that their knees almost touched. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d resigned? I just thought you were intent on making life difficult for yourself when you said you were moving back to Corley, and that you’d be travelling up to London every day.”
“Well now you know you were wrong.” Emlyn punched him lightly on the shoulder as he replied so his brother wouldn’t think he was feeling sorry for himself. “How about we go down to The Corley Arms for a meal. Connie’s steak and kidney pie is far better than anything I can offer, and we can catch up while someone else does the cooking.”
“Sounds good to me,” Paul got to his feet and waited for Emlyn to join him. “I’m paying though before you have any thoughts about playing the big brother!”
Chapter Sixteen
When the doorbell rang the following morning Katy was washing up. Hastily drying her hands she hurried to answer it. Expecting Emlyn, who had said he was going to call in to see his mother later that day, she was surprised by his doppelganger. The man standing on the doorstep was so like him that for one brief moment she was speechless. Then she saw the differences. For a start he wasn’t as big, and his hair was a shade darker. He didn’t have the scar either, although for some strange reason that made him less attractive. He had the charm though.
“Hello, I’m Paul, and you must Katy. Emlyn has told me all about the success you’re having with Mother, and I must say I’ll be impressed if only half of what he’s told me is true.”
She smiled at him. “Emlyn’s opinion has been influenced by a few bad experiences. Any nurse worth her salt would be able to do the same.”
He shook his head, his eyes full of admiration. “That’s not what he told me. He didn’t tell me what you looked like either. I had a vision of someone with grey corrugated curls who’d be wearing a starched uniform and a sour expression.”
Laughing at such blatant flirtation, Katy invited him in. Standing in the hallway he looked around in surprise.
“This is much nicer than I remember. Have you tidied it up or something?”
She nodded, and then smiled as Mrs. Brooks appeared from the kitchen, her eyes wide with delighted surprise as she recognized her youngest son. Sweeping her into a bear hug he scolded her. “You didn’t tell me you were living with such a delectable young lady. If I’d known I’d have visited sooner.”
Laughing, she put a hand up to his face. “Don’t be so silly Emlyn. You’ve already met Katy.”
Seeing the shock of sudden realization on his face as the severity of his mother’s dementia struck home, Katy put a hand on Mrs. Brook’s arm. “Why don’t you finish checking the greenhouse while I make coffee for us all. Paul will come and get you as soon as it’s ready.”
* * *
“How long has she been like this?” he asked the moment the door closed behind his mother.
Katy shook her head. “There’s no set pattern. She varies day to day.”
“So if I come again tomorrow she might recognize me?”
Hearing the hurt in his voice, Katy kept her voice gentle as she spelled out the facts of his mother’s illness. “She already knows who you are, she just got muddled for a moment because you and Emlyn look so alike.”
“It didn’t seem like that to me, especially when she told me I’d already met you.”
“That’s because you haven’t seen her greet your brother. She is never pleased to see him, and she never ever hugs him. In her eyes Emlyn is the person who has destroyed her life while you, your sister, and your father are the people she spends most of her time waiting to see.”
He had the grace to look ashamed. “I didn’t know. Emlyn never said.”
“That’s because he takes the view that there’s no point in destroying three lives when one will do.”
“He said that?”
She gave him a look of pity. “Of course he didn’t, but it’s what he thinks.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know he blames himself for the fact that his sister lives in Australia, and he also blames himself for the fact that you have a job that takes you all over the world.”
“And does he blame himself for our father’s illness as well?” There was scorn in Paul’s voice as he questioned her, although the pain in his eyes told another story.
“I don’t know, you’ll have to ask him.”
Katy decided she’d said quite enough and that Emlyn would probably be furious with her for her lack of discretion. She didn’t regret a word of it though. Despite shutting her heart to him she couldn’t stop caring, so if he wasn’t going to tell his family what he was going through, then she was.
* * *
“How about we all go out to lunch, or would it be better if I ordered something in?” Paul looked anxiously at Katy as he suddenly realized that taking someone with dementia out for a meal might not be a good idea after all.
“Lunch at The Corley Arms will be fine,” Katy told him. “Your mother likes it there, and Connie will make sure we sit somewhere a bit tucked away so the other diners don’t fluster her.”
When she saw an expression of something close to terror on his face she shook her head in admonishment. “She’s not that bad you know. She still remembers how to use a knife and fork, and she loves going out.”
* * *
When Emlyn found them they were laughing and chatting as if they’d known one another for years. They were also sitting far too close together as far as he was concerned. His mother was laughing too, although she stopped as soon as she saw him and her eyes filled with tears.
Katy, who had no idea that Emlyn was in the room, took hold of her hand. “What is it? Has something upset you?”
“It’s him…he’s come back, “ she whispered, her face pale with emotion. “Ask him why he left me. Ask him why…” Her voice veered off into confusion as Katy turned around and saw Emlyn standing
behind her, his own face as pale as his mother’s as he stared at her.
“It’s Emlyn mother,” Paul broke the silence, his voice harsh with distress. “Surely you know Emlyn, and if you don’t then you should because he’s the one who’s been looking after you while the rest of us have pretended nothing is wrong so that we can get on with our own lives.”
“Enough! She doesn’t need to hear this and especially not in a public place surrounded by strangers.” Emlyn gripped his brother’s shoulder with a force that made him wince. He didn’t back down though.
“Yes she does. She needs to understand what’s happening to her because until she does she’ll carry on blaming you for the way her life is diminishing, and that’s not fair on either of you.”
“So after just a few hours in her company you are the expert are you?”
His brother scowled up at him while their mother looked from one to the other in confusion. “No, I’m not, but Katy is, and I’ve been listening to her, which is something you ought to do instead of playing the martyr. Have you ever once asked Mum where she wants to live for instance, or did you just decide she would be better off staying at Oak Lodge and act accordingly?”
The question silenced Emlyn sufficiently for Katy to invite him to join them at the table, her heart overflowing with pity at the stunned expression on his face. “Sit down Emlyn and order something to eat. We’re all having fish and chips because it’s today’s special.”
Without a murmur he subsided into the seat next to her. “Have I really been that bad?” he asked as his brother turned towards their mother and tried to distract her.
She shook her head. “Not quite! It’s his grief talking, and his conscience because he hasn’t visited for so long. He is angry with you though because he’s just realized how much you’ve kept him and your sister in the dark instead of telling them what’s really going on. He didn’t even know your father had disappeared until you phoned to tell him he was ill.”
“I couldn’t bring myself to tell him when I thought he’d just deserted us all,” he frowned at her.
“Why not? Paul and your sister are adults who’ve long outgrown any need for your protection, something you might understand if you spend a bit more time talking to them.”
“And what about my mother, do I need to talk to her too?”
Her face softened. “One thing at a time. Your brother hasn’t seen her on a really bad day when she has to be reminded to eat. Until now, keeping her in her own home has been exactly the right thing to do, but the time will come when things have to change.”
Without thinking he grabbed her hand. “Promise you’ll tell me when that happens because I don’t want her to suffer any more than she has to.”
Gently withdrawing her fingers from his, she shook her head, her voice full of regret. “It won’t be me who’ll be telling you will it? I’ll have moved on by then.”
The arrival of a waitress prevented him from answering and by the time she had taken his order and checked they were all okay for drinks, the opportunity had gone. As he watched Katy sooth his mother’s confusion into an understanding that it was her eldest son and not her husband who was sitting opposite her, the finality he’d heard in her words clenched like a fist around his heart.
Until then he hadn’t really believed her. Up until now he had always been able to talk his girlfriends around if he wanted to, and despite his misery, he’d been sure that once she stopped being angry, Katy would listen to his explanation, tell him she was sorry she hadn’t believed him, and they would pick up the tentative threads of their relationship again. Now though, he wasn’t so confident. Despite her lack of worldliness, she was made of sterner stuff that any of his previous girlfriends. The fact that she had survived everything she’d been through in her life and made a fresh start with no help from anyone was proof enough of that.
* * *
“So when are you going to tell her?” His brother asked the question as soon as they had dropped Katy and their mother back at Oak Lodge.
"Tell who what?”
“Tell Katy that you’re falling in love with her?”
“Mind your own business and let me mind mine.”
“Mmm, very grown up. Almost as grown up as trying to take responsibility for everything that’s happening in our parents’ lives without involving Alice and me.”
“Now you’re talking rubbish. I just did what had to be done and if you take a minute to think about it instead of criticizing, then you’ll see that I’m right.”
Ignoring the irritation in his voice, Paul pulled into the curb outside Brooks, Brooks & Leighton Solicitors and cut the engine. “I’m not criticizing. I’m just trying to talk some sense into you. Do you honestly believe I would still be living in Corley if I hadn’t travelled out to Australia in my gap year to visit Alice and Ted? And do you really think she would still be here if you hadn’t introduced her to him? For goodness sake Emlyn, grow up! You moved away didn’t you, so what makes you think we wouldn’t have done the same without any input from you?”
The angry response died on Emlyn’s lips as he looked at his brother and saw the affection in his eyes. Taking advantage of his momentary speechlessness Paul patted him on the back. “Come on, we’re going to get drunk, that’s assuming you have some alcohol in that hovel you call home.”
He grinned when he saw the quizzical expression on Emlyn’s face. “And in case you think I’m doing this for enjoyment, I’m not. I’m doing it for purely altruistic reasons, because the one thing I’ve never forgotten since you took me to my first pub, is that the only time you open up is when you’ve had one too many beers.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Hi Katy, what brings you here at this time of day?” Tony asked as she pushed open the door of The Corley Arms and walked into the empty bar.
She flushed slightly as she smiled at him. “I’m after a favor but I don’t want to put you on the spot.”
“You won’t. I’ve been running this place for so many years that I’m an expert at letting people down lightly if I don’t like their ideas. Subtlety is my middle name!”
“Don’t you believe a word he says. He wouldn’t recognize subtlety if it hit him in the face with a brick.” Connie joined the conversation as she bustled in from the kitchen, her hands full of cutlery. Dumping everything on the bar, she pulled a pack of paper napkins out of her apron pocket and handed it to her husband.
“Here, make yourself useful. We’re short-staffed again and it’s nearly lunchtime.”
With a mock sigh he began to wrap individual sets of a knife, fork and spoon into each napkin and then twist the ends with a professional flourish.
“See he’s so multi-skilled that I didn’t even have to tell him what to do,” Connie told Katy with a grin.
Laughing at their affectionate banter, Katy expanded on her request. “I know it’s a bit of a cheek but I wondered if you’d let Mrs. Brooks come in and do your flowers sometimes, unless you already employ someone to do it of course.”
When she saw them exchange glances the flush returned to her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I should have realized how difficult it would be for you. You’re friends with Emlyn so of course you won’t want to say no.”
Tony stopped wrapping cutlery and leaned forward on the bar. “It’s not difficult at all, we’re just embarrassed we didn’t think of it ourselves. Of course she can do the flowers just as long as she has them ready for when we open at noon.”
Delighted by a far more positive reaction than she had expected, Katy looked at Connie for corroboration. She nodded enthusiastically. “You’ve solved a problem for us. We’ve been racking our brains for days trying to think of a way we can take some of the burden away from Emlyn because he seems even more stressed than usual at the moment, so if Mrs. Brooks is prepared to bring her skills to our table decorations and hanging baskets, then we’ll be glad to have her. We’ll also be the envy of all the pubs around Corley once word gets out.”
“You really mean that?” Katy beamed at both of them, unable to believe her luck. Now that she had Tony and Connie on side as well as Izzie and Jack, Mrs. Brooks would be busy and occupied every day.
“We certainly do,” Connie told her. “Come into the scullery so I can show you the vases we use, and explain about the outside sink, and about the ordering.”
“That’ll still be your job,” Katy told her hastily, not wanting to contemplate the sort of bills Penny Brooks would rack up.
Connie laughed at her. “I sort of realized that, unless you want to learn how to do it, because I assume you’ll come with her.”
“Um…yes I will…well for the next few weeks anyway, after that…” she shrugged, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Connie stared at her aghast. “Please don’t tell me you’re looking for another job, not when you’ve already made such a difference to her life, and to Emlyn’s too. He’s been a different person since you arrived. Well he was until last week when that poisonous ex-girlfriend of his turned up out of the blue.”
“Ex-girlfriend?” Katy asked, her mouth suddenly dry.
“Yes…Lucy something or other. She’s a well known model apparently, you know, one of those girls who’s all leg and hair, and who models the type of dresses nobody in their right mind would want to wear.”
“I saw her,” Katy admitted, ashamed she was extending the conversation but unable to stop herself. “She was driving a flashy sports car.”
“Probably borrowed from her latest boyfriend because she never spends a penny of her own money if she can help it. She only turned up the other day because she wanted Emlyn to get her some VIP tickets for the annual Bella Blue concert.”
Saving Katy Gray (When Paths Meet Book 3) Page 13