‘Good.’ The neighbour hung up.
Edward felt all his energy draining out of him as he rang his father’s landline a moment later, but it was his brother who picked up the phone.
‘Oscar?’
‘Ed?’
‘How long have you been at Dad’s?’
He heard Oscar sigh. ‘What’s the time?’
‘Just after one.’
‘PM?’
‘Of course PM!’
‘I’ve lost track since eight last night.’
‘What’s happening?’
‘What do you mean?
‘I’ve just had a neighbour on the phone complaining about the noise last night.’
‘What noise?’
‘Dad shouting and crashing around the street?’
‘Ah, right.’
‘And you were there?’
‘I might have passed out by that point.’
‘God, Oscar. What the hell is going on? I thought you were worried about him drinking and getting into a mess.’
‘I am!’
‘So what do you think you’re doing going over there and joining in?’
‘We were having a laugh! Anything wrong with that?’
‘There is when it involves an alcoholic causing chaos in the middle of the night,’ Edward cried.
‘I thought it would be better if he had someone with him,’ Oscar said.
‘Not someone who’s going to pass out.’ Edward sighed again. ‘Look, make sure he’s okay, will you? And tell him that the neighbours are on the verge of calling the police if he doesn’t sort himself out.’
‘Nosey bloody parkers!’
Edward hung up, switching his phone off in case his brother tried to ring him back. He’d had enough. He’d tried so many times in the past to reach out to both his father and brother to explain how he felt and how they could be living better lives, but it always ended in misery. For him at least.
He gazed out of the window to the downs beyond. He’d go walking if he had the energy, but he felt exhausted. Perhaps he’d sit in the garden later. He’d just try and do a little bit of work first so that the day didn’t feel like a total waste of time.
* * *
When Abi reached her sister’s, she pulled the sewing machine out of the car, taking it to the front door and putting it down before returning for the box of ribbons and threads. When she turned around, the front door was open.
‘I heard you arrive,’ Ellen said. ‘You got it!’
‘I certainly did!’
‘You’re brilliant, Abi! You must tell me all about it.’
‘Oh, I will.’
The two of them went inside, placing the machine on the kitchen table together with the box and then Abi bent over the dog basket to give Pugly a stroke.
‘The girls went to a friend’s after school so we’ve got some time to ourselves,’ Ellen explained as she opened the carrying case of the sewing machine and smiled.
‘Don’t you think it should be in a museum?’ Abi asked.
‘Nonsense! I’m going to make good use of this.’
Abi watched as Ellen patted the top of the machine. ‘Aunt Claire never used it, did she?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘I remember her always sewing by hand if we had a torn sleeve or a hem down.’ Her fingers gently touched the sides of it and Abi guessed what her sister was thinking: the last hands to touch this, to work it, would have been their mother’s.
A lump formed in Abi’s throat and she swallowed hard. ‘I can’t wait to see what you make with it,’ she said, trying to lighten the mood.
‘So what’s in the box?’ Ellen asked.
‘Take a look.’
Ellen opened it and gasped. ‘Were these Mum’s?’
‘Well, can you imagine Aunt Claire keeping coloured ribbons?’
‘Er, no!’ Ellen said, her hand delving inside and bringing out spools of rainbow-bright thread. ‘I had no idea this existed.’
‘It was shut away in a cupboard in the back room,’ Abi told her.
‘I used to hate that room. Aunt Claire would make me clean it sometimes and it was always cold and dark. She never put the radiator on in there.’ Ellen turned to Abi. ‘So how was the old harridan?’
‘Pretty much like that room – cold and dark,’ Abi said.
Ellen groaned. ‘So you didn’t have a cosy chat over tea and cake?’
‘She marched me in and marched me out,’ Abi said.
‘Did she ask after me and the girls?’
‘I’m afraid not.’
Ellen shook her head.
‘But there’s something I wanted to show you,’ Abi told her. ‘Just a minute.’
She ran out to the car and came back a moment later with her sketch. ‘There was a photo in the back room,’ she said. ‘It was of mum and Aunt Claire as teenagers. I’d never seen it before and I picked it up, but Aunt Claire flipped and told me to put it down. I should have got a photo of it on my phone, but she kind of frogmarched me off the premises at that point.’
‘Old cow!’
‘So I tried to sketch what Mum looked like in it when I got home.’ Abi showed Ellen the sketch now.
‘Oh, Abi! That’s so beautiful,’ Ellen said, taking the picture from her. And then she gasped. ‘She looks just like you!’
‘You think so?’
‘You don’t see it?’
Abi looked at the picture again. ‘I suppose. A little.’
‘God, does that make me Aunt Claire?’
Abi shook her head. ‘Never!’
‘I see you didn’t draw her.’
‘I don’t really need to see her miserable face,’ Abi said. ‘Although she was actually smiling in the photo.’
‘She can smile?’
‘She obviously used to in the dim and distant past.’
Ellen shook her head. ‘Mum was so beautiful, wasn’t she?’
Abi nodded, unable to trust herself to speak at that moment. Instead, the two of them stood with their arms around each other’s shoulders, gazing into the face of the mother who was no longer with them.
* * *
Later that afternoon, once Abi was back at Winfield, she walked the length of the walled garden. The sun was warm on her bare limbs and she wasn’t surprised to see Edward sitting outside on his bench, his eyes closed against the sun. She didn’t want to disturb him and was about to turn away when he opened his eyes and saw her there.
‘Hello,’ he said.
‘Hi.’
‘You okay?’
She nodded as she approached him. ‘How about you? Had a good day?’
For a moment, she thought she saw a pained expression dance across his face, but he smiled.
‘Sure,’ he said.
He looked tired and Abi couldn’t help feeling sorry for him because tired seemed to be his default setting. But there was something else in his face today – a kind of weariness, as if life had played its worst with him.
‘How about you? Good day?’ he asked.
Abi thought about the cold, dark room at Aunt Claire’s and the cold, dark reception she’d given her, and she thought about the sweet face of her mother in the photograph and the warmth of her smile and how she’d never see that smile this side of heaven.
‘Yes. A good day,’ she said, keeping her feelings locked inside.
She sat down beside him and the two of them enjoyed the peace of the garden together for a few moments. It was a strange companionship, she thought. They were sharing this special place, making a home there for themselves, so close to each other and yet knowing so very little about one another. Abi couldn’t help wondering what Edward would make of her problems if she confessed them to him now. He would probably run a mile and, in truth, she didn’t want to tell him. It would spoil the strange quiet friendship that they shared. Although could they really be considered friends if they didn’t share their thoughts and feelings? Or maybe that made for the best friendships, Abi pondered. May
be not knowing too much about each other was better.
She glanced at him and for all her protestations about it being better to know little about each other, she couldn’t help wanting to ask him if he was okay – really okay. She just couldn’t help it. It seemed like he was in pain and she wanted to reach out to him.
‘Hey you!’ she found herself saying.
‘What?’
‘Fancy a swim?’
His eyebrows rose. ‘Now?’
‘Why not?’
‘In the river?’
She nodded and he smiled. It was good to see him smile.
‘Well, okay then,’ he said, getting up. ‘Wetsuits?’
‘Do you think it’s warm enough for just swimming costumes?’
‘We could give it a try. Meet you out the front in five?’
She nodded.
Twenty minutes later, they’d driven to the river and walked across the field. The sun was lower now and Abi was wondering just how wise it was to be there without wetsuits. Had she made a terrible mistake? No, she thought. She was going to do it – she was going to swim properly with as little as possible between her skin and the water.
‘It’s a beautiful afternoon, isn’t it?’ she said, her hand outstretched as she touched the tall grasses that they passed. ‘Just look at this landscape. It’s all lacy and golden.’
Edward paused for a moment. ‘You really have it, don’t you?’ he said.
‘Have what?’
‘The secret of life unlocked, unpacked and laid at your feet.’
She frowned, surprised by his summation of her. ‘You think so?’
‘I do. You have this way of moving through a landscape – of seeing its colours and feeling its textures.’
Abi looked confused. ‘And you don’t?’
‘Well, I have to make a conscious effort,’ Edward told her. ‘I can see it all when I look, but my head is very often elsewhere. I find it hard to relax into the moment in front of me.’
Abi nodded. ‘But you’re learning, aren’t you?’
He smiled and it was such a lovely, warm and unexpected smile that Abi found herself smiling right back at him.
‘Come on – I’ll race you to the river!’ Edward said.
Abi was a little astonished by the playfulness of his tone. This was a different Edward she was seeing now and Abi began to laugh – a nervous little giggle at first, but quickly rolling into something approaching hysteria as she began to run.
‘Come on, Abi!’ he called as he tore across the meadow. ‘Last one in cleans up after the builders this weekend!’
Abi might not have been relishing the idea of jumping into the cold river water, but she wasn’t going to be left behind and so she ran as she hadn’t done since she was a child, screaming in excitement as she did so and quickly catching Edward up.
‘I’m going to win!’ she cried.
‘No you’re not!’ Edward answered, picking up speed.
For a few wonderful moments, Abi forgot the stresses of the day as she gave in to the joy of living in the present and, together, they raced across the meadow to the river as it made its sparkling progress towards the sea.
END OF BOOK ONE
High Blue Sky
If you have enjoyed The House in the Clouds you might like High Blue Sky.
What would you sacrifice to be with the person you love?
Summer has arrived and it’s over a year since strangers Abigail and Edward bought Winfield Hall at auction and restored it together. Now, two new tenants are about to join them at their beautiful Georgian home.
Workaholic Harry Freeman has forgotten what it is to relax so when he meets healer, Aura Arden, and learns to meditate with her, he can’t believe how good he feels and he soon finds himself falling for her. But, with her bare feet and crystal beads, Aura’s not a big hit with Harry’s old-fashioned parents, and he finds himself torn between the people he loves most in the world.
It isn’t just Harry and Aura finding love. Summer has woven its spell over Edward and his brother Oscar, and both are making a play for Abi. But Abi isn’t happy at having to choose between these two very different men and, when Oscar’s behavior spirals out of control, she realizes that some decisions can have devastating consequences.
High Blue Sky is the second novel in the heart-warming trilogy from the bestselling author of The Rose Girls and The Book Lovers series.
You can order it here: High Blue Sky
Acknowledgements
Huge thanks to Jacky Radbone who made the winning bid on my ‘Name a Character’ auction in aid of CLIC Sargent. It was my total pleasure to feature Jacky’s beautiful dog, Boo, in my novel.
Thank you to my editor, Catriona. And thanks also to the amazing Lisa Brewster who designed the covers for this trilogy.
As ever, thank you to Roy for letting me bounce ideas off him and for all the help on the techie side.
Also by Victoria Connelly
The House in the Clouds Series
The House in the Clouds
High Blue Sky
The Book Lovers Series
The Book Lovers
Rules for a Successful Book Club
Natural Born Readers
Scenes from a Country Bookshop
Christmas with the Book Lovers
Other Books
The Beauty of Broken Things
One Last Summer
The Heart of the Garden
Love in an English Garden
The Rose Girls
The Secret of You
Christmas at The Cove
Christmas at the Castle
Christmas at the Cottage
The Christmas Collection ( A compilation volume)
A Summer to Remember
Wish You Were Here
The Runaway Actress
Molly’s Millions
Flights of Angels
Irresistible You
Three Graces
It's Magic (A compilation volume)
A Weekend with Mr Darcy
The Perfect Hero (Dreaming of Mr Darcy)
Mr Darcy Forever
Christmas With Mr Darcy
Happy Birthday Mr Darcy
At Home with Mr Darcy
One Perfect Week and Other Stories
The Retreat and Other Stories
Postcard from Venice and Other Stories
A Dog Called Hope
Escape to Mulberry Cottage (non-fiction)
A Year at Mulberry Cottage (non-fiction)
Summer at Mulberry Cottage (non-fiction)
Secret Pyramid (children’s adventure)
The Audacious Auditions of Jimmy Catesby (children’s adventure)
About the Author
Victoria Connelly is the bestselling author of The Rose Girls and The Book Lovers series.
With over a million sales, her books have been translated into many languages. The first, Flights of Angels, was made into a film in Germany. Victoria flew to Berlin to see it being made and even played a cameo role in it.
A Weekend with Mr Darcy, the first in her popular Austen Addicts series about fans of Jane Austen has sold over 100,000 copies. She is also the author of several romantic comedies including The Runaway Actress which was nominated for the Romantic Novelists' Association's Best Romantic Comedy of the Year.
Victoria was brought up in Norfolk, England before moving to Yorkshire where she got married in a medieval castle. After 11 years in London, she moved to rural Suffolk where she lives in a thatched cottage with her artist husband, a springer spaniel and her ex-battery hens.
To hear about future releases and receive a free ebook sign up for her newsletter.
Visit: www.victoriaconnelly.com
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