Lavender Lane

by Christina Jones

  The other three looked at him shamefacedly.

  ‘Bob and Amy will be back tomorrow,’ Jim went on, ‘and we really should have something to tell them. Sam what was it you were going to say?’

  ‘Just that when I’ve tied up things in the States, I’ll have a certain amount of income to invest. Cicely and I will have more than enough for our future, and I can’t think of anything I’d like better than to be able.to help my new family with the residue.’

  Stella and Jim exchanged glances. They had mixed feelings. They knew that for the sake of Bob’s health and Amy’s happiness, it was imperative that they should retire from the business but even so … the firm had been in the family for a long time. They weren’t absolutely sure they wanted to have Sam in overall charge.

  But what other choice was there?

  Only the one that they both knew Amy would never accept – selling out to her sister and brother-in-law.

  Sam, sensing their reluctance, tapped the papers in front of him.

  ‘I don’t think I’ve explained things very well. I don’t want to become a sleeping partner – or even a sleeping owner – of Lavender Cabs. We’ll be too busy for that – we’re gonna buy a biplane and join the vintage aviators!’ He smiled. ‘No, what Cicely and I are planning to do is share the money out between the children.’

  ‘Oh!’ Stella leaned forward. ‘The children? What a wonderful idea – and how very generous!’

  ‘Well, they’ll get it after we’re gone anyway, so it seems more sensible to let them have it now,’ Cicely remarked. ‘Obviously I’ve already helped Matt and Sally set up Floral Oils, so their share would be smaller, but there will be some for baby Kim. And Bob and Amy will have a larger share than Mitch or Megan. We’ve seen my solicitor and he’s working on the final sums now. There will certainly be enough for Bob and Amy to retire on – but not, I fear, quite enough for Megan and Mitch to buy out Paul and Judith as well.’

  ‘So – that means Lavender Cabs will stay in the family into the next generation!’ Jim leaned back, smiling broadly. ‘And, of course, when Stella and I are gone, our shares –’

  ‘– will have to be divided between Amy and Judith,’ Stella said dryly, ‘unless we change our will. No – don’t let’s even think about that. We’ve all got years of living to do yet! And if Cicely can join the aero club I think I might consider scuba diving!’

  ‘Or stock car racing?’ Jim put in mischievously. Tm sure the children would be delighted to give you lessons!’

  ‘Stop!’ Cicely cried. ‘Or when Bob and Amy are back I’ll be accused of leading you astray! We’ll just leave the finer points to the solicitors and the accountants, shall we? And hope Paul and Judith take the hint and ride off into the sunset.’

  ‘What a pleasant thought.’ Sam was beaming broadly. ‘Now, who wants more tea?’

  Chapter Eleven

  Leaving Our Dreams Behind

  ‘Time to go home,’ Amy said wistfully. ‘And I don’t want to. But I shouldn’t be feeling like this, should I?’

  ‘Why not?’ Bob put his arm round her shoulders. ‘I do.’

  They were standing against the harbour wall at Starpoint, staring out across the grey-blue mottled water, watching the fishing boats taking a well-earned rest against the quayside, while gulls swooped and screamed over the harbour mouth.

  It was a gentle day after so much freezing weather, a day when the sky looked as though it had been washed once too often, and the sun was but a pale imitation of its usual fiery glory. A day to remind everyone that spring really was just around the corner, and that soon the hilly cobbled streets would be filled with holidaymakers.

  ‘That cottage, Windwhistle …’ Amy snuggled against Bob’s coat sleeve and repeated the name. She could almost see herself writing it at the top of letters home to the family in Appleford – ‘Windwhistle, Cove Lane, Starpoint, Devon.’ She sighed. ‘It really is perfect, isn’t it?’

  Bob nodded. ‘And vacant possession. It really seemed like home – which is odd, after “home” for all our lives being bound up with so many other people. Are we getting selfish in our old age, do you think?’

  ‘No.’ Amy stood on tip-toe and kissed his cheek. ‘We’re starting all over again. We’re doing this the wrong way round, aren’t we? This is how most young couples start off, a new home, just the two of them. Away from the family …’

  She stared out across the bay again and bit her lip. They weren’t, though, were they? Because they couldn’t.

  Lavender Lane and all their responsibilities were preventing them from turning the dream into reality.

  Amy shook herself. ‘Oh, I’m an ungrateful so-and-so. After all, Lavender Cabs has given us so much. I shouldn’t resent the very thing that has given us and our children security and stability …’

  ‘But you do.’ Bob held her hand tightly. ‘And so do I. I don’t like myself for it, either. It’s just that I’ve never wanted anything more than this in my whole life.’

  ‘Neither have I,’ Amy said fiercely. ‘I can almost visualise Windwhistle furnished with our bits and pieces – the dining-table would look perfect by the French doors. Summer evenings with that lovely garden full of jasmine and honeysuckle, and the children coming to stay – and Kim playing on the beach.’

  ‘And we’ve got to go back and forget all about it.’ Bob tightened his grip on her hand and turned her to face him. ‘Unless –’

  ‘I can’t do it.’ She shook her head. ‘It wouldn’t be fair to Megan or Mitchell. I couldn’t sell out to Paul and Judith. Could you?’

  They started to walk back towards the guest-house. Their cases had been packed after breakfast and stowed in the boot of the car, to enable them to spend as much of this last day as possible in Starpoint.

  ‘Right now, yes, I could.’ Bob didn’t meet her eyes. ‘I feel inclined to let Mitch and Meg take their chances. They’re young – and they’d probably cope with it.’

  ‘But what about Mum and Dad?’ Amy said fiercely. ‘They don’t want Lavender to change! They’d hate it if it turned into a leisure complex.’

  Bob stopped and pulled Amy round to face him. She was still so pretty, and these few days away from the stresses of Lavender Lane had eased away the tired lines from her face and brought the sparkle back to her eyes.

  ‘Don’t you think we should stop thinking about all of them for once? Your parents, my mother, our children? Why don’t we think about us?’

  ‘I do!’ Amy protested. ‘But never first. I’ve never been able to afford that luxury! That’s the way it is, isn’t it? You’re part of a family – and you never have time to be you!’

  ‘Except here, for these few days.’

  ‘Oh, yes.’ She linked her arm through his and started walking again. ‘This has been wonderful. Why does it seem so selfish to be happy away from them all, Bob, when I love them all so much?’

  ‘It’s not selfish at all. They’re living their own lives – and I think what we’ve tried to do is to make them want to live ours.’ He paused for a moment, knowing that he would have to choose his next words very carefully. ‘Because that’s what we did. We carried on with Lavender Cabs and the bungalow in exactly the same way as Stella and Jim, because that’s what we wanted at the time.

  ‘But things have changed; we’ve changed. I think it’s unreasonable to expect our children – and theirs – to do things exactly as we did just because it’s the way our parents did it. It’s not the way of the world, Amy. Things move on. And I think we should.’

  ‘But Mum and Dad …’ She sighed. ‘They practically gave us the business. It would be so ungrateful to just chuck it back, wouldn’t it?’

  ‘We’re not chucking it anywhere!’ Bob laughed at her woebegone face. ‘We’re selling it to your sister, which is hardly selling out to a stranger, and allowing our children to have a share in running it, too. It couldn’t be more in the family than that, could it?’

  ‘I suppose not. But Mum and Dad will go mad.’ />
  ‘Then let them.’ Bob was firm. ‘Let them decide what Paul and Judith should do with it. Amy, you’ve always been there for your parents, for the kids, and for me. And I’ve always felt it was in that order – with Lavender coming before any of us. Now, if you agree to sell out to Judith and Paul, we’ll have enough money for Windwhistle. If we keep a few shares, it’ll give us some income. We’ve got savings. We could manage. We’d have everything we’ll ever need. Amy, please do this for me …’

  Her eyes filled with tears, and she remembered how she had felt when he had the accident. She had promised him on that appallingly lonely night in the hospital when she had thought he might die that she would do anything. If working for Lavender took him away from her, there would be no point in anything. Bob was the only person who really mattered …

  She dashed away the tears and swallowed.

  ‘OK. Let’s go back to the guest-house and ask Mrs Fountain if we can stay for one more night. We’ll talk to the estate agent again. Let’s make an appointment with the bank here … And we’ll ring home and tell Megan that we’re staying another day. Let’s do it!’ Suddenly her words were tumbling over themselves in her excitement. She had never felt so young, so carefree.

  With a whoop, Bob scooped her off her feet and swung her round. An elderly couple passing tutted loudly.

  ‘Youngsters! No sense of decorum!’

  Giggling together, Bob and Amy hurried back up the hill. It didn’t matter if they delayed their return for another day, Amy thought, because nothing ever really happened in Appleford – or at Lavender Cabs. It would be exactly the same when they got back, today, tomorrow, next week.

  After all, what could possibly have changed?

  The sun was shining with almost summer brightness when Bob and Amy drove into Lavender’s yard. Amy looked at the bungalow, the garage, the taxis, and her heart sank.

  ‘Tell me I’m wicked not to want to be here.’ She looked across at Bob as she braked. ‘Tell me this is my home. Tell me that Starpoint is still a crazy dream – and that selling my shares to Paul and Judith is the stupidest thing I could be doing.’

  ‘No!’ Bob looked tired after the journey. ‘That’s exactly how I feel, too. As soon as we’ve unloaded the car, we’ll see Stella and Jim and tell them what we’re doing, then the kids. After that, everything will be easy.’

  Amy doubted it as she lugged the cases from the boot, refusing Bob’s offer of help and sending him indoors to make the inevitable welcome-home pot of tea. Momentous changes like these were never easy – and when they involved her sister, she was sure they would be pretty difficult.

  ‘Mum!’ Megan appeared from the office, her smile wide. ‘Did you have a lovely time? What have you been doing?’

  Amy dropped the cases and enveloped her in a hug.

  ‘We had a wonderful time, thank you. But it’s what you’ve been doing that seems more relevant. Look at you, Meg! You’re beaming from ear to ear! What on earth’s been going on?’

  ‘Loads.’ Megan picked up one of the cases. ‘More than you’d ever guess! I can’t wait to tell you!’

  Bob poured out the tea while Meg and Amy both talked at the same time. He smiled to himself. The peace and tranquillity of the last few days were definitely over.

  ‘So,’ Amy’s voice rose above her daughter’s, ‘we’ve come to a decision. We’re going to move to Starpoint, permanently. We’ve found a cottage, it’s called Windwhistle, Meg, and it’s perfect … but – and this is a big but to be able to buy it we’re going to have to sell our shares to –’

  ‘And he asked me to marry him and I said yes!’

  They looked at each other. Bob put the pot on the table with a clatter. ‘Who? Good Lord, Meg. You’re not going to marry Peter King?’

  ‘No, Dad!’ Meg wound her arms around his neck. ‘If only you’d listen!’

  ‘It’d be easier to listen if you weren’t both talking at once,’ Bob grumbled, smiling. ‘Who exactly are you marrying?’

  ‘Luke.’ Meg sighed with pure happiness. ‘Isn’t that wonderful?’

  ‘Wonderful,’ Bob and Amy echoed together, bemused.

  ‘We’re not going to have a proper engagement or anything – we’re just going to get married, because of Lavender, and –’

  ‘Meg!’ Amy shook her head. ‘We’ve only been gone a few days. You weren’t actually going out with Luke when we left, were you? And what do you mean, because of Lavender?’

  ‘Well,’ Megan pulled out a chair and poured tea into three cups, then paused and looked at them ‘What did you mean about selling your shares and moving permanently? That’s wonderful – oh, I mean, we’ll miss you, but it’s what we wanted for you – but have you got a buyer? Because –’

  ‘Enough!’ Bob roared at them both. ‘One story at a time, please. Meg, forget what your mother said – we’ll discuss it later. Just tell us about you and Luke Dolan …’

  Megan did. It took three cups of tea, but no one interrupted her. When she’d finished, Bob and Amy were both gazing at her with brimming eyes.

  ‘You’re pleased, aren’t you? You do like him?’

  ‘Of course we like him.’ Bob was beaming from ear to ear. ‘He’s perfect for you, Meg. I’m absolutely delighted …’

  ‘So am I,’ Amy said, squeezing Meg’s hands. ‘So when’s the wedding going to be?’

  ‘Soon.’ Meg grinned again. ‘Luke’s selling his flat, you see, so he’ll be moving into my part of Lavender – and we won’t do that without getting married, of course. Jacey and Mitch will be moving in together, but they’re different.’

  Amy and Bob exchanged glances. Anything they had to say on that score could definitely wait until later – and would no doubt fall on deaf ears. Mitchell and Jacey were hardly the most conventional of couples.

  Reluctantly Amy smiled. Whatever misgivings she’d had about Jacey Brennan were unimportant now. Bob had made her see that she couldn’t live the children’s lives for them, and two out of three respectably married wasn’t a bad average.

  She frowned. ‘But why are you all moving into Lavender? I mean, we hadn’t decided to move to Starpoint until a couple of days ago, so how did you know …?’

  ‘We didn’t,’ Meg acknowledged. ‘But we’d guessed. We decided that if we could buy you out and run the business between the four of us, you’d have enough money to retire on. So we went to the bank.’ She looked at her parents triumphantly. ‘And they’re seriously considering our proposals!’

  ‘You mean, Lavender would belong to you and Mitch? That you’d carry on the family tradition?’ Amy’s eyes began to shine as she understood. ‘Oh, that’s wonderful! Absolutely wonderful. What brilliant, thoughtful children we’ve reared. I think we deserve a pat on the back!’

  ‘So do I! And with Luke and Jacey it’ll be a third-generation business – maybe even a fourth.’ Megan laughed. ‘Just what you always dreamed of.’

  ‘Hold on a second.’ Bob stopped laughing and laid his hands on the table. ‘It won’t be just the four of you, will it? There’re Paul and Judith to consider, too.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Amy nodded. ‘I mean, whatever you four financial whizzkids have come up with, I can’t see it being enough to buy out Judith and Paul. And if Dad and I are going to raise the money for Windwhistle, I’m going to have to sell my shares …’

  ‘Actually, I’m not sure they’re going to want them,’ Megan said.

  ‘What?’ Amy gasped. ‘But they’ve got to buy them! We can’t go ahead unless they do! They’ve been angling for nothing else ever since they arrived in Appleford. What on earth are they playing at?’

  ‘I honestly don’t know. I saw Aunt Judith and Uncle Paul on the day I went to the bank, and they confused me completely. They said I’d have to be sworn to secrecy – and then burbled on for hours and told me precisely nothing!’

  ‘Typical,’ Bob muttered. ‘If anyone’s going to throw a spanner in the works, it’ll be those two.’ He sighed heavily. ‘Well, th
at’s that then. If they don’t buy the shares we’re right back at square one.’

  ‘Bob.’ Amy took her hand in his. ‘Calm down. Don’t let them upset you. After all, we don’t know what their plans are, do we?’

  ‘Whatever they are, they probably won’t benefit us. Judith has never had family loyalties at the forefront of any of her plans! Perhaps we should talk to your parents. They might know something.’

  ‘They might.’ Amy frowned. ‘Paul and Judith are obviously playing some devious game.’ She looked at her husband with a smile. ‘You never know, they might have won the lottery and be planning to buy out the whole shebang! They could be going to offer us millions.’

  Bob grinned. ‘And pigs might fly! We haven’t even got the sand out of our shoes yet, and your dear sister is already making waves.’

  He looked across at Megan and his grin softened. ‘I can see you’re itching to bounce back to the garage and glue yourself to Luke. Run along and invite him over for a drink. We ought to be celebrating your almost-engagement in some sort of style.’

  Megan leapt to her feet and hugged them both.

  ‘Don’t worry about anything. I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end. After all, everything else is so perfect – Aunt Judith and Uncle Paul simply can’t spoil it, can they?’

  In Cicely’s cottage, Mitch looked at the cheque in his hand and thought he was going to faint.

  ‘Good heavens, boy!’ Cicely chuckled at him. ‘It’s only money!’

  ‘It’s a fortune,’ Mitch said quietly. ‘It’s like winning the lottery.’

  Sam grinned. ‘Hardly. There’s an equal amount for Meg, and a smaller one for Matt, because, of course, Cicely has already invested in Sally’s shop. We thought you could probably do with yours now.’

  Impulsively Mitch threw his arms round them.

  ‘I’ll never, never be able to thank you enough!’