“Y-y-yes, I’m s-so g-g-glad you k-kept th-them.”
Ben stood to one side as Laura leaned heavily on Adam and gingerly lifted her leg over the threshold. Uhm! I can see the ramp needs to be shallow just here to enable Laura to manoeuvre across from the conservatory to the patio, and rails to the left.
Ben scribbled a reminder in his notebook before striding across to the outhouses. He pulled at the first door which was incredibly stiff to open. “Need some oil here.”
“I doubt it’s been opened for years. As a child I remember old Sims, from Newton Marsh, carrying sacks full of coal on his shoulders and the crunching noise it made as he tipped them over to fill up the bunker. We boys enjoyed climbing in there and hiding behind the boards but after a delivery it took a few weeks for the pile to go down before we could play in there again.”
“Oh, I remember those days, I used to come here to play and never wanted the day to end. What games we played!”
“When I was about eleven it was my task to refill the coal scuttle. I always overfilled it in order to encourage the pile to go down but I invariably struggled to carry it across the sitting room and always managed to spill some chunks on to the carpet. Did I get a roasting from Dad!”
“I recall the day, too, when we all got thrashed for messing up our clothes because we were larking around in the coalhouse when we’d been warned not to.”
“Oh, yes, and Alex Kemp got sent to bed without her tea because she’d ripped her best coat on a nail in there as she climbed over the boards so she was well hidden from the catchers.”
“Those were the days! What fun we had!”
“Dad, also, went each autumn on the log run. Did your Dad go? I know Mr Kemp and Roy Durrant were part of the crew. I forget who else, but they took wagons and saws and went to the woods on the western side of the Manor estate and helped with the coppicing, as well as the pruning of fruit trees in the orchard. The men were rewarded with logs for their day’s labour. I had to assist in stacking them this side of the boards in the coalhouse. They helped to eke out the coal supply throughout the winter when the house was heated only by open fires. I loved the smell of apple tree burning the best.”
“That aroma always signalled the approach of Christmas to me.”
Laura fidgeted uncomfortably.
“Sorry, Sweetheart, you weren’t here in those days. Please forgive us for reminiscing.”
“N-not at all. I en-j-j-joy l-list’nen’.”
“Just getting tired and uncomfortable?” Adam put his arm protectively around Laura’s shoulders.
“Mmm.”
“Back to the business in hand, Ben?”
“Right. These are fantastic spaces that can be made to work for your family needs.” Ben raised his tape measure rule along the walls and wrote down measurements in his notebook. “I know you have to retain the original exterior but I suggest we upgrade the interior and make the coal and washhouses into a playroom. We could also erect a roof over the present patio area, possibly corrugated plastic, and enclose that far side from roof to floor in shatter-proof glass. It would provide somewhere dry, light and airy for the children to play where Laura can see them.”
Laura nodded her approval with enthusiasm.
“I c-cou-could b-b-be-c-c-come in-v-v-volved in th-their d-day to d-day life, again.”
“Yes, my Sweetheart that would be good.”
“If the children are playing in this part of the house is there any reason why they cannot use Laura’s ensuite facilities? I would recommend that you do away with the W.C. under the stairs. You could then make that space into a storage area for coat and shoes. It might be nice to open up the stairs into the lounge, making the long hallway unnecessary as you have a porch by the front door.”
“That’s an interesting suggestion, don’t you think, Laura?”
“Y-yes.”
“If I cast my mind back I seem to remember when my grandparents lived in the house that area was a large hall. I recall, too, as a very small boy coming in through the front door straight off the lane. It was actually in front of the stairs, and on the left-hand side there was always a fantastic, blazing fire. Let’s go in, I’ll show you.”
Without more ado Adam bounded into the house leaving Ben to help Laura negotiate her way back to the sitting room. He repositioned a chair for her so she could continue to be part of the conversation. Excitedly Adam paced the area as he recalled the earlier structure of the house as it had been in his grandparents’ day.
“The stairs were more open and, of course, there was a dividing wall in what is now the sitting room. The front door was situated where the window by my computer now is.”
“I don’t remember that,” said Ben “I always came in through the door with the porch when I came round to play.”
“Oh, I think that door was the original way into the kitchen.”
“What a lot of changes! You ought to write up a history of the house whilst it is still so fresh in your memory and keep it with the deeds before all these changes are forgotten. Ask your Mum, too, what she remembers.”
“I c-cou-could do th-that,” Laura became quite animated.
“Yes, Sweetheart, that would be brill,” Adam put his arm around his wife, “Now that you’re more mobile we could fix up your laptop so you could work at it with ease.” Must speak to Roger, though, about how much I can let Laura do.
While each season had its own particular delights Laura loved spring the best, with the freshness and fragrance of emerging foliage and flowers, new life and new beginnings.
Oh, Lord, I pray for a new beginning to wholeness, a fresh start. I long for a return to normality in my dealings with the children. In her mind she never stumbled over words but, because she was still faltering over some words, conversation was, at times, frustrating especially with Poppy. Laura breathed in deeply as she looked out of the window of the conservatory, her place of confinement for such a long time. Her eyes gazed across the garden and revelled in the signs of new life evident there.
A rooster crowed and blue tits and sparrows competed for space on the bird feeder Adam had fixed to the cherry tree that graced the lawn. Laura smiled as they chirruped happily. As they mingled, whilst busying themselves about their normal early morning activities, she identified with the necessary routines of life. I do hope the clearance work doesn’t destroy their habitat.
Beyond the boundary wall at the bottom of the garden she caught glimpses each day of the work taking place in Kezia’s Wood and marvelled, along with many other villagers, at the discoveries that were being made; lovely old properties, architecturally intriguing, but desperately in need of restoration. It was hard to believe they had been hidden undetected for so long. Soon the name Kezia’s Wood would be quite inappropriate although Chit Beckingsdale was ensuring the land wasn’t wholly denuded of trees and shrubs, selecting some fine established specimens to enhance the gardens of the rediscovered buildings. I’m glad he has the good sense to leave something for our feathered friends.
Following Ben’s last visit, to discuss additional house alterations, Laura had pushed the boundaries out further so that she could be involved in small household tasks and activities with the children. Today, she was going to be allowed to help sort out the old office.
Within the week Mrs Todd had willingly given her permission to reopen Adam’s father’s former study. However, when they finally gained access it was evident that the room needed not only a great deal of sorting but also a thoroughly good clean. Spiders and other creepy crawlies were having a field day with the myriad sheets of loose and boxed papers scattered about the room.
“L-l-le-let m-me help do th-this.”
Adam raised his eyebrows quizzically. A quick phone call to Doctor Roger, while he was in the kitchen making morning coffee, to ask about the advisability of allowing Laura to do this, resulted in Trixie organizing a cleaning team to help with the physical work, enabling Laura to sit and read through the many documents and paper
s that had accumulated so many years ago. Don’t molly-coddle her, Adam. If Laura wants to do it then encourage her to exercise her mind and her body, was Doctor Roger’s advice.
So, painstakingly Laura worked through paperwork on the shelves, her floppy right hand nestled in her lap. In the drawers and box files she found many receipts and invoices that were no longer required but one crumpled piece of paper caused a great deal of interest and excitement.
“L-l-look, Adam, a p-pr-pre-premium b-bond in your name.”
Adam leaped across the room, took the yellowed, musty paper and scrutinized it closely. His eyes lit up and he grinned at Laura before wrapping his arms around her in an enthusiastic bear hug.
“Oh, Laura, what a find!”
Excitement pervaded their every thought and move for the rest of the day because stapled to the bond was a faded letter which intimated that ERNIE had picked out the bond number in the monthly draw.
“I have no idea if Mum and Dad ever claimed on this prize.” Adam pored over the documents intently.
“If the b-b-bond is st-still v-valid w-would th-there be enough to p-pay for the p-pr-proposed new b-building w-work?”
Adam flung his arms around Laura and hugged her again. “More than enough, Sweetheart, and there might even be a significant sum left over to donate to the Lord Edmund’s PCC discretionary fund that helped to fund the first phase of the renovations to our home.”
A quick call to his mother to check his eligibility to the bond followed by another to the claims office to verify the validity of the bond resulted in a very sizeable cheque being delivered to the Catton house in due course.
Adam uttered a silent prayer of relief and gratitude that their financial worries were taken care of, as he recalled Ben’s words of so many months ago from Philippians, ‘…God will supply all your needs…’
Throughout Laura’s slow recovery, RK’s presence in their home was invaluable. She’d willingly adapted her tasks to accommodate Laura’s needs, as well as, ensured that the children were well cared for. While Adam had initially taken extra days off from work, when Laura first returned home, it was RK who had assumed the burden of extra work that care for Laura required. The children loved her and had taken to her firm but gentle, humorous manner when she first began to look after them at the onset of Laura’s stroke.
To Adam and Laura’s delight RK had, just lately, begun to accept invitations to attend house groups and fellowship meetings at church in addition to the social events and activities of village life. She was thinking deeply about what she was hearing, asking many questions about the teaching in the Bible as it relates to daily living, and as a consequence changing her opinion about the Christian life that she had imbibed from her staunchly atheist parents since childhood.
P.C. Dan was a more frequent visitor than most to the Catton home. The friendship he shared with RK was very special and he was thrilled to see her heart changing before him. The vulnerable side of her drew him but he knew he still needed to be cautious. Despite her recent profession of belief in God he was pretty certain the belief did not include a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Until that happened, she was off-limits to him. He hoped his heart could remember that.
However, a recent fall from her motorbike on a trip, a long overdue holiday to her parent’s farm in the Lincolnshire fens, had incapacitated her and Adam was unsure when she would be well enough to return to work. He did not know the extent of RK’s injuries, having received only one brief phone call from Mrs Dickinson-Bond, which informed him that RK would not be able to return on the planned date because of an accident.
The Catton family were bereft without her and many others in the village missed her sunny, though oft times quirky, nature. Quite a number, the children amongst them, sent notes and cards but not one person received any further news in return. Even Dan heard nothing from his friend.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
As the spring days began to lengthen and the easterly winds lose their penetrating chill, Jansy Cooper decided to return to Newton Westerby, on an infrequent visit, to stay with her parents. It was good to be home and she looked forward to leisurely days ahead, devoid of responsibilities, concentrating on her own areas of need rather than those of her patients.
“I’m off, Mum,” Jansy called as she fastened the lead to Benji’s collar. “I’ll not be long, just down the lane and along the beach. Let the North Sea breezes blow away some of the city cobwebs.”
“Any in particular?”
“Oh, yes, but nothing for you to worry about.” Time enough to share, not wanting to burden her mother, yet. The memory of allegations at work and the tangled web of lies and deceit Doctors Stead and Hollis had woven around her still churned her stomach over even though the hospital board had exonerated her. She didn’t feel ready to discuss it with her family.
“Well, my dear, I’m sure you’ll find fresh east coast air will clear the head and the heart,” replied her mother with more cheerfulness than she really felt. Trixie was concerned by the pallor of her daughter’s face. On her return home for a short break from her position as Sister-in-charge on the paediatric ward at the Jenny Lind specialist children’s hospital in Norwich Jansy seemed overly fatigued. Her eyes lacked lustre and her brow was constantly furrowed. Trixie was unsure of the cause and did not want to probe too deeply. Her daughter would speak when the time was right. Trixie was just glad to have her home after so long away and looked forward to cosseting her. I do wish she and Dave could sort out their differences, though I’m sure it’s more than the estrangement that is causing the drawn, haggard look and tenseness Jansy tries to conceal.
“I’ll pop in and see the progress Stephen’s made at Kezia’s Wood.”
“Yes, do, he’ll be so thrilled to show you all that has been accomplished.”
“I guess I’ll meet one or two people I know on the way but I promise not to accept more than one invitation to coffee.” Being brought up in the seaside village where her father was GP meant Jansy was well known to most people, apart from the summer holiday makers and the ever increasing day trippers.
Forcing a smile Trixie came into the kitchen and said, “Will that be possible?”
“Well, I’ll do my best without upsetting too many of the villagers,” Jansy grimaced.
“Lunch is at one. That fits in best with your father’s schedule, today. Enjoy your walk.”
“We will. Come on Benji.” Jansy wasn’t going to allow the disquiet she felt spoil such a glorious morning. It was a little fresh but the sun was shining and the coastal gardens were ablaze with colour, the mauve of crocus had given way to yellow trumpeted daffodils which in turn were being superseded by the pink frothy, blossom of cherry trees on one side of the lane echoed by clematis Montana ‘Elizabeth’, scrambling over walls on the other.
As the pair made their way through the village they encountered a number of locals who were both surprised but glad to see them. Jansy stopped to chat or simply waved. Gradually, the ambience created by the uncomplicated beauty of the gardens and the genuine friendliness of the villagers at seeing Jansy after such a long time, lifted her spirits.
As she passed the vicarage Adam Catton was cleaning windows. He waved when he spied Jansy.
“’Morning, Adam.”
“Hi, Jansy. I’m real pleased to see you.”
“How’s Laura? I trust she’s making progress? Please give her my regards.”
“Thanks, Jansy, she’s doing nicely. Call in if you’re passing. She’d be delighted to chat with you,” said Adam niftily climbing down the ladder.
“I will,” she called. Jansy had great admiration for Adam Catton who had resigned his position at a prestigious city solicitor’s office to care for his wife and family following RK’s accident but Jocelyn Capps-Walker refused to accept Adam’s resignation. Adam was a valued and skilled member of his team and he didn’t want to lose his expertise. “Work from home. Make it temporary. Just part time,” he cajoled. Adam had eventuall
y acquiesced.
Jansy recalled it was well over a year since Laura had suffered a stroke at the young age of thirty-eight. Adam accepted His boss’s conditions, with a few provisos, but had still become the village window cleaner, when RK’s expected return had not happened. “It will give me greater flexibility and allow me to choose the hours I work to fit in with caring for the children and attending to Laura’s needs,” he reasoned.
Some said he was a fool and should have insisted on help from Social Services but Jansy could identify with his decision to be near at hand, a street away was less distance to travel than the many miles from the city if he was needed urgently.
“How are the children?”
“Adapting remarkably well but they miss RK dreadfully. She was superb with them and was a real God-send to our family immediately following Laura’s stroke. I can’t believe she’d let us down so badly.”
“You have no idea when she’ll be returning?”
“None at all. No one in the village seems to have heard from her. All correspondence remains unanswered so we wonder if we have the correct postal address of her parents’ farm. I’ve tried calling her mobile number but without any success and foolishly I didn’t make a note of the number her mother called from.”
“How about you? How’s life panning out for you after all the changes?”
“Different!” Adam grinned as he pulled down his ladder. He actually found he preferred the freedom of outdoor life which was poles apart from the restrictions of the office.
Jansy made to move on her way.
“Tell your Mum I appreciate her offer to collect the children for swimming on Friday while I take Laura for her check-up. I accept gratefully.” Jansy could see the relief in his eyes. “The kindness of folks is overwhelming, at times.”
“They love to do it.”
“I know, but I couldn’t have managed, in recent times, without people like your Mum.”
“It makes her feel less redundant now that Roger, Stephen and I have left home,” Jansy explained.
Out of My Depth Page 20