by Ruth Hay
I filled the kettle, boiled water, made tea in a chipped cup and set the porridge oats to soak in a bowl. I tried to slice the loaf of bread with a blunt knife and ended up with chunks rather than slices but they tasted so good that I gobbled several, washing them down with the milky tea.
Philip began to stir as soon as I finished my meal. Propping the single pillow behind my back I sat on the thin cover over the mattress on the squeaky, hard, bed and drew my son out of his warm nest in the satchel to feed him.
This was the first time we had been alone together. I talked to him softly as he gulped my milk, telling him that we would be safe here for a while and he must be very, very quiet.
As I nuzzled his downy head, I felt immense pride that I had managed to find shelter and food for both of us with little or no resources behind me.
We both fell asleep, and I knew nothing more until the grey morning light stole in through the windows opposite my bed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Caroline could hardly wait to return to her hotel room and try to absorb everything she had heard. She needed to work out what she would say to her family about recent revelations from her Uncle Philip.
She called her mother to deliver the nightly summary of the day’s happenings.
“I’m glad you called, Caro. Your father has been worried about you. How are you getting along with your new uncle? Your Gran Lynn has been calling me every hour. She’s worried that you have to tackle this tricky subject on your own.”
“Well, I suppose you were right to be worried, but I think we are over the worst now.”
“What do you mean?” Her mother’s anxiety came clearly over the distance to Caroline’s ear.
“It’s OK, Mum, honestly! Jay was a great help and I did manage to get some information out of Uncle Philip in the end.”
“What was Jay doing there?”
“He drove me to the hotel in Grasmere and I wanted him to be the one to explain how his boss was connected to the old wedding photo.”
“Ah, and how did your great-uncle take that information?”
“He didn’t see any immediate link to Anna Mason’s family but the discussion brought up a lot of bad old memories about his childhood. Did you know he once heard his mother say he was not his father’s child?”
“What? That’s horrible! Your Gran Lynn could never have known that. It’s the first time I’ve heard about it.”
There was a pause while Caroline’s mother considered this information, then she spoke slowly.
“I am wondering if this might have had something to do with the reason he left home so early? My mother always said it was about arguments between him and his parents.”
“I don’t know for certain, Mum. It does seem likely though. Can you talk to Gran about all this for me? I have to check in with Jay tonight before I go to sleep.”
“I’ll talk to her right away. Are you sure you are all right, Caro? This is not the relaxing holiday I was hoping you would have.”
“I’m fine, Mum. This hotel is super luxurious after the hostel, believe me. You should see the bed I’m sitting on. Matching everything, and about ten pillows! Anyway, this whole thing is very interesting to me. It’s about our family, isn’t it? I hope we can find out something useful before I head home.”
“Well, look after yourself, and keep in touch. We miss you. Even Mike has been moping around with no one to tease.”
Caroline laughed at the thought of Mike missing her. She adjusted her pillows and checked the battery power on her mobile before punching in Jay’s number.
“Excellent timing, Miss Fenton! I have news!”
“Me too, Jay! You go first.”
“Anna Mason has called to ask me to return to Scotland tomorrow. She wants to know if you would like to come with me and bring your Uncle Philip, of course. I think she’s anxious to get to the bottom of this mystery.”
“Wow, Jay! That’s unexpected. I don’t know how my parents would feel about it, not to mention Uncle Philip.”
“Exactly what I told my boss, Caroline! She wants to call your parents and your Gran Lynn and sort things out with them tonight, if possible. If you give me their numbers, I’ll get started right away.”
“Hold on, Jay! I don’t want to disturb Uncle Philip tonight. I can’t be sure what he will want to do until tomorrow morning at the earliest.”
“You’re right of course! If he agrees, we could still make the journey by train later in the day. I’ll check the schedule just in case. Oh, what was your news?”
“Never mind that now, Jay! Make the calls to my family and let me know what they all say.”
“OK. Read out the numbers and I’ll get back to you ASAP.”
Caroline closed her phone and sat back against the pillows with a sigh. What a holiday this was turning out to be; it couldn’t be more different than the boring time she had imagined.
It was all down to Jay. Meeting him was the catalyst that started everything else.
Caroline was dozing when her phone trilled.
“Hello?”
“It’s just me, again. Were you asleep?”
“Not really, Jay, but it’s been a long day.”
“This won’t take long. Your parents gave us the go-ahead provided your uncle goes with us.
Do you think he’ll agree, Caroline?”
“Honestly, Jay, I have no idea. He’s not an easy person as you know. I’ll give it a try in the morning but don’t count on it happening until I call you.”
“Sure thing! Sleep tight!”
“Goodnight, you!”
Caroline yawned as she made her way into the bathroom. She had better set her phone to wake her early in the morning. Breakfast with her uncle was going to be very tricky.
* * *
Breakfast was buffet-style, with the main course served in the dining room. Uncle Philip was already seated at the same table with the spectacular view. He had a pot of coffee and a dish of grapefruit pieces in front of him when Caroline arrived.
The exchange of pleasantries regarding sleeping and comfort was completed satisfactorily and Caroline headed for the cereal and juice table with a little more optimism about her task than she had when she awoke.
It wasn’t difficult to compliment her uncle about the food in the hotel. Caroline’s ‘Full English’ was beautifully presented on a hot plate and accompanied by two kinds of toast and as much tea as she could swallow.
Uncle Philip watched her eat while he drank his coffee and he remarked on how satisfying it was to see a teenager eat with such relish when today’s youth were obsessed with diets and starving themselves into fashion-model proportions.
Caroline wondered from which newspaper her uncle had been getting his one-sided information about today’s young people. No one she knew behaved like the kids he seemed to be so worried about.
“Now, I have been thinking what we could do today, Caroline. I thought we could tackle Silver Howe and walk over to Elterwater. It’s a long trek but not too hard and we’d be back around………”
Caroline had to stop him before he went any further.
“Excuse me Uncle Philip. I don’t want to interrupt, but some things developed last night and I have an alternative idea for today that might interest you. At least, I hope so!”
Her uncle’s face displayed shock that his carefully-planned itinerary was not to be approved by his young niece.
“What do you mean? What things developed?”
“Well, to cut a long story short, my parents have agreed to let Jay take us both to Scotland to meet his boss. She’s the Canadian lady with the copy of her parent’s wedding photograph. The same photo your mother treasures so much? The catch is that you must agree to go with us as a chaperone.”
Caroline was pleased at her instinct to include the old-fashioned word. She felt sure her uncle would respond to such a role description.
He pursed his lips and looked away, fiddling with his cup and spoon to give himself time to think.
Caroline waited, hardly breathing, for the verdict, but she didn’t hold out much hope.
“What if I don’t want to waste a day of my holiday travelling to Scotland?”
“Then I won’t be able to go. Jay has been called back. He leaves today with, or without, us.”
“I see.” There was a finality to this statement that convinced Caroline her part in the quest to interpret the photograph was at an end. She put down her toast and wiped her mouth with the large, linen napkin. Just as she was about to excuse herself and go back to her room to phone Jay, her uncle spoke again.
“I will need to think about this, Caroline. I will call my sister, Lynn, and see what she advises.
Please wait in the lounge until I return.”
Caroline found a soft velvet armchair and sank down into its depth with a deep sigh.
Too bad she would not meet Anna Mason. She sounded like a very hip lady. She would also be sorry to say goodbye to Jay, but there was a good chance they would stay in touch, although it was a very long way to Canada and there was also a possibility they might never meet again.
She felt more disappointed than she could have predicted, at the prospect of their time together ending so abruptly. They had had a great time, despite the competitive nature they shared. Jay had certainly brought a sense of adventure to her brief stay in the Lake District.
She made a mental note to concede victory to Jay before he left. She could no longer deny that the Lake District was far more fascinating than she had ever guessed.
After ten minutes had passed, she pulled out her mobile phone and pressed Jay’s number on the speed dial. He answered promptly.
“Well, am I booking seats on the train or are we driving with your uncle?”
“Sorry, Jay! It doesn’t look as if either option is possible.”
“Oh, damn it! He didn’t go for it?”
“I don’t think so.” She glanced up as she said this and saw her uncle approaching. He had changed out of his casual clothes and was wearing the suit she had seen at dinner the night before.
“Hold on, Jay! Wait for a minute!” She closed her phone and gave her full attention to her uncle. He sat down opposite her and cleared his throat in a purposeful manner.
“I must insist, Caroline, that I am not usually in the habit of making rash decisions. I have, however, spoken to Lynn this morning. My sister informed me, forcibly, of how much I owe you for the care you have taken of our mother over the last two months. She wants me to pursue this link to Anna Mason and to take the opportunity to go to Scotland with you and the young man.
Caroline felt a cheer rising in her throat at this announcement but she resisted interrupting her great-uncle’s decisions.
“Lynn gave me the phone number of this Anna Mason in Scotland. I called at once and the lady was most welcoming. She seems to feel a meeting would be beneficial for both of us. Frankly, I am not at all certain about that but I am willing to give up a day of my holiday to find out what can be accomplished.”
Caroline found herself wading through her uncle’s verbiage to reveal the key statements.
“You mean, we can go?”
“Yes, but there are conditions.”
“I have Jay on the phone here. Would you like to talk to him?”
“No thank you. You can inform him, Caroline. I must talk to the hotel people and pack my things in case we need to stay overnight somewhere.
We must be on the road soon if we are to make it to Oban in a reasonable time. I will drive so we can avoid changing trains in Glasgow. Your young man has a rented car to return, is that not so?”
Caroline nodded. She was secretly pleased that Jay’s Canadian-style driving skills would not be challenged on a long drive north. Her uncle continued. “Meet me in reception in ten minutes. We’ll collect James, if you know where he is staying.”
Once again, Caroline agreed. She could feel the excitement growing as she realized she would not be saying goodbye to Jay just yet, and a trip to Scotland would be the exciting finale to her adventure holiday in the Lake District.
* * *
They arrived in the pretty seaside town of Oban at four o’clock in the afternoon. Although Caroline was stiff from sitting for so long, her uncle’s Volvo was comfortable and she and Jay had taken turns sitting in the passenger seat.
At first there was not much conversation among them. Jay and Caroline had exclaimed over the views as they drove to Keswick and out of the mountain and lake scenery into the lowlands of Scotland.
Even from the motorway, the green countryside was diverse and varied. Jay remarked on how much more interesting it was than the flat farm fields beside Ontario’s highways.
Uncle Philip concentrated on driving and he was a fast and competent driver. Eventually Jay, admiring his skills, asked if he drove around Britain regularly. Caroline was surprised to learn that her uncle’s work as an architect for a large Manchester firm, required him to inspect projects in various cities in the U. K. and in Europe.
From then on, as her uncle responded to jay’s compliments, she learned more about his life.
He had never married, but shared his large, Victorian house with a fellow architect. At any time, one or other of them was travelling on business so they never invaded each other’s privacy, which seemed to suit her uncle quite well. They had a housekeeper, a gardener and a cook who catered for them when they had parties.
It sounded like a lonely sort of life to Caroline. Once again she was reminded of the benefits of a large close family and she had an unexpected pang of longing for home.
For the part of the trip where they travelled through the Glasgow suburbs, both Jay and Caroline spent time with their mobile phones. Jay had a BlackBerry and was able to report on his business findings as well as updating his mother and Anna Mason on their progress north.
Caroline answered a dozen, or so, text messages from Janine, Ashley and Adam who were all anxious to know what on earth she was doing every day and when she was coming home to fill in the essential details about this Jay guy.
They took a lunch break at a charming hotel Uncle Philip knew on the outskirts of Glasgow.
It had once been a stately home with spacious gardens.
Caroline took the opportunity to walk around the grounds with Jay and ask him what sort of reception she could expect from his family and from Anna Mason.
“Oh, no worries there, Caroline!” he assured her. “I’ve already filled my mother in about how we met and what a nice person you are, for a girl.”
“Hey! Thanks for nothing!” she replied with a swift punch to his nearer arm.
“Only kidding!” he pleaded, while rubbing the offended arm. “My mother is cool. She is a good friend of Anna Mason and has been her accountant for years. She’s one of the Samba group of pals who all stick to each other like glue.”
Caroline looked confused at the Samba reference but chose to let it go for now.
“My brother is a typical kid,” continued Jay, “who plays video games endlessly and doesn’t talk to anyone over fifteen.”
Sounds familiar, thought Caroline. “But, what about your boss? How will she react to this invasion of strangers?”
“Look, Caroline, she’s the smartest older person I know. She was a teacher and she still has that air of authority they all have. You know what I mean?”
Caroline nodded while conjuring up memories of teachers she had seen in local shops in Uckfield and Tunbridge Wells and how you could pick them out of a crowd no matter what different clothes they were wearing.
“Well, I suppose I’m only going as guardian of the photograph and to remember all the details of the conversations to take them back home to my family. I shouldn’t need to get in the way much.”
“Oh, Anna Mason will find a way to get you to open up, Caroline! She’s very interested in people. She’s made an incredible number of friends since she decided to purchase the farm house outside Oban.”
“Didn’t you say the ho
use was left to her by a relative?”
“True, but she could have sold it and stayed in Canada. Instead she took the chance to change her life and now she has the A Plus business and the self-catering business and she travels back and forward across the Atlantic several times a year.”
“Speaking of self-catering…..I wonder where we are going to sleep tonight, Jay. I don’t think, Uncle Philip will want to drive back to the Lakes again in the dark.”
“I was thinking the same thing, myself, but I am sure Anna has made plans already.”
As if Uncle Philip had been listening in to their conversation, they heard his voice calling them back to the car for the last leg of the journey.
* * *
They were met in the parking lot of the Oban train station by a young woman who Jay addressed as Fiona. He explained that she was Anna’s driver while in Scotland and she would show them the way to the farm house which was out in the countryside.
Uncle Philip followed Fiona’s large black estate car as it skirted the town itself. Caroline got a quick glimpse of an unusual round construction high above the town and wished she had the chance to look closer.
In about fifteen minutes the landscape had changed utterly from the town and seascape of Oban. There were only a few cottages and outbuildings to be seen and these were widely scattered. The road gradually deteriorated until they were bumping along a track.
Jay could hear Uncle Philip’s complaints about the effect on his shocks, so he chipped in merrily to say “Not to worry, sir! We’re almost there.”
The track rose upward and then suddenly the farm house could be seen, almost crouching at the foot of a high hill. They followed Fiona’s car to a driveway to the right of the house where there was ample room to park several cars in front of a large, double-doored barn.
Fiona led them to a wide, ornate, iron gate in the stone wall at the rear of the garden, and they walked up the path through trees and flower beds until they reached the back door of the house.
What had seemed to be a small cottage from the road, revealed itself on closer inspection to be a substantial two-storey building with large windows and skylights in the slate-tiled roof.