The Angel Tree

by Lucinda Riley

  LJ had raised her eyebrows. ‘Surely, dear girl, it should be the other way round? You having a big bash and me having the dinner. I hope I haven’t stolen your thunder. We could have used the marquee for both events and got twice the use out of it.’

  ‘No, LJ, from what everyone tells me, uni will be one long party. A dinner is what I’d prefer, honestly.’

  So, on a beautiful night in July, David, Tor, Mary and LJ sat on the terrace for dinner and toasted Ava’s health and happiness. They had all chipped in to buy her a beautiful sapphire pendant that matched her eyes. Ava had gone to bed that night feeling very loved indeed.

  43

  Ava smiled as she drew back her curtains a month later and the August sun streamed in. It was going to be a hot day. The house was already awake and she could hear the faint sound of footsteps downstairs. She scowled at her dress, which was hanging on the wardrobe door, and padded along the corridor to take a shower.

  Twenty minutes later, she was downstairs making tea for LJ. Mary was cutting an enormous salmon into slices, her hair in tight curlers and her language robust.

  ‘I know your aunt said this would be easy, but has she ever tried preparing enough for over fifty people?! I’ll still be stinking of fish when the guests arrive.’

  ‘Relax,’ Ava soothed her. ‘You’re nearly done.’

  ‘I just want everything to be perfect, see. I only hope those two nieces of mine don’t drop the peas over the guests when they serve them.’

  ‘Of course they won’t, Mary. Here, have a cup of tea and sit down for a second.’ Ava pulled out a chair and put a mug on the table. ‘I’m taking this one up to LJ.’

  Later that morning, Ava stood in front of the mirror in her dress. She studied her reflection and supposed she didn’t look too bad. The dress was made of cornflower-blue chiffon and hung in soft folds to just below her knees. Tor, David’s girlfriend, had said the colour would match her eyes, which, at the moment, were red and itchy as she had just put in her contact lenses. She picked up her shoes and went along the corridor to knock on Tor’s bedroom door.

  ‘Hello, it’s only me,’ she said, as she entered. ‘God, I feel ridiculous!’ She sat down on Tor’s bed and watched her putting on her make-up in the mirror.

  ‘Enough of that rubbish, Ava!’ chided Tor. ‘I simply don’t understand why you put yourself down all the time. You’re lovely and slim, you’ve got beautiful blonde hair and the most exquisite blue eyes. It’s a pity you don’t wear your contact lenses more often.’

  ‘But they’re so uncomfortable. Do you like wearing all that stuff on your face?’ Ava asked as she watched Tor apply her lipstick. ‘I don’t think LJ’s ever worn make-up in her life.’

  ‘Well, I see nothing wrong in giving nature a little help, Ava, as long as you’re not hiding behind it, as some women do. Come here,’ Tor beckoned her over, stood up from the stool in front of the mirror and pushed Ava gently down onto it. ‘Let me show you.’

  Ten minutes later, Ava gazed at her reflection. Tor had put a little mascara on her lashes, blusher on her cheeks and added a pale pink colour to her lips.

  ‘Wow! Is that me?’ She put her face close to the mirror and studied it disbelievingly.

  ‘Yes, dear. It is you. So, from now on, let’s have no more nonsense about being a plain Jane.’

  ‘It’s the thought of all those poor animals used for testing cosmetics, just because of women’s vanity,’ remarked Ava, still staring at her reflection. ‘I look like . . . I look like—’

  ‘Yes, Ava, you look like your mother, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful women in the world. Shall we go and see if LJ needs any help?’

  Ava smiled. ‘Yes, let’s.’

  Contrary to her expectations, Ava enjoyed the party. It was a glorious day and the guests drank champagne on the terrace, before entering the marquee on the lawn for lunch. Ava was seated next to LJ – with David on the other side of her – and revelled in her great-aunt’s joy at seeing all her old friends gathered from far and wide.

  ‘It may be the last chance I get to see many of them outside their coffin,’ LJ had muttered at one point. ‘Good God! Most of them look half dead already. Can I really be that old?’

  After lunch, as everyone gathered back on the terrace, a bright-eyed, elderly gentleman with a deep tan and a walking stick made his way towards LJ.

  ‘Laura-Jane! Goodness, can it really be over sixty years since we last saw each other? I believe it was at young David’s christening.’

  ‘Lawrence!’ LJ blushed in pleasure as he kissed her on the cheek. ‘You’ve been in Africa ever since, so it’s hardly surprising.’

  ‘I’m home now, though. Didn’t want my bones resting abroad.’

  ‘No, I’m sure. Now, let me introduce you to my great-niece, Ava.’

  ‘A pleasure,’ said Lawrence, taking Ava’s hand and kissing it. ‘And this is my grandson, Simon.’

  Ava stared at the tall young man who stepped forward from behind his grandfather to be introduced. She’d noticed him earlier, mostly because he was one of the few members of the lunch party under seventy. He was broad-shouldered with thick blond hair and brown eyes fringed by dark lashes.

  She glanced up at him shyly. ‘Hello,’ she said. It was her turn to blush.

  ‘Ava dear, would you mind if Lawrence took your place so we can sit in comfort and catch up?’ requested LJ.

  ‘Of course not,’ Ava said, as she stood back to let Lawrence manoeuvre himself into the chair, which left Ava standing awkwardly and tongue-tied with Simon.

  ‘Do you fancy a cold drink?’ he asked her. ‘I’m absolutely boiling in this suit. Grandpa made me wear it,’ he confided.

  ‘My great-aunt insisted I wore this,’ Ava said, indicating her dress.

  ‘Well, she made a good choice with the colour. It matches your eyes. Now, where can we get some water?’

  Searching the terrace for Megan and Martha, Mary’s nieces – who were meant to be on hand with jugs of elder-flower water and juice – and not finding them, Ava led Simon through the house and into the kitchen. Whilst she filled two glasses with ice and the pure, clean spring water that flowed from the tap, Simon sat down at the table in relief.

  ‘It’s lovely and cool in here. Thank you,’ he added, as Ava placed the water in front of him.

  ‘Yes, so cool in the winter that Mary, our housekeeper, calls it our freezer.’

  ‘Would you mind if I took off my tie and jacket? I feel like a trussed turkey.’

  ‘Please, feel free.’ Ava sipped her water, not sure whether she should sit down opposite him or not. Even though she often worked alongside the men on the farm, they were all years older than she was, and she attended an all-girls school, so she couldn’t remember ever having been alone with a younger man.

  ‘Are you needed elsewhere?’ he asked her.

  ‘No. Not for the moment anyway.’

  ‘Well then, can we stay in here and talk for a while before we go back outside and I have to put my tie on again?’

  ‘Of course,’ she said, glad he had taken the initiative.

  ‘Where do you live?’

  ‘Here at Marchmont, with my Aunt LJ.’

  ‘So you’re a country girl through and through.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You’re so lucky. I was born and bred in London but I’ve spent the past twenty-three years wanting to live in the country. I suppose we always want what we can’t have.’

  ‘Well, I’m very happy here. I don’t think I could bear to live permanently in a city.’

  ‘It’s pretty insufferable, I agree. Waking up here and opening the curtains must be like getting a present every morning. It’s so beautiful.’

  ‘It rains a lot, though.’

  ‘It rains a lot in London, too. What do you do here?’ Simon asked.

  ‘I’ve just finished my final year of school. I’m hoping to get into the Royal Veterinary College in London, so, if I do, I’ll be in the city, too,’ A
va replied with an ironic smile. ‘You?’

  ‘I’m in my last year at the Royal College of Music. Then I’ll be turfed out into the great unwashed world of wannabe musicians.’

  ‘What do you play?’

  ‘The piano and the guitar but, really, I want to be a songwriter. More Paul Weller than Wagner. But, as my family says, a good, solid grounding in classical music is important. And even if I have yawned my way through most of my lectures, they’re probably right.’

  ‘Well, I admire you – I don’t have a musical bone in my body.’

  ‘I’m sure you do, Ava. I haven’t met a person yet that doesn’t, even if it’s just humming along to the radio. Have you always lived here?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Your parents, too?’

  ‘I . . . it’s a bit of a complicated story, but I regard LJ as my mum.’

  ‘Right. Sorry to ask.’ Simon gave her an apologetic smile.

  ‘That’s okay.’

  ‘If you’re just finishing school, you must be eighteen. I thought you were older. You seem very mature.’

  Ava felt his eyes upon her, appraising her, and shifted in her seat.

  ‘God, that must have sounded patronising coming from someone of the lofty age of twenty-three!’ He chuckled. ‘It was meant as a compliment, by the way.’

  Ava smiled at him. ‘Thank you. But I’d better be getting back to LJ now. The day must have worn her out.’

  ‘Of course. It’s been very nice to meet and talk to you, Ava. And if you do come to London, I’d be happy to show you around.’

  ‘Thanks, Simon.’

  Ava walked from the kitchen, feeling light-headed. She wondered if it was the champagne she had drunk earlier, or talking to Simon, who was without a doubt the most handsome young man she’d ever met.

  The guests had begun to depart and Ava saw LJ looked grey with exhaustion.

  ‘Do you want to go up and have a rest, darling?’ Ava asked her.

  ‘Absolutely not. Today I will be the last man standing. Metaphorically, at least,’ she answered stoically.

  Ava left her in the capable hands of David and Tor and went off into the kitchen to help Mary begin the huge task of washing up.

  ‘Did you have a good day, fach?’

  ‘Lovely,’ said Ava, rolling up her sleeves. ‘And the salmon and Eton Mess went down a treat.’

  ‘It did my heart good to see your aunt surrounded by so many of her friends. And who was that young man you were talking to earlier? I saw him giving you the eye during the speeches,’ Mary said, nudging her and winking as they stood together over the sink.

  ‘He’s called Simon, and he’s the grandson of Lawrence somebody, one of LJ’s friends. He’s a music student, but he’s far older than me.’

  ‘How much older?’

  ‘Five years.’

  ‘Look you, that’s perfect! You, of all young women, couldn’t be doing with a young-un, having grown up the way you have.’

  ‘Honestly, Mary, he was just being polite. It was nothing like . . . that.’

  ‘And what is “that”?’ Mary nudged her again.

  ‘You know. That. Anyway, stop teasing me. I’m never going to see him again.’

  ‘Where does he live?’

  ‘London.’

  ‘Where you’re about to go to college.’

  ‘If I get in—’

  ‘We all know you will. Mark my words’ – Mary nodded, her hands submerged in the suds – ‘you’ll see him again.’

  Later, as the sun set spectacularly over the valley below Marchmont, Ava joined LJ, David and Tor on the terrace. The last guests had left and they were chatting about the day.

  ‘I can’t thank you all enough for making this possible.’ LJ put a hand out towards her son. ‘Now I feel I can die in peace.’

  ‘For goodness’ sake, do shut up, Ma,’ said David. ‘You’ve got a lot of life left in you yet.’

  ‘Let’s hope I shall be here to see the two of you return from your trip,’ she said, unusually maudlin.

  ‘Of course you will,’ said Tor, ‘we’re only going for six months. I’m sure nothing untoward will happen in that time.’

  ‘And I’ll be here for the first few weeks of it,’ commented Ava, seeing the look of concern on David’s face.

  ‘You’ll have our itinerary anyway, Ma. You can always leave a message at the hotels we’ll be staying at from time to time,’ he said.

  ‘David, I’m sure there’ll be no need. I’m just being a silly old woman. Must be all the champagne. Right, bed for me. I may be past my sell-by date, but it really has been the most wonderful day.’

  ‘I’ll take you up,’ said Tor firmly, as the three of them rose. ‘David, darling, you stay here and relax with Ava.’

  Once LJ and Tor had left, David turned to his niece. ‘Ma’s worried about us going away, isn’t she?’

  ‘A little, perhaps. But I suppose, when you’re eighty-five, maybe you do worry whether you’ll live to see another summer.’ She shrugged.

  ‘Goodness, Ava, you’re so mature. Older than your years.’

  ‘Well, I’ve been brought up by a very wise lady.’

  ‘I saw your grandmother in London, by the way. I told her that I won’t be around for the next six months.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Uncle David, I’ll keep tabs on her.’

  ‘And I saw your mother when I was in Los Angeles.’

  ‘Really?’ replied Ava, obviously not especially interested. ‘How was she?’

  ‘Okay, but going through a difficult patch.’

  ‘Has she mislaid another husband?’

  ‘Ava, really! She is your mother.’

  ‘I only know of her from the gossip columns, the same as everybody else. Sorry, Uncle David.’

  ‘I understand. And I suppose the good news is that you’ve been far better off growing up here with Ma than you would ever have been with Cheska. Not that that makes it right, of course,’ he added hastily.

  ‘Anyway, Uncle David, I just want you to know that Aunt LJ and Granny will be fine. I want you to be able to go away and not worry about anything. Now’ – Ava yawned – ‘I’m going to go upstairs and kiss LJ goodnight, and then I’m going to bed, too.’

  ‘Oh, before I forget.’ David dug in his jacket pocket and handed her a folded piece of paper. ‘That young man – the grandson of Ma’s old friend – asked me to give you this.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she replied, taking the folded piece of paper from him.

  David saw the flush rise to her cheeks and was glad of it. ‘So, what’s his name?’

  ‘Simon.’

  ‘He really reminded me of someone, but I can’t think who just now. Anyway, he said to tell you to give him a call if you end up in London. Goodnight, sweetheart.’

  Ava kissed him warmly on the cheek. As she wandered into the house, David wished he could shake off the sense of anxiety he felt. Holding the fort while he was gone was a lot to ask of an eighteen-year-old girl who needed to concentrate on her own future. But, as Tor said, he’d been there for all of them for years, and it was only six months, after all . . .

  Two days later, David and Tor boarded the plane to Delhi. As it left the runway and he looked below him at the fast-disappearing landscape of England, Tor took his hand and squeezed it.

  ‘Are you ready for our big adventure?’

  David tore his gaze away from the window and turned to kiss her. ‘Yes, I am.’

  44

  Two weeks after the party LJ was enjoying her ritual afternoon cup of tea on the terrace. Although she had never travelled out of Great Britain, she doubted that, if she had, she would ever have seen a view to compare with the one in front of her. However many years she had left – and the doctor seemed to think it was a good few, if she were careful – LJ knew she could die happy tomorrow at her beloved Marchmont. As the late August sun beat down she closed her eyes and dozed, enjoying the warmth and the soothing sound of the stream below her. Very soon it would be
September, and autumn, her favourite time of year.

  ‘Hello, Aunt Laura-Jane.’

  The voice was familiar, but LJ didn’t open her eyes. She thought she must be daydreaming.

  ‘LJ.’ A hand shook her gently. ‘It’s me, I’m back.’

  LJ blinked against the sunlight when she opened her eyes, and as the woman standing in front of her came into focus, her face drained of colour.

  The woman came closer, and cold hands covered her own. ‘Darling LJ, it’s me, Cheska.’

  ‘I know who you are, dear. I’m not senile yet,’ she replied as steadily as she could.

  ‘Oh, it’s so wonderful to be back.’ The hands moved upwards from her hands and wrapped themselves tightly around her shoulders, almost squeezing the breath from her.

  ‘What . . . why are you here?’

  The grip unlocked and Cheska knelt in front of LJ, a look of hurt crossing her features. ‘Because this is my home, my daughter lives here and I wanted to come and see my dear Aunt LJ.’ She paused. ‘You don’t seem very pleased to see me.’

  ‘Well . . . I . . .’ LJ swallowed hard. ‘Of course I’m pleased to see you. I’m just . . . a little shocked, that’s all. Why didn’t you write and let us know you were coming?’

  ‘Because I wanted to surprise you.’ Cheska stood up. ‘Oh! Just look at that view! I’d forgotten how beautiful it is here. Any chance of a cool drink? I got in a taxi at Heathrow and came straight here. I was so excited about seeing you all.’

  ‘I’m sure Mary could find you something.’

  ‘Mary! Goodness, is she still here? Nothing’s changed, has it? I’ll run along to the kitchen, find a drink and say hi to her. Back in a second.’

  As Cheska disappeared into the house LJ found tears in her eyes. Not of joy, but of fear. Why now, when David was away with Tor . . . ?

  Cheska returned after a while, holding a tall glass of iced water. ‘I have so many gifts for you – they’re in the hall. Where is . . . is Ava here?’

  ‘She’s out on the estate somewhere.’

  ‘Do you think she’ll be surprised to see me? Will she know who I am, do you think?’

  ‘Of course she will, in answer to both of your questions.’