‘Are you OK?’ Angus asked.
‘What? Yes fine, thanks… just soaking up the view.’ He looked at her quizzically, an amused expression on his face. She hoped he hadn’t noticed her blushing. What would he think?
‘You know that green really suits you,’ Angus said. ‘It matches your eyes.’
‘This old thing!’ she pinched the material of her bikini. ‘It’s probably lost its elastic completely; I haven’t got around to buying a new one for years.’
‘Right, I’m going for a dip,’ Angus said, standing up and stretching.
Libby watched him walk down to the sea and wade into the water. She remembered him saying that she had beautiful eyes once before, all those years ago, when they had kissed on the beach as teenagers. She wondered how much he had meant it when he had confessed his feelings for her, and what would have happened if neither of them had been so awkward about their kiss. What if they had given themselves a chance instead?
He got to waist-deep and then dived under, swimming quickly out into the deeper water before turning to wave at her. As she gave him a wave back, he turned to swim parallel to the shore. She lay back on her mat and reached for her book, soon losing herself in the words on the page, keeping half an eye on Izzy who was sleeping peacefully in the shade beside her.
Later they took Izzy down to the water and dipped her toes in the sea. She shrieked in surprise. The water was cold, so they paddled around in the shallows with her. Angus snapped photographs of them both on his camera. She imagined they looked like any other happy family on their summer holiday. At tea-time they packed up their belongings and walked back up to the house. Angus had bought scones, raspberry jam and clotted cream, so they indulged themselves with a cream tea while Izzy had her dinner. He helped Libby bath her and put her to bed, clearly enjoying every second of his godfatherly duties.
‘She is so gorgeous,’ he said as they turned off the light.
‘You’re so good with her. She really loves you,’ Libby told him.
‘Now why don’t you go and run a bath while I cook?’ he said.
‘I’m happy to cook tonight if you’d prefer?’
‘No, don’t worry, I’ve got it all lined up. Are you happy with fish? I got some lovely-looking sea bream at the fishmonger’s this morning. I thought we could have it with asparagus and new potatoes?’
Libby’s stomach rumbled at the thought. ‘That sounds utterly perfect. My turn tomorrow, though.’
‘Deal.’
She luxuriated in the hot bath water, listening to Angus pottering about in the kitchen and singing along to the radio. Soon delicious smells were making their way through the gap in the door. Libby dried herself off and pulled on a wraparound dress.
‘Do you want a glass of white?’ Angus asked as she joined him in the kitchen.
‘I’d love one, thanks.’ She accepted the cold glass and sipped the dry white wine. They ate on the patio, making the most of the warm evening. The wine was the perfect accompaniment to the sea bream, cooked to perfection by Angus. They had treacle tart and raspberries for pudding and then sat and chatted under the stars. Libby noticed that they had stopped talking so much about Luca and Jules. As if by mutual agreement, they had decided to move on from that chapter of their lives as best they could. It seemed as though they were both looking to the future rather than to the past.
The following day, Izzy woke Libby up bright and early. Having given her some food, she strapped her into her car seat and set off for the local village. She wanted to buy some sausages and eggs so that she could cook them a proper English breakfast. Angus would tell her whether it was up to scratch for potential paying guests in the future. The village consisted of a post office, a butcher, a baker, a hardware shop, a fishmonger and a grocer. It had everything you could possibly need, all from local producers. It was Libby’s idea of heaven. She went from shop to shop, filling several bags full of goodies before loading them into the boot. She had decided to cook spaghetti with prawns for dinner. It was one of Luca’s traditional family recipes, passed down through the generations. He had cooked it so many times that she had learned it off by heart, another addition to her by-now-impressive collection.
By the time Angus woke up, the house was full of the mouth-watering smell of sausages. Libby had made a fresh pot of coffee and they sat outside, looking at the sea, while they ate their sausages and fried eggs.
‘What do you want to do today?’ Libby asked.
‘There’s an amazing little beach that I found on one of my walks last week that I think you might like. Seeing as it’s another beautiful day, we could take a picnic and spend the day there?’
‘That sounds perfect. What’s it called?’
‘Coomber Cove.’
‘Coomber Cove it is!’ They cleared up breakfast, made sandwiches for lunch and loaded the car with their beach stuff. After a short drive they found the turning. They parked at a small farmhouse and followed the footpath up the hill through a rickety old gate. It led them through sun-bleached cornfields peppered with poppies and lined with dry-stone walls overgrown with wild flowers. At the end of the fields, the sea loomed below them, seemingly quite a long way down. A well-trampled path lay partially obscured by long grass, leading the way to the hidden beach.
‘You did some good exploring to find this!’ laughed Libby as they set off through the grass. ‘I’m not sure I would have ventured this far!’
‘It’s worth it, I promise,’ said Angus.
The path was steep but not dangerous, yet Libby was still glad that Angus was carrying her daughter. She trusted him not to lose his footing much more than she trusted herself; she had always been slightly clumsy in that respect. Angus had disappeared at a sharp bend to the left ahead of her. As she turned the corner to follow him, she gasped. A deserted sandy beach lay below. The sea rivalled that of Positano, sparkling for all its worth, and as clear as could be, thanks to a large outcrop of rocks that stopped the tide fifty metres or so out to sea and left the water in the cove mostly undisturbed.
‘It’s absolutely stunning,’ cried Libby in amazement. Angus had turned to watch her reaction and was chuckling to himself, clearly proud of his discovery. They climbed down the rest of the path, Angus holding his hand out to steady Libby on the steeper sections. She jumped from the ledge safely down on to the sand and ran straight to the water’s edge, dipping her toe in. ‘I can’t wait to get in the water, it looks irresistible!’
They set up camp in the middle of their own private beach, secretly hoping that no one else would appear and that they could keep this hidden paradise all to themselves for the day. Izzy was having a nap, so they left her in the shade and stripped off their clothes.
‘Race you?’ Angus said.
Libby rose to the challenge and sprinted as fast as she could into the water, trying her best to get a head start. The water was freezing but refreshing. She splashed her way as far out as she could before Angus caught up with her, tumbling her into the sea with a rugby tackle. ‘Got you!’ he laughed as she found her feet and pushed herself up to the surface, gasping.
She wiped the salt water from her eyes. ‘You bastard!’ she laughed as she splashed him in revenge. She stayed close to the shore so that she could keep an eye on Izzy, while Angus swam out to sea. After a few minutes Izzy started to cry, so she swam back, grabbed her towel and dried herself off. She scooped Izzy into her arms and walked her around the beach until she settled. When she had stopped crying and was once again playing happily, Libby came to lie in the sun next to Angus, who had returned from his swim.
They spent the whole day lounging on the beach, swimming to cool off, paddling in the rock pools with Izzy and reading their books. It was totally idyllic. When the time came to pack up and take Izzy home, they were both glowing from the sun and covered with sand in every orifice, far more relaxed than they had been in a very long time. Angus gave Izzy her bath while Libby showered, then they put her to bed and Libby began cooking their dinner.
She laid the table out on the terrace and picked some flowers from the garden to put in the middle of the table. She found a candle in the sitting room and lit it before pouring them both some wine.
‘I’m seriously impressed!’ Angus said as he ate the spaghetti. ‘This is really delicious.’ She had cooked the prawns in plenty of garlic with a squeeze of lemon and some fresh chilli; it was a great combination.
‘If Luca served one purpose it was teaching me his family’s secret recipes!’ laughed Libby.
‘And fathering Izzy,’ said Angus.
‘True! We mustn’t forget that. It’s funny, isn’t it, how everything seems to happen for a reason. If I hadn’t met Luca, then Izzy would never have been born, but I know that she is meant to be here; there is no way she was just an accident. And Jules, if she hadn’t run off with him then you would never have a chance to start over, to be a father one day, and you are such a natural I just know that is what is meant for you too.’
‘I hope so,’ Angus said.
‘Cheers to us,’ Libby said.
‘To the future!’ said Angus. They clinked glasses once again. ‘So, what do you think is next in store for you? It’s not long now till you find out if Digby and Edwards will make you an offer.’
‘I’m fairly sure they won’t. And I don’t really know if I want them to anyway, if I’m honest with myself. I’ve actually been doing a lot of thinking about the future recently,’ Libby said. ‘Do you remember I once told you that I’d like to start up my own bed and breakfast?’
‘That does ring a bell.’
‘Well, I’ve been doing a lot of research. I’m seriously considering it… I’ve even started drawing up a business plan.’
‘Wow, I had no idea. Tell me more.’ They spent the rest of the evening discussing Libby’s plans. He asked her hundreds of questions and seemed impressed with how seriously she had considered the answer to each one, how careful her research had been. This did not seem to be yet another hare-brained scheme that Libby was dreaming up to escape her current job. There was something more to it this time. In fact, Angus seemed to think it was a fantastic idea, in particular because of the benefits it would have in terms of childcare. He even suggested getting involved, perhaps helping her to get the business up and running, as an investor of sorts.
There was plenty for them to talk about, and they continued to discuss the options throughout the remainder of the holiday, which was full of similar lazy, sun-drenched days on the beach. They went for walks along the coastal paths, Izzy strapped to Angus’s back; they swam in the sea, ate amazing food, barbecued on the beach and drank plenty of wine. They were so relaxed in each other’s company and they got on so well that they both agreed it was one of the best holidays they had ever had.
When Libby returned to London a week later, she felt a dull ache at their separation. She had become so used to Angus’s company, it was as if he was part of their little family. Back in her flat that evening, she picked up her phone and hovered over his number, stopping short of calling him just to check in and hear his voice. She knew that she needed to make sure she retained her newfound independence. She had promised herself that she would never rely on any man for support again, and whilst she knew he was different to ‘any’ man, he still counted. She had to admit, though, the idea of having Angus’s input and backing into her potential new business venture was extremely appealing. It was definitely worth considering. He had such a good eye, and he already had all the experience of starting up his own company, not to mention of being self-employed. She knew she needed to give it all some extremely careful thought over the next few months, when her final review would take place at Digby and Edwards.
Chapter Twenty-Five
One rainy Saturday morning in October, Libby’s phone began to ring. She rummaged around before finally locating it under a pile of laundry on the bed. She was surprised to see that it was John calling.
‘Hello?’ she said as she answered the call. It was probably Miriam having forgotten her phone.
‘Libby, it’s John.’
‘John! What a surprise! Is everything OK?’
‘I’m afraid not…’ His voice sounded tight and strained. ‘It’s your mother. I don’t want you to worry, but we’re in hospital. She has had a heart attack. She’s in surgery at the moment and the doctors are doing the best they can, but I think it’s a good idea if you get here as soon as you can.’
Libby felt the blood drain from her head. She sat down on the bed. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. ‘A heart attack? My god, poor mum. Of course, I’ll come straight away. Where are you?’
John gave her the details of the hospital and she hung up the phone. Helen and Henry were away in Florence on a long weekend. John had tried calling her first but hadn’t been able to get through. Trying to fight the rising panic that was coursing through her veins, Libby grabbed the phone once again. She knew that Angus was working on his paintings, but she didn’t know who else to call.
‘Libby?’ Angus picked up the phone on the third ring.
‘Hi Angus. I need your help.’ She started to cry at the sound of his voice.
‘What is it? What’s happened?’ he asked, his voice immediately full of concern.
‘It’s Mum. John just called. She’s had a heart attack.’
‘Oh my god. Is she OK?’
‘I don’t know. She is in surgery. I need to get to the hospital straight away. I hate to ask, but can you come and look after Izzy?’
‘Of course. I’ll jump in the car now. I’ll be with you in five. Libs, don’t worry, she’ll be OK.’
‘Thank you so much,’ Libby said. She grabbed a few things and stuffed them into an overnight bag, her head spinning. Her mother had always been so healthy. She had never had a scare like this before. Memories of her dad dying came flooding back and her eyes smarted with tears once again.
A short while later there was a loud knock on the door. Libby opened it to see Angus standing there in a grey T-shirt with spatters of paint in his hair and on his cheek. At the sight of his concerned expression, she collapsed into his arms and let him hold her as she sobbed. He stroked her hair and rubbed her back. ‘It’s going to be OK,’ he said.
When she had gathered her composure she pulled herself away, running through a list of instructions for the day in terms of looking after Izzy.
‘Just call me if you have any questions,’ she said.
‘I will. We’ll be just fine, don’t worry about us,’ he said. ‘You just go and look after your mum.’
‘I don’t know how to thank you, dropping everything to come and have Izzy. You really are the best…’ She kissed him on the cheek and hugged him tight. She had to pull herself away. She kissed Izzy goodbye and grabbed her bag and her keys, dashing off down the stairs.
A couple of hours later she was running through the hospital corridors looking for her mother. As she turned the corner she saw John, pacing up and down. Her heart went out to him as she saw the worry on his face. They sat side by side and waited for news from the surgeons. Eventually a doctor came to find them.
They stood up as soon as they saw her approach. Time seemed to slow down as she walked towards them down the brightly lit corridor.
Libby’s heart was pounding. Her palms were sweaty and she tried to steady her breathing, to stop panicking.
John reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Libby was moved to see how hard he was trying to fight back his emotions. She could tell it was taking him all his strength to retain his outward appearance of calm.
‘Doctor,’ said John. ‘Is there any news?’
‘How is she?’ Libby asked, desperately scanning her face for any clues.
The doctor smiled at them both. ‘I’m pleased to say that Miriam is in a stable condition,’ she said.
Relief coursed through Libby as she grabbed hold of John and squeezed him tightly.
‘Thank god!’ she said.
John exhaled slowly; he m
ust have been holding his breath.
‘We were able to repair most of the damage,’ explained the doctor. ‘But she will need to stay in hospital to be closely monitored for a few days until we are completely sure she is stable. When we discharge her, she will need to rest and allow herself a slow and complete recovery, avoiding physical exertion.’
Libby and John thanked the doctor and hugged each other, tears of relief falling down their cheeks.
As soon as Miriam had come round from the anaesthesia they went into see her. Libby was shocked at how tiny and pale she looked, dwarfed by her gown and the hospital bed. It was amazing how vulnerable illness made you seem. ‘Mum,’ Libby said as she took her hand. ‘It’s me, Libby.’ Miriam opened her eyes and smiled weakly at them.
‘How are you feeling, darling?’ asked John, bending down to kiss her forehead.
‘Pretty awful,’ Miriam replied, her voice groggy from the anaesthetic. Libby knew that she must be feeling bad, as her mother never usually admitted to any discomfort.
‘I’m going to be your full-time nurse,’ John said. ‘I’m under strict instructions not to let you lift a finger until you are completely better, and I am more than happy to oblige.’
‘Thank you, darling,’ Miriam said to John. She turned to Libby. ‘Does Helen know I’m here?’
‘Yes, I just spoke to her,’ said Libby. ‘She is with Henry. She’s fine. She sends you lots of love and she’s going to come and see you as soon as she gets back from Florence.’ They stayed by her side until she fell asleep again. Then Libby went to phone Angus.
It Was Always You Page 20