A Summer at Sea

by Katie Fforde

  Her sons, seeing the sense in it, agreed to this restriction. ‘I do like Grandma,’ said Archie, ‘but she is hard work.’

  ‘Lots of the best people are hard work,’ said Emily. ‘Look at Nell! We all love her to pieces but she takes a lot of looking after.’

  ‘She’s not that fussed about table manners, though,’ said James. ‘And while I am too, my standards aren’t quite as high as Grandma’s.’

  Rebecca sighed. ‘She wasn’t nearly as strict when she was just my mum. But she thinks we’re far too lax about everything and tries to fit in all the upbringing she thinks the kids aren’t getting into her infrequent visits.’

  ‘Sort of manners-cramming?’ said Emily.

  Rebecca nodded. ‘She thinks my life would be easier if my children were better trained and if I just put the effort in now I’d reap the rewards later.’

  ‘That sort of makes sense, love,’ said James.

  ‘In theory, maybe, but not in practice,’ said Rebecca. ‘And I hate people telling me how to bring up my children. The irony is, my mother would never have put up with anyone telling her how to look after me and my brother.’ She sighed, and Emily thought she sounded tired and fed up.

  ‘I’m going to make tea,’ said Emily. ‘Earl Grey for Becca, builder’s for me. James? Boys?’

  ‘Earl Grey, please,’ said Archie and James nodded.

  ‘Grandma introduced it to the boys a couple of visits ago,’ said James. ‘We all drink it now. Even Henry.’

  ‘You should have said! I’ve been giving you the wrong kind. Now, let’s have a timetable. When is Grandma expected? And has she got very big eyes and ears?’

  ‘You mean, is she a wolf!’ said Henry delightedly.

  ‘Well, I was wondering,’ said Emily. ‘No offence, Becca.’

  ‘None taken,’ said her friend. ‘She’ll get here later this afternoon. She’ll want to get settled in to her B and B before she comes here. She’ll bring a mattress topper and her special pillow with a silk cover.’

  ‘Blimey!’ said Emily. ‘I can see the sofa bed is quite unsuitable!’

  Rebecca looked rueful. ‘She means well, she really does …’

  ‘But she’s just rather hard work,’ Emily finished for her. ‘We’ll all get on fine.’

  Once they had planned every meal – including morning coffee and teatime – Emily said, ‘How does she get here?’

  ‘She flies and I usually pick her up,’ said Rebecca. ‘It’ll have to be James this time.’

  ‘God, Bec! I could really do with the time that’ll take,’ said James. ‘I mean, I know we’re not desperate for her to move into the bothy, but we want it for Emily. And doing it, we would at least look as if we’re able to have her to stay in the house next time she comes.’

  ‘Don’t do the bothy for me, James. I’m quite happy on the sofa bed.’

  ‘To be honest,’ said James, ‘it being ready for you was a bit over-ambitious.’

  Emily smiled. ‘I could pick her up,’ she said. ‘I’ve always fancied standing at the airport with a bit of cardboard in my hand, waiting for someone I’ve never met. Or in your mum’s case – not met for years.’ She suddenly remembered Sally’s notice and turned to the boys. ‘Hey, guys, you could make me a really cool sign! What about that, Becca? Would you trust me to collect your mum from the airport?’

  ‘Absolutely. That’s a brilliant idea. Now, boys, can you make a lovely sign – quickly? But don’t put Grandma on it. Put Mrs Craig-Fforbes.’ She paused. ‘I’ll write it out for you. It wouldn’t do for you to spell it wrong.’

  In spite of her confident exterior, Emily was rather dreading collecting a woman described as hard work by her grandsons and making polite conversation with her.

  She held up her sign, only slightly embarrassed by the neon colours and reflective stickers that surrounded the name. It was quite a big sign, too. It had a long name on it.

  ‘Well, at least I had no trouble finding you!’ said an elegant woman with a blond bob, a huge suitcase, a carry-on and several duty-free bags. Emily could hardly recognise her from their brief meeting years before. Then she’d been a bit dumpy with mousy hair. Now she looked super-fit and hyper-groomed.

  ‘The sign worked, then! I’m Emily. Becca’s friend from university? I was her bridesmaid?’

  Mrs Craig-Fforbes gave a rather tight smile. Maybe she’d discovered Botox since Emily had met her or perhaps she was a bit starchy. Emily hoped for the former. ‘Of course I remember the wedding and if you were wearing peach satin I would probably recognise you, but otherwise, not.’ The smile was broader this time. ‘Is the car a long way away?’

  ‘Not far at all. Let me take your things.’

  Once settled in the passenger seat of the hastily cleaned-out Volvo, her luggage disposed about the car, Rebecca’s mother produced an eye mask from her handbag.

  ‘Would you think I was frightfully rude if I put this on and rested my eyes on the journey home? It was a very early start and I want to be at my best to meet my granddaughter. And the boys, of course,’ she added.

  ‘Not at all rude. It’s a very good idea. There’s a houseful of people very eager to see you and that’s always very tiring.’

  ‘Oh, I won’t sleep. I never sleep during the day, but if I just rest my eyes, I’ll be fine.’

  As Emily drove her passenger home she wondered what Mrs Craig-Fforbes was going to make of the chaotic but adorable family that awaited her.

  As requested, she drove Rebecca’s mother straight to the Bed and Breakfast. She’d stayed there before and was welcomed with offers of tea and shortbread. They were obviously accustomed to their fussy client and were unfazed by her need to bring her own pillow and mattress topper.

  ‘Did she like the sign?’ asked Henry eagerly when Emily got back to the house. He’d applied some of his favourite stickers to decorate it and needed to know if it had been worth the sacrifice.

  ‘I think so,’ said Emily. ‘She said it made me easy to find. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t want to take it home with her and frame it.’ After all, behind that glamorous exterior there might be a cosy granny figure, fighting to get out. Not fighting very hard currently, though, Emily thought.

  ‘She might do that.’ Rebecca’s tone implied this was a fairly remote possibility.

  ‘She’s certainly changed since I last met her,’ said Emily. ‘What a glamorous granny.’

  ‘Yes, she went on a major health kick, lost loads of weight, ran a half-marathon and now divides her time between fitness and supporting the beauty industry.’ Rebecca sighed. ‘You’d think being on her own since Dad died would make her more child-friendly – more eager to spend time with us – but it hasn’t. He’d have loved the boys clambering over him but she’s never been keen.’

  ‘Well, maybe that’s all about to change!’ said Emily, worrying about the boys hearing all this about their granny.

  ‘That’s true,’ said James. ‘And I know she can be hard work but I am looking forward to seeing the old bat.’

  ‘The Old Bat’ arrived soon after, dressed down in beige slacks with a matching jacket and chunky gold jewellery.

  ‘Darling!’ she said as she embraced Rebecca. ‘Should you even be up? You’ve just had a baby. And where is she? How lovely to have a girl at last. You must be thrilled!’

  ‘We’d have been thrilled with whatever sort of baby we had,’ said Rebecca crisply. ‘And I’m sure I’ll get used to having a girl eventually.’

  ‘We wanted a boy,’ said Henry.

  James nodded. ‘We know where we are with boys.’

  ‘Oh, but little girls!’ said Mrs Craig-Fforbes dreamily.

  ‘What about a glass of fizz?’ said James. ‘Let’s go through to the sitting room. Becca, go and see if Nell’s awake. I know your mum is dying to see her.’

  ‘James, dear, you really must call me Valerie,’ said his mother-in-law. ‘You and Rebecca have been married for years now.’

  ‘I do in my head
,’ said James. ‘Now you sit down and I’ll bring the champagne.’

  James distributed glasses of champagne and sparkling elderflower to the boys, in the same flutes. Valerie looked anxious, assuming they would instantly break the glasses. But Emily noticed they took their responsibilities with regard to the champagne flutes very seriously. They were in no danger.

  ‘So, how was your journey, Mum?’ said Rebecca, holding the audibly hungry Nell.

  ‘Fine, really. I had to start at silly o’clock, of course.’ She sighed. ‘It is a shame that you live so far away from me.’

  Rebecca looked guilty. ‘I know, Mum, but it’s been a while now. We’ve lived up here for well over ten years.’

  Nell’s cries became louder and Emily wondered why Rebecca didn’t latch her on and so stop the crying. There must be a reason.

  ‘Would you like me to put a clean nappy on Nell, and then you can feed her?’ she asked.

  ‘Thank you!’ said Rebecca, handing the screaming bundle.

  As Emily whisked out of the room she overheard Valerie say, ‘I’m so glad you’ve got the woman who was your bridesmaid to be your nanny. I never thought you’d do anything so sensible!’

  ‘Mum!’ wailed Rebecca. ‘She’s not a nanny, she’s my best friend!’

  ‘Well, it’s good to employ someone you know and if you want to call her a mother’s help, let’s not worry about semantics.’

  ‘What are semantics?’ asked Archie.

  His mother ignored this reasonable question.

  ‘Not only is she my friend,’ Rebecca went on, ‘she’s my midwife! She delivered Nell – during a storm with no electricity.’

  ‘My God, Becca, darling,’ said her mother. ‘I didn’t realise things were as bad as that!’

  Chapter Seventeen

  NELL WASN’T CRYING any less by the time Emily brought her back to Rebecca. She took her screaming bundle and looked at her mother.

  ‘She needs feeding, Becca,’ said Emily. ‘Why don’t you plug her in?’

  ‘You’re surely not suggesting that Becca feeds her baby in the sitting room? In front of the boys?’ Valerie seemed horrified.

  ‘I am,’ said Emily. ‘Then she can carry on talking to you. She won’t want to tear herself away when you’ve only just arrived! And the boys have seen their baby sister being fed lots of times already.’ Emily wondered if hearing herself referred to as a nanny had somehow turned her into one – a bossy one at that.

  ‘I suppose – if it’s the modern way,’ said Valerie, shuddering slightly.

  ‘Didn’t you breastfeed in front of the family, Mum?’ asked Rebecca, much more comfortable now her baby was no longer crying and making little whimpers of satisfaction instead.

  ‘No, darling. I couldn’t breastfeed. Didn’t I ever tell you? You cried and cried but however much they told me it was best I just couldn’t feed you.’

  Rebecca was apologetic. ‘You may have done, Mummy, but I’d forgotten. You know what being pregnant does to your brain, turns it to mush. Well, in my case.’

  Emily hadn’t noticed Rebecca being remotely mushy but she realised she was pacifying her mother. Had Valerie actually applied her nipple to her daughter’s lips when she was crying and crying? Or couldn’t she bring herself to? Still, not everyone wanted to breastfeed. Emily personally encouraged it but she hoped she was never bullying.

  ‘Supper?’ she said, getting to her feet. ‘Valerie, you must be tired after your journey and the boys need to eat.’ Without waiting for anyone to agree with her she went into the kitchen.

  Later, when James was reading to the boys, Rebecca, her mother and Emily sat in the sitting room. Soon, James would walk Valerie to the Bed and Breakfast but now, there had to be conversation. Emily had her knitting.

  ‘If you don’t mind me saying so,’ said Valerie, obviously going to say it anyway, ‘that scarf is very small, even for a newborn baby.’

  Emily laughed. ‘Oh, it’s not for Nell! It’s for a teddy. I’ll knit one if Becca wants me to, but it’ll take me ages. I’m much slower than usual doing Fair Isle. I’ve only just learnt it.’

  ‘For a teddy?’ said Valerie, still not sure she understood.

  ‘Yes. Ted belongs to a little girl I know.’ Emily looked at Rebecca. ‘Maybe your mother’s met Kate?’

  ‘Oh, Kate!’ said Valerie. ‘Yes, of course I’ve met her. Charming little person. Such a tragedy losing her mother like that. You’d have thought Alasdair would have found a new wife by now.’

  ‘I don’t think he wants Kate to think her mother was replaceable,’ said Rebecca. ‘Besides, she was beautiful. A very tough act to follow.’

  Emily remembered that Rebecca didn’t know that the tough act was actually walking out on her family when she was killed in a car accident. That probably had more to do with Alasdair still being single. He’d have trust issues and if one woman – her own mother – could let Kate down, why would someone not her mother be any better?

  ‘He must have women queuing up. A handsome man like that,’ said Valerie. ‘A doctor, too.’

  ‘I think he finds all that a bit daunting,’ said Rebecca.

  ‘Kate might not want to share her father,’ said Valerie. ‘If it’s just been the two of them for a while. She may have made it difficult for Alasdair.’

  ‘So,’ said Emily, desperate to change the subject, ‘Kate has a teddy who has to be knitted for. I’m hoping to get this scarf done quickly, before I go home.’ Suddenly Emily wanted to knit really slowly, as if she wouldn’t have to go home until the scarf was done. Although an exchange of emails with her future boss had told her that time was ticking away fast.

  ‘You’re not going home just yet,’ said Rebecca firmly. ‘You’ve got plenty of time to finish the scarf. You’ve got, what …?’

  ‘A couple of weeks. I thought I could stretch it for a bit longer but now they want me as soon as possible.’

  ‘That soon? I know you’d told me but I somehow blanked it out of my mind.’

  ‘I think I had too, in some ways.’ The women exchanged anguished glances.

  Unaware of their reaction, Valerie went on, ‘Plenty of time to finish the scarf then. It’s very small. Are you going to do it all in Fair Isle or just the ends?’

  Just then, knitting was the very last thing that Emily wanted to talk about. ‘All of it, I think. And by the time I do go, you won’t need me any more.’ The thought was heartbreaking.

  ‘We’ll always need you!’ said Rebecca, sounding as desperate as Emily felt.

  ‘But, darling, you said Emily wasn’t a nanny,’ said Valerie. She turned to her. ‘So what are you? You told me you were Rebecca’s bridesmaid but—’

  ‘I’m a friend, helping out a friend,’ Emily broke in to save Valerie from embarrassment, forcing herself to smile. ‘But as I’m a midwife, I understand babies.’

  Valerie nodded. ‘So that is how you could deliver Becca’s baby in a storm with no electricity.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Emily. ‘And it was fun, wasn’t it, Becc? A bit dramatic maybe, but we all managed brilliantly.’

  Rebecca sighed. ‘It wasn’t what we’d planned but it was far, far better than going to hospital.’

  Valerie shuddered. ‘Well, I’m so glad things turned out as they did but if I’d known what was going on I’d have been beside myself with anxiety! I really wish you’d told me,’ she added.

  ‘The phone lines were down, Mum, we couldn’t tell anyone. And if you’d have been anxious we wouldn’t have wanted to inflict that on you.’

  ‘Besides,’ said Emily, ‘it all happened rather quickly and you must have been delighted to hear it was all over—’

  ‘And it was a little girl!’ finished Valerie, still ecstatic. ‘I do hope she has ballet lessons. You had ballet lessons and looked so sweet in your little tutu.’

  ‘I think it’s too early to say,’ said Rebecca, smiling down at her daughter but possibly amused by her mother.

  James came in. ‘That’s them asleep. T
hey were tired.’

  ‘I think, James, if you don’t mind,’ said Valerie, ‘I’ll ask you to take me along to Wee Nook now. You’ll need me bright and early in the morning.’

  ‘No need to be too early, Mum,’ said Rebecca. ‘We’ve got Emily. You take your time and come along for coffee, at about eleven? We’ll be sorted by then.’

  ‘Very well, if you’re sure,’ said Valerie.

  ‘Quite sure, Mum. And it’s lovely to have you here.’

  Just after lunchtime the following day, Lizzie Miller-Hall came to check on Rebecca and the baby. She pronounced them both to be very fit and well. Valerie had fallen in love with Nell and was holding her, actually cooing, while Rebecca lay on the bed.

  ‘Emily, are you busy just now? I wondered if you fancied a little run-out. I’ve my rounds to do and if you came with me, it would be a way for you to see a bit more of the countryside.’

  ‘I’m needed here—’

  ‘No you’re not!’ interrupted Rebecca. ‘Why don’t you go out for the day? You’ll be leaving us soon and you haven’t been out and about much. I’ve got Mum and James. We can get him in from his carpentry in the bothy if necessary. Lizzie’s right! It would be a great way for you to see some more of the area.’

  ‘And – no offence, dear,’ said Valerie, ‘it would be nice for me and my daughter to have some bonding time together. We see each other so seldom.’

  Emily considered and then shrugged. ‘Oh well, if I’m officially dismissed, I’d love that!’

  ‘You’re officially dismissed,’ said Rebecca, making shooing gestures. ‘See you at teatime. Don’t haste ye back.’

  ‘Well, this is fun!’ said Emily. ‘Like a mini tour.’

  ‘Fun for me too,’ said Lizzie, changing gear on her ancient Peugeot. ‘Company on my rounds. After the storm I want to check up on a lot of my elderlies.’

  ‘So what is your job-title exactly?’

  Lizzie laughed. ‘I have a few part-time jobs that blend well together. I’m part health visitor, part midwife – you know about that part – but I also do a bit of district nursing. I do that most.’