As Maggie’s mood lifted she felt as if she could overcome any obstacle: and that meant considering doing something she had all but convinced herself not to do. Rather than return to the garden, she headed for her office. It was time for some preliminary research on the adoption process and how a birth mother might go about tracing a long-lost child.
15
‘How’s the diary looking?’ Maggie asked after saying goodbye to her latest client. She leaned against the reception counter as Kathy leafed through her appointments book.
‘Busy, busy, busy,’ Kathy recited as she turned the pages. ‘Right up to the end of August and then …’ She let the remaining pages in her hand flutter and drop. ‘Nothing.’
They were barely halfway through July but Maggie had already started to count off her last days at the salon. She stared down despondently at the pages she couldn’t see.
‘Don’t look so miserable. Most people would be looking forward to taking it easy,’ Kathy added when she didn’t get the response she wanted.
‘Maybe I’m finishing too soon. We have a two-week break with the boys but then there’s still six weeks left before the baby’s due.’
‘No,’ Kathy said. ‘We discussed this. You want that time to prepare and besides, you could have the baby early and you don’t want to be paying rent on a place that you can’t use.’
‘And it’s not like I have to worry about keeping the business going any more,’ Maggie added bleakly. She had already surrendered her lease agreement and told Kathy to find a better use for her beloved treatment room. ‘Have you found someone else?’
‘Not yet,’ Kathy said. ‘Let’s see what tomorrow brings.’
‘Tomorrow isn’t the problem. Fifteen weeks away, that’s the part that worries me.’
‘Maggie, I don’t doubt for a minute that you’ll surprise some people by how good a mum you’re going to be but I never thought you’d be one of them. Stop feeling so damned sorry for yourself!’
Maggie should have been shocked by Kathy’s tough love but she expected no less from her friend and she was grateful for it. She pulled herself up and let Kathy see a mischievous glint in her eye. ‘Maybe I could phone Carolyn and ask for some tips on motherhood.’
‘You mean now that she’s expecting too?’
Rather than Kathy, Maggie was the one who was shocked. ‘Who told you?’ she demanded.
‘James.’
‘When? He didn’t say. He hasn’t even told his mum yet,’ Maggie spluttered. She had told James about her conversation with Carolyn as soon as he had returned home but he was less concerned about the baby news than he was about the idea that his mum thought Maggie had trapped him. Typical of James, he fumed silently and had avoided speaking to his mum, about anything.
Before Kathy could explain further, the bell above the door jangled and the latest visitor to the salon introduced herself in her own inimitable way.
‘I’d know that cough anywhere,’ Maggie said as the footsteps drew closer.
‘Yes, and I know what you’re going to say next,’ Alice said. There was another surreptitious cough as she stroked Harvey.
‘So have you seen the doctor yet?’
‘No.’ For a sixty-year-old, Alice made a good impression of a toddler as she ground her foot into the tiled floor.
‘Are you busy now?’ Maggie asked, picking up the reception phone.
Alice tried not to laugh. ‘I came here to make an appointment for a haircut, not a checkup.’
‘You can do both,’ insisted Maggie. She knew the number from memory and dialled it.
The phone was handed over to Alice who was too stunned to object and the appointment with her GP was made without any further prevarication.
‘I’d better go before you railroad me into something else,’ Alice muttered and turned to leave.
‘Hold on, you haven’t seen the Miltons lately, have you?’ Maggie said, trying to hide the desperation in her voice for news.
‘I’ve been calling in now and again and things are much the same. Elsie has her moments but nothing like that day at the bank. Whatever happened to her in the past must have been heartbreaking. If it happened at all,’ she added quickly.
‘I’m sorry,’ Kathy said in exasperation. ‘I know you want to protect her, but it’s too late for Elsie to keep her secrets, they’re already out there.’
‘But that doesn’t mean we can’t pretend that they’re not, for Elsie’s sake,’ Alice said sternly, daring Kathy to contradict her. They were old friends who weren’t afraid to argue. ‘On the positive side, if you can call it that, she’s raking up all kinds of other memories. We’ve worked out that I must have bumped into her a couple of times. After she married Ted, they used to visit her Aunt Flo quite regularly. Yvonne and Nancy would have been a bit younger than me but I can remember playing in the park with two little girls from Liverpool and I’m sure it was them.’
‘Wow, really? Do you remember Flo Jackson then? Would you know what happened to her family?’ Maggie asked, now wondering if Alice could help with the search for Tess. She had discovered that the search through the adoption agency could be a lengthy process and couldn’t even begin until the Miltons agreed. If Maggie could track down Mrs Jackson’s niece in the meantime, they would at least be one step ahead and time was of the essence.
‘Sorry,’ Alice said. ‘I knew of her, but she became a bit of a recluse and died sometime in the sixties. Believe it or not, I would have been quite young back then. Like I said, I can only vaguely remember playing with the girls and Yvonne doesn’t remember being here at all.’
‘You’ve met her daughter? What’s she like?’ Kathy asked, jolting them back to the present.
‘Very friendly but a bit bossy. Reminded me of you,’ Alice added under her breath. ‘She only stayed a week but she didn’t waste any time. There were all kinds of meetings with doctors, specialists and social workers – the lot. She even took her mum and dad to look at care homes.’
It wasn’t the news Maggie wanted to hear. ‘Ted thought Yvonne might do that. How did they get on?’
‘To be honest, Elsie is more open to the idea than he is because she doesn’t want to be a burden. Yvonne suggested they could try it for a few days’ respite when things get too much for Ted but he still said no, not while he’s got breath in his body. He says he can manage and, with a bit of help, he will.’
‘He’s lucky to have you.’
‘Oh, I live close by so it’s no trouble. I only hope that one day someone will do the same for me. In fact, I’m insisting on it. I’ve got two strapping lads and my daughters-in-law are a blessing. I’ve already told them that I have every intention of being a burden to them,’ she said with a raspy laugh. ‘Jack said he could always convert his canal boat into my very own granny flat.’
As Maggie waited for another coughing fit to ease, a thought occurred to her. ‘I’d forgotten Jack had a barge. They’re supposed to be a great way to relax, aren’t they?’
‘They go at a snail’s pace so it takes forever getting anywhere but that’s the point, it forces you to slow down. I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind if you and James wanted to use it. He loans it out to his friends all the time.’
‘James loves boats,’ Maggie mused. ‘But I’m hoping to take advantage of another friend’s generosity for our summer holiday. She has a place in France and has been trying to convince me to go there but the time has never been right.’
‘Until now?’ Kathy asked, completely taken aback. The place in question was a farmhouse that had belonged to her father as part of his property business. James had been there with Carolyn and that had been reason enough to turn down the offers in the last couple of years but Maggie was beginning to realise that time moves on. And at least if they were abroad James couldn’t be called away for emergencies at work.
‘We were thinking about it, if you didn’t mind and it’s available?’
‘Of course I don’t mind! It’s yours.’
�
�Well, it looks like I’ve been outbid,’ Alice agreed. ‘But the offer still stands if ever you need a short break.’
Maggie couldn’t hide a mischievous smile; her meddling wasn’t over yet. ‘Do you think you could extend that offer to someone else? It’s Jenny who could really do with a break right now. I don’t mind paying Jack, it could be my early birthday present to her.’
‘You will not pay! I’ll let Jack know to expect a call and the two of you can sort out the details.’
Eventually Maggie released Alice from her clutches but it would be hours later before anyone realised that she had left without making the hair appointment she had come in for. Maggie for one was too distracted making plans for Jenny and Mark. Assuming Jack agreed, she would have the time and place, which only left the small matter of persuading the troubled couple to go away together, not to mention explaining to James that they would be babysitting Lily for a whole weekend. But other than that, it was all planned.
‘That’s what I like to see,’ Kathy said.
‘And what would that be?’
‘The old you.’
Maggie knew exactly what Kathy meant and she had James to thank more than anyone. By giving him permission to take care of her, she now felt secure enough to take care of other people, including someone else’s baby.
‘And since you’re in the mood for accepting invitations, I’d like to invite you to a bit of a do I’m having next week. It’s my birthday,’ Kathy said.
Kathy’s voice had given nothing away but Maggie’s instinct told her there was something afoot. ‘I thought you didn’t celebrate birthdays? Are you planning something special?’
‘Yes.’
‘So why am I starting to suspect I won’t like it?’
‘I can’t imagine,’ sniffed Kathy. ‘I was wondering if you could be persuaded to forego your usual lunch in the park and come over to my place for a bit of a girlie afternoon.’
‘Just the two of us or were you planning on inviting more girlies?’ Maggie barely suppressed a smile as her mind made huge leaps and bounds. Kathy knew how desperate she was to catch up with Elsie, perhaps …
‘You, me and Judith.’
Somewhere in the salon, a tray clattered to the floor but it could easily have been the sound of Maggie’s jaw hitting the counter.
16
As Maggie knocked on the heavy wooden door, she breathed in the scent of lilacs. As always it evoked thoughts of Elsa but on this occasion the fragrance was completely natural and had floated across from the garden. She had forgotten Kathy had lilac trees and as she waited for the door to be answered, she wondered if it was too late in the season to extract some oils from the flowers in the same way Mrs Jackson once had to make her soap.
Kathy swung the door open wide. ‘I hope you’re hungry,’ she said.
Harvey sniffed the air in anticipation. ‘She didn’t mean you,’ Maggie warned as they were ushered into the house. She was hoping to be the first to arrive to give her a little extra time to get her bearings. She knew the house well enough but even a subtle change in the layout of furniture could lead to jarred limbs and stubbed toes and she would rather make those painful mistakes without Judith’s pitying gaze.
Carefully wiping her feet on the thick bristles of the welcome mat, Maggie stepped into the cavernous entrance hall. Then her heels clicked against porcelain tiles and echoed through the house. Her first visit had been eight years earlier and while her initial impression had been that of a substantial home, it would be James’s later descriptions that had given it the grandeur it deserved. It was a large Georgian villa, three storeys high, four if you included the basement. Many of the features were original, including the black-and-white tiled floor she was now standing on. James was called upon now and again to keep the place from falling into disrepair and it was as much a labour of love for him as it was for Kathy and Joe. It had been the couple’s family home for the last thirty years or so, but now their children had families of their own, it had become what Kathy lovingly termed ‘a money pit’.
‘I can’t believe you’re finally giving it up,’ Maggie said as she breathed in her surroundings. Beneath the pungent aroma of garlic and herbs wafting through from the kitchen there was a distinctive old house smell. She picked up the scent of dried-out wallpaper sealing in decades of history.
‘There are some rooms I don’t go in from one month to the next,’ Kathy explained, ‘and when I do it’s only to air them or check that the ceiling hasn’t caved in. It was an easy enough decision to take, in the end, and we’ve already had a few enquiries about renting it out.’
‘Another addition to the family portfolio?’ Maggie remarked without a hint of envy. She had no idea how many properties Kathy’s dad had acquired over the years but she’d gathered that it had given his wife quite a headache when she had been forced to take over the business when he died. At close to ninety, Kathy’s mum was a wily businesswoman, by all accounts, but had finally accepted that she couldn’t go on forever. It was her daughter who would be picking up the slack now and although it was clear who Kathy had inherited her work ethic from, she was going to need more hours in the day to cope with it all.
‘This house always was part of Dad’s portfolio, as was the salon, but if I had my way the only other property I’d keep is the farmhouse in France. You’ll know why when you go over there,’ Kathy said as she led Maggie and Harvey into the living room.
The smell of an astringent perfume stung the back of Maggie’s sinuses and gave her the advance warning she needed to paint on a smile as Judith spoke.
‘James said you were going to France. The boys will be so excited. They’ve had some lovely summers there – Ken and I went along with them one year.’
While Judith was reminiscing about the good old days, Maggie worked her way around to the far side of the living room. By the time she took a seat opposite her mother-in-law, her smile had become more of a grimace.
‘As I recall, you complained that the house was a bit too rough-and-ready for your high standards,’ Kathy said. ‘It’s worse than ever now. Just in case you were dropping hints about going too.’
The tightness of the false smile on Judith’s face made her reply sound all the more clipped. ‘I wasn’t thinking any such thing,’ she said but then clasped her hands as a thought struck her. ‘Why don’t you invite Carolyn and her husband along, Maggie? I know it sounds a bit unconventional but stranger things happen these days. She could help out with some of the practicalities and the children would love it, I’m sure.’
Maggie’s mouth opened and closed like a stranded fish as she struggled to find an appropriate response that didn’t involve expletives.
‘I’m toasting up some paninis for lunch, nothing special,’ Kathy interrupted. ‘And I know it’s early but how about a glass of wine, Judith? Imagine you’re a teenager again, sagging school and drinking in the middle of the day.’
Judith’s reluctant refusal was left hanging in the air but Kathy wouldn’t be deterred. ‘I’ve got some pretend wine for you too, Maggie. I’ll be two minutes.’
Silence filled the space that Kathy left behind her. Maggie still didn’t trust herself to speak.
‘So what do you think?’ Judith asked, oblivious to the tension building around them. ‘Shall I ask her or would it be better coming from James?’
Maggie wasn’t known for her patience and the little she possessed had been stretched to its limits. She could almost hear it snap. ‘I don’t think anyone should be suggesting it, Judith,’ she said firmly. ‘Carolyn has her life and we have ours. The boys are used to the arrangements and I don’t think going on holiday together would be at all helpful, especially when there are going to be so many changes for them. I’d rather we took Liam and Sam on our own so we can reinforce their security, not threaten it.’ A flush rose to Maggie’s cheeks. She had only just stopped herself from telling Judith about Carolyn’s pregnancy because she knew it wasn’t her place to say anything.
&n
bsp; ‘It was only a suggestion. I thought it might help, given how we’ve ended up where we are.’
‘And where exactly is that?’
Judith bristled at the sharp tone of Maggie’s voice. ‘Truthfully? I can’t help thinking that bringing a new baby into the family right now will do more harm than good. I know James tries to please everyone but he should have talked you out of it, for the sake of the boys.’
‘I’m not denying that it will take time for them to adjust but I think with enough support and reassurance they’ll come to love their new siblings.’
‘Plural? Oh, don’t tell me you’re planning more?’
‘Not me,’ Maggie said, now that she had been backed into a corner – or at least that was how she would explain it to James later.
‘Sorry?’
‘I’m not the only one fulfilling my maternal needs. You do know Carolyn’s pregnant too, don’t you?’ Maggie didn’t wait for the answer. ‘We’re all moving on with our lives, Judith, and maybe it’s time you did too.’
‘I can’t believe it! What on earth is she thinking of?’
‘As I recall, you asked the same thing of me and James,’ Maggie replied. ‘And I’d say Carolyn thinks the same as I do, that having a child with the man you love couldn’t be more natural.’
‘But things have been so strained between them.’
‘Clearly not any more,’ Maggie said, only just stopping herself from suggesting that any strain that Judith had observed in Carolyn’s relationship with her husband might have had something to do with the proximity of her ex-mother-in-law.
‘Having a baby doesn’t mend a marriage, it adds to the pressure,’ Judith countered.
‘It can also cement relationships that are strong enough to take that extra pressure.’
Where I Found You Page 18