by Unknown
Julian seemed to be watching her very intensely. ‘You know you can talk to me about anything,’ he said, ‘and I think you should talk about this stuff. It might actually be easier with me than with your sisters.’
‘Why do you think that?’ she asked.
‘Because it’s often harder to talk to families because of all the emotions involved,’ he said.
‘You know, we talked about some stuff last night,’ she confessed. ‘My sisters and I.’
‘You did?’
‘I don’t know why we haven’t talked before,’ she said. ‘We’ve all been carrying around this great pain but unable to reach out to one another.’
‘You see?’
‘What?’
‘Talk to me,’ he said.
They looked at each other but the words just wouldn’t come, and all that Celeste could say was, ‘I can’t.’
Julian swallowed hard. ‘I wish you would,’ he said. ‘I’d really love to help you.’
‘But you have already,’ she said, genuinely baffled.
‘But I want to help more,’ he said. ‘I care about you, Celeste. You must know that by now.’
She started walking again, moving away from the river and down into the rose garden.
‘Celeste?’ he called after her, running to catch up.
She stopped and turned back to look at him. ‘What?’
He sighed and ran a hand through his dark red hair. ‘I’m sorry if I am prodding too deeply. You obviously feel uncomfortable about all this.’
‘No – I –’ She paused.
‘What? What is it?’
‘I’m not sure I know how to talk.’
He cocked his head to one side at this strange confession. ‘What do you mean?’
She looked down at the neat grass beneath her ever-so-practical lace-up shoes and shook her head. ‘I’m not sure,’ she said. ‘Perhaps I’m not ready to talk.’
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Well, I’m here whenever you are. You know that, right?’
‘I know you are,’ she said, and she suddenly wanted to reach out to him, to let him know how much he meant to her, but something was holding her back and her hand remained resolutely by her side.
They both began walking again, reaching a path that led under several rose-smothered arches.
‘I went to see another shop in Lavenham,’ he said at last, stopping to smell a cluster of pale apricot roses.
‘For your antiques business?’ Celeste said, glad to turn the conversation back onto slightly safer ground at last.
He nodded. ‘But it’s fallen through, I’m afraid.’
‘Oh, no!’
‘Yep!’ he said.
‘So, what will you do?’
‘Start again.’
‘In Lavenham?’
‘Not exactly,’ he said and his eyes crinkled at the edges as he looked at her. ‘Actually, you’ve given me a pretty good idea just now.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yes,’ he said. They stopped walking. ‘Celeste, I wanted to ask your opinion about something but I’ve been putting it off because I knew you were still thinking about selling the manor.’
‘What is it?’
‘Well, if you weren’t going to sell, what would you think about opening an antiques centre here?’
‘Here?’
‘Why not?’ he said. ‘The manor would be the perfect venue, don’t you think?’
‘Are you serious?’
‘I’m never anything but serious,’ he said with a playful grin. ‘Just think about it – it could bring in so many people. It could be Suffolk’s new day out – browse a few antiques and buy yourself some roses!’
He turned to look at the huge expanse of the manor across the moat. It really was the most stunning scene – straight out of a fairytale book with its timber frame wing, its castellations and its soaring towers.
‘But I’m still thinking of selling the manor,’ Celeste told him. ‘You know that.’
‘I know,’ he said, ‘and I can’t stop thinking about that.’
‘Really?’
He nodded. ‘What were your plans for the north wing?’ he asked. ‘Just out of interest.’
‘Well, I – I hadn’t really thought about it,’ Celeste said. ‘At least, not beyond keeping it from falling down again.’
‘You know you can’t leave those rooms empty – not after all the money you’re spending on them.’
‘I guess not,’ she said. ‘I’ve been worrying about that myself, actually.’
‘Well, if you had somebody renting those rooms – keeping them heated, keeping them alive – I think they’d really benefit, don’t you? Just imagine them filled with wonderful old pieces – things that might once have graced such rooms.’
‘You mean you’d want to use the whole wing?’
‘Celeste, I could fill Wembley Stadium if I was given that much room,’ he said with a chuckle. ‘In fact, I’d have great pleasure filling it and imagining what it would look like!’
‘I’m trying,’ she said.
‘And I could offer you a good rent, of course, and commission on the pieces sold.’
‘Well – I –’ She stopped and a little laugh escaped her. ‘You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?’
‘Absolutely,’ he said. ‘The north wing has its own entrance, doesn’t it?’
‘Yes, there’s a door at the far end of the courtyard.’
‘So you wouldn’t be disturbed by customers,’ he said.
‘But you’d be in London, wouldn’t you?’
He stroked his chin. ‘I’d love to be based here but, to begin with, I think it’s best if I hire somebody and come and go between the auction rooms in London until things are more sorted there.’
‘Okay,’ Celeste said, suddenly feeling rather excited about Julian’s idea and wondering whether it could really work. If it could, it might mean a whole new future for Little Eleigh Manor. It really could be a viable option, she thought, turning the manor into a real place of business whilst allowing the sisters to live there together.
‘With Evie’s baby,’ she whispered.
‘Pardon?’ Julian said.
She looked up at him. ‘Do you want to take a look at the rooms now?’ she asked.
‘I’d absolutely love to,’ he said.
‘Mr Ludkin’s at work so it’s a bit noisy and dusty,’ Celeste explained.
‘I don’t mind if he doesn’t.’
They left the scented glory of the rose garden and walked through the courtyard, entering the north wing by the ancient wooden door.
‘This is amazing,’ Julian said. ‘Imagine what customers would think. They’d already have their hands halfway to their wallets.’
Celeste grinned at the idea. ‘You think so?’
‘Once customers see this place, I think they’ll want to take a little piece of it away with them, and that’s when I’ll be ready with the antiques.’
Celeste adored his confidence, and she led him down the long dark corridor which was filled with the sound of ferocious banging.
‘Mr Ludkin?’ she called. Turning to Julian, she added, ‘I find it’s best not to surprise him just in case he’s about to knock a wall down.’
‘Good point,’ Julian said.
‘Is it okay to come in?’ Celeste asked, knocking on one of the doors.
‘Aye – come on in!’ Mr Ludkin called back.
‘This is Julian Faraday,’ she said. ‘He’s interested in renting these rooms out.’
‘Is he?’ Mr Ludkin said, his eyes narrowing. ‘Not at the moment, though?’
‘I think it would be wise to wait until you’re finished work in here,’ Julian said, reaching out to shake Mr Ludkin’s dusty hand.
‘Going okay, is it?’ Celeste asked.
‘No surprises today,’ Mr Ludkin said.
‘Good,’ Celeste said.
‘But you can never tell with these old houses,’ he said. ‘Just saying that to my boy, wasn�
��t I?’
Mr Ludkin’s son looked up from where he’d been scraping at some plaster and nodded.
‘So, what do you think?’ Celeste asked Julian as they crossed the room to the magnificent Elizabethan window which looked out over the moat.
‘I think it’s incredible,’ he said. ‘You could fit all sorts in here and it wouldn’t look lost. Tapestries, four-poster beds –’
‘Four-poster beds?’
‘Just imagine!’
‘I’m trying!’ Celeste said.
‘Listen,’ Julian said, ‘this is a pretty big thing to spring on you and I’m not expecting an answer right away but at least give it some thought, won’t you? Just think about what it might be like to give this place a chance at a new life.’
Celeste nodded. ‘I will,’ she said.
‘And maybe we could talk about it some more at dinner after the auction,’ he said.
Celeste looked surprised. ‘Oh, I’m not sure I’m coming,’ she said.
‘But you’ve got to come!’ he said. ‘You can’t miss it. Come on in to London and I’ll take you to my favourite restaurant afterwards to celebrate.’
Celeste took a deep breath, which still wasn’t advisable in the north wing. ‘I really don’t know if I could bear to see our paintings going under the hammer,’ she said, her eyes wide with hopelessness.
Julian nodded. ‘I understand,’ he said, reaching out and giving her shoulder a tiny squeeze.
It was then that a portion of wall came crashing to the floor behind them, showering them with ancient dust.
‘Sorry!’ Mr Ludkin cried, and the two of them left before any further damage could be done.
29.
Evie had been in the living room when Julian had left, and she waited a moment before leaving the house herself, finding a quiet corner of the rose garden. She sat down on a large white ornate bench under an arbour smothered in creamy white roses and took her phone out of her pocket.
‘Lukas?’ she said a moment later.
‘Evie?’
‘Where are you?’
‘At Gloria Templeton’s.’
‘Can you come over?’ she asked.
He was immediately on alert. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes, I’m fine,’ she said with an exasperated sigh. Why did people keep asking her that?
‘You’re not planning on climbing up any ladders or anything, are you?’
‘No, nothing like that.’
‘And you’re not stuck at the top of one now?’
‘No!’ she said with a groan. ‘Look, if you’re too busy –’
‘I’m not too busy,’ he cut in. ‘I’ll be right over.’
She ended the call and gazed up into the delicate white blooms above her head, drinking in the fragrance they exuded. Was she doing the right thing in telling Lukas? Her sisters seemed to think so. Esther seemed to think so.
She smiled as she remembered the long conversations she’d had with Esther over the last few weeks, thinking back to how scared she’d been around her at first and hating Celeste for appointing her house cleaner to the old woman. But, slowly, they’d begun to talk, sharing stories about their lives, asking questions that perhaps had never been asked before. They’d swapped books, read together and walked in the gardens. Evie had even shown Esther her beloved potting shed and Esther had soon been wielding a trowel.
It would be easy for somebody to look at their relationship and say that Esther was the mother that Evie had always longed for and never truly had, but it wasn’t like that between them. They were friends, pure and simple. Evie didn’t need a mother; she was soon to be a mother herself. But nobody could have too many friends, could they?
Leaving the arbour, Evie filled in some time in the potting shed before walking down the path to the front of the manor. She wasn’t surprised to see Lukas’s car at the top of the hill a moment later. She watched it as it got closer, feeling like her life was about to change forever and that she wasn’t totally in control of it.
‘But I am,’ she told herself, ‘and I don’t have to tell him if I don’t want to. I’ll just see how I feel.’
She watched as Lukas drove across the moat and parked the old car he’d bought second-hand. It was a terrible car, with a dent in the rear passenger door and rust patches all over the bonnet, but both the mileage and the price had been low and Lukas had made the very best of it on his travels around the UK, even sleeping in it on a few occasions to save money.
‘Hey!’ he said as he got out of the car. He was wearing a faded pair of jeans that were covered in dirt and a T-shirt that was fraying at the neck and sleeves, but he still managed to look tremendously handsome.
Evie cleared her throat, trying not to stare at him or imagine what it would be like to kiss him again. This wasn’t about how handsome and desirable her former lover was, she reminded herself. She had important issues to deal with and she was quite determined not to be sidetracked.
‘Hi,’ she said.
‘Are we going inside?’ he asked, pointing to the gatehouse.
‘Can we walk?’ she asked.
‘Sure,’ he said, falling into step beside her as she retraced her steps to the rose-covered arbour, where they sat down together. ‘This is lovely,’ he said a minute later. ‘Romantic!’ His bright eyes widened and he gave her a little grin that hinted at the day that she’d probably conceived the baby she was now carrying.
‘Lukas,’ she began, doing her best to put that day out of her mind now.
‘Yes?’
‘I have something important to tell you.’
‘Okay,’ he said.
But she couldn’t. She just couldn’t. So she told him something else instead.
‘Gertie and I have been talking and we think we might be able to use you more around the garden.’
He looked surprised. ‘You’re offering me a job?’
‘Yes,’ she said.
‘Part-time?’
She nodded. ‘We’ll see how things go after that. If you want to stay in Suffolk, that is.’
‘You know I do,’ he said with a light smile.
She nodded. ‘Right.’
‘Right,’ he echoed.
‘Aren’t you pleased?’ she asked. ‘I thought you’d be pleased.’
‘I am!’ he said. ‘It’s just – is this what you called me for? Is this why we’re sitting here surrounded by roses?’
‘I like sitting here,’ she said. ‘It helps me to relax.’
‘And you need to be relaxed to in order to offer me a part-time job?’
Evie nodded, but Lukas didn’t look convinced.
‘So, this isn’t about us?’ he asked, his eyes squinting at her in the sun.
Evie took a deep breath. ‘No. Well, yes. Kind of.’
He laughed. ‘What on earth are you trying to say?’
Her forehead crinkled and she looked as if she was about to cry. ‘I have something else to tell you but you’re not making it very easy.’
He looked crestfallen. ‘Sorry, Evie. Go on – try now. I’m listening.’
She looked flustered and then stood up. ‘Oh, this is hopeless! I knew it would be! This isn’t my idea.’ She was walking now, tearing along the path before heading out across the lawn towards the river.
‘What isn’t your idea?’ Lukas shouted after her.
‘Telling you,’ she said.
‘Telling me what?’ He caught up with her and captured her hand in his. ‘Evie! What’s the matter? Has what’s-her-name found out that you’ve stolen that painting? Are you going to be arrested or something? Do you need me to testify for you?’ He was joking, but Evie obviously wasn’t finding it amusing.
‘This has got nothing to do with that painting. Anyway, I didn’t steal it. It was ours in the first place. Simone stole it from us!’
‘Okay, okay! Then what is it?’
Evie threw her head back and gazed up into the big blue sky and wished that she was a little bird so that she could take off
and fly far, far away. But she was an earthbound creature and she had to stay and face reality. So she looked at Lukas standing before her, taking in his fair hair and his bright eyes that were full of anxiety, and she knew that the time had come.
‘I’m – I’m –’
‘What?’
‘Pregnant.’
From somewhere behind them, a startled blackbird cried its alarm and took off across the lawn. Evie hoped it wasn’t a bad omen, but she wouldn’t blame Lukas if he, too, took off. But he didn’t.
Ever so slowly, he moved forward and swallowed hard. ‘It’s mine, isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ Evie said.
‘How long have you known?’
‘A while,’ she said.
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘Because I didn’t mean to get you involved in this.’
‘But I am involved,’ he said simply.
‘Yes, but only biologically.’
‘What the hell does that mean?’
‘Lukas, you didn’t come to England to be a father,’ she said, ‘and I don’t expect anything from you.’
‘Okay,’ he said, ‘but what if I want to be a father – a proper father?’
‘But I never meant for any of this to get serious. You and me – us – it all happened without much thought about the future. You know my mum was dying and you were like a wonderful escape from all that. But I never thought beyond that. Then, when I found out, all I could think about was this new life growing inside me and it just seemed so right, even though it was unexpected.’
He looked at her gently. ‘It is unexpected,’ he said.
‘I know, and that’s why I was worried about telling you. You see, this is my decision. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll take care of our daughter.’
‘A daughter?’
Evie nodded. ‘I’m sure it’s a girl. I’ve just got a feeling.’
Lukas took a deep breath and sighed it out. ‘Wow!’ he said.
‘Please don’t worry,’ she told him.
‘Evie – I’m not worried,’ he said. ‘I’m – I’m – really happy!’
‘You are?’
He took a step towards her and, before she could register what was happening, his mouth came down hard on hers. She’d forgotten what it was like to be kissed by him but that one moment in the garden brought it all back to her, and she realised how foolish she had been in thinking she could live without him. She’d tried so hard to push him away and to build up the barriers between him and her heart, but it was no good. She loved him and she needed him.