New Beginnings At Glendale Hall

by Victoria Walters

  ‘Babe, no! What are you doing? Emily, please…’

  I had already called the number the text had come from. I turned away from his begging to listen as a sleepy female voice answered. He jumped up and tried to take the phone from me. I twisted out of his reach.

  ‘Greg? Is that you?’

  ‘Who is this?’ I demanded but the voice had already sounded familiar. I had a sudden thought. But no. Please no, not her…

  ‘Emily, is that you?’ she squeaked, panic replacing tiredness in her voice.

  Greg succeeded in grabbing the phone out of my stunned hands then, cancelling the call and stuffing the phone in his pocket. He took both of my hands in his and forced me to look at him. ‘I promise you it meant nothing; she was just there tonight. We bumped into one another and she was all over me. I know that I should have walked away but… It meant nothing. I love you.’

  I felt sick. The man sat in front of me suddenly felt like a stranger in my house. How was this someone I had given my heart to?

  ‘You slept with Steph,’ I said, slowly, as I tried to fathom the truth in my mind. Younger, prettier, Steph, who I had to work with, who I saw every day, who had slept with my boyfriend! ‘Bloody hell, Greg, did you just want to hurt me as much as you could?’ I made for the door.

  ‘No, please!’ He grabbed my arm again. ‘I never wanted you to find out. As soon as it was over, I was disgusted with myself. It’s been such a shit week… I was so drunk. I just wanted to forget about everything, just for one night.’

  I met his eyes. ‘You mean you wanted to forget about me?’

  ‘Never,’ he said, fiercely. ‘Never. I promise you.’

  Moving my arm from him, I just shook my head. I felt almost numb. I couldn’t take in what he was saying. How could he have touched another woman? How could he have done that to me… to us? ‘Have you been having an affair with her?’ I asked him then, dreading the answer.

  He shook his head. ‘No, I promise. It was just tonight. You know how much you mean to me,’ he said in a quiet voice then, as if he was far away. And he was, wasn’t he? He had never felt so far away from me. It was as if there were a million miles between us. When had they appeared? Why couldn’t we have stopped them?

  ‘Do I? When was the last time you told me that? Or showed me? What are we doing, Greg?’ My question hung in the air. He looked helplessly back at me. We stared at one another, both exhausted suddenly. Words wouldn’t come. I was shell-shocked, not knowing what to say or think, or do. All I knew was, I couldn’t bear to look at him any longer. ‘I’m going to bed. Please don’t follow me, okay? Please do that for me.’ I left him then, going back to bed alone, the tears coming as soon as I closed the door.

  The sun was already climbing up into the sky when I finally fell asleep, my pillow soaking wet.

  Chapter Four

  Greg had gone to work when I finally went downstairs. He had left a note on the kitchen table along with a croissant and coffee bought from the café down the road.

  I really am sorry. I can’t believe I did that. I really wasn’t thinking straight. Please forgive me. You have to. We’re forever, you and me. I love you.

  I stared at it, my heart aching. Were we still forever? I thought about what would happen when he came home. He would be charming and apologetic, he would remind me why I fell for him, and I would find it harder and harder to think clearly, to know what I really wanted. I realised then that I didn’t want to be there when he came home. I needed to think about everything by myself. To know what I wanted to do next without him telling me.

  Usually I thought through everything carefully but something snapped inside me, and I knew I needed to do something right now. Pulling out my phone, I rang Beth.

  She answered quickly. ‘Hi, Emily, what’s up?’

  ‘I’ve been thinking… I think it would be better if I made your cake up there. I’m worried about travelling with it. Would it be okay if I came to stay sooner? Would you have room for me?’

  ‘Of course! When were—’

  ‘Can I come now? Like, today?’

  There was a short silence. I imagined her frowning with confusion, trying to work out why I suddenly wanted to come over two weeks before the wedding. ‘Is everything all right, Em?’

  I cleared my throat. ‘Yes, it’s just I need to get away and I need time to make the cake and everything. But, don’t worry, if you—’

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ she cut in as I felt my voice break. ‘You’re welcome here any time, you know that. I’ll get your room ready. You come whenever you like, okay?’

  I squeezed my eyes, a tear rolling down my cheek. ‘Thanks, Beth. I really appreciate it.’

  ‘No thanks needed. Ever. You know that.’

  We said goodbye then and I let out a relieved breath. I knew Beth would be wondering just what was going on but I couldn’t face telling anyone yet. Saying the words out loud that my boyfriend had slept with someone else would be just too humiliating for me right now. I didn’t know how I was going to deal with it yet. I just knew that I had to get away from him, from the situation, from the relationship I suddenly felt trapped in. I needed a break from it all and this wedding was the perfect opportunity. I tried not to think about how it would feel to plant myself smack bang in the middle of celebrating someone else’s happy love life but I wouldn’t let Beth down even if it hurt.

  I swung into action and went back upstairs to shower, dress and pack. I needed to talk to Molly and then I was going to get on the first train I could to Scotland. I knew I would be leaving her somewhat in the lurch but she would understand, I was sure of it.

  When I was ready, I carried my two bags downstairs and went back into the kitchen. Next to Greg’s words, I added my own.

  I’ve gone to stay with Beth early. I need time to think. Please give me the space to do that, okay?

  Looking around our house, I felt the tears start to well up again so I shook my head and exited quickly. I couldn’t get sentimental about going away. It was only for a couple of weeks and if our relationship was ever going to repair itself after this then I had to go. Right now, I wanted to kill Greg, to tear down our life with my bare hands, but I knew that making a rash decision in anger wasn’t something I should do. I loved him still and the future we had planned, the family we both desperately wanted, was something I couldn’t just let go of in a moment.

  When I arrived at the bakery, I paused by the back door. In my hurry I hadn’t thought about Steph. But then my body sagged with relief. It was her day at uni; she wouldn’t be there. I knew that I needed to talk to her. But I couldn’t right now – I would have started crying, and I didn’t want her to see my tears. I didn’t want her to know that she had broken me. When I faced her, I wanted to have the upper hand.

  Pushing open the door, I walked in to find Molly kneading dough in the kitchen. ‘What’s wrong?’ Molly cried when she saw me. I must have looked terrible. I dropped the bags I was holding, and she pulled me into a tight hug.

  When we finally drew apart, I met her worried gaze. ‘Molly, I’m really sorry to do this to you but I need to get away. I’ve asked Beth if I can come up to Glendale early, and she’s said yes. I was hoping to go today but I won’t if you need me.’

  ‘You wouldn’t be going if it wasn’t something important. I know that.’

  ‘I hate letting you down.’ I bit my lip, hoping I could stop myself from crumbling in front of her.

  ‘You have never let me down,’ she replied fiercely. ‘Is it… is it Greg?’

  I nodded once.

  ‘Well, I think this a good idea. You deserve a break. But make sure you call me, okay? Let me know you’re all right.’ She patted my arm. ‘Do you need anything?’

  I shook my head. ‘I was hoping to stay there until the wedding but if you can’t spare me…’

  ‘We’ll be fine here. My daughter-in-law can step in, you know that. And Steph can do more hours, I’m sure. Don’t you worry.’

  The mention of
Steph was like a knife to my heart, but she wasn’t to know. She only meant to be kind. I swallowed hard. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘I’m sure,’ she replied, firmly. ‘You take as long as you need.’

  ‘Thank you. I’m going to get the train now. I’m so sorry,’ I repeated again.

  Molly pulled me to her again, giving me a warm hug. I let out a sob into her chest. ‘No apologies needed, I promise. You just take care of yourself. Emily, I hope you know how special you are.’ She pulled back to brush away a tear from my face. ‘It’ll be okay, I promise.’

  I nodded, hoping that she was right.

  Chapter Five

  I didn’t relax until I was seated on the train to Inverness. I leaned back against the seat and looked out of my window. London rolled past, fading into the background. I felt relieved as the train headed North; I had made it out of the city in one piece.

  Pulling out my phone, I left a voicemail on my parents’ landline to ensure I didn’t have to talk to either of them. I knew I’d break down if I heard their voices. I told them I was heading to Glendale Hall to help with the wedding, leaving out Greg’s name altogether. They would likely assume we had gone up together for a holiday, and to be honest that’s what I implied, not wanting to give them any sign that something was amiss. I needed to decide what I wanted to do about Greg before I involved anyone else. I knew they’d be furious with him if they knew and if (and it was a very big if) I did want to work things out with him then I didn’t want them to have already turned against him.

  Mum and Dad lived close by, in the same house we’d moved to when we left Scotland, so Mum could take on the Head of Department role at a school there – she was now the headmistress. It had been a big change for all of us leaving our small-town life in Scotland for inner-city living, but Mum had wanted to take on a challenging school, one that really needed her, and there was no doubt she had single-handedly turned that school around. My father was a PE teacher at a local school and had been passionate about children from lower income families being given more opportunity in sport, so it had been a perfect move for them. And it had given me the chance to study at one of the best colleges for baking in the country but I had missed the community and countryside of Glendale over the years, I couldn’t deny it.

  It was a long journey up to Scotland, and I tried to catch up on the sleep I had missed last night, but my mind was racing too much. I hadn’t thought to bring a book and I didn’t want to go on social media and risk posting a vague ‘everything sucks’ update anywhere so I was left to look out of the window and think things over, and over again. I broke the journey up halfway through by buying a sandwich and a cup of tea, wishing it was a glass of wine instead. But I couldn’t finish it. I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. The thought of Greg being with another woman made me feel physically sick. How could I ever erase the image of the two of them from my mind?

  When the train finally pulled into Inverness station, I jumped up, eager to get away from my own thoughts. I yanked my bags off the train with me and headed towards the taxi rank outside.

  ‘Emily!’ a voice called out and I turned in surprise to see Drew, Beth’s fiancé, waving to me as he leant against his car.

  ‘Drew, what are you doing here?’ I asked, when I walked up to him.

  ‘Beth called to say your train was due in any minute and I’ve just left work. I’m heading to the Hall so thought I’d wait and take you with me,’ he replied, taking the bags from my hand and loading them into his boot. Drew was a doctor at the hospital in Inverness. He smiled warmly at me. ‘How was your journey up?’

  ‘Long but okay. Thanks, Drew,’ I replied, touched that he had come to pick me up. I had only met him once before, when he and Beth had come down to London with their daughter Izzy last summer.

  ‘I’m excited to see the Hall again,’ I said as we climbed into his car.

  ‘You’ll barely recognise the place. It’s been turned into wedding central,’ he replied with a chuckle. ‘Caroline is our unofficial wedding planner. It’s like she’s running a military operation.’

  ‘I can only imagine,’ I replied, remembering Beth’s rather formidable mother. ‘And how are you guys feeling? Just two weeks to go…’ I forced myself to smile and keep my tone light, interested, happy for what was to come, and not reveal my shattered heart. It was hard to know if I was pulling it off or not but I hoped with Drew I could just about manage to do that. Beth, I feared, would be another matter entirely.

  ‘Just really excited. I can’t wait to get married. I probably should be nervous but…’ he shrugged. ‘I’m with the right person, so there doesn’t seem to be anything to be nervous about.’ He glanced at me. ‘You know what I mean.’

  I looked away, wondering if I did. I had thought Greg was the right person for me, that we’d be together forever, but was that just a fairy tale now? The wild Scottish landscape rolled past the window, a world away from the urban view I now saw every day. It was strange thinking back to when I lived up here. ‘I can’t believe it’s been three years since I set foot in Glendale.’

  ‘So much has changed,’ Drew replied. ‘I’m under strict instructions not to show you the village, though,’ he added, turning down an even smaller country lane. ‘Beth wants to take you there herself to show you everything she’s done,’ he explained, the pride unmistakable in his voice.

  The last time I saw Glendale, I had been struck by the change in the village – the shops had closed down, people avoided going there, and the council had wanted to sell it all to developers. The thriving village and strong community that I had known seemed all but gone. That was until Beth had moved back and decided that she wanted to turn it all around. And using her inheritance from her grandmother, she had reportedly done just that. ‘I can’t wait to see it,’ I said, eager to see what it looked like now.

  ‘How’s everything in London then? How’s Greg doing?’ Drew asked. We had all gone out for a drink when they had come down, and Drew and Greg had got on pretty well talking about their work, which they were both passionate about, despite being very different people. Drew was quiet and steady, and I certainly couldn’t imagine him ever breaking Beth’s heart. But then again, I wouldn’t have believed Greg capable of breaking mine either.

  ‘Oh, fine. The same, you know…’ I answered as vaguely as I could get away with. Drew glanced at me but didn’t say anything.

  We turned down another lane, and I sat up in my seat as we passed the sign for Glendale. Despite everything, I felt a fizzle of excitement. I may have lived in London for eighteen years but my heart still called Glendale ‘home’. We reached Glendale Hall itself then, sweeping through the open large iron gates and turning into the wide gravel drive of Beth’s family home. It was more like an estate, though. The house was impressive, tall and wide, rising up ahead in cream-coloured stone, pretty ivy climbing over the oak front door, which was flung open as soon as Drew parked outside.

  Beth rushed out of the house to greet us, her long, dark wavy hair flying out behind her. ‘You’re here!’ Beth cried as I climbed out of the car, pulling me into a tight hug that lifted my feet from the ground.

  ‘Hi, Beth,’ I said, laughing. ‘You look amazing,’ I told her, honestly when she released me. She had always been pretty with an enviable willowy figure but moving back to Glendale had really brought the light back into her eyes. She was wearing skinny jeans and a white shirt, her hair loose over her shoulders, and her skin tanned from all the gardening she did. I had never met anyone who ate as much as Beth and her daughter did and yet stayed so slim.

  ‘I’m so happy you’ve come to stay,’ she said, pulling back to look at me. A small frown appeared. ‘Was your journey up okay? Are you tired?’

  I wondered how I looked to her. If it was as bad as I felt then I really wouldn’t be able to hide anything from her at all. ‘It was a long journey, I guess,’ I said, stepping back and looking away from her piercing gaze.

  ‘Well, let’s get
you in and settled and you can rest before dinner. We’re having a barbeque to celebrate you being here. Sally will be home from the shop soon, she’s so excited to have you back,’ Beth said, slipping her arm through mine.

  I was looking forward to seeing my aunt again, I had really missed her. She was still their housekeeper but also helped out in the new Glendale Hall shop in the High Street, which she had told me she loved.

  Drew followed us, carrying my bags despite my protests as we walked inside the Hall. It was as grand as I remembered but it felt more welcoming. Beth was now the owner of the Hall and vases of wild flowers were dotted all around, adding brightness and a gorgeous scent to the house. We walked up the wide, ornate staircase and down the corridor to one of the many guest rooms.

  ‘I put you in this one, which is next to Izzy’s room. I hope you like it,’ Beth said, opening the door. I followed her inside, smiling despite myself at the pretty room. It offered a lovely view of the stunning grounds, the sun streaming through the wide window. Decorated in soft cream, there was a large four-poster bed that looked instantly inviting, and a vase of lavender by the bed emitted a relaxing fragrance all around us.

  ‘It has its own bathroom too,’ Beth added, pointing to the en suite.

  The whole effect was calming, relaxing me despite all that had happened over the past twenty-four hours. ‘It’s lovely, Beth. Thank you,’ I said, already feeling like I had made a very good decision in coming to the Hall.

  ‘Okay, well, we’ll let you get settled in. We’re going to start up the barbeque. Dinner starts at seven, if that’s okay? Do you need anything else?’ Beth's eyes were searching and I knew that she would be grilling me about everything once we were alone. Drew put my bags on the floor by the bed and wrapped his arm around Beth’s waist. I had to look away from them, pretending to take in the view from the window.

  ‘It’s all perfect. I’ll be down for dinner,’ I promised. I watched them go and then, when I was alone, I flopped down on the bed, throwing off my shoes, exhaustion washing over me all at once. I rested against the comfortable pillows and before I knew it, my eyes had closed and I had fallen into a deep sleep.