New Beginnings At Glendale Hall

by Victoria Walters

  I chewed on a chip to refrain from having to answer. The wedding was on Wednesday, and then my extended holiday would have to be over. There was Molly and the bakery to think of, and just normal life to get back to. Which meant Greg was right – I’d be going back to London with him then. And I really wasn’t sure how I felt about that. ‘Can you stay up until then?’ I asked, realising what he had just said. ‘I thought you were needed at work?’

  He shifted in his seat a little bit. ‘Well… I spoke to the chief and explained that I needed to be up here after all. He was okay about it actually.’ He shrugged. ‘Anyway… once we’re home, we can start getting everything ready for the baby. You’ll need a scan, won’t you, and we’ll need to decorate the spare room. Turn it into the baby’s room.’ Greg reached for my hand and squeezed it. ‘This is the best thing to happen to us, Em. You are excited, aren’t you?’ He seemed to notice I had gone quiet.

  I was trying to take in everything he was saying. It was strange that he could suddenly stay for the wedding but I guessed he’d told his boss it was an emergency. And he had been working extra shifts for ages. I realised he was frowning at me so I threw on a smile. ‘Of course I am.’ Why did it feel like I had just lied to him? The thought of a baby’s room… it was all happening so quickly; one minute I wasn’t sure that we should be together, the next we were becoming a family. I felt like I was playing catch up with my own life.

  Greg leaned across the table and I met him halfway, brushing my lips with his. He leaned back, grinning at me, pleased, as if everything that had gone wrong between us had been swept away. I was pregnant and to him that meant we had no problems any more. If he had his way, in just over a week’s time, we’d soon be back to our old life together as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn’t cheated on me. As if I hadn’t run away to Scotland without him. Like the pregnancy test was a magic wand that had been waved over us.

  The problem was, I just wasn’t sure I believed in magic any more.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ‘You weren’t kidding – this place is huge,’ Greg said when we stepped into Glendale Hall that afternoon. He’d had three beers at the pub and was in a buoyant mood. I led him upstairs to my room so he could dump his bag. Beth had offered another spare room if I wanted him to sleep there but I knew that would cause a huge argument – plus she’d be needing the room for her wedding guests anyway. ‘I can see why you’ve been in no hurry to come home now,’ he said, looking out at the view from the window and then sinking down onto the bed. ‘Come here,’ he added, patting beside him as he stretched out on his back. ‘Please, babe,’ he pleaded when he saw me hesitate.

  Resigned, I walked over and climbed onto the bed next to him. He held an arm out so I nestled in against his chest as I had done so many times before. His nook felt warm, familiar and safe and I felt more confused than ever. ‘I know you’re really excited about the baby, and I am too, but I’m nervous about… us,’ I said, closing my eyes as I spoke.

  ‘Why?’ he whispered, brushing back my hair.

  ‘You cheated on me and I’m scared you’ll do it again,’ I replied honestly. ‘I don’t know if I can trust you.’

  ‘I promise I wouldn’t do that. We’re going to be a family like we always wanted.’ He pulled me closer and kissed my hair. ‘I’ll never hurt you again.’

  I wanted to believe him. So badly. I lifted up my head to look at him but his eyes were closed and then I heard a gentle snore. He had fallen asleep. ‘Seriously?’ I said, out loud. I ducked out of his arms but he didn’t stir so I climbed off the bed. So much for us having an honest chat. He seemed so sure that everything was now sorted out because I was carrying his child. But why was I still so uncertain?

  I shuffled out of the room and headed downstairs, leaving him sleeping, so I could get on with my baking.

  ‘There you are,’ Beth said from the kitchen table when I wandered in. She was nursing a cup of coffee, Izzy reading next to her. ‘Did you not pick Greg up?’

  ‘I did. He’s fallen asleep,’ I replied with a roll of my eyes.

  ‘Oh, well, train journeys are tiring, I guess.’

  ‘So are three beers over lunch.’

  Beth chuckled. ‘Well, at least he’s here safe and sound.’

  ‘I’m going to do some baking. You can stay over here as long as you don’t peek at what I’m doing,’ I said, sternly.

  ‘Yes, ma’am,’ she said with a giggle. ‘I need to ring the florist actually. I can’t believe the big rehearsal is the day after tomorrow. There still seems to be so much to organise. Remind me not to get married ever again!’

  I walked over to the kitchen, nerves prickling down my back. That meant Brodie would soon be at the Hall, at the same time as Greg. I was worried about the two of them meeting and was not quite sure why. Perhaps I wanted Brodie to like Greg, to think well of him, to believe I was doing the right thing in going back to him. Somehow his opinion had become important to me in such a short space of time.

  ‘Can we bake something to have now?’ Izzy called over, putting her book down at the hint of baked goods coming her way.

  ‘You can, I’ll supervise,’ I called back. Izzy rushed straight over, rolling up her sleeves, and pulling on her apron eagerly. I helped her gather the ingredients for shortbread as I started to mix up a cake mixture. It was still too early to bake the sponge layers properly but I decided to make up one just so I could be sure I had the recipe exactly right for the real thing. Izzy turned on the radio and I relaxed straight away as we started mixing ingredients. I loved how baking made me forget everything that was going on and let me just focus on it instead. I needed the distraction.

  ‘All ready for the oven,’ Izzy said then, oblivious to my inner turmoil. I slid her tray of shortbread in the oven and put my sponge in. ‘I’ll grab my book to read while we wait,’ she said, hurrying out of the kitchen.

  Beth finished her call with the florist so I took over a cup of coffee for her, and tea for me. ‘How are things with Caroline and John?’ I asked her. I hadn’t seen them since we returned from the Loch.

  ‘Not great. Mum can’t understand why her still being angry with Dad and Cathy hurts John, and John can’t understand why she can’t move on from what happened and just be happy for them. It’s complicated, I guess. Mum was married to Dad for so long, she’s hurt by what he did but she really loves John, I know she does. The problem is, they hid how they felt for so long that now they don’t have to, I’m not sure they quite know what to do. I feel like banging their hands together to be honest!’

  ‘I can see why. No one can tell you how you’re supposed to feel though, can they? I don’t blame your mum for not wanting to spend time with Cathy. Even if she is happier without your dad, it was a betrayal and she’ll always remember that.’

  Beth gave me a sympathetic look. ‘The difference between forgiving and forgetting?’

  ‘Maybe you can’t ever really do both.’ I was, of course, thinking of Greg sleeping upstairs. If I did forgive him for Steph and focused on raising our baby together, I wasn’t sure I’d ever fully forget what he did. It would always be there between us, our relationship forever changed by it however hard we worked to get past it. He cheated on me and we would never be able to erase that fact.

  When Izzy returned, I mixed up the dark chocolate buttercream I wanted to use for the cake and took it over to the table to give her some on a spoon to try. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘That is so good, Emily,’ she said as she swallowed.

  ‘Can I have a taste?’ Beth asked. ‘Pretty please?’ she begged me.

  I shook my head. ‘Okay then.’

  She grabbed a spoon. ‘Oh wow, that’s delicious. And the sponge is lemon?’

  ‘With a hint of lavender,’ I confirmed.

  She squeezed me around the waist. ‘It’s just perfect, thank you!’

  ‘Wait till you see the finished cake,’ I said, smiling. I couldn’t wait for her to see it.

  ‘You r
eally are a baking genius,’ she said. I took a bow, and Izzy clapped me. I really hoped the cake would be perfect for Beth and Drew – they deserved it.

  When the sponge and biscuits were done, we pulled them out of the oven and waited for them to cool. Izzy went back to her book as I sat at the table with her and Beth and sipped a cup of tea. The afternoon had turned grey and cloudy outside. I wondered how long Greg would sleep for. We were meant to have a family dinner tonight and I wanted him to be in a good mood for it so I left him up there.

  ‘Oh no, Ginny!’ Izzy said, suddenly, jumping up. I craned my neck to see Izzy’s cat jumping up on the kitchen counter. I rushed after Izzy who managed to grab the cat before she took a bite out of anything.

  ‘That cat is a menace,’ Beth said as Izzy opened the kitchen door and shooed her outside. ‘I never believed that a cat could have a sweet tooth until we got her.’

  ‘That was a close call,’ I said, as I touched the sponge. ‘I think we’re all ready over here.’ I put the cut-up shortbread onto a plate and Izzy carried them to the table to ice them with Beth. I poured buttercream over the sponge and then cut off a slice. I took a bite and let out a moan. It was delicious. I beamed at it. With all the complications in my life, at least this cake was a triumph.

  Taking a photo of it, I sent a message to Molly to tell her what I had made.

  Her response came through almost immediately:

  We are so making this at the bakery when you get back! We’ll call it Emily’s Excellent Cake xxx

  I smiled and typed a reply back.

  Only if I get fifty per cent of the profits! Xxx

  Twenty-five per cent and you’ve got yourself a deal! ;)

  I shook my head – always the negotiator. But that was how she had made the bakery such a success. I tried not to feel a prickle of jealousy. My cake would be sold at her bakery and not at one of my own. But now I had a baby on the way, how could I ever make the bakery dream come true anyway? I had always loved working at Molly’s, I needed to be happy with what I had.

  ‘Emily, come and have a biscuit with your tea,’ Izzy called to me. I slipped my phone in my pocket and joined them, trying to ignore the sudden sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  When I went back to my room, Greg was finally stirring.

  ‘Hey, lazy bones. I’m the pregnant one, not you – I should be the one napping the day away,’ I teased, going over to perch on the edge of the bed.

  ‘Obviously, seeing you made me so content I fell asleep,’ he replied, yawning and stretching as he sat up.

  ‘More like it was all that beer at lunch.’

  He frowned. ‘Don’t start nagging me.’

  I raised an eyebrow. ‘I wasn’t. I was joking,’ I told him, surprised that he looked so annoyed. Although then I wondered if I was really joking. With a sigh, I got up, hating that things always descended into an argument with us now. ‘It’ll be dinnertime soon so let’s get ready.’

  ‘I have to change for dinner? Is the queen coming?’ He grinned though and climbed off the bed.

  ‘Wear whatever you like,’ I replied. ‘I’m just covered in flour and butter.’ I went into the bathroom. ‘Oh God, I forgot! I saved this for you to see.’ I came back out holding my pregnancy test.

  ‘I love you but I don’t really want to touch that,’ he said, coming over. He wrapped an arm around my waist. ‘I can’t believe it’s really true.’

  I looked at him, and how happy he was, and felt my earlier tension leave me a little. ‘It’s what we always wanted.’

  He leaned in and kissed me gently, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss when I didn’t pull away. My body responded to him automatically. ‘Let’s just stay up here,’ he pleaded, burrowing his face in my hair.

  ‘Everyone is excited to see you,’ I lied, ducking out of his arms and heading for the shower. I wasn’t ready to lose myself in his embrace quite just yet.

  ‘Room for two?’ He asked, trying to follow me.

  ‘You mean three,’ I replied, touching my stomach, smiling as I closed the door firmly on him. I sank against it and sucked in a breath. It would be so easy to settle back into our relationship and I didn’t know why I was holding back. I mean, we were having a baby, I owed it to all three of us to fix things, to make it work again. Didn’t I? It was what I wanted, wasn’t it?

  I let the questions drift over me as I turned on the shower and stepped into the steam.

  As I got dressed afterwards, my phone beeped with a text. I looked at it and sighed. It was Hazel. To be honest, all thoughts of our London friends had drifted away since I had been up here. I didn’t feel like I had to compete with anyone in Glendale, unlike how I often felt with them.

  Hey lovely, I just heard what happened! OMG are you okay? I’m here if you need to talk! Xxx

  I stared at it in confusion. What did she mean? ‘What is Hazel on about?’ I asked, showing Greg my phone so he could read the message. He was buttoning up a clean shirt, having decided to make an effort for dinner, I was pleased to see.

  His expression darkened. He thrust the phone back at me. ‘God, you know what she’s like.’

  ‘Yeah, but…’ Then I realised. ‘She knows about Steph?’

  ‘What?’ Greg asked, getting up and walking to the window, suddenly finding something interesting to look at outside.

  ‘She knows about you and Steph?’

  He took a moment to answer. ‘Oh, God. I’m sorry, yeah. I went round to theirs when you’d gone. I had one too many beers with Johnny, and ended up spilling my guts to them,’ he replied, slowly.

  I sighed. Great – not only had I been feeling second best to them for months, but now they knew Greg had cheated on me.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Greg repeated, coming over to slip an arm around me. ‘But we’ll have great news to tell them soon, won’t we? Come on, let’s go down and show me off to your friends. I need a drink,’ he said, going to the door.

  Weirdly, the thought that I’d now be part of their mummy group, that I wouldn’t feel left out, that I could hang out with them as much as I wanted to back in London now, didn’t make me as happy as I once thought it would have done.

  * * *

  We went into the formal dining room for dinner as there was so many of us. Beth, Drew and Izzy, of course, Caroline, John and Aunt Sally, along with me and Greg perched around the long, mahogany table for Aunt Sally’s pasta bake. There was a big basket of fresh bread and bowl of salad plus ample wine and beer, and soft drinks for me and Izzy. Everyone was in high spirits now that we were so close to the wedding, although I detected a slight stiffness between Caroline and John still after their tension at the Loch.

  ‘How’s work, Greg?’ Drew asked, passing him a beer across the table.

  Greg took a long swig of the beer before answering. Aunt Sally handed me a plate loaded with pasta, and my stomach growled in hunger. ‘Manic, as usual.’

  ‘I’m surprised they let you have time off,’ Drew replied with a smile.

  ‘Some things are more important than work,’ Greg replied, rubbing my knee.

  ‘Definitely. It’s not easy though, is it? I had to fight to get the wedding and honeymoon off,’ Drew said, smiling at Beth. ‘Good job you didn’t want two weeks in the Maldives or something.’

  ‘God, the whole wedding and honeymoon thing is just such a waste of money, isn’t it?’ Greg said, buttering a piece of bread and rolling his eyes.

  ‘I wouldn’t say waste,’ Beth said, glancing at me. ‘It just depends on your priorities.’

  ‘I think people who spend a fortune on their wedding are trying to compensate for something,’ Greg added, draining his beer and grabbing another one.

  ‘Like what?’ Drew asked, interested.

  I was fast losing my appetite. It was mortifying that he was airing all his views on marriage to our friends who were about to walk down the aisle, not to mention he seemed to have completely missed how his own girlfriend felt
about the subject. Had he always been this clueless?

  ‘If you’re really happy together then why do you need to spend thousands just to show off to your friends and family?’ Greg asked, oblivious to my incredulous look.

  ‘Maybe you want to share your happiness with them,’ I said, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice. I glanced at the wine on the table, wishing I could drink some and erase his words.

  ‘Then you’d just go to a registry office and down the pub,’ Greg said with a shrug. ‘I’m lucky you don’t care about any of that stuff. We’re happy just the way we are,’ he said, throwing me a grin before going back to his food.

  I leaned back in my chair, wondering how he could know me so little.

  ‘Well, I’m glad you didn’t want to do that, Beth,’ Caroline cut in, looking at her daughter.

  ‘You’d never have forgiven me,’ Beth replied with a grin. She turned to Drew. ‘Our wedding is going to perfect, right?’

  He leaned in to give her a kiss. ‘Definitely.’

  ‘I can’t wait!’ Izzy called from the end of the table.

  Conversation turned to wedding preparations and I picked up my fork and tried to carry on eating but Greg’s words rang in my ears. Had I just been kidding myself to think that he might want to get married now we were having a baby? I glanced at him; he was already close to finishing another beer. I was sure he didn’t used to drink this much. What was going on?

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Rain greeted us on Monday morning for Beth and Drew’s wedding rehearsal.

  ‘A bad dress rehearsal always means a good show,’ Aunt Sally said, briskly, carrying a basket of muffins over to the table as I walked in with Greg. We had spent Sunday wandering around Glendale, me showing him the sights before eating at the pub, and then we’d had a movie night with everyone so we hadn’t had much time to talk about things. I supposed I kept putting it off and Greg certainly seemed happy to never mention our problems ever again. It was as if our not talking about struggling to have a baby had been replaced by not talking about his cheating. We appeared not to have learnt from the past at all.