by Jenny Kane
Helen burst out laughing. ‘You really are spooky.’
‘Sorry?’
Explaining about the Minerva conversation she’d just had, Helen told Thea they were all off to the pub.
‘Excellent. I’ve missed wandering into Upwich. We should leave a note so Tina and Sam know where we are.’
Heading into the kitchen, Helen fished a pen from her trouser pocket to jot a note down, when she saw one already in place on the table. ‘They aren’t here. Good lord!’
‘What is it?’
‘They’ve taken Lord and Lady Malvern to meet Bert.’
*
Sam stood by the door to the ruined mill and waited for his father to come out. The building, for which Mill Grange was named, had once been a thriving woollen mill, providing the Victorian community with employment. It had been the heart of Upwich until more advanced machinery at rival mills had put it out of action.
However much progress he was making with his claustrophobia, Sam still couldn’t force his feet to cross the mill’s threshold. He’d been in before. Just once, the previous June, to help Shaun rescue Thea and Tina when they’d been locked inside while fire blazed around them.
Lingering by the open double doors, Sam could smell the acrid aroma of smoke and burnt walls and floor. At least he thought he could. He knew he couldn’t trust his senses when it came to the after scent of fire. Wiping perspiration from his palms, Sam wished his father would hurry up.
Having thanked Bert heartily for helping his son, in a manner of humility Sam hadn’t realised his father had in him, Bert, sensing a wedding conversation was on the cards between their better halves, had suggested that Sam show his father the mill site.
The initial panic at Bert’s suggestion had quickly been quelled as Lord Malvern said, ‘I’d like to see the space. You could wait outside while I look. Do you have the keys on you, Sam?’
Now, as he wondered if he’d ever be able to go inside the building again, Sam found himself breathing deeply, using the mantra Bert had taught him to keep calm. Looking from left to right, making sure no one was watching him pacing anxiously up and down, he stopped as he saw, not just Tom and Helen walking towards him, but Thea and Shaun as well.
‘What a lovely surprise.’ Sam rubbed his sweaty palms on his trousers. ‘Great to see you both.’
‘Likewise.’ Shaun gestured to the mill. ‘We thought you were with Bert and Mabel.’
‘Tina and Mum are. My father’s inside, taking a look.’
‘Right.’ Shaun gestured to the door. ‘Would you like me to go inside and make sure he’s alright?’
‘Would you mind? He’s been in there a while.’
As Shaun headed inside, calling out to Lord Charles as he went, Thea said, ‘we were on the way to the pub, but we can head to Mabel’s if you like.’
‘I’m sure she’d be glad to see you, but Bert’s turned in. I think he’s finding too much company very tiring right now.’
Thea was puzzled. ‘Bert never has too much company.’
Sam exchanged anxious glances with Tom and Helen. ‘I was going to tell you as soon as you got back, but then my folks came and—’
‘Tell us what?’ Thea frowned.
‘He’s had pneumonia.’ Helen put an arm around Thea’s shoulders. ‘He’s very much better, but he’s still in recovery.’
‘Oh God. We have to go and see him! Why didn’t you tell us?’
‘He wouldn’t let us.’ Helen shrugged. ‘You know Bert. He didn’t want you to be distracted from the dig. If things had got really bad, we’d have ignored him and told you, but luckily that didn’t happen.’
‘I’d still like to check on him and see Mabel. Do you think they’d mind if I gate-crashed their wedding talk?’
Sam smiled. ‘Now what makes you think they’re talking weddings?’
‘Hunch.’
‘My mother would be delighted to meet you. Why don’t you go, I’ll fill Shaun in.’
‘I’ll come with you.’ Helen, keen to talk to her friend about Tom and her decision to stay, agreed. ‘We’ll catch up later. Enjoy the pub.’
*
‘It’s such a shame Mabel couldn’t join us for dinner, especially as she cooked it.’ Bea looked approvingly at her fast disappearing food.
As everyone else had their mouths full, Thea said, ‘She wanted to get back to Bert. I can’t believe he’s been so ill.’
‘He was quite firm about not worrying you two while you were filming.’ Sam refilled his empty glass.
Bea picked up her wine as if to toast Bert. ‘Having met that gentleman today, I can believe he’s the sort of chap who wouldn’t want to cause a fuss. An old school gentleman.’
Charles agreed. ‘His suggestion that Sam showed me the mill was a good one, and once we met Tom and you Shaun of course, we got rather caught up in plans for the old mill over a pint. So much potential there.’
‘I’m looking forward to hearing all about it.’ Tina speared some pasta with her fork. ‘We had a nice time with Mabel. She’s so excited about helping with the wedding.’
‘Quite right too.’ Bea lay down her cutlery. ‘With Mabel at the helm, you have one wedding planner for whom the sun won’t dare not shine.’
As everyone laughed good naturedly at Mabel’s organisational abilities, Bea turned to Shaun. ‘I’ve been dying to ask, where have you been filming Landscape Treasures? Can you tell us, or is it top secret?’
Thea looked across at Shaun. ‘Are we allowed to say? It’s been on the local news up in Gloucestershire.’
‘We can say, within reason. Sam tells me you enjoy the show.’
‘Oh yes, I’m quite a fan.’
Lord Malvern snorted. ‘Make that massive fan. Never misses an episode.’
‘I’m glad you like it.’ Shaun gave her what Thea recognised as his television presenter smile. ‘Our loyal viewers are what keep the show going.’
‘Did you see the episode set here last Christmas?’ Tina watched the exchange with a growing sense of hope. If they could keep up the positive talk about the manor, perhaps Sam’s father would come round to the idea of the wedding being at Mill Grange.
Bea’s nodded eagerly. ‘We most certainly did. You should have seen the expressions of the ladies at the bridge club. Some of them looked as if they’d sucked on lemons, they were so envious. I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of you, Sam.’
‘But I didn’t really do anything.’
To everyone’s surprise, it was Lord Charles who spoke through the muttered protests that came from all sides. ‘You sat inside to be filmed. Inside! And look at you now. Sat at your own dining room table.’
‘With all the doors wide open and next to an open window.’ Sam tried not to notice that all of his friends were eating with jackets on. ‘And let’s not forget Dylan’s role in getting me inside.’
‘Dylan?’
‘My son.’ Tom cradled his wine glass. ‘He sat on Sam’s lap keeping him distracted until the cameras rolled.’
‘Another person to thank then.’ Bea turned to Tom. ‘How old is Dylan?’
‘Five.’ Tom, unsure how Sam’s parents would react to his personal situation, was glad that Helen was sat next to him. ‘I share custody with his mother.’
‘He’s one of the nicest children you’ll ever meet.’ Helen jumped in, meeting Tom’s eye with a look that Bea didn’t miss.
‘Anyone who has helped Sam battle his condition is a hero in my book.’
‘I’m not sure I’d ever have got in here without Dylan, Mum.’ Sam looked around him. Talking about his claustrophobia was making him edgy.
Recognising the signs of Sam’s unease, Tina laid a hand on his leg under the table. ‘You are here now and you were then. No need to be so hard on yourself.’
‘Well said.’ Bea nodded. ‘This place has been good to you, Sam. Investing in it was a very sensible move, not just for your health, but for a lot of other people’s wellbeing too.’
‘And for
the village as a whole,’ Thea added. ‘The pub, cafe and village shop are benefitting from the additional flow of visitors to the area.’
Feeling everyone was laying it on a bit thick, and suspecting it was in the hope of persuading his mother to come around to the idea of him marrying there, Sam raised a hand. ‘That’s very kind, but I’m simply fighting my own demons while helping others to do the same. Although,’ he looked around the dining room he’d feared he’d never be able to set foot in, ‘finding Mill Grange, and Tina, has made my rehabilitation much easier.’
‘Which is why you should get married here.’
Tina dropped her fork as Lady Bea’s words floated across the table. ‘But? But you said that Malvern House… you wanted us to…’
Bea held up her hand, her eyes meeting Charles’s. ‘While it is tradition for all members of our family to marry at Malvern House, that isn’t important. We thought – no, I thought – that your childhood home would feel more secure to you. Safer.’
‘Safer?’ Sam’s forehead creased in confusion.
‘You went into the kitchen, albeit briefly, when you visited so I thought—’
Sam, whose mouth had been opening and closing in surprise, was no longer listening. ‘It was you, not Father who was insisting we didn’t marry here? But—’
‘Your mother was worried for you, son.’ Lord Malvern reached a hand out to his wife. ‘And weddings are such complex, unpredictable, affairs. You might well need the run of the house if the weather turns bad, marquees or not. She thought – and I agreed – that you’d be less likely to have a major episode of claustrophobia if you were on childhood territory. Ground that you knew before the forces.’
Tina gripped hold of Sam’s hand as she made sure she understood what she was hearing. ‘You were insisting on us marrying in Worcestershire because you were worried about Sam, not because you didn’t want to break with family practice?’
Lord Malvern smiled. ‘He’s our son.’
‘We didn’t want his claustrophobia to have even the slightest chance of ruining your day, Tina.’ Bea looked a bit embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry if we were a bit clumsy in our approach, but we didn’t want to say it out loud – you know, make the claustrophobia a big issue when you have so much else to think about.’
Sam and Tina looked blankly at each other before Sam muttered, ‘So, we can marry here with your blessing? You’ll come to the wedding and not hold it against us that we aren’t at Malvern House?’
‘Oh course we’ll be there.’ Bea looked at her son. ‘I’m so proud of you.’
‘We both are.’ Charles patted his wife’s palm before sitting up a little straighter. ‘Now that’s that sorted.’
Bea burst out laughing. ‘Well there we are! Something for you six young things to remember. First rule in making any sort relationship work, whether between partners or parents and children: proper communication avoids misunderstandings.’
‘Quite right.’ Charles grunted. ‘If you’d let me ask the boy how he was doing with this claustrophobia business in the first place—’
‘But I didn’t want to upset him, Charles, or—’
‘Mum! Dad!’ Sam rolled his eyes as his parents bickered. ‘It’s okay. While your concern is hugely appreciated, I’m not the fragile man I once was.’ He looked lovingly at Tina. ‘We’re just thrilled you’re going to be here on our big day.’
‘As if we’d miss it!’ Bea gave a sheepish smile.
‘Let’s change the subject.’ Lord Malvern picked up his wine glass and turned to Shaun. ‘Now, tell us about this dig. The Cotswolds, wasn’t it?’
Thirty-one
Saturday April 4th
Squealing with excitement, Dylan gave his mum a quick hug before running, dinosaur rucksack in one hand and matching wellington boots in the other, to a waiting Mabel, who ushered him into the kitchen.
Tom smiled in his son’s wake. ‘Thanks for saving me the trip to collect him, Sue.’
‘I owed you one after picking an awkward time for parent’s eve.’ Sue pointed to the Bentley she’d parked next to. ‘Posh guests?’
‘Sam’s parents.’
‘Isn’t he the lucky one? Big house, posh parents—’
‘Stop with the envy, Sue.’
With a curt nod of compliance, Sue tucked a hair behind her ear as she opened the boot of her Mini. It was packed solid.
‘Blimey. I know that isn’t the biggest car boot, Sue, but that’s a lot of stuff for a weekend.’
‘If Dylan’s moving in, he’ll need his things.’
‘He’s only half moving in. I thought he was going to keep just a few bits here until I find a house.’ Tom stepped nearer the car. The front passenger seat was piled high with bags and boxes. ‘What’s all that lot?’
‘Books, toys, shoes.’ Sue waved at the bags and boxes. ‘The other half of Dylan’s stuff is still at my place.’
Tom took a deep breath, not wanting their conversation to dissolve into a row. ‘I get that we’ll need all this in time, but I did explain, Dylan hasn’t got this own room here. The one we’re sharing isn’t very big. I’ve nowhere to put this lot.’
‘Rubbish! Look at the size of this place. It’s a mansion.’
‘Which isn’t mine.’ Biting his lips, not sure what it was about this situation Sue didn’t get, Tom added, ‘I’m just an employee.’
‘Of a very wealthy man. I’m sure he can stand the loss of an extra bedroom for a week, especially as this place is closed for Easter.’
‘One: Sam is not wealthy. Nor would you be if you owned this place. Two: how did you know we were closed to guests?’
‘The Easter egg hunt and Easter Sunday open house posters. Dylan’s been showing everyone.’
‘Oh, right, yes.’ Tom fished his car keys from his pocket. ‘Some of this can come inside. I’ll see if Helen would mind storing a bit in her room. The rest will have to go in my car, at least until tomorrow.’
‘Why until tomorrow?’
‘I told you!’ Tom rolled his eyes. ‘Sam’s parents are here. It’s not a good time to be traipsing loads of boxes through the house.’
‘God, you’re acting as if they’re bloody royalty or something.’
‘Sue, are you deliberately trying to provoke me into an argument?’
‘Why would I do that?’
‘I have no idea, and yet you do it so often!’ Tom lifted a bag of Dylan’s shoes out of the Sue’s care and into his own. ‘If you must know, Sam’s folk are Lord and Lady Malvern, and right now, they’re talking wedding plans with their son and future daughter-in-law. I’d rather not upset any of them.’
‘Lord and Lady? You’ve got to be kidding me?’
‘Nope.’
Sue lifted out a box of books and placed it on the floor by Tom’s car. ‘Then we’d better hurry up and I’ll leave you to your hobnobbing.’
Working in silence, they emptied the Mini, leaving a fortlet of boxes and bags next to his car, no less impressive than the one Tom had been excavating.
‘Look, I’m sorry.’ Sue gave him a sudden smile, adjusting her hair as she did so in a manner that could easily be described as flirty. ‘I just want Dylan to be surrounded by his things. At the moment he’s excited about living in a big house, but when he hasn’t been back to his usual bedroom for a while, he might start to miss his stuff.’
‘I know. I am going to let him make his space his own as soon as I find a house to rent.’
Climbing into her car, Sue waggled her fingers at him as she shut the door and rolled down the window. ‘At least he has a whole week to settle in.’
‘A whole week?’ Tom put a hand on the Mini’s roof. ‘No, we agreed to split the weeks, and this one falls so that he is with me from today until Wednesday.’
‘No darling, I said you could have Dylan for Easter.’
‘But I meant Easter weekend.’
‘Well yes, but there’s no point in him coming home for two days and then coming back here is there?’
<
br /> ‘But, Sue, you can’t just—’
‘I’m going away.’ She pouted. ‘I thought you’d be pleased to spend more time with Dylan. Going for walks and stuff.’
‘Of course I am, but he’s your son, not a dog you can drop off at a kennels for walkies!’
‘Oh don’t be so melodramatic!’
Sue had started the engine and was backing out of her parking space before Tom had realised that his ex had manoeuvred him into taking Dylan full time during the first week of his official relationship with Helen.
Just when I thought Sue was finally developing maternal instincts.
Tom stared at his son’s possessions strewn about the driveway. At least I’ll have more time to tell him about me and Helen.
Sunday April 5th
As the Bentley disappeared from view, Tina and Sam linked arms and headed to the kitchen.
‘If you’d told me two days ago that my father would be joining me in a pub with my friends, I’d have dismissed the idea as madness.’
‘I’m so glad your parents stayed over. They’re so different when they’re out of their home environment.’
‘You mean Father’s less stuffy.’
‘Well yes, but your mum too.’ Tina thought of Mabel and Bea chatting at the kitchen table. ‘It’s like they can relax. Here they don’t have to be seen to be lord and lady of the manor. It must be exhausting having to keep up appearances all the time.’
‘I hadn’t thought about it like that.’ Sam grimaced. ‘Thank goodness we don’t have to live like that.’ He reached for the empty sugar bowl and passed it to Tina. ‘I was actually sorry to see them leave.’
‘I think they’d have stayed if they hadn’t got that charity event to open this afternoon. At least they had a good night’s sleep. I thought we could give them the same bed when they come for the wedding.’
‘Sounds good.’ Sam scooped the last of the dirty mugs off the table. ‘Changing the subject for a moment, has Helen said anything to you about staying now she and Tom are an item?’
‘No, but to be fair, we haven’t had a minute on our own to talk about anything. The focus at Mabel’s yesterday was very much wedding related.’