After the feasting was over, the food was left covered in muslin so people could help themselves to more at their leisure. Joe organized a game of croquet for all except the two older ladies, who sat in padded garden chairs under parasols and watched Rowella, under another parasol, playing on a blanket with some of Beth’s old toys and the bagful of things Mark had brought for her. Eventually Rowella became drowsy and snuggled up to sleep against a dozing Chaplin.
While Beth played croquet purely for the fun, she was surprised at how competitive Mark was over the game. He won the first round and conceded to Joe on the second. Evie was quite useless at it and laughed every time she missed a hoop. Richard and Lily bickered all the way through. ‘Put a sock in it, both of you,’ Joe ordered them, but neither took any notice of him. Mark and Evie hardly passed a word to each other.
Fresh drinks and a strawberry trifle Joe’s favourite, were served, and Joe and his gang took theirs, as well as plates piled high with other food, off to the tree house. Giving Beth a sneaky look, Mrs Reseigh passed a cup of tea to Evie. ‘Here, dear, pass this to Mark for me, please, and this plate of sandwiches. He don’t go in for much sweet stuff’
Mark had dropped down on the rug and was stroking the still sleeping Rowella’s shoulder, his eyes entirely on her. Beth and Mrs Reseigh and Christina all pretended not to watch, but they did so avidly.
Evie advanced slowly on Mark, who was half turned away from her. ‘Excuse me, ahem, Mr Reseigh. Your mother asked me to give you these.’
Mark turned round to her. ‘Oh, um, thank you, Miss Vage.’
Mrs Reseigh nudged Beth and Christina on either side of her. ‘There now, wouldn’t that be good, come a day…’
‘They will need more than a little help in that direction,’ Christina said, but her eyes were bright over the prospect of a possible romance.
‘Well, one thing’s for sure. If I could head Mark in the right direction, Davey Vage wouldn’t get in the way of me,’ Mrs Reseigh promised stoutly.
Beth simply smiled. This summer she and Evie had made a new beginning as sisters. Anything else for them – well, what would be would be…
Her eyes drifted down over the garden and the cliff top and out into the bay. All indeed was a vision of enchantment. When she had arrived here just a few weeks ago she had thought the whole scene held an insidious magic. She knew differently now.
There was magic here, but it was pure and gentle.
Next in The Leaving Shades Sagas:
Reflections
An enthralling historical saga set in Cornwall perfect for fans of Margaret Dickinson and Katie Flynn.
Find out more
First published in Great Britain in 2010 by Severn House Publishers LTD
This edition published in the United Kingdom in 2019 by
Canelo Digital Publishing Limited
57 Shepherds Lane
Beaconsfield, Bucks HP9 2DU
United Kingdom
Copyright © Gloria Cook, 2010
The moral right of Gloria Cook to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781788636506
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Leaving Shades Page 26