The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows

by Jenni Keer

  Theo leaned forward and his soft voice made her turn her heavy head. ‘It’s not to say what you did wasn’t a terrible misjudgement but it seems some good has come of it. Not only was there an outpouring of love but a birthmark charity even contacted her to ask if she’d be interested in being an ambassador. She’s not a stupid girl, just a painfully shy one. She knows your post wasn’t intentional, and she also knows the vagaries of human nature. But you do need to apologise to her properly.’

  ‘I fully intended to. She didn’t answer my calls and then with my sister and—’

  ‘We never doubted you,’ Johnny said, heaving himself off the sofa, the low arms making it difficult for such a rotund man. ‘So, with all that silly nonsense dealt with, we expect you back at the office as soon as you feel able.’ He ambled to the hallway, Theo lingering behind, as if he had something to add.

  She studied his face, her stomach flipping, and knew there was another reason she couldn’t continue to work at Gildersleeve’s.

  ‘I can’t come back,’ she said, not prepared to admit she couldn’t bear to have the wrecking ball of his relationship with Ella demolish her heart.

  ‘Why? Because it seems to me you find it easier to quit than to stay and resolve your problems. You were out of Wickerman’s faster than a scampering hamster, when you had no reason to leave. If anything, Gareth should have gone for putting you in that position. Don’t bail again.’

  ‘It’s not bailing. There are things going on you don’t understand.’ Her bottom lip started to wobble. Not only was her heart in peril, but also the universe and the tea set were messing with her head. ‘I broke one of Meredith’s cups,’ she whispered. ‘A cup from a set that Meredith’s own grandmother warned should never be separated. Lisa’s accident was my fault.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous. How can you smashing a cup influence events miles away on a quiet country road?’ His voice was gentle but his eyes were serious.

  ‘Because it’s a special set. All the Mayhew sisters, with their bright futures, all of them suffered life-changing consequences when their mother broke the one promise asked of her; don’t separate the set …’ She buried her face in her hands as Theo put an arm out to her shoulders. He pulled her in to him and rubbed her back gently, his soft strokes soothing and much-needed.

  ‘You are a beautiful, wonderful and intelligent girl and I can’t believe you think those two things are linked. The only person responsible for that terrible accident is Lisa. She made the decision to drink and then she made the decision to drive. No one else.’

  ‘I should have taken her keys … realised that she was at risk … I should have …’

  Theo wrapped his arms tighter and let her head rest against his shoulder, soft shushes whispered into her ear. She let his concern envelop her and his warmth soothe her.

  Johnny coughed pointedly from the hallway as she choked out quiet sobs and briefly allowed herself to fall a little bit more in love with the man before her.

  Over the weekend, Maisie had an unexpected visit from a very nervous Josh. He’d been told about Lisa and was understandably concerned but also knew it wasn’t his place to turn up at the hospital.

  ‘Sorry I didn’t explain everything when I came around that day. It’s hard to find the courage to say, “Hi, I’m the brother you didn’t know existed.”’

  He sat with Nigel on his lap, who was contentedly munching on some peanuts Josh had thoughtfully brought, along with a huge bunch of flowers he wanted Maisie to pass on to Lisa. He really did look like Ben, she realised – it was the nose and the hair.

  ‘It’s okay. None of this is your fault.’

  ‘Dad said she’ll make a full recovery.’

  ‘Yeah, she’s a tough one. And I’m sorry you haven’t been part of our lives all these years but we can remedy that. Let’s take it slowly though, eh? The Meadows family is still dealing with the cataclysmic fallout from a nuclear explosion.’

  ‘Of course, but to be honest, it’s only been an issue since Mum died. She never wanted me to have anything to do with Dad’s other family but I thought about you all and Dad let things slip from time to time. I know about Ben’s band. I’ve got all their albums even though it’s not really my kind of music.’

  ‘Nor mine,’ Maisie admitted. ‘It’s all a bit shouty and angry. Ironic when you can barely get three words out of him most of the time.’ Although Ben’s albums often found their way into her spare room on painting days. ‘And if you find him difficult at first – persevere. He’s got a caring side, buried deep under a stupid wall of indifference. I guess it built up over the years as a form of self-preservation. Families are vicious little devils – we want to embrace them but they snap at us with their jaggedy teeth and scratch us with their sharp claws. Entering the Meadows family will be like trying to snuggle up to a wildcat.’

  ‘Message received and understood. And sorry about those calls.’

  Maisie frowned.

  ‘I managed to track down a landline number for you so I rang you a few times but never had the courage to see the call through. Dad told me to bide my time, things were getting back on track with your mother and there was a lot of pressure for your family meal to be a success. We were planning to come to you first, hoping you’d pave the way for me. I’m still not sure why he jumped the gun and announced it in such a dramatic fashion.’

  Ah, so Josh was her mysterious caller.

  Chapter 54

  After a weekend of soul-searching, Maisie withdrew her resignation and that Sunday she prepared to return to work. She still hadn’t spoken to Ella and it bothered her, despite Theo’s assurances her colleague was fully aware of her sister’s accident. Maisie’s decision to quit had been impulsive but Theo was right – she couldn’t run away. The past six months at Gildersleeve’s had been the best and even though returning in the morning would be scary, she would face her colleagues, knowing that they were all good people.

  As she ironed a blouse and rummaged around for her insulated lunch bag in her uncharacteristically cluttered kitchen, she had a late-night visit from Zoe, returning home after an uncomfortable confrontation with Oliver.

  ‘He fessed up about the encounter.’ Her sister slumped into the armchair and sighed. ‘Wish he’d been honest from the start. Seems he was jumped by an enthusiastic and slightly inebriated Lisa and the actual kiss was fleeting – but it was long enough for him to have told me. I’m done with her, Maisie. I don’t wish her ill but we are different people.’

  There had been a lot of thinking time sitting at Lisa’s bedside. Sometimes the commonality between family members simply wasn’t enough to bind them and perhaps it all boiled down to one unpalatable truth: the tea set wanted to be reunited but her family didn’t.

  ‘I shouldn’t have forced everyone together. I’ve done so much more damage to the fragile relationships in our family than if I’d left well alone,’ Maisie acknowledged.

  ‘It’s not your fault everyone decided to have a cathartic truth session out of nowhere, but I told you putting us all together in one house was never going to end well.’

  ‘But we managed it when I was little. That last Christmas, before Dad left, we were so happy – the festive spirit embraced us all. We overlooked our differences and had a great day. I guess I wanted to recapture some of that good feeling and prove we were capable of being a family.’

  ‘If you’re talking about the year Lisa started sneaking vodka from the kitchen after breakfast and got so drunk she was inexcusably rude to our grandparents, who left early in disgust, and then she threw up in the downstairs loo and had to go to bed early – you have a skewed memory of the day, honey. Mum was furious when she realised. Lisa was only sixteen and, having worked her way through half a bottle of Smirnoff, lucky she wasn’t in hospital having her stomach pumped.’

  With her head shaking slightly from side to side, Maisie narrowed her eyes. That couldn’t be right. Was that why Lisa had been so pleasant to everyone – she was drunk?


  ‘But Dad was on top form,’ Maisie persisted. ‘I remember him laughing and joking, buying Mum flowers and giving us all magazines and sweets.’

  ‘Oh, Maisie,’ Zoe said, inching closer to her sister and putting her hand on her sister’s knee. ‘You were so young. I guess we shielded you. Truth is, Dad cocked up big time and forgot to get Mum a Christmas present. He was lucky the independent garage on the edge of town literally never closes. He tried to make amends by being generous with his wallet and, knowing what we know now, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d popped in on his second family while he was about it. It doesn’t take two hours to take Grandma and Granddad home and grab a handful of chocolate bars. He even paid me to play with you when he returned, making sure at least one member of the family had a good day.’

  This wasn’t the Christmas she remembered, and Maisie was torn between not wanting that precious memory spoiled and needing to know the truth.

  ‘And Ben?’ she whispered.

  Zoe shook her head slowly from side to side.

  ‘He was so angry about not getting the PlayStation game he’d asked for, he spent most of the day upstairs in his room taking out his anger on that damn drum kit of his. As for Mum …’ she paused, letting out a long sigh ‘… after you and Lisa had gone to bed, she practically downed the remaining vodka in one go. She did everything that day – from tidying the house, to preparing and cooking the meal. Even the grandparents sat around like royalty, expecting her to wait on them hand and foot. I look back now and am horrified that we treated her like an unpaid domestic servant – not you, you were too young,’ she added, hastily. ‘But I’ve apologised since and tried to pull my weight more when we moved to the flat. I babysat you and often cooked our tea when she got the job at the care home.’

  Zoe looked at her younger sister’s shell-shocked face and leaned in to give her a hug. ‘Sorry, sweetie,’ she whispered into her hair. ‘Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything and let you hold on to your precious memories.’

  ‘No, it’s fine. I don’t feel such an abysmal failure now, knowing how outrageously high the odds were stacked against me from the start. I was clinging on to something that wasn’t real.’

  With everything Maisie remembered crumbling before her like a kicked sandcastle, she realised her family dream was never going to happen, especially as the one she was so desperate to re-create had never even happened in the first place. She had to accept that as much as she loved each member of her family in their own way, they were simply not meant to be together.

  Determined to make up for lost time, and justify Johnny’s enduring faith in her, Maisie arrived early Monday morning. As soon as she swung open the door to the back office she knew she’d been foolish to contemplate giving up on Gildersleeve’s. It was so much more than just a job. She loved researching the quirky items that passed through their hands, or flicking through back issues of the Antiques Trade Gazette. And now the company was growing, she’d been thinking about some ways to take it forward and had a head full of ideas to pitch to Johnny and Theo.

  Barely had she collapsed onto her chair and started to boot up her laptop, than Arthur knocked on the open office door behind her, with a small, round brown paper parcel in his hands and an enormous grin across his crinkly face.

  ‘Well, now, I don’t want to stop you, and I’m sure you’ve got far more important things to be doing on such a sunny day than listen to me, but I need to put my two penn’orth forward,’ he said, still clutching the parcel as she gestured for him to take a seat. ‘We missed you terribly last week but I’m glad your sister is on the mend. Gildersleeve’s seems so much smarter since you started here and them Wot a Lot! people are in later to start the filming. Johnny doesn’t think we’ll pull it off without you – you’re so good at all that. I said to my Essie how the place would be so much poorer without you …’

  Not commenting on the use of ‘my’ when describing the youngest Mayhew sister, Maisie smiled.

  ‘I needed a little headspace but I’m here now. And the first order of the day is to catch Ella as soon as she arrives and apologise properly.’

  ‘She’s tougher than she looks, that one. Having a boyfriend has boosted her confidence no end.’ Of course, Maisie thought, anyone dating Theo would feel on top of the world. He had that knack of making you feel as if you were the only person in the room. ‘And when you feel loved,’ Arthur said, ‘it helps you remember your worth in life. Which brings me nicely on to a little bit of news of my own – although I’m sure you’ve guessed already. And it was, in part, down to you …’

  She couldn’t help but smile, as she realised her inner Emma had got it right. ‘Essie?’

  ‘I’ve been in love with that woman for so many years and, although I wouldn’t trade my life with Pam, there’s something very special about your first love. I grew up with those Mayhew girls and hung around the younger sisters for years hoping I’d catch her eye. Turns out she had a bit of a thing for me back in the day too. Frank was just that little bit bolder, that little bit sooner. But there, we’re together now, and that’s all that matters.’

  A warmth flooded Maisie’s heart. It was all coming together nicely. Arthur would have someone real to talk to other than a photograph in those previously lonely evenings, and Essie could bake to her heart’s content, knowing her surplus cakes and biscuits would no longer end up in the bin. Actually, Maisie thought to herself, feeling more buoyant after Arthur’s words, she might have a chat with Essie about another outlet for her baking …

  ‘Anyhoo,’ he continued, ‘we’ve been packing up all her things – my house is bigger – and we came across something we thought you’d like …’

  ‘You’re moving in together? Goodness, Arthur, isn’t that a bit soon?’

  ‘Nonsense. At our age you might not have a lot of time to play silly games. One of us could be dead before the year’s out. You need to grab opportunities when they come along. I look back now and realise I should have said something when she started dating Frank. She thought I wasn’t interested – see? And I was too much of a gentleman to step on Frank’s toes. But sometimes you have to be brave and at least try. Speak now or forever hold your peace and all that. Anyway, enough of my chatter – this is for you,’ and he handed Maisie the brown paper parcel, his eyes anxiously watching her hands as she unknotted the string.

  Pulling back the crisp brown paper, she gasped as a small black and white bowl was revealed. It was instantly recognisable as part of Verity’s set but she already had the sugar bowl so was confused as to its purpose.

  ‘It’s a slop bowl,’ Arthur clarified. ‘Essie forgot all about it until she was clearing out a back cupboard.’ Noting Maisie’s blank expression, he explained. ‘You tip the cold, undrunk tea into it before you pour yourself a nice fresh cuppa. People don’t use them nowadays.’

  ‘Slop bowl? What an unfortunate name for such a pretty thing.’

  ‘Now you really do have the complete set,’ he said, smiling. And Maisie wondered if that meant she had another unknown family member lurking in her life, who was about to leap out and unmask themselves.

  Thinking about her dad’s less than exclusive love life, it was entirely possible.

  Chapter 55

  ‘I can’t apologise enough,’ Maisie said. ‘I never put photos of people online without their permission. It was such a stunning picture of you and I was rushing about … I didn’t think. I’m so sorry.’

  She was sitting in the front office with Ella and had presented her with the bouquet – not that a bunch of flowers could undo the damage, but it was a start.

  ‘It’s okay. And you shouldn’t have got me these,’ Ella said, lifting them to her nose and inhaling the sweet scent of the stocks, before placing them on the table beside her. ‘Although I’m not comfortable going online in the future, if that’s okay. Theo went ballistic but he’s just overprotective. I’m stronger than I look. And, of course, having a boyfriend has given me more self-confidence. It’s early da
ys but he seems genuine enough.’

  ‘Of course he is. He’s one of the nicest blokes I know. I hope you’ll be very happy together.’ Ella looked confused, but Maisie carried on speaking, not wanting to linger over the thought of Ella and Theo being blissfully happy for too long. ‘Sorry I let you down. I’ve not been much of a friend.’

  ‘You’ve been amazing,’ Ella said, moving closer and touching Maisie’s shoulder. ‘Look how you persevered with me when I could barely even acknowledge you. When you spend a lifetime trying to blend into the background, it’s hard to step forward. Social interaction still petrifies me but then Theo and Arthur, in their different ways, don’t put pressure on me to be a great conversationalist and I feel enormously comfortable with them both now.’

  ‘Is Theo about?’ Maisie asked, wanting to run some ideas past him and prove she was back on the team.

  ‘He’s in Saleroom Two talking to someone from the television company ahead of Friday’s filming.’

  Maisie walked over to the barn as a slight summer drizzle peppered her face. She’d built up the meeting with Ella in her head, but a bit of time and space from the incident had been key – for both of them. How could she have considered resigning over it? Theo, however, was a different kettle of heartache. Perhaps time would help this to heal too.

  She heaved back the barn door and immediately spotted Theo’s glorious fuzzy head. He was bent forward, setting up the trestle tables for valuing, chatting to a stocky girl with a Wot a Lot! clipboard about how they operated. As Maisie walked towards him, all she could think of was burying her face in his hair.

  He looked up, hearing her footsteps, and gave her a lopsided grin.

  ‘Glad you’re back. You had me worried for a bit there. It’s going to be a bonkers week, what with the TV crew descending. Excuse us for a moment,’ he said to the young girl, who nodded and announced she’d scrounge a coffee from the ladies in reception to give the pair some privacy.