Chapter 20
Jamie and I did our best to stay out of each other’s way during the next couple of days and the slight chill that had developed between us didn’t go unnoticed.
‘So, what’s all this about you guys setting up some charity together?’ gushed Hayley when she returned to work after some unusual time off at home in bed nursing a nasty head cold.
The hall had been quiet without her and I had thought I had been missing her bubbly, brash presence until she marched in and made the awkwardness between Jamie and me one hundred times worse.
Jamie shrugged in response to her questioning as he stacked his breakfast dishes next to the sink, but he didn’t answer her.
‘Well,’ she huffed. ‘I’m pleased to see it’s got you all fired up because for a while there we thought you might not have anything to keep you occupied once you’d decided to leave all that charitable work behind and take over here.’
‘Anna will tell you,’ he said, sounding peevish. ‘And we are all fired up. We’re just a bit too busy with Christmas and everything to give it much thought right now.’
‘What’s got into him?’ she sniffed, even before he was out of earshot. ‘Has something happened between you two?’
She turned her slightly puffy but still kohl-outlined eyes in my direction.
‘I bloody knew you fancied him!’ she said, sounding smug. ‘The look on your face after I kissed him in the woods proved it and I knew it would only be a matter of time.’
‘Nothing has happened,’ I hissed back.
‘You’re lying,’ she carried on in a sing-song voice.
‘And no,’ I went on, trying my best to look her in the eye, ‘I don’t fancy him.’
She sauntered over to a cupboard and pulled out her plastic crate full of cleaning products, along with an extendable feather duster which she then wafted in my direction.
‘Carry on like that,’ she said mockingly, ‘and you’ll end up with a nose long enough to rival Pinocchio!’
I didn’t have long to worry about Hayley making the awkward situation worse, or to wallow in my nerves about meeting the rest of the family, who were due to arrive that weekend, because within the next few minutes Angus managed to put himself squarely back at the top of my list of priorities.
‘What’s he done now?’ I asked, as Catherine rushed into the kitchen clutching a note and wearing a worried expression.
I had soon learned to recognise her furrowed brow that heralded an ‘Angus problem’.
‘I’m not sure,’ she said, briefly scanning the paper again before passing it to me. ‘What do you make of it?’
I didn’t have a chance to make anything of it because Jamie walked in and plucked the note from my grasp. He shook his head as he read it, then screwed it into a tight ball and tossed it in the bin.
Catherine looked from Jamie to me, then back again.
‘Well,’ she said, sounding as cross as it was possible for her to sound. ‘I can’t see how that is going to help us.’
‘He says he’s gone out,’ Jamie shrugged. ‘So he’s gone out. I’m certainly not going to go chasing around after him, Mum, and you shouldn’t either,’ he said, nodding at me.
‘But he hasn’t taken the car,’ Catherine tried to explain.
‘Don’t you have friends visiting later today?’ Jamie reminded her. ‘Friends you haven’t seen for months and who you’ve been looking forward to catching up with?’
‘Well, yes.’
‘Then in that case you should be grateful for the peace and quiet.’
Catherine didn’t look so sure.
‘He’ll turn up, Mum,’ Jamie said, his tone more forgiving as he planted a token kiss on her cheek and grabbed his jacket before calling to Mick. ‘He always does.’
He and Mick headed outside and Dorothy looked at me and raised her eyebrows.
‘Do you want me to have a scout about outside and see if I can find him?’ I offered.
After all, it was more my responsibility to put her mind at rest than anyone else’s.
‘I don’t mind,’ I told her.
‘No, it’s fine,’ she said, looking over at the bin and the crumpled note. ‘I daresay Jamie’s right. Angus is a big boy now. He really should be capable of looking after himself.’
‘As long as you’re sure.’
‘I am,’ she said firmly. ‘Why don’t you run Dorothy into Wynbridge? You said there were a few things you needed to collect ahead of the weekend, didn’t you, dear?’
‘I did,’ said Dorothy, waving a couple of lists in my direction.
‘I’m not sure I’ll be able to get all that in my little Fiat,’ I said, trying to focus on the reams of writing.
‘Take the Land Rover then,’ said Catherine, nodding at the keys in the fruit bowl. ‘At least with it gone I’ll know Angus is somewhere on site.’
The journey into Wynbridge was a real treat. The elevated position of the Land Rover gave a far better view of the landscape and I kept pulling over to take in the far-off horizon and frosty fields. Dorothy, who had seen it all before of course, wasn’t quite so thrilled with the slow progress.
‘Am I not right in thinking,’ she tutted when I pulled over for the third time, ‘that you’ve been out and about in this thing with Jamie? And that you had a lift in it the night of the switch-on before he was even back?’
‘You are right,’ I told her, as I pointed out a hare that had darted out from a ditch and was streaking across the furrow, ‘but you hit the nail on the head.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’ve only been out at night, when it’s dark.’
‘Shame you weren’t about in July then,’ she sniffed. ‘We’d be getting on far quicker.’
I drove straight into town after that, lest I really got in Dorothy’s bad books and she thought about skimping on my portion sizes.
The little town was as busy as ever and I had barely parked before she was snatching up her shopping bags and opening the door.
‘Market first,’ she announced, playing fast and loose with the rules of road safety as she set her sights on Chris Dempster’s fruit and veg stall.
The man himself was off delivering around the county, but Steve was there, as was his mum, Marie.
‘Why ever didn’t you ring the house?’ she asked Dorothy, who wasted no time in manhandling the produce. ‘You know Chris will always fit a stop at Wynthorpe Hall into his rounds.’
‘Especially if a slice of your fruitcake is on offer,’ Steve chipped in with a wink.
Dorothy began selecting what she wanted and passing it to Marie to bag up.
‘This is just a few extra bits and bobs I wanted to pick for myself,’ she explained, before hastily adding, ‘not that there’s ever anything wrong with what you send.’
‘I’m relieved to hear it,’ said Steve, pretending to be offended.
‘Ignore him,’ said Marie, sensing Dorothy’s discomfiture. ‘And introduce me to this lovely young lady.’
‘This is Anna,’ said Dorothy.
‘Of course,’ Marie smiled. ‘I’ve heard all about you, my dear. How are you settling into life at the hall? Not always for the fainthearted, is it? What with that exasperating Mr Toad to contend with!’
I didn’t say anything. I don’t think she was expecting an answer. Her questions were more statements of fact, from what I could make out.
‘Are you all set for Christmas then?’ she asked, turning her attention back to Dorothy.
‘I think so,’ said Dorothy thoughtfully as together she and Marie loaded up the bags she held out before passing them to me to carry.
‘Here,’ said Steve, rushing forward. ‘I’ll give you a hand.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Organised enough to come to the wreath-making tomorrow anyway,’ Dorothy added. ‘I’m looking forward to it, and Mick has picked some more lovely greenery for me to bring along.’
‘What’s this?’ I asked, transferring a heavy bag from one hand to the other.
‘You should come along,’ said Marie, with a kind smile. ‘The more the merrier, eh, Dorothy?’
‘What a good idea,’ said Dorothy. ‘How are your floristry skills, Anna?’
‘Non-existent,’ I said truthfully.
‘Well never mind,’ said Marie. ‘We’ll soon have you up to speed.’
Steve and I carried the bags over to the Land Rover and he explained that the wreath-making was another seasonal event at the town hall, only on this occasion wreaths and table decorations were the order of the day rather than cakes and biscuits. It sounded like another hugely popular event.
‘Mum organises and runs most of it,’ he said. ‘She’s a trained florist. She used to have her own shop, but now she runs things from her side of the stall and uses the warehouse to make up any orders that come in.’
‘What happened to the shop?’ I asked.
Looking around the market square I could see there were lots of interesting little shops and I couldn’t help thinking that a proper florist shop would have fitted in a treat. I looked back at Steve, who had gone quiet.
‘My brother was killed in a motorbike accident,’ he said quietly as we were almost back at the stall. ‘Lots of things changed for all of us after that.’
‘I see,’ I nodded, his admission striking a chord.
‘I’d love to come tomorrow,’ I told Marie enthusiastically. It felt good taking charge of lining up a festive event for myself, but I hoped Jamie wouldn’t take it the wrong way and think that I was prepared to manage without him. I still hadn’t forgotten the deal we had made under the stars and wanted to see it through, even if denying my feelings for him was making it awkward. ‘But you’ll have to tell me what to do,’ I added.
Steve rolled his eyes.
‘Don’t give her permission to order you about,’ he laughed. ‘She’s bad enough without it.’
Laughing, we parted company and Dorothy went to join the queue at the butcher’s while I was dispatched to the bakery.
‘I’m pleased you’ve decided to come with me tomorrow,’ she said later, as we sat sharing a chicken baguette in the Land Rover cab, waiting for our toes to defrost. ‘It will take your mind off meeting the rest of the family.’
‘I am a bit nervous about that,’ I admitted.
I had been wondering what they would all make of me and my undefined role.
‘That’s only natural,’ said Dorothy. ‘Especially when you might end up like the rest of us.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘A permanent fixture,’ she smiled. ‘You can’t possibly really be thinking of moving on in January, can you?’
I didn’t say anything.
‘I know you haven’t been with us all that long,’ she said kindly, ‘but you’re part of the furniture already and I know Jamie would be mortified if you went.’
‘Would he?’
Had everybody noticed the chemistry between us, I wondered?
‘Of course,’ she laughed.
‘Well,’ I admitted, ‘I have been thinking about staying; especially now everyone thinks setting up the charity is a good idea.’
‘I’m relieved to hear it,’ she said. ‘For Jamie’s sake, if no one else’s.’
‘I think you’re reading too much into Jamie’s feelings, Dorothy.’
She shook her head.
‘Because I’m sure he has women the world over ready to fall at his feet.’
‘Doesn’t matter,’ she shrugged.
‘Why not?’
‘Because,’ she said, affecting a southern American accent and shocking me to my core, ‘unless you are completely stupid, that boy is head over heels in love with you!’
I choked on my baguette and twisted round in my seat to look at her. It wasn’t only what she had said that was a huge shock, but also the way she’d chosen to say it.
‘Top Gun?’ I swallowed.
It wasn’t word for word but it wasn’t far off.
‘God I love that film,’ she giggled with an impish grin.
Unfortunately we didn’t make it back to the hall as early as planned because we got lost on the journey from Wynbridge to Skylark Farm to collect the leg of pork Dorothy was planning to cook for Sunday dinner.
‘If anyone asks, we’ll blame Jerry Lee Lewis,’ she laughed, as we finally swung onto the drive.
She had insisted on a rather raucous chorus or three of Great Balls of Fire and consequently her internal satnav had gone a little awry. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed so much and knew exactly what I was going to be buying my passenger for Christmas now.
‘Finally,’ huffed Jamie, as I pulled up outside the stable yard to offload the bags of shopping.
He didn’t look at all happy and Dorothy and I exchanged glances as I pulled on the handbrake and cut the engine.
‘Where the hell have you been?’
‘To town,’ I said, jumping out. ‘We had things to collect.’
‘Your mum said it would be fine,’ said Dorothy, waving him away so she could open the back door.
‘Well, poor Hayley’s waiting to get home,’ he said. ‘She should have gone hours ago.’
‘So why didn’t you just take my car?’ I snapped back, annoyed that he seemed so determined to stamp all over my good mood. ‘The keys are in the kitchen.’
‘Come to that,’ said Dorothy, ‘why couldn’t you take your dad’s car?’
‘Flat battery,’ he muttered, ‘and I didn’t want to jump it from yours,’ he said before I had a chance to suggest it, ‘because there’s enough happening already without throwing something else going wrong into the mix.’
‘What is it?’ I demanded, my hand reaching for his arm. ‘What’s happened?’
‘Oh, I daresay it will turn out to be nothing,’ he said, running his hands through his hair before my hand came to rest.
The gesture didn’t go unnoticed and I guessed he didn’t want me touching him. Since I had given him the brush-off I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it did hurt a little.
‘Go on,’ I encouraged.
‘It’s Dad,’ he sighed. ‘He still isn’t back.’
‘You mean he’s been gone all day?’ questioned Dorothy as she handed Mick, who had come out to help, a couple of the bags.
‘Looks that way,’ he said. ‘We’re starting a proper search. I thought I’d found him when his phone rang but he’d left it in the playroom.’
The playroom, I had discovered, was the one room in the hall assigned exclusively to Angus. No one went in there and nothing was ever tidied. He was king of the castle within those four walls, and having somewhere specific to fiddle and invent did seem to stop him spreading his mess too far and wide.
‘Is your mum worried?’ I asked.
‘What do you think?’ said Jamie witheringly. ‘Just like the rest of us she hadn’t even noticed he wasn’t back until her friends commented on the time and left, and now she feels terrible.’
‘And I don’t suppose it helped that we were so late,’ I said, biting my lip.
Had Dorothy been home to serve tea on time, as she usually did every day, then we all would have realised he hadn’t been seen and would have initiated a search when there was at least a little light left.
‘I told you Jerry would get us in trouble,’ Dorothy said to me.
‘Who?’ asked Jamie.
‘Never mind,’ I said quickly.
Mick looked at his colleague and I guessed he knew of her fondness for young Mr Cruise and his fast-flying friends.
‘So what are we going to do?’
‘Well, I’m going to get Hayley home,’ said Jamie, jumping into the Land Rover as Hayley finally appeared. ‘She still isn’t feeling too great and needs to get to bed.’
I took a look at her and saw he was right. She looked decidedly less than chipper, but I still didn’t appreciate the way he seemed to be directing his annoyance about everything that had happened towards me.
‘I’m all right,’ Hayley sniffed, sounding anything but. ‘I’ll see you in the morning and don’t worry about misery guts,’ she said of Jamie. ‘He’s been in a foul mood all afternoon.’
‘Don’t do anything until I get back!’ Jamie called from his post behind the steering wheel.
‘I’m sure he will have turned up by then!’ Dorothy called back, but she didn’t get a response. ‘Come on,’ she said to me. ‘Let’s have a bite to eat and decide where to start looking for the silly old fool.’