Chapter 31
When I fell into bed that night I had no intention of leaving my room for at least the next day or so, Christmas or no Christmas, but the thought of enduring the no doubt endless knocking as Dorothy, Cass and Hayley, and possibly even the boys, tried to coax me out was too much to cope with. So, even before there was so much as a hint of light on the horizon, I slipped out of bed, hastily dressed, grabbed my jewellery-free bag and left.
I had briefly toyed with the idea of leaving for good, but that wasn’t my style, and neither was it something I could have done to Catherine and Angus. They had shown me nothing but kindness and consideration from the moment I arrived at the hall and I couldn’t bear the thought of disappearing without saying goodbye to them and everyone else.
I didn’t know how I was feeling about Jamie. Of course he hadn’t joined in with Elise’s accusations, but he hadn’t gone out of his way to spring to my defence either. For someone who claimed to be in love with me and who wanted me to be his partner in both work and life, he hadn’t put up much of a fight to keep me, and there was still the unfinished business of the sudden interest in my references to clear up.
Just when I had been poised to tell everyone at the hall that I was really staying for good, this horrid thing had happened and now the pendulum had swung back the other way, a long way back the other way. Truth be told, I was beginning to feel that I had reached the end of my time there now, even before I had reached the end of my contract. What a difference a day really did make.
Celebrating Christmas with their families and loved ones might suit some, and yes, I had almost made it there myself, but what my father had done after we lost Mum had left its mark deep in my heart. There had been the years marred by his drunkenness, along with those spent in the company of his string of less than suitable girlfriends, and of course there were the happy few with Sarah. She was the only woman who had been prepared to give her all to make a difference to our lives and the one he ended up hurting more than the rest put together.
I could see now that the scars he had left meant that I wasn’t really cut out to be part of a family and I guessed I never would be. That claustrophobic feeling of family togetherness was bound to smother me in the end and I would end up leaving anyway. Perhaps, in time, I would be thanking Elise for saving me a whole heap of extra heartache – heartache that I would have ended up associating with the season and in consequence, struggling with it even more.
Without really thinking about where I was headed I drove into town and pulled up in the car park at the end of the market square. There was a light on in The Cherry Tree Café kitchen but it wasn’t open. The only place showing any sign of life was the newsagent’s and as I craved coffee rather than a cigarette and a red top, I decided to stay put and wait until Jemma appeared and twitched the ‘closed’ sign round to ‘open’.
I must have dozed off for a while and when I woke my neck was stiff, my feet were frozen and my mobile was vibrating away in my bag. I pulled it out and switched it off without looking at the screen. I had no desire to talk to or message anyone from Wynthorpe Hall and, even though it was Friday, the day Mr Dryden, the jeweller, and I had agreed on, I wouldn’t be collecting Catherine’s bracelet now either.
I eased myself out of my little car, locked it and went off in search of some much-needed caffeine.
‘Crikey,’ said Jemma, when she caught sight of her first customer of the day, ‘you’re keen, aren’t you?’
‘What did you do,’ said Lizzie, ‘wet the bed?’
‘Lizzie!’ admonished her friend. ‘You know I hate that expression.’
‘It’s one of my mother’s finest,’ said Lizzie with a grin.
Fortunately their banter saved me from having to explain my early a.m. presence and I ordered my coffee and two slices of toast before retreating to a tucked-away table to mull over my still muddled thoughts.
I had barely pulled off my jacket before the café bell rang out again.
‘Another early bird,’ said Lizzie as she greeted a man in his sixties who was wearing a smart suit and coat and had a bundle of papers tucked under his arm. ‘Your good lady isn’t here yet,’ Lizzie went on.
‘That’s all right,’ he said, ‘I’m only here for coffee. I’ve a busy morning planned away from my desk, but I’ll be back just after lunchtime. Will you save me some quiche please, Jemma?’
‘Will do,’ she called through from the kitchen.
‘So where are you off to?’ wheedled Lizzie. ‘Anywhere nice?’
‘I’m popping to Wynthorpe Hall actually,’ he said.
My ears pricked up at the mention of the hall.
‘Then you probably won’t need quiche,’ said Jemma as she appeared with my order stacked neatly on a tray. ‘Dorothy will fill you up, won’t she, Anna?’
‘Absolutely,’ I said, smiling at the thought. ‘You’ll probably still be stuffed at dinner time if she has anything to do with it.’
‘Are you Anna by any chance?’ asked the man, coming over.
‘That’s right,’ I told him.
‘How lovely to meet you,’ he said, pulling off his gloves and holding out his hand. ‘I’m David Miller, the Connellys’ solicitor.’
‘How do you do,’ I said, reaching across the table as Jemma tried to deposit my breakfast, so I could shake his hand.
‘I know all about you, of course,’ he said, dumping down the paperwork and sitting on the chair opposite.
‘Oh?’
‘Yes,’ he said, ‘Jamie came to see me last week,’
He looked around and spotted that Jemma and Lizzie were being kept busy at the counter by a sudden influx of tradesmen in high-vis waistcoats and hardhats and carried on in a much quieter voice.
‘He said that if it wasn’t for you and all your wonderful ideas he’d be heading back to Africa in a couple of weeks.’
‘Did he?’ I swallowed, adding sugar to my coffee without thinking.
‘Yes,’ he said, ‘he did.’
‘Did he say anything else?’
‘Well,’ said Mr Miller, shifting in his seat and looking a little uncomfortable.
‘Sorry,’ I said, ‘I shouldn’t have asked.’
‘No, it’s all right,’ he said. ‘I’m sure you already know, my dear, that he’s fallen head over heels for you.’
I nodded but didn’t answer, wondering if that still really was the case.
‘And he was quite put out the last time we spoke because I had insisted that he should make sure your references and whatnot were all up to scratch, even though you were clearly already far more to the family than just an employee.’
‘That was your idea?’ I said, feeling a flicker of hope in my chest.
‘It’s my job to protect the family’s interests,’ he said importantly. ‘It was nothing personal, Anna, but the Connellys have always had a knack for attracting members of staff with, how can I put it, unusual backgrounds, and you can’t be too careful.’
He was right, of course.
‘There was one very unfortunate, but isolated occasion,’ he went on, ‘when a rather special piece of jewellery disappeared along with a young man who was supposed to be restoring some woodwork and so—’
‘And so you see it as your job, as their solicitor,’ I finished for him, ‘to ensure that no one else who rocks up at their door is going to take them for a ride, or their fortune away in a suitcase.’
‘Exactly,’ he said, looking relieved that I understood. ‘The fact that Jamie is totally and utterly in love with you made that particular conversation really rather awkward,’ he said, gathering his papers again, ‘but I had his best interests at heart.’
‘Of course you did,’ I said.
No wonder Jamie had gone a little quiet during the last couple of days. He was no doubt feeling torn between what his heart was telling him and the difficult instructions his head was full of, courtesy of his friendly family solicitor. I have to admit my own heart did go out to him a bit. I might have had problems of my own to contend with, but then, so did he. I can’t deny I was saddened that it seemed he had entertained the idea that I might have taken the bracelet, but in his position, and having already had such an experience, might I not have had doubts myself?
‘Are you going to the hall this morning to complete the paperwork which will mean Jamie’s in charge from now on?’ I asked.
‘Yes,’ Mr Miller said, patting the pile of papers. ‘It’s all here. You are going to be there to witness the momentous event, aren’t you, Anna? I can’t imagine he would want to proceed if you weren’t there to watch him.’
Mr Dryden was surprised to find me pacing up and down the pavement, waiting for him to open up the shop, but now I had finally made up my mind I just wanted to pay for the repairs to Catherine’s bracelet and get back to the hall. I knew I had to take my place next to Jamie and watch as he signed on the dotted line – lots of dotted lines actually. David Miller had agreed to delay slightly so I would have time to get back before it all happened, but time was short and Mr Dryden was painfully slow when it came to opening up.
‘Right on the dot,’ he smiled as he let me in. ‘I didn’t expect to see you quite so early.’
‘Is the bracelet not ready?’ I frowned. ‘Do you want me to come back later?’
I was none too keen on the idea of having to drive back again, but if it was the only way then I would have to do it.
‘No, no,’ he laughed. ‘Don’t you worry. It’s all ready.’
He slipped back behind the counter and then into another room.
‘It’s in the safe,’ he said, tapping the side of his nose. ‘For safekeeping. I won’t be a minute.’
Elise would have no doubt been delighted the family jewels had been kept under lock and key, but I just wanted to grab them and go.
‘Here we are,’ he said eventually. ‘Now, what do you make of it?’
The beautiful box opened with a creak and for a second I thought he had replaced the bracelet with another. The diamonds I had dropped off were nothing compared to these sparkling jewels.
‘My goodness,’ I said, my voice catching in my throat.
‘I told you I’d give them a clean and polish, didn’t I?’ he chuckled, obviously flattered by my reaction. ‘A bit of elbow grease makes all the difference.’
‘You’re not wrong,’ I agreed, looking around the shop as the light bounced off every available surface. ‘And the clasp?’
‘As good as new,’ he said proudly. ‘Catherine will be able to wear this again in perfect safety now.’
Personally I didn’t think that if I had owned something so valuable I would have been brave enough to wear it at all, but then, what was the point of having it tucked away out of sight? If I had still been fortunate enough to have Mum’s precious cameo I knew I would have pinned it to every outfit I ever wore. I guessed that something being worth a fortune didn’t actually make any difference to its sentimental value. And as far as saving things ‘for best’, well, one day there would be no more best occasions, would there?
‘I’m sure she’ll be delighted,’ I said, thinking what a shame it was that Elise’s spiteful accusation meant that the gift was no longer going to be a surprise.
Angus had been so proud of his idea and now that awful woman had taken the shine right off the lovely gesture. I hoped she would be long gone by the time I got back to the hall.
‘What do I owe you?’ I asked, suddenly mindful of the time ticking away.
‘Nothing, my dear,’ said Mr Dryden with a dismissive wave of his hand. ‘Angus has long since had an account with me. He can settle up next time he’s in town.’
I thanked Mr Dryden heartily, accepted his seasonal salutation as graciously as I could and headed to my car for the journey back. Hopefully, if I was in time, I would have the chance to watch Jamie take over the running and responsibility of the hall.
I was more than a little disappointed to see Archie’s car still parked in the stable yard, but the situation wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
‘Where the heck have you been?’ asked the man himself, jumping out of the driving seat.
I didn’t think it was really any business of his, but my manners prevented me from telling him where to stick his questions.
‘Jamie has been frantic,’ he went on. ‘We were beginning to think you’d left for good.’
‘If you must know,’ I said haughtily, ‘I’ve been to town to collect your mother’s bracelet.’ I bit back the desire to tell him that I hadn’t switched it for a paste copy during the trip back. ‘And anyway, if you were that worried, why didn’t you just send your girlfriend into the Rose Room? I’m sure she would have worked out that I hadn’t packed my cases and done a bunk. She doesn’t miss much else.’
‘I’m so sorry about her,’ said Archie, his gaze dropping to the frosty ground. ‘I really had no idea she’d been snooping in your room.’
‘It’s all right,’ I shrugged, knowing there was no point holding a grudge against him, especially if I was going to be staying put.
‘Actually,’ he sighed, looking back towards the hall, ‘I’m sorry about a lot of things now.’
‘Like what?’
‘Oh it doesn’t matter,’ he told me, ‘just some ridiculous ideas I had in my head about this place. Ideas that Elise and her ambitious father had actually come up with and that I was stupid enough to go along with.’
His admission didn’t surprise me at all.
‘Ideas I was stupid enough to adopt as my own before I’d even thought through the potential harm I was doing,’ he mumbled. ‘I’m ashamed to admit I was flattered by the attention from the pair of them and got so caught up in their ambition that I mistook it for my own – not that that’s an excuse of course.’
He was talking about his idea to sell off the hall and turn it into a health spa, but I wasn’t going to let him know that I was aware of any of that. What with Elise to contend with and her wrath over the fake shoes, I felt he already had enough on his plate this Christmas. Right on cue, Suki and Floss appeared around the side of the stable-yard wall. Suki was already looking grubby again. Archie bent to stroke her head.
‘Elise will be furious when she sees the state of her,’ I said, stifling a smile.
‘Oh, I shouldn’t worry about that,’ said Archie, straightening back up and linking his arm through mine. ‘I packed her off in a taxi about an hour ago. We won’t be seeing her again.’
‘But what about Suki?’ I frowned. ‘How come she’s still here?’
‘I’m afraid she hasn’t turned out to be the little lapdog Elise thought she was, so she’s left her behind.’
I was sure Suki was delighted about that.
‘But what about your job?’ I gasped, only just remembering the wider implications of Elise’s disappearance.
‘Oh I think I can live without it,’ Archie laughed. ‘There’s more to life than an inflated pay cheque.’
Everyone was gathered around the table in the kitchen drinking tea when we walked in and as foolish as I felt for rushing off, my heart leapt at the sight of them all. They might not have been my family, they might not have even all been related to one another, but I felt a genuine affection for them all and was very much looking forward to becoming a part of their clan, assuming Jamie still wanted me to join, of course.
‘Where the hell have you been?’ he demanded, jumping up and rushing round the table to take me in his arms. ‘I was beginning to think you’d gone for good.’
‘She’d only popped to town,’ said Archie, rolling his eyes. ‘I told you that you were stressing for no reason. You’ve always been the dramatic one.’
Jamie didn’t appear to be taking much notice of his brother, or of anyone else for that matter.
‘I’m so sorry I doubted you,’ he whispered. ‘I’m so very sorry.’
He looked deep into my eyes.
‘It’s OK,’ I said, my voice little more than a strangled sob. ‘It’s OK.’
Without another word he began to kiss me, oblivious of the whoops, claps and cheers going on around us. It was some minutes before we came up for air and realised that Mr Miller had arrived and was setting out his pile of papers.
‘Right,’ said Jamie, pulling his special pen out of his shirt pocket, ‘tell me where I have to sign.’