39
Put Straight
Unsurprisingly, I didn’t wake until very late next morning and only then because the phone was ringing.
It had stopped by the time I got to it, but immediately rang again and it was Nile, worried because he’d sent me loads of messages this morning and I hadn’t answered.
‘I finally finished the book just before five this morning and went to bed – and now you’ve woken me up,’ I complained, yawning.
‘Sorry, I didn’t imagine you’d be working that late! But when you didn’t answer and your curtains were still drawn, I got worried. If you hadn’t picked up the phone this time I was going to come over and see if you were ill.’
‘Never mind, it was probably just as well you did wake me, because I’ll have to email the book off to my agent in a minute and I need a clear head for that or goodness knows where I’ll send it instead. But once it’s gone … oh, happy day!’
‘And then perhaps you can concentrate on something else?’ he suggested.
‘True: I’ll certainly have to shift up a gear or two if the teashop is going to be ready for opening day. The bills are starting to give me nightmares.’
‘That wasn’t quite what I had in mind,’ he said, a laugh in his voice.
‘What did you want me for?’ I asked, starting to wake up a bit.
‘Bel says your boyfriend’s staying at Oldstone.’ There was a question in his voice.
‘I’d forgotten all about him!’ I exclaimed. ‘How awful of me, just landing them with him, though Bel did suggest it. And by the way, Robbie’s an ex-boyfriend – an unexpected arrival in the lost baggage department.’
‘Bel said he seemed to think you were expecting him?’
‘Robbie always thinks everyone is expecting him, even when he hasn’t told them he was coming. I knew he might be in the country before long – he’s been living in Australia – but I’d no idea when, or that he was heading up here.’
‘Apparently you’re going to Oldstone for dinner tonight and then staying on for the weekend – unless you and this Robbie are coming back to your flat instead, of course?’
‘We’re certainly not,’ I said emphatically. Being cooped up here with me might give Robbie the wrong idea. He’d certainly sounded as if he was already tending that way. ‘And remember, I’ve got that newspaper reporter interviewing me tomorrow and Sheila says we can use the library.’
‘It’s going to be practically standing-room only for dinner at Oldstone tonight,’ he said. ‘I’ll be there too – and so will Zelda, because she just rang Sheila and asked her if she’d collect her from the station.’
My heart did one of those funny thud and flip-flop things. ‘Did you invite her or is she another unexpected ex in the baggage department?’
‘I haven’t heard from her since we had the last argument, so I don’t know why she’s turning up like this – unless,’ he added grimly, ‘she’s going to try to change my mind … maybe even attempt to get Sheila onside. She knows how soft-hearted she is.’
‘Gosh, this sounds like it’s going to be a fun weekend!’ I said tartly. ‘And I’m so tired I can barely talk.’
‘Then let’s hope you regain the power of speech in time for your interview tomorrow,’ he said, before adding that he would be heading out to Oldstone about six.
‘Me too. I have a few things to sort out, and I need to find something to wear for the interview, because the reporter said he might take another picture of me. He wasn’t keen on the ones the photographer took at the teashop yesterday.’
‘You could wear that lovely dress you had on at the restaurant?’
‘It’s way too over-the-top for a Saturday morning in the country,’ I protested.
‘I don’t think you can be too over-the-top when you’re being interviewed, and anyway, the dryad look suits you.’
I shuddered slightly. ‘Don’t call me a dryad. They’re not the sweet, gentle nymphs you might think they are.’
‘Red in tooth and claw?’
‘Green,’ I told him.
The first thing I did after I put the phone down was wash my face in cold water to shock my brain into action, and then email off the book.
But then, the moment it vanished into the ether, I felt like a puppet with cut strings and wished I could just have a peaceful, laid-back weekend with the Giddings family to recover.
Instead, I’d have to sort Robbie out. If he imagined that I was going to fall into his arms now he was back, I’d have to put him right straight away. Already I felt guilty for landing him on the Giddingses and wondered what he’d been doing all day.
And now the almost mythically impossible-sounding Zelda would be there, too – and what with her late-onset baby fixation, being convinced Nile had been carrying a torch for her for over twenty years and expecting him to fall in with all her mad plans, I have to admit I was dying to see her … while stifling some lurking feelings of nervousness, jealousy and trepidation. What if she’d come to talk him round – and succeeded?
When I went downstairs to the teashop kitchen everything was quiet and empty. Jack wouldn’t be coming now unless I sent for him to do odd jobs, so apart from one final bill, that was it. I’d sort of miss him singing snippets of opera around the place, and Ross looming silently about.
It was a very clean place too, for Tilda had been and gone, leaving me a note downstairs saying she’d thought I was having a lie-in so she hadn’t disturbed me and she’d give the flat an extra good going over next time instead. She’d ripped out some catalogue pictures of steam mops and hand-held steam cleaners and left them under the teapot. I can recognize a hint when I see one. I just wasn’t sure the finances would run to anything else.
The teashop’s official inspection was on Monday, so I sorted one or two things out in the office, made a couple of calls, then noticed the time and dashed back up to the flat to pack a bag. I disregarded Nile’s suggestion about what to wear for the newspaper interview and instead packed a long jersey tunic with a silk front panel in autumn shades that I knew set off my hair, and a pair of narrow black trousers. That would do it … and then I thought of Zelda being at dinner and that maybe she would be London-smart and I would feel a mess in my usual jeans and a T-shirt, with one of Edie’s weird and wonderful knitted cardies over it.
But on the other hand, I didn’t want anyone to think I was dressing up for any particular reason …
I had a rummage on the rail that was doing service until I found an inexpensive wardrobe.
‘My new jeans, the Italian emerald-green linen top with lace inserts – and where are my malachite earrings?’ I muttered to myself, quickly folding the garments away in a slightly bigger bag than the first one I’d got out.
I was later setting off than I intended, but not as late as Nile, for I was barely half a mile along the road when his dark estate zoomed up behind me and followed me the rest of the way, despite my loitering temptingly on the straight bit in the hope he’d overtake me.
We found Sheila in the kitchen, making a start on dinner.
‘Hello, darlings – chicken casserole with herb dumplings and apple crumble with cream for afters,’ she said.
‘Straight in with the important information, as usual,’ Nile said, giving her a hug, and I followed suit.
‘I’m so sorry I landed Robbie on you without any notice yesterday,’ I apologized.
‘Oh, it’s no problem,’ she assured me. ‘He’s very nice and I got him wedging clay for me first thing, which was really useful. I’ve put him in the room almost opposite yours but he’s using the bathroom at the end of the corridor. But now Zelda’s arrived, I’m afraid she’s in the room that shares your bathroom, since we haven’t finished decorating the other letting bedroom.’
‘That’s all right,’ I said.
‘We really must sort out one of the bedrooms in the family side for you soon, darling,’ she added, to my surprise, until I realized that in tourist season they’d need my room for paying visitors.
‘There’s no need, because if you ever want my room for a paying guest, I can just stay at the flat instead,’ I told her.
‘I expect we’d squeeze you in somewhere,’ Nile said. Then he asked Sheila whether Zelda had told her why she’d turned up so suddenly.
‘No, perhaps she just wants to put things right between you,’ she suggested. ‘I didn’t really have time to chat because after I’d picked her up from the station I had work to finish off, so she and Robbie went out in his car.’
She looked at the clock. ‘I expect they’ll be back soon.’
‘I’ll take my bag up and then give you a hand with dinner,’ I offered. ‘Is everyone coming tonight?’
‘Yes, the more the merrier, I thought, and safety in numbers,’ Sheila said vaguely.
‘To dilute the awkward elements?’ suggested Nile.
‘I hope there won’t be any,’ she said optimistically.
Upstairs, my bathroom smelled of unfamiliar perfume and half the shelf space was now occupied by a large sponge bag, several lush-looking bottles and jars of cream and potions.
I felt slightly resentful of this occupation, though I shouldn’t have; I could have found myself sharing it with a random paying guest at any point. Anyway, when one of us was in the bathroom, the door to the other bedroom could be bolted, so it wasn’t a big deal.
I washed and tidied myself, then changed into my linen top and new jeans, before attempting to coax my hair into loose curls. A little makeup … and I was about to go down when there was a knock at my door.
I’d managed to forget all about Robbie again, but there before me stood six foot two of handsome, well-meaning stupidity.
‘Alice! Sheila said you’d arrived at last,’ he said, pulling me into his arms and attempting to plant a smacker on my lips, which seemed to have become an unfortunate habit. I twisted my head away and over his shoulder spotted a small, slim dark-haired woman watching us, her hand on the bedroom door further along.
‘Get off me, you idiot,’ I said, fending him away.
‘I thought you’d be glad to see me, now you’d got that damned book out of the way,’ he said, looking hurt. ‘I was telling Zelda – this is Zelda, by the way – that I didn’t warn you exactly when I was coming up because I wanted to surprise you and anyway, I couldn’t wait to see you.’
‘Hi,’ I said to Zelda, and she stared at me out of a pair of enormous pansy-brown eyes.
‘Sheila was telling me about you. In fact, you seem to be flavour of the moment around here, even though no one’s ever even mentioned you before,’ she drawled huskily. Her eyes narrowed and looked me up and down. ‘I can’t imagine why.’
‘I stayed here while I was getting my flat ready to move into, and since then I’ve been back quite a lot because I’m helping Bel and Sheila to create a café in the pottery,’ I said. Then I added pointedly, ‘I’ve heard quite a bit about you, too.’
‘From Nile, I expect,’ she said.
‘Zelda’s got things to discuss with Nile that are better done in person than on the phone,’ Robbie broke in before I could answer. ‘She arrived without telling anyone she was coming, too. Odd we should both turn up on impulse at the same time, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes, weird,’ I said. From the way they were looking at each other, like a pair of conspirators, I guessed they’d been exchanging confidences. In fact, they’d probably spent the entire afternoon telling each other their life histories.
‘We need to talk, too,’ Robbie said to me meaningfully.
‘Do we? Then I’m afraid it will just have to wait, because I’m going down to give Sheila a hand with dinner,’ I said quickly. ‘Where did you both get to, today, somewhere nice?’
‘Oh, we found a pub – the Standing Stones,’ he said.
‘I know it, it’s over Blackdog Moor towards Upvale.’
‘No idea where it was – we just drove and stopped at the first sign of civilization. It was cosy, with a wood fire, and since the rain was setting in we stayed put. It had good internet connection, too.’
‘Your joy must have been unconfined,’ I said, and he gave me an uncertain look. He’d never really understood my sense of humour.
‘I’d better go and change,’ Zelda said. ‘I’ll leave you two to have a chat.’
‘Yes, come on, Alice,’ Robbie said. ‘I’m sure they can manage dinner without you.’
‘Oh, all right,’ I said, giving in and letting him into my room, though I left the door open like a Victorian miss.
He is not the sharpest knife in the box, but after five minutes I’d managed to get it into his head that although delighted to see him, and very fond of him, I hadn’t the slightest intention of ever being more than good friends.
‘I don’t know why you thought we could just take up where we left off when you emigrated to Australia,’ I said. ‘I mean, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then and we’re different people from when we first met. I can’t simply turn the clock back on my emotions.’
‘But I was hoping to take you back to visit my parents,’ he said, as if that made any difference to anything.
‘Robbie, I’m opening a teashop in less than a fortnight and I’m overwhelmed with things to do before that. I put everything on hold while I finished the novel, but now I’ve got to get on with it and there’s no way I’m going anywhere for weeks, if not months!’
He looked baffled. I think he’d had a scenario in his head and things were not going the way he’d expected them to.
‘Think it through,’ I said to him. ‘I’m now permanently settled up here, while you live in Australia. That’s rather a long distance away.’
‘But I told you I might move back – with the right incentive.’
‘If you mean me, then forget it!’
‘Have you met someone else?’ he asked with sudden suspicion.
‘Yes, I’m secretly betrothed to Prince William,’ I said rather wearily and he grinned. It was just as well I’d only switched on the shaded wall lights, because I could feel my face burning slightly.
‘No, I mean really, have you?’ he repeated.
‘Just wait till you see the tiara I’ve borrowed from the Queen to wear for dinner tonight,’ I said flippantly.
We went round the conversational circle for a little while longer, but after a bit he seemed to have convinced himself that he’d just been a bit quick off the mark after Dan’s death and I simply needed a little more time to adjust to the idea of us getting back together again. Then he took himself off to get ready for dinner, while I went down.
Zelda had looked very small and extremely pretty in a cute kind of way and, remembering that, I suddenly felt as huge as a dinosaur.
I wondered if Sheila was right about why she’d turned up.