‘Remind me again why I agreed to this?’ Caroline muttered the following evening as she hurried to keep up with Anna. The party included Charlotte and her husband Simon and a couple of Anna’s friends from the nursery pickup and their children, and the destination was a rather damp looking marquee in the middle of one of the village rugby pitches. The mist had been rolling in off the Mendip Hills all day, and there was a dampness in the air that was at odds with the late spring season. Caroline was still getting used to West Country weather, which, even by British standards, was unpredictable, and she could feel the dew from the grass seeping through her Converse trainers as she walked.
‘It’ll be a laugh,’ Anna replied, holding Ellie’s hand. ‘Besides, there’ll be enough cider to keep everyone warm and you’ll be dancing your socks off by the end of the night.’
‘We’ll see about that,’ Caroline said, taking Ellie’s other hand.
Charlotte, who was keeping the drizzle off her curly red hair with a battered trilby, glanced back at Caroline. ‘Not to mention the bucking bronco,’ she said mischievously. ‘Which is bound to look more attractive after a few pints!’
Caroline laughed. Despite the damp weather, Charlotte’s irrepressible sense of fun was infectious, although she was absolutely certain she’d be going nowhere near the bucking bronco, which was a large mechanical bull set inside what looked like a bouncy castle. The kids, and later the more inebriated adults, could have that one; she didn’t fancy losing her balance or her dignity.
As they approached the marquee they could hear the sound of the first band warming up for their set. A pleasing mix of blues and folk, the music went perfectly with the enticing smell of the hog roast and the sight of the bar staff already pulling pints of Carter’s Cider. Caroline looked around the crowded marquee. She smiled at a couple in their mid sixties, who were sipping pints of cider and swaying to the beat of the band, and noticed Anna’s parents standing next to them, also cradling plastic pint glasses of Carter’s Gold, their bestselling variety. Straw bales were scattered around the inside of the marquee, and there were a few optimistically positioned in the open near to where the hog roast was situated. A couple of hardy souls were ignoring the Somerset ‘mizzle’, that odd combination of mist and rain that is so prevalent in these parts, and chomping on the first servings from the spit. Caroline’s stomach rumbled at the aroma. She resolved to have a slice or two of the hog roast later; certainly before she’d had too many ciders, the first of which Jonathan was now bringing over to her in a pint glass.
‘Hi,’ he said, handing her the glass. ‘Didn’t know you were coming to this.’
Caroline was flattered by his obvious pleasure at seeing her. She liked him when he was caught on the hop; somehow it seemed to balance out those occasions when his charm was just that little bit too practised. ‘I thought I’d come along and see what the village does for fun.’
Jonathan laughed. ‘Well, it’s not all straw bales and hog roasts, but we do tend to do this sort of thing quite well.’ He was wearing a blue and black checked shirt over a black t-shirt and jeans and Caroline was amused to notice the Carter’s Cider logo embroidered on the pocket of the shirt. It wasn’t Jonathan’s usual style.
‘Are you on duty tonight?’ Caroline asked, gesturing to the logo.
‘Not exactly, but they were a bit short behind the bar so I said I’d step in for an hour before the rest of the volunteers get here.’ He glanced back to the bar. ‘Speaking of which, I should probably get on with it.’
‘Are you any good at pulling pints?’ Caroline asked as he turned back to where the makeshift bar was.
‘Goes with the territory!’ Jonathan called over his shoulder.
‘I’ll bear that in mind if we’re short-staffed at the restaurant,’ Caroline smiled. She watched Jonathan lope back to the bar, head and shoulders above most people in the marquee.
‘Typical that,’ Charlotte snorted.
‘What?’ Caroline turned to where Charlotte was standing, Simon having shot off to the bar the minute they got to the marquee.
‘Mr Charming brings you a pint but forgets about the rest of us.’ Charlotte’s eyes were sparkling with mischief. ‘Anna said he’s got a bit of a thing for you.’
Caroline’s face grew warm. ‘Rubbish,’ she said, sipping her pint, trying to forget the night of the wedding. ‘He’s just being friendly. Probably doesn’t want me to bring the restaurant into disrepute before it’s opened. Besides, he’s my boss.’
‘I’d make that your first and last pint, then!’ Charlotte said, taking her own pint of Gold from a returning Simon. ‘Or you’ll end up being posted on Facebook astride that bucking bronco.’
‘Not a chance!’ Caroline said.
‘I quite fancy a go later,’ Charlotte said. ‘Although we’ll be lucky if we get near it, the amount of kids who are queuing up.’ There was already a not insubstantial queue of children and teenagers all waiting to pay their fifty pence to see how long they could hang on to the mechanical bull.
‘I wouldn’t risk it,’ Simon said, looking fondly at his wife. ‘Your shoulder’s only just recovered from the last time you dislocated it. It would be just like you to fall and pop it back out again.’
‘Spoilsport,’ Charlotte replied. ‘Although I see Evan’s already queuing up with Ellie and Anna.’
‘She’s not thinking about going on there is she?’ Caroline said unguardedly. Kicking herself, she turned back to see Charlotte’s curious look. ‘I mean… she’s been complaining about putting her back out again. She shouldn’t risk it.’ Caroline wasn’t quite sure if Anna had told Charlotte her new baby news yet.
‘She’s far too sensible for that,’ Charlotte said, seemingly accepting Caroline’s explanation. ‘But Ellie loves a bit of excitement, so I’m sure she’ll have a go. You might have to go on with her.’
‘I’m sure Merry will be game,’ Caroline said.
‘Oh, she’s not coming tonight,’ Charlotte replied. ‘Cried off with some revision crisis, Anna says.’
Caroline was surprised. Meredith was usually first in line at a village event; if nothing else, it was a chance to hang out with friends without having Matthew nagging at her. Then she remembered; poor Meredith was in the midst of GCSE exams.
A little later, and Caroline was beginning to feel the effects of the cider. It felt good to get out and to be at the heart of the community she was starting to call home. She didn’t know how much time she’d have once the restaurant opened to go to events like this, so she tried to make the most of it while she could.
Jonathan was still busy pulling pints behind the bar, although Mathew had offered to take over from him, and had ended up serving too. It felt vaguely incongruous to see the Managing Directors of the cider farm assuming the roles of bartenders for the night, but they seemed to be enjoying it. Caroline found that she was looking Jonathan’s way a little more than was professional; clocking the conversations he was having, the smiles he was giving, and finding herself looking away if he glanced in her direction. She felt a bit like a fourteen year old at a school disco.
‘Aunty Caroline!’ Ellie, up past her bedtime and loving every minute of it, caught hold of Caroline’s free hand. ‘Come and have a go on the cow with me! Mummy says I’m too little to go by myself, but you can come with me, can’t you?’
‘Well…’ Caroline started. The last thing she wanted was to fling herself over the bucking bronco, but she never could say no to her niece. ‘What about Matthew?’ she hedged, seeing Ellie’s stepfather, released from his duties at the bar, engrossed in conversation with a man at the edge of the stage where the next band were due to perform.
‘He’s got a poorly knee,’ Ellie said. ‘And Mummy’s got a baby in her tummy so she can’t.’
‘Sshh,’ Caroline whispered, wary of just how many people knew about Anna’s pregnancy. It hadn’t quite been the full twelve weeks yet.
‘Please,’ Ellie cajoled.
‘Oh, all right then!’ Caroline said, allowing herself to be dragged by the hand to the back of the queue.
In a short time it was Ellie and Caroline’s turn. Having witnessed a couple of kids and a rather ambitious (and inebriated) twenty something being chucked off the bull, Caroline was glad she’d opted for skinny jeans. Slipping off her trainers and putting them beside Ellie’s wellington boots, she followed Ellie onto the inflatable area. She lifted Ellie up onto the back of the mechanical bull and then, steeling herself, she bounced on the air cushion and flung one leg over the back.
A chorus of cheers and wolf whistles from the onlookers, led by Matthew and Anna, made her smile as she put her arms around her niece and held the handle on the top of the mechanical bull. At first, the operator went carefully, mindful of Ellie’s age and Caroline’s nerves, but after about thirty seconds of sedate twists and turns, he ramped up the pace and Caroline found herself clinging on for dear life. Ellie squealed with excitement and in another few seconds they both landed on the air cushion, giggling.
‘Again!’ Ellie laughed, jumping up. ‘Come on, Aunty Caroline.’
After another go, with pretty much the same result, Caroline was glad to stagger off the air cushion and reclaim the remains of her pint of cider that Charlotte had been holding for her.
‘You’re braver than I am,’ Charlotte said. ‘I’m going to need a fair few more pints before I attempt it.’
Caroline laughed. ‘It’s not so bad.’
‘Well done,’ came a voice from behind her. Turning, she saw a fresh pint of cider with Jonathan on the end of it. ‘She’s been mithering all afternoon for a go on that, ever since Matthew told her about it. But now you’ve taken one for the team!’
‘Aunt’s duty,’ Caroline said, slipping the new pint of cider inside the empty plastic glass. ‘And she made a pretty good case as to why Matthew and Anna couldn’t go on it with her. I wonder why she didn’t think of her new Uncle Jonathan, though!’
‘Why do you think I’ve been hiding behind the bar all this time?’ Jonathan laughed. ‘But thankfully now I’m off duty for a bit.’ He sipped his own pint of cider and then glanced at one of the large bales of straw that was placed around the stage area where the next band was due to start playing soon. ‘I’m going to bag myself a seat. Would you like to join me?’
‘I’d better get this one back to her mum and dad first,’ Caroline said, squeezing Ellie’s hand. Her heart lurched at the unintentional slip. ‘I mean…’
‘I know what you mean,’ Jonathan said softly. ‘And I’m sure he’d be flattered to be called that.’
Caroline nodded, eyes suddenly feeling too bright and too hot. ‘Come on,’ she said to her niece. ‘Mummy will want to see you dance before it gets too late.’
‘OK,’ Ellie replied, apparently unaware of her aunt’s sudden shift in mood. Thankfully, by the time they had crossed the marquee, navigating their way through the now thick crowd of hoedowners, Caroline had blinked away her tears. This new life still took some getting used to, she thought. And it probably would for a while yet. This was a new beginning in so many ways; Caroline just hoped the book would stay closed on a few chapters of her old life. She cherished her memories of her brother James, of course, but there were several other things that were best left in her past, including the man in the photo.