‘It wasn’t Sid, was it?’
Aidan chuckled softly. ‘If only. This guy was a lot nastier than Sid. So the boy and his family kept running, from country to country, and along the way they lost their loved ones who got separated from them or captured or just got ill and died, until the only ones left were the boy and his mum. They found their way to a port and a kind fisherman took pity on them and let them stow away in the bottom of his boat so they could cross the sea to England, where they’d heard they could be free. They found their way to London and they managed to get a place to live. It wasn’t great and life was tough, but they were thankful to be safe. But just as they started to settle the bombs started to fall and all the children had to leave. The boy said goodbye to his mum, not knowing when he’d see her again, and he got on a train with all the other kids to the countryside to stay with people he’d never met. The other kids on the train teased him – they told him the people in the village wouldn’t want him because his accent was funny and his nose was big and his ears stuck out and he walked with a limp. He’d never been so scared, even when he was being hunted across Europe, because that was a different kind of fear. Nobody wants to be rejected, especially not a young boy.
‘But when he got there a family came to meet him at the railway station and he saw in their faces right away that they wouldn’t reject him. They took him to a tiny cottage where he had to share a bedroom with their own son, but they treated him kindly and it had been a long time since he’d felt so safe. Then, one day he was told he’d be going back to London with all the other kids because the bombs had stopped. He was sad to be leaving the people who’d cared for him, but he’d missed his mum so he was happy to go.
‘But when he got there his house was gone and he discovered that his mum had been in it when the bomb fell. He didn’t know what to do or where to go. Nobody in London wanted him. The only friends he had in the whole world were the family he’d lived with while the bombs had been falling on London and even they weren’t really his… They were a borrowed family who’d simply done their bit for the war effort.
‘The days went on and he kept thinking about that place in the countryside. Even if he had to sleep under hedgerows it had to be better than sleeping on bomb-shattered streets. So he scraped as much money together as he could. He wasn’t proud to say it in the years to follow, but he stole and he begged and he sold the food the church had given him to survive and eventually he had a train fare.
‘He arrived in that village and he didn’t even know what would happen. The family would probably turn him away – he wasn’t their problem anymore. He walked to their house anyway because he didn’t have anywhere else to go and he told them everything…’
‘And what happened?’
‘The family who had once welcomed him as an evacuee now welcomed him back as a son. They took him in without a single question and they treated him just the same as they treated their own boy. He grew up in that village, and he married there and had sons of his own, and he spent the rest of his days there. You want to know who the boy was?’
‘Who?’
‘My granddad, Josef Aaronson. His mother had dropped the As from their name to make it sound more English, though he needn’t have worried about that here in Honeymoon. Still, that’s how we became Ronson. He came to Honeymoon full of doubt, full of fear, not knowing if he’d be accepted, but with hopes of a new life.’ Aidan smiled slightly. ‘Sound like anyone you know?’
‘Wow…’ Emma sat back in her chair. ‘I didn’t know… Your granddad must have been so brave.’
‘What I’m trying to say is what my granddad always told me about Honeymoon: there’s a kind of magic about it – it’s special. If you let it, it will save you.’
‘I’m not like Josef. I’m just a stupid woman who doesn’t know what she wants.’
‘No, you’re not like Josef, but you’re not stupid either. And I think you could use a little of that magic just the same.’
She twiddled with the handle of her cup, wondering what on earth she could say in reply to what he’d just told her that wouldn’t sound trite or flippant, but she couldn’t think of anything.
‘Thank you,’ she said finally.
He drank the last of his tea and stood to leave. ‘You’re welcome.’
‘That one’s not tragic enough for the tour,’ she said with a faint smile as he started to leave. ‘I mean, it’s tragic, but it has a nice ending.’
‘Good,’ he said. ‘That was kind of the point.’
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tia did her best to go through every little detail of what had happened at Honeymoon Station that day, careful to keep Emma completely in the loop. She’d been pleased to report that the scaffolding was up and the roof repairs were well underway, and that it was a big step towards making real progress on the renovations. It also meant no more reasons for Emma to get on the roof, an observation Emma had to acknowledge with a sheepish smile.
Tia had her head in the fridge, pondering what to cook for their supper when Emma stopped her.
‘Let’s eat at the pub tonight.’
Tia turned with a frown. ‘But the money—’
‘We need this. Why don’t we put it down as an essential expense?’
‘You’re sure you’re up to it? You must be tired.’
‘I’ve done nothing all day; I’m pretty sure I can manage to stay awake for a couple of hours at the pub. Why don’t you tell Blake to come and meet us there?’
‘Really?’
‘Sure. He’s your boyfriend – maybe I ought to be making more of an effort.’
Tia beamed at her. ‘I’ll get showered and I’ll be ready in five!’
A cheer went up when Emma and Tia walked into the Randy Shepherd. Blake seemed to be the ringleader and grinned broadly at them.
‘I knew she’d come round to the delights of the Shepherd eventually!’ he said, laughing.
Aidan stood at the bar with him. Had Tia told Blake to make certain he was there or had he just decided to come anyway? He gave Emma a knowing smile and she wondered if he’d told Blake about their conversation that morning and that she now knew the story of how their granddad had come to settle in Honeymoon.
‘What are you having, Emma?’ the barman asked as they made their way over. He stuck out a hand to her. ‘I’m Walt, landlord. First one’s on the house, my love.’
Emma shook his hand. ‘Wow, thank you. I’ll have a lager… Not sure what you’ve got but I’m not fussy.’
‘I’ve got just the thing,’ Walt said, taking a glass from the shelf. He turned to Tia. ‘Your usual, my love?’
‘Thanks, Walt,’ Tia said.
A few people stepped forward to say hello to Emma as Walt got their drinks. June, who they already knew, of course, clinging to a sweet sherry in a tiny glass; Betty, who was June’s friend; a slightly younger couple called Wendy and Jim who ran the post office; Barnaby, who tended the grounds of the church and kept the pots and flower beds around the village looking lush and weed-free; a lady named Tulip who said she did nothing in particular except live off her husband’s generous pension and didn’t care who knew she was a lady of leisure; and a pair of farmers called Stan and Ollie, which everyone still found hilarious after fifty years of them being in the village. They assured Emma that they weren’t as accident-prone as their Hollywood namesakes, and – they added with a grin at her cast – certainly not as accident-prone as she was.
Everyone crowded round. They asked about her arm, about how she’d come to break it, where she’d lived before Honeymoon, how she knew Tia, what her family did and whether they’d join her to live in the village once the hotel was open, what their plans for the hotel were, and how it was that she hadn’t punched Sid in the face yet. They were all interested in everything and Emma had never felt so fascinating before.
During a rare let-up, Aidan sidled over. ‘I’m glad you came.’
Emma smiled up at him. ‘Me too. I feel a bit of a miserabl
e cow for not doing it before.’
He glanced across to where Blake was sitting at a table with Tia. Their heads were close as they talked, and it was obvious they had eyes for nobody but each other. ‘I kind of get why you might have felt it wasn’t really for you. But what you should have remembered is that they’re not the only people in Honeymoon.’
‘I know. I’ll remember it from now on.’
‘So you’re staying?’
‘Maybe for now.’
He raised his glass to his lips, but the look he gave her bordered on exasperated. ‘Only for now?’
She gave a small smile. ‘Maybe I could manage a bit longer than that.’
He set his glass down on the bar. ‘You’ve got friends here, don’t forget that. When you think things are getting on top of you, tell us – we want to help.’
‘Ah, people have their own worries; they don’t want to add mine to them.’
‘Would you stop doing that! There’s no shame in admitting you can’t do everything on your own. Being able to ask doesn’t make you weak; it makes you strong. It means you recognise your shortcomings and will do what it takes to put things right.’
‘Got it,’ she said.
Aidan regarded her carefully for a moment. ‘I don’t think you really have.’
‘Maybe it’s a work in progress then.’
‘Well I suppose a work in progress is better than nothing.’
When Emma glanced up again, she saw that Tia was now alone at her table and Blake was making his way over. He seemed suddenly anxious.
‘Got a minute, bro?’ he asked Aidan, who looked at Emma.
‘Don’t mind me,’ she said. ‘I’ll go and keep Tia company for a bit.’
Tia smiled up at her as she made her way over. ‘How are you bearing up?’
Emma took a seat. She cast a quick glance around the room. It was furnished in warm woods, claret-and-gold carpets and curtains, and printed copies of oil paintings of the surrounding countryside. The decor looked old and traditional, but well cared for and very clean.
‘Good,’ she said. ‘It’s nice in here, isn’t it?’
‘I like it. I’m sure all my old friends from the gym back home would think it’s horrible. Maybe I would have too back then, but I love it here now.’
Emma smiled at her. She had a feeling that had more to do with the people who came to the pub rather than the pub itself – one in particular. But she simply nodded.
‘You want to eat soon?’ Tia asked.
‘You know what?’ Emma said. ‘I’m not too hungry now. All day I’ve been snacking out of boredom – I’ve probably eaten so many biscuits I won’t be able to eat for another month.’
‘I’m not that hungry either to be honest,’ Tia said. ‘And Walt looks quite busy on the bar so I feel a bit bad asking him to get the kitchen going.’
‘He does look like he has his hands full. Doesn’t he have anyone else helping?’
‘Candace, but it’s her night off.’
‘And he doesn’t have anyone else?’
Tia laughed. ‘This is Honeymoon. Why would he need anyone else?’
Emma grinned. ‘True. I suppose most of the time they don’t have enough customers to keep Walt and Candace busy, let alone anyone else.’
‘Exactly. If you want food here it can be a bit hit-and-miss if they’re busy on the bar but you get used to it. There’s a fish and chip shop in the next village – Blake’s taken me there a few times. If we get hungry later we can always drive out to it.’
‘I think we’ll both be too drunk for that,’ Emma said. ‘Walt seems determined to make sure I’m legless for my first visit.’
‘Well don’t fall over on your other arm, for goodness’ sake.’
‘I’ll try not to.’
There was a pause. Emma glanced over to the bar, where June and her friend Betty were now singing some unrecognisable old song while Tulip clapped along. Aidan and Blake seemed deep in conversation, and it looked quite intense.
‘Em… do you think Blake’s weird tonight?’
‘In what way?’
‘I don’t know… like he’s nervous.’
‘He certainly didn’t sound nervous when we came in, the way he was making fun of me.’
Tia smiled. ‘True. His humour is one of the things I love about him.’
Emma hadn’t noticed that Blake was especially funny, but each to their own. She supposed Tia saw him in a very different way than she did. Personally, she’d take Aidan’s intelligent wit any day. Her gaze went across to the bar again to where he was talking to his brother. He was wearing a soft woollen sweater in a forest green that suited him well, and his hair was still a little damp after the shower he must have had before he’d set out, and she didn’t think she’d ever seen him look so good.
She shook herself and noticed now that Tia was watching them too.
‘They look very serious,’ she said.
Emma craned to get another look, and as she whipped round in her seat her knee hit the table and knocked Tia’s drink over.
‘Oh shit! I’ll go and get a cloth.’
‘It’s OK, I’ll go—’
‘Don’t be daft,’ Emma said. ‘I made the mess. I’ll go – it won’t take a sec.’
She strode to the bar. Aidan and Blake were so deep in conversation they barely noticed her.
‘Walt… I’m sorry, do you have a cloth? I’ve managed to knock Tia’s drink over. And could you do a refill for her too?’
‘No worries, my love,’ Walt said cheerfully. ‘Give me a tick.’
Emma waited. People in the bar had moved on to their own conversations now, which was fine by her as she’d found the attention earlier a little unnerving. Completely unconsciously, she found herself homing in on Aidan’s voice.
‘You don’t think it’s a bit soon?’
‘No,’ she heard Blake reply. ‘It’s not like it was with Stacey. She’s the one – I know she is.’
‘So you want to ask her tonight?’
‘I don’t see the point in waiting. If Emma goes, I don’t want her to go too. This way, she’ll stay no matter what happens.’
‘That’s if she says yes, of course.’
‘She’ll say yes.’
‘You’re sure about that?’
‘Yeah, I think so.’ Blake sounded suddenly anxious again. ‘Do you think she might say no?’
‘I think she’s mad about you, but she’s just got divorced.’
‘That was months ago.’
‘It will still be new to her.’
‘I don’t want to wait, bro. I can’t wait – I need to know she’ll stay in Honeymoon.’
‘You’re taking a risk.’
‘That’s what you think?’
‘Yes.’
‘What if I told you I’m doing it anyway?’
‘Then I’d hope she says yes. I’d get to be your best man?’
‘As if there was ever anyone else…’
Emma was pulled from the conversation by a tap on her shoulder.
‘Your cloth, my love.’
‘Oh…’ she said, reeling from what she’d just heard. ‘Thanks, Walt.’
‘I’ll bring your friend’s drink over if you like. And one for yourself too?’
‘Yeah… sure.’
Emma made her way back to the table. Was Blake planning to propose to Tia? It sounded like it. Should she warn her? What if she said no? It would be terribly awkward to work with him on the hotel then, and Aidan had a point – Tia had just got out of a painful marriage and there was every chance she wouldn’t want to go there again for a long time.
Even more troubling was the prospect of Tia saying yes. Where would that leave Emma? She’d just decided to give Honeymoon another try, to make an effort to fit in and build a life here, and she was feeling optimistic about the hotel again, but Tia getting married would change everything. She wouldn’t want to live with Emma at the hotel for a start, which had been the plan all along so they coul
d be on site to run things. If she was married she’d want to live with Blake. He’d want that too, but she doubted he’d go as far as living at the hotel so they could be together.
Wordlessly, Emma began to mop at the drink on the table.
‘Everything alright?’ Tia asked.
‘Yes, sorry, I…’
‘Here’s your drink!’ Walt said cheerfully, putting it down. ‘And one for you, Emma my love… Want me to take that cloth for you now?’
‘Oh, thanks, Walt.’
Emma handed it over and he left them again. She’d just decided she was going to warn Tia about Blake’s plans when Aidan came to the table.
‘Moon’s huge tonight, Em,’ he said. ‘Corn moon. Want to come and see it?’
Tia looked confused. Perhaps she was wondering why Aidan was asking Emma but not her, but Emma knew the answer to that. A second later, as Aidan was leading Emma out, Blake went to the table and sat down with Tia again. Emma flicked a last glance behind her as they left the interior of the pub, just in time to see Blake get up again and kneel in front of her.
Emma shivered as they stood outside. She could just make out the shadows of bats circling the eaves of the pub. She wondered if they were related to the bats that lived in the roof of their cottage.
‘Are you cold?’ Aidan asked.
‘A bit, but it’s alright.’
‘If I was any kind of gent I’d offer you a jacket but I haven’t brought one out.’
‘That’s alright,’ Emma said. She perched on a wooden bench in the beer garden and looked up. The night was clear now, the sky peppered with stars, and the moon bore down as if about to fall to earth, amber and luminous and completely stunning. ‘It’s huge. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it that big.’
‘It’s a beaut, isn’t it?’
‘So why’s it called a corn moon?’
‘To do with harvest time. Corn moon, barley moon, fruit moon… Last full moon of the summer.’
‘I’ve never really noticed it before.’
‘But you must have noticed sometimes the moon looks bigger than at others?’
The Hotel at Honeymoon Station : A totally heartwarming romance about new beginnings Page 24
