‘I will,’ he cleared his throat. ‘Why didn’t you tell us you were family?’ He asked, choked with emotion.
Mr. Jones looked at Darcy and then back at Dylan. ‘You know? But how?’
Darcy sat on the arm of the chair. ‘Gareth found out while he was doing some research for me. I think it’s wonderful, don’t you Dad?’ She replied.
Dylan nodded. The tears welled in his eyes and he wiped them away with his sleeve. ‘You didn’t have to keep quiet. I’m sure our mother would’ve wanted us to get to know each other.’
Mr. Jones took a handkerchief out of his trouser pocket and wiped his eyes. ‘I’m so happy you know. I just couldn’t find a way to tell you. Mum gave me to her cousin to take care of me so I was always around the family. Except I didn’t know she was our mum until I turned eighteen and by that time she left London to start her new life with your father.’
‘Why didn’t she ever tell me about you?’ Dylan asked.
‘It was agreed way back then to keep it quiet. I don’t know, times were different then.’
‘Well, I’m sure as hell happy I know now, come here,’ Dylan rose to his feet and pulled Mr. Jones in for a hug.
Darcy was too emotional to speak, but everything that had happened over the last month suddenly made sense to her.
DARCY HEADED BACK TO the pub, looking for Gareth.
‘Are you okay?’ Asked Jess, noticing that she had been crying.
‘I’ll explain in a minute,’ she replied and fell into Gareth’s open arms.
‘I missed you today,’ he said. ‘I was worried about you after what happened – you are alright now, are you?’
‘I’m okay, yeah. I think I remember you wanted to talk about something this morning? What was it?’
‘Do you have a minute,’ he nodded to the quiet booth.
‘Sure,’ she turned to her dad who had emerged from the living room with Mr. Jones. ‘I won’t be a minute.’
‘It’s alright, love. Take all the time you need.’
Gareth took her hand, pulling her to him. ‘When I came to London, I didn’t expect to meet anyone as special as you. To be honest, I didn’t want to fall too deeply because I knew I was leaving, but...I can’t help it. I think I’m falling in love with you.’
‘I love you, too, but let’s not talk about you leaving yet. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.’
‘Meet me tomorrow after work?’ Gareth asked.
‘I’m meeting Trudy on Oxford Street, so if you want to meet me afterward, say six?’
Chapter Twelve
Linking arms to keep warm, Darcy and Trudy strolled down a busy Oxford Street admiring the Christmas window displays. She planned on getting her Christmas presents sorted today so she could concentrate on the pub, but they were having so much fun taking in the Christmas spirit and decorations. A large crowd had gathered around the shop window and they stopped to take a look.
‘All set for the wedding next week?’ Asked Darcy, pulling out her phone to snap a picture of the snowmen in the window.
‘Can’t wait, babe,’ her lips chattered in the cold. ‘Shall we get a coffee somewhere? I really need to warm up.’
‘Yeah, that’s a brilliant idea. I’m frozen.’
They began walking again. ‘So how did your father take the news about Mr. Jones?’
‘He was shocked at first as was I, but he came around to the idea pretty quick. I mean, what else could he say or do?’
‘It’s all rather strange though, isn’t it? I know I’m not the brightest spark in the box but doesn’t it seem like all this has been orchestrated? You’ve got a World War Two historian staying with you...’
‘Oh don’t be daft,’ Darcy laughed. ‘But Gareth is supposed to be leaving after Christmas and I don’t know what to do. I’ve already fallen for him.’
‘Oh come on, Darce, I think I knew this before you even realised it yourself.’
Trudy pointed to Starbucks and they walked in, grateful for the warmth. After they had ordered, they sat down on a table beside the window.
‘He’s a great guy, Darcy. Maybe you can both find a way to make it work, huh?’
‘I hope so. I’m meeting him after this.’
Darcy noticed Trudy’s face drained of colour. ‘Don’t look now but there’s Scott. I’m not even joking, Darcy.’
‘What the hell would he be doing here?’ asked Darcy. ‘And in this part of London too,’ she laughed and happened to glance behind her. Standing in the queue was Scott. ‘Oh no, Trude, how can this be? London is humungous and I happen to see him?’
‘Harvey has opened a new office not far from here. I didn’t want to tell you.’
‘Crap, so you brought me here knowing his office is only a few streets away. He can’t see us, right?’ She covers the side of her face with her hand.
A worried look crossed Trudy’s face.
‘Don’t tell me...’
‘Darcy, what are you doing here?’ Scott put a hand on her shoulder and she felt nauseated.
‘I live here.’ She didn’t want to face him but looked up anyway and almost had to stop herself from laughing. He was now a blonde with a heavy tan. She felt Trudy kick her from under the table and heard her snigger under her scarf.
‘You do? Since when?’ he asked.
Darcy couldn’t believe she was shedding tears over the idiot not so long ago. ‘Since August, not that it’s any of your business now, eh?’ She smiled and fluttered her lashes.
‘Darcy, I thought you’d be fine by now...’
‘Can you believe this?’ She said to Trudy and got up.
She felt Scott tug her coat as she was leaving. ‘Please Darce, let me explain...’
She squeezed past the queue and went outside, her chest heavy with emotion.
‘Scott, just leave her alone,’ Said Trudy.
Scott stepped in front of her, putting his hands on her arms. ‘I want to say how sorry I am...’
‘Fine, you’re sorry, can we now get on with our lives, please?’ She begged, wanting to go and meet Gareth.
Scott bent forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
‘I wish you hadn’t done that.’ Darcy took a deep breath. ‘Fine. I’ve moved on now, so I guess we can be civil to each other. It was nice seeing you, Scott. Merry Christmas.’
She left him standing on the pavement as she turned away, grateful she had the chance to say her part.
‘All end that ends well?’ Said Trudy walking in step with her.
‘I feel so much better now. Jeez, what possessed him to dye his hair though?’ Darcy burst out laughing.
‘Yeah, you’re healed alright. Time to move on.’
‘Right, I’ll leave you here because he’ll be meeting me in another five minutes.’
‘Alright, I’ll catch you later.’ She pulled her in for a hug.
Hugging her coffee cup for warmth, Darcy waited outside a busy department store, looking at the sea of faces as they passed. Twenty minutes went by and there was still no sign of him. She got her mobile and called him but the phone kept ringing. Her feet were ice cold and after a further ten minutes of texting and calling, she decided to hop on the next bus back to the pub, downhearted and confused.
Chapter Thirteen
The following morning, Darcy strolled into the bar, half asleep with a blanket around her shoulders.
‘What’s with the long face?’ asked her father who was busy sweeping the floor.
‘My date didn’t show up yesterday,’ she pulled out a chair and sat down. Darcy could talk to her father about anything.
‘The guy from upstairs?’
‘Yes, who do you think?’
‘Oh bloody hell.’ He slapped his forehead and put down the sweeping brush. ‘Darcy, did you get my message I left you on your phone?’
She sat up. ‘No,’ she pulled her phone out of her pocket. ‘Why, what’s happened?’
‘Gareth popped in yesterday just as you left with Trudy. An emergency
came up at home. He had to travel back to Dorset yesterday.’
‘What? Here’s me thinking he didn’t want to know. But why didn’t he call me?’
‘I told him I’d pass on the message. He was in such a rush, Darcy.’
She took her phone out of her dressing gown pocket and found a message from Gareth that hadn’t long come through.
Hi,
Sorry about yesterday. I’m in Dorset at the moment. See the selfie. I’ll call you as soon as possible and explain everything.’
Gx
‘I feel like an idiot,’ she exhaled and put her phone on the table.
‘When are you going to learn not to jump to conclusions? I’ll go and make us a coffee. Isn’t it your barmaid’s fashion show today?’ He asked making his way through the living area.
Darcy sniffed back tears. ‘Yeah, it is. We’ve also got some YouTube star coming to film it, too.’
She took another look at his picture, smiled and wrote him back.
I hope everything is ok. Missed you yesterday.
She had just got up from the chair when a reply came through.
Sorry, Darce. I’ll make it up to you when I get back, promise. Having a bit of a family emergency will text soon.
She went into her room and got changed into her 40’s clothes and then went to open the pub. She stepped outside onto the pavement and crossed her arms for warmth. Traffic whizzed by, and people passed by but there was no Mr. Jones.
Strange, she thought and went back inside.
‘Everything alright?’
Darcy shrugged. ‘Yeah, I suppose.’ She said and went to put the music on.
‘Penny for your thoughts?’ intoned Jess, with an entourage behind her. ‘Did you find out where Gareth got to yesterday?’
‘I did. He’s back in Dorset. A family emergency or something.’
‘See, I told you it was nothing to worry about. So, are you looking forward to today?’ she asked while pointing instructions to her friends.
‘You know I am. It’s going to be fab,’ she smiled and went to serve the group of students crowded at the bar.
‘It looks like we’ve actually stepped back in time,’ Darcy said looking around her hectic bar.
People of all ages were dressed in the 40’s style. Men wore hats and suits and women in Land Army outfits and ARP uniforms.
Someone had got up on the stage, tapped the mic to get everyone’s attention.
‘Who’s that man at the bar?’ Queried Darcy. ‘He’s been sitting there for over an hour nursing his pint.’
‘No idea, never seen him in here before. Is he with the college?’
‘No, never seen him before.’
Darcy went behind the bar. ‘Can I get you anything else?’ She asked the guy nursing his half- finished glass of beer.
‘Are you Darcy Tanner?’ He asked.
‘I am. Do I know you?’
‘No, but you know my father, Mr. Jones?’
‘Yes,’ she replied, panicking there was something wrong with him. ‘Is there anything wrong?’ She was surprised he had never mentioned his son to her.
‘He’s a bit under the weather at the moment. He asked me to come and tell you in case you wondered where he is.’
‘Oh, I hope it’s nothing too serious.’
‘Just a chest infection.’
‘I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware he had a son.’
He laughed. ‘He’s very private. I understand you know who he is now?’
‘Yes, I guess that makes us cousins, then?’
‘That’s right. It’s such a relief things are out in the open. I don’t know why he has been a stubborn bugger over all this.’
‘I don’t think anyone was more shocked than I was.’
Chapter Fourteen
Darcy switched off the television, scoffing over the report that a cold snap called The Beast From the East was due to hit all of the UK by the end of the week.
‘There’ll be pandemonium at the supermarkets, you watch,’ she remarked to her father sat on the sofa eating toast.
He nodded, still chewing. ‘I still think you’d better get a food delivery done, just in case.’
Darcy laughed, putting on her coat. ‘I believe it when I see it,’
She picked up her bag and the fresh cake she had made. ‘I’m off to see Mr. Jones, see if he’s alright. I can’t believe it though, can you, Dad?’
Dylan swallowed his toast and took a gulp of his coffee. ‘No, poor bugger. Why didn’t he ever tell you, or even try to contact us? But,’ he rose to feet, taking his empty dishes into the kitchen, ‘at least he has a family now, that’s all that matters.’
‘Yeah, bless him. I hope he can make it to the wedding. Trudy said I could invite him.’ She said, opening the living room door. ‘See you later, and Dad, listen out for a call from the delivery people. It’ll be about the order I made for the buffet.’
He didn’t respond, but Darcy was sure he had heard and left the pub. She shivered as she stepped outside into the chilly air and made her way along Praed Street to the bus stop thinking how the weather report might be right for once.
Sitting in the bus shelter with the cake propped on her lap, she removed her glove with her teeth and then pulled her phone out of her pocket. She checked the note she had made of his address and searched for it on a map on her phone.
‘What the hell!’ She blurted out. ‘How can this address not exist anymore?’
She researched his address and found that it was bombed during the war and that a new office development was built in its place.
Confused, she made her way back to the pub, hoping another regular may know where he lived.
‘Sorry, Darcy. I haven’t got a clue,’ said Arthur playing a game of cards with his pal, Harry.
‘Well, why did he give a fake address?’
The men both shrugged. ‘He’s very private, you know.’ He looked at the cake tin in her hand. ‘If there’s any cake going spare...’
Darcy sighed heavily, thinking the best course of action was to wait until he came in for a drink. ‘Sure, I’ll get you both a piece.’
Chapter Fifteen
‘Come on, we’d better get cleaning. Mam will be here soon,’ Darcy collected the previous night’s glasses and put them on the bar. There was no sign of Mr. Jones yet, which she thought was unusual.
‘Aren’t you going Christmas shopping with Trudy today?’ asked her dad.
‘Yeah, later on. Mam said she’d give you a hand behind the bar. And then tomorrow I’ve got to get this place spruced up for the wedding.’
‘Calm down, love. Plenty of time.’ He assured her with a pat on the arm.
‘Easy for you to say, she muttered. ‘My friend is relying on me to give her a good wedding reception. Not to mention all the rich, business types that will be coming too.’
‘Just be yourself, Darcy, and relax. I’ll give you a hand, but first, go and meet your mother at the station, will you? No doubt she’ll need help with her luggage. Did I tell you she bought a suitcase set from an auction site?’
‘No, but she showed me the pictures. Leopard print aren’t they? So why can’t you go?’
Dylan shrugged his shoulders.
‘Not had an argument again, have you?’
‘Only over her crazy Christmas spending, but what’s new. It’s probably why she bought the new suitcases to stuff all of her shopping in.’
Darcy opened the door not in the least surprised to see the ground covered with snow. ‘Looks like the weather report was right for once,’ she hollered to her dad. ‘There must be at least another two inches of snow here.’
‘What’s that?’ he asked, joining her by the door. ‘Bloody heck! See, I told you, didn’t I? At least the station is only up the road.’
Darcy got on her warm, camel coloured 40’s coat belonging to her great gran. ‘See you in a minute.’ She said as she left the bar. She walked along the snow-covered pavement, passed The Hilton, turned the corner and
walked down to the station’s entrance. A steady flow of disgruntled people was coming out of its entrance. That didn’t bode too well, she thought. Once inside, Darcy stood on tiptoe looking around at the sea of faces for her mother while the voice over the tannoy was talking about possible cancellations due to the weather. She found the train that had just arrived from Swansea and waited with her arms folded to keep her warm.
‘Come on,’ she shivered as cold draught slashed the back of her legs. By the turnstiles, she saw a woman with dark hair wave at her.
‘Mam, over here,’ she sashayed around the crowd of people coming at her and went to meet her mother dragging three suitcases behind her.
‘Darcy, baby,’ she put down her suitcases and pulled her in for a hug. ‘Oh, I’ve missed you.’
‘Missed you too, Mam.’ Darcy smiled and catching a whiff her mother’s floral perfume.
Sandra stepped back, appraising Darcy’s new look. ‘You look stunning. Is this part of the plan for the pub?’ she asked, passing her a suitcase and her handbag.
Darcy hooked the bag over her shoulder and took one of the suitcases. ‘Yeah. Wow, what have you got in here?’
‘Presents.’ She beamed.
They began walking towards the station’s entrance. ‘Dad’s not happy with the credit cards getting bashed again,’ she laughed. ‘He just had a moan before I left.’
‘He moans every year but he’s the first one to wake on Christmas morning. So do I get serve behind the bar? I’ve always fancied myself as a Bet Lynch from Coronation Street.’
‘Mam, I think you’re more like Kat Slater and that’s going back a bit. I can’t remember the last time I watched soaps.’ Darcy laughed.
‘SO THAT’S THE PUB TOUR,’ Darcy said to her mother, who went to serve behind the bar like a natural.
Remembering the wedding food, Darcy looked for her father in a sea of faces across the pub floor. ‘Dad?’ she called but he was busy sat around the table with a group of older gentlemen. She huffed her way around the bar, excusing herself through a tight-knit of people and tapped him on the shoulder.
Christmas Eve at Piccadilly Circus Page 7
