by Lucy Coleman
‘And a good lunch it will be, I’m sure,’ I muse, smiling at him.
His eyes light up and I can see that he feels he’s been rumbled. ‘I’m in need of some home-cooking today,’ he replies, sounding sorry for himself, which is not like Fisher.
‘What’s up? Anything I can help with?’
‘No. I’m just wrestling with the decision about whether or not to make the formal application to take early retirement the Christmas after next and start the ball rolling. As you know, it was a foregone conclusion. But… well, what was once a no-brainer now has question marks all over it.’
‘If you want to come round to Lock Keeper’s Cottage one evening for a quiet chat—’ I stop short, remembering that, if this latest hiccough at the cottage is as bad as my gut instincts are warning me, I might be moving out for a while. ‘On second thoughts, it would be easier if I come to you. All is not well back at the cottage, apparently, and there might not be a quick fix.’
Fisher shakes his head, sadly. ‘That’s disappointing to hear, Immi. It can’t be easy juggling everything you have on your plate, with the constant upheaval going on around you. And thanks, I will be in touch, as I’d like to run a couple of things past you before I say anything to Val.’
‘What on earth?’ I stand with my mouth open, unable to believe the devastation.
‘It looks a lot worse than it is, Immi,’ Reggie calls out as he hurries over to me.
The beautiful, old flagstone patio to the rear of Lock Keeper’s Cottage is now little more than a mud pit and in the centre of it is a big hole.
‘Has Tollie seen this?’ I ask, hardly daring to think about his reaction.
‘Yes, he heard the commotion when the pipe fractured. We calmed him down and he instructed us to remove the flagstones, which are now safely stacked in the outhouse, so don’t worry.’
‘Where is Tollie now?’
‘He’s in The Retreat, he umm… has a visitor.’
The original patio area is Tollie’s pride and joy, and now it’s just a muddy expanse.
‘What happened?’ It’s hard to mask the anxiety I’m feeling. The sweeping border of perennial lady’s mantle, with their soft round leaves, has been decimated and the spiky blue sea holly with the steely blue stems have all been flattened. The gush of water was obviously so fierce that it has also washed out much of the soil. It’s a total mess.
‘The pipes are old, Immi. Everything needs replacing and, having had a look, I’m afraid that includes the septic tank. I didn’t like to ask Tollie the question, but why on earth wasn’t all of this dug up when the work was done on The Retreat? It would have been easier to link the two together and get it all sorted in one go.’ Reggie’s frustration is clear.
‘I know, and that makes perfect sense now, but it wasn’t that simple at the time.’ When I turned eighteen, I wanted to spread my wings a little. While I would never leave Tollie on his own, I wanted my privacy. The decision was made to use the legacy my dad left me to turn The Retreat from a basic rental property into my future home. The property was put in my name, but Tollie didn’t want me to limit my options for the future in case I ever wanted to move away. ‘It’s a totally independent building and, if necessary, could be divided off and sold as a separate dwelling.’
Reggie scratches his head, staring at me as if that’s a crazy idea. ‘And now that Lock Keeper’s Cottage is home for you and Gray, you’re landed with an unexpected expense.’
‘I know. It means a lot to Tollie that we turn the cottage into our forever home,’ I explain. I couldn’t see beyond the excitement of having my own place, at the time. Getting married, or even moving into the cottage, wasn’t something I’d given any thought to whatsoever.
Reggie raises his eyebrows, a grim expression on his face. ‘Well, this is the price you pay, I’m afraid. We’ll have to run new pipes from the stopcock right through to where the supply feeds into the property, which is out on the towpath. The water pipe runs along the side of the cottage and around the back, as the stop tap is in the kitchen. When we dug up the footings for the extension on the other side, we didn’t find any pipes at all. What I can’t figure out is that, when we fitted the new kitchen, the pipework coming up through the concrete floor was fairly new, so this is a real shock looking into the hole and seeing the state of it.’
‘The kitchen flooded a few years back and it was something to do with the water pipe under the sink. I remember the plumber drilling out a hole in the concrete floor and then cementing it back up afterwards,’ I confirm. ‘At the time it was simply an inconvenience as the water had seeped through into the sitting room and the carpet had to be replaced.’
I try hard not to sigh. The budget Gray and I allocated for the new extension includes the cost of the re-plumbing work so that part of it has already been spent. All we have left that isn’t already earmarked is the contingency fund and some money we’ve set aside to buy new furniture.
‘Can you give me a ball-park figure of the cost to put it right?’
‘Well, a robust, low-maintenance sewage-treatment system like a Bio-Pure is going to set you back probably three and a half grand alone.’
‘And the cost of the labour involved to do both jobs?’
‘Another couple of grand, at least. It depends on whether we hit any snags. It’s going to add at least a couple of weeks, maybe a month to the deadline, Immi. I’ll need to sort our schedule and see who I can free up to help out with the trench work. But in the meantime, there will be no facilities in the cottage whatsoever.’
The look of sympathy on Reggie’s face is sincere.
‘Well, I suppose I’m glad this happened now and not after the building work was completed. I’ll pop in to have a word with Tollie next.’
‘The office will email you a detailed breakdown of the costs as soon as the final figures are available. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Immi, when the end was nearly in sight. If we’d been made aware of the age of those pipes it would have been the first thing we tackled.’
‘It’s not your fault, Reggie, and thanks for being diplomatic with Tollie. I’ve been on at him for the last ten years about letting things slide and I know he’s going to feel guilty about it now. I suppose the upside is that everything will be new.’
As I turn and walk across to The Retreat, the figures are going around and around inside my head. We are definitely heading for a significant overspend and it’s money Gray and I simply don’t have. And, unfortunately, there isn’t a penny spare in the wedding budget, which was modest to begin with. I won’t break the news to Gray until he’s back on Friday and by then, hopefully, I will have a better idea of what the bottom line will be.
3
The Surprises Keep on Coming
‘Well, this is rather pleasant,’ Rona says, picking up her cup of Earl Grey tea and nestling back against the cushions on Val’s sofa. She’s obviously delighted to be involved in the wedding planning, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself.
Ziggy appears and after making sure she gets a stroke from each of us, she runs back upstairs, no doubt to settle down under the bed.
Val has been baking and it doesn’t take any encouragement at all to get me to tuck into one of her spiced-apple buns. ‘Mmm…’ I mumble as I savour the first mouthful. ‘This is delicious and what a treat to perk me up. Wednesday is always a bit of a slump day for me. At least when tomorrow dawns I can say that Gray will be home the following day.’
Both Rona and Val look at me, their expressions tinged with sadness.
‘It’s such a pity that Gray is back working in London again.’ I know that Rona misses her son as much as I do.
‘Come on, ladies, let’s not dwell on things we can’t change. Let’s figure out where things stand so we can draw up an action plan. I was beginning to think this wedding was going to end up being postponed for a second time and we can’t have that, can we?’ Val states, matter-of-factly.
Having just picked up a second bun
and taken a huge bite, I smile back at her, gratefully.
‘It’s so exciting,’ Rona replies. ‘After the disappointment of moving back into The Retreat, this will help to raise your spirits, Immi.’
I demolish what’s left of the bun and quickly wipe my mouth. ‘Talking of Tollie… do either of you know a woman named Daphne Harris?’
Val shakes her head, but Rona leans forward to place her empty cup on the coffee table and I notice she’s pressing her lips together, as if deep in thought. ‘Well, it might not be the same woman, but shortly after I moved to Aysbury I had a call from someone of that name. She lives at Middle Norton. Daphne runs the Women’s Institute there and one of my old friends put us in touch. Why?’
‘Tollie mentioned her name in passing,’ I reply, trying to sound only mildly curious.
However, the two women look at each other, puzzled by my interest.
‘She’s not from Aysbury. I can’t ever recall hearing her name before and Tollie immediately changed the subject. It just struck me as a little odd, that’s all.’
‘I expect it’s something to do with fundraising,’ Val offers.
‘Yes, that’s probably it,’ Rona adds, sensing my unease.
‘Well, let’s keep this between ourselves, but if you hear anything about her, perhaps you could let me know. Tollie is saying nothing, which is unlike him. Besides, I’m the treasurer and if it’s a new initiative then I can’t see why they didn’t involve me. I sincerely hope he doesn’t feel that I’m not able to keep everything ticking over satisfactorily.’
Val looks at me, reaching over to squeeze my arm affectionately. ‘Tollie is probably trying to give you a little space, Immi. He likes to feel he’s pulling his weight and he’s not one to sit around when we still have a long way to go to reach the target.’
I roll my eyes. ‘I know. Now that the land has been fenced off, it’s time to give thought to the timeline we should be working to in order to pay the deposit and meet the subsequent payments for the playground equipment. They begin building it six weeks before installation, but the deposit must be paid at least a month beforehand. That reminds me, I need to check with Tollie to see how it’s going with the council and the transfer once it’s all done.’
Val begins clearing the coffee table. ‘Right, that’s enough of that for now. Tonight, we focus on the task in hand. I’ll just take this out to the kitchen, while Rona grabs our to-do list.’
I dive into my bag and grab copies of the menus Sarah emailed across. When Val returns, I hand them out.
‘These are sample menus. I’ll be going through them with Gray at the weekend, but as his eyes glaze over every time I begin to talk about the finer details, as he refers to them, I would really value your input.’
‘Has he decided who he wants to invite, yet?’ Rona enquires.
‘No. And I’ve asked him so many times it’s now becoming a bit of a thing between us.’
‘Do you want me to have a word with him? I’m not making excuses, but when Gray has his head into his music it does tend to blot out everything else,’ she replies empathetically.
I nod my head, as I know exactly what she means. Gray and I can be having a serious conversation and suddenly he jumps up to grab his iPad and disappears because inspiration is calling. Often, he’s gone for ages, which can be rather inconvenient at times but I’ve grown accustomed to it.
‘If you get a chance before Saturday, then that would be great. I’m going to take him off for a walk, so I can ensure that I have his full attention. I’ve no idea how many of his ex-colleagues in London he regards as friends, given that I’ve never met any of them in person; however, he talks about them often. Now he’s self-employed, it’s a different matter yet again. The London studio where he’s working links up to the film studios in Los Angeles, apparently, where the film is being made. So, maybe there will be people there he’ll want to invite. But in all honesty, all I want is a little gathering of the people who are closest to us both.’
‘Leave it with us, Immi. You’re snowed under and Gray needs to understand that. As busy as he is, you need him to step up and make a few decisions as well. If you intend to tackle him about the menu over the weekend, Val and I will pull together a couple of suggestions and email them over to you on Friday. It would be nice to get that sorted and off to Sarah on Monday. Now, let’s whip down the tick list, in no particular order.’
Flowers, speeches, will there be an evening party after the lunchtime buffet… it’s question after question but at least the ensuing discussions are productive. A plan is beginning to take shape, but there is still a long list of details to be thrashed out.
‘Good, now we are finally getting somewhere, and it wasn’t that bad, was it?’ Val prompts, waiting for me to agree. When I don’t reply, she stares at me, pointedly.
‘I suppose that brings us back to the dress and the location again.’
‘Immi, are you sure the village hall is the right place to hold the wedding and the reception?’ Rona enquires delicately.
‘It’s the simplest solution,’ I confirm.
‘Yes, but,’ Val continues, ‘this is your wedding day we’re talking about. You deserve something a little bit more romantic and inspiring. This is a day you will both remember forever and, hopefully, tell your children all about in the years to come.’
They’re right, of course, and I wish I had this wonderful vision in my head that I could share with them. I often dream of Gray and I exchanging our vows, but it’s always just the two of us, staring into each other’s eyes.
‘You’re right. It’s not what I want at all, but it’s booked now. The fact that it’s an approved premises in which to hold a civil wedding means we don’t have to traipse between the church and the reception. Who wants to do that in winter?’
Both Rona and Val look at me, shocked.
‘This is not the time to be practical, Immi, it’s about making your dreams come true. That does it. We’ll cancel it tomorrow,’ Val declares adamantly.
‘What do you really want?’ Rona asks, pressing me.
I sit back and relax, closing my eyes as I conjure up the perfect setting. A rosy glow begins to wash over me.
‘Gray and me on a boat, sailing down the canal as we say our vows to each other.’ Then I open my eyes and reality kicks in. ‘But that’s impractical as my list of guests is already standing at a minimum of twenty-two people and if Gray comes up with a similar figure then the village hall is the only option.’
Val stares across at Rona, then back at me. ‘Let’s give this some consideration before we go any further,’ she replies firmly.
Before I can respond, Val nods at Rona, who produces a stack of bridal magazines.
‘Next on the list is the dress. This is the fun part,’ Rona muses.
They aren’t letting me off the hook and after an hour we earmark three as maybes, none of which really inspire me, but I did my best. Glancing at my watch, I see it’s almost 9 p.m. and I make my excuses as Gray will be expecting a call.
Walking back to The Retreat, I do feel more hopeful about the arrangements. Just knowing that two women I admire so much have my back and are determined to deliver what seems to me to be little short of a miracle, given the timescale, is a blessing. But as for the dress… I simply can’t visualise myself in any of them if I’m being totally honest. If Gray is expecting a vision of frothy white tulle, he’s in for a bit of a shock, I’m afraid, and so are Rona and Val, but I didn’t have the heart to tell them that yet. Even when I was small, I was never a girlie girl. I preferred having adventures to dressing up and Dad’s idea of going clothes shopping was to buy the first thing that fitted. That was usually jeans and a top, not a dress.
‘You’re late, m’dear.’ Tollie looks up when I walk into the room. He studies my face for a moment or two. ‘How was it?’
‘Good, actually. Easier than I thought, well, in some respects that is, but not in others. I rang Gray on the walk home. Just so you’re aware,
I haven’t broken the news yet about what’s been going on here. When he arrives on Friday, I’ll suggest he goes straight to The Bullrush and I’ll tell him over dinner.’
Tollie grimaces. ‘Poor chap. He won’t be expectin’ to head back here to The Retreat. But it’s only a couple of weeks and we’ll muddle along.’
Hmm. Muddle along. That’s an odd thing for Tollie to say, as usually he’s delighted to have a bit of company. He looks tired tonight, though, so maybe he’s been overdoing it again and that’s why he seems a little down.
‘You are feeling all right, Tollie, aren’t you?’ I ask, trying not to sound overly concerned.
‘I’m good. Stop fussin’ over me. I, um, wanted to say that this problem with the cottage is down to me, so I don’t expect the two of you to pay for it. I let things slide and when we had the flood in the kitchen a few years back, the plumber did warn me that some major work was way overdue. It’s just that you don’t see what’s out of sight, do you? And now I feel bad it’s thrown the schedule out.’
I glance at him, shaking my head.
‘You’ve paid for more than enough, Tollie. Gray and I have this, so don’t give it another thought. How’s that back of yours doing tonight?’
‘It’s okay.’
I can see by the way he’s sitting awkwardly in his chair that it isn’t and yet it’s only been a month since he saw the chiropractor. ‘You know, you really should think about getting a hot tub. Wes, up at Adler’s farm, swears it’s the best investment he’s ever made. And you know how badly he’s suffered with his back over the years, with all that lifting.’
