Escape to the Country

by Sherlock, Alison

  There were only two more songs to go. Two more numbers, but he never wanted it to end.

  The crowd swayed and sang along in time to his final song and he left the last line of his favourite hit for the audience to sing. As the closing bars faded, he held one hand aloft and punched the air. The crowd roared.

  ‘Thank you, Glastonbury,’ he told them. ‘You’ve been incredible.’

  Their next roar was drowned out by a plethora of fireworks shooting out from behind the stage and lighting up the sky. The fireworks boomed and crackled but he could still hear the crowd shouting his name.

  He waved as he came off stage, feeling high on adrenaline. He was elated, flying as high as the fireworks in the sky overhead.

  Sam and various other people hugged him and were talking to him. But he couldn’t make out anything they were saying. He was buzzing. It was most incredible feeling in the world. It had taken his senses and made them zing. His whole body hummed. It was as if the whole world was on mute and he could barely comprehend anything.

  He barely registered Annie giving him a shy kiss on the cheek, the roar in his ears overpowering the words she was saying. Megan also gave him a kiss before attempting to give him a high five, but she missed his hand completely and just fell about laughing at herself.

  Suddenly Eleanor was in front of him. She was mouthing some words at him, but he still couldn’t hear anything though he was able to take in every inch of her. Her green eyes were shining as she leant up to kiss him on the cheek. But at the last minute, in the crowd and confusion, she turned her head and he found himself kissing her on the mouth. His body continued to tingle with the feeling of her soft mouth on his, her lips touching his.

  A flash went off somewhere, probably from the fireworks. But it woke him up enough to step away from Eleanor in a daze and then he was surrounded by people once more.

  Chapter 27

  Eleanor woke up mid-morning in Tom’s empty bed at Willow Tree Hall.

  At some point, she had wearily let Dylan out to head downstairs but had staggered back to bed after arriving at some late hour in the middle of the night.

  She lay there, still feeling in a dreamlike state. The hangover didn’t help, of course. But most of all, it was the fact that Tom had kissed her.

  Tom had kissed her! In front of everyone! Well, in front of her friends anyway. It had only been an accidental meeting of lips and had lasted a second or three. But at the time it had felt like hours.

  And she hadn’t wanted it to end.

  That, to her, was the most shocking realisation of all. But she was desperately brushing it off. It was a crush. He was a talented, good-looking superstar. That was all.

  She felt embarrassed about what had happened. And suddenly uncomfortable about sleeping in Tom’s bed. She quickly got up and dressed, meeting Annie as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

  ‘Morning,’ she said, wincing slightly as she spoke.

  ‘Morning,’ muttered Annie, looking as rough as Eleanor felt. ‘Coffee? Tea? New head?’

  ‘No, thanks,’ said Eleanor. ‘I’d better head back to Mum. She’s been on her own for a few days.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Annie, rubbing her temple. ‘Megan text to tell me that she’s never drinking ever again.’

  Eleanor grinned. ‘She says that every time.’

  ‘I know.’ Annie gave her a hug. ‘I had such a great weekend with you. It was so lovely to have you stay with us.’

  ‘I really enjoyed it,’ said Eleanor, giving her friend a squeeze.

  ‘Dylan’s going to miss you,’ said Annie.

  ‘And I’m going to miss him too,’ said Eleanor. And she meant it, having spent so much time with the dog over the weekend. ‘Just don’t tell anyone I said so.’

  ‘I won’t. I think Tom’s back later so he’ll settle down again.’

  Eleanor gulped and immediately made her exit. She headed back to The Forge shortly after, desperate to get away before Tom arrived back.

  How could they have ended up kissing? And how could something so brief feel so good?

  But the chances were that he wouldn’t stay long at the hall anyway and would be gone soon. Then things would settle down in Cranley again, she told herself.

  Her mum was sitting at the kitchen table with the newspaper when she finally made it home.

  ‘Did you have a good time?’ asked her mum. ‘I looked out for you on the TV, but I couldn’t see any of you. Apart from that nice Tom, of course. Wasn’t he amazing?’

  Eleanor nodded, still thinking of their kiss. That had been pretty amazing too. She stroked the braid that she still had in her hair as she replayed it over and over in her mind.

  ‘I bet it was incredible to be there,’ carried on her mum, putting down the newspaper with a heavy sigh.

  ‘It was,’ said Eleanor, staring down at the huge photo of Tom on the page. She wondered whether she could cut out the photo and then realised that her crush was perhaps worse than she’d thought. ‘You’ve never seen so many people. It was like…’

  But she stopped as her mum’s face crumpled into tears.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked, rushing over to crouch next to her. ‘Is it your foot?’

  Her mum shook her head. ‘I’m just being silly,’ she replied. ‘Tell me about your fun evening.’

  Eleanor shook her head. ‘Not until you tell me what’s made you cry.’

  Her mum brushed away a tear from her cheek and gave a small giggle as Daisy the donkey peered through the back door.

  ‘You see?’ said her mum, smiling. ‘Animals understand.’

  Eleanor held her mum’s hand and tried to ignore the donkey staring at them. ‘You know I can’t bear to see you upset, Mum. What is it?’

  ‘Oh, it’s everything!’ she answered, sounding more upset than Eleanor had heard her in a long time. ‘I mean, it’s lovely having you around. But I envy you. You had this fabulous life in London and now you’re down here with your friends and going to rock festivals.’ She gave her daughter a teary sad smile. ‘I just keep wondering when mine will begin.’

  Eleanor sank down onto the chair next to her mum in shock. ‘I’ve never heard you talk like this before.’

  ‘Maybe I didn’t want to admit it to myself,’ her mum told her with a shrug. ‘I’d love to see other countries and a bit of the world. Even have a small holiday. If only I didn’t have so many responsibilities.’

  They both glanced to the door where Daisy had wandered away and was gently hee-hawing at Buttercup the goat.

  It suddenly struck Eleanor that her mum had trapped herself in taking care of her daughter and now all of the animals.

  ‘Maybe Arthur is right. Perhaps it’s time to rehome the zoo,’ said Eleanor gently. ‘Maybe it’s time to let yourself be a bit selfish, like I’ve been.’

  ‘You’re not selfish,’ her mum told her.

  But Eleanor knew that wasn’t true. ‘You gave up so much to raise me by yourself,’ she said, taking her mum’s hand and giving it a squeeze. ‘If I haven’t ever said thank you then it’s because I’m an ungrateful cow. I’m sorry. I should have been around more these past few years.’

  ‘You’re just fine, my beautiful girl.’ Her mum suddenly looked serious. ‘You really think I should let the animals go? I don’t know if I can.’

  ‘I honestly do think it’s for the best,’ Eleanor told her. ‘I know you’ve been trying to help, but maybe there’s other places where they can be. Better places more suitable for them.’

  Her mum nodded, deep in thought.

  Eleanor pressed on. ‘I was googling how to take care of Daisy and donkeys like a mate. And it’s not just Daisy. Buttercup needs other goats too. They need other animals. They get lonely.’

  ‘They’re not the only ones,’ muttered her mum.

  Eleanor looked at her mum. ‘Maybe it’s time to be brave and get out there into the dating world again.’

  Her mum grimaced. ‘I don’t think so. Not after last time.’
r />   ‘Mum, that’s ancient history.’

  Her mum gave her a soft smile. ‘I’ll think about it,’ she told her daughter.

  ‘Which bit?’ asked Eleanor.

  ‘All of it,’ said her mum. ‘I promise.’ She visibly brightened up. ‘So what are your plans today?’

  Eleanor shrugged her shoulders. ‘I have no idea.’ She realised with a shock that it was true. ‘For the first time in my life, I don’t have a plan or any idea where I’m going.’

  ‘Well, that’s not a bad thing,’ said her mum. ‘Stay here with me for a while. You’ll find your path soon enough. In the meantime, you’ve got your friends here. I love you, you know.’

  Eleanor wrapped her arms around her mum, grateful for the warmth and strength that she was feeling. ‘And you as well,’ she murmured back.

  Afterwards, as Eleanor headed into the hallway, she gave a start at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and was that yesterday’s mascara under her eyes?

  If Tom saw her now he would think the absolute worst about her.

  She scratched at her neck. The eczema was worse than ever. She wasn’t sure if it was the hay, the stress or the donkey, but whatever the reason, she had to get it sorted. Surely she could control that small part of her life?

  She could just about remember the ingredients she had used in the past to treat her inflamed skin. She was hoping she had enough to at least soothe the itching. Once in her bedroom, she ripped open one of the boxes she had brought with her and started to assemble everything. She had the remains of some shea butter in a tub, which would just be enough. She didn’t have nearly the right amount of beeswax but had a tin or two of lip balm which she thought might help. In fact, she didn’t have many of the ingredients required, but desperate times and all that, so she would have to improvise.

  She carried her box downstairs and used an old teacup to measure everything out. Half a cup of sunflower oil from the kitchen cupboard went into an old glass bowl. She added the two beeswax oil lip balms as well. Then she tipped in the remainder of the shea butter. Finally she put in a few drops of vitamin E oil that she had found right at the bottom of the box.

  She was just about to start melting the whole lot when she spotted a small bottle of lavender oil in the corner of the box. She tipped in the last few drops from the bottle as well. Then she placed the glass bowl over a pot of simmering hot water and let it all gently melt. Once it was liquefied, she stirred it with an old wooden spoon and left it out to cool.

  She was exhausted by the weekend and had already decided to have an early night. Just before she went to bed, she remembered the cream and slathered it all over her neck and hands.

  The following morning, she stared in the mirror. Her neck was far less inflamed. In fact, it was almost normal skin colour. No redness or soreness remained there or between her fingers. For the first time in a very long time, Eleanor felt a small sense of accomplishment.

  Chapter 28

  Eleanor was still admiring her less inflamed neck when Annie sent her a text late that morning, asking her up to the hall for a coffee.

  She put on her favourite casual outfit and some light make-up, feeling ridiculously excited to be seeing Tom again. Not that she was only interested in seeing Tom, of course. She would be seeing Annie and the family as well.

  Now that July had begun, summer was in full swing. The sky was blue and the trees were alive with the sound of birds singing as she cycled her way down the long driveway at Willow Tree Hall. Butterflies floated from one wild flower to the next. It was a great day to be outside.

  ‘Hi,’ she said, as Annie opened up the front door. ‘Isn’t it a lovely day?’

  ‘Not really,’ said Annie, with a grin. ‘You should see the state of Megan.’

  ‘She’s not hung-over again, is she?’

  ‘No, this is worse than that.’

  Eleanor followed her into the kitchen where the first of the brand new units were beginning to be unveiled. Gradually the room was coming back to life. But the most interesting feature that morning was Megan whose nose was bright red.

  ‘Look at me!’ she wailed, staring at her reflection in her phone.

  ‘It’s only sunburn,’ said Eleanor, trying and failing not to smile as she sat down at the table. ‘What happened?’

  ‘Kids sports day yesterday. I lathered up the kids with suntan lotion but I was so hung-over after Glastonbury that I totally forgot about me. I look like Ronald McDonald,’ she carried on. ‘What am I going to do? It’s going to peel and then it’s going to look even worse.’

  ‘What’s all the fuss about?’ said Rose, appearing at the kitchen door. She did a double take at Megan. ‘Darling! No, no! One must use sunscreen, otherwise the wrinkles will be ghastly later on.’

  Megan hooked out an ice cube from the cold drink that Annie had just given her and rubbed it across her nose.

  They all nearly jumped out of their skin when a bunch of carrots landed on the new work surface. Eleanor looked up to see Bert the gardener standing next to them, looking very unhappy.

  ‘You’re working early today,’ said Rose, putting a hand on his arm. ‘All work and no play makes a man very dull.’

  ‘That dog’s dug up my carrots,’ said Bert, in a surly tone.

  ‘Oh,’ said Annie, looking upset. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Nonsense,’ said Rose. ‘He was just saving you from having to do all that digging with your bad back.’

  She smiled brilliantly at Bert before he finally shuffled away again.

  ‘One has to look on the bright side at my age,’ said Rose, reaching out to stroke the frothy fronds growing out the top of one of the carrots. ‘You know, when I was in Marrakesh, there was a beautiful redhead. Somebody’s girlfriend. I can’t remember now. Anyway, she got terribly sunburnt, poor thing. But one of the locals recommended carrot cream. The next day, it had completely disappeared.’

  ‘What were you doing in Marrakesh?’ asked Annie, looking up from where she was wiping off the dirt from her precious new granite worktop.

  Rose broke into a wicked grin. ‘Trying not to get arrested,’ she replied with a wink.

  But Eleanor was looking at the carrots and wondering about her eczema. ‘Do you remember when I used to make those creams for my skin?’ she said aloud. ‘Anyway, I made one yesterday and it’s really helped my eczema.’

  ‘Darling, you should try my Crème de la Mer,’ said Rose.

  ‘It’s so expensive.’ Annie raised her eyebrows. ‘Besides, I thought Sam said that we’re all supposed to be cutting back these days?’

  Rose looked horrified. ‘Sweetheart, this is essential! I can’t go round looking like some old bag lady. How else am I going to take my next lover?’ She looked at Eleanor. ‘Now what’s all this about face creams?’

  ‘I have bad eczema,’ said Eleanor, showing her the patch on her neck, which was still visible although not as bad. ‘I’ve tried all of the fancy stuff but I end up making my own as it’s the only thing that sorts it out.’

  ‘Sounds impressive,’ said Rose, nodding her approval.

  ‘She’s being modest,’ said Annie. ‘Those creams you made me for Christmas all those years ago were beautiful. Why did you stop?’

  ‘I never had any spare time,’ said Eleanor, truthfully.

  Megan touched her sore nose. ‘Well, if Rose is right about carrots, do you mind trying to whip up something with these? I’m desperate here.’

  ‘And you’ll be able to see in the dark as well,’ said Annie, with a giggle.

  ‘Darling, with her nose being that red, we’ll all be able to see her in the dark,’ drawled Rose.

  ‘I’ll give it a go later,’ promised Eleanor. It was the least she could do for her friends. ‘I found one of Dylan’s balls in my handbag,’ she told them. ‘I thought he would want it when Tom comes back later.’

  ‘I think Tom’s going to be in London for a few days before he comes back here,’ said Annie, checking her phone.

  Ele
anor tried to ignore how disappointed she was that she wouldn’t see Tom that day. On the other hand, she was still trying to work out how she really felt about him, so perhaps it was for the best after all. And they had recently kissed so at least it put off that embarrassment for the time being.

  ‘Did Dylan sleep okay last night without me?’ asked Eleanor.

  ‘He slept in Arthur’s room,’ called out Rose, as she left the kitchen. ‘I think they both liked the company, to be honest.’

  Annie was still checking her phone when she suddenly took in a deep breath. ‘Oh my god!’ she said, sitting bolt upright. ‘You’ve been papped.’

  ‘Who?’ said Megan.

  ‘Eleanor!’ said Annie, holding out her phone. ‘You and Tom are on Twitter.’

  Eleanor took the mobile and stared at the photo. Somebody had taken a photo just as they had accidentally kissed.

  ‘Wow!’ said Megan, looking over her shoulder. ‘It says that you’re Tommy King’s new girlfriend.’

  ‘But I’m not,’ said Eleanor frantically. ‘Besides, you can’t even see my face, only my hair.’

  ‘That’s because Tom was all over you,’ said Megan, making smoochy sounds.

  Eleanor lobbed a tea towel at her before she studied the photo once more. ‘You can’t tell it’s me, can you?’

  Megan and Annie peered at the photo before shaking their heads.

  ‘No,’ said Annie.

  ‘Definitely not,’ added Megan.

  Eleanor sighed with relief. That was the last thing she needed. If anyone in London recognised her, then the magazines might get wind of the fact that she used to work for Hot Gossip! and then Tom would know about her old job. And how she had been lying to him about being a financial journalist.

  But she was safe. For now.

  To create a distraction from her embarrassment, she grabbed the carrots and headed home to make up some cream for Megan.

  She cut up the carrots and put them in a saucepan to boil. Once the carrots were cooked and mashed, she added them to the glass bowl as well as the same ingredients she had used for her eczema potion.