‘I thought you were supposed to be in the recording studio,’ she told him, nodding at the tool bag.
‘I got side-tracked,’ he told her. ‘One of Sam’s tenants in the village needed a new front gate so I said I’d make one for them.’
‘I bet they were impressed that their carpenter is an international singing star.’
He grinned at her. ‘I think the young mum was more grateful that the kids could run round in the garden safely.’
‘I might have to think about paying you to fix my mum’s gates,’ said Eleanor. ‘The thought of Buttercup and Daisy getting out gives me nightmares.’
‘Of course,’ he told her. ‘And I won’t need paying.’
‘Oh. Well, thanks.’ She hid her blushes by pushing down her goggles and picking up the melted carrot mixture.
‘So what’s happening?’ he asked. ‘Why the nuclear fallout fashion today?’
‘It’s for the lye solution over there.’
He glanced over. ‘Okay. Is it that bad?’
‘It’s just a chemical reaction that makes the fats,’ she told him. ‘You know, the oil and butter into soap.’
He smiled. ‘Fascinating. Were there witches in your family tree?’
She made a face. ‘Almost definitely on my father’s side, I should think.’
She went over to stand next to the lye mixture, working up the nerve to pour it in again.
‘Can I help?’ he asked.
‘No,’ she quickly told him. ‘And stand back! Sorry, but it’s really dangerous. This stuff is highly corrosive. So be careful, unless you want to lose the top layer of your skin.’
‘Well, I’m feeling rather attached to it at the minute, so I’ll stay over here.’ Tom leaned against the door.
Under his watchful eye, Eleanor picked up the lye solution and carefully poured a very small amount into the melted mixture. She stared down, watching it closely. But it didn’t fizz, so she very slowly poured the rest in. Putting down the pan, she stirred the mixture until it was blended but still runny. Then she straightened up and gave him a smile. ‘I think we’re about there.’
‘Is it safe?’ he asked.
‘Only if you trust me,’ she told him.
‘Good thing I do,’ he replied, walking over to peer into the pan. ‘It looks like pancake batter.’
‘Well, here’s hoping it’s fifth time lucky,’ she told him and took the mixture back into her workshop to pour it into the mould.
‘Now what?’ he asked, leaning on the door frame.
‘We wait until tomorrow. And pray.’ She glanced around the messy workshop. ‘And wash up,’ she said, grimacing. What a mess.
‘Do you want a hand?’ he asked.
She shook her head. ‘It should be fine. Hopefully it won’t take too long.’ So after he had left, she tidied up everything and waited to see what would happen.
In fact, she was so long waiting that Annie wandered up later on as the sun began to sink lower in the sky.
‘We’ve already had dinner. Even Tom’s back at the house,’ she said. ‘Are you okay?’
Eleanor was sitting outside in the courtyard on the bench. ‘I was waiting for my soap to set.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘How sad does that sound?’
‘I think it sounds exciting,’ said Annie, giving her a nudge with her elbow. ‘Come on. Give us a look.’
But before they could head into the workshop, Annie’s phone rang. She picked up. ‘Hi Neal,’ she said, frowning. ‘Is everything okay?’
Eleanor’s heart lurched as her mind ran through the possible scenarios for Megan’s husband calling Annie.
‘With us?’ Annie looked around wildly. ‘Yes, I think she’s up by the bar. The signal’s terrible in there. I was just outside calling Sam. Do you want me to give her a message?’
Eleanor watched Annie’s face grow pink as she began to look flustered.
‘Okay!’ she said into the phone, faking a cheerful grin. ‘I’ll let her know.’ But once she had hung up, her face immediately dropped. ‘Neal thinks we’re out with Megan at The Club,’ she said.
Eleanor was astonished. ‘That fancy new bar in Aldwych? But if she’s not out with us and she’s not with Neal, who’s she with?’
Annie bit her lip and looked concerned.
Eleanor thought quickly. ‘Did you talk to her today?’
Annie shook her head. ‘No. What about you?’
‘Yeah, but it was just a normal conversation. I thought she sounded okay. She said she can give me some unused cupcake trays to use for the soaps. Said she never bothered to make cakes anyway.’
‘Maybe she was a bit low?’ said Annie.
‘Actually I thought she sounded excited, you know?’ said Eleanor, recalling how her friend had been on the phone.
‘Well, whatever she’s up to, I think we should find out,’ said Annie.
‘Let’s go,’ agreed Eleanor.
They quickly walked away and back up to the house, the soap long forgotten.
Chapter 39
Eleanor hadn’t been in anywhere like The Club since she had left London.
She realised she had come out wearing her old clothes, no make-up and her hair a mess. But she didn’t care. She was too worried about Megan to think about what she looked like.
She tried to think positively as they weaved their way through the hordes of good-looking people. It was Friday night so the place was packed.
‘There she is!’ hissed Annie, nudging her in the side.
Eleanor followed her gaze to the VIP area. There, under an unforgiving strobe light, was Megan, sitting with a man.
As they edged through the crowd, Annie said, ‘Who’s the guy?’
‘I know who that is,’ said Eleanor. ‘That’s Gareth from school. The one she’s been messaging on Facebook.’
Annie was shocked. ‘What shall we do?’
‘Let’s get a bit nearer,’ said Eleanor.
They managed to manoeuvre themselves near to the next table along, which had just become vacant and hid behind a large pot plant. Thankfully, the couple were needing to shout to hear each other above the hubbub around them.
Eleanor peered through the leaves of the fake fern at his profile. Gareth hadn’t aged well. His eyes were smaller than she remembered, the face bloated.
She could just about see Megan taking a large swig of champagne and looking very nervous.
‘God, you’re still so sexy,’ shouted Gareth, casually putting one arm along the back of where she sat.
‘Me?’ giggled Megan, taking another large swig from her glass. She was wearing a strappy top with a low V-neck which Eleanor had never seen before.
‘I can’t believe it,’ he carried on. ‘Three rug rats and you’ve still got a hot body.’
Rugrats? Eleanor exchanged a cross look with Annie, who was now glaring at Gareth.
‘What about you?’ they heard Megan ask.
‘Not married and definitely no kids. I’m too busy having fun.’ Eleanor could see him run a finger down Megan’s bare arm. ‘Fun with hot women like you.’
Megan was shuffling in her seat. She was obviously uncomfortable.
‘So what kind of work do you do?’ she asked, sipping from her glass.
‘I’m a love doctor, baby,’ he said, leaning forward and suddenly kissing her on the lips.
Megan sprang away. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Come on,’ drawled Gareth. ‘Don’t go all coy on me now. You know you want it. Why else were you flirting with me on Facebook?’
‘Look, I’m sorry,’ stammered Megan, standing up. ‘I made a mistake. I’m happily married.’
‘Come on. You bored housewives are all the same. Gagging for it,’ said Gareth.
That was it. Eleanor and Annie sprang up at the same time and rushed around the pot plant.
Annie grabbed Megan’s arm and snapped, ‘Let’s get out of here.’
‘What are you doing here?’ said Megan, staring wide-eyed at her friends.
> ‘This is an inter-friend-ion,’ said Eleanor, reaching for the bucket of champagne and tipping the ice into Gareth’s lap. ‘Time for you to cool down, you sleazebag,’ she told him.
Then they rushed Megan towards the back of the club and into the Ladies’ toilet.
‘We’ve come to stop you doing something you’re going to regret,’ said Annie, finally letting go of her arm.
Megan burst into tears almost immediately. ‘It’s too late,’ she sobbed.
‘You’ve slept with him already?’ said Annie, aghast.
‘No!’ said Megan. ‘I should never have come here. It seemed like a bit of fun on Facebook. But as soon as I got here it just felt horribly wrong.’
‘Do you know how lucky you are?’ Eleanor told her, grabbing her by the arms. ‘Have you any idea how great Neal is? How much he loves you?’
Megan nodded, still crying. ‘Gareth’s right though,’ she said, between sniffs. ‘I led him on.’
‘Forget about him,’ said Annie. ‘He’s a creep.’
‘I’ve got to get out of here,’ said Megan, suddenly looking panicked. ‘What if someone’s seen me? What if it gets back to Neal?’
‘Listen,’ said Eleanor, leaning across the sink to open a latch on the window. ‘There’s never any shame in going out of the bathroom window. Trust me, if I had followed my gut instinct and done the same thing, I’d have never ended up with Lucas two years ago.’
Megan’s brief laughter turned to tears once more. So they had a group hug before Eleanor and Annie each took one arm and helped Megan over the sink and out of the window.
Out in the car park, they ran across to Sam’s Range Rover that Annie had borrowed and went back to Eleanor’s house, where she made them hot chocolate, despite the warm night, and the three of them curled up on the cushions in the lounge, surrounded by various animals.
‘You’re going to stay here tonight,’ said Eleanor, stroking the kitten on her lap. ‘You can’t go home in this state. Mum’s out having a drink with Rose so it’s just us, okay? Nobody else needs to know.’
Megan nodded gratefully before taking a sip from her steaming mug. Her face was tear-stained and pale.
‘Talk to us,’ said Annie, in a soft tone. ‘What’s going on?’
Megan shrugged her shoulders. ‘I just got so bored. I mean, I love my children, but I miss my life before them. I know I was only in marketing, but at least I had grown-up conversations back then.’
‘Have you talked to Neal about this?’ asked Eleanor.
Megan shook her head. ‘No. I mean, he wouldn’t understand. Why would he? He gets to go out every day to work whilst I’m stuck at home.’
‘You don’t think he would be supportive?’ asked Annie.
‘I don’t know anymore,’ sighed Megan. ‘He’s always working so hard and so late. Does it make me a bad mother to feel like this? I shouldn’t be bored, should I? What’s wrong with me?’
Annie shook her head. ‘You have three children who are all healthy and happy. You deserve a bloody medal.’
‘She’s right,’ said Eleanor. ‘Besides, you can do something else as well as being a mum.’
‘We just need something that fits in with your family,’ said Annie.
‘We’ll think of something,’ Eleanor told her.
Megan nodded before her face suddenly distorted into panic. ‘What if he finds out about me meeting up with Gareth? What if he leaves me?’
‘Neal loves you,’ said Annie. ‘And he won’t find out.’
‘Not from us,’ said Eleanor, nodding in agreement. ‘You jump, we jump, remember?’
‘Thank god for you guys,’ said Megan, drawing them into a hug. ‘I love you both so much.’
‘We love you too,’ said Annie.
Eleanor nodded her agreement but, as always, those particular three words would never come.
Chapter 40
As the end of July approached, the temperature shot up into the late eighties and the whole country sweltered in the heat.
Tom was grateful for being outside, even though his work on the stables was nearly complete. He had written a couple of songs for his new album but found that having the radio on when he was working benefitted both him and Eleanor.
One afternoon, one of his own songs came on. Eleanor appeared out of her workshop and smiled. ‘They’ll play any old music these days,’ she told him, with a cheeky grin.
He smiled at her before singing along with his own voice coming through the speaker.
When he had finished, Eleanor applauded. ‘Very good,’ she told him. ‘It’s like having my very own private Glastonbury.’
Her face suddenly dropped and she rushed back into her workshop. He knew she was still embarrassed about the kiss. He, on the other hand, found himself cherishing the memory of it. He only wished that he had an opportunity to repeat it.
Later that day, Annie announced that she would be having dinner outside.
‘We really should make the most of eating outside whilst the warm weather’s still here,’ she said. ‘Plus Hazy Memory are on their way next week and we’ll never be able to fit everyone around the table inside.’
So Tom helped Sam carry an enormous wooden table further along the patio so that it was in the sunshine.
‘Is it safe to use?’ asked Annie, giving it a push, which made the table wobble alarmingly.
‘I’ll put some extra nails in it to make sure,’ said Tom.
‘There’s still no shade though,’ said Annie. ‘What about that large garden umbrella?’
Sam shook his head. ‘Broken.’
‘What will we do? Arthur and Rose will need some kind of cover.’
‘I can build them one,’ said Tom, surprising himself by volunteering. ‘There’s some old beams down by the stables.’
Annie and Sam exchanged a look.
‘It helps him write,’ said Sam, palms up.
‘That’s fine by me,’ said Annie, nodding her approval.
Using Arthur’s old tape measure, Tom worked out what kind of cover was needed. It would probably be best to be some kind of pergola, he thought. That was a simple enough structure. Just six, or perhaps, eight vertical beams connected by more horizontal ones across the top.
It only took a day to build but he was relaxed, working in the sunshine of the courtyard.
When he had finished, Eleanor came along to view his work.
‘Very nice,’ she said, gazing up at the structure. ‘But it still doesn’t give any shade.’
‘In the middle east, they drape material across to keep the area cool,’ he told her.
But when they suggested it to Annie, she grimaced. ‘I’m not sure these are quite good enough,’ she said, holding up a couple of old sheets that were dotted with moth holes.
‘Mum’s got tons of material,’ Eleanor told her. ‘She’ll sort something out for you, I’m sure.’
As they walked back to the courtyard to tidy up, Tom asked, ‘How’s your mum doing now that the animals are finding new homes.’
‘She’s okay,’ said Eleanor. ‘Well, a bit lost, I think, but thankfully Annie has commissioned her to make the new curtains for the guest bedrooms. They’re nearly done so that’s why I thought she’d be happy to help out with the new pergola. She’s always been good at sewing.’
‘Are you?’
‘Can’t stitch or knit to save my life,’ she told him, with a wide grin.
‘Then it’s a good job you’re so good at your lotions and potions instead.’
‘Isn’t it?’
Annie went to The Forge to pick up Eleanor’s mum and the swathes of striped material that she had available. Tom helped pin them up across the beams and then they both stood back to admire their work.
‘That’s great,’ said Annie, clapping her hands. ‘We’ll be lovely and shaded under there.’
‘How pretty,’ said Rose, coming out to see it.
‘I had loads of spare material so I thought you might want a few matching sea
t cushions as well,’ said Eleanor’s mum, pointing at the pile of cushions nearby.
‘How thoughtful,’ said Rose. ‘All our current chairs are terribly hard and uncomfortable. Let me go and get Arthur and show him how busy you’ve been.’
Arthur agreed that it was a remarkable job and invited both Eleanor and her mum to dine with them by way of thank you.
It was a lovely evening. Weighed down by jam jars and small terracotta pots full of herbs and sweat peas, the table was piled high with food and expensive china. It looked like they were using antique plates, thought Tom, staring down at the dainty bone china with pretty rose patterns. It was probably worth a great deal. But Arthur and his family used them as if they had been bought from Argos.
Tom sipped on his beer and found himself relaxing at the chatter of conversation all around him.
Annie had also covered the new pergola in fairy lights so that as dusk fell, the ceiling above them twinkled. It felt magical.
‘Your cushions are so comfortable,’ said Rose, raising a glass to Eleanor’s mum, who blushed furiously.
Tom had an idea. ‘Why don’t you make some and sell them at the fete?’ he suggested.
A crease appeared in June’s forehead. ‘Do you think anyone will want to buy them?’
‘Of course,’ said Rose. ‘They’re lovely and retro. Very in, sweetie.’
‘You’re a local seller, reusing second-hand material,’ said Sam. ‘What could be better than that?’
In the end, June nodded her agreement. Eleanor looked across at Tom and smiled, causing his pulse to pick up speed a little.
‘I know it’s only temporary for this summer, but I do love it under here,’ said Annie, leaning back in her chair.
‘We won’t have any of this temporary chatter,’ said Arthur, in a firm tone. ‘This is staying because it was made by Tom.’
Tom shifted in his seat, suddenly feeling awkward at being included as part of the family. He hadn’t felt that for a very long time. But he knew that staying at Willow Tree Hall had given him a sense of belonging that he had only ever had with his gran.
Escape to the Country Page 24
