‘So you forgive me?’
‘There’s nothing to forgive, Freddie. Really.’
‘Thank goodness. After all these years of keeping the terrible secret, I wanted nothing to be hidden from you. Now . . . how is Clemmie?’ he asked as they ate.
‘Doing well, and very excited about Christmas. They’ve gone back to London for a few days and will come up on Christmas Eve. I want to make it special for her if I can.’
‘I’m sure you will, Posy. And Admiral House?’
‘Everything’s on hold until after Christmas,’ Posy said firmly.
‘Of course. Now, please, tuck in.’
After supper, the two of them went back into the sitting room and sat with a glass of brandy in front of the fire.
‘Let’s hope we’re sailing into calmer waters in the new year,’ said Freddie.
‘Yes, and I just want to say thank you to you for all your support, not just of me, but of my family. You’ve been so very kind, Freddie. Everyone adores you.’
‘Do they?’
‘Yes. When I was introducing you to them, I felt like a child seeking approval from her parents. It’s so very important, having approval from your family, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, it is, and I’m glad I’ve passed muster.’
‘I think you’ve done more than that, Freddie. And now I really must go. I’m exhausted from the last few days.’
‘Posy?’ Freddie stood up and walked over to her. He took her hand and pulled her to standing. ‘Won’t you stay?’
‘I . . .’
‘Please,’ he said. Then he kissed her and, as he eventually led her upstairs ten minutes later, she didn’t mind at all that her body had seen almost seventy years, because his had too.
Chapter 41
‘Amy, would you mind going to Halesworth Station to collect an old friend of mine? We’re up to our eyes in mince pies, aren’t we, Clemmie?’
‘Yes,’ agreed Clemmie as she spooned out the mincemeat into the pastry shells.
‘No, of course not. Who am I looking for?’
‘Oh, he’s called George. I’ll text him to say to look out for a beautiful blonde,’ Posy smiled.
Freddie, who was sitting at the table, rolled his eyes at her in amusement.
‘Okay, just keep an eye on the kids, will you? They’re in the morning room, trying to guess all the presents under the tree.’
‘I’d better go and make sure they’re not opening them, then,’ Clemmie said, wiping her hands on her apron and leaving the kitchen.
‘George, eh?’ Freddie said as he came to stand behind Posy and kneaded her shoulders.
‘That’s the name of the hero in Sebastian’s book,’ she shrugged. ‘It was the first that came to mind.’
‘Right. Anything I can do?’
‘You could certainly set the table, yes. Tammy and Nick are upstairs wrapping the last of the presents. The children are all going to be ruined this Christmas.’
‘Right-oh,’ Freddie said as he walked to the drawer to retrieve the cutlery. ‘I was wondering . . .’
‘What about?’ Posy asked, opening the door to the Aga and sliding the tray of mince pies inside.
‘Whether, after all this madness is over, I could whisk you away on holiday for a couple of weeks? You’ve certainly earned one, Posy.’
‘Well, that sounds wonderful, but . . .’
‘No buts, Posy, I’m sure that everyone could manage to live without you for a couple of weeks. We deserve some time together, darling girl.’ Hands full of knives and forks, he planted a gentle kiss on Posy’s cheek. ‘I was thinking the Far East. Malaysia, perhaps?’
‘Golly, I’d love to go back there, Freddie.’
‘Good. Then we shall, while we’re still fit and healthy enough to do so.’
‘You’re right, yes,’ Posy agreed. ‘And I’d love to.’
Then the three children arrived in the kitchen, and Posy’s attention moved on to them.
Amy stood on the platform, clapping her hands together to keep warm. The train was delayed by fifteen minutes and it was freezing. Finally, it chugged into the station, disgorging passengers onto the platform, their hands full of bags containing Christmas presents. Amy scanned the crowd, hoping Posy’s text had got through or she might never find George. Slowly, the platform emptied, and Amy was just about to turn back to retrieve her mobile from the car and call Posy, when she saw a tall figure standing a few yards from her.
Amy gulped, wondering if she was having some kind of weird vision, but no, it was him. She watched as he walked slowly towards her.
‘Hello, Amy.’
‘Hello – I’m afraid I need to run to the car because I’m meant to be picking up someone called George, a friend of Posy’s, and . . .’
‘That’s me, yes,’ he smiled.
‘But your name isn’t George, and Posy hasn’t invited you for Christmas, has she?’
‘As a matter of fact, she has.’
Amy stared at him in silence.
‘If you don’t believe her, give her a call.’
‘But why . . .?’
‘Because she is one of the most amazing human beings I’ve ever met, but if you don’t want me there, then I’ll get the next train back to London. Do you want me, Amy?’
‘For Christmas, you mean?’
‘You know what they say about dogs being not just for Christmas,’ he said with a grin. ‘So maybe a bit longer than that.’
‘I . . .’ Amy’s head was spinning.
‘If it helps, she’s told me everything, and I’m so very sorry that you had to go through what you went through with Sam. I could throttle him with my own bare hands, to be honest, but I doubt that would be of much help, so I’ll do my best to restrain myself. Now, before we both die tragically of frostbite, do you think you could come to a decision?’
Amy couldn’t see him properly, because her vision was blurred with tears. Her heart, kept as it had been under lock and key since Sebastian had left, seemed to explode in her chest.
‘Well,’ she swallowed. ‘You’re Posy’s guest and she asked me to bring you home.’
‘And you’re sure you want to do that?’
‘Yes, I’m sure.’
‘Then let’s go.’ He held out a hand to her and she took it. And together, they walked through the deserted station to the car.
Chapter 42
Posy sat in front of her dressing-table mirror and applied mascara to her eyelashes. Then she applied a new lipstick she’d bought especially for tonight, and immediately rubbed it off.
‘Far too bright for an old biddy like you, Posy,’ she admonished herself.
Through the open window she could hear the small orchestra tuning up on the terrace. The caterers were busy in the kitchen and she had been banned by her family from entering it for the past three hours.
Rising from the stool, she went to the window and looked down. It was a gorgeous, mellow June evening, reminding her very much of the last big party that had been held here when she’d been just seven years old. She’d sat on one of the steps down to the garden, desperate not to be found and put to bed, and her father had joined her, smoking a cigarette.
‘Promise me that when you find love, you will grab hold of it and never let it go,’ he’d said.
His words rang in her ears, and she only hoped he’d approve of tonight.
Freddie and she had been married quietly at the registry office yesterday with only family in attendance. And tonight – on her seventieth birthday – they would celebrate.
Posy moved to sit on the edge of the bed and put on her shoes – they had a kitten heel and felt most uncomfortable, but she could hardly wear wellingtons on her special night, as Clemmie had pointed out when she’d taken her shopping to find a pair that matched her outfit.
Tammy had found the dress – a shimmering cream 1930s vintage piece that covered the lumps and bumps that age had brought, and didn’t make her look like a ship in full sail.
There was a knock on the door.
‘Who is it?’
‘It’s Tammy and Clemmie,’ Clemmie called. ‘We have the flowers for your hair.’
‘Come in!’
They did – Tammy looking utterly breathtaking in an emerald-green sheath, and Clemmie in bronze taffeta that set off her colouring to perfection.
‘My goodness, don’t you two look beautiful,’ Posy smiled.
‘And you, Granny – I mean, you don’t look like one at all,’ Clemmie giggled.
‘Tonight, dear girl, I don’t feel like one either,’ Posy agreed.
‘Here’s a glass of champagne to calm your nerves. Shall I pin the flowers into your hair?’ Tammy asked.
‘Thank you.’ Posy took a gulp of her champagne, then walked back to the dressing table and sat down. At Freddie’s insistence, she’d grown her hair longer and it now fell in soft waves around her face.
‘There,’ said Tammy as she fastened in the two creamy rosebuds, picked from the garden.
‘How are the caterers getting on? Have they laid out the drinks?’
‘Granny, stop fussing. Everything’s taken care of.’
‘I promise it is, Posy,’ said Tammy. ‘Do you need anything else? The guests are starting to arrive and the boys are downstairs to greet them. We should go and mingle.’
‘No, I’m fine, thank you. Come here, my beautiful girls, and let me give you both a kiss.’ Posy put her hands out to pull Clemmie to her, but her granddaughter caught her left hand in her smaller one and held it out towards Tammy.
‘Look, Tammy, Posy has two rings on her finger now and you only have one.’
‘Cheeky monkey,’ Tammy admonished her. ‘You just want to wear another lovely bridesmaid’s dress.’
‘I just want you and Daddy to get married for real so we can be a proper family.’
‘Soon, I promise, Clemmie, but we should let Posy enjoy her own wedding and birthday party first, shouldn’t we?’
Tammy rolled her eyes at Posy over Clemmie’s head as Posy kissed her granddaughter. ‘Get on with you downstairs, miss. I’ll see you in a while.’
‘Freddie will be up to collect you in fifteen minutes or so.’
‘Thank you, Tammy. I feel so spoilt.’
‘Well, you absolutely deserve to, Posy. You’ve done so much for all of us, now it’s your turn.’
The two of them left the room and Posy took another gulp of her champagne, then went to sit on the window seat, spying on the growing crowd of guests standing on the terrace below her.
There was another knock at her door.
‘Come in.’
This time it was Amy, looking lovely in turquoise silk.
‘I just came to wish you luck for tonight, Posy.’
‘Thank you, darling girl. You look like a dream, by the way. It really is a night of new beginnings, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, it is, but I promise, Posy, when Sebastian and I eventually move into Admiral House, you’ll be welcome here any time.’
‘I know, darling, and thank you. The house needs a facelift and a family in it. I’m so grateful to Sebastian for wanting to take it on.’
‘Well, it’ll be at least a year before we move in, because of the renovation, but I promise to care for it, if you promise to help us with the garden. I wouldn’t know where to start.’
‘Then you will have to learn, and once I’m back from my honeymoon, I’ll show you.’
‘You really don’t mind, do you?’
‘Of course I don’t. After all, Jake and Sara are my grandchildren. They’re Montagues, remember, so the bloodline essentially remains unbroken.’
‘I . . . Have you heard from Sam?’ Amy asked timidly.
‘Yes, he phoned me earlier to wish me a good evening.’
‘Right.’ Amy looked uneasily at Posy. ‘How did he sound?’
‘In good spirits, considering. He’s still staying with Heather – the woman he met in the clinic – at her house in Wiltshire. He told me that once the trial is over, depending on his sentence, they’re thinking of moving abroad. Heather seems to have plenty of money, at least, and reading between the lines, is keeping Sam on the straight and narrow. He’s certainly off the booze – Heather is teetotal since the clinic and drags Sam to AA meetings twice a week.’ Posy gave a sad smile.
‘I’m so sorry he wouldn’t come to the wedding or the party tonight,’ sighed Amy. ‘It could be because of Sebastian: not just because he’s with me, but because he helped the fraud squad hunt him and Ken Noakes down. I feel awful that Sebastian played a part in it, but . . . oh Posy, I’m so glad he did. Sam needed help so badly.’
‘It was for the best. Nothing in life is ever perfect, darling girl. Now.’ Posy stood up ‘Lets’s move on to happier things. I want you to enjoy tonight.’
‘I will. Oh, and I brought you this for your birthday present. It’s from all of us. Open it when you have time.’
‘I will,’ Posy said as Amy indicated a big square package covered in brown paper leaning against the wall. ‘Thank you, darling.’
‘It’s nothing, really, after all you’ve done for me.’ Amy walked over and gave Posy a hug. ‘You’re amazing, you really are. Now, I’m off downstairs. Enjoy tonight.’
‘I will do my best, I promise.’
Posy watched Amy leave, then walked over to the brown-paper-covered package. She sat down on the bed and held it on her lap for a while, thinking about Sam and mourning his absence. She only hoped he’d find contentment in his new life, but she somehow doubted it. One thing she’d learnt was that no one ever truly changed.
‘Not now, Posy,’ she whispered to herself, and turned her mind to the parcel on her knee. She tore off the paper and saw the back of a canvas. Turning it over, she gasped as she saw the painting of Admiral House.
Amy had chosen the back aspect, with the terrace falling away to the garden Posy had created in the foreground. There was the butterfly garden, the parterre, the roses and the willow walkway, all beautifully depicted in full, glorious bloom.
Tears came to her eyes, and she swallowed hard in order not to disturb her make-up. This was her contribution to Admiral House, and she knew she had caretakers who would see it was nurtured into the future. She would suggest Sebastian and Amy found a good gardener – from the look of this painting, Amy was far too talented to spend her days knee-deep in compost.
There was yet a further knock at the door and Freddie entered, resplendent in black tie.
‘Hello, darling girl,’ he smiled as Posy stood up. ‘Don’t you look a picture?’
He held his arms open to her and she walked into them.
‘How are you feeling?’ he asked her.
‘Nervous.’
‘And sad that this will be your last party at Admiral House?’
‘Not really, no,’ she answered.
‘I’m surprised.’
‘Well, I’ve learned something in the past few months.’
‘And what might that be?’
‘That home isn’t about bricks and mortar,’ she smiled up at him. ‘Home is right here, in your arms.’
Freddie looked down at her. ‘Goodness, Mrs Lennox, that’s an awfully romantic thing to say.’
‘I must be going soft in my old age, but I mean it. Truly.’
He kissed her on her forehead. ‘Well, I promise you will never have to leave these arms on my account, and also that, if you feel you want something larger to live in, and a garden to nurture, we can look after our honeymoon.’
‘No, your cottage is perfect, really, Freddie. It will provide a base when we’re back from all the travelling we’re going to do.’
‘We’ll see about that. One distress call from a member of your family and you’ll come running,’ he chuckled. ‘Which is the way it should be. I love you, Mrs Lennox.’
‘And I love you too.’
There was another knock, and Freddie and Posy jumped apart as Nick walked through the door.
‘Honestly,’ he rai
sed an eyebrow. ‘It’s like finding two teenagers in the bedroom, doing something they shouldn’t. Ready to go, Mum? Everyone is gathering downstairs in the hall.’
‘I think so, yes.’
She turned to Freddie, her eyes shining.
‘Life’s coming back to this house, you know.’
Freddie nodded. ‘I know, dear girl, I know.’ And with that, he led her gently out of the door.
Posy stood at the top of the stairs, flanked by her husband and her son. The chandelier glittered above her as she looked down to the hall below her. A sea of faces swam before her eyes. Amongst them was her beloved family – a new generation that she had given life to, their eyes full of hope for the future.
Someone started to clap, and the rest of the guests joined in until the hall echoed with the sound of cheering.
Posy held on tightly to both Freddie and Nick’s arms and walked down the stairs to join them.
Also by Lucinda Riley
Hothouse Flower
The Girl on the Cliff
The Light Behind the Window
The Midnight Rose
The Italian Girl
The Angel Tree
The Olive Tree
The Love Letter
The Seven Sisters Series
The Seven Sisters
The Storm Sister
The Shadow Sister
The Pearl Sister
The Moon Sister
First published 2019 by Macmillan
This electronic edition first published 2019 Macmillan
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-1-5290-1497-6
Copyright © Lucinda Riley 2019
Main image © Alison Archinuk/Trevillion Images; Butterflies © Shutterstock
The right of Lucinda Riley to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The Butterfly Room Page 49
