Coming Home to Jasmine Cottage

by Zara Stoneley

  ‘Oh God, you know what? I’ve been an idiot haven’t I? I’ve been as guilty as Maisie of treating this as an extension of the holidays, and not looking at this long term. No wonder she’s not settled.’

  They both stared into their drinks for inspiration.

  ‘What about Becky?’

  ‘Sorry?’ The name didn’t immediately ring a bell with him.

  ‘Becky, the teacher I took over from. I mean she’s not bothered about money, but I’m pretty sure she’d be glad of a break from just looking after her baby, and she’d be brilliant with Maisie, and I bet Maisie would love helping with the baby. Children her age like to help with little ones.’

  ‘But,’ he hesitated, ‘I don’t want it to look like I’m copping out, that I can’t cope.’ That was still his problem. He’d failed on his own life, failed in his marriage. If he failed on this, he could lose his daughter for ever. ‘I need to prove that I can look after her. I got this.’ He pulled the copy of the email out of his pocket and handed it over. This was what it came down to. One short email.

  Lucy smoothed the paper out, not looking at it. ‘But letting people help is looking after her Charlie. Nobody is expected to do it on their own, and you’re doing your best.’

  ‘I know, but read it. It’s from Josie. She wants a divorce.’

  Lucy sobered up, and picked up the piece of paper, which from the look of it he’d been folding and unfolding as though he didn’t know quite what to do with it.

  She’d been feeling on a bit of a high at the end of the school day after the Ofsted team had left and had missed Charlie’s agitation when he’d first arrived, but now it was evident. He looked worn out, his face tinged grey. And she was pretty sure it wasn’t just the normal ups and downs of being a parent. Whatever he said, Charlie was made of sterner stuff. He’d never let his daughter down if he could help it.

  ‘I’m worried, Lucy. It’s not the actual divorce, that’ll be a relief in a way, but she’s playing games again over Maisie. I thought we’d got a truce, that we’d worked a solution out. You know, that when she comes back to the UK she’d get a place nearby and Maisie wouldn’t have to be uprooted again. We’d share the arrangements.’ He ran his fingers through his hair in the agitated way that was so familiar to her. She put a hand over his, but the ache of dread inside her grew. This was what had been worrying her, eating away inside her. But she had to be the calm one here. ‘That’s what she said. But I don’t know, the whole tone of this spells trouble.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Lucy searched his face, but all she could see was worry. Charlie wasn’t one to overreact. And Lucy still couldn’t quite work out what she thought about Charlie’s ex. From what Charlie had told her about their break-up, Josie had seemed pretty callous. There probably wasn’t a nice way to tell a man that his daughter probably wasn’t biologically his, but doing it as you walk through the door and suggesting he never see her again was bad by anybody’s standards. But then when she’d brought Maisie in to Langtry Meadows Primary School in the spring, telling Charlie his daughter missed him, needed him, Lucy thought she was seeing the real Josie. The caring side, the side that was putting her daughter first.

  Until she’d announced the real reason – that she wanted Charlie to look after Maisie while she worked abroad, ignoring her responsibilities.

  And now this.

  Lucy wanted to tear her hair out and scream, but instead took a deep breath.

  Either the woman was incredibly selfish, or there was far more to this than Lucy and Charlie realised. Lucy’s heart ached for the man and his daughter. She loved both of them, she wanted them to be happy, and as hard as she tried, taking a detached view of this was impossible.

  ‘Read it, tell me what you think.’ He touched the very edge of the sheet of paper. ‘When she comes back she’s going to take Maisie away again.’

  ‘Only if we let her.’ Lucy felt her throat dry. She’d seen the state Charlie had been in when he’d thought he’d lost his daughter before – when he’d returned to Langtry Meadows heartbroken. It had taken a long time for him to confide in her, admit what Josie had done, that she’d told him he’d be in the wrong trying to see his daughter.

  He’d jumped at the opportunity to see her again, to have her stay with him.

  Neither of them had seen this on the horizon. And not so soon.

  Lucy scanned the words as he spoke, we need closure … I feel we need to formalise arrangements for Maisie and think about what she will want as she gets older … I miss her … this was just a temporary solution … better with her mother … I’ve spoken to my solicitor.

  ‘She’s just been using me, Lucy, so she could have six months off gallivanting and living her dream.’ His voice was tinged with bitterness. ‘She’ll come back and try to push me out of their lives again, won’t she? Disrupt Maisie, do exactly what she wants.’

  Lucy’s stomach felt hollow as she looked at him. ‘She can’t do that to you, or to Maisie.’

  ‘Can’t she?’

  When Lucy had first met Charlie, he’d spent months struggling to put his life back together. He’d always been prepared to fight for his right to see Maisie – whether she was his or not – but then when Josie had unexpectedly offered an olive branch, his life had picked up. ‘But surely any court would see you’ve been a father to her? That you’re looking after her now? She can’t just stop you seeing her.’ The unspoken question that neither of them knew the answer to hung in the air between them, can she?

  He shrugged, looking defeated. ‘But what if I’m not her father? Do I have any say at all? What if her …’

  ‘I don’t know.’ She squeezed his hand, looked into his eyes and knew they were having the same thought. What if he really wasn’t Maisie’s dad, what if her real father came back? ‘But we can find out what rights you’ve got, can’t we? You do want her here with you don’t you?’ She knew he did, but he needed to say it.

  ‘Of course I do.’ His eyes were shadowed. ‘I really thought Josie was planning on coming back, settling locally so that Maisie had both of us. That’s what she said, we agreed. But now …’ He shrugged despondently, the droop of his shoulders saying it all.

  ‘Oh Charlie.’ She wrapped her arms round him, and after a moment he put his arm round her shoulders and pulled her in tighter against him. ‘We can’t think about the worst case right now. We’ve got to assume the best, make it look like you’re expecting her to stay.’ She could feel the burn of tears in her eyes. Josie couldn’t be allowed to do this again. She wouldn’t let her. Swallowing away her upset she forced the tremor out of her voice. ‘You’re right though, you need a proper home and you need child care.’

  ‘But the surgery needs somebody there all the time. It works, me being in the flat, on hand.’

  ‘But it doesn’t work for Maisie.’ Lucy pulled away and straightened up. ‘Eric didn’t live there before, did he?’

  ‘No, it was just used if Sal needed to stay overnight, if we had a dog in.’

  ‘Right, well it sounds like it’s time you moved out, and went back to that arrangement. It was fine for just you, Charlie when you were a locum and weren’t even expecting to stay long.’

  ‘True.’ Charlie nodded, ran his fingers through his hair in a gesture she knew so well. When he’d moved back to Langtry Meadows, it had been to help Eric out. A temporary position. Eric was now on the road to recovery, and soon he’d be back in the surgery helping out, but he’d already told Charlie he wanted him to stay. That he needed help for the foreseeable future.

  ‘But it’s different now, isn’t it? In fact,’ she paused as a sudden idea popped into her head, ‘why not ask Eric if Sal can move in permanently? I know on the wage you pay her,’ he raised an eyebrow but she carried on, ‘she can’t afford anywhere big, and there are hardly any small places up for sale or rent in Langtry Meadows. Oh come on, Charlie, it makes sense, I know she’s dying to get away from her parents.’

  ‘Sounds like we need one of your spread
sheets.’ There was a glimmer of the old Charlie there, a hint of smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

  ‘It does. And an estate agent.’

  ‘You’re right, it might make Maisie feel more settled as well if I get a place that reminds her of home.’ He put a hand on her knee, the warmth seeping in, and she leaned in against him. She couldn’t help it. ‘Thanks.’ He dropped the lightest of kisses on her hair. ‘You’ve got to show me this house that you’re after as well, over the weekend. I am interested you know, sorry we’ve not had time—’

  ‘Neither of us have had a spare moment. I’ll show you round, but don’t expect much, it needs a lot of work.’

  ‘But you’ve got time, before Annie comes back?’

  ‘True. But first let’s sort your stuff out, that’s far more urgent.’

  ‘I’ll get Becky’s number off Sally tomorrow, she’s bound to have it.’

  ‘She is, or I can ask at school. Jill will probably know.’

  ‘Talking of Sal, your little Piper is ready to go home. Shall I bring her round in the morning?’

  ‘Sure.’ Lucy frowned. She really wanted the little dog, she’d been thinking about her ever since she’d found her by the garden gate – and she’d popped into the surgery regularly after school to check up on how she was doing. But the thought of taking responsibility for her was a bit daunting, even though she’d been caring for all of Annie’s animals. This was different, this was a dog of her own.

  ‘What’s up?’ Charlie nudged her.

  ‘How can I look after her? I don’t often get a chance to pop home at lunch time, and she can’t spend all day on her own.’ And soon she might have a house-renovation project on her hands as well.

  ‘Well I can soon sort that.’

  Lucy jumped at the gruff country burr behind her, then twisted round to find Jim had sneaked up unnoticed. ‘Jim!’ The school governor, and Annie’s brother, had been looking after her since she’d arrived in Langtry Meadows. It was Jim who had introduced her to Annie, found her a place to stay, he kept an eye on things and checked she was coping with the gorgeous but overgrown cottage garden, and now it seemed he was jumping into the breach again.

  ‘Evening!’ He grinned, showing a chipped tooth.

  ‘But how …’

  ‘You’ve no need to go worrying about that pup while you’re in school, I can quite easily take the young ’un a walk for you when I take Molly.’

  ‘You walk Molly?’ Lucy was surprised, she’d never realised that Jim helped Elsie out with her dog, and she hadn’t realised that her discovering Piper was common knowledge either. But in Langtry Meadows it was hard to keep anything under wraps.

  ‘Oh aye. I offered a while ago, when Elsie was finding she was too,’ he paused diplomatically, looking for the right word. Nobody would dare call Elsie old, or suggest she couldn’t cope, ‘busy. Not been feeling quite herself lately, and she has a lot on some days so I said it was no trouble.’

  Lucy frowned. ‘Is she okay?’ She’d not seen quite as much of Elsie Harrington as she should since she’d been caught up in the new term, and the old lady had been so kind to her.

  ‘Just old age and a bit of a summer cold, but you know she doesn’t like a fuss young Lucy. I’m sure she’d welcome a visit though if you’re passing. Aye well, official dog walker, me.’ He chuckled. ‘It would be good for Molly to have a youngster come along with us, she doesn’t run around that much since her own pups went, the lazy old thing.’

  ‘So that’s settled then.’ Charlie stood up. ‘Can I get you a drink, Jim? Lucy?’

  Lucy grinned. ‘Definitely. Sit down Jim. I reckon you’re better than any estate agent, aren’t you? Do you know if there are any houses up for rent in the village?’

  Chapter 6

  ‘Oh God, no.’ Lucy clutched her head. It wasn’t how she liked Saturdays to start. Piper was barking a high pitched ‘I didn’t know I could do it’ kind of bark, and a hen was squawking indignantly.

  A hen.

  She sat up abruptly. The hens should be in the garden, not in the house. Not even stopping to put her slippers on, she scrambled down the narrow staircase.

  ‘I didn’t know you could bark.’ Piper flapped her tatty tail sheepishly, but didn’t look up. Her chin was on the floor, her gaze fixed on the bottom of the bureau. She wriggled forward a few inches on her tummy, commando style and Lucy tried not to laugh. The hen that she’d nicknamed Squeak wasn’t squeaking, for the first time since Lucy had set eyes on her she was flapping her wings and squawking out what sounded like a warning.

  The puppy was unperturbed.

  Lucy knelt down so that she was at her level, and peered. Peeping out from the darkness under the bureau was something yellowy-brown and fluffy. A chick. She put her head on the floor so that she could see right under, and another three pairs of eyes stared out from the gloom.

  ‘Oh.’ She stood up and frowned at Squeak. ‘You’re supposed to lay eggs for breakfast, not hide them until they hatch. Now what are we going to do?’ What on earth was she supposed to do? Leave the chicks there? Put them somewhere warm? Put them back outside with Squeak and the other hens? ‘How did you get in the house anyway?’ Squeak ruffled her feathers, deciding that now Lucy was there to protect her she didn’t need to scream, and settled down.

  Piper sat up, whined then lay down again, nudging her nose in the direction of a fluffy chick.

  ‘I think we’re going to have to ring for assistance, aren’t we?’

  When Sally arrived at the cottage ten minutes later Lucy had made a pot of coffee, but Piper hadn’t budged from her position.

  ‘You’re lucky that we’re quiet in the surgery, can’t stay long though, Charlie said he’d call me if the phones got busy. He hates answering calls because he ends up saying yes to everything.’ She paused. ‘Is he okay, Charlie? I mean, I know it’s none of my business, but when he asked me to babysit last night he looked uptight. Though he does seem more cheerful this morning, and Maisie made him laugh because she dressed Roo up in a Batman outfit.’

  ‘He had an email from Josie.’ Lucy didn’t want to gossip, but Sally knew all about how Josie had ambushed Charlie on May Day and asked him to look after Maisie. Lucy was pretty sure that she didn’t know about the fact that Charlie might not be Maisie’s biological father. That piece of information hadn’t got any further than the staff at the school – she hoped. ‘It looks like things might get nasty, and,’ she shrugged as she handed Sally a mug of coffee and sat down, ‘Maisie’s not very settled. I think he’s worried, that’s all.’

  ‘Hmm.’ Sally frowned. ‘She’s more up and down than she was at the start of the summer. She seems a bit, well …’

  ‘Sensitive?’

  ‘She’s touchy, and she actually refused to do what he asked her to the other day which was a bit out of character. They had a mini stand-off,’ she smiled, ‘I could see he was itching to tell her to behave, but scared stiff she’d burst into tears and run back to her bedroom. Then her cute little bottom lip wobbled and he was putty. Not that I’d have a clue what to do, I don’t know anything about kids.’ Sally gave a little shudder. ‘Give me a hen any day!’

  Lucy smiled. ‘All hens get to worry about is an egg getting stuck. Maisie’s lost her mother. I know Josie will be heading back soon, but to a six year old a week can seem like a lifetime. Six months, well, she probably feels abandoned, unwanted.’ Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat down, this wasn’t personal, it wasn’t about her. ‘Even though Charlie’s doing his best to make it up, having your dad isn’t always good enough, when you want your mum is it? Especially if you’re scared she doesn’t want you.’

  ‘I can remember when I was little, I always wanted Mum if I fell over or anything went wrong.’ Sally smiled. ‘Though my dad is pants at hugs and sticking plasters so it’s no wonder, is it?’

  ‘No, dads can be pants.’ Major pants, well hers was. Although Charlie definitely wasn’t. ‘And on top of that she’s moved schools, been tor
n from her friendship group and been dropped into what has to feel like an alien world.’

  ‘You can say that again, Langtry Meadows can definitely have a touch of the alien.’

  ‘And,’ Lucy fought the laugh and tried to be serious, ‘living in the flat at the surgery can’t be good, and Charlie whizzing in and out sorting out emergency calls when he should be sitting down practising spellings. I mean, I know you’re there, but—’

  ‘Believe me, I’m no mother substitute, I’ve told you – give me a puppy any day.’

  Lucy shook her head and battled on. ‘She’s just not got a routine. Kids like routine, knowing what to expect, it gives them something solid.’

  Sally nudged her. ‘Which is why you told him to ring Becky?’

  ‘He’s done that already? I’m impressed, Mr Efficiency.’ Charlie was obviously worried sick about the email he’d had from Josie, about the threats, or he wouldn’t have been making phone calls the moment he got up on a Saturday morning.

  ‘It was a brill idea. Becky’s jumped at the chance, I think she misses the kids at school, but her husband’s already talking about baby number two so she knows she won’t be going back. She’ll get a chance to natter to the teachers if she’s picking Maisie up as well, she told me she’s feeling a bit stranded, left out at the moment. It must be strange.’ Sally pulled a face. ‘I can’t imagine being at home all day with a baby. Oh God, puke and nappies and gaga noises all day.’

  Lucy laughed. ‘Me neither, but I suppose some people love it.’

  ‘She says she can’t wait for hers to grow up a bit and start doing things. I told her it was your suggestion and she says the moment she’s not on 24/7 feeding duties she’ll escape and buy you a drink.’ Sally grinned. ‘Do I owe you a drink too? Was it you told Charlie to offer me the flat above the surgery?’

  ‘Has he?’ Lucy grinned. ‘Brilliant,’ she paused, ‘if you want it that is?’

  ‘Want it? You’ve got to be kidding me. I knew you would have had something to do with it. I do love you Lucy Jacobs! And he said he’s talked to Eric and I can stay for practically free, which is amazing, it means I can still save some money towards, well,’ Lucy could swear she saw a blush, ‘save a deposit for a house with Jamie.’ She changed the conversation before Lucy had a chance to comment. ‘So, Charlie’s moving in …’ She glanced around.