Rumours and Red Roses

by Patricia Fawcett

  ‘It’s not only that. He’s away a lot.’

  ‘So? That’s his job, isn’t it? Searching out buyers?’

  ‘There are such things as phones. I don’t believe he has to be there, every single time. What are the other people in his department doing?’

  ‘Ask him,’ Louisa said. ‘Do you know any of the people in his department?’

  ‘Not really. I’ve only met a couple of his sales people in passing and his secretary.’

  ‘Ah. The secretary.’ Louisa raised her eyebrows. ‘Don’t tell me she’s a gorgeous blonde?’

  ‘No.’ Adele managed a smile. ‘Not a bit of it. I’m not worried about her.’

  ‘It’s James running off that’s done it. It’s his fault. He’s made you nervous when there’s no reason to be. Look, darling, why don’t you go away just for a weekend? Go somewhere nice, relax, just the two of you, and I’ll look after Alex. It will do you good.’

  ‘It would be nice but it’s not on just now. There’s Jackie’s wedding coming up and he’s very involved with that. Did I tell you that he’s paying for it all? And that girl has very expensive tastes.’

  ‘Isn’t his ex paying half?’

  ‘No. She’s offered but he’s a stubborn so-and-so.’

  ‘He is but that’s no bad thing. Anything goes these days with weddings. Jenny’s daughter is on her third wedding and quite rightly Jenny’s having nothing to do with that. She paid for the first one after all. I think the groom’s family usually contribute something these days as well.’

  ‘I haven’t a clue what’s happening there. Rory thinks it’s his responsibility anyway so he’d probably turn down any offer of help.’

  ‘Let Rory pay for his daughter’s wedding if that’s what he wants to do. And you must get this affair thing out of your head. Take it from me, he won’t do that.’

  ‘Why is he being so secretive then? He’s locked the door to his desk where he keeps all his papers to do with work.’

  ‘So? Richard locks his desk and he doesn’t have any work papers now he’s retired. It’s a man thing. It doesn’t mean anything. He’s not into porn, is he?’

  ‘No.’ Adele managed a smile. ‘At least, I don’t think so. I might try to persuade him to take a few days’ break. Are you sure you won’t mind looking after Alex?’

  ‘No. It will be fun. Won’t it, little man? We can do lots of things together. Me and you and Wilson.’

  Hearing his name, the dog, spread-eagled on his beanbag, stretched luxuriously and opened one eye.

  THIRTY

  IT WAS QUITE by accident that Adele met Sheila Burns, Rory’s secretary.

  She had walked the short distance from home to take Alex to the doctor for a routine check-up at the surgery and when she saw Sheila waiting in the reception area, she had no option but to go and sit beside her. Sheila, a very large lady with a severe black bob of hair, moved a mountain of Spectator and Lancashire Life magazines to make space for her, leaning down to fuss Alex, who obligingly beamed at her.

  ‘He’s a lovely little boy,’ Sheila said with a smile. ‘He looks like Rory.’

  ‘Yes he does.’ Adele returned the smile. Some people saw that, some people, especially her mother, saw only her.

  ‘He’s all right, isn’t he?’ Sheila asked anxiously. ‘Seeing the doctor, is he?’

  ‘He’s fine. It’s just routine,’ Adele reassured her.

  ‘Thank goodness. We’re so glad everything worked out well, the operation and everything. It must have been hell for you. We were all rooting for you on that day.’

  ‘Everybody was. We were inundated with good wishes. Thank you for the card and flowers,’ Adele said. ‘I did speak to somebody on the phone at work who said she’d pass my message on and I asked Rory to say thanks, too, but you know what men are like. How are you?’ she asked, knowing the question was a little odd in a doctor’s surgery.

  ‘Oh, I’m not ill. I’m just in to see the nurse for some jabs,’ she said, pulling a face. ‘I’m off to India for a month and I need various injections. I’m single again, by the way. We called it a day, me and Paul. After six years, would you believe? I can’t believe it took me six years to work out that he was a complete …’ In deference to the old lady sitting opposite, she mouthed the word bastard.

  ‘I’m sorry about that.’

  ‘Don’t be. It was time for a new start. Sometimes you have to know when to walk away, don’t you?’

  It was said lightly but she looked grief stricken. Now was not the moment to get into an agony-aunt type discussion and Adele was not going to be drawn into one. She knew from odd things Rory had said that his secretary was a bit of a mournful character and listening to tales of woe was the last thing she needed just now.

  ‘India?’ she said, hoping to steer the conversation that way.

  ‘I’m doing a train thing. I thought I might as well go for it big time. God knows what it will be like but it will certainly be different. Paul was so boring. His idea of a holiday was sunbathing by a pool somewhere in the Med. It didn’t actually matter where because he rarely got off his backside. I like to see something of the country I’m in.’

  Adele smiled, awkward because she hadn’t a clue who Paul was although she did feel a touch sorry for him. There was an abrasive edge to Sheila that she had immediately sensed.

  ‘A whole month away? Lucky you. That sounds wonderful,’ she said, shutting the door firmly on any more talk about the ex-boyfriend. ‘I’d love to go there but Rory and I are holding fire on exotic destinations until Alex is a bit older. It’s going to be buckets and spades somewhere close for the foreseeable future.’

  ‘How are you coping?’ Sheila’s voice sounded a little odd suddenly and a flush spread upwards from her neck and flooded her face. ‘I feel so embarrassed. It was awful. We all felt dreadful about it. After all, I’ve been his secretary for three years and I rated Rory the tops. It’s the boss’s fault. I don’t know what he wants from people these days. It’s made everybody feel vulnerable. I’m taking a risk having all my holiday leave in one go. I mean, you don’t expect to have to clear your desk in a day, do you? Rory was white as a sheet. But I can see you’re doing all right. It’s not so bad if you have somebody there to support you. If I got the push, I haven’t anybody. Not any more.’

  Her name was called at that point and she stood up hastily.

  ‘See you later. Good luck,’ she said.

  Stunned, Adele remained in her seat, clutching Alex so hard that he wriggled in protest.

  *

  So she now knew the reason for his behaviour over the last month and it was such a relief that it wasn’t another woman. Mind you, losing his job was a hard pill to swallow. But it did irk that he hadn’t thought he could talk to her about it. Good heavens, she was a big girl; she had gone through a lot recently and she would cope with it. She didn’t need protecting from the nasty things life threw at you.

  ‘I met Sheila Burns at the doctor’s this morning. We had a chat. Why didn’t you tell me you’d lost your job?’ Adele said, the words finally exploding from her as they took their coffee into the sitting room. She hadn’t wanted to spoil the meal and he looked so tired so she had held her tongue until now.

  But now it was said.

  ‘Oh.’ He smiled slightly. ‘Stupid, wasn’t it? It’s only been a few weeks and I knew I’d have to tell you sooner or later. I was hoping I could get fixed up quickly with another job so then I needn’t trouble you with bad news.’

  ‘Oh, Rory, I’m not a child. I’m your wife. You should have told me. I shall get a job myself. There are always jobs to be had in office work and I did do that before I did the catering course. Of course, I won’t be earning as much as you but it will keep us going.’

  ‘There’s no need to panic,’ he said, giving her an exasperated look. ‘That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t tell you.’

  ‘I’m not panicking. It’s an option. Where have you been all day every day?’

&nbs
p; ‘Out and about. I’m trying to make contact with people.’

  ‘Why did they do it? You’re good at the job. I know that and Sheila said so.’

  He raised his eyebrows. ‘She doesn’t know the ins and outs and neither do you, sweetheart. Don’t worry. I’ve got contacts. I’m doing a lot of string pulling, calling on favours, that sort of thing.’

  ‘But what will we do for money in the meantime?’

  ‘I’ve got a lump sum,’ he said, pulling a face. ‘A very pale golden handshake for all the time and energy I’ve devoted to them over the years. Loyalty counts for sod all these days. It’s a decent amount, I suppose, but it’s going to be swallowed up by the wedding. Now Jackie has decided she doesn’t like the photographer her mother suggested. She’s heard of this new guy, very cutting edge, whom it seems is the only person to have these days. You won’t believe what he charges.’

  Adele stared at him. She so wanted to tell him the truth, that this daughter of his was one spoilt bitch, but how could she? Best to ignore it. ‘You should have told me about the job,’ she said. ‘We could have worked through it together. I would never have spent so much money lately if I’d known. It’s been frittered away on all sorts of non-essentials. Oh God, we sent a thousand to the cardiac unit and it will have been cashed by now. We could have stopped the cheque.’

  ‘I wouldn’t dream of doing that. We’ll ride it out. Sorry, darling. I didn’t want to worry you. We’ve had enough worries with Alex.’

  ‘At least this is just financial,’ Adele said, in a vain attempt to make light of it. ‘It’s not a matter of life and death. We’ll get through it. If it comes to the worst, I can always ask Gran for a loan.’

  ‘No,’ he said instantly. ‘You are not going to do that.’

  ‘But she won’t mind. She’s always volunteering to give me money.’

  ‘You are not going to do that,’ he repeated. ‘I’ve told you, there’s no need to panic. I have a meeting over in Manchester next week with a guy I’ve known for a long time. He’s set up his own business and, from what he’s said, he’d be keen to have somebody of my experience on board.’

  ‘That’s a relief.’

  ‘Let’s not count our chickens and, if I do get it, it will mean a difficult commute because it’s on the wrong side of town,’ he said. ‘But promise me, no going down on bended knee to your grandmother. I would die of shame. I like that lady and I don’t want her thinking that I can’t support my own family.’

  ‘I promise,’ she said.

  THIRTY-ONE

  ALEX WAS FLAT out, arms flung out, lying on top of a trio of teddies.

  Gently, Adele disentangled him from the heap. He moved a little but did not open his eyes and she smoothed back his hair and leaned over to drop a kiss on his forehead.

  Tired, because he had been a bundle of energy today, she picked up his discarded clothes and carried them downstairs.

  ‘Is he off?’ Rory called from the sitting room. ‘Coffee’s here.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She dumped the clothes by the washing machine first and then gratefully sat down opposite Rory. ‘What a day!’ she said. ‘He’s never stopped all day long. Getting the buggy and him in and out of the car is really hard work. I’m shattered.’

  ‘You look it. He’s getting a heavy boy now.’

  ‘Yes.’ She smiled at him. ‘Thank goodness. If you hear me grumbling about him running around too much just remind me, won’t you?’ She leaned back in the chair, closed her eyes a second. With no job forthcoming, they were feeling the pinch because they didn’t want to dip too far into the rainy-day money. Her mother was frantic about the situation and Adele wished now that she hadn’t told her but she hadn’t wanted to lie to her and her mother had a habit of ferreting out the truth.

  ‘I’ve asked Angela for some help with the wedding,’ Rory said.

  Adele opened her eyes. ‘Goodness. I thought hell would have to freeze over first.’

  ‘So did I,’ he said. ‘It was bloody hard. But she was surprisingly all right about it. She didn’t actually gloat.’

  ‘You didn’t have to do that, Rory,’ Adele said, knowing how much that had meant to him. ‘You keep telling me not to panic. We will manage.’

  ‘Will we? It’s bad news on the Manchester job.’

  ‘Oh! You’ve heard then?’ It was a blow for she had been building her hopes up on that one.

  ‘He rang me when you were out. He wanted me to work for peanuts every hour God sends. I would never have seen you and Alex,’ he said quietly. ‘So I said thanks but no thanks. I hope I did the right thing. But I’m beginning to realize it’s not going to be as easy as I thought. I’m in that awkward age group.’

  ‘Why don’t you switch careers? Do something else.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘I don’t know. We’ll think of something.’

  ‘We might have to move,’ he said. ‘Could I ask you to do that?’

  ‘Move?’ She looked at him in dismay. ‘Are you serious?’

  ‘Yes. I know it’s a lot to ask,’ he said with a small smile. ‘I wasn’t born here but this town does seem to take a hold on people, especially people like you who’ve been here for generations.’

  ‘You’re right. I do feel rooted here. I’m sorry but I couldn’t possibly think of moving anywhere else. I love this house,’ she told him. ‘I wasn’t sure at first because Angela seemed to be everywhere but now … now that Alex is here and I’m putting my own stamp on it, now I do love it. I would hate to move. And Mother would be appalled if I suggested it.’

  ‘I’m not asking your mother. I’m asking you,’ he said. ‘I need to know before I start sending out my CV and putting in for jobs further afield. If you say no then that’s fine but it might restrict me if we can’t move out of the area.’

  He looked increasingly tired these days but he was still the same old Rory and hadn’t he been her rock over the last year and a bit? Why had she ever imagined he was with another woman? That had been most unfair of her and she hated herself for thinking it. One thing was sure. She had to be with him, no matter where that might be.

  ‘If it comes to the crunch …’ She gave a half smile. ‘I suppose I would.’

  ‘Come over here.’

  ‘Blow me a kiss. I’m too tired.’

  He got up and came over to her. ‘I love you, Adele Chandler,’ he said. ‘And I don’t like to keep things from you. I won’t do it again.’

  ‘You’d better not,’ she teased, holding up her face to be kissed.

  THIRTY-TWO

  ADELE AND HER grandmother, arms linked, were taking a leisurely stroll around the village. Chrissie, complaining of a headache, had wanted some fresh air in place of an aspirin and, as they didn’t want to disturb a sleeping Alex, Louisa was more than happy to stay home and look after him.

  ‘Did you know, Gran, that William Blundell has died?’

  ‘I did.’ Chrissie clutched at her arm, close to stumbling, wearing shoes totally unsuitable for the rough ground at this point.

  ‘Becky told me. She didn’t know him very well but she’s very glad she met him. And she felt it was fate that she went along to visit on his last day. It was all rather sudden, apparently, a very rapid deterioration.’ She cast a glance her gran’s way but her face was impassive. ‘She was surprised to see you at the nursing home.’

  ‘Ah yes, they were coming out, I was going in. I suspected she would tell you she’d seen me. The child is coming on nicely. She looked very pretty. She has such fair hair. I must say, she dresses her beautifully. Baby girls today are too often clothed in overalls and little jeans and suchlike. It’s no wonder they grow up to be so unladylike.’

  ‘Who were you visiting?’

  ‘A friend.’

  ‘Who?’

  Chrissie stopped and smiled. ‘Is this an interrogation?’

  ‘Not at all. It’s just that …’

  ‘I was visiting William too.’

  ‘Really? You were going to se
e Simon’s grandpa?’

  ‘Yes. Why is that extraordinary? I knew him from way back. I already told you that.’

  ‘Of course you did. You told me he was one of Grandfather’s business colleagues.’

  ‘He was hardly a colleague but we often used to attend the same functions. Several times a year. There was quite a crowd of us. Most of them are long gone. When I heard from Becky that he was still with us, I had a sudden desire to see him one more time. I took a taxi.’

  ‘I would have taken you. Why didn’t you ask me?’

  ‘Because it was private. I hadn’t seen him for years and I felt I needed to be alone.’

  ‘So you haven’t been visiting him regularly?’ she asked, feeling her gran’s sharp gaze on her.

  ‘No, I have not. What is it you are inferring, Adele? For goodness’ sake, speak your mind. I can’t do with dithering.’

  ‘I’m not inferring anything. I’m just curious. Did he know you when you saw him?’

  ‘He was semi-conscious, darling, but I’m sure he did know I was there.’ Chrissie angled them towards a bench on the village green and they took a seat, enjoying the autumn sunshine sifting through the leaves of a large tree. ‘I stayed with him some considerable time. In fact, I was with him when he died.’

  ‘Oh. I had no idea. Mother didn’t say.’

  ‘I didn’t tell her. I shan’t attend the funeral. I’ll leave that to the family.’

  ‘Shall I tell Becky that you were … you know … present at his death?’

  ‘No. I don’t think so.’

  ‘Becky said they wouldn’t have left if they had known it was imminent but the nurse had told them it might be days.’

  ‘Did she? Strange because I knew directly I walked in that he wasn’t long for this world and by that I meant minutes. So, it was the least I could do to stay. I was determined to ease him out. I sat beside him and talked to him. Pleasant things about the past – ridiculous things, some of them – but he did manage a smile at one time so I think it was getting through. I was just talking about the stars, the night sky, reminding him of how it used to be when …’ She stopped; gave a deep sigh.