Pastures New

by Margaret Thornton

  ‘What sort of business?’

  ‘Well … possibly a sports shop or something of the sort, selling sports gear like golfing equipment …’

  Val smiled. ‘Yes, I thought golf might come into it.’

  Sam still played golf occasionally with his two oldest friends, Colin and Jeff. They had been at school together and had never lost touch with one another. Val recalled how the three young men had been on a golfing holiday in Blackpool – enjoying the other delights the town had to offer as well – when she and Sam had met at the Winter Gardens ballroom.

  ‘But you don’t know anything about the retail trade, do you, either of you?’ said Val, feeling quite bewildered.

  ‘No, but we could learn and take advice. We’re both pretty good businessmen. I’ve dealt with facts and figures and so has Colin. My father made sure that I knew all that there was to know about the mill. I started right at the bottom and worked my way up, just like other trainees do, so I feel now that I could turn my hand to anything.’

  ‘You’ve taken the wind out of my sails,’ said Val. ‘I can’t quite take it in at the moment. Does Colin’s wife know about it, I wonder?’

  ‘I don’t think so, not yet. It’s just an idea at the moment. We know there’ll be a lot to consider.’

  ‘You would need to find suitable premises. And were you thinking of staying here, in Halifax?’

  ‘I can’t give you any answers at the moment because I just don’t know,’ replied Sam. He sounded a little on edge, perhaps wishing he had kept his mouth shut. ‘I don’t suppose something will suddenly turn up out of the blue. We’ll have to make enquiries at estate agencies. And I don’t know whether it would be in Halifax. Most probably not … Let’s not talk about it any more tonight. I had to tell you, though; I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer.’

  ‘Well, I’m very glad you did,’ said Val. ‘Goodness me! Look at the time: half past eleven! Well past our bedtime. And tomorrow we’re off to Harrogate. So we’ll have to put it out of our minds for now and enjoy the weekend.’

  ‘Well, we’ve done it,’ said Janice on the Friday evening when Sarah was tucked up in bed in her new bedroom.

  ‘As near as done it, anyway,’ said Phil. ‘Just a few finishing touches tomorrow before our guests arrive, then we’ll have all day Sunday to make sure we’re ready for the grand opening on Monday.’

  ‘Do you think it will be?’ said Janice, a little nervously. ‘A grand opening, I mean? We’ve been closed for more than a week. I hope our customers will come back.’

  ‘Of course they will, in droves,’ replied Phil with a great show of enthusiasm which Janice did not think was feigned. Phil was ever the optimist. ‘It’s been well advertised and our regulars will be dying to see what changes we’ve made. Don’t worry; they’ll come back all right.’

  They had been closed for ten days while the restaurant was being enlarged, which had involved knocking down the central wall then painting and decorating the area that had been the florist’s shop in a matching neutral shade. They had invested in a new carpet for the whole of the floor space, in a design of autumn leaves – brown, orange and gold – and tie-back curtains in a golden, silky rayon fabric for the large windows. There were new signs hanging in the windows, one saying Grundy’s, the Coffee Pot, and the other, Grundy’s, Changing Seasons. There were menus by the door showing the range of choices for both of them.

  The pictures which were already on the walls showed landscapes from many parts of the country, in spring, summer and autumn. These were now interspersed with winter scenes, which Janice had avoided in their original venture but were necessary now to depict all the changing seasons. Scenes of the snow-covered Yorkshire Dales and the Scottish Highlands, and the city of York at Christmastime. Janice had also bought some inexpensive reproductions of Monet’s floral scenes and winter scenes by Brueghel. There would be something to appeal to all tastes in their new environment, to the eye as well as, more importantly, to the palate.

  Phil knew that they had reached their limit as far as bank loans were concerned, but he was confident that they would quite soon recoup what they had borrowed and start to show a profit again.

  They had been fortunate with their staff. Phil had a very good chef, Toby, who had been there from the start, working with him. Toby was as keen as Phil to work hard and make Changing Seasons a success.

  Janice, also, had an excellent co-worker, Marjorie: a middle-aged lady, now a widow, who had been in the catering business for many years. They worked together on the fancy cakes and gateaux and all kinds of pastry. Janice had managed to cope reasonably well with her work at Grundy’s as well as looking after her baby daughter, although it had not been easy. Now that Sarah was nearly two years old and walking and talking, it was difficult to watch her all the time. They had become friendly, though, with Martin and Chloe, a young married couple of similar age to them, who also had a two-year-old daughter. Along with Martin’s parents, Mr and Mrs Banks, they ran the post office and newsagent’s shop at the other end of the terrace from Grundy’s. Chloe now took charge of Sarah for a couple of hours each day, along with her own little daughter, at a time convenient to both of them.

  The waitresses, Brenda and Jessie, had also been with them from the start and were willing to carry on with the new arrangement. Phil and Janice had found all along that they had little difficulty in employing part-time waiters and waitresses, and had extra help in the kitchen as and when it was required. During the school holidays there were always sixth-form students, such as Sophie and her friends, looking for a holiday job.

  There would be eighteen guests at the private party on Saturday; twenty sitting down for the meal, including Phil and Janice. Phil would be involved in its preparation, along with Toby. He would then leave Toby in charge and act as host to their guests.

  Marjorie, who was Janice’s assistant and did not usually have anything to do with the evening meals, had agreed to come and help with the finishing touches to the meal, and Brenda and Jessie, their very capable waitresses, would wait on at the tables. There would be other waiters and waitresses who would work on a part-time basis when the restaurant opened the following Monday.

  The guests had been invited to a pre-dinner drink in the new bar area at six thirty, followed by the meal at seven o’clock.

  ‘Our relations will probably be the first to arrive,’ said Phil. ‘Your dad and Norma and Alison will want time to settle into their rooms; I’m looking forward to meeting Alison. You’ve told Ian he’ll be kipping on the settee, haven’t you?’

  ‘Yes; he doesn’t mind. He seemed quite relieved actually. I expect the ones from Halifax will go to their hotel first and book in; we probably won’t see them till the evening. And the others are local. Oh … and there’s Bella and her sister, of course. They’re staying at a hotel because Dorothy didn’t want to drive back late at night.’

  Bella Tarrant, the previous owner of the florist’s shop, had been invited, with her sister, Dorothy, with whom she now lived, close to Thirsk. It was not a great distance away but they had decided to make the most of their short break. Their friends and neighbours from the newsagent’s shop were invited, as well as Lynette, who owned the hairdresser’s salon next door, with her husband, Bernard.

  As they had expected, the quartet from Blackpool arrived in the middle of the afternoon. Alec and Norma were very impressed as they looked around the new premises.

  ‘By heck, you’ve worked wonders here,’ said Alec. ‘I’m really impressed.’

  ‘It all depends on whether the food is as good as the decor,’ said Ian, winking at his brother-in-law. ‘As I’m quite sure it will be,’ he added. ‘Do you need any help tonight, Phil? I’m willing and able.’

  ‘No, of course not,’ said Phil. ‘Thanks all the same. We’re all sorted. I shall be dining with our guests and leaving Toby in charge. But we’re hoping you’ll be with us in the summer, unless you are otherwise occupied in Blackpool?’

  ‘I haven
’t decided yet,’ said Ian, glancing at Alison. She shrugged and gave a non-committal smile. ‘It will be up to you,’ she said. ‘I shall probably be working at Marks and Spencer’s again.’

  Janice made a cup of tea for them, a ‘must’ after a long car drive, then, when they had sorted out their small amount of luggage and made a big fuss of Sarah, who, understandably, was overawed at all the attention, they set out on foot to explore the town.

  ‘You two go on ahead,’ said Norma, knowing that the younger couple would not want to stay with them all afternoon. ‘Your dad and I will have a leisurely stroll. We’ll see you later.’

  ‘Your sister’s very nice and friendly,’ said Alison. ‘She’s a pretty girl, and Sarah’s a little love.’

  ‘Yes, so she is,’ said Ian. ‘I’d never had much to do with babies but I was thrilled to bits when they asked me to be her godfather.’

  ‘Gosh! I didn’t know that. They’ve done very well, haven’t they, to have a business like that at their age?’

  ‘Yes. They were lucky in the beginning, though, because Phil’s aunt left him a lot of money in her will and that helped them to get started. But they’ve worked hard as well, of course.’

  ‘You and Janice get on very well together, don’t you? A lot of brothers and sisters don’t.’

  ‘Yes, we do. We’ve always been good friends, even though she’s six years older than me. I missed her when she moved over here, especially as Dad had married Norma, and I didn’t like that very much at first. We’re OK now, though; I’ve got used to Norma.’

  ‘Yes, she seems a good sort; quite easy-going.’ Alison smiled. ‘I thought your sister might have put us in the same room but no such luck!’

  Ian turned to look at her in amazement. ‘What! With Dad and Norma there! Don’t be daft! Anyway, we’re OK as we are.’

  Alison laughed. ‘If you say so, and don’t look so horrified. I was only joking, you know. I’d guessed we’d be kept well apart. But you’ll know where I am …’

  ‘Don’t be stupid, Alison! You know we can’t.’ Ian was starting to get hot under the collar.

  ‘Spoilsport!’ said Alison, laughing. She grabbed hold of his arm. ‘Come on, now. Where are you taking me? I’ve never been to Harrogate before.’

  ‘We’ll go down to the Valley Gardens. They’re just at the bottom of this hill. And that’s Betty’s at the corner, the famous tea shop. But Janice’s cakes are just as good …

  Phil’s parents arrived soon after their first lot of visitors had gone out. They, too, were very impressed with all the changes that had been made, especially the extra space that had been created in the restaurant.

  ‘We don’t expect to be full all the time,’ said Phil, ‘especially during the day, but we were rather cramped before. There’s plenty of room now to spread out and leave a good space between the tables.’

  ‘Well, I hope you get off to a cracking start on Monday,’ said Ralph. ‘Have you had some bookings in advance for Monday evening?’

  ‘Yes, quite a few,’ said Phil, ‘and probably others will turn up on spec. We don’t ask them to choose their menu in advance now, unless it’s a large number for a wedding or some special occasion.’

  ‘It’s a good selection for us to choose from tonight,’ said Phil’s mother. ‘All very nice and summery. It’s a good idea to change the menu according to the seasons.’

  ‘And we’ve got a good range of appropriate music as well,’ said Janice. ‘We had to have Vivaldi, of course – “The Four Seasons” – but there’s a lot of other stuff as well; some popular, some classical, but not too highbrow, and music from the shows.’

  ‘Well, I’m sure it’s going to be a rip-roaring success,’ said Ralph. ‘I’m real proud of you, lad, and you as well, Janice. You’re a grand team.’

  Alec and Norma arrived back from their sortie round the town, followed soon afterwards by Ian and Alison. Between them they looked after Sarah while Janice and Phil were busy in the kitchen. Sarah soon lost her shyness and enjoyed all the attention until Janice came to whisk her away for an early bedtime.

  Then the other guests started to arrive; the neighbours from the shops, the four from Halifax, and Bella and Dorothy from Thirsk. By six thirty they were all assembled in the new bar area. As he had done two years previously when Grundy’s first opened, Ralph Grundy proposed the toast to Phil and Janice and the success of Changing Seasons.

  They all raised their glasses of Bristol Cream sherry. ‘The Changing Seasons,’ they repeated wholeheartedly, some adding, ‘good luck’, ‘all the best,’ and ‘good health and happiness’.

  Phil and Janice looked at one another, smiling in delight and not without some pride. Then they sat down with their guests, knowing that all would be well left in the capable hands of their staff.

  Everyone agreed that the meal was a great success and boded well for the future of Changing Seasons. It was a delicious summery meal: homemade pâté, seafood cocktail or melon, followed by poached salmon, chicken breasts in white wine sauce or home-baked gammon with salad. The desserts were Janice’s specialities: coffee and hazelnut gateau, strawberry pavlova or chocolate profiteroles with cream. There was a choice of white or rosé wine, followed by fragrant coffee and chocolate mints.

  During the meal, Phil was responsible for the taped music: a selection of songs from Salad Days, ‘Summertime’ from Porgy and Bess and Mozart’s ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’.

  When the meal ended the guests mingled, moving from one table to another to talk with someone different, or gravitating to the small bar area where Phil served drinks as required. As it was a private party, there was no restriction. On the other hand, no one wanted to abuse Phil and Janice’s hospitality. Some had to drive home that night and others were just content to sit and chat. Phil and Janice, after making sure they had spoken with everyone and thanked them for coming, sat down to chat with Sam and Valerie.

  ‘So you’re having a night away from the children,’ said Janice. ‘Your mum’s in charge, is she, Val?’

  ‘Yes, so she is,’ replied Val. ‘She loves having them. Lucy has never been much trouble, and as for Russell, well, you’d hardly believe it was the same child. He has his moments, of course – don’t they all? But the scare we had with Lucy really shook him up.’

  ‘Yes, that must have been a dreadful time for you,’ said Janice, ‘but at least some good has come out of it.’

  ‘Lucy was none the worse, thank goodness, and we really think that Russell has grown up and become more of a little boy than a baby. You know the pantomime we had with him at the playgroup? But we think we might try him there again in September; he’ll be three by then. And he keeps asking when he can go back, much to our surprise!’

  ‘He’ll probably be fine next time,’ said Val. ‘We were sorry we didn’t see Sarah when we arrived.’

  ‘I decided to get her to bed early,’ said Janice, ‘and once she’s asleep she’s no trouble. We’ve been up to check on her; her bedroom’s a bit further away now, but she’s settled there very well and she loves her new bed. Perhaps you could call and see her before you set off back in the morning?’

  ‘Of course we will,’ said Val. ‘I’m dying to see my little goddaughter again and I know Cissie will be as well. They grow up so quickly, don’t they? Cissie’s two are both at school now; well, Holly’s at playgroup, but she’ll be starting proper school before long.’

  ‘And Cissie’s enjoying her job at the market, is she?’

  ‘Oh, yes, she loves it. No doubt she’ll tell you all about it when she’s finished chatting to your dad and Norma.’

  Cissie and Walter were at one of the other tables with Janice’s father and Norma. Cissie, who was far more gregarious than her husband, was talking animatedly to Norma. Walter, also, was chatting quietly to Alec.

  ‘So how are things at the mill, Sam?’ asked Phil. ‘I’ve heard there’s something of a slowdown in the woollen industry. Is Walker’s being affected?’

  ‘Not all t
hat much, yet, but the writing’s on the wall,’ replied Sam. ‘We know there will have to be changes. As a matter of fact …’ He paused and looked at Val with a questioning smile. ‘Shall I tell them or do you think it’s too soon?’

  ‘No, you tell them if you want to,’ said Val. ‘I know you’re dying to share it with someone and you can trust Phil and Janice to keep it to themselves, not that there’s anything much to tell at the moment.’

  ‘I don’t intend saying anything to Cissie and Walter, though,’ said Sam. ‘You know what a chatterbox she is! She wouldn’t be able to resist telling someone.’

  ‘That’s true,’ said Val. ‘She’s a good friend but I know what she’s like. Go on, tell them while she’s busy talking over there.’

  ‘What’s all this?’ said Phil. ‘It all sounds very intriguing.’

  ‘The thing is … I’m thinking of leaving the mill and doing something completely different,’ said Sam. ‘And while we were in Harrogate this afternoon we saw something that was of great interest to us. Well, of great interest to me, I should say …’

  ‘And to me as well,’ added Val. ‘I wasn’t sure at first but I’m coming round now to your way of thinking, Sam …’

  FIFTEEN

  The hotel where the four from Halifax were staying on Saturday night was very close to the centre of the town, facing the Stray. Sam parked the car outside the hotel, and when they had booked in and taken their small amount of luggage to their rooms, they set off on foot to explore the town.

  ‘Look, that’s Betty’s on the corner,’ said Cissie, pointing across to the famous tea shop. ‘Shall we go and have a cup of tea and one of their gorgeous cakes?’

  ‘No!’ said Walter firmly. ‘They’re far too expensive, from what I’ve heard, and it’s too early in the afternoon.’