Julian nodded. ‘I understand,’ he said, reaching out and giving her shoulder a tiny squeeze.
It was then that a portion of wall came crashing to the floor behind them, showering them with ancient dust.
‘Sorry!’ Mr Ludkin cried, and the two of them left before any further damage could be done.
29.
Evie had been in the living room when Julian had left, and she waited a moment before leaving the house herself, finding a quiet corner of the rose garden. She sat down on a large white ornate bench under an arbour smothered in creamy white roses and took her phone out of her pocket.
‘Lukas?’ she said a moment later.
‘Evie?’
‘Where are you?’
‘At Gloria Templeton’s.’
‘Can you come over?’ she asked.
He was immediately on alert. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes, I’m fine,’ she said with an exasperated sigh. Why did people keep asking her that?
‘You’re not planning on climbing up any ladders or anything, are you?’
‘No, nothing like that.’
‘And you’re not stuck at the top of one now?’
‘No!’ she said with a groan. ‘Look, if you’re too busy –’
‘I’m not too busy,’ he cut in. ‘I’ll be right over.’
She ended the call and gazed up into the delicate white blooms above her head, drinking in the fragrance they exuded. Was she doing the right thing in telling Lukas? Her sisters seemed to think so. Esther seemed to think so.
She smiled as she remembered the long conversations she’d had with Esther over the last few weeks, thinking back to how scared she’d been around her at first and hating Celeste for appointing her house cleaner to the old woman. But, slowly, they’d begun to talk, sharing stories about their lives, asking questions that perhaps had never been asked before. They’d swapped books, read together and walked in the gardens. Evie had even shown Esther her beloved potting shed and Esther had soon been wielding a trowel.
It would be easy for somebody to look at their relationship and say that Esther was the mother that Evie had always longed for and never truly had, but it wasn’t like that between them. They were friends, pure and simple. Evie didn’t need a mother; she was soon to be a mother herself. But nobody could have too many friends, could they?
Leaving the arbour, Evie filled in some time in the potting shed before walking down the path to the front of the manor. She wasn’t surprised to see Lukas’s car at the top of the hill a moment later. She watched it as it got closer, feeling like her life was about to change forever and that she wasn’t totally in control of it.
‘But I am,’ she told herself, ‘and I don’t have to tell him if I don’t want to. I’ll just see how I feel.’
She watched as Lukas drove across the moat and parked the old car he’d bought second-hand. It was a terrible car, with a dent in the rear passenger door and rust patches all over the bonnet, but both the mileage and the price had been low and Lukas had made the very best of it on his travels around the UK, even sleeping in it on a few occasions to save money.
‘Hey!’ he said as he got out of the car. He was wearing a faded pair of jeans that were covered in dirt and a T-shirt that was fraying at the neck and sleeves, but he still managed to look tremendously handsome.
Evie cleared her throat, trying not to stare at him or imagine what it would be like to kiss him again. This wasn’t about how handsome and desirable her former lover was, she reminded herself. She had important issues to deal with and she was quite determined not to be sidetracked.
‘Hi,’ she said.
‘Are we going inside?’ he asked, pointing to the gatehouse.
‘Can we walk?’ she asked.
‘Sure,’ he said, falling into step beside her as she retraced her steps to the rose-covered arbour, where they sat down together. ‘This is lovely,’ he said a minute later. ‘Romantic!’ His bright eyes widened and he gave her a little grin that hinted at the day that she’d probably conceived the baby she was now carrying.
‘Lukas,’ she began, doing her best to put that day out of her mind now.
‘Yes?’
‘I have something important to tell you.’
‘Okay,’ he said.
But she couldn’t. She just couldn’t. So she told him something else instead.
‘Gertie and I have been talking and we think we might be able to use you more around the garden.’
He looked surprised. ‘You’re offering me a job?’
‘Yes,’ she said.
‘Part-time?’
She nodded. ‘We’ll see how things go after that. If you want to stay in Suffolk, that is.’
‘You know I do,’ he said with a light smile.
She nodded. ‘Right.’
‘Right,’ he echoed.
‘Aren’t you pleased?’ she asked. ‘I thought you’d be pleased.’
‘I am!’ he said. ‘It’s just – is this what you called me for? Is this why we’re sitting here surrounded by roses?’
‘I like sitting here,’ she said. ‘It helps me to relax.’
‘And you need to be relaxed to in order to offer me a part-time job?’
Evie nodded, but Lukas didn’t look convinced.
‘So, this isn’t about us?’ he asked, his eyes squinting at her in the sun.
Evie took a deep breath. ‘No. Well, yes. Kind of.’
He laughed. ‘What on earth are you trying to say?’
Her forehead crinkled and she looked as if she was about to cry. ‘I have something else to tell you but you’re not making it very easy.’
He looked crestfallen. ‘Sorry, Evie. Go on – try now. I’m listening.’
She looked flustered and then stood up. ‘Oh, this is hopeless! I knew it would be! This isn’t my idea.’ She was walking now, tearing along the path before heading out across the lawn towards the river.
‘What isn’t your idea?’ Lukas shouted after her.
‘Telling you,’ she said.
‘Telling me what?’ He caught up with her and captured her hand in his. ‘Evie! What’s the matter? Has what’s-her-name found out that you’ve stolen that painting? Are you going to be arrested or something? Do you need me to testify for you?’ He was joking, but Evie obviously wasn’t finding it amusing.
‘This has got nothing to do with that painting. Anyway, I didn’t steal it. It was ours in the first place. Simone stole it from us!’
‘Okay, okay! Then what is it?’
Evie threw her head back and gazed up into the big blue sky and wished that she was a little bird so that she could take off and fly far, far away. But she was an earthbound creature and she had to stay and face reality. So she looked at Lukas standing before her, taking in his fair hair and his bright eyes that were full of anxiety, and she knew that the time had come.
‘I’m – I’m –’
‘What?’
‘Pregnant.’
From somewhere behind them, a startled blackbird cried its alarm and took off across the lawn. Evie hoped it wasn’t a bad omen, but she wouldn’t blame Lukas if he, too, took off. But he didn’t.
Ever so slowly, he moved forward and swallowed hard. ‘It’s mine, isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ Evie said.
‘How long have you known?’
‘A while,’ she said.
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘Because I didn’t mean to get you involved in this.’
‘But I am involved,’ he said simply.
‘Yes, but only biologically.’
‘What the hell does that mean?’
‘Lukas, you didn’t come to England to be a father,’ she said, ‘and I don’t expect anything from you.’
‘Okay,’ he said, ‘but wh
at if I want to be a father – a proper father?’
‘But I never meant for any of this to get serious. You and me – us – it all happened without much thought about the future. You know my mum was dying and you were like a wonderful escape from all that. But I never thought beyond that. Then, when I found out, all I could think about was this new life growing inside me and it just seemed so right, even though it was unexpected.’
He looked at her gently. ‘It is unexpected,’ he said.
‘I know, and that’s why I was worried about telling you. You see, this is my decision. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll take care of our daughter.’
‘A daughter?’
Evie nodded. ‘I’m sure it’s a girl. I’ve just got a feeling.’
Lukas took a deep breath and sighed it out. ‘Wow!’ he said.
‘Please don’t worry,’ she told him.
‘Evie – I’m not worried,’ he said. ‘I’m – I’m – really happy!’
‘You are?’
He took a step towards her and, before she could register what was happening, his mouth came down hard on hers. She’d forgotten what it was like to be kissed by him but that one moment in the garden brought it all back to her, and she realised how foolish she had been in thinking she could live without him. She’d tried so hard to push him away and to build up the barriers between him and her heart, but it was no good. She loved him and she needed him.
Her breathing was thick and fast, and she felt as if she were about to faint when he finally let her go.
‘Please don’t tell me you didn’t want me to do that,’ he said.
She shook her head. ‘I won’t,’ she said, ‘because I really wanted you to do it.’
‘God, Evie!’ he said with an exasperated sigh. ‘Why didn’t you tell me about all this before?’
She sighed. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘I guess I just want to try and do everything myself.’
‘But you don’t have to. Why would you want to anyway?’ Lukas reached out a hand and stroked her cheek. ‘I’m here for you. I always have been, ever since that time I crossed the moat and saw you in the middle of that huge heap of horse manure.’
She laughed. ‘What a time you picked to say hello.’
He smiled and cupped her face in his hands. ‘I’ve always been here for you, but you kept pushing me away.’
‘I know,’ she said. ‘I’m really sorry. I wanted to be –’ She paused.
‘Whatever you do, don’t say independent,’ he told her.
‘Why not? What’s wrong with that?’
‘It’s pretty damned lonely, for a start.’
She gave a small smile. ‘I guess.’
‘I don’t think people are meant to be on their own, do you?’
‘But I’m not on my own.’
‘Well, I know – not now. You’ve got your sisters and this place and that funny old woman.’
‘Esther!’
‘Yes, Esther,’ he said. ‘But what would happen if they moved away?’
She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘They’re not going anywhere.’
‘Can you be sure of that?’
‘We can’t be sure of anything, I suppose,’ she said. ‘I’m not even sure if we’ll all be living here much longer if Celeste gets her way. But I’ll have this baby – whatever else happens. Anyway, you’re one to talk – leaving your home and your family behind and travelling around the UK on your own.’
He laughed. ‘I guess,’ he said, ‘but it’s a lonely way to live and you know I didn’t want to leave here once I’d met you.’
‘I know,’ she said.
‘I thought about you every day. Every minute.’
She gave him a withering look. ‘Right!’
‘I did! You got my texts, didn’t you?’
‘You filled my entire phone!’
‘I really missed you.’
Her face softened. ‘I missed you too.’
He stroked the soft blondeness of her hair. ‘So, this part-time job you’re offering me – is it because you really want me here or just because you’re going to be incapacitated for a while?’
‘I am not going to be incapacitated!’ Evie said. ‘Gertie and I just think it might be a good idea to have an extra pair of hands whilst I’m busy with the baby.’
He grinned. ‘I see.’
‘Well? Are you going to accept the job or are you just going to stand here teasing me all day?’
He laughed. ‘I’m going to accept the job, silly!’ he said.
‘Don’t call me silly,’ Evie said. ‘I’m being serious.’
‘I know you are,’ he said, ‘and I’m dead serious too – about you. I want to be with you forever.’
‘But what about your studies? Your art? You can’t just give all that up,’ she said.
‘I can still study,’ he said, ‘only I’ll have you and this little one by my side.’
‘I don’t want you to regret anything,’ she said.
‘I won’t.’
‘You say that now, but you could quickly change your mind and I want you to know that I won’t mind. You can walk away.’
‘Evie – I’m not going to walk away.’
‘But I’m just saying that you can. If you really want to.’
‘I won’t want to.’
Evie took a deep breath.
‘You don’t believe me, do you?’ he said.
‘I don’t know what to believe,’ she said. ‘I believe I love you, and I’ve never ever said that to anyone before.’
‘And you really think I’m going to walk away from that?’ He moved an inch closer to her and she felt the warmth of his body against hers. ‘From this?’ He rested his large hand over her belly and she gasped, covering his hand with her own.
‘I believe you,’ she said, resting her head in the crook of shoulder. ‘I really believe you.’
30.
The day of the auction came much too quickly for Celeste, which seemed strange for her to admit because she’d truly believed that she’d already done the hard part in agreeing to sell the paintings. But, as she caught the train into London, she couldn’t quell the nervousness that was bubbling inside her at the thought of witnessing her beloved paintings being sold. How she would react was a mystery to her, but she sincerely hoped that she would not either bid for the paintings herself or land the winning bidder a fierce punch.
At Liverpool Street station, she caught the tube to the station closest to Faraday’s auction rooms. Blinking in the bright city sunshine as she surfaced from the underground, she headed in the direction she hoped was right, passing a neat row of boutiques and a florist’s selling the kind of roses she and her sisters despaired of: horribly gaudy hybrid teas with absolutely no scent whatsoever. Shaking her head in disapproval, she continued past the terrace of fine red-bricked mansions and then she stopped.
Reaching inside her handbag for her pocket A to Z, Celeste acknowledged that she was hopelessly lost. How many streets were there in London? How could it be so very complicated? What on earth had she been thinking of, coming here? She should have stayed at home in Suffolk where she knew her way around. She thought of the three rural roads that made up the village of Little Eleigh and how she could happily navigate her way around the myriad footpaths and fields that surrounded the manor.
Finding the correct page, she studied the tiny map, crossed the road, took the first right and was mightily relieved to see Faraday’s before her. It was a large white Georgian building towering an impressive four storeys, with two enormous arched windows on the ground floor advertising today’s event. It was all very impressive and it made it hard to believe that Julian really wanted to give up his position there and run an antiques shop in middle-of-nowhere Suffolk. But she had seen the passion in his eyes when he had talked about
his plans for the future and she had no doubt that he would follow his heart, even if that meant leaving London behind.
Which brought her to the subject of the north wing. She had talked through the idea of Julian opening an antiques centre at the manor with Gertie and Evie, and they had been all for it.
‘Does this mean we won’t have to sell the manor?’ Evie had asked.
‘Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,’ Celeste had said, ‘but it’s a route that’s definitely worth considering.’
‘I think it’s a brilliant idea,’ Gertie had said. ‘It’ll be a good source of revenue and will bring more people here and help spread the word about Hamilton Roses.’
‘And don’t forget the rent from The Lodge,’ Evie had said. ‘We’ll have tonnes of money coming in!’
Celeste couldn’t disagree about that, but she did have some reservations. Having Julian working at the manor would be a strange experience and she wasn’t yet sure how she felt about it.
Julian Faraday at Little Eleigh Manor.
There would be no getting away from him and no getting away from the fact that she was beginning to have feelings for him. Feelings she wasn’t at all sure she was ready to have yet. At the moment, it was easy to avoid him if she needed to. She saw him when it suited her and could deflect his phone calls and ignore his emails if she wanted to. She couldn’t do that so easily if he was in her home, could she? She couldn’t hide from the knowledge that she liked him and that his feelings for her were growing stronger too.
Entering Faraday’s now, she looked around the foyer at the crowds of people before making her way into the sale room, where she immediately saw Julian. He was wearing a crisp navy suit that made his dark red hair gleam, and Celeste had never seen him looking quite so businesslike. He was chatting to an elderly lady whose neck was encased in large pearls and whose fingers wore massive rings set with precious stones. Was she here for her family paintings, Celeste couldn’t help wondering?
As soon as the lady walked away, a gentleman waylaid Julian and then a middle-aged couple stopped to chat. Celeste watched in amusement as he paid court to his customers, and then he saw her.
‘Celeste!’ he cried across the room, turning several heads. Celeste blushed as he approached her, kissing her on both cheeks, which caught her off guard. He’d never done that before, but perhaps she’d do well not to read too much into it. This was Julian Faraday in London, she reasoned. This was how he greeted people.
The Rose Girls Page 26
