‘Same thing,’ Jamie answered cheerfully.
Rosie smiled at Steven. He had defused this tricky situation in a way she never could have. He really was a pretty remarkable man.
New Beginnings
The sun streamed into the kitchen, shone across the new work surface, and glinted on the huge, multi-purpose cooker nestling in the alcove. Rosie looked at it all with satisfaction.
High summer. Honeysuckle House had been offering B and B services for three months. Ten full English breakfasts had been served to visitors that morning, and appreciatively demolished. Ten happy holidaymakers had departed to enjoy Highcliffe’s beach, or travel into Dawley, each of them full of praise.
Rosie folded the last dishcloth over the radiator and sighed contentedly.
She had been fully booked all summer, and still was until late September. William and Steven were delighted, too, since she tended to suggest to her guests that they should have their evening meal at Cookery Nook.
Life, Rosie thought, was at last on an even keel. William and Lisa were working in the Nook in harmony; Kizzy’s exam results were better than any of them had dreamed, assuring her of her university place; and Jamie was spending his school holidays becoming a retailer at Steven’s shop.
Rosie leaned on the warm window-sill and stared out across the garden with the ribbon-glint of the sea behind it. It was a perfect morning for Leon and Felicity’s wedding.
‘Get the kettle on!’ Norma Beatty’s cry from the back door made her jump. ‘I picked up some doughnuts from Parry’s on my way. I thought we could indulge ourselves.’
Rosie smiled at her friend. She knew why Norma was here so early.
‘That’s a great idea.’ She filled the kettle. ‘I’ve just finished in the dining room, and the bedrooms can wait a bit.’
‘Isn’t it Kizzy’s day for the bedrooms?’ Norma Beatty unpacked the squishy doughnuts on to a plate.
‘Well, yes, but she isn’t here today.’
‘She’s going, then?’
‘They’re all going. It was the right thing to do. Jamie went at the last minute, under protest, but I think that had more to do with the fact that he had to wear smart trousers and a tie!’
She made the coffee, and Norma followed her into the garden. They sat on the bench looking out to sea.
‘If you want me to go, please say so. I shan’t take offence. I just thought you shouldn’t be alone this morning.’
Rosie reached for her hand. ‘No, I’m really pleased to see you.’ She looked up at the cloudless sky. ‘I feel a bit detached. I mean, I know the wedding’s at midday. I know that in a short time Felicity and Leon will have the baby. I know all that – and yet it doesn’t seem to matter. Does that sound awful?’
‘It sounds very normal. And anyway –’ Norma bit into her doughnut, ‘– so many things have changed, and so quickly, you’ve probably got used to shocks.’
‘I don’t think I’ll ever get used to them!’ Rosie was thinking back. ‘If I’d known at Christmas what this year was going to bring …’
‘But it’s just as well we don’t, isn’t it?’ Norma tightened her grip on her friend’s hand. ‘Life is all the better for springing a few surprises.’
‘I think I’ve had enough of those. I just want life to be boring and uneventful. Please!’
‘You’ve got no chance of that!’ Norma grinned. ‘Not with your lot!’
They sat in friendly silence for a while. Rosie couldn’t help wondering what Felicity would be wearing. Leon would be in his navy suit – the one he’d bought in January to go to the first business meeting at Brennan and Foulkes, when he’d met Felicity … There was a sudden lump in her throat.
Thoughts of her own wedding were vibrantly clear. Her joy at marrying Leon, so devil-may-care, so funny, so heartbreakingly handsome – and the sadness that her parents weren’t alive to witness her happiness.
The kindness of Leon’s elderly parents, and their pride that their catering-student son should have married Rosie.
‘A very pretty name for a very pretty girl,’ Leon’s dad had always said.
Rosie’s eyes prickled with tears. At least the older Brodies had seen William born. Kizzy and Jamie had never known their grandparents.
And her dress! It had been the absolute height of fashion for the eighties. It was packed away now in tissue paper in the loft, never to be seen again – unless Kizzy expressed a wish to wear it.
She swallowed the lump in her throat again, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Wordlessly, Norma handed her a hankie.
Leon had been in the house last night. William and Lisa, with Kizzy and Andrew, had gone out to have a drink with him. Rosie had refused. It really hadn’t seemed right.
And then, when they’d all come back, and she was alone in the dining room laying up for the next day’s breakfasts, he’d come to see her.
‘I just wanted to say thank you.’
‘What for?’ She’d concentrated on folding napkins. ‘I didn’t buy you a wedding present.’
‘Don’t try to joke about it, Rosie. I want to thank you for making this so easy for me – for us. You’ve not once said anything, or made a fuss. You’ve been the same as you always are – loyal and fair.’
She had looked at him, and his eyes had been filled with tears.
‘You’d better go before we both start crying,’ she’d said shakily. ‘I hope everything goes well tomorrow, and that your trip to Paris is lovely. I hope you’ll both be happy and that Alex, when he or she arrives, is as beautiful and talented and healthy as the other Brodie brood.’
‘I’ll come and see you when we get back.’ Leon had stood uncertainly, his hands on the back of the carver chair; the chair that had always been his.
‘Yes, all right.’
‘And on the opening night of the Four Seasons you’ll all come and have the best table?’
‘We’ll see. I’m sure the kids would love it.’
‘Well, I’ll go then.’ He had looked at her for what seemed a long, long time. ‘Goodbye, Rosie.’
And he’d gone, quickly, not looking back.
All this and more was tumbling through Rosie’s brain as she sat beside Norma. The shrill of the phone brought her back to the present with a jolt.
‘Probably more people wanting bed and breakfast.’ Norma grinned at her. ‘Paul says this place is a little goldmine. He thinks you should open a chain and sell shares!’
‘No fear!’ Rosie retorted as she hurried across the lawn. ‘This suits me just fine.’
It was cool in the sitting room as she lifted the receiver.
‘Are you all right?’ Steven’s voice was concerned. ‘Keeping busy?’
‘Actually I’m lazing in the garden eating doughnuts with Norma! I’ve done precisely what I promised you I wouldn’t – thought of nothing else but weddings all morning. But I’m fine, really. And what about you? Are you going to be able to get away in time to be best man?’
‘I’m just leaving. Jamie’s pals are holding the fort. Rosie – are you sure you don’t mind?’
‘Steven Casey! For the thousandth time, you’re Leon’s best friend.’
‘I’d rather be with you, and I’ll leave as soon as I can and come over.’
‘I know. And, Steven – thanks for ringing.’
You know why I did, don’t you?’
‘Yes. Yes, I do. I’ll see you this evening.’
When Norma looked up to watch Rosie cross the lawn, she was delighted to see that this time she was smiling.
‘She looked ever so fat!’ Jamie ripped off his tie and threw himself down on the lawn. ‘Quite pretty, though. She had this purple dress.’
‘Lavender,’ Lisa explained, lifting Lewis high above her head. ‘Probably cost a fortune. Actually, she looked nice. Do you mind me saying that?’
‘Of course I don’t.’ Sunning herself in the golden warmth of the afternoon, Rosie’s doubts and sadness had melted away. ‘And it all went without
a hitch?’
‘Dad messed up his lines.’ William smiled. ‘I could see him shaking.’
‘He did that when we got married, too! He couldn’t get his tongue around Rosie Mary – it came out in a rush as Rosemary.’
‘Her second name is Grizzle!’ Jamie scoffed. ‘Felicity Grizzle Phelps!’
‘Giselle.’ Lisa was laughing, and Rosie joined in. ‘And I suppose it’s Brodie now – like you.’
‘Like me. And perhaps like you one day?’ Rosie said.
‘Perhaps. Did William tell you we’re going to have a few days with my parents next month?’
‘He did. Does this mean that oil has been permanently poured on troubled waters?’
‘That’s what we’re hoping.’ William took Lewis from Lisa, and tickled him until he gurgled helplessly. ‘We’re not sure if it’s tactful to mention this today but –’
‘Go on.’ Rosie smiled at them. ‘Otherwise I’ll die from the suspense!’
‘We’re going to get engaged on Lewis’s first birthday. With a small party here, if that’s all right.’
‘It’s wonderful!’ Rosie hugged her son, and then Lisa, who had so quickly become like a daughter. ‘Congratulations! Just what the place needs! It’s always been a family home, even though the family is a bit extended these days. And you’re going to tell your parents next month?’
Lisa nodded. ‘We’d like to invite them to the party, if that’s OK?’
‘Of course! It’ll be lovely.’ Rosie grinned at the thought of entertaining Donald and Marion Ross. A year ago she wouldn’t have had the confidence to cook for two top chefs, but now she felt she could tackle anything. ‘What about Dad – and Felicity?’ William scuffed at the baked grass.
Rosie took a deep breath. ‘Yes, Dad and Felicity and the baby by then. You must invite them, William. He’s your father. It – it’ll be fine.’
She walked up the garden towards the house and Kizzy.
‘Where’s Andrew?’ Rosie flopped into the vacant chair beside her.
‘Getting me something cool to drink.’
She lifted her curls away from the back of her neck. ‘I wish I could get out of this dress, but Dad’s asked us to go back to the evening reception.’ She reached across and took her mother’s hand. ‘I wanted to ask if you’d mind.’
‘Goodness, all you children are suddenly very solicitous!’ She squeezed Kizzy’s hand. ‘Of course I don’t mind. I hope you’re all going?’
Kizzy nodded. ‘Yes, we are.’
‘Did it seem funny – you watching him get married to someone else?’
‘Weird!’ Kizzy grinned. ‘Nothing prepared me for the way I felt. I cried.’
‘People do at weddings.’
‘No, I cried for the past – for all the things that used to be. You know. I’d always hoped …’
‘I know.’ Rosie stroked Kizzy’s hair away from her face. ‘I know you did. But I knew he’d gone for good. I loved him enough to let him go easily. If I’d forced him to stay we’d have both been desperately unhappy.’
‘Do you still love him, Mum?’
Rosie sat back in the deck-chair. Her love for Leon Brodie had been stretched treacherously thin over the years; there had been other near breaking-points. They had drifted apart even before Felicity Phelps.
‘I love him, yes. Everybody does. But not with the love that you have for Andrew or William has for Lisa. We grew apart, Kizzy. We both began to want different things. What your father did – breaking away – was pretty brave. I admire him, and I love him as a friend, but if I’m honest, I probably haven’t been in love with him for years.’
‘But what about you?’ Kizzy’s eyes were troubled. ‘It’s not right to leave you on your own. Not tonight.’
‘Kizzy, you’re a dear, sweet girl, but I’m not going to drift around pining and wailing. In fact, I’ve got plans for tonight myself.’
‘Oh, good. Are Norma and Paul coming up for the evening?’
‘Not Norma and Paul, no. Steven.’
Kizzy met her mother’s eyes, and smiled, and Rosie smiled back.
Honeysuckle House seemed very quiet. The young Brodies had all gone off, crammed into a taxi, to Dawley. Lewis had been left with the Beattys, and Otis was lolling on the drive.
Rosie walked in the twilight garden, loving the richness of the scents, and the damp warmth of an August evening. The tempestuous times were behind her; there was nothing now to disrupt her serenity.
She was there to watch as Steven walked round the side of the house, casual in well-worn corduroy trousers and a soft cotton shirt.
Rosie laughed. ‘You didn’t do today’s honours dressed like that?’
‘No, I was done up like a dog’s dinner!’ His laughter mingled with hers.
‘How did it go? Oh, I know that Felicity wore a purple tent and her second name is Grizzle and Leon fluffed his lines. I mean, really?’
‘It went.’ Steven reached for her hand. ‘I made a very jokey speech at lunch. I even kissed Felicity and told her she looked lovely, which she did. But she didn’t look one inch as lovely as you. I missed you like mad, and I blessed your husband – ex-husband – for being too blind to see what he was doing. So, all in all, it was a very successful day. Have you really been as fine as you sounded this morning?’
‘Yes.’ Rosie nodded. ‘There’s been a lot of reminiscing, of course, but a lot of looking forward, too. And I know which one I’ve enjoyed most.’
He lifted her chin with his forefinger, so that she was gazing into his eyes.
‘Good. So, have you any plans for what you’d like to do this evening?’
‘None. There’s a cold chicken pie and some salad in the fridge, and a bottle of wine cooling. We could eat in.’
‘We could, or we could do something else.’ He made a theatrical bow. ‘Allow me to conduct you on a magical mystery tour!’
The sea had never looked so calm. It stretched before them like a skein of grey silk beneath the darkening sky. There was no wind along the cliff tops, and bats swooped and darted in the warm air.
Steven stood with his arm round her shoulders.
‘I’m going to show you Highcliffe as it relates to us. Not to you as Leon’s wife, or a mother of three, or even a landlady. But to us, Rosie.’
He paused by the wooden bench that looked out across the sea, where the pines whispered and scattered their fragrance.
‘We’ve already been to Honeysuckle House, where I was made to feel part of the family. Where I watched you, over the years, being everything to everyone, and knew what I wanted you to mean to me. It was here, on this bench, that I told you I was going to buy Leon’s shares in Cookery Nook.’
They continued along the cliff top, turning off onto the path that ran down towards the village. The shingle scrunched beneath their feet as they paused outside his shop, and he tightened his grip on her hand.
‘Here, as you know, is where I made my first unwise declaration. I risked everything that night, but you just had to know.’
‘Your timing was rotten,’ Rosie said ruefully. ‘Telling me you loved me on the day my husband was leaving me!’
‘My timing has always been dreadful. I’m a creature of impulse!’
Rosie joined in the game. ‘There was something else here, wasn’t there?’ She stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips fleetingly to his. ‘Our first kiss. The most earth-shattering kiss of my life.’
‘And mine.’ His gaze held hers.
For more than half an hour they walked round the village, Rosie seeing it all with new eyes, through the times she had shared with Steven. She had never felt so happy, so contented, so secure. Living with Leon had been like living on a knife edge; she had never known which way his wild ideas and dreams were going to go. With Steven it was so different.
They peered into the lighted windows of Cookery Nook, busy with a mix of villagers and her bed and breakfast guests.
‘I hope William will stay on,’ Steven observed.
‘And you won’t object?’
‘Absolutely not. All I want for my children is their happiness.’
‘And your own happiness?’ He took her hand again as they walked on.
‘It’s only recently that I’ve realised I was never in control of my own happiness. As long as everyone else was happy, so was I. But not now.’ She snuggled closer. ‘Now my happiness is here. Always.’
‘Good.’ He kissed the top of her hair. ‘Are you ready for the next stage? Of course, we’ll need the car for that.’
They had only driven for a few hundred yards when Rosie turned delightedly in her seat. ‘I’ve just realised where we’re going!’
The Globe nestled in its woodland dell, illuminated by tiny white lights suspended in the trees. Rosie stepped from the car and into Steven’s arms.
‘We had to be here tonight.’ he said softly. ‘This belongs to us. Not to Mrs Brodie, but to Rosie, the woman I’ve always loved and always will. The worst is over, Rosie,’ he murmured. ‘You’ve lived through it and won. Now there’s only the future, our future.’
‘Our future …’ Rosie repeated. It sounded right.
Inside, the Globe was softly lit, with pink candles guttering inside golden glasses on the tables. She slid into the chair that Steven held out for her.
‘You’ve planned it all perfectly. This was just what I needed tonight. If we’d stayed at the house …’
‘Leon would have been all around us. But tonight you’re both embarking on your new lives. It had to be special. We had to remember the past, enjoy the present, and then look forward.’
She leaned across the table. ‘Steven, thank you sounds so inadequate – but that’s all I can do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
‘There’s only one other thing to say to you … something that I’ve never said to you before. Steven, I love you.’
‘And I love you. Always and for ever …’
His lips sought hers, with happiness, tenderness, and delight, and when he released her, they gazed at each other, hands still entwined.
Honeysuckle House Page 16
