The Lake House

by Christie Barlow

  Carefully clicking through Megan’s profile, Ella discovered she was nineteen years old, which meant Roman must have had Megan when he was just sixteen years of age. Ella was surprised. She knew at that age she had barely been able to look after herself, never mind being responsible for another human being, and wondered if Roman had found fatherhood difficult at that age. After looking through a few more images there seemed no trace of Megan’s mother – was she still in Roman’s life? Ella wasn’t sure and after searching for a couple more minutes, she uncovered very little. Why hadn’t Callie mentioned he had a daughter? Ella quickly pinged her a text:

  Did you know Roman has a daughter?

  Immediately the text delivered and seconds later the reply came back: No, has he?

  Ella was a little astonished by the reply. Surely Roman would have dropped Megan into conversation at some point. He had been sailing the boat since The Lakehouse reopened, and six months was a long time not to bring up the fact that he had a child – that seemed a little strange to her.

  Next Ella searched for Dolores Henderson on Google. Immediately up popped numerous articles on Dolores, taking her completely by surprise. Ella read headlines about fans queueing for hours along the riverbank to try and secure Dolores Henderson tickets. There was a picture of Dolores on the roof terrace at The Lakehouse whilst a select crowd of fifty watched from the sandy bay below.

  Ella carried on reading. There were hundreds of articles describing Dolores as a sex symbol who regularly sold out concert halls, and there were pictures of her hanging out with all the rich and famous in the most magnificent dresses. She carried on clicking, then hovered over one dramatic headline: ‘Will Dolores Henderson Be a Future Princess?’ Wilbur had been right, Dolores could have been royalty.

  The newspaper reported how Dolores had spent the summer with Prince George under the scorching sun in St Tropez. They’d enjoyed time on his yacht and were photographed together from a distance diving off the boat, swimming under the most spectacular waterfalls, and Dolores looked stunning.

  Ella read on and was taken aback by the next headline: ‘Dolores Dumps the Prince!’ The article described how it was believed that the prince had proposed to Dolores in the South of France, but on their return they had gone their separate ways. From what Ella could find on online, Dolores had stayed out of the limelight for the rest of the year before returning to sell-out gigs across the United Kingdom. Ella searched but she couldn’t ever find anyone romantically linked to Dolores at all after the prince. It felt like the whole of Dolores’ personal life had simply disappeared from public scrutiny.

  Shutting the lid of the laptop, Ella ruffled the top of McCartney’s head. ‘Right then, McCartney, it looks like it’s me and you.’ He opened one eye. ‘Let’s go for a walk. I’ve not been up to Starcross Manor yet. You can lead the way.’ Ella jumped up and grabbed McCartney’s lead. He may be deaf, but he wasn’t blind and the second he saw his lead, he was off the sofa and weaving in and out of Ella’s legs with his tail wagging madly.

  They set off and ten minutes later Ella walked up towards the grand entrance of Starcross Manor and took in the beauty all around her. ‘Amazing,’ she murmured, staring out across the lake. It was stunning and the whole place took her breath away. She carried on walking up the driveway that swept into a wide circle with an ornate fountain in the centre, with the impressive manor house standing proudly behind it. The whole place reminded Ella of a royal palace. Huge stone steps led to the large double oak doors within a broad porch of stone pillars and ivy clung to the walls of the building. She followed the path at the side of the lake which led her and McCartney through lush green grass which incorporated formal gardens, a deer park, woodlands and a wildflower meadow. The woodland path led her towards Primrose Park where Ella acknowledged a couple of dog walkers before climbing over the stile and following the lane back towards the main High Street. Everywhere was peaceful and calm and this was exactly what Ella needed in her life right now.

  As she turned the corner and could see the village shop in the distance, Ella spotted Roman in Bette, slowly driving up the High Street towards her. Taking her hand out of her pocket, she was about to wave to him when the Land Rover came to an abrupt halt. She watched as the same girl in the photograph that she’d just seen on Facebook flung open the passenger-side door and started screaming at Roman. ‘It’s you who has the problem. You need to sort yourself out. Leave me alone!’

  Megan began to walk away and Ella watched her stumble on her high heels, before leaning against the wall and whipping her shoes off her feet. It was strange to see a young woman striding along the High Street in the early afternoon barefoot. Roman was up and out of Bette, looking fraught, but Megan was gone, disappeared within seconds, leaving Roman throwing his hands up in the air. A moment later he was back in the driver’s seat and Bette took off like a rocket up the High Street in Ella’s direction. She quickly shielded herself behind the red post-box in the street, suddenly not wanting to be seen. Roman’s face was like thunder as he drove past, his eyes firmly fixed on the road in front of him.

  Ella turned Megan’s words over in her head… ‘It’s you who has the problem.’ What did she mean by that?

  As Bette disappeared at the end the road Ella stepped out from behind the letter-box and began to walk towards the village shop. McCartney pulled on the lead and as Ella looked down, he promptly cocked his leg against the lamp-post without a care in the world. As Ella waited patiently for McCartney to finish his business, something caught her eye in the middle of the road, the same place where Roman had just pulled up. Stepping out into the road, Ella picked up an appointment card with Roman’s name on it. The appointment was for Wednesday, at Oasis Lodge. Ella had no clue what Oasis Lodge was, but it looked like some sort of medical card. For the time being Ella slipped the card into her bag and planned to hand it back over to Roman in the morning on the way to work.

  Chapter Six

  Ella was collapsed on the sofa when Callie returned from work. She’d busied herself for the rest of the afternoon by cleaning the flat before snuggling up on the settee watching a Frank Sinatra movie alongside McCartney whilst snacking on a packet of biscuits.

  Callie threw her coat over the chair and poured them both a glass of wine. ‘And why are you eating biscuits? We are about to go and devour one of Meredith’s roast dinners and you’re stuffing biscuits into your mouth,’ questioned Callie, kicking her shoes off her feet and wiggling her toes. ‘And the flat looks amazing by the way,’ she said, snagging an impressed glance around the room.

  ‘You’re very welcome. I want to do my bit, and believe me, I’ll have room for a roast dinner, I can assure you of that,’ said Ella, scrunching up the top of the packet and laying them down on the table.

  Callie held up her wine glass. ‘I needed this,’ she claimed. ‘What an afternoon. Mentally I’m exhausted. We’ve thrown a few marketing ideas around but we seem to be missing that spark, that idea that would just put The Lakehouse back on the map. Flynn still wants to keep it classy, so doesn’t wasn’t any cheesy gimmicks, but the rest of the staff are suggesting two-for-one cocktails etc. etc., but he doesn’t want this restaurant to become like any other on the High Street.’

  ‘Surely, it’s worth thinking about it, even if it’s only in the short term.’

  ‘We’ll get there, we have to.’ Callie took a gulp of her wine. ‘However, we have good news! The TV news crew have confirmed and they are coming tomorrow. Flynn is hoping the coverage will generate bookings.’

  ‘Well, it can’t do any harm, and all this is happening on my first day. How exciting!’

  ‘Very, and what about your day? What was the text all about… Roman has a daughter?’

  ‘Apparently so. I discovered her on Facebook but I’m a little surprised he’s never mentioned her to you before now.’

  ‘No, not to me, but thinking about it, all we ever seem talk about is work,’ said Callie.

  Ella didn’t share that
she’d witnessed some sort of argument between Roman and Megan in the street when she was taking McCartney for a walk. Whatever was going on in his personal life at the minute, he didn’t need her adding to the mix. She had no clue what was going on in his life, so assuming or judging wasn’t going to help anyone.

  However, Ella asked the question that had been on her mind since finding Roman’s appointment card. ‘What’s Oasis Lodge?’

  Callie’s face looked a little surprised. ‘Why do you want to know that?’

  ‘It popped up on an advert in my homepage. Just wondered whether it was bar or something?’ she replied, even though she felt a twinge of guilt telling Callie a white lie.

  ‘Hmm, it’s definitely not a bar, in fact quite the opposite, and it makes me wonder what you’ve been googling if that’s coming up on your homepage. It’s a rehab centre.’

  Ella nearly chocked on her wine. ‘Are you serious?’

  ‘Yes, it’s well known in the area,’ confirmed Callie. ‘So whatever you’re googling, you need to stop.’

  Ella gave a false laugh but couldn’t help wondering why Roman would have an appointment at a rehab clinic. There was no way he was an alcoholic, she’d spent enough time with him to know that, yet Megan’s words were whirling around her head:, It’s you who has the problem. It didn’t make sense and, from this morning’s conversation, Ella knew that Roman liked keeping things to himself. For a split second Ella thought about telling Callie about the appointment card but quickly changed her mind. Roman sailed the boat for a living and it could have a detrimental effect on his livelihood if Flynn found out and began to question why he was attending a rehab centre. Ella didn’t want to add to his troubles, as it seemed he already had enough on his plate.

  The best thing to do was to hand the appointment card discreetly back to Roman first thing in the morning and again let him know she was there if he needed a friend to talk to. That’s all she could do. ‘What time are we going across to the pub?’ asked Ella, her eyes firmly back on the packet of chocolate biscuits.

  Callie leapt to her feet. ‘Fifteen minutes. I’m going to freshen up whilst you slide a hot iron over your uniform, and don’t even think about eating any more of those.’ Callie pointed to her eyes and then to Ella. ‘I’m watching you.’

  Whilst Callie freshened up Ella quickly ironed over her uniform and thought about the day ahead tomorrow. She felt a little nervous that the TV crew would be filming but she was looking forward to it. According to Callie, Gianni was already panicking over the dishes for tomorrow, whereas Flynn had brought in extra staff from Starcross Manor to make sure the place looked as good as could be. There were fresh flowers in every corner of the restaurant, on the piano and at each end of the bar. Flynn had pulled out all the stops.

  ‘Right, I’m ready.’ Callie appeared whilst Ella was hanging up her uniform ready for the morning.

  ‘I might even get my fifteen minutes of fame. What a way to begin a new job,’ remarked Ella.

  ‘You might indeed. Come on, I’m starving.’

  On her way out Ella ruffled McCartney’s head and topped up Fred’s food, then followed Callie down the stairwell. As they shut the stairwell door behind them they spotted Roman walking out of Hamish’s shop swinging a carrier bag and whistling. His mood had certainly lifted from a few hours ago. Ella couldn’t help but admire his appearance; he was a vision of gorgeousness dressed in black skinny jeans and a tight white T-shirt.

  ‘Good evening, Roman,’ Callie called out.

  Roman spun round. ‘Hi, how was work?’ he asked, looking at Callie, then turning his attention towards Ella. ‘You look lovely, Ella, that colour suits you.’

  Ella felt herself blush.

  ‘Thanks, this old thing?’ she said, trying to play down his compliment. Ella couldn’t remember the last time she’d treated herself to any new clothes. With all the credit card debts hanging over her head, it would be a long time before she could go on a shopping spree.

  ‘We are just off for a Sunday roast at the pub. Would you like to join us?’

  Roman held up the carrier bag in his hand. ‘Vegetables! Even though I believe Meredith serves up the best roasts. But I’m making a vegetable curry. I heard Hamish grows the best veggies from his allotment. But thank you for the invite. I’ll see you both tomorrow.’ Roman gave Ella a warm smile and clambered into Bette and with only two attempts, got the engine started.

  Ella clutched the appointment card inside her bag. Roman was kind, polite, he’d stopped and made conversation. He dressed immaculately and he seemed a genuinely nice guy. There was no way he had an alcohol problem, it just didn’t stack up.

  Callie’s eyes swept from Bette then towards Ella. ‘And that contraption got you to the hospital?’

  ‘That contraption is a treasured member of Roman’s family and he loves her.’

  ‘Someone has to,’ Callie joked, opening the door to the pub. ‘Welcome to the Grouse and Haggis, it’s the best pub around.’

  Ella stepped into a room that was packed to the rafters. Fraser and Meredith were famous for their Sunday roast with all the trimmings, and since the increase in tourism to the area booking a table was an absolute must.

  Meredith smiled up from behind the bar. ‘Good evening, how are you both doing?’ She placed a beer mat down in front of them both. ‘Julia’s in, she’s over the far side with Eleni.’

  Callie looked over her shoulder and waved at her cousin. ‘Meredith, can I introduce you to Ella, she’s staying with me for the foreseeable.’

  Meredith gave Ella a warm welcoming smile. ‘Of course, pleased to meet you.’ She extended her hand across the bar. ‘Your very first drink is on the house. Welcome to Heartcross! What would you like?’

  ‘That’s very kind, I’ll have a glass of Pinot Grigio, please, and thank you so much for the homemade lasagne the other day, it was just what we needed after our long journey.’

  ‘It was my pleasure, and the same for you?’ Meredith glanced towards Callie. ‘Wine?’

  ‘Perfect, thank you.’

  As Meredith reached up for the wine glasses that were on the high shelf she shouted over to Fraser who was stocking up the crisps at the other end of the bar.

  ‘Fraser, come and meet Ella, a friend of Callie’s. She’s staying over the road.’

  Fraser walked over and stretched his hand across the bar. ‘Welcome to the Grouse and Haggis.’

  ‘You’ve probably heard me talking about Allie in the past, she’s Fraser and Meredith’s daughter,’ informed Callie.

  ‘Yes! And her boyfriend is the supervet! How cool is that. I watched the programme on the telly.’

  Fraser and Meredith beamed. ‘Yes Rory, he’s currently over in Africa, still working with Zach Hudson.’

  ‘Zach Hudson!’ swooned Ella. ‘I’ve watched every Netflix film he’s been in.’

  ‘Me too, if I’m really honest.’ Meredith lowered her voice, ‘Very easy on the eye.’

  ‘I can hear you, you know. I’m only standing here.’ Fraser swiped Meredith playfully with the bar towel, and she chuckled.

  Ella admired the familiarity between them, and could tell they adored each other and knew each other inside and out, they radiated such warmth. That’s exactly what she thought she’d had with Alex, before he’d revealed himself to be a liar and a cheat.

  ‘When is Rory home, Julia was saying he must be due any time now?’ asked Callie.

  Meredith placed the two glasses of wine in front of them. ‘Stuart and Alana were in earlier and they said his arrival is imminent. I think Stuart is counting the days. Molly has been covering Rory’s shifts at the practice and as far as I know, the new surgery is nearly ready over at Clover Cottage, but he’s ready to hang up his scrubs and spend his time with Alana.’

  Callie quickly explained to Ella that Stuart and Alana were Rory’s parents and Stuart and Rory were partners in the local veterinary practice. ‘Alana has dementia, and Stuart is retiring so the surgery is closing shortly.’r />
  ‘And hopefully when Allie returns from Glasgow they can start planning the wedding,’ continued Meredith with hope in her voice. ‘I love a good wedding.’

  ‘Exciting!’ remarked Callie, taking the wine glass from the bar. ‘We’ve made a reservation as well. Ella has come to sample your famous roast dinner.’

  ‘And we hope you won’t be disappointed.’ Meredith smiled up at Ella before checking the list of bookings in the diary at the side of the till. ‘Fraser has put you on the table next to Julia, number twelve. Feel free to push the tables together.’

  ‘What lovely people,’ exclaimed Ella, following Callie over to the table where Julia and Eleni were deep in conversation and scribbling on a pad in front of them.

  ‘Good evening,’ chirped Callie, pulling out a chair and sitting at the table next to them.

  Julia looked up with a big beam on her face, before standing and enveloping Ella in a huge hug. ‘It’s been too long, welcome to Heartcross!’

  Callie quickly rescued the glass of wine which was spilling over from Ella’s hand and placed it safely on the table.

  Julia stood and held Ella’s hands. ‘You look fabulous, how are you settling in?’

  ‘I’m feeling very settled already, like I belong,’ admitted Ella.

  ‘Let me introduce you to Eleni,’ Julia gestured towards Eleni who was looking up smiling. ‘Eleni, my right-hand woman, works at the B&B, and we are just racking our brains.’