by Anna Jacobs
‘Do you know why she left him?’
Another hesitation, then Fern said, ‘People weren’t certain but they suspected that he’d started thumping her. A couple of them saw suspicious bruises apparently. Anyway, she ran off with your father to Australia and it was years before she got in touch again. She didn’t come back to visit till after Ralph was dead and even then she and your father only caught up with a couple of people, Joe and me among them, because she’d been close to my mother – and Henrietta, of course.’
‘Wow. It’s – hard to take it all in.’
‘I’m not sure when they got divorced, no one is. And if you didn’t know she’d been married before, you won’t be able to tell us. Not that it’s any of our business.’
Simone could only shrug. She doubted she’d even ask her mother about it after she got back. It could be best to let this sleeping dog lie.
Fern went on with her tale. ‘When your parents came back, your mother said she and Ralph had got a divorce almost immediately, but I’m not sure the rules allowed that then. No one pursued it but we’ve never been quite sure. Lance’s father simply turned up with a brand-new young wife one day so probably something had been done. The new wife left him too a few years later.’ She looked at Simone sympathetically. ‘Confusing, isn’t it?’
‘Very. No wonder my parents always refused to discuss the past and their family history with me. I’d have appreciated some information before I came here, only, to be fair, they didn’t know I was coming until after I’d left. They’ve been travelling round Australia in a caravan for the past couple of years.’ She frowned. ‘But I don’t see how that affects Lance or why he’s pestering me.’
‘My guess is that he thinks you might be coming into money taken from what he considers his share from Henrietta ought to be, so he wants to keep an eye on you, but who knows what goes on in that man’s twisted little mind?’
Simone shrugged. ‘My husband left me reasonably well provided for, so I don’t need Henrietta to leave me anything. Any items she’s distributing should go to the people who’ve helped keep an eye on her over the years, surely?’
‘She’ll do as she sees fit, as usual. Let’s leave it at that for today, shall we? I’ll get Joe to email you the basic family tree. You need time to take all this in and I’m getting hungry, so can I be cheeky and ask you to feed me now?’
Simone stood up. ‘Yes, of course. I have everything ready in the fridge. And I’ve remembered that you’re a coeliac. I checked the ingredients in the wraps carefully and there are no wheat or other gluten-containing grains in them, but you might like to check them yourself.’
‘I would, if you don’t mind. Can’t be too careful.’
She did that while Simone got the various salads and a frittata out of the fridge and they were soon sitting, eating and chatting about the leisure village.
When they’d finished their meal, Fern said she had to go.
‘Thanks for telling me so much,’ Simone said. ‘It’s better that I know given I’m staying here for a few months. Will you be at Henrietta’s if I go on Wednesday?’
‘No. She wants a cosy chat with you, as she calls it. There will just be her and Elizabeth. I’ll let her know you’re going.’
Simone stood at the door waving goodbye to her visitor, then looked regretfully towards the next house. The car still wasn’t back yet.
She went back indoors and finished clearing up, feeling a bit lost as to what to do until teatime. She thought of phoning her daughters for a chat but wasn’t ready yet to tell them what she’d found out and it was likely they’d be alseep already.
A few times she caught herself glancing next door.
‘Oh, you fool!’ she muttered. ‘Stop thinking about him. He’s a busy man.’
Unfortunately, she wasn’t busy, wished she were. And her thoughts were in a tangle after Fern’s visit.
That’s when it occurred to her to get online and join one of those organisations that allowed you to research your family history. Maybe she’d find out something more about her parents and ancestors there.
While she was doing that an email arrived from Fern with what was known of the family tree attached. It was a bit of a jumble, with some branches researched and others mostly ignored.
Dealing with all that kept Simone nicely occupied for the afternoon.
She decided to watch television that evening and have some of the leftovers for a late meal. There was a knock on the door as she was just about to get something to eat and when she opened it, she found Russ brandishing a bottle of wine.
‘Fancy a drink? You Aussies call it a sundowner, don’t you? I replenished my stocks of wine on the way home and I haven’t tried this one before. You could help me test it.’
Her spirits rose immediately. ‘I’d really enjoy some company. And actually, I have enough leftovers from providing lunch for my cousin to feed you, if you don’t mind miscellaneous bits and pieces. Come in, do.’
He beamed at her. ‘That sounds great.’
As they ate, she told him about Fern’s visit and the shock revelations about her parents and he whistled softly as the tale ended.
‘Bet you didn’t expect that.’
‘Definitely not.’
He was such a good listener she shared her puzzlement over what to do about it.
‘I don’t think you need to do anything about it at the moment. If they’d wanted you to know, your parents would have told you, and after all, it all happened a long time ago.’ He changed the subject. ‘I wish I could be a fly on the wall when you go to see the old aunt, though. It’s like a modern gothic tale, isn’t it, disposing of the family bits and pieces? I’m looking forward to hearing the next instalment.’
‘Thanks for listening. That’s enough about me. Tell me about your day. You looked full of yourself when you came home.’
‘I had a great day, checking locations where I can find various animals living peacefully in the wild, with a guy from a local nature lovers’ group. Afterwards I went shopping, not just for wine, but for bits and pieces of equipment so that I can start filming.’
‘What you do sounds interesting.’
‘Then I wonder … would you mind reading my proposal through? I’ve jotted down a rough draft, to see if the idea sounds, well, attractive? This series would be partly for children. You’d bring a new view to it, since you’ve not seen my other programmes, but you know about young children. It’s only a couple of pages.’
‘I’d love to.’
‘Here it is.’ He grinned. ‘I didn’t think you’d refuse.’
She read it quickly and nodded. ‘Sounds interesting and with fun activities.’
They continued to chat until she yawned suddenly and they realised how late it was getting. His company ended the day nicely, especially as he stopped at the door and reached out to touch her lips with one very gentle fingertip. ‘Would you object to me giving you a goodnight kiss?’
‘I’d like it.’
It was very nice, too, and she was sorry when it went no further than a couple of kisses. She hadn’t wanted a man in that way since rat man, but she did now.
No, what was she thinking of? It was too soon. She wasn’t going to rush into a relationship with anyone ever again. Look what had happened when she had rashly allowed rat man to move in with her.
When she went to bed, her thoughts turned once again to her parents. Why had they never mentioned her mother’s first husband? Lots of people got married more than once. There was nothing to be ashamed about in that.
The thought of her mother having been married to Lance’s father made her shudder, though. Ugh. She didn’t want to be connected to him in any way.
In the morning she watched Russ set off again. This time he was smartly dressed. Well, you would be if you were having lunch with your agent, wouldn’t you? She hoped everything would go well for him.
She might go up to London a few times while she was here, only it’d be more fun to do that w
ith someone.
Determined to do something useful with her day, she made a careful list of items she considered essential, mainly food, and went out shopping. But she got seduced into buying a rather pretty skirt and top at the shopping centre, a younger style than she’d been wearing lately. Well, she wasn’t antique, was she? Didn’t need to dress like an old, past-it woman.
After she got back, she put everything away in a kitchen cupboard she’d cleared for her own use, then went out for a brisk walk round the lake. She hadn’t done much exercise since her arrival and it was a fine day, if a little cool by Aussie standards.
But the rest of the day dragged, she had to admit.
And Russ didn’t get back until much later than she’d expected. She heard his car and saw him stop in front of next door from her bedroom window.
She felt better to have him back. There was a house on the other side of hers but its occupants were away. Her fellow residents seemed to do a lot of coming and going.
And a lot of the leisure village area was still a work in progress, with streets but no houses along them yet and piles of building materials in some parts.
Chapter Fourteen
Russ arrived at his agent’s office in London a little early, but you had to allow extra travelling time in case of delays because rail services weren’t always reliable.
Sally’s secretary looked up as he walked in. ‘Oh good, you’re early.’
She knocked on a nearby door, stuck her head round it and said, ‘He’s here,’ then gestured to him to go in.
Sally came from behind her desk to give him a hug. ‘You’re looking like your old self again.’
‘Am I? That’s good.’
‘No walking stick needed now?’
‘Not for a while, thank goodness. They’re such a nuisance to “park” when you sit down.’
She gestured to two comfy chairs over by the window and then got straight to the point. ‘I read your brief outline and loved the basic idea so I sent it to the guy at the production company.’
He was startled. ‘But it’s only a brief summary. I was going to write a proper outline after I’d discussed it with you.’
‘Well, you can do that later. Clement and Baines are interested. They’ve made a nice lot of money from your first series and they won’t mind making more, believe me.’
‘Wow.’
She gave him a motherly smile. ‘No one could accuse you of having an inflated ego, Russ, and yet, you’re a known TV identity in the UK these days.’
He shrugged. ‘The fame side of things isn’t nearly as important to me as sharing my love of nature and doing my bit for the environment.’
‘I know. But money is nice too. I’d rather we stayed with Clement and Baines, if that’s all right with you, because they’re the best for nature programmes and they have a very good rapport with your publisher.’
‘I hope the publisher likes my idea too, then.’
‘They love it. Everyone does. In fact, we’re having lunch with a couple of their staff today because they want to go to contract and for you to deliver your live shots and basic narrative as soon as is humanly possible.’
He was startled. ‘They decided so quickly?’
‘Well …’ she grinned at him. ‘It’s a question of carpe diem again, because with your agreement, I’m just about to sign up the sale I mentioned for American rights to your first series, and your book is going into reprint. So the TV people want to grab you while they can.’
He cheered loudly and pulled her up to waltz her round the office. She always felt to him to be more like an honorary aunt than a business associate.
She pushed him away, laughing. ‘I’m too old for that sort of thing.’
‘No one’s too old to show their happiness.’
She gestured to the chair. ‘Enough of your blarney. Let’s think about dates. How soon can you do this?’
‘Not sure. It takes time. Animals don’t always come out to play just because you want to photograph them.’
‘But it is spring now, Russ.’
‘Early spring. Luckily I’ve already got some shots that I can use. I never let a cute animal go to waste.’
‘Well, you said this is coming up to the best time of year to film them.’
‘It is. Now the move is over and I’m living in Wiltshire, I can check out the local conditions more carefully. I’ve had a preliminary look round a few places already.’
She cocked her head on one side. ‘Not interested in how much money is on offer for advances?’
‘As long as it’s not less than last time.’
‘Wash your mouth out! As if I’d allow that. It’s going to be a lot more, actually.’
‘Good. Go ahead and sort it out, Sally. I’ll go with what you think is OK. I needn’t have come up to town today, really, could just have left it all to you, O clever one. Though it’s always a pleasure to see you, of course.’
She shook her head in mock dismay. ‘You don’t like coming up to London, do you, Russ?’
‘Not really. Too many people pushing past you in the street, lots of fumes from all the vehicles and all those grey buildings towering over you. And going on trains below the ground makes me feel distinctly uncomfortable.’
He stared into space for a moment then realised she was waiting patiently for him to continue. ‘I do enjoy the museums sometimes, especially the Natural History Museum.’
‘You would.’ She looked at the clock. ‘Let’s walk to the restaurant. I suggested your favourite eatery.’
He didn’t need to ask which. They both loved its ambience, not to mention reasonable prices and delicious food in reasonably sized helpings. He hated places where you had to navigate pretentious food towers or other arty constructions teetering in the centre of your plate in order to obtain a few meagre mouthfuls.
The television people were fun, the food was excellent, but by the time he parted company with Sally and got on the train to go home, he felt utterly drained. It had been great to catch up with Sally, he was thrilled with his new contract and he was desperate for some fresh country air but someone he didn’t have to watch every word with.
It wasn’t late. He hoped Simone hadn’t gone out this evening, because he wanted to share his good news with her.
Simone saw him come back and when he waved to her, he was smiling so broadly she guessed something good had happened in London.
‘Come and celebrate!’ he called and raised a bottle of what looked like champagne in one hand as he clicked to lock the car with the other.
She grabbed her handbag and ran out to join him, not forgetting to lock the door. She’d never once forgotten that since she lost Harvey.
‘What’s happened?’ she demanded as she joined him.
‘Come inside and I’ll tell you. But first I have a desperate need to open this bottle and sample its contents.’ He took her hand and tugged her into his house and across to the kitchen.
‘We have to stop meeting over glasses of wine or we’ll turn into alcoholics.’
‘This news deserves a drink.’ He found some champagne glasses and started to fumble with the bottle.
She took the glasses from him and tutted, then found a tea towel and polished them carefully. ‘What are we drinking?’
He showed her. ‘English sparkling wine. We’re not allowed to call it champagne nowadays. And anyway, who wants to?’
The top popped suddenly out of the bottle and with a laugh he poured the foaming liquid into the glasses then thrust one into her hand.
‘Today I signed a provisional agreement to go to contract for a new TV series and associated book.’
‘Wow! Well done. Here’s to your new venture, whatever it is.’ She clinked glasses with him then sipped appreciatively. ‘Lovely.’
‘Come and sit down. I’m exhausted underneath it all. London does that to me. I’m a country boy at heart.’
‘Is the new book going to be about what you said?’
‘Yes. Trou
ble is, the TV people want it like yesterday, so I’m going to have to hire some help.’
‘To do what?’
‘A bit of everything. Manage the details, take notes, hold the camera, hold a creature if necessary, to stop it running away. General factotum, I think you’d call it.’
‘That’s a bit like what I used to do for my husband – well, except for the animals.’
‘Aren’t you on holiday, not to mention retired?’
‘I’m bored already. I like to keep busy. You wouldn’t like to give me a try-out, would you?’
He grinned. ‘I’d love to.’ Then he saw tears trickle suddenly down her cheeks and put his glass hastily down. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘I’m so happy!’
He sagged back in relief. ‘Do you always cry when you’re happy?’
‘When it’s important. I’ve been a bit down about not having much to do.’
He picked up his glass and clinked it against hers. ‘You’re hired, then. When can you start?’
‘Day after tomorrow.’ She beamed at him.
‘Aren’t you going to ask how much I’m paying?’
She shrugged. ‘I’m sure you’ll treat me fairly and having something interesting to do is far more important to me than the money.’
‘Can’t you start tomorrow?’
‘I’m afraid not. I’ve arranged to have lunch with my great-aunt Henrietta.’
‘What a magnificent name.’
‘Isn’t it? She’s apparently the one who has to be obeyed in my English family. She summoned me to visit her because she wants to check me out. She lives in Pennerton.’
‘One of my favourite villages. There’s an unspoiled wood there where I’ve taken some of my favourite photos.’ He snapped his fingers. ‘Hey! How about we drive over together and then I’ll go off to check out the wood while you have your luncheon party? You can phone me when you’re ready to be picked up.’
She clinked her glass against his. ‘You’re on. I’ll enjoy that.’
His expression softened. ‘You’re not a solitary type, either, are you?’
