‘What happened next?’ I asked when Ruby showed no sign of elaborating.
Ruby looked at me as though she was surprised to see me there. I imagined that she’d been back in that concert hall, reliving that moment.
‘I watched and listened for ages, mesmerised by both Teddy and the music. He eventually saw me and asked me to join him. I apologised for the behaviour of the other dancers, but he smiled and said that he needed to apologise for the behaviour of his friends and that, when they’d been drinking, they tended to forget how to behave like decent English gentlemen.’
‘He was English, then?’ I asked.
‘A proper English gentleman in every sense of the word. He came from wealth. His father was a Lord and his family owned a grand estate in Northumberland. We were from entirely different worlds, but it didn’t seem to bother Teddy. We talked all night. He was the first man I’d ever met who was genuinely interested in me as a person. Teddy walked me home and asked if he could take me to dinner the following night. It was a Sunday so there was no performance. I genuinely didn’t expect him to turn up but he did and we had a wonderful evening. We dined in the most incredible restaurant in the Champs-Élysées then walked along the Seine. He kissed me for the first time in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. It was heaven.’
Ruby closed her eyes for a moment, clearly lost in the memories again. It sounded so romantic. Questions whirred in my mind, but I sensed she needed to tell the story in her own time. If I fired questions at her, she might stop talking.
‘We were touring Europe. I only had one more week in Paris, but I spent every spare moment with Teddy. He told me that he couldn’t bear to be separated from me, so was going to travel to Italy and follow the tour. It all seemed to be too perfect so, of course, something had to go wrong. Teddy’s grandmother took ill and he was called back to England. Even though Teddy said he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, I was a realist. He was the heir to a grand estate and there was no way his family would let him throw that away for a dancer. The only way I’d be able to stay in his life was if he took me as his mistress and I knew I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t share him.’
‘So what happened?’ I asked, completely captivated by their story.
‘It was a year before I saw him again. We were in America and I was about to leave the theatre one evening when I spotted him outside. I was angry with him for staying away for so long yet I knew the absence had only deepened my feelings. I hid behind the door, shaking, not daring to step outside. Somehow, I knew that my reaction to him could change my life. I took a deep breath, straightened my shoulders, and walked down the steps smiling. I said something stupid like, “Good evening, Lord Latimer, what brings you to America?” He smiled and said, “The most beautiful woman in the world.” He asked if we could take a walk so that he could explain his absence. It turned out that his grandmother had died but not immediately. She hung on for another three months. Then his mother took ill although, thankfully, she recovered. He’d started making plans to find me when there was a fire on the estate. His father needed to go away on business so Teddy had to take care of the reconstruction. It seemed like one thing after the other was keeping us apart. He wrote regularly. I never received the letters but we moved around frequently so that was hardly surprising.’
‘What was it like seeing him after a year?’ I asked.
‘Oh, Callie, it was as though we’d spent no time apart. I knew it couldn’t last, though. Teddy had been promised since birth to Gabriella Allerston, the daughter of another wealthy landowner. He told his father that he had no intention of marrying her and that he was in love with someone else but his father wouldn’t hear of it. He told Teddy that he had until he was twenty-five to get it out of his system and then he needed to settle down and marry Gabriella.’ She shook her head slowly. ‘It was a terrible position for him to be in but I knew his family wouldn’t accept me. I was determined to make the most of the time we had left. He joined the tour for the next three years. We told people we were married. It was fun imagining that I was his wife, but the bubble was always going to burst. Tensions arose as his twenty-fifth birthday approached. If he refused to marry Gabriella, he’d be disinherited and the estate would pass to his unreliable cousin who’d likely squander it all, leaving Teddy’s mother and five sisters destitute. He loved me and wanted to be with me, but what choice did he have? I told him he had to forget about me and return to England, but he refused to leave.’ Ruby stretched and stood up. ‘Shall we walk, darling? I’m getting a little stiff sitting here.’
We set off walking around the lake in silence. The temperature had dropped and the breeze had picked up, chilling my cheeks and sending red and golden curled leaves scuttling across the path towards the water.
‘I thought about running away,’ Ruby said when we were about a quarter of the way round the lake, ‘but I knew he’d find me. The only way to get him to leave and marry Gabriella was for me to convince him that I didn’t love him. And, sadly, the only way I was going to be able to do that convincingly was if I moved onto someone else.’
I could hear the regret in Ruby’s voice and had a feeling I knew where this was heading.
‘I was the principal dancer at this point, with my own dressing room, and dedicated fans. George Hetherington-Smythe was one of them. He was in his fifties and his wife had died young. Poor man yearned for companionship. George knew I was seeing Teddy and that we weren’t really married. He made it clear that he was interested and I only had to say the word. I arranged for George to come to my dressing room after the show one evening, a fortnight before Teddy’s twenty-fifth birthday. I told Teddy that I had a meeting immediately after the show and he should come to my dressing room an hour later. I was honest with George about what I wanted him to do and why. He was happy to be used as long as I promised him at least three dinner dates afterwards. I had to admire George for his persistence and commitment. I’d handed myself to him on a plate with no strings attached yet he still wanted to woo me.’ Ruby stopped walking. She rested her hands on a wooden fence and stared out at the lake in silence.
‘It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,’ she said eventually. ‘I’d been faithful to Teddy from the day I met him, even during that year when I had no idea whether I’d ever see him again, so being with another man and letting Teddy witness it absolutely broke my heart.’
‘You mean you…?’
Ruby nodded. ‘A kiss would never have been enough to convince Teddy that I didn’t love him anymore.’ She closed her eyes and shook her head. ‘I can’t tell you… His face, Callie… Devastated doesn’t even begin to describe it. I said some cruel things to him about only ever wanting him for his money and, because being with him would mean he had no money, I’d found myself someone who had a fortune and who could keep it if he married me. I was a good actress. Too good. Teddy returned to England, married Gabriella Allerston and she produced an heir. The estate was saved. And I married George.’
‘Oh my God! Really? I thought you’d never married.’
‘Nobody knows. Not even Rhys. I owed George three dinners and I got to know him during that time. He’d been devoted to his wife but she was unable to bear any children. She’d died ten years earlier and he’d never remarried. Every woman he met seemed to be after his money and he didn’t like being used.’
‘Wasn’t he worried about that being the case for you too?’ I cringed, hoping she wouldn’t take offence.
Ruby laughed as we set off walking again. ‘I love the way you just come out with what you’re thinking, darling. It’s so refreshing. No, George wasn’t worried. He knew that Teddy could afford to lavish me with expensive jewellery and fine clothes, but that I refused. He knew that Teddy could set me up in an apartment and I’d never have to work again, but I refused that too. He knew it was never about the money for me.’
‘So what happened to George?’ I asked.
‘We had a happy marriage and, over the few years we ha
d together, I learned to love him. George knew it was Teddy who truly held my heart forever, but he knew that I had space in my heart for him too and he was content with that. I gave him the companionship he yearned for. We made each other laugh so much. We really were the best of friends and, if I could have loved him as deeply and passionately as I loved Teddy, I would have done. We can’t control our hearts, though. They choose whomever they want. Dear George died six years later and, to this day, I still miss that wonderful man.’
We were halfway round the lake now, by the wishing well.
‘Fancy throwing in a coin?’ I asked.
Ruby stared at the well, as though weighing up whether to go for it. Eventually she shook her head. ‘No, darling. I have everything I could wish for. If you’d like to make a wish, though, I’ll sit over there.’ Without waiting for my response, she made her way to the nearest bench, next to a giant wooden carving of an owl.
I removed a handful of change from my purse and threw one coin at a time towards the bell. There were so many wishes I could make: for Izzy to stop playing games, to never encounter Tony again, for Rhys’s dad to have a personality transplant. But, at that very moment, there was really only one wish I could make. With each successful strike on the bell, I made the same wish: I wish for Ruby to find love again. Kissing my fingers, I lightly touched them on the side of the well. ‘Please make my wish come true,’ I whispered, before joining Ruby on the bench.
‘How are you feeling?’ I asked. She looked quite shell-shocked, her eyes wide and her face pale.
‘I don’t quite know.’ She pressed her fingers to her lips and shook her head, then dropped her hand loosely into her lap. ‘I’ve kept that story hidden for over half a century, darling. I never thought I’d tell it to anyone.’ She released a shaky breath but then she smiled. ‘Happy memories.’
I squeezed her hand, wincing at how icy it was. I’d kept her out for far too long. ‘It’ll be dark soon. I think we should get you home and warmed up.’
‘Yes, I think that would be sensible. Just give me five more minutes, then we’ll go.’
While I waited for her to do whatever she was doing – thinking, praying, reminiscing – I did some rough calculations in my head. If Ruby was coming up to eighty-five and Rhys’s dad was in his mid-fifties, she must have been about thirty when she had him, so Teddy couldn’t be the father. She’d ended things before Teddy turned twenty-five and she said she was a couple of years younger than him. Therefore, George had to be Ed’s father. If he’d died when she was pregnant or just after Ed was born, the dates would work. Unless Teddy came back into her life…?
A few minutes later, Ruby rose to her feet. ‘Time to go. Thank you for listening, darling. Surprisingly, it feels good to talk about it.’
‘Thank you for confiding in me.’ I linked my arm through hers as we made our way out of the park. ‘It’s an amazing story.’
We exited Hearnshaw Park and started the ten-minute walk back to Bay View.
Ruby squeezed my arm. ‘I sense there’s a question, young Callie. You want to know whether George was Rhys’s grandfather, don’t you?’
I laughed. ‘You read my mind.’
‘Well, darling, unless you can read my mind, then you’re not going to find out just yet. I’m feeling very tired all of a sudden. I can manage the walk, but I can’t manage the next chapter of my story. Another day?’
‘Of course. Would you like me to call a taxi?’
Ruby shook her head. ‘That’s very good of you but it’s too cold to wait for one.’
We steadily made our way back to Bay View as the curtain of darkness lowered. I ran Ruby a hot bubble bath while she relaxed in her favourite armchair, listening to Radio Four. She had that frailty about her again that I’d seen the morning after William proposed to Iris. I couldn’t bear to see her looking so small and vulnerable. It scared me that she wasn’t the tower of strength she usually pretended to be.
28
Back at my flat an hour later, I changed into my PJs, switched on the fairy lights, lit some scented candles and curled up on the sofa. Wrapped in a soft throw, I replayed Ruby’s revelations. She’d made me promise not to say anything to Rhys about his ancestry, then had laughed when she realised that I didn’t know who the father was so couldn’t exactly do a big reveal even if I wanted to. My head told me that Rhys’s grandfather was George, but my heart told me it was Teddy. Why tell me their story if it wasn’t him? She promised to tell me the rest of the details soon.
‘How was Megan?’ I asked as Rhys curled up on the sofa beside me that evening.
‘Grizzly. She’s teething at the moment. I had to take her on a long walk to get her settled. How was your day?’
‘Ruby’s a bit down about Iris’s wedding. It hasn’t helped that Iris has been winding her up about what they’ll both be wearing. I thought it would be good for her to get out of Bay View for a bit so we went for a walk round Hearnshaw Park, which was lovely but a bit on the chilly side.’
‘I wish I’d known. I could have walked Megan round the park instead.’
‘As if Izzy would have let you do that. It might have confused her if she’d met me, remember?’ I hated the sound of my voice, dripping with sarcasm.
Rhys got up and put the kettle on. ‘I spoke to her, you know. About Christmas.’
I twisted around on the sofa to face him. ‘Really?’ I didn’t need to ask what she’d said. His expression told me.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I’ll try again nearer the time.’
‘Don’t bother. She won’t change her mind. She—’
Rhys’s mobile rang and my heart sank. It would be her.
‘Hi Izzy… Yes… How high? And you’ve given her Calpol…? Yes… Yes… I don’t know what you want me to do. Babies get temperatures when they’re teething. No… Of course I care… No… Don’t cry.’
I marched over to the kitchenette and grabbed his phone. ‘He’s on his way, Izzy,’ I spat into it, then hung up and thrust the phone back at Rhys.
‘Callie! She’s only teething.’
‘And Izzy’s only going to pester us all evening if you don’t go round.’
Rhys hugged me. ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
I kissed him tenderly to show that I wasn’t angry with him. I didn’t want to fall out again over Izzy and her demands. ‘Text me to let me know Megan’s okay and it is just Izzy being a pain as usual.’
With Rhys gone, I flicked through the TV channels but nothing could hold my interest and I felt too tired to start on a film. Switching the TV off, I heard my mobile bleep. That would be the text from Rhys telling me there was absolutely nothing wrong with Megan and that Izzy had ruined our evening for no reason, yet again.
Only the text wasn’t from Rhys:
From Tony
I hear you told Maria she’s better off without me. Still meddling in other people’s lives, eh? Think you’re so bloody perfect, don’t you? Well, you’re not. You’re flawed. And so is gardening boy
I knew I should ignore Tony’s text, but I couldn’t take my eyes off his last sentence. With trembling hands I typed in:
To Tony
What’s that supposed to mean?
My stomach churned as I stared at the phone, waiting for a reply. After a few minutes, a message flashed up, making my heart thump:
From Tony
Ha ha. That’s for me to know and you to find out
29
A couple of weeks passed. I was dying to know the second half of Ruby’s story. Although she assured me she wouldn’t leave me hanging, she said it had stirred so many memories that she needed some space first. I could certainly understand that. There were no more texts from Tony, and I tried, but abandoned, several texts to Maria. Izzy continued to be awkward. I joked that she’d had my flat bugged because it seemed that, every time Rhys was round, she phoned with some sort of crisis.
At the start of the following week, Ruby asked if I’d be willing to spend my day off on Thur
sday accompanying her to York. When I agreed, she confirmed that the second part of her story would be forthcoming. I was so excited that I could hardly sleep the night before and was relieved, for once, when Izzy called Rhys away because it was hard to act all casual around him.
Ruby and I caught an early train out of Whitsborough Bay station, slipping into a pair of seats either side of a small table in first class; Ruby’s treat.
‘How lovely to have single seats,’ she declared. ‘Nobody spreading into our space or listening to our private conversation.’
‘Perfect opportunity for the next chapter,’ I said, expecting her to tell me to wait until we were in York.
She was silent for a moment, then she smiled. ‘You’ve waited patiently for long enough. What are you dying to know?’
‘Who Rhys’s grandfather is. Was it George? I think it probably was, but I feel like I want it to be Teddy.’
Ruby laughed and clapped her hands together. ‘I didn’t mean to make it into a huge mystery, darling. It wasn’t George. We tried for a family, but it turned out that the reason why George and his wife couldn’t have children was down to him. Teddy is Edward’s father. Teddy. Ted. Edward. I thought the name would have given it away, darling.’
Of course! How dense was I? ‘But if my calculations are right, you hadn’t seen him for six or seven years when Ed was born.’
‘You have been giving this a lot of thought, haven’t you? You’re right. I didn’t see him after the incident in my dressing room, although I thought about him every single day. He was absolutely the last person I expected to bump into when I went for a walk through Regent’s Park the day after George’s funeral.’
Making Wishes at Bay View Page 15
