A Wedding at the Beach Hut: The escapist and feel-good read of 2020 from the bestselling author of THE BEACH HUT

by Veronica Henry

  ‘Mum,’ whispered Robyn. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.’

  As she spoke, she slumped back on the floor, her eyelids fluttering.

  ‘Ambulance,’ said Mick into the phone. ‘My daughter’s fallen down the stairs. She’s pregnant.’

  ‘Tell them to hurry,’ said Sheila, and she began to pat Robyn’s cheek. ‘Robyn. Stay with us. It’s OK. We’re here. It’s Mum and Dad. We’ve got you. We’ve got you, love. It’s going to be all right …’

  43

  The main hospital in Bamford was over half an hour’s drive from Hawksworthy, but there was usually an ambulance parked up outside Tawcombe, as they were often needed on a Saturday night. It still felt like hours until it arrived, although it was only fifteen minutes before Mick spotted the lights coming down the drive and went to wave them down.

  Within minutes the ambulance was parked outside the Linhay and the driver and two paramedics disembarked in their high vis uniforms, carrying bags of kit.

  ‘She’s here,’ said Sheila, trying to disguise her panic, ushering them through to the hall, where she had covered Robyn with a dust sheet she’d found.

  ‘What have we got here, then?’ said the driver. ‘What have you been doing to yourself?’

  The driver bent down next to Robyn. She had such an air of calm and matter-of-fact kindness that everyone felt at ease. Robyn tried to sit up.

  ‘Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I’m just worried about the baby.’

  ‘All right. Just lie back down. Let’s take a look. How far along are you?’

  ‘About sixteen weeks.’

  ‘Any bleeding?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’ Robyn’s voice quavered.

  Between them, the paramedics took Robyn’s obs and examined her gently. There were no obvious injuries, but she was trembling, shaking with the shock.

  ‘Ok. We’d better take her in and get a scan. I’ll call the maternity unit,’ said the driver. ‘Does someone want to come with us?’

  ‘Definitely,’ said Sheila.

  ‘All right. You can come in the ambulance. Your husband better follow in a car or you’ll be stranded in Bamford. It’s a hell of a taxi fare back to here.’

  ‘Are you OK to drive, Mick?’

  Mick nodded, tight-lipped with worry. ‘I’ll be right behind.’

  ‘Have you phoned Jake?’ asked Robyn.

  ‘Yep. They’ve already left. If they step on it, they should get to Bamford about the same time as us.’

  As the paramedics led Robyn out to the ambulance and settled her in, Sheila came over to Mick. They embraced for a moment, holding each other.

  ‘I’ll never forgive myself if she loses the baby,’ said Sheila, tearful.

  ‘It was an accident,’ said Mick. ‘It wasn’t your fault.’

  ‘It was,’ said Sheila. ‘We should have sat down and talked it out.’

  ‘You were upset.’

  ‘I was selfish. I was only thinking about myself.’

  ‘It was a shock.’

  Sheila shut her eyes, blocking out the memory. ‘She’s going to be all right, isn’t she?’

  ‘She is,’ said Mick. ‘I promise you. Now go on. They’re ready to go.’

  He watched his wife head into the back of the ambulance. His lips tightened. It was his job to protect his daughter. He’d sworn he always would, the day she had arrived. He’d failed. He should have gone straight after her, then this wouldn’t have happened.

  But it had, and now they had to hope against hope that she and the baby would both be all right.

  He waited until they shut the doors then headed back to the farm. He would only be five minutes behind.

  In the ambulance, Sheila sat in the little chair reserved for companions next to Robyn, who was strapped into the bed. The vehicle sped through the country lanes, the headlights picking out the overhanging trees and twisted trunks. The moon came out from behind the clouds as if to help guide them on their way. Sheila couldn’t stop thinking – if Robyn hadn’t phoned Jake, and he hadn’t phoned Mick, Robyn could have lain there all night.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I should never have gone over the top like that. You took me by surprise, that’s all. We love you so much, me and your dad. But you had every right to find your mum.’

  Robyn smiled and squeezed her hand.

  ‘I love you, Mum. You and Dad. You know that. I didn’t do it because—’

  ‘Shhhh,’ said Sheila. ‘Not now.’

  The paramedics around them worked quietly, checking her blood pressure and trying to keep her comfortable, phoning ahead to the maternity unit with details.

  At last they arrived in Bamford, circling roundabout after roundabout on the by-pass before arriving at the hospital. Sheila climbed out of the ambulance and hovered, waiting for Mick, who had parked the Land Rover before hurrying over.

  ‘Is she all right?’ he asked.

  ‘So far.’ Sheila shivered in the night air. She hadn’t thought to put a coat on when they’d left.

  ‘Here.’ Mick took off his fleece to give to her.

  ‘No, you’re all right,’ she protested, but he insisted on putting it on her, the only thing he could do to be helpful.

  ‘We’re going to take her up to the maternity unit,’ said one of the team as they led a pale and shaken Robyn out of the ambulance.

  ‘Can one of us come with her?’ asked Sheila.

  Robyn shut her eyes. She felt sick with tiredness. She just wanted to sleep. ‘I want Jake.’

  ‘He’s on his way,’ said Mick. ‘He should be here any minute.’

  Bamford was on the way to Exeter. They wouldn’t be far off.

  He’d filled Jake in on the details of what had happened on the journey over, putting his phone on loudspeaker. Jake was in the hire van while Ethan drove him.

  ‘Robyn went to Bath to find her birth mother,’ Mick told him. ‘They contacted each other a week or so ago and arranged to meet.’

  ‘What?’ Jake was dumbfounded. ‘Why didn’t she tell me?’

  ‘I suppose she wanted to sort it out for herself. You know Robyn.’

  ‘But how did the accident happen?’

  ‘Sheila didn’t take it too well when Robyn told her about finding her mum. She got a bit upset. Then Robyn got upset and went off to the Linhay …’ Mick trailed off, remembering the commotion. He should have stepped in. He should have handled it better. ‘She missed a step and fell down the stairs in the dark.’

  ‘Shit.’ Jake sighed. ‘If I’d known, I’d have gone to Bath with her. What was she thinking?’

  ‘Well, I don’t know.’

  ‘Anything could have happened. Do you know who this woman is? Her mother?’

  ‘By all accounts, she was very nice.’ Mick paused. ‘And she’s still with Robyn’s dad. She met her dad too.’

  There was a moment while Jake took in this revelation.

  ‘I can’t believe all this was going on while I was hanging off a bloody zip wire.’ He didn’t know whether to be cross or exasperated or just plain upset.

  ‘We’re all a bit upside down over it.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Jake, realising how much more distressing it must have been for Mick and Sheila. ‘I’m sorry, it must have been a shock for you both.’

  ‘We didn’t handle it very well.’

  Jake was silent for a moment. ‘There’s no point in blaming anyone.’

  ‘No.’ said Mick, grim. ‘All that matters now is she’s all right. What about Clover?’

  ‘We’ve told her what’s happened. She wanted to come with us, but we managed to persuade her not to.’

  ‘We can’t have too many people.’

  ‘Course not. And the lads are looking after her.’

  ‘OK. See you at the hospital.’
r />   In the hire van, Jake hung up, grim faced.

  ‘All right?’ asked Ethan.

  ‘I dunno. It’s a bit crazy. Apparently Robyn went off to find her birth mother today. I had no idea. She never said anything to me about it.’

  ‘Bloody hell.’ Ethan made a face. ‘I knew she was adopted. But that’s a pretty big deal.’

  ‘She found her dad too. They’re still together. Her birth parents.’

  ‘Wow.’

  ‘Poor Mick and Sheila. They must have been gutted.’

  ‘Pregnant women do crazy things sometimes, don’t they?’ Ethan told him. ‘Although it’s probably best not to say that …’

  Jake shook his head. ‘Why didn’t she talk to me about it? I’d have gone with her. Anything could have happened!’

  ‘Yeah, but you know Robyn. She won’t have wanted to worry anyone. She’ll have wanted to handle it herself.’

  ‘Bloody strong-minded independent women,’ said Jake, rueful.

  They sat in silence for a moment as Ethan put his foot down on the quiet night road. He looked sideways at his brother.

  ‘She’ll be all right, buddy,’ he said. ‘Robyn’s a tough one.’

  And now, suddenly, Jake was there, striding up to the ambulance where they were all gathered, still in the clothes he’d been wearing for the zip wire, sweaty and dishevelled. He went straight over to Robyn and took her in his arms.

  ‘What have you been doing?’ he said, his voice strangled with emotion.

  ‘I’m so sorry.’ Robyn leant against him, weeping.

  ‘Let’s take you up to the ward,’ said the nurse who’d been sent to meet them from the maternity unit. ‘Are you the father?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘I suppose we’ll have to go?’ said Sheila, her voice very small.

  ‘I’ll let you know as soon as we know anything,’ Jake promised.

  The small group were hurried inside, leaving Mick and Sheila standing in the cold night air, holding hands, watching after their daughter as she was led away.

  Robyn and Jake were taken up to the maternity unit and taken to a bed at the end of the ward, a yellow curtain swished around them to hide them from curious eyes. Most of the patients had settled down for the night, but some of them had been on bed-rest for weeks, so a drama was of interest.

  ‘Let’s see if we can find that heartbeat,’ said the nurse. Everyone had such an air of calm that Robyn felt reassured as she was wired up to the foetal heart monitor. She clutched Jake’s hand while they waited.

  ‘It’s going to be OK,’ he said. ‘That baby will be tough, like its mum.’

  Robyn tried to smile, but she felt sick with tension. She shouldn’t have done what she’d done. She should have left the box closed. She had always feared what was inside. Always worried that it was going to unleash something she couldn’t control. And now the worst had happened. She should never have opened it—

  ‘There!’ The nurse smiled in satisfaction. They listened as the whooshing sound made itself known. Their baby’s heartbeat.

  Two tears slid down Robyn’s cheeks. Jake lifted her hand and pressed it to his mouth, his own heart pounding. He began to breathe again.

  ‘We’ll leave that on for a while. Try and relax. You’ll be staying in overnight. And we’ll get you to a scan as soon as we can.’ The nurse left, pulling the curtain back round them.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ said Robyn, as soon as they were alone.

  ‘What were you thinking?’ he whispered to her.

  But he didn’t chastise her. Every time he thought of her falling down those stairs he felt sick. If only they’d put the lights in earlier. If only he hadn’t let Ethan talk him into a stag night. If only she’d trusted him enough to tell him about looking for her mother. That was what hurt him the most: that he thought they shared everything, yet she hadn’t let him in on her secret.

  Now was not the time to ask her why.

  Later, at the scan, while the sonographer checked everything over thoroughly, they were able to see the baby on the screen again, moving around quite happily, and visibly larger than the last time.

  ‘We’ll keep an eye on you in the next month or so. And of course if you have any bleeding, come straight in. But as far as I can see, all is well,’ the sonographer reassured them. ‘Babies are surprisingly resilient. But be careful.’

  As soon as they left the consulting room, Robyn called Mick and Sheila. They were in the kitchen, none of them wanting to go to bed until they had news. Sheila snatched up the phone in the kitchen on the first ring.

  ‘It’s all OK, Mum,’ Robyn told her. ‘They’ve done a scan and the baby’s fine. Live and kicking.’

  ‘Oh, thank God,’ said Sheila, giving Mick the thumbs up.

  ‘They’ve said I can go home in the morning.’

  ‘Just one slight problem,’ said Jake. ‘I haven’t got my car, remember.’

  ‘We’re stranded, Mum,’ laughed Robyn shakily. ‘We’ll have to get a taxi.’

  ‘Ethan will come and get us.’ Jake told her.

  ‘Don’t be silly. Your dad’ll come and get you. Let us know what time,’ said Sheila. ‘And I’d better phone your sister. She’s been calling us non-stop for news.’

  Robyn smiled.

  ‘Send her my love.’

  She hung up, and the emotion hit her. All those people worrying and caring about her. She leant against Jake, overcome with a wave of tiredness.

  ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘You need to sleep. You and that baby of ours.’

  They made their way back to the bed on the maternity ward. Jake was allowed to sleep in the chair next to her – there was no way he was leaving. He pulled the sheets and blankets over her to tuck her in.

  ‘Promise me,’ he said, ‘you will never keep anything from me again. Ever.’

  ‘I promise,’ she said.

  ‘We don’t have secrets, Robyn. It’s a deal-breaker.’

  ‘I should have trusted you. I should have trusted Mum and Dad. I know that now.’ She sighed. ‘But I’m glad I found them. And if I hadn’t done it now, I never would. And I think you’re going to really like them.’

  ‘I’m sure,’ said Jake. ‘But tread carefully. Your mum and dad are very special.’

  Robyn was quiet for a moment. ‘That’s exactly what Mum said when she gave me the box,’ she said eventually. ‘And that’s what I was trying to do. But there was never going to be a right way of doing it. Except keeping the box closed forever. And that wouldn’t have been fair. On me, or Emily and Jonathan.’

  She was gripping the edge of her bedsheet, her face pale, her hair wild around her.

  ‘Hey,’ said Jake. ‘It’s OK. We’re going to work through this, all of us together. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t mean any harm.’

  Robyn gazed into the middle distance, thinking back over everything. ‘No. I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn’t mean to hurt Mum and Dad.’

  Jake leaned forward, taking her hands. ‘They understand. I promise you.’

  And then she smiled. ‘But I found her. I found my mother. And my dad too.’ She struggled to sit up. ‘Did they bring my bag?’

  Jake put his finger to his lips, anxious not to wake anyone else on the ward.

  ‘Shhhh,’ he said. ‘Lie down. Yes, your bag’s here. Your mum brought it.’

  ‘There’s a letter inside. I want you to read it. It explains everything.’

  He burrowed inside the bag until he found the envelope with Emily’s letter inside. Robyn nodded.

  ‘Read it. It tells you everything.’ She lay back on the pillows, closing her eyes. She was so tired.

  And so, in the dark quiet of the ward, Jake read the letter by the light from his phone as Robyn slept. And as he reached the end, he wiped away a tear, reaching out for Robyn’s
hand. And he held it all night long, just as Robyn held Emily’s finger on that last night before they were separated, never knowing if she would see her daughter again.

  44

  At six o’clock on the morning of her wedding, Robyn decided it was OK to get up. She’d been awake since five, relishing the excitement of the day ahead and the relief that the day had arrived, and all was well.

  The sun was shining, although when she looked across the sea she could see dark clouds in the distance over Tawcombe. You could never tell what the weather would do here. It could change in an instant. It was an occupational hazard for her, wondering if it might rain. But she had no control over it, so she wasn’t going to worry. After what had happened this week, all that mattered was that she was all right, and the baby was all right, and she had everyone she loved around her on her wedding day.

  She pulled on a T-shirt and sweatpants and crept out of the house. She knew Mick and Sheila would be up any moment, for they were early risers, but she wanted a few moments of peace to herself. She slipped out of the back door and across the fields to the small copse between the farm and the Linhay.

  She bent down and began picking the best blooms, still wet with dew. She didn’t want an expensive bridal bouquet. A little bunch of bluebells from Hawksworthy felt much more meaningful. This was her favourite place at her favourite time of year, the magnificent carpet of flowers under the oak trees bright with spring optimism. They didn’t pick them, usually, but she felt this was a special occasion and the bluebells wouldn’t mind her borrowing just a few.

  She ran back to the farmhouse and into the kitchen.

  ‘There you are.’ Sheila smiled. She was already peeling off bacon and putting it into a pan. ‘Oh, those are lovely.’

  ‘I thought I’d have them as a bouquet. I wasn’t going to have one, but I thought of these when I woke up.’

  Sheila nodded her approval.

  ‘Give them here. I’ll sort them for you. Tea’s in the pot.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Robyn sat at the table and poured herself a cup while Sheila plunged the stems of the flowers into boiling water to sear them.