Starlight on Foxglove Street (The Foxglove Street #12)

Chapter 1

Foxglove Street looked just as she remembered it. A long road that twisted and turned into the distance. Pretty houses on either side. Neat gardens and painted fences and clipped shrubs. The sense of a place loved and cherished and cared for by those who lived there.

Gaby Leonard paused to catch her breath at the junction where the High Street met Foxglove Street.

Hauling her suitcase from Hamblehurst train station and all the way up the incline of the High Street had been more of a challenge than she’d expected.

She’d forgotten how steep the climb was and carrying heavy luggage had left her out of puff.

Adjusting the straps of her rucksack and grabbing the suitcase handle again, she set off for the final stretch.

It was evening in early November and already the sky was dark.

The pearly crescent moon hung overhead and a scattering of stars twinkled in the inky black sky.

The warm glow of lights spilling from the windows of the houses she passed looked cosy and inviting and made Gaby excited to reach her own cosy and inviting destination.

Cars trundled up and down the residential road.

Children sped by on bicycles. A dog walker passed by on the pavement, the dog darting close to sniff Gaby’s suitcase as she wheeled it along and forcing her to swerve to avoid running over the animal with the bulky luggage.

With an apology and a laugh, the owner tugged the dog out of harm’s way.

Gaby patted the creature’s head and received a canine smile in return.

It had been fifteen years since Gaby last visited this place and it was good to be back. Hamblehurst and Foxglove Street had lost none of the charms she remembered.

Fifteen years. How time flies, she thought as she continued along the pavement. She’d been just seventeen, almost eighteen, during her one and only visit here when she’d spent an endless summer staying with her Aunt Jill and working shifts at a local hotel to earn money before starting university.

That summer felt like a lifetime ago. And of course, in many ways, it was a lifetime ago.

Gaby wasn’t the girl she’d been back then, a girl on the cusp of adult life and wondering what would come next.

She was a successful thirty-two-year-old woman who lived life to the full, had an amazing career that took her all over the world, and who was now taking a few weeks out of her busy life in order to help an aunt who she adored.

Yesterday, her Aunt Jill had come out of the hospital after undergoing knee replacement surgery.

A lengthy period of recovery and rehabilitation lay ahead for the seventy-four-year-old woman who’d scarcely known a day’s illness in her life.

Jill Young, who lived alone, had insisted that she would cope fine with help from friends and neighbours, but the restricted mobility imposed on the usually active woman had worried Gaby from the moment she heard about the planned surgery.

When an unexpected gap opened up in Gaby’s work schedule, she seized the opportunity to take time off and spend it with her aunt.

Jill’s protests that her niece surely had better things to do with her time had fallen on deaf ears.

If Gaby could help in any way while her aunt recovered from surgery and got back on her feet, then that’s exactly what she’d do.

At last, she reached the house where her Aunt Jill lived, halfway along Foxglove Street at the curve just before it twisted towards Riverside Road at the other end.

Jill’s smart Edwardian red brick terraced house had a graceful bay window, an ornate canopy over the midnight blue front door, and a tidy garden that was tucked up for the winter.

Gaby pushed through the garden gate and was hauling her suitcase up the front steps when the door opened.

“Gaby! It’s so wonderful to see you!”

Jill stood in the doorway balancing on a pair of crutches. The bulky bandage around her left knee was obvious beneath the loose-fitting trousers she wore. One glance at her aunt’s face told Gaby everything she needed to know about the surgery she’d endured. Jill looked utterly exhausted.

A woman who took immense pride in her appearance, Jill had tidied her hair and even dabbed on a sweep of lipstick, refusing to bow completely to the ravishes of surgery. But the fatigue in her eyes and the pain etched in her expression tore Gaby’s heart in two.

“I’m so glad to see you, Aunt Jill,” Gaby said, abandoning her suitcase to greet her aunt. “But I’m scared to touch you in case I hurt you.”

“Don’t be silly. A hug from my favourite niece is exactly what the doctor ordered. Just avoid touching this blasted knee and we’ll be fine.”

Gaby reached for her aunt, taking extreme care not to brush against her legs as she offered a cautious hug.

The last time they’d seen each other, a year ago in London, their first hug upon meeting had been fiercely enthusiastic and filled with their usual laughter and warm affection.

This time, Gaby’s embrace was more of a pat on the back than a loving hug.

“You can do better than that, my girl,” Jill said, balancing on one crutch and pulling Gaby closer. “There, see, that’s better isn’t it?”

Gaby allowed her aunt to hug her, too terrified to move in case she jolted the older woman and caused her pain.

“How are you feeling?” Gaby asked.

“Well, I’ve felt better, I can’t deny that.

But the surgeon explained that the first few days after the operation would be tough, and I’m only on day four and with a long way to go.

I’m just glad I can stand up under my own steam and move around.

” Jill angled herself away from the open door.

“Come on in, my dear. You’re letting all the heat out. ”

Gaby hauled her suitcase into the house and dumped her rucksack before closing the door and following her aunt into the living room.

Jill hobbled towards an armchair and waved off Gaby’s attempt to help her as she lowered herself into it.

Settling the crutches against the wall beside the armchair, she let out a long sigh.

“I’ve already mastered the embarrassing new manoeuvre required to get myself in and out of this chair, thank goodness,” Jill said with a weary laugh. “You don’t have to worry about jumping to my aid every time I move.”

“Are you in a lot of pain?”

“Some, but the painkillers help and the discomfort will pass eventually. Once the stitches are removed I’m sure I’ll start to feel much better.”

Gaby had no doubt that her aunt was almost certainly in a lot more pain than she’d admitted, considering the invasive procedure she’d endured. It was in Jill Young’s character to remain stoic no matter what.

“When do the stitches come out?” Gaby asked.

“Not for another few days. The nurse will come and deal with it and make sure everything is healing nicely. After that, it’s just a matter of time and physiotherapy and getting my strength back.”

Gaby eyed Jill’s bulky, bandaged knee and tried not to wince at the thought of the gruesome operation. “It sounds like there’s a long road to recovery ahead.”

“According to the surgeon, I should be moving around more easily within three or four weeks, and able to abandon the crutches by six weeks. It will take many months of healing for the joint and soft tissues to recover fully, but for now I’m focusing on one day at a time.”

“That sounds like a good plan. One day at a time is more than enough for now. I’m just sorry you had to go through this in the first place.”

Jill waved this off. “It is what it is. I’ve been blessed with excellent health so far in my life.

I’d rather endure weeks of discomfort if it means no longer putting up with a painful knee that was affecting my quality life.

It’s been too long since I was able to enjoy my regular hikes and country walks without feeling ghastly.

If this surgery has been successful, which I have no reason to think it hasn’t been, then I can get back to doing the things I love and being fully mobile again without huffing and grunting all the time like some silly old woman. ”

“You’re not a silly old woman, Aunt Jill. You’re too magnificent for that.”

Jill smiled. “You’re a tonic for my spirits, Gaby. I’m so glad you’re here. But I’m also worried that you’ve disrupted your life to rush to my aid.”

“I would’ve disrupted my life and ditched my last job to get here sooner, but you told me you’d disown me if I did.”

“And I meant it, too,” Jill replied with a firm nod.

“While I was in hospital, I was being well looked after and there would’ve been nothing for you to do.

I only got home yesterday evening and less than twenty-four hours later, here you are.

If waiting a few days meant you were able to honour your commitments to your last employer, then that makes me feel much better.

” Jill frowned and looked thoughtful. “Forgive me, but remind me where your last job was. These painkillers have turned my brain to mush.”

“I was in Madrid working as a corporate functions manager in one of the big chain hotels there.”

Gaby had landed the three-month contract to cover an unexpected staff absence due to illness.

Many of her jobs were like that, temporary contracts to plug staffing gaps and her ability to be flexible allowed her to negotiate excellent pay packages.

Her hospitality management skillset stretched from corporate functions and conferences to weddings and general tourism, and she loved all aspects of the work she took on.