Chapter 19
NINETEEN
‘Dad! It’s so good to see you!’ Lark’s words came out in a plume of condensation.
She hadn’t been able to wait for her father to arrive and had headed down to the car parking reserved for locals and their guests in anticipation.
She’d spotted him climbing out of his grey metallic Range Rover and rushed over, almost losing her footing on the icy ground.
She flung her arms around him, absorbing his familiar “Dad” aroma that she’d always found instantly soothing.
‘Hello, sweetheart, it’s good to see you too,’ he said, chuckling affectionately at the enthusiastic greeting.
Lark pressed a kiss to his cheek, which was still warm from the car and was a striking contrast to the chilliness of her own.
Releasing him from her hug, she stepped back, her eyes roving his face.
Even under the dim glow of the vintage-style streetlamps, she could tell he’d lost weight since she’d last seen him – there was a gauntness to his face, and his cheekbones were more pronounced.
It triggered an ache in her heart, and she made a mental note to make sure he had plenty of hot, comforting meals while he was in Micklewick Bay.
‘You made good time.’ She pushed her concerns away and smiled. Despite his sunken cheeks, it really was good to see him.
‘Aye, I put my overnight bag in the car first thing so I could set off straight from school. Mind, the roads weren’t as bad as I expected, which helped; we haven’t had as much snow as you have here.
And it was good of the head to let me leave an hour early.
’ He closed the car door and made his way round to the boot, his feet crunching over the frozen, churned-up snow.
‘What time did you say we need to be at the bookshop?’ He heaved his overnight bag out and slung it over his shoulder.
‘Five forty-five for the festive window reveal. The reading follows on from that at six o’clock. It should give us enough time to have something to eat before we head up to town. Maggie says she and Bear’ll call at around quarter past five; they’re scooping us up in the Landie en route.’
‘Good stuff.’
‘There’s a chicken, sage and leek casserole bubbling away in the oven as we speak.
And there are some cheeky herby dumplings and mashed potato to go with it.
’ Knowing this evening was going to be a quick turnaround, Lark had prepared the dish the night before.
All that had been left to do today was peel and boil the potatoes, which she’d already done.
She’d then added butter and a splash of cream before mashing them until they were smooth and fluffy.
They were currently keeping warm in the oven on the shelf below the casserole.
‘Mmm. Sounds perfect for a chilly winter’s night like tonight.’ Her dad smiled over at her.
‘Yep, that’s what I thought. Should warm us through before we head out.
’ She beamed back at him, the wind lifting her hair.
She’d made the dish knowing it was a favourite of his.
She’d got some of his preferred Double Gloucester cheese to grate on top of the dumplings, too.
He used to rave about them. ‘Can I help carry anything?’
‘There’s just this.’ He handed her a small paper carrier bag before closing the boot and locking the car with a beep of his key fob.
A gust of icy wind appeared as if from nowhere, whipping around them.
‘Brr! I’d forgotten how cold it can get down here in Old Micklewick.’ Silas shivered.
‘At least we don’t have far to go.’ Lark linked her arm through his and they trundled off through the snow. She didn’t like to say his weight loss probably meant he could feel the cold even more.
Arriving at Seashell Cottage, Silas kicked off his boots and hung up his coat, the comforting aroma of the casserole dominating the usual greeting of aromatherapy oils. ‘Mmm. That smells so good.’ He inhaled deeply. ‘And it’s so toasty in here too.’
‘It’s the wood burner, Dad. It’s made a massive difference. I’ve been really glad of it this last week.’
‘I’m not surprised.’ He stepped into the living room, bending his head to avoid the beams. ‘And you’ve got it looking very cosy and inviting, with your Christmas tree and fairy lights dotted about.
I can feel myself relaxing by the second!
I think I need to steer clear of that sofa for a while or I’ll be in serious danger of nodding off,’ he said, laughing.
‘That’s probably best saved for when we get back after the reading, then you can snooze away to your heart’s content.’ She smiled. It felt good to have her dad back in Micklewick Bay.
A miaowing caught their attention. ‘Ah, this must be Luna.’ Silas beamed down at the cat who was giving him a thorough check over, nudging against his legs. He bent down to stroke her. ‘Hello there, miss. I do hope we can be friends.’ Luna responded with a loud purr.
‘I think we can safely say that’s a given.’ Lark chuckled as she watched the cat close her eyes, savouring the attention from Silas. ‘Can I get you a cup of tea, Dad?’
‘Aye, that’d be grand, thanks, sweetheart.’
Silas straightened and Lark was shocked by the sight of his jumper hanging loose on him.
Being so tall only seemed to accentuate how much weight he’d lost. Her stomach twisted and she was overwhelmed by the urge to hug him close, squeeze him tight and tell him he was going to be okay.
Which, come to think of it, he was if he was moving back to Micklewick Bay.
She was going to make sure of it. She’d cook him chicken casserole and herby dumplings every night if necessary!
Sensing her face had dropped she pushed her mouth into a smile before he noticed.
‘Oh, I almost forgot.’ Silas reached for the paper bag Lark had carried to the cottage and set down on the sideboard. ‘These are for you.’ He reached inside the bag and lifted out a pink box trimmed with a gold ribbon and gold writing.
She hadn’t noticed the logo on the bag was that of The Chocolate Cherub, the chocolatier in Middleton-le-Moors.
‘Ooh! My favourite! Thanks, Dad!’ She delivered a grateful kiss to his cheek.
‘I’ll take them through to the kitchen, keep them away from the heat of the wood burner.
Why don’t you come through? You can update me on the house sale while I make a pot of tea and grate some cheese on the dumplings. ’
‘Sounds like a plan. I’ll just take my bag up to my room, then you can tell me all about your trip to the heritage centre.’
‘Deal.’ She flashed him a grin.
Over the course of the meal, she listened as he told her how the sale of Denley House was moving smoothly, and how the couple who were buying it had been round to measure up for curtains and blinds the previous evening.
It seemed to please her dad that they were so excited about moving in.
She hoped it would make leaving it easier for him.
‘I’m happy to come over on completion day, if you like?’ She didn’t want him to have to face locking up for the last time alone. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how hard that would be for him. In fact, she didn’t like to think about it.
‘I’d like that.’ The smile he gave faltered a little and this time Lark couldn’t help herself. She set her knife and fork down and rushed over to his side of the table, wrapping her arms around him, burying her face into his neck.
‘It’s going to be fine, Dad. I promise. I’m here whenever you need me. And there’s always Mum and Elfie if you’d rather offload onto them, you know. They just want to make sure you’re okay, same as me.’ Her voice cracked and she bit down on the tears that were threatening.
Silas sniffed. ‘I know that, sweetheart, thank you. You’ve all been amazing and I’m so grateful.
’ He pulled back, his pale-green eyes shiny with tears.
He took her hand, squeezing it as he gave her a smile.
‘I’m sorry I’ve made you all worry about me over the last few years – particularly you.
Losing Greer too soon and so quickly was such a shock, but I’ve slowly been managing to work my way through it all and I now feel ready to face the world again. ’
‘That’s great, Dad, I’m so pleased.’ Lark sat back down in her seat, squeezing his hand before letting go.
There was something about him that told her things were going to get brighter for her dad.
An unshakeable feeling of positivity washed over her, filling her with a warm glow. He really was going to be okay.
‘Which is why I want to move back to Micklewick Bay. The only reason I’ve stayed at Denley House is because of my loyalty to Greer. I’ve been clinging on to the memory of her there. It’s taken a while, but I’ve accepted she’s not coming back and it’s time to move on.’
‘It’s the right thing for you, Dad, and you had to do it when the time was right for you, never mind anyone else – I’d have had you moving back in a heartbeat, as you know, but it would have been wrong to force you. You had to be ready.’
Her words raised a smile. ‘I know you would. And I also think you know that I’ve never really felt settled at Denley House.
I’ve been fooling myself for these last few years, but I’ve had to be honest and accept that Micklewick Bay is where I belong.
It’s where my heart is and it’s where my amazing daughter is. ’
‘Well, you might not think I’m so amazing when I tell you it’s your turn to do the washing up!’
His resultant roar of laughter was a joy to hear.
‘So, fill me in on what happened at the heritage museum,’ said Silas as they tackled the washing up together – Lark washed while her dad dried. ‘Was the curator helpful?’
‘Honestly, Dad, it was so interesting, and she had much more information than we expected. She was so full of knowledge. I’ll show you the photocopying she did for us.
’ Lark went on to share details of their meeting, her dad listening, his interest obviously piqued.
She hoped she’d have an opportunity to introduce her father to Louisa while he was here.
‘It sounds fascinating. I’d love to see the suitcase and the contents. I can’t imagine what it must be like to look upon something with such history attached to it.’ The drying finished, Silas hung the tea towel on the hook by the Butler sink.
‘Tell you what, the heritage centre’s open on Saturdays, why don’t we pop in?
I’m sure Louisa would be okay to show you the case.
And I’ve organised it so Zara’s holding the fort at the shop, so I’m free all day.
We could have a sniff around a few houses for sale, too.
’ Zara was the new part-time assistant she’d employed to work at the shop.
‘Wonderful!’ Her dad’s eyes were shining and it felt good to see him so fired up about doing something. She’d call Louisa in the morning, double check it really would be okay for her dad to take a look at the suitcase.
‘And how’s Nate?’ asked Silas.
That was a loaded question if ever there was one. But Lark was saved from answering by the ping of a text landing on her mobile.
‘That’ll be Mags telling me they’re setting off.’