Chapter 12
The grand official opening of The Arabella Lavender Art Academy took place on Sunday the twenty-eighth of April. Miss Lavender was beside herself with excitement and beaming with pride, not least because Ethan Rochester himself had agreed to cut the ribbon.
Jonah Brewster, the local farrier, had grinned from ear to ear when Bethany mentioned that she would be attending the event.
‘Wouldn’t dare miss it, would you? Not that she’d let you. And you are living under her roof so there’s no escape. Mind you, there are plenty of us in this town wondering how many ceremonies this art academy needs.’
‘What do you mean?’ Bethany leaned against the stable wall, watching as Jonah trimmed one of the donkey’s hooves. She found the farrier easy company. This was his second visit to Whispering Willows since she’d been here, and he had a kind nature and a friendly manner.
‘Well, there was an open day for all us Bridgers to admire the work they’d done. Proper champagne laid on, an’ all! Can’t say she skimps on things like that, can we? Then there was another open day which was for prospective students. Then there was a mini opening ceremony when the first day students arrived to start lessons. Now this! I reckon this is the one that matters most to her, though. I mean, Miss Lavender’s a canny old bird. Got Ethan Rochester to perform the ceremony, and of course, the local paper will be covering it all. Lots of publicity on local news and for their website, too.’
‘She keeps banging on about Ethan Rochester,’ Bethany admitted with a smile. ‘Is it true he’s related to Rafferty at The White Hart Inn?’
‘That’s right.’ Jonah patted Moonflower’s neck. ‘There you go, girl. That’s you done and dusted for a few weeks.’ He straightened and rubbed his back. ‘Think they’re distant cousins or something. Ethan’s mum was a Kingston, so Kat says. I can’t keep up with it. Anyway, he’s forking out for a scholarship and donating a cup and a cash prize for a competition in his wife’s name, so he’s obviously keen to help. Ethan, I mean, not Rafferty. Although Rafferty’s an art nut, too. He’s studying for a degree in art history, so Kat says. No idea how he finds the time to be honest. Any road, the Kingstons love art, so it’s no wonder Ethan Rochester was persuaded to attend the opening event.’
‘Will you be going?’ Bethany asked hopefully. In a town full of people who were mostly strangers she thought it would be good to see a friendly face. Miss Lavender would likely be too busy playing hostess, and she’d rather avoid Rita and Birdie as much as possible. They’d only be digging for information.
‘Oh, we wouldn’t miss it for the world!’ Jonah rolled his eyes. ‘Probably won’t stay long, though. Me, that is. I’ll take the kids home after an hour or so, cos they’ll only get bored, but Kat will no doubt stay longer.’
‘I’ll look forward to meeting her,’ Bethany said.
‘Actually, you’ve already met her, although you probably won’t remember her.’
‘I have?’ Bethany frowned. ‘When? Who is she?’
‘Katherine Pennyfeather. Rita and Birdie are her great aunts.’
Bethany’s eyes widened. ‘Oh, the little girl at The Black Swan! Good heavens, I remember her. Fancy you being married to her!’
‘Not married yet,’ Jonah said sheepishly. ‘Engaged, though. Wedding’s on the eleventh of May. Summer was fuming when she found out because she’s not back until the thirteenth, bless her.’
‘That’s amazing. I forget, you see,’ she said wistfully. ‘I forget how long I’ve been away, and that the adults I see walking around this town might well be the little children I left behind. I must admit, it was quite a shock when I saw Miss Lavender looking so old.’ She grinned suddenly. ‘The Pennyfeathers haven’t changed much, though. They still look just as outlandish as they always did.’
‘Aye, they’ll never change,’ Jonah agreed, his eyes twinkling in amusement. ‘Hearts of gold, the pair of them. And before you ask, no Kat doesn’t share their taste in clothes!’
‘I don’t think anyone does,’ she said, laughing. ‘Well, now that I know you two will be there I’ll definitely go.’
So that Sunday she accepted Miss Lavender’s gracious invitation of a lift up to Monk’s Folly, as she still thought of the place, and braced herself for a lot of curious stares and awkward questions.
She’d almost backed out several times but had decided—after a stern talking to from Helena—that it was better to pull the sticking plaster off rapidly.
‘Get it over with,’ Helena had advised. ‘If people want to ask you questions, let them. You don’t have to tell them anything you don’t want to. And once you’re out there, the fuss will die down. Hiding away is what will make them curious.’
She was right and Bethany knew it, so she put on a pretty summer dress and teamed it with a light jacket and court shoes, applied make-up, combed her hair, and headed out, determined to enjoy herself and help Miss Lavender do the same on what was, for her, a big day.
She had to admit she was taken aback by the appearance of Monk’s Folly. She vaguely recalled it being a bit of a grim house, standing halfway up a hillside on the far bank of the River Skimmer. As the car made its way through smart new gates and up the short drive, she thought it looked far from grim now. Its paintwork was new and gleaming, its awful old windows had been replaced, and the overgrown garden had been landscaped. The tatty old garage that had always seemed on the verge of falling down had gone. In its place was a smart new building that was obviously a studio.
‘Even the stonework has been power washed,’ Miss Lavender said proudly. ‘Doesn’t it look beautiful?’
Bethany realised Miss Lavender wasn’t expecting an answer. She was too busy gazing out of the window, her eyes shining with excitement. Naturally, as the car approached the crowd that had gathered outside the house, the old lady gave a regal wave before pulling into the small car park and parking faultlessly.
‘Quite a few people here,’ she said, turning off the engine. ‘Now, are you ready for this, my dear?’
‘Me?’ Bethany raised an eyebrow. ‘It’s your big day, not mine.’
‘I know. Well, strictly speaking, it’s Ross’s big day,’ Miss Lavender said modestly. ‘Nevertheless, I do understand how difficult this must be for you, facing the town after all these years. Don’t think for one moment that I don’t appreciate the effort you’re making.’
Bethany felt quite touched that Miss Lavender had considered her feelings.
‘It’s not a problem,’ Bethany reassured her, patting her arm. ‘I’m sure people are far more interested in the new art academy than anything I’ve got to say. You look lovely by the way.’
Miss Lavender glanced down at her cornflower blue dress and jacket. ‘Do you think so? My dear father always said this colour brought out the blue in my eyes.’ She smiled. ‘He’d be so delighted that Monk’s Folly is back in our family, you know. And for the art academy to be named after our dear Arabella, whose art has always been so overlooked—well, he’d be over the moon.’
‘Shall we go in then?’ Bethany asked, smiling fondly.
‘We shall, dear. We shall.’ Miss Lavender opened her car door. ‘Ooh, I do hope the Rochesters are here already, and that Ross has been making them feel at home.’
‘Did you spot them in the crowd?’ Bethany climbed out of the car and smoothed down her dress.
Miss Lavender gave her a surprised look. ‘Of course not! Ross was under strict instructions to take them inside, give them refreshments, and introduce them to the press people. We don’t want them hanging around outside with the townspeople, do we?’
‘Of course not.’ Bethany smothered a grin. ‘Silly me.’
They avoided the crowd at the front of the house and Bethany followed Miss Lavender round the back, where the door was opened before Miss Lavender had the chance to knock on it. Someone had clearly been expecting her.
‘Come in, Miss Lavender,’ said a woman, probably a bit older than Bethany. She seemed familiar, but Bethany couldn’t quite place her. She had grey-streaked brown hair and bright blue eyes and looked a bit nervous. ‘The guests have arrived, and so has the reporter and the photographer from The Skimmerdale Herald. They’re in the drawing room with Ross and Clemmie. I’ve served them canapés as you instructed.’
‘Thank you so much,’ Miss Lavender said graciously. ‘Oh, Bethany, I don’t know if you remember Jennifer? Jennifer Callaghan.’ She gave Bethany a knowing look. ‘And Jennifer, this is Bethany Marshall. Used to be Bethany Wilkinson. Remember?’
‘Of course I remember.’ Jennifer held out her hand and shook Bethany’s warmly. ‘We were at school together, but I was two years ahead of you, so we didn’t have much to do with each other, I’m afraid. My mother was friends with yours, though. At least, when they were at primary school together.’
At the mention of her mother Bethany’s stomach tightened. ‘I—I hadn’t realised,’ she admitted. ‘About our mothers, I mean. It’s nice to see you, Jennifer. I was so sorry to hear about Julian and Leon.’
She saw the same look flicker across Jennifer’s eyes as she imagined had been in her own just seconds earlier. Grief was easily recognised by fellow sufferers.
‘Thank you,’ Jennifer said. ‘I appreciate that.’
‘Shall we go through, Bethany?’ Miss Lavender said heartily. ‘Jennifer here is the new cook at the academy. She really is excellent at her job. I can’t wait to sample some of her canapés.’
Jennifer and Bethany exchanged a look, each recognising that an order had been subtly given.
Grief was replaced by amusement and Bethany gave Jennifer a resigned nod as Miss Lavender ushered her out of the gleaming, newly fitted kitchen.
‘Sorry about that, dear,’ she whispered in Bethany’s ear as they headed down the hallway, ‘but Jennifer’s been so fragile for so long and any mention of her loss… The last thing I need is for her to fall to pieces today of all days.’
She pushed open a door and ushered Bethany through. Bethany felt awkward and ill-at-ease as she found herself in a room full of strangers. What, she wondered, was she even doing here? She should be outside with the rest of the plebs!
At least she recognised Ross, who gave her a friendly smile as he held out his arms to welcome his great aunt.
‘Aunt Eugenie! We were just talking about you,’ he said, kissing her on each cheek. ‘And, Bethany, nice to see you again. Thanks so much for coming.’
‘My pleasure. Thanks for inviting me,’ Bethany mumbled.
She barely lifted her gaze so didn’t really take in the faces of the other guests, but luckily Miss Lavender was quickly in full flow, introducing herself to the press and making it quite clear that the art academy was going to be a huge success and a massive boost to the local economy.
She greeted Ethan Rochester like an old friend, and Bethany noted the air kisses she exchanged with a rather bemused strawberry blonde woman who also seemed a bit shy.
‘It’s so lovely to see you both again,’ Miss Lavender assured them. ‘And how well you’re both looking. Bethany, this is Ethan Rochester, and this is his wife, Cara,’ she added, indicating the strawberry blonde. ‘Ethan, Cara, this is Bethany Marshall. She’s staying with me at the moment. She’s been away from Tuppenny Bridge for some time, but she’s recently returned because her brother sadly passed away.’
Two pairs of sympathetic eyes immediately swivelled in her direction and Bethany tried hard not to feel like a total fraud, as both Ethan and Cara assured her how sorry they were for her loss. If they knew the truth about her relationship with Joseph, they wouldn’t waste their sympathies.
‘Bethany, this is Clementine Grant. She’s, er, Ross’s young lady,’ Miss Lavender said, rescuing her from the Rochesters’ compassion.
‘Clemmie,’ the young woman said immediately.
‘Only I call her Clementine,’ Ross added, giving his girlfriend an affectionate look.
‘I wouldn’t let anyone else get away with it,’ Clemmie said, nudging him.
She was a pretty thing, probably in her late twenties. A round face, blonde hair, and big blue eyes that shone with love for her boyfriend. Bethany could hardly blame her. He was quite a catch.
‘Clemmie works—’ Miss Lavender suddenly frowned and looked round the room. ‘Ross, where on earth is Callum?’
‘Running late,’ Ross admitted. ‘He said to start without him.’
‘Well, that’s a good start to his new career as our art teacher,’ Miss Lavender said indignantly.
‘Not his fault, Auntie. He had a puncture.’
Miss Lavender pursed her lips. ‘Hmm. I suppose… Anyway, as I was saying, Clemmie works at The Corner Cottage Bookshop in Market Place.’
‘Ah. I saw that when I arrived,’ Bethany said. ‘It used to be something else in my day. A children’s clothes shop called Taylor-Made. I must confess I was quite sad to see that had gone, but I’m sure a bookshop is very popular here.’
She noticed that Miss Lavender had drifted off to talk to Cara and Ethan and could hardly blame her. They were her honoured guests, after all. Not to mention the fact that the reporter seemed more interested in the Rochesters than the art school, something which Miss Lavender had no doubt picked up on and was determined to put right. She also realised there’d been no offer of any canapés, despite Miss Lavender’s assertion that she couldn’t wait to try them.
It didn’t matter. Bethany had to admit that she was happier chatting to Clemmie, who seemed nice and normal and not intimidating.
Miss Lavender called Ross’s name, and as he excused himself to join his aunt with the Rochesters, Clemmie turned eagerly to Bethany.
‘Isn’t this awful? I don’t have a clue what I’m in here for. I mean, what do I know about art? And having to stand here and make small talk with the Rochesters… Oh, it’s been horrendous. Thank goodness you arrived.’
Bethany grinned at her. ‘I was just thinking thank goodness for you,’ she admitted. ‘I don’t know anything about art either. I’d far rather have waited outside with the others, but I’m living with Miss Lavender at the moment so I could hardly refuse, could I?’
‘Refuse Miss Lavender?’ Clemmie’s eyes rolled. ‘No chance! To be fair, I could hardly say no to Ross. It means such a lot to him, and I wanted to support him. Dolly’s furious because she’s stuck outside.’
‘Dolly?’
‘My aunt. She owns the bookshop. Ross said I could invite her in, but I know Dolly. She’d have a few too many glasses of champagne and hog the Rochesters, just to annoy Miss Lavender.’ She looked immediately contrite. ‘That makes her sound awful and she’s not, really she’s not, but she does have a wicked sense of humour and although I usually love her for that, I couldn’t take any risks. Not today. It’s going to be bad enough controlling her when they let everyone in.’
She turned and her gaze settled on Ross. As if he’d been alerted by some mystical force, he turned and smiled at her.
Bethany couldn’t help but feel a sudden joy at their obvious love for each other. It was lovely to see a couple who so clearly adored one another. It made her think of Ted and Helena. They’d been the same, and although it had hurt her terribly when she’d first seen that look between them, as time went on she’d realised she was glad of it. They were both such good people. They deserved to feel that way.
It had also made her realise, once and for all, that she’d never felt that way about Ted. About anyone.
Not even Glenn.
‘I think it’s time we went outside,’ Miss Lavender announced, glancing at her watch. ‘The invitations did say two o’clock and it’s a minute past. Ethan, are you ready?’
Ethan assured her that he was, and Ross gave everyone a nervous look.
‘Right then. I guess this is it. Time to cut the ribbon and officially open The Arabella Lavender Art Academy.’