Chapter 18
18
The kitchen at the farmhouse was almost full to bursting even before they arrived. The back door was open and someone had lit a couple of space heaters and placed them next to a pair of wooden benches in the courtyard. Dressed in warm jumpers and gilets, Hope, Amelia and Ben were sitting on the benches, talking to a sandy-haired man in glasses Dylan didn’t know. ‘Cameron, darling, you made it!’ Stevie cried, hurrying over to greet the man, who rose with a smile to give her a hug. ‘How’s your mum and dad?’
‘They’re great, thank you. They said to say thanks for the hamper you sent them – you shouldn’t have.’
Stevie waved him off. ‘Of course I should. It’s the least I can do as we won’t be seeing them for Christmas and they’re letting us steal you away.’
‘Dad’s sorry he couldn’t get the time off, but the overtime will come in handy and he’s promised he’ll put in a request for next year as soon as the new leave year starts.’
‘Oh, that will be lovely. Come here and meet my brother and his children.’ Stevie led Cameron over to them. ‘Dylan, Theo, Avery, this is Hope’s partner, Cameron.’
‘Call me Cam,’ the tall man said. ‘Only Stevie and my mum call me by my full name.’
They shook hands, then Dylan put an arm around Avery. ‘We should make name badges for everyone.’
Cam grinned. ‘I know what you mean. The first time I came here it was like a new member of the family popped up every time I turned around.’
‘Well, now you’ve met us I think that’s a full house.’
‘Speaking of which,’ Stevie said, ‘come on in and you can say hello to the others.’ She turned to Hope. ‘Are you all right out here?’
Hope raised a tall glass of something sparkling. ‘All good. Poor Ziggy was tearing his hair out with everyone in his way so we beat a retreat. We’re still waiting on Rhys to finish and Tasha’s going to be late because Lydia texted her about a last-minute problem with tonight.’
Stevie froze in her tracks. ‘Do I need to go back?’
Hope laughed as she shook her head. ‘Not unless you can do the cancan. One of the three French hens has twisted her ankle. Tasha’s the first aider so it makes sense for her to go and see if there’s anything she can do. If she thinks it’s more serious than a strain she’ll take her up to A & E to get checked out.’
‘Oh dear, the poor girl, I hope she’s not badly hurt,’ Stevie said, looking concerned. ‘Maybe I should go and see…’
Hope stood and came to hug her mum. ‘Everything’s in hand. It didn’t sound serious from what Lydia was saying, only that she might not be able to perform. They’re due on right at the end of the show, and I’m sure no one will mind if there’s only two dancers.’
‘I suppose you’re right,’ Stevie agreed, hugging her daughter. ‘It’s just such a shame because Lydia worked so hard to design unique things to suit our twelve days theme. Make sure you let me know when you get an update, will you?’
‘Of course.’
Stevie led them inside and Dylan could see why the others had decided to brave the cold. The kitchen was a chaotic blend of noise, delicious food smells and heat. Ziggy was on the far side next to the oven, dressed in jeans, a casual shirt and wearing a striped butcher’s apron. Daisy paused in the process of setting the table to say hello. Zap was sitting at the top end of the table, their mother beside him, the pair of them deep in conversation. Both had chopping boards and were slicing things to go in the huge salad bowl in front of them. Somewhere in the background a radio was playing.
‘What should we do with our coats?’ Dylan asked.
‘You can hang them up through here,’ Stevie said, leading them towards a closed door.
‘No!’ Ziggy, Zap and Daisy all chorused, Daisy hurrying around the table to block access.
‘The dogs are in there,’ she explained. ‘And I cannot begin to tell you how long it took us to corral them all into one place.’ She pointed towards the door behind Ziggy. ‘You’re welcome to leave your things in our sitting room.’
With that sorted out, Dylan led the children over to Alice. ‘Mum, say hello to your grandchildren.’
There were tears glistening in Alice’s eyes as she stood up. ‘It’s so lovely to finally meet you.’ She held her arms out and Dylan felt his heart flip as both children stepped in to hug her. His eyes met his mother’s and she mouthed ‘Thank you’ to him over their heads.
Pulling out his phone, Dylan opened his camera app. ‘Give us a smile, guys.’
‘Oh, that’s a lovely shot,’ Rowena said, peering over his shoulder. ‘Here, give me that and go and join them.’
Not given any other option, Dylan handed her the phone and went to stand beside his mother, with Avery slightly in front of them and Theo on Alice’s other side. Dylan felt his mother’s tentative touch on his back and found himself smiling down at her as he extended his arm around her shoulders.
‘Perfect, don’t move!’ Rowena called out. ‘Yes, oh, look, that’s perfect.’
Dylan took his phone back. As he stared at the photo Rowena had taken, something shifted inside him. He was still looking down but his mother had turned towards the camera. Her expression was full of such need and longing it made him want to cry. Time and circumstances had stolen so much from them all, but it wasn’t too late to change things. Moving back to his mother’s side, he put his arm around her waist and bent to kiss her cheek. ‘It’s good to be home, Mum.’
Her hand raised to press over his heart. ‘I’m so glad I got this chance to see you again.’
‘It’s only the beginning, I promise.’
‘Something smells good. I’m starving.’ Dylan glanced up to see a tall, broad-chested man who could only be his nephew, Rhys, filling the doorway. He was holding a little brown dachshund under one arm and a large collie stood so close at heel Dylan was surprised Rhys didn’t trip over him. ‘No, don’t come near me, Mum, I stink!’ Rhys laughed as he stepped back from Rowena who was moving towards him.
‘I wasn’t coming for you, I was coming for this precious darling.’ She scooped the dachshund from his hold and cuddled her against her chest. ‘Hello, beautiful Delilah.’
‘Well, that’s me told,’ Rhys said with a grin. ‘Right, I need a shower, like yesterday.’ He glanced around. ‘Where’s Tasha?’
‘She’s sorting out something up at the hall,’ Stevie replied. ‘Hopefully she’ll be back by the time you’re done.’
‘Okay.’ Rhys walked towards Dylan and the children, the collie still shadowing his every step. He made a big show of giving them a wide berth as he approached the door behind them. ‘I’ll say hello properly in a minute, I promise.’
He reached for the door handle, the cries of ‘No’ from his father and uncle too slow to prevent him from opening it. A streak of black shot past him, followed by a second and the kitchen was filled with a cacophony of barking as two black Labrador puppies bounced around the room trying to greet everyone at once. A smaller Dalmatian, all floppy ears and paws too big for the rest of his body, entered the room, took one look at everyone and shot underneath the kitchen table. Hercule, Zap’s little terrier, sauntered in looking as if he couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
One of the puppies paused in his mad circuit to jump at Avery, all eager tongue and scrabbling claws against her jeans. Dylan was about to intervene when Hope ran in. She grabbed the nearest Lab by the collar, her arm straining towards the one trying to give Avery a tongue-bath as she shouted, ‘Sooty! Sooty, down! Get down!’ The puppy immediately flattened his body to the floor, his enthusiastic barking quietened to a gentle whine.
Hope reached them and took the dog by the collar with her free hand, tugging him towards her as she sat in a chair. She issued a command for the puppies to sit, only releasing her grip on them when they’d obeyed so she could fuss and hug them both. ‘Good boys, yes, yes, you are.’ She glanced up at Avery over their heads. ‘I’m so sorry, are you okay? We’ve been doing obedience classes but they still get excited when there are lots of people around.’
‘I’m okay.’ Avery crouched down next to her. ‘Hi, puppies.’ She giggled when Sooty licked her chin as she began to pet him. ‘They’re so cute…’
‘No,’ Dylan said before she could give voice to the thought. ‘I am not getting a dog, so don’t even start.’ Eric was allergic to animal fur so having a dog at home was out of the question. Still, every now and again Avery waged a campaign for Dylan to get one.
‘But don’t you get lonely when we’re not around, Daddy?’ she said, all big eyes and a hopeful smile.
‘No, not really.’
‘The only Travers without a dog,’ Zap said as he bent down to scoop Hercule up. ‘Talk about letting the side down.’
‘Leave him alone,’ Ziggy admonished, pointing a sauce-covered spoon at his twin. It was as if the clock had turned back forty years, Zap always the one with a laughing tease, Ziggy the protector there to intervene. Still holding the spoon, Ziggy cast a glare around the room. ‘If you want a chance of eating before midnight I need you all to go away. Right now.’
They dispersed with a laugh. Hope, Zap and Rowena went to secure the dogs in the sitting room, while Rhys headed upstairs for his much-needed shower. The rest of them moved outside to huddle under the heaters and chat. Rhys joined them a few minutes later and a much calmer Ziggy popped his head out shortly afterwards to say they were all welcome to come in and sit down.
It was a squeeze, but they managed to all get around the big table. There were a few laughs and elbow clashes but with a bit of cooperation everyone soon had a bowl filled with fragrant curry and rice in front of them. The back door opened and Tasha came in. ‘So sorry I’m late.’ She edged around the table to the sink so she could wash her hands before claiming the empty chair next to Rhys.
Rhys kissed her in greeting. ‘Everything okay?’
She nodded. ‘All good. It’s just a slight strain and I’ve left her with an ice pack and she’s keeping her foot up. She had her own painkillers and she said it was already starting to feel a bit better. They were working out a modified routine with chairs so she seems determined to go on if she can.’
‘Well, it sounds like you’ve done all you can, thank you,’ Stevie said. ‘I’ll give Lydia a quick call once we’ve eaten and just make sure she’s okay.’
Tasha did her best to hide her smile. ‘Good idea, but, yes, let’s eat. I’m so sorry if I held things up.’
‘We’ve only just dished up,’ Ziggy assured her. ‘Now, what would you like? There’s a chicken korma, a vegetable masala or a beef madras if you’re feeling brave.’
‘I think I’ll have a bit of the korma and the masala, please.’
Dylan decided to go for a spoonful of everything. He wasn’t the only one who was enjoying his food as there was a general lull in the conversation as everyone focused on eating. He was just contemplating whether he could manage an extra spoonful of korma to go with the chunk of naan he had left over when there was a quick knock at the kitchen door before it swung open.
Monty stood there, dressed in faded jeans, a once-white, now slightly grey wool jumper and that patchwork coat Dylan had recognised when they’d been passing the pub. Cutlery stilled as they all stared at him. ‘I came to speak to Alice, but I can see I’m interrupting,’ Monty said, a hint of peevishness in his tone.
‘We’ve just been welcoming Dylan and his children home,’ Ziggy replied, his own voice a flat monotone.
Their father scanned the table, his gaze settling on Dylan for a long moment before he looked away without offering any acknowledgement of his youngest son. ‘Yes, well, it seems I missed the invitation. I’ll leave you in peace.’
Dylan felt a hand against his back, and knew without looking it was Zap offering him comfort. He appreciated the gesture, but he didn’t need it because Monty’s rejections had stopped hurting a long time ago.
‘I’m finished,’ Rhys said, pushing to his feet. ‘Thanks for dinner, Ziggy, but I appear to have lost my appetite.’ Without another word, he left the room, Tasha rising with a muttered apology to follow him.
‘Something I said?’ Monty shrugged as if it were no big deal, but telltale spots of red on his cheeks said otherwise. ‘Anyway, I didn’t mean to interrupt, I just came to let you know that I’m going to head off for a bit. I was going to wait until after the holidays, but there’s obviously no point in waiting. Have a nice Christmas, folks.’ He walked out, the kitchen door slamming behind him.
‘Oh, goodness, I’d better go after him,’ Alice said, standing up.
Stevie put out a hand to stop her. ‘It’s what he wants, Mum, to keep you running after him.’
Her eyes filled with anguish, but she nodded as she sat back down. ‘You’re right. He’s never going to change if I give into him.’
‘He’s never going to change, full stop,’ Rowena said. Alice nodded again, her eyes filling with tears.
There was a harsh scrape of chair legs across the tiled floor. ‘I’ve damn well had enough of this,’ Ziggy snapped as he marched towards the kitchen door and yanked it open. The noise it made as he slammed it closed behind him silenced them all.
Dylan exchanged a look with Stevie and Zap and the three of them rose in unison. ‘Zap, darling, wait,’ Rowena protested, placing a hand on her husband’s arm.
‘No. This has gone on for too long and I’m not leaving Ziggy to deal with him alone.’ He moved to the door where Stevie was already waiting and they both went outside.
Anger like he hadn’t felt in a long time surged inside Dylan. All these years and Monty was still manipulating everyone. ‘I’ll be back in a minute,’ he assured Theo, who was watching him with wide worried eyes, before following his brother and sister.
He heard angry voices before he was halfway across the yard. ‘If you’re really leaving, Monty, I’m telling you now it’s for the last time,’ Ziggy said in a tone as hard as iron.
Monty turned to face him, his features harsh in the bright beam of one of the security lights. ‘You think you can tell me what to do, boy? This is my damn estate and I’ll come and go as I bloody well please!’
‘No,’ Stevie said, moving to stand beside Ziggy. ‘Enough is enough. You’ve walked out on us once too often and we won’t play this game with you any more.’
Monty’s lip curled in a snarl. ‘Who are you to lecture anyone on walking out on their family?’
Stevie’s gasp was one of pure pain as she flinched and stepped back. Dylan had to clench his fists against the urge to punch Monty in the mouth. It was Zap who stepped forward next, shaking with a rage Dylan hadn’t known him capable of. ‘You spiteful, childish bastard. If Stevie hadn’t come home when she did, that monster she was married to could’ve killed her.’
Shoving his own anger down, Dylan put his arm around Zap and pulled him back. ‘He’s not worth it. Let him leave – we’re better off without him.’
Monty looked him up and down, an ugly sneer twisting his features. ‘And you’d know all about leaving, wouldn’t you? Don’t try and judge me, boy. We’re the same and you know it.’
Dylan snorted, unable to hide his contempt. ‘I’m nothing like you. Nothing. Yes, I left, but at least I had the decency to stay away until I got my shit together. I’m home to make amends, but you, you wouldn’t know the meaning of the word.’
Zap pushed him gently towards Stevie, always the protector. ‘Just go, Monty, no one wants you here. You do nothing but cause harm. Every time things settle down you come back only long enough to sow your chaos. As soon as things get tough you piss off again and leave us to pick up the pieces. Well, no more. You’re done. We’re done.’
Monty shook his head. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about! None of you do! You have no idea how hard it is for me to come here, not after everything your grandfather put me through!’
Ziggy’s ugly laugh echoed around the yard. ‘Excuse me if I don’t reach for a violin. You knew what he was like, but you were happy enough to leave us here to deal with him. And that’s exactly what I did.’ Ziggy jabbed a thumb in his own chest. ‘ I did what you couldn’t do. I took care of this family. You’re fighting a war that ended long ago. You’re trying to punish a dead man, but all you’re doing is punishing us!’
Unable to let his brother shoulder all the responsibility, Dylan moved to his side and addressed their father. ‘If you stopped putting yourself first for one second, you’d see the damage you’re doing. I couldn’t care less what you do because I got over the fact you’ve never loved me a long time ago, but the others aren’t like that. They’re still clinging to some forlorn hope that you can change, but we both know you’re too bloody selfish.’
All Monty’s righteous anger seeped away, leaving him looking old and shattered. ‘How can you say I never loved you? You’re my son.’
‘Your son you can barely bring yourself to look at.’
Monty took a step towards him, but stopped in his tracks when Dylan held up a hand to ward him off. He needed no comfort from this man. Monty’s head dropped, his voice a husky whisper as he said, ‘When I look at you all I can see is your mother lying there, all the life drained out of her. She was so ill for such a long time afterwards.’
The pressure in his chest was so strong, Dylan wanted to scream in frustration. ‘None of which was my fault!’ He shook his head, wondering why he was even wasting his breath. ‘I’m done. I don’t care enough to fight with you about this any more.’ He turned away, straight into Stevie’s waiting arms. A moment later he felt Zap’s hand settle on his back, then Ziggy’s and the four of them were locked together. A united front. Together they had made a stand to protect the people who meant the most to them in the world – their children.
Ziggy shifted to address their father over one shoulder. ‘Think hard on what you do next, Monty, because you’ve run out of bridges to burn.’