Chapter 15
15
Closing time at Duck Pond Rescue varied with the light. In wintertime Jade closed when it got dark, which meant not long after four thirty on the shortest days, but in summertime she left the main gates open longer, and often sat in reception to catch up on paperwork.
Tonight, it was just after 8p.m. when she enticed Mr Spock back into his cage with a slice of banana and half a tomato, two of his favourite treats. She should have thought of that earlier! She hoped Aiden was all right.
She gave Mickey his tea in the cottage and then decided to call Finn from reception. They’d had a landline in the cottage once, but she’d had it disconnected because it was the same number as the one in reception and rang all hours of the day and night. Most people either didn’t know or didn’t care that Jade was the sole proprietor of Duck Pond Rescue and much as she was happy to be on twenty-four-hour call, even she needed to sleep sometimes.
She settled in her comfy office chair and speed-dialled Finn’s number. It rang so many times she thought it would go to voicemail, but just as she was about to disconnect and try again, he picked up.
‘Jade. I’ve missed you.’
‘I’ve missed you too. But you sound like you needed the break. I can’t believe you didn’t wake up until gone ten. Did you have a late night or something?’
‘Very late.’ His voice sobered and even on the phone she could hear his anxiety. Suddenly she was on full alert.
‘Finn, what is it? Is everything OK? Your dad’s all right, isn’t he?’
‘We’re all fine. Don’t worry. No one’s ill. But I do have a lot to tell you. Is now a good time?’
‘Of course it is. Go for it.’
She heard him take a breath and then let it out with a slight shudder, which worried her even more. Finn was the epitome of calm. He rarely got ruffled about anything.
‘OK. It’s a long story. Last night Dad told me some things about my past – it turns out my mother’s disappearance wasn’t as straightforward as I’ve always thought.’
‘Go on.’
‘Well, I guess one of the most important things is that she never went back to Ireland.’
‘But that’s what your dad told you.’ It wasn’t really a question. They’d talked about their childhoods quite a bit when they’d started dating.
‘You got it. The truth is that my mother lives in England. Possibly in Southampton, and I think she always has.’
By the time he’d got to the end of the story, Jade’s head was reeling almost as much as his must have been.
‘Oh, my goodness, Finn, that must have been such a shock. Do you know why your dad decided to tell you all this now?’
‘It was Dorrie’s influence. They’d talked about it, you see, and Dad told her the truth. She was the first person he’d ever told. It’s not like it was common knowledge or anything and I was the last to know. Not even my grandparents knew, but you know how Dorrie has a way of getting people to tell her things.’
‘I imagine she’s very easy to confide in.’ Jade had only met Ray’s partner a couple of times but her impressions of Dorrie were that she was warm, discreet and also a little bit bossy. A powerful combination.
‘I’m glad she did persuade Dad. At least, I am now I’ve got over the shock.’
‘ Have you got over the shock?’
‘Maybe not entirely. But I’m getting there.’ There was a slight pause. ‘I did have a bit of advance warning. Dad sent me a news item a few weeks ago about estranged families reuniting. It got me thinking about the possibility of tracking down my mother.’
‘You never said. Why didn’t you tell me?’ The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to edit them, and Jade knew she must sound hurt. She was a bit hurt. ‘Is that why you’ve seemed so preoccupied lately?’
‘Yes. No. OK, maybe, and look, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything at the time. I was worried it might stir up too many emotions for you, because you’ve closed the door on your past. I…’
‘Finn. My past is totally irrelevant to yours. I’d have supported you in whatever you chose to do. And this is a massive thing in your life. I thought we shared the big stuff. Didn’t you trust me?’
Finn could hear the edge of hurt in her voice and he felt terrible. ‘We do share it. And of course I trust you. It wasn’t that.’
‘It obviously was. Or you’d have told me.’
She broke off this time and he wished he was with her. Wished he hadn’t told her this news on the phone. But that would have meant keeping it a secret for even longer while he went down the trail of finding his mother and any other family he might have, and he knew he couldn’t do that. He’d already left it longer than he should.
She’d gone so silent he wondered if she’d disconnected the call.
‘Jade, speak to me.’
‘I’m still here.’ Some of the usual warmth had gone from her voice.
‘I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you. I should have done. I wasn’t sure it was going to come to anything. So I decided to investigate a bit. I thought maybe there was nothing to find and if there wasn’t then – I’d… I’d have worried you unnecessarily.’
‘You don’t need to apologise. It was a shock, that’s all. So what do you plan to do now?’
She still sounded a bit cold, but there was nothing he could do about that from up here. His impulse was to leave immediately and rush back down to Wiltshire, talk it through until things were right between them again, but there was too much unfinished business in Nottingham. It was clear that last night had been emotionally devastating for Ray too. They’d both said things they didn’t mean. They’d both hurt each other. And Finn was desperate to repair that. If he walked away now while the wound was still so open and raw he knew he’d regret it.
‘I don’t want it all to be buried again, Jade. I want to know all there is to know while the subject’s uppermost in mine and Dad’s minds. Then maybe we can leave it alone and shut the lid on it.’ He hesitated. ‘I think I’d like to find Bridie too if I can – I want to talk that through with Dad first too. It affects him just as much as it affects me.’
‘And Ben,’ Jade said softly.
‘Yes, and Ben. He may have another set of grandparents, and uncles and aunts. Or the whole lot of them may want nothing to do with me. I need to find out before I say anything. Would you mind not saying anything to Sarah until I’ve done that?’
‘I won’t say anything to Sarah. It’s not my secret to tell, is it.’
She sounded bleak and he remembered the last occasion she’d said those words to him. ‘It’s not my secret to tell.’ Except that time she’d been talking about the fact she’d known he was Ben’s father before he had.
‘You won’t have to keep it a secret for long,’ Finn reassured her now. ‘I don’t think I’ll be up here long. I just want to calm things down with Dad. I’ll probably come back on Sunday or Monday.’
‘OK. Sure.’
‘Is that really OK?’
‘Of course it is. Do what you need to do, Finn. Everything’s fine here.’
‘I love you.’
‘I love you too.’
As Jade disconnected, she realised she hadn’t told him about the problems with the field and the access and the fact that her land purchase now had a giant question mark hanging over it. But that all seemed trivial in comparison to his bombshell news.
Declan hadn’t got back to her, although she supposed it could take some time to sort out. She guessed there would have to be surveys and things and from what he’d said, correspondence with the Highways Agency. Besides, just because Declan only had to get approval from his family, that wouldn’t necessarily make things any easier. As Jade knew from experience, working with families could be a lot tricker and more complex than working with people to whom you weren’t related.
She admired Declan for going into the family business. But Jade had always known her mother’s empire wasn’t for her. Elizabeth was a tough, pragmatic powerhouse of a woman, who could manoeuvre and manipulate people with the skill of a very successful salesperson.
Jade was a sensitive introvert and had always felt happier in the company of animals than being with her own kind. The one thing she had always been certain of was that she was not going to be running any hotels.
This had not gone down well. Jade’s refusal to go into the family business had been a bone of contention for a long time between her and her mother.
Jade had regretted her part in this ongoing conflict when her mother had died from a fatal stroke. Not so much that she hadn’t done as her mother had wanted but more the fact they’d had so many arguments about it. Sometimes Jade wondered if the conflicts between them had actually contributed to her mother’s premature passing, and there was a part of her that would feel forever guilty.
For a while she stayed where she was in reception. It had been greyer today and it had just started to rain. She could hear the patter of it on the old stone roof and raindrops chased each other down the windowpanes.
Mickey had fallen asleep in his basket. Diesel was curled up asleep in the visitor’s chair. Even Mr Spock was quiet on his perch. There wasn’t so much as a mimicked cough from the bird. Jade felt an ache of loneliness. Finn might only be 170 miles away but it felt like he was on the other side of the planet.