Chapter Forty-Two
By eleven o’clock, Ava had walked Myrtle, had a shower and settled the dogs with the pet sitter.
As she rode her bike into the village, she smiled.
If the festival became the annual event she hoped it would, then she would be bringing both dogs along with her next year.
It was unusual for her not to have Myrtle in tow on a sunny Sunday, but with the blue sky and the gentle breeze against her face, she felt happy and ready to embrace the day ahead.
Drawing near the village, the bunting looked bright and colourful and if she wasn’t mistaken, DJ Dave had already got the day off to a good start with a track from the Beach Boys.
She was impressed by the effort he’d put in, and hoped he would be getting lots of future bookings from it.
With the day’s schedule consisting of more of the fun had on the previous day and a few extras, such as face-painting, pavement art, and a display from a street magician, Ava had a good feeling.
Some families were already out and about, saying good morning or waving to her as she cycled by.
For the first time in a very long time, she didn’t feel like she was hiding away at the back of the charity shop, trying to live up to her mum’s memory.
Coping with the loss of her mum, and the pressure she felt to carry on for the charity’s sake often felt too much.
But she finally felt like she was taking control of her life.
She had orchestrated the festival. It was her idea — albeit in an accidental, drunken moment of madness — but so far it had been a success.
Ava crossed her fingers, not wanting to celebrate too early.
There was still a packed programme of events lined up for the day, and she knew plenty could go wrong.
But, for now, she was willing to own the fact she felt happy.
Before heading to the shop to check all was well, and to set up the cake stall with the bakes put aside on the previous day, she circled the central block of shops and stopped outside The Brown Dog. Luna seemed to recognise her as her tail went into a frenzy. Gino walked the excited puppy over.
‘Howdy cowboy!’ Ava smiled.
‘Ciao!’ Gino kissed her cheek.
‘That’s not a very Texan greeting, is it?’ Ava laughed.
‘Mary and I are at last together, my puppy slept through the night, it is hot — but at least the sun is shining. I’m happy.’
‘And that brings out the Italian in you?’ Ava smiled.
‘Sempre!’ Always.
‘Well I’m just stopping by to say I’m so pleased for you and Mary. I couldn’t believe it when I saw that plane. You finally did it. And you did it in style.’
Gino lifted Luna off the hay bale she’d climbed and looked at Ava from under his dark fringe. ‘I have a confession to make. I was meant to jump from the aeroplane.’
‘What? When? But you were on the ground.’
‘Well, not that plane exactly. I was going to surprise you and do a skydive. I thought it would be good for getting Mary’s attention, and to raise money for the charity, of course. But then I saw an advert for plane banners and I thought—’
‘That would get Mary’s attention without having to jump?’ Ava laughed.
‘Yes, something like that. I’m sorry about the charity, but with the . . . the other things you have going on during the festival, I think you’re going to have a successful weekend.’
‘Thanks, Gino, me too. And honestly, I’m glad you didn’t do the jump.
I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.
Besides as much as I love that puppy, she’s your responsibility now.
’ Ava pointed to Luna, who had walked along the hay bales and was chewing on some bunting.
‘If you break a leg who will chase after her?’ Ava giggled, knowing full well she would step in should anything so drastic happen, but she enjoyed teasing Gino, especially as there was no doubt Luna was the most mischievous of the litter.
Having secured her bike, Ava unlocked the back door of the charity shop.
Flo had been in to open up and had, once again, organised the volunteers to cover the day, freeing Ava to watch over the festival and troubleshoot where needed.
Hearing Mary, Ava paused. She was muttering to herself and Ava couldn’t quite make out her words.
Thinking that if she were still fretting over her new relationship with Gino she would jolt her out of it, Ava decided to make her jump.
Leaping in through the door she shouted, ‘Surprise!’
Startled, Mary screamed and turned to Ava, shock on her face and chocolate cake down the ice blue, off-the-shoulder satin gown she was randomly wearing.
‘What the hell! Ava, look at me!’ Mary ran to the sink and began rubbing the chocolate with a wet paper towel.
‘I’m sorry, I had no idea . . . And now I have so many questions.’ She scanned the back of the shop and the array of gowns Mary had scattered across the sorting table and floor. ‘What are you doing?’
‘What am I doing? What are you doing more like?’
‘What are you both doing?’ Ava and Mary turned to see Flo, Henry and Granger staring at them.
‘We could hear the commotion from the front of the shop. I thought we had burglars or something’ — Flo put her hand to her chest as if fending off a heart attack — ‘but here you are playing dress-ups, again, the pair of you.’
‘I’m not playing anything. I’ve just got here,’ Ava protested, her cheeks going red at being told off in front of Henry in her own shop.
‘And I was just trying to eat the piece of my own cake you made me buy.’
Flo looked at Mary and giggled. ‘Miss your mouth?’
‘Only when Ava burst in like a wild woman. You were supposed to be keeping a lookout while I tried this on.’ Mary fixed Henry with an admonishing glare.
‘And I was. At the front of the shop,’ he replied.
‘She must have ridden past the window.’
‘I might have looked away for a moment.’
‘And I was on the till, so you can’t blame me,’ Flo put in.
Ava tried to make sense of what they were saying, but couldn’t. She lifted her hands in the air. ‘Will somebody, please, tell me what’s going on?’
Silence fell and stretched between them for a few moments until Flo coughed.
‘I’ll pop back out front. There’ll be customers waiting.’ Moving past Henry, she headed back to the shop floor.
Ava looked between Mary and Henry. ‘So, what’s going on?’
‘Honestly, I just wanted to try this dress on, that’s all.’ Mary pushed Granger away; he’d taken a keen interest in the cake down her front.
Henry folded his arms and Ava directed her attention to Mary.
‘So why did you need a lookout? You know I wouldn’t have minded you trying the dress on.
It looks bloody great on you by the way — perfect with your fair complexion and blonde hair!
Sorry about making you jump and the . . .
’ Grabbing a paper towel, Ava ran it under the tap and joined in wiping the chocolate cake from the dress before realisation dawned.
‘Oh, wait! You’re going somewhere you don’t want me to know about, aren’t you?
That’s why you needed a lookout.’ Ava looked at Henry’s guilty face and knew he was hiding something.
Throwing the paper towel in the bin — causing a momentary distraction for Granger as he pulled it back out again — Ava felt an ache in her chest. ‘Are you two going somewhere? Is something going on? What about Gino?’
‘Mary, we have to come clean. It’s stupid to try to keep the whole thing a secret, now.’
Ava felt as if the room was closing in. The piles of clothes and other donated stock jeering at her as a swell of pain grew in her chest.
Mary held Ava’s gaze. ‘It’s not what you think. We’re not doing anything behind your back or going anywhere in secret. Well, we are, but not in the way you think. I was going to tell you. That’s why I’m meeting you here at six. It was going to be a surprise.’
‘Well, I’m here. So why don’t you tell me now.’ Ava congratulated herself on keeping her voice even.
‘Ava, I didn’t want you to find out like this,’ Henry began.
‘Sorry,’ Mary whispered, looking uncharacteristically apologetic.
Ava put her hands on her hips, hoping bravado would see her through whatever Henry had to say. She tried not to look into his imploring and very hard to resist eyes.
‘I’m hosting a charity shop ball, tonight, at Dapplebury House.’
Ava swallowed. They were right; it wasn’t what she thought, but still the revelation hurt.
‘And I’m not invited?’ She knew she sounded like a fool.
Why should she be invited after all that had passed between her family and the Bramlingtons?
But as she stood staring at Henry and Mary she couldn’t help but feel as dejected as Cinderella — the last to hear the news, invitation-less and, judging by the number of dresses sold in the previous weeks, the only person in Dapplebury not going to the ball.
Henry moved forward and, despite her sadness, Ava felt her body responding to his proximity.
‘Of course, you’re invited. You’re the guest of honour. All proceeds are going to All Critters Great and Small, and the stipulation was that every dress must be a charity shop purchase. Mary has sorted your outfit.’
Henry gave Mary a pointed look, as if for confirmation.
‘Of course I have. It’s mine I forgot. Yours is hidden out the back. I hope you like it.’
‘Mary said you wouldn’t mind.’
Ava saw Henry’s eyes searching her face as he waited for her response. She glanced towards the back office, feeling a little light-headed. She was sure she would like anything Mary chose; she trusted her taste implicitly, but this was a lot to take in. ‘Of course.’
‘It was meant to be a way to thank you for all your hard work on the festival and to mark the new beginning. Having All Critters Great and Small based at Dapplebury House, it’s important we can all get on.’
All get on. In a single phrase, Henry turned the wonderful thought of a ball held in her honour into what sounded like a business transaction — something to ease the transition.
Ava tried to balance her thoughts. The charity was bound to do well from it, and it was a kind gesture.
She smiled. ‘Thank you. Both of you. You’ve obviously put a lot of planning into this.
I promise to do my best to come along, especially as Mary’s gone to the trouble of sorting me a dress.
’ Ava smiled at Mary who was staying unusually quiet.
‘It’s for you, Ava. It’s all for you. Please come.’ Henry pushed his hand through his hair.
‘Of course. There’s no need to meet you here now, I guess?’ Ava looked at Mary. She needed to get out of the confines of the shop to contemplate how she felt. ‘So at the end of the festival, I’ll take my dress home and meet you at Dapplebury House.’
Ava saw a look pass between Mary and Henry, but she couldn’t promise any more at the moment; it felt too much.
‘I’m still happy to take you. We can go together.’
‘Don’t be silly. You should go with Gino. I guess he’s in on this too. His interest in prom-style dresses suddenly makes sense.’
‘Yes but—’
‘Then you should definitely concentrate your efforts on him. He can’t go to the ball dressed as a cowboy, can he?’ Ava smiled.
Henry spoke, his voice unsure. ‘I’m happy to come and collect you. The only reason I—’
‘You will not. You’ll have more than enough to do at Dapplebury House. You should probably be there now, shouldn’t you?’
‘Mrs Jenkins and my—’
‘Then you should go and help them, really.’
Henry seemed hesitant, and again Ava noticed a look pass between him and Mary. ‘OK, I’ll go. But Ava, please, don’t—’
‘I’ll be there.’ She attempted to smile, but she could feel the tension in her lips. ‘Right now I have a festival to organise.’
Henry called Granger to his side, and the dog reluctantly left the paper towel he was shredding.
As the two of them left, Mary turned to Ava, eyes wide.
‘Ava Flynn if you don’t turn up tonight I will personally come and find you.
And remember I have access to tranquilisers and a very particular set of tracking skills, skills I have acquired over a long career, skills that mean I will find you and I will drag you there if I have to. ’
Ava giggled, releasing the tension she’d been holding inside. ‘All right Liam Neeson, don’t get your frock in a twist. I said I’d go.’
‘You bloody should go. It’s a very lovely thing he’s doing for you.’
‘For the charity, he’s helping the charity. After all we’ve discovered about our parents, and then the sale of the land from under Critters’ Lodge, it’s a very kind, probably guilt-motivated gesture. But I do appreciate it.’
‘Guilt? You think that’s his motivation?’ Mary wiped some chocolate frosting off her dress and licked it from her finger. ‘You’re probably right. I’m dressed like a fairy godmother and all, but what do I actually know of matters of the heart?’
‘Clearly nothing. It took a thirty-foot plus high banner pulled by an aeroplane for you to get the hint. That’s a pretty grand gesture.’
‘True, and it’s not like a ball, at a manor, where you’re the guest of honour, in front of the whole village, is a grand gesture, is it?’
Ava put her hands over her ears. ‘I’m not listening. If everything’s sorted here, I have a festival to attend to. I am off to check out the face-painting, and you really need to find a dress that doesn’t have chocolate down the front!’