Chapter 27 #2
‘Yes. But why did you choose to stay here and not at the cottage like you usually do?’ Ellie mentally kicked herself.
What if her mum decided to change her mind and stay at Ellie’s instead?
She’d realise Rick had all but cleared the cottage out, and Ellie would never hear the last of it.
Kathy would accuse Rick of thieving and taking advantage of her, which he clearly had, but she didn’t have the energy to hear it over and over again from her mum.
‘And why didn’t you tell me you were coming? ’
‘Oh, I’ve not heard from you in days, and you’ve not returned my calls or messages, so I wanted to check in on you myself.’
Drat, her mum had been trying to contact her, but she’d been so wrapped up in what was happening with her and Murray that she’d been putting off getting back to her. Oh, how she regretted that oversight right about now. ‘Sorry, I was just busy, what with my new business and everything.’
Kathy nodded curtly before continuing. ‘And I didn’t like to turn up unexpectedly at your house in case you and Rick had got back together. I didn’t want to impose whilst you were sorting things out.’
Ellie spat her coffee back out into her mug.
‘Eleanor! Manners. Have I taught you nothing?’ Kathy admonished her and pulled a tissue from her small handbag before passing it across the coffee table sitting between them.
‘Sorry, I was just surprised by that suggestion, that’s all.’ Taking the tissue, Ellie dabbed her lips dry. ‘Rick and I won’t be getting back together.’
‘Well, that’s a shame. He was a nice fellow, Rick was.’ Kathy frowned. ‘You don’t think you might rekindle your relationship?’
‘There’s no chance of that, Mum. No chance.’ Ellie shook her head vehemently.
‘Well, I hope your decision not to get back with Rick has nothing to do with him out there.’ Kathy waved her hand in the general direction of the kitchen as she emphasised the word ‘him’.
‘No! My decision to not get back with the perfect Rick is because he’s currently shacked up with the woman he was seeing behind my back!’ Seeing the look of horror on her mum’s face, Ellie instantly regretted spitting out the truth.
‘He was having an affair?’ Kathy blinked as she processed the thought that the once-perfect almost-son-in-law had been cheating on her daughter.
Ellie shrugged. ‘It’s a long story. Things weren’t going well between us, and our relationship had all but broken down, but, yes, he was seeing someone behind my back who he is now living with.’
‘Oh, Eleanor. How awful.’ Kathy shook her head as though she still couldn’t picture Rick treating Ellie as he had.
‘So, he wasn’t so perfect after all.’ Ellie took a long sip of her coffee, grateful for the added solace the extra sugar cube had provided.
Shifting position on the sofa, Kathy placed her mug on the table before pulling a cushion from behind her back and placing it at the end of the sofa. ‘That surprises me. I always thought Rick was a good person.’
‘Not everyone is as they appear, unfortunately.’ What did she want her to say? That she’d made the whole thing up and, in fact, Rick had been the perfect partner?
‘No, no, I don’t suppose they are.’ Kathy retrieved her mug and took a sip before lowering it to her knee. ‘And you’re certain Murray didn’t have anything to do with your break-up?’
‘Mum! Are you asking me if I was the one who cheated on Rick?’ Maybe she should tell her what else Rick had done? That he’d taken most of her belongings and left her a few measly items to get by with.
‘No, I… well… I just meant that Murray was never good for you, was he?’
Ellie raised her mug to her lips before lowering it again.
She couldn’t let that comment sit without being challenged.
Yes, Murray had hurt her, but when they were together, things had always been good.
He’d always treated her with the utmost respect and care.
‘Actually, Murray has always been good for me.’
Kathy’s eyebrows shot almost to her hairline as she tutted under her breath. ‘Murray left you broken.’
Shifting uncomfortably, Ellie steadied her voice. ‘Yes, he did, but he didn’t have a choice but to leave. He had responsibilities to his young half-brothers.’
‘Is that what he’s told you?’
‘Yes, yes, it is.’ What was she implying?
‘Okay, all I’m going to say is I hope you’re not thinking about giving him another chance.’ She sighed and glanced at the mantelpiece, the conversation seemingly over. ‘Now, what a lovely illustration that is. Is that of this inn years ago, do you think?’
Ellie glanced behind her, her eyes resting on a framed drawing of Pennycress before she turned back to face her mum.
The conversation wasn’t over. Far from it.
If her mum was going to talk about Murray in that way, then Ellie wanted some questions of her own answered.
‘Why didn’t you tell me that Murray had come home from America and visited you?
And why didn’t you say he’d asked after me? ’
‘Pardon?’ Kathy blinked.
‘Just that. Why did you not mention that Murray had been asking after me?’
‘That was an awfully long time ago. I don’t think we need to rake up the past.’
‘I want to. I want to know your reasons for keeping his visit a secret.’
‘Well, I… I didn’t want to upset you. You had just met Rick, and it didn’t seem appropriate to be bringing up the ex who had broken your heart when you were moving on with someone who treated you well.’
‘He didn’t though.’
‘Who didn’t what?’ Kathy frowned.
‘Rick didn’t treat me well, did he? I’ve just told you he had an affair.
’ Ellie swallowed. It didn’t feel right interrogating her mum like she was, but if she’d been honest with her, if Kathy had told Ellie that Murray was back and looking for her, then maybe things would have turned out differently.
Maybe it would have saved Ellie years of being unhappy with Rick and maybe, just maybe, she and Murray could have had their happy-ever-after before now.
‘It should have been my decision whether to contact Murray or not. You should have told me.’
‘Oh, Eleanor, you don’t understand. You’d have done the same in my position, after seeing you go through what you did when he left you…’ Kathy shook her head. ‘I was really worried about you, and I wasn’t about to put you in harm’s way again.’
‘Harm’s way? This is Murray we’re talking about. The kindest guy I know.’
‘But he was the one who caused you all the heartbreak.’
‘Yes, but…’ It was no good. She couldn’t argue with her any longer.
What was the point? Even if her mum finally agreed that she’d been in the wrong and that, yes, Ellie should have been given the opportunity to decide whether she even spoke to Murray again, it wouldn’t bring the time back.
They wouldn’t get their missed years back.
And, who knew, maybe Ellie would have refused to speak to him, maybe all the emotions from his parting would have still been so raw that she would have decided not to have anything to do with him.
At the end of the day, her mum had only been looking out for her, trying to protect her.
Yes, she’d gone about it the wrong way, but she’d been trying.
Standing up, Kathy walked around the coffee table and lowered herself onto the sofa next to Ellie before putting an arm around her shoulders. ‘Oh, love, I’m sorry if I made the wrong decision. You’re right, I should have put the ball in your court, so to speak.’
Looking at her, Ellie gave her a weak smile. ‘It’s okay, Mum. I know you were only trying to protect me.’
Someone knocked on the sitting room door, and Ellie turned to see Laura standing there holding Ellie’s mobile in the air.
‘Sorry to interrupt, but your phone’s been going off.’ Laura grimaced.
‘Thanks.’ Standing up, Ellie hurried across and took her mobile. It was Ruby, the caterer. ‘Sorry, I need to get this.’
‘It’s okay, Eleanor. You get on with your work. I’m going to take a stroll down to the shops.’ Kathy stood up and smoothed her skirt down.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Perfectly sure. Hopefully, I might even run into that lovely mayoress of yours. We had a lovely chat the last time I visited.’
‘Okay, thanks, Mum.’
‘No problem. I’ll probably get an early night tonight, so if I don’t see you back here, I’ll see you in the morning.’ Kathy paused beside her daughter and gave her a peck on the cheek.
Once she’d seen her mum off, Ellie turned back to Laura. ‘It’s Ruby. I think she’ll probably be after your menu choices, so do you and Jackson have a spare few minutes to finish choosing them before I ring her back, please?’
‘Oh yes.’ Laura grinned. ‘How could we have forgotten about the food?’
Ellie smiled at the memory of Laura running after Jackson when he was searching for her wedding dress, the menus lying scattered and forgotten on the table behind them. ‘I should have asked, did he find your dress in the end?’
‘Nope.’ Laura shook her head. ‘I have sneaked it over to Nicola and Charlie’s house, though. Just in case he goes looking for it again. I’ll go and find him, and we’ll get the food choices made.’
‘Okay, thanks.’
As soon as Laura had disappeared upstairs again, Ellie made her way through the kitchen and outside.
Standing on the decking, she shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun with her hand and looked around.
Where was Murray? She shrugged. Maybe her mum had scared him off for the day?
She wouldn’t blame him if she had. She’d send him a text and see if he wanted to grab dinner together.
If her mum was having an early night, then they’d best make use of the time together.
Ellie did not know how long her mum was staying, but she was pretty sure she wasn’t going to take the news that Ellie and Murray were in a relationship together again very well.