Chapter 15
‘Should we have a nightcap in The Royal Oak?’
‘Yes, I think we should,’ said Tess gleefully, not wanting the evening to come to an end. ‘Let’s drop the car back at the cottage and then we can walk down to the Oak. It means you’ll have the chance to have a proper drink.’
‘Are you trying to lead me astray?’ Rob asked, turning to glance at her, his eyes lighting up flirtatiously.
‘Well, only if you want me to,’ she said, laughing.
They had visited The Swan, the pub in the neighbouring village of Shepherd’s End, only a short drive away, where they’d both been eager to try the renowned pies.
Rob had opted for the steak and ale one, while Tess had gone for the chicken, leek and mushroom version.
Their food had arrived on large plates; the pies with their golden, puffy toppings billowing impossibly high were served with chunky fries and tenderstem broccoli, their mouths watering at the sight.
They’d tucked in eagerly, making appreciative noises as the delicious flavours hit their taste buds with the pies being every bit as delicious as their reputation and the reviews had promised them to be.
Sitting in the oak conservatory at the back of the pub, which offered views of the pretty beer garden, they hadn’t stop talking all night long.
That’s what Tess loved about Rob: there were no awkward silences that she felt compelled to fill; instead, the conversation flowed naturally, and any pauses were organic, comfortable ones.
Hand in hand, they walked into The Royal Oak, which was totally different in style to the pub they’d visited earlier, but equally as charming.
Where The Swan had recently been modernised, giving it a bright and airy atmosphere, and prided itself on being a gastro pub, The Royal Oak retained a quaint, old-fashioned feel.
It was a village pub that didn’t serve food but still catered for the locals with a wide array of drinks and bar snacks.
Inside, it was like stepping back in time, with its dark wood fittings and the L-shaped bar that straddled two rooms. Tess could count on one hand the number of times she’d visited the place in all the years she’d lived in Lower Leaping, even though it had been a regular watering hole of Charles, usually on his way home from work.
Now, with Rob at her side, she was seeing it through a fresh set of eyes. They ordered their drinks _ a half-pint of lager for Rob and a glass of red wine for Tess – and found a small table in the snug bar.
‘So did you find out from Danny how his date went? You know Dilly will be itching to find out.’
‘Hmmm, I’m not sure that it was a great success, to be honest with you. Danny said that she was a nice enough girl, but they didn’t have much in common. I think it was a mutual decision not to see each other again.’
‘That’s a shame, but I guess there’s no point if it’s not going to lead anywhere. So, it’s back to the drawing board for Danny?’
‘Yep, I think he takes it all in his stride. He has another date this evening,’ said Rob, shaking his head bemusedly. ‘I don’t know where he finds the energy. He’s a great guy and I’m certain there must be someone out there for him; it’s just a case of finding her.’
‘How old is he?’ Tess asked curiously.
‘About thirty-eight. Apparently, his mum says it’s time for him to settle down.’
‘Oh no, does he still live at home then?’
‘It isn’t quite as bad as that. He shares a house with a couple of friends, but I think he wants to find somewhere of his own, preferably with the person he wants to share the rest of his life with.’
‘Well, I wish him all the luck in the world with that.’
It was understandable. Wasn’t that what most people aspired to at some point in their lives?
And Danny seemed like a nice guy; she really hoped he would find that special person to share his life with.
She didn’t envy him, though, trawling the dating apps, even if that was the way people met each other nowadays.
To Tess, it seemed fraught with difficulties.
She certainly wouldn’t have ventured back onto the dating scene if she’d been left to her own devices.
When Charles walked away from their marriage, the last thing on her mind was meeting someone new.
Her main focus had been getting her life back on track as a single woman, so she could never have anticipated Rob turning up in her life and making such an impression.
Now, as she watched him from across the table, she felt hugely grateful that fate had brought them together.
‘What are you smiling at?’ he said, his brow creasing.
‘Oh, I’m just thinking what a lovely evening it’s been, that’s all.’
‘Hello, Tess.’ Carol Bateman, long-standing landlady at the pub, collected some empty glasses from the neighbouring table. She had a distinctive style, with her strawberry-blonde hair piled high on her head, and her trademark red lipstick shining glossily on her lips.
‘Hi, Carol.’ They weren’t close friends, but living in the same village meant that their paths had crossed often over the years, especially when their respective children had attended the same school.
‘We don’t see you in here very often, so this is a lovely surprise. I was sorry to hear about you and Charles.’
‘Thanks, these things happen, don’t they? It was a bit of a shock at the time, but I’m in a much better place these days.’
She picked up her glass of wine and took a sip.
Tess always felt on the back foot when people mentioned her break-up unexpectedly.
For some reason, feelings of embarrassment and shame washed over her, when she knew she had no cause to feel that way.
It was the idea that people had been gossiping about her personal life and that she was the subject of people’s sympathy that made her feel uncomfortable.
Still if there was one thing the last few months had taught her, it was that she didn’t need anyone else’s affirmation; as long as she was following her own heart, and was happy, then wasn’t that all that mattered?
‘Yes, well, I’m pleased to hear things are looking up,’ said Carol, her gaze betraying her as it flittered over to Rob, who had a benign smile on his face.
‘Well, if you want my advice, I think you’re better off without that husband of yours,’ said Keith from the rocking chair that was positioned in a quiet corner beside the open fireplace.
Again, Tess knew Keith from old; he’d lived in the village even longer than she had, and he was a stalwart regular of The Royal Oak, even more so these days since the loss of his wife a few years ago.
Tess turned to look at him. ‘He was always one for the ladies; didn’t he have something going on with that—’
‘Keith!’ Carol jumped in, her tone bright, but cautionary too.
‘What are you going on about now? You’re getting confused with that other guy, the one who moved out of the village last year.
Honestly, you could start gossip about a paper bag, you could,’ she said, giving him a warning glance, which was masked beneath a friendly smile.
‘You might be right,’ he said, with a throaty chuckle as he contemplated his beer. ‘My memory’s not what it was. I’ve probably not had enough of these,’ he said, grinning.
‘If you want my opinion, you’ve probably had one too many,’ Carol said good-naturedly. ‘But, you know me; I’m not in the business of turning away trade. The same again?’ she asked, which prompted Keith to hand over his empty glass.
Tess smiled and picked up the conversation with Rob, but Keith’s off-the-cuff comment had unsettled her.
Carol had done a good job at covering over his blunder, but was it simply the ramblings of a drunk man or was there truth in what he was saying?
And how exactly had he intended to finish that sentence?
A few minutes later, Carol was back with a full, brimming pint of ale that she served to Keith. Tess and Rob had finished their drinks and were thinking about heading back to Hollyhocks.
‘Now, as I’ve got you here, guys, I wonder if you might be interested in coming along to our open-mic night which we’re holding on the last Friday of the month, the twenty-seventh.
We’ve held a couple already and they’ve been really fun evenings which have proved to be quite popular.
You’ve enjoyed them, haven’t you, Keith? ’
‘Oh, yes, I like a bit of music, something I can sing along to. You should come along, if you fancy it. It’s a good night.’
‘I don’t know if you’re aware, but things have been a bit dicey around here in recent months,’ Carol explained. ‘We’ve seen a drastic downturn in business. I know times are difficult for a lot of people at the moment, but we even thought that we might have to throw the towel in.’
‘I’ve told you,’ butted in Keith, spluttering over his beer, ‘you can’t do that.
This pub has been standing here since the early eighteenth century.
My father used to drink in here along with all his friends.
The photos in the snug tell a story of all those villagers who have gone before us.
It’s our duty to keep this place going for them. ’
Tess had never seen or heard Keith being so passionate about anything, but then she supposed he spent more time in the pub than he did at home.
‘You see,’ said Carol, with a resigned shrug of her shoulders.
‘We couldn’t walk away from this place even if we wanted to.
It means so much to our regulars so we’ve decided that we need to have a big push to revitalise The Royal Oak.
We’ve probably been guilty of resting on our laurels for too long.
We’re going to be holding more events in the hope that we can attract people from the village and beyond, but we’re going to need all the help we can get.
We have a whole line-up of socials planned for the coming months: music evenings, quiz nights and board-game sessions.
You can find details on the posters on the beams. If you’re unable to come along, then hopefully, you might want to spread the word amongst your friends. ’
‘Definitely,’ said Tess, sympathising with Carol over the status of the pub, not realising it had been in such a precarious position.
She would be incredibly sad if the village were to lose their only inn, but she could hardly complain about its closure if she never used the place herself.
Besides, it suddenly occurred to her that Carol could be a beneficial contact for spreading the word about The Garden Retreat.
She must have had some passing customers asking about local accommodation and as Tess believed she was the only facility in the village now, then it could be an ideal opportunity to leave some of her new beautiful business cards with Carol the next time she was in.
‘I like the sound of the open-mic night,’ she added enthusiastically. ‘I’ll put it on the calendar and we’ll see if we can come along. I think Hannah would enjoy it too.’
‘Sounds great,’ agreed Rob. ‘We might be able to get a group of us together.’
On the way home, they chatted about what they could do to support Carol and her husband, George and who they could invite along to the open-mic evening.
Dilly, Suzy and Gina would definitely be up for the event, and they decided they would invite Michael too, as it might be a good opportunity for him to meet some other local people.
Rob even suggested that Danny might like to come along.
After a moment’s pause, where Tess was lost deep in her own thoughts, she turned to Rob.
‘Did you think it was strange what Keith had to say?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘When he was talking about Charles and saying what a womaniser he was. I think he was about to drop a bombshell before Carol jumped in to stop him. I mean, Keith would probably know. Charles spent a lot of time in that pub over the years.’
‘Or else, as Carol said, he was just talking out of the back of his head. I wouldn’t waste any time on brooding over it.
’ Rob squeezed her hand tight, stopping to turn her round to face him, there in the quiet country lane that led from the high street up to Hollyhocks Cottage.
He placed his other hand on her forearm. ‘He didn’t upset you, did he?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Tess, taking a breath. ‘It just makes me realise that I probably didn’t know my husband as well as I thought I did.’
Sometimes, she thought she’d done so well in getting over the breakdown of her marriage and moving on, but a chance remark from someone she barely knew, and cared even less about, could bring all her vulnerabilities and insecurities to the fore.
‘Look, you’ve done so well in rebuilding your life and as you said to Carol, you’re in a much better place now. My advice would be not to look back and pick at those scabs that have dried over. It will only make you feel worse. You need to keep your head held high and look to the future.’
‘Yeah, you’re right,’ she said, smiling, determined to put those niggling, taunting thoughts to one side.
Emotionally, she had moved on from Charles, but those negative emotions surrounding her breakdown served as a reminder that she needed to keep a part of her heart to herself so that she would never have to experience the same sense of loss and betrayal again.