Chapter 26
‘What do you mean, you’re not coming for lunch? Are you feeling poorly?’
The telephone call came unexpectedly. Tess had only spoken to her mother yesterday confirming the time she’d be collecting her for Sunday lunch and Marjorie had commented on how much she was looking forward to it. There had to be something wrong for her to be cancelling at this late hour.
‘No, I’m absolutely fine, darling. It’s just that I have rather a lot to be getting on with here. It’s not a problem, is it?’
‘No, it’s fine, as long as you’re absolutely sure. Is there something going on at the home today then?’
‘I expect so. There’s always something going on around here, but we can do lunch some other time, can’t we? Anyway, darling, I ought to be getting on. I’ll catch up with you soon.’
With that, Marjorie ended the call and Tess was left staring at her phone accusingly as though it might hold the answers to Marjorie’s out-of-character behaviour.
She had sounded chipper enough but what on earth could be so pressing, on a Sunday, that she would refuse a roast dinner for?
Her mum hadn’t been known to miss one of those lunches before, except perhaps on those occasions when she’d been too poorly to attend.
‘Oh well,’ she said aloud, looking around at the efforts of all her hard work around the kitchen. She was about to make herself another coffee when she heard some movement from the hallway.
‘Morning!’ Hannah padded down the stairs, still in her pyjamas and with her long, fair hair falling messily on her shoulders. ‘Ooh, coffee, lovely thank you! How are you?’
‘Good, I’ve had a very productive morning, as you can see, although I’ve just had your grandmother on the phone and sadly, she won’t be joining us for lunch today.’
‘Oh no, is she ill?’ It was a natural assumption to make, the same one that Tess had made.
‘I don’t know. If she is, she’s not telling me. I hope she’s not depressed. I’ve never known her like this: distracted and secretive, even. I’ve tried asking her what’s going on, but she simply dismisses my concerns and tells me not to fuss.’
‘At least we know that the home will be keeping a close eye on her and she’s seemed well enough when we’ve visited her recently. Maybe a little stressed?’
‘But what can she possibly be stressed about? She has her every need catered for at the home. It’s ringing alarm bells with me the more I think about it.’
‘Perhaps she has something on her mind. I’ll pop in to see her again in the week and see if I can prise it out of her.
More pressingly, Mum, what on earth are we going to do with all that food?
’ Hannah was eyeing the large joint. ‘I mean, I’ll do my best, but I’ll never be able to finish that lot off.
’ She gave a chuckle. ‘It’s a shame Billy’s not around as he would definitely help to make a dent in it. ’
Talking it over with Hannah helped in a small way to allay Tess’s worries.
It was true; if there was anything terribly wrong, then the carers at the home would alert them.
Although Tess hated the idea that Marjorie might be feeling isolated or depressed, so she would definitely see if she could get to the bottom of her change in behaviour.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee emanated from the machine and Tess handed a mug over to Hannah, before taking one of her own and sitting down next to her at the table.
‘You know you can always invite Billy here for lunch one weekend if you’d like to.’
‘Oh thanks, Mum. I wish I could call him today to say come along, but he’s visiting his parents this weekend. He wants me to go over to Cork soon to meet them.’
‘Well, that’s good. It must be going well between you then?’
‘Yes, it really is.’ Hannah placed her palm on her mum’s hand.
‘I didn’t expect this at all. When we went our separate ways in Australia, I thought I’d never see him again.
That image of him walking away along the beach with his long, blond hair blowing in the breeze and with his great big bag on his back, stayed with me.
Not in a hundred years could I have expected him to turn up here in Lower Leaping with that ridiculous grin on his face.
There was a part of me that thought we wouldn’t be able to rediscover the spark that we’d shared, but as soon as I saw him again, I knew I was in trouble.
It wasn’t just a holiday romance, Mum. It’s so much more than that. We’re in love.’
‘Well, that’s fantastic.’ She turned to look at her daughter. ‘It’s obvious that he makes you very happy and, in turn, that makes me happy. Billy seems like a lovely young man.’
‘He really is. I know we didn’t have the best start, but in a way, I think that whole episode has brought us closer together.
We’ve decided that we want to make our relationship work, and hopefully move in together, obviously not for a while yet, but once we’re both a bit more settled in our lives.
I know he’s in London, but it’s not a million miles away from here and we’ll see each other as often as we can.
He’s been such a brilliant support to me all the time Dad was in hospital. ’
‘I know he has.’ Tess had heard Hannah speaking to Billy over FaceTime into the early hours of the morning, and when he had visited Hollyhocks, he had driven Hannah to the hospital, waiting in the car patiently for as long as she wanted to stay.
‘I will tell Dad, one day, about me and Billy, but probably not until he’s much better. I don’t want to cause him to have a relapse that sends him back into the hospital,’ she said with a worried smile.
Tess wondered how Hannah’s plans to move in with Billy might impact on her return to university next year, but it was almost a year away, and Tess knew better than anyone how everything could easily change. Perhaps that was a conversation for some other time.
Now, hands on hips, Tess’s gaze ran around the wooden worktops.
‘Look, I was really looking forward to our roast, but you’re right, there is far too much food here for the two of us. How do you feel about me seeing if I can round up a couple more guests?’
‘Fine by me – the more, the merrier.’
Tess immediately thought of Dilly, who she knew was often at a loose end on the weekends and a quick phone call garnered a positive and enthusiastic response.
Tess also wondered what Rob might be doing later today.
She knew he was leading a walk for the group he’d helped to set up earlier in the year.
A big part of Rob’s recovery from his breakdown after the marriage split had been getting outside into the great outdoors and walking, sometimes several miles a day.
He’d told Tess how much he benefited from being among nature, hearing the birdsong and spotting the wildlife, witnessing the changing of the seasons, which had come as a much-needed reminder that however much he was struggling in the moment, it wouldn’t stay that way forever.
Talking to his mentor, it was suggested that he set up a walking self-help group for men like him who were suffering with their mental health or perhaps just needed the opportunity to get out into the fresh air and meet other guys in a supportive, non-judgemental environment.
What had started out as a group of two – Rob and one other person – quickly grew, as word spread in the local area, so that now there was a core group of at least six guys who turned up regularly for the monthly walks.
Rob got much more out of the group than he put in and it was a non-negotiable part of his social calendar.
It was proving so popular that he was thinking of increasing the frequency of the get-togethers to fortnightly.
Tess didn’t want to disturb him when she knew he would be busy so she dashed off a text to him in the hope that he would pick it up after his walk. A couple of hours later, he called her back.
‘How did you know? You’re an absolute angel. We’ve walked over six miles this morning, and are feeling pretty good. Danny and I were going to find a pub to go to for a roast dinner, but if you’re offering, I know where I’d much rather eat.’
‘Come on over, and please bring Danny along too. There’s more than enough food for everyone.’
Impromptu gatherings were the best. There was nothing better than having a kitchen full of friends and family who were filling the air with chatter and laughter.
Dilly was a natural conversationalist and could talk to anyone about anything, which Tess put down to her long career as a hairdresser, and Danny had a natural, likeable manner that made him amusing and easy company.
His little asides and one-liners were certainly making Dilly laugh.
With Hannah seeing to the drinks, she placed a bottle of red wine, a bottle of white wine in a cooler and a jug of water onto the table and handed the guys a beer each as they were still absolutely parched after their physical exertions that morning.
‘Right, do I have a volunteer to carve?’ Tess asked.
‘I’ll do it!’ the men said it together as one.
‘Come on, let me have a go,’ added Danny. ‘I probably need the experience more than you. Don’t look so worried, Tess. I do know what I’m doing really, I promise. I always carve round at my mum’s place.’