Chapter 30
Tess, following the directions of the satnav, turned the car onto one of the new estates on the outskirts of Bramlingham.
She didn’t know the area at all so was glad of the assistance as she navigated a warren of unfamiliar roads, until they reached their final destination.
She brought the car to a halt outside a small, modern, detached house and turning off the ignition, she sighed a breath of relief.
‘Well, this looks to be it.’ Hannah threw a glance at Tess. ‘Thanks for coming, Mum,’ she said, peering out of the window to look at the place. ‘I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel a bit nervous.’
Tess hadn’t imagined Melody’s home to look this way.
In her mind, she’d conjured up an image of something prettier, more characterful, definitely more charming.
It was a perfectly decent house, mirroring the others on the road, with a neat front garden, but it wasn’t the idyllic, romantic love nest she had anticipated.
In the driveway was a small, blue hatchback and Tess wondered where Charles had parked the Porsche.
Maybe in the single garage, although that would probably be a tight squeeze.
She couldn’t imagine Charles wanting to leave it on the driveway overnight even if he could fit it behind the other car.
She shook her head. What did it matter? She was only relieved that it wasn’t her problem any more.
‘Hang on a minute. You are absolutely sure that Melody has left?’ she asked, wondering about the significance of the blue car.
‘Yes, I texted Dad on the way over. Don’t worry, the coast is definitely clear. Come on.’ Hannah held out a hand to her mum.
Approaching the front door, Tess considered whether it had been a good idea to come along this afternoon, but Hannah had pleaded with her to accompany her on her first visit to her dad’s new home.
Melody was away, visiting her parents on the east coast, and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.
Charles had been asking to see Tess for some time now, so this seemed like the ideal opportunity, although she was now feeling the same sense of nervousness that Hannah had alluded to.
A few moments after ringing the doorbell, Charles appeared at the door, dressed in a pair of grey joggers, blue t-shirt and slippers.
He’d lost some weight, his shirt hanging off his body loosely, and his face still appeared pale and gaunt.
He looked diminished somehow, half the man he used to be.
His face lit up to see them, giving a reminder of the old Charles.
‘Ah, my darling girls. Come inside.’
He greeted them both with a heartfelt hug and a kiss on the cheek, before he directed them into a room on the left which led into a large, open-plan living space with a dining area at the far end.
‘I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to this. Seeing you both is a real tonic.’
‘We’ve brought you a cake, Dad. You’re favourite: coffee and walnut.’ Hannah held up the red and white polka dot tin she was holding.
‘Have you?’ Tess was certain she could see his eyes glistening with emotion. ‘In that case, I think we should have tea and cake straightaway.’
‘I can do that,’ offered Tess. She would be grateful for something to do, feeling uneasy in another woman’s house, as she tried not to stare as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings.
‘No, you come and sit down, Tess. Hannah, would you mind making the tea? The mugs and teabags are in the cupboard above the kettle.’
‘Sure.’ Hannah wandered off out into the kitchen, taking the cake tin with her.
Tess sat down on one of the two cream leather sofas as indicated by Charles, while he sat down on the other.
It was a long narrow room with a wood-burning stove in the fireplace, and a round gilt mirror above.
On the mantelpiece was a selection of ivory pillar candles in different sizes and on the opposite wall above the sofa was a contemporary triptych in splashes of brown and cream.
The room was modern and sterile, and lacking those welcoming homely touches that Tess so valued, but then again, Melody was a single-minded career woman who probably, until recently, didn’t spend a lot of time at home.
‘I know what you’re thinking.’ Charles must have noticed her appraisal of his living arrangements. ‘Why did I leave you and the lovely charms of Hollyhocks Cottage for this?’
‘No, not at all,’ Tess countered with a casual shrug.
‘I wonder myself at times.’ Charles lifted his gaze to look around him. ‘I set out on a path that I could never have believed at the time would lead me to here,’ he said regrettably.
‘Anyway, how are you feeling now?’ Tess asked, shifting in her seat, injecting a brightness to her voice, not wanting Charles to descend into a spiral of pity.
‘Better than I was. You know, I very nearly died. They told me that. By all accounts, I’m lucky to still be here.’
‘You were very poorly, Charles.’
‘I didn’t realise it at the time, but it certainly knocked me sideways.’
Tess was relieved when, a few minutes later, Hannah reappeared with a tray of teas and the cake cut up into slices.
‘Look at this. What a treat.’ Charles took the plate offered by Hannah, and contemplated the cake, before putting it to one side. It was almost as if the effort of eating it might be too much for him.
‘Having that close brush with my maker gave me plenty of time to think and reflect. Life is short and I don’t want to spend the rest of my time arguing with two of the most important people in my life.’ He looked imploringly at Tess and Hannah. ‘Can we all be friends again?’
‘Oh, Dad!’ Hannah jumped up from her seat and rushed over to his side, putting her arms around his neck.
‘I’ve hated it, us not being friends. I was so cross with you for leaving Mum that I felt as though I didn’t want to talk to you again.
But I suppose I was being childish, expecting you to stay together when perhaps you weren’t happy. ’
Tess pressed on her lips and averted her gaze. She hadn’t been unhappy in her marriage and hadn’t realised Charles was until he dropped his bombshell.
‘I was happy, though, that’s the thing, but I suppose it was a case of me having my cake and wanting to eat it too,’ he said, looking at his plate, with the barely touched cake, forlornly.
‘You idiot, Dad!’
Tess felt an anxiety grip her chest. Ordinarily, Charles would have reacted immediately and fiercely to such a comment from his daughter, but now he just nodded sagely as though agreeing with her entirely.
‘I was a fool to act the way I did, but as your mother keeps telling me, I made the decision to leave and there’s no going back.
’ He gave a hopeful glance towards Tess in expectation of a change of heart on her part, but she simply shook her head.
Charles fell silent for a few moments before he added, ‘I do miss you all terribly. Barney. Marjorie. How is she getting on now?’
‘She’s not too bad, a lot better than she was.
’ After a spot of ill health earlier in the year, Marjorie seemed to be thriving, especially as she now had a new hobby to occupy her.
‘She sends her best wishes, by the way.’ Although Tess elected not to mention Marjorie’s comment that it was karma that had sent Charles into hospital.
‘Ahh, that’s nice. Well, send her my love, won’t you?
I don’t want to be joining her in the care home just yet.
I suppose I’m lucky. Melody is a lovely girl.
She’s been looking after me, although I’m sure she hasn’t found it easy.
She certainly didn’t sign up for being a carer to an old geezer like me, but hopefully, I’ll be back to my normal self soon.
I hope you’ll come to accept her eventually, Hannah. ’
‘At least we’ve met her now. She seemed okay.’ She gave a nonchalant shrug. It was probably the best Charles could expect from Hannah at the moment.
‘Yes, well, I wanted to say sorry to you both for the upset I’ve caused. Perhaps I wasn’t always the best husband or father, but I’m hoping I can make it up to you going forward. I know we won’t be living together as a family, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t play a part in each other’s lives.’
Charles must have caught the imperceptible lift of Tess’s eyebrows.
‘I know you have your own life to lead now, Tess, but we were together for over thirty years. I will always care for you deeply. When you turned up at the hospital to visit me, it meant the world to me. It would break my heart if I was to lose you totally from my life.’
Tess could hear how his voice was filled with emotion as he spoke, saw the gathering tears in his eyes. His recent illness had clearly hit him hard physically and emotionally.
‘It’s been a difficult year for us all, but it’s time to move on,’ she told him.
‘Yes, you’re right.’ Charles gave a small shake of his head as if to get his emotions under control. ‘Are you still seeing the same fella?’ he said, picking up his mug of tea and taking a sip, sounding much more like the old Charles.
‘Rob? Yes.’
‘Well, I hope he treats you well.’
Tess gave a wry smile. ‘He really does.’
‘And you know I’m seeing Billy again, don’t you?’ Hannah said, taking advantage of Charles’s more conciliatory mood today.
‘Yes,’ he said with a resigned sigh. ‘So I understand. And does he make you happy?’
‘He really does, Dad.’ She clasped her hands together and held them to her chest, her face lighting up in that way that it did every time she mentioned Billy.
‘Well, I expect that’s all we can hope for,’ he said begrudgingly. ‘Mind you, if either of these men in your lives treat you badly, you do know I’ll be coming after them. You can tell them that from me!’ he said, a fire shining in his eyes.
Tess and Hannah exchanged a glance and smiled. It was only a matter of time before Charles was back to his usual irascible self.