Chapter 26
Tess had woken early and headed outside for her daily walk with Barney around Lower Leaping.
She loved those first hours of the day when the village was stirring into action, the sound of birdsong accompanying her steps, and the soft morning dew visible on the grass.
She spotted Louis, the paper boy, with his large satchel slung over his neck, riding his bike over the wooden bridge, off to make his deliveries, and she gave him a wave as he went on his way.
Barney padded along happily, his nose tracking every scent on the ground, his tail constantly wagging, with Tess chiding him to get a move on when he found something particularly tempting and refused to budge.
When they returned to Hollyhocks after their morning jaunt, Tess quickly fed Barney before she dashed out again, popping into the local church to arrange the flowers for the weekend.
It was only after completing her jobs and making a quick trip to the village store to pick up some provisions that she went home to Hollyhocks, made herself a mug of coffee and popped a couple of slices of sourdough bread into the toaster.
Taking her breakfast into the orangery, she couldn’t shift the underlying anxiety that had been running through her veins all morning.
She sighed, wondering what had possessed her to agree to go out on a date with Nico in the first place.
Probably it was her dearest friends egging her on to do it.
She’d thought about cancelling, but time had run away from her, and now on the day of their agreed meeting, she realised she’d left it too late.
It would be rude at this late stage to call off, even if she could come up with a believable excuse, so she had no other alternative but to make the most of it.
She told herself that it would be fine. That Nico was a lovely guy and if he harboured any ideas about taking their relationship in a more personal direction, and she wasn’t sure that he did, then she could simply tell him that it wasn’t what she was looking for.
What she didn’t need on top of worrying about the evening plans was an unexpected visit from Charles.
She groaned, seeing his car pull up on the gravel driveway and she felt a sense of dread lodge in her chest. It wasn’t that long ago that his arrival at the cottage, after a day in the office, brought a sense of excitable anticipation to her mood.
Both she and Barney would greet him at the door with a big hug from her and plenty of tail wagging from the dog, and then she would fix him a G&T and listen interestedly as he told her about the trials of his day.
Now, if it was down to her, she would much rather speak to him via email or text message.
Even the dog had sloped off into the garden to find Rob, but with no chance of escape for Tess, she put on a tight smile as she greeted Charles, who wandered in through the back door as he’d done on so many occasions before.
‘Tess.’
‘Charles,’ she said neutrally, trying to dampen down the rise of emotion his appearance presented.
There was no joy or delight this time, only anger and frustration on her part.
What a difference a few months could make.
‘I’ve told you before, you can’t brazenly wander in here unannounced as though you still live here.
You don’t. And you should respect that by knocking, or at least texting to let me know you’re coming. ’
‘What’s got into you, woman? You can’t really expect me to call every time I want to pop in to my own home.
And what in God’s name have you done to the front door?
It’s pink?’ he said, as though she may not have realised.
‘Really? I don’t recognise you these days, Tess.
You’re acting irrationally and this…’ He pulled out a letter from his back pocket and threw it down on the worktop. ‘It’s a bloody outrage!’
‘Don’t lecture me. What I’m doing is taking matters into my own hands. I want a divorce, to finalise everything, to know where I stand with the house. I don’t want you wandering in and out of my life as it pleases you. You don’t get to dictate what I do with my life any more.’
He sighed heavily, running a hand through his full head of hair, now greying at the temples, and paced up and down the kitchen.
‘I’m a bloody solicitor! Did you not think to come to me first to discuss the best way to proceed on this? You’re making this unnecessarily adversarial.’
‘No, Charles. I did not. I need someone who’s going to look after my own interests. And that person certainly isn’t you. You might not like it, but that’s the way it is.’
He shook his head. His eyes were narrowed and his lips pursed, his mouth set in a line of annoyance, an expression she’d grown used to over the years.
She’d always done what she could to appease Charles, to make things better for him, and there was a certain satisfaction in knowing that she no longer needed to do that.
He moved across to the coffee machine, holding an empty mug up to her by way of invitation, but she shook her head fiercely, looking away as he helped himself.
‘I’m worried about you.’ She heard the change of tone to his words. Softer now, less antagonistic.
‘Well, there’s no need.’
‘I think you’re rushing things. Who’s putting you up to this divorce?’
‘There’s no one’s putting me up to this. I want a divorce.’ She tapped her hands on her chest for emphasis. ‘What’s so difficult to understand about that?’
‘Why now, though. What’s the hurry? Let’s give it a year or so, and then we can talk about it.’
‘Ha, what, think you might change your mind? Is the grass not as green over there as you thought it might be? No. There’s nothing to talk about. You’ve made decisions about your future. It’s only fair that I should be able to do the same.’
Charles picked up his mug and pressed it to his lips, taking a sip of his coffee.
‘Look, I still care about you. I don’t want you making reckless decisions, something that you may come to regret later.’
Tess exhaled a sigh. ‘I’m quite capable of making my own decisions, thank you, and if I should make a decision that I later regret, then so be it. I’m a grown-up, and can take responsibility for my actions.’
‘You’ve changed, Tess. I feel as though I’m not seeing the woman I married any more.
You even look different. Your hair… it’s shorter,’ he said accusingly.
‘And you… you look good,’ he admitted, while she heard the note of wistfulness to his voice.
‘I’d hate to think though that you were being influenced by someone who might not have your best interests at heart. ’
Tess wasn’t sure if she’d heard him correctly until she noticed Charles’s none-too-subtle glance in the direction of the annexe.
‘Oh please! You’re not really suggesting that Rob has anything to do with this? Now who’s being ridiculous?’
Tess swung around, barely able to look at Charles, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She didn’t want to lose her temper, she didn’t want to shout and scream, even if every fibre in her body was striving to do exactly that.
Instead, she clutched the edge of the worktop, fixing her gaze out of the front window, steadying her breathing.
She flinched when she felt Charles’s touch on her arms as he turned her around to face him.
‘Not ridiculous at all, Tess. I’m just looking out for you. This Rob, he seems to have got his feet right under the table here. Look, I know who he is. Your… friend. What are you thinking letting someone like that into our home? Do you really know what this guy is capable of?’
‘I know that he’s a decent human being, actually. He’s kind and thoughtful, and… What the hell do you mean, you know who he is?’
‘Well, what did you expect me to do? You can’t really criticise me for doing a few background checks on someone who’s living in my house. I worry about you, Tess.’
She shook her head disbelieving.
‘He’s not living in the house. He’s staying in the annexe for a while, but even if he was living here then that’s none of your business.’
‘It is when he’s a convicted criminal.’ Charles’s words were delivered with a firm intent and a steely gaze.
‘Shouldn’t the guy be working now? Why’s he not living with his own family?
You’re a vulnerable woman on your own, sitting on a pretty penny.
What do you think his true intentions are?
I can see that the attentions of a younger man might turn your head, but… ?’
‘Oh, will you piss right off, Charles. Stop patronising me. If you’re giving so much thought to my decisions, then you might want to give some thought as to why Melody might want to hook up with a much older, richer man, who’s old enough in fact to be her father.
It’s the same thing, right? And despite your low opinion of me, I’m actually stronger and more capable than you’ve ever given me credit for.
I don’t need to justify my friendships or decisions to you. ’
Charles reeled from her onslaught.
‘Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you, and remember that this house is the family home.’
‘How could I possibly forget when you keep reminding me? That’s why we need to draw a line under our marriage, sort out the assets, the house, the business, the savings and move on.
’ Tess could have listed so many more of their joint assets, his pension and the car, but she hoped he’d got the point and she would hold those other items up her sleeve for now.
She wouldn’t admit either that she would be satisfied if she could get to keep Hollyhocks and take a small cash settlement from their marriage.
As far as she was concerned, it was the least she deserved, but she had every faith in her solicitor, Deborah to get her the best possible settlement.
Charles gave a look of disdain and shook his head. He paced back and forth before finishing the last of his coffee.
‘Where is Barney?’ he asked, looking around him as though he’d only just realised that the dog was missing.
‘Oh, he’s probably with Rob somewhere. They’re best buddies, those two,’ Tess breezed with a certain satisfaction.
‘Jesus!’ He ran a hand through his hair again, looking every one of his fifty-six years.
‘My daughter is refusing to take my calls and now even the bloody dog doesn’t want to talk to me.
What the hell have you been telling them?
’ he said, his exasperation filling the air, and Tess couldn’t help but smile.
‘Only the truth, Charles. And I think they’re both more than capable of making their own minds up on the situation.’