The other man was now sitting on the edge of his seat. He clapped his hands. ‘I’m in,’ he said. ‘A road trip to the Continent sounds like a great jaunt. Anywhere in particular in France? Jenny and I loved Brittany and it’s very easy to get to.’
‘Hang on a minute,’ said Rick, holding up a hand. ‘I’ve already said I’m busy. We’ve got a lot of work to do before Vee can move into her house. I’ve promised her I’ll make Dragonfly Cottage habitable as soon as I can.’
‘How long do you think that’ll take you?’ Beryl asked. ‘A week? A fortnight?’
Rick sighed. ‘We could probably get the main jobs done in a couple of weeks as Vee’s helping me, but I don’t understand why you want to go to France. Couldn’t you just plan a trip to Cornwall or somewhere even closer?’
Winnie shook her head. ‘There are various places we’d like to visit as we drive through France. Sid would probably enjoy stopping off in Brittany, by the sound of it. Anthea loves La Rochelle. I visited Bordeaux with my man years ago and I’d like to have a wander around there again. Revisit old haunts.’
‘And then there’s St Emilion,’ said Beryl. ‘Some of my Eddie’s favourite wine came from there. He was very partial to a glass or two of the red stuff.’
Vee gasped. ‘But that’s not far from where my Aunt Yolanda lives,’ she said.
‘You’re quite right,’ agreed Beryl. ‘I expect you haven’t seen her for a long time, and neither have I. You’d have a lot to talk about, I’m thinking. We’re old mates, me and Tallulah’s sister Yolanda. She stayed at Dragonfly Cottage with you all quite often back in the day, didn’t she?’
Vee didn’t reply. Beryl decided not to push the subject. From what she’d overheard in the garden, Yolanda, a very lively character who’d never married and had travelled the world even more than the Saga Louts, would be just the person to fill her in on a few of the details about the time when the family did their disappearing act and what made them leave so suddenly. Beryl had her own suspicions. It surely couldn’t only have been the lure of a new job for Vee’s father or the fact that Venetia was proving to be something of a loose cannon.
‘What do you say, folks?’ she said. ‘Shall we make a plan? How about we give ourselves three weeks to get ready? Is it doable? Does everyone have a current passport?’
They all said they had, but Vee was still frowning. ‘Are you sure you want me to come with you?’ she asked. ‘I’ve got to admit I’m pretty skint right now. How much will it cost?’
‘Oh, don’t worry about that, darling,’ said Anthea. ‘We’ll split the cost for the minibus and the ferry, and we can stay in nice but cheap places as we go.Aubergesand the like. Roadside motels, you know the kind of thing. You look as if you need a holiday and so does our Rick. Call it an investment for your mental health. Are we all up for it?’
Silence fell again and then a babble of voices said that yes, they were. Even Venetia sounded convinced, thought Beryl. She rubbed her hands together. It was time to make a proper plan. This trip was really going to happen.
20
The next fortnight passed by in a blur of activity. Rick put all his efforts into getting as much work done as possible on Dragonfly Cottage and Vee tried hard to match him for energy. They ate together most evenings and went to their separate beds early, although Vee sometimes woke in the night with feverish images in her head of Rick lying naked under the covers on the other side of her wall.
Vee was furious with herself for having these half-awake thoughts. She hadn’t forgotten the feelings of unjustified shame after the incident with the photo albums and the last thing she needed was to let herself have a ridiculous crush on someone with so much emotional baggage of his own. On top of that was the inkling that Rick knew way too much about the murkier part of her past, but they seemed to have reached some kind of unspoken agreement to leave the memories where they were for now. The house project must come first. When Vee was safely installed in her own home, maybe she would have the courage to ask Rick straight out to tell her exactly what he remembered from that time in their lives. Or maybe she wouldn’t.
Bit by bit, Dragonfly Cottage was coming together, and Vee was incredibly touched to see how hard Rick was prepared to work, even though she could tell that, like herself, he was getting more and more exhausted. When they’d reached the point where all the main rooms were clean and decorated, Rick called a brief halt.
It was now the start of October, and the warmth of the Indian summer that had been coming and going as they worked was back in force, although the mornings tended to be chilly. The leaves were glowing with autumn colour and Willowbrook Country Park with its ancient oaks and huge variety of other trees was looking at its best. Vee had always preferred spring and early summer when it came to choosing a favourite time of year because the popular love of theseason of mists and mellow fruitfulnessreminded her way too much of the days after the time when her teenage world had fallen apart. Nineteen eighty-five had contained the worst autumn of her life, and even now, she found it hard to cope with the changing leaves and the chill in the morning air.
Vee came downstairs on 1 October, yawning widely and stretching her arms above her head as she sat down at the kitchen table.
‘What’s the plan for today?’ she asked wearily, reaching for the coffee pot that Rick had filled up a few moments ago and pouring them both a mug of the fragrant liquid. ‘I really need this,’ she said, taking a sip. ‘It feels as if we’ve been working on the house forever, doesn’t it?’
‘I wanted to talk to you about that,’ said Rick. He looked down at her, and she gazed back, rubbing her eyes. ‘I can’t do any more until the varnish is properly dry on the living room floor and you shouldn’t try another coat of gloss on the upstairs doors without letting the last lot set completely,’ he said. ‘I vote we have a day off today. Where shall we go? How about we visit the mattress shop first and you can choose the one you want for the main bedroom? We could also call into the place next door to it, where you can get bedding. It’s not too pricey. All you’ll need then is a window blind or some curtains or maybe both and your bedroom’ll be ready.’
Vee looked up at him suspiciously. ‘Is this all heading towards getting rid of me?’ she said. ‘I can move out as soon as we get this part done.’
‘Oh, no,’ Rick said hastily. ‘The house isn’t ready yet. I’ve got to rub down the kitchen units and give them a quick coat of paint if you’re still agreeing to wait until the January sales or later for a new one?’
‘Is it worth doing that if you’re going to rip them out?’
‘Yes. You need to feel comfortable with all the rooms. It won’t take long. And the bathroom suite’s being delivered in a couple of days. I’m going to have to leave you without any washing facilities while I fit that. You’re welcome to stay here until your place is properly ready.’
Vee smiled at him. ‘In that case, let’s have a day off,’ she said. ‘We deserve it.’
* * *
Once they’d completed all the shopping tasks to Vee’s satisfaction, they climbed back into the van and turned to face each other. It was now mid-morning, and the sun was breaking through what had been an unusually heavy morning mist. Vee had been about to ask Rick where he’d like to go next when her phone pinged.
‘I’ll just check this message in case it’s Beryl about the road trip,’ said Vee. ‘She’s texting me several times a day at the moment with different questions. I still can’t believe she asked me along, although it’s obvious that knowing she’d be getting an extra driver is mainly why she invited me.’
Vee dug out the phone from her pocket. ‘It’s an Instagram message,’ she said. ‘Rick, it’s from Rhonda. I thought she was never going to answer.’
