Two people falling in love and wanting to be together should be the easiest thing in the world, but it wasn’t. There was, it seemed, an endless obstacle course for them to negotiate, of having to prove themselves to friends and family. There had been one or two old friends of Ellis’s at the funeral for his mother who Naomi had felt had been sizing her up, perhaps comparing her to Diana, and last week she and Ellis had gone to London to have lunch with some more of his friends. Bit by bit, they were chipping away at the building blocks of their old lives in order to create a new life together. Naomi just hoped that Geraldine wasn’t on her way here to demolish what they had so far built.
One person with whom they hadn’t experienced any difficulties with their relationship was Lucas. Ellis had frequently described him as having an easy-going nature and it was true, he did. In that respect he was very like Ellis. And Willow.
It had been obvious to Naomi and Ellis that there was an undeniable connection between Willow and Lucas. Undoubtedly Rick had noticed it too.At breakfast that morning, the day after Rose’s funeral, Naomi had watched him closely. While the conversation had gone on around the table, there had been something of the coiled spring about him, as though he were trying very hard to contain his emotions. He hadn’t joined in with the conversation in the way he normally did, but instead, when he’d finished eating, he’d put a hand to Willow’s hair and played with a lock of it between his fingers. What had previously come across as a charming display of affection, if a little too overt for Naomi’s taste, had felt at that moment a very different gesture, as if Rick was telling Lucas to back off, that Willow was his.
When they’d all left, and Lucas had gone next door to deal with some work he needed to do before returning to LA, and just as Naomi was wondering how best to raise the subject with Ellis, he had brought it up himself.
‘Do you think I should say something to Lucas?’ Ellis had asked.
‘And say what exactly?’
It was a good question. In the end they decided that the problem, if indeed there was a problem, would simply fly home with Lucas. Once or twice since then Naomi had been tempted to say something to Willow, but she knew her youngest daughter of old; she wasn’t a deliberately flirtatious girl, she was just naturally friendly, with an engaging personality. Naomi hoped that Rick saw things the same way.
After putting the fireguard in place, Naomi went to wash her hands. That done, she decided to make a start on peeling the vegetables for supper that evening. Then she remembered that Ellis had offered to cook.
She was still getting used to the idea of somebody else cooking for her.Colin had never cooked unless it was out in the garden with the barbecue. Even then Naomi would have to marinate the meat or fish and prepare the salads and desserts. But Ellis loved to cook and had added some of his own kitchenware to the cupboards in her kitchen.
Notherkitchen, she reminded herself, it wastheirkitchen. Just as Anchor House wastheirhome now. But with her name on the deeds, she had to wonder if Ellis ever felt that he was no more than her guest here. Was that the real reason he had bought Waterside Cottage – the purchase of which had now gone through – to have some kind of ownership? Would it be better if she sold Anchor House and they bought somewhere else together?
No, she wasn’t ready for that.
It seemed an age ago when Martha had suggested that Naomi should move to be nearer her and Tom. There had been no more talk of her selling up from either Martha or Willow. Had Naomi misjudged her eldest daughter’s motives? Had Martha been genuinely concerned for Naomi’s welfare, living alone as she had been, and did she now regard Ellis as a good thing in her life, somebody to take care of her? At the time when Martha had wanted her to move, Naomi had felt horribly patronised, as though she was being dismissed as a doddery old dear who couldn’t be trusted to live alone, but who would be ideal for on-the-doorstep childcare.
Ironically, now that grandchildren were definitely on the way, Naomi could see the sense in living nearer to Martha and Willow. But then she would think of how much fun it would be having her grandchildren to stay here at Anchor House, playing with them in the garden and on the beach, and she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.How could she ever live without waking up to the sound of seagulls, of being deprived of a walk along the shoreline and bringing home an interesting piece of driftwood, of breathing in the salt-tanged air, or never having the joy of watching a redshank digging in the mudflats. And her garden –her glorious garden– she couldn’t imagine giving that up. Although common sense told her that one day it would be too much for her, just as it had been for the previous owners. But for as long as she was in good health, and Ellis too, this was where she wanted to be.
Colin had often joked that the only way he would leave Anchor House was when he was carried out in a box; well, to all intents and purposes, he’d got his wish. Poor Colin, she suddenly thought, he would have enjoyed being a grandfather. He would have relished the role, especially in retirement and with more time to devote to little ones. A wave of sadness swept over her that he had been denied the pleasure of knowing his grandchildren.
The feeling was soon snatched away from her at the sound of two sharp rings of the doorbell. Geraldine had arrived.
Bracing herself, Naomi went to greet her friend.
Her overnight case dumped at the foot of the stairs, her coat flung over the newel post, and Naomi at the sink filling the kettle, Geraldine cleared her throat.
‘You’re going to need something stronger than tea,’ she said.
Here we go, thought Naomi. ‘If you’re about to kick off with a lecture about Ellis, you can save your breath,’ she said. ‘Ellis is a permanent fixture in my life, and that’s an end to it. So if you don’t mind, tea is plenty strong enough for me.’
‘Good Lord!’ exclaimed Geraldine. ‘What on earth makes you think this is about you and Ellis.Although in some ways you are responsible.’
‘Responsible for what?’
‘For the decision I’ve made. I’ve left Brian and told him I want a divorce.’
Naomi was thunderstruck. ‘You’ve donewhat?’
‘I’ve left Brian. Now for heaven’s sake, forget about boiling that kettle and pour me a glass of wine and I’ll tell you all about it.’
In a state of shock, Naomi did as her friend said and took her through to the sitting room and the warmth of the fire. ‘Now tell me what on earth has brought this on,’ she said, when they were both seated.
‘The truth is, after my last visit here and seeing the change in you, I went home and looked at Brian through fresh eyes. And do you know what I saw?’
‘Whatever it was, I suspect it wasn’t good.’
‘It wasn’t. I saw a boring man who bores the pants off me. He’s bored me for years, it’s just that I’d accepted that that was as good as it gets.’
‘But Geraldine, when you were here you said that the two of you rubbed along quite happily.’
‘Oh, forget what I said then. It was all window dressing. I was merely trying to make myself feel more positive about the unutterable dreariness of being with Brian. While there you were, fresh as a daisy, bursting with joyful rejuvenation.’ She groaned. ‘Dear God, I can’t tell you how miserably jealous that made me feel when I drove home and found Brian stretched out on the sofa fast asleep and snoring like a warthog! Is it so wrong that I want some of what you now have?’
