‘Are you okay, Mum? You don’t mind me inviting Billy over, do you? If he stays, it means he won’t have to rush to get the last train home. And it’s not as though we’re short for space here.’
That was true. Hannah had clearly given it some thought and had prepared her case convincingly.
‘No, not really. I’ve got nothing against Billy, he seems like a nice guy, but I suppose, like Grandma, I’m a bit worried, that’s all. I would hate for you to get hurt again.’
‘It’s not going to happen. I’ve hardened my heart to his brown-eyed Gaelic charms,’ she said, chuckling, her eyes lighting up all the same. ‘Before we got together romantically, we were really good mates. I’m glad we’re back in touch.’
‘Great,’ said Tess brightly. ‘All I want is for you to be happy. And if seeing Billy is right by you, then that’s fine with me.’
‘Thanks, Mum.’ Hannah walked over to her mum and hugged her tightly. ‘You know, I’m just pleased Dad isn’t around,’ she said, chuckling. ‘Can you imagine his reaction?’
‘I can and I won’t,’ said Tess, shaking her head. ‘Probably best to keep that one to ourselves for the time being.’
‘Yeah…’ Hannah exhaled a sigh. ‘How do you think Grandma is doing at the moment?’
Tess’s gaze caught on Hannah’s worried expression.
‘Why do you ask?’
‘Well, she seemed a bit… I don’t know… a bit distracted today. You don’t think she’s losing her…’
‘…marbles?’ offered Tess with a wry smile.
‘No! Don’t say that! I meant her memory. There were a couple of times when she lost her thread or struggled to recall things that I’d told her. And she wasn’t her normal positive self.’
‘Even Grandma’s allowed to have the occasional off day. And it’s only natural that her memory might be hazy on certain matters, she is heading towards eighty, but as you told her yourself, she’s still as sharp as a tack when she wants to be.’
‘I know. I worry about her, that’s all.’
Tess knew exactly how she felt, because she did the same. It was hard not to notice any small change or deterioration in her mother’s health and wonder if it wasn’t the start of something more serious. Tess vowed there and then to increase her visits to her mum, to help her find the mental stimulation she might be missing, and generally keep a closer eye on her, for no other reason than to put everyone’s mind at rest.
9
Tess wandered down the hill from Hollyhocks Cottage, into Lower Leaping, taking her time to soak in the atmosphere of the village. Even after living here for over twenty-five years, she still appreciated how lucky she was to call this delightful part of England her home. The honey-coloured stone buildings and the low-arched stone bridge that crossed the meandering river that weaved its way through the centre of the village, created a picture-postcard effect. Sometimes, in the height of the season, the number of visiting tourists brought a busy and hectic vibe to the sleepy village, but Tess had always enjoyed people-watching, and she relished the buzzy atmosphere, knowing that she could always slip away to the calm and tranquillity of Hollyhocks if it ever became too much. Besides, the key was to get out early in the morning, or later in the evening if you wanted to avoid the crowds. Today, it was relatively peaceful and even Barney wasn’t in a hurry, as he mooched along the familiar route, stopping to sniff at every scent along the way. Although it was now October, the only concession Tess had made to the change in season was to dig out her long-sleeved tops and a padded gilet, which were perfectly adequate against the still relatively mild climate.
Tying Barney to the post outside the village store, urging him to be a good boy and telling him she wouldn’t be long, she wandered into the shop, which was still delightfully old-fashioned even though it had seen a revamp in recent years. Once the village greengrocer’s, it was now the post office and general store, which stocked a whole range of items, including groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables, freshly baked bread, home-made chutneys and jams from local suppliers, flowers and greetings cards, and stationery too, catering for both locals and tourists alike. Tess always thought it was like stepping back in time when the overhead brass bell tinkled to welcome her arrival and a wonderful sense of nostalgia emitted from the walls of the old building, along with a reassuring sense of community from the friendly volunteers who had banded together to keep the shop open.
Tess had just handed over her parcel to Arthur on the post office-counter when she heard an almighty commotion coming from outside. Her heart sank, recognising the unusually deep barks of Barney reverberating out, along with another dog’s excitable woofing tones in response. Generally, Barney was a well-mannered and friendly dog, but occasionally, if a four-legged stranger was overfamiliar or pushy, then Barney would pull himself up to his full height, which wasn’t very big at all, but that never deterred him in the slightest from showing the interloper just who was boss. It was what she suspected might be going on right now if the racket outside was anything to go by.
‘Thanks, Arthur. I must dash. I think Barney is causing havoc outside, the little scamp. I’ll see you soon.’
Tess hurried out of the front door to find Barney, in full voice, fighting off the playful advances of a stocky, black Labrador who was running around in excitable circles, his long lead wrapping around Barney, who was growing increasingly frustrated at not being able to join in fully with the game. While she tried to disentangle the lead that had gone round the post several times, being ambushed by two over-friendly dogs in the process, she heard the approach of pounding footsteps, followed by heavy breathing and an apologetic tone.
‘Oh God, Monty, what are you doing? I’m so sorry.’ The man leaned over, resting his hands on his thighs, trying to catch his breath. ‘We were just coming out the front door when an important phone call came through that I needed to take and, of course, in that split moment, Monty spotted a squirrel on the other side of the road, and there was no stopping him. His recall still isn’t brilliant, I’m afraid. It was lucky that he managed to dodge the traffic. If it had happened in our old place in London, then it could have been a very different story.’
Tess looked round at the man who was now scolding the dog, which Monty obviously understood completely, as he responded with a proud wag of his tail. Tess bit on a smile, taking the opportunity to appraise the man properly. In smart, grey trousers and blue shirt, sleeves rolled up to show tanned, strong forearms, she put him at about fifty. He had short, grey hair, tortoiseshell-framed glasses and a warm, friendly smile.
‘Hi,’ she said, ‘you must be the new owner of The Old Post Office?’ She’d already joined the dots together as soon as she’d heard the dog’s name.
The man cast her a questioning expression.
‘It’s okay, I’d already heard we had a new lovely black Lab in the village called Monty. I’m Tess Alexander,’ she said, holding out a hand.
‘Lovely to meet you, Tess,’ he said with a smile. ‘I’m Michael Parrish and it sounds as though you know more about me than I do about you, so apologies. And double apologies for the rogue behaviour of my hound. We’re a bit late getting out this morning so Monty has plenty of energy to expend. We were just heading over to the woods before we got distracted.’
‘Don’t worry, Barney has his moments too, so I know what it’s like. We were heading that way ourselves. Do you mind if we join you? It will give the dogs a chance to get to know each other better and have a proper run around. I can answer all those burning questions you have about Lower Leaping as well.’ She wasn’t about to admit that it would be good to get to know him better too and give her the opportunity to report back to Dilly with any interesting snippets she might glean.
‘Not at all. We’d both be glad of the company, wouldn’t we, Monty?’
