‘Well, first off, we have no reason to believe that’s going to happen. Your dad is very poorly, but there’s every chance that he will get better. And you’ve got the opportunity to rebuild your relationship with your father, if that’s what you want.’ Tess knew better than to tell Hannah what she should do. Instead, she needed to put the suggestion out there so that Hannah could come to her own conclusions. ‘I know you’ve always idolised your dad, but you have to remember that he is only human, he makes mistakes like everyone else, life decisions that you might not agree with, but he’s still your dad. One thing I do know is that he loves you very much, as much as he’s ever done, and that will never change. I could tell by looking at him today how happy he was that you were there. You are still the centre of his world, even if that world landscape has changed a bit.’
‘Yeah, I really hope so, Mum.’ Hannah sniffed, drying her tears on the arm of her hoody, her face a blotchy, red mess, as they pulled into the gates of Hollyhocks. ‘I’ll go and see Dad again tomorrow, after work. That will be okay, won’t it? I don’t need to run it past Melody first?’
‘No. I’m sure that’ll be fine.’ Tess felt certain that Melody would gladly accept all the support and help that she and Hannah were willing to provide.
19
Back at Hollyhocks, Tess filled the kettle to make some tea and lifted out the bread from the terracotta bread crock to start making ham and cheese toasties for lunch. It was one of Hannah’s favourites, something she requested whenever she needed a pick-me-up and today, proper comfort food was in order. With the bread popped up from the toaster, Tess buttered it lightly, before adding slices of aged Cornish cheddar to one side and Wiltshire ham to the other, then placed it under the grill for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt. The mingling flavours teased Tess’s nostrils, making her mouth water, realising how hungry she was after missing out on breakfast entirely.
On the way home from the hospital, Hannah had called Gina to give her an update on Charles, and Gina had insisted that there was no need for her to return to work that day, which was probably just as well because Hannah’s emotions were never far from the surface, her tears threatening to return at any moment. Tess, in contrast, felt numbed from the whole situation.
Now, she served up the sandwiches onto plates, and scattered some crisps alongside, handing over Hannah’s lunch.
‘I feel so worried about Dad, and as though I’m neglecting him not being there at the hospital.’
‘You’re bound to worry. That’s only natural. And nobody is going to stop you going into the hospital whenever you want to, but honestly, I think right now, the best thing is for your dad to get all the rest he can. It’s going to take him some time to recover and it might be a few more days before he’s well enough to even sit up and have a proper conversation. Melody will keep us updated with any changes and you can always ring the ward if you’re worried. Come on, let’s go and sit down.’
Hannah sighed and followed Tess through into the orangery where they settled on the comfy sofas, lost in their own thoughts as they ate their lunch. Barney seemed to pick up on their subdued atmosphere as he trotted off to his basket and came back with one of his favourite toys, a flattened squirrel that he offered to Hannah.
‘Thank you, Barney,’ said Hannah, managing to raise a smile as she took the toy, tugging on it dutifully. ‘He doesn’t seem too bothered by his ordeal on Saturday.’
‘Oh no, he’s made a miraculous recovery.’ By the following morning, Barney’s tummy had almost returned to normal, although he remained on strict rations for the rest of the weekend, and Tess kept a very close eye on him every time he visited the garden. ‘It’s me who’s still traumatised by what happened, and I still haven’t forgiven him!’ She cast a disapproving glance in his direction, although with his imploring brown eyes, it was hard to stay cross for long. ‘I keep thinking about what might have happened. Thank goodness for Dilly and Michael; they kept me from completely losing my mind, constantly reassuring me that Barney would be okay when I was thinking the worst, and then Danny, who came to the rescue and actually found him. Honestly, I’ve never been more relieved about anything in my life.’
‘I’m sorry I wasn’t here to support you, Mum, although to be honest with you, I’m not sure I would have been a great help. Probably best it was all sorted by the time I got home.’
‘Oh crikey, I completely forgot!’ Tess startled, and sat up straight in her chair. ‘My guests were checking out this morning and I wasn’t here to say goodbye to them.’ She jumped up out of her seat and rushed to peer out of the window at the annexe. Of course, they’d already left – their car hadn’t been in the drive when they’d returned from the hospital – but it hadn’t registered then as she’d had other important matters on her mind. Still, she couldn’t help feeling disappointed and cross with herself that she hadn’t had the opportunity to say goodbye to her first visitors.
‘I hope they enjoyed their stay, and they didn’t think me rude for not being here when they left. I didn’t see as much of them as I would have liked.’
‘Oh, Mum,’ said Hannah, laughing. ‘I’m sure it wasn’t their priority to spend time with you, as much as you might have enjoyed getting to know them and plying them with cakes and biscuits. It’s probably a good thing you didn’t hear from them. It means they had nothing to complain about.’
‘That’s probably true. Let me go and check that they’ve left the keys behind.’
Tess wandered outside, with Hannah and Barney following behind, and after checking that the gates were securely locked, she went into the annexe. The keys were where she expected them to be on the side table, but if she didn’t know better, she might not have believed that she’d had any visitors; the place looked as clean and tidy as she had left it a couple of days ago. The bedlinen was crumpled and there were a couple of cleaned mugs on the draining board, but everything else was in pristine order.
‘Look, Mum,’ said Hannah, ‘they’ve written in your guest book.’
‘Have they?’
She went across and peered over Hannah’s shoulder to read the unfamiliar handwriting, and let out a sigh of relief as she read the words.
We were delighted to be the first visitors to The Garden Retreat in the quaint village of Lower Leaping. The lodge has everything you would need for a relaxing break away, a surprisingly comfortable bed, shower and kitchen facilities, with a gorgeous outdoor space too, but it is the personal touches that elevate the accommodation into a first-class experience. Egyptian cotton bedlinen, beautiful furnishings and fabrics, and a wonderfully warm welcome from Tess with a tray of tasty home-baked goods. Barney the beagle was a delight too – we enjoyed our late evening cuddles. Thank you! We hope to be back soon! Ray and Rosemary xx
‘Wow! What a lovely review.’ Tess beamed, mulling over the complimentary words, feeling a great sense of pride. She had done it without any major hiccups – well, apart from almost losing the dog, but her guests had gone away none the wiser of the dramas that were playing out at Hollyhocks. But then something occurred to her. ‘What did they mean about enjoying cuddles with Barney? Do you think he’s been sneaking in here when he goes out for his late-night call?’
‘Oh, you can bet your life, he is, Mum. He’s a chancer, you know that.’
‘Barney! What are you like?’ she asked of the dog, who was now attempting to climb up on the bed. ‘You’re giving me grey hairs. I’ll have to do something about that for future bookings. He can’t go wandering in and out of the guests’ quarters as he pleases. Not everybody likes dogs.’
‘That’s our fault, though. He thinks this place is his luxury doggy kennel. He and I have spent lots of lovely time out here. Haven’t we, boy? He’s not to know that it’s now out of bounds.’
‘Yes, I suppose. It was a good thing that Rosemary and Ray were dog lovers too. I’ll have to find a way of curbing Barney’s wandering tendencies in future, and maybe put up a sign by the side gate, asking guests to close it behind them. All in all, I think we can count that as a successful first booking and I’m already looking forward to our next visitors arriving over Christmas. Right, well, I suppose I should get this bedlinen removed and laundered, and the place spruced up again.’
‘I’m going to call Billy and tell him what’s happened to Dad.’
‘Good idea. Come here.’ Tess pulled Hannah into her embrace, seeing her troubled face. ‘Try not to worry. Your dad is in the best place now.’
Hannah nodded, pressing her lips together, but it didn’t stop the tears from filling her eyes. ‘It’s just the thought that I might lose him. I lost my baby. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing my dad too.’
