‘That’s not going to happen. Your dad will be fine, I’m sure.’
Despite Tess’s positivity, she wished she could feel more certain inside. How could she know if Charles would recover? She hugged her daughter tighter, soothing her back with a gentle tap of her hand, much like she had when Hannah was a baby. Back then, she could make everything better with some soothing words and a lot of love. If only she could do the same now.
20
That night, Tess quickly prepared an easy supper of a stir fry, made from vegetables she found in the bottom of the fridge. Mushrooms, carrots, red and orange peppers, baby sweetcorn and courgettes, tossed over a high heat in some sesame oil with some garlic and ginger, adding sherry, hoisin and soy sauce, before adding some noodles. Proper comfort food that she could throw together in next to no time at all. She certainly wasn’t in the mood for standing over the stove for any length of time, as they were both exhausted after the events of the day. After dinner, Hannah announced she was going to escape to her bedroom. It was her way of unwinding, to relax on the bed in her pyjamas, alternating between reading her book and watching TikTok videos, while Tess would sit in the quiet of the orangery with her crochet and a true-crime podcast. They both enjoyed their own company and were comfortable enough with each other that neither of them would take offence if the other needed some alone time. Hannah was marginally reassured after calling the hospital and hearing that her dad was in a stable condition.
Tess had just poured herself a glass of wine and settled in her chair when the doorbell rang. Wasn’t it always the way? She gave a wry smile as she got up, but her senses were still on high alert after the emotional intensity of the last few days, and she experienced a moment of panic, wondering who it might be. Seeing Rob’s car outside immediately reassured her.
‘It’s not a bad time, is it?’ he asked when she opened the door to him. She shook her head, her mood immediately lifted by seeing that familiar expression of his, the one where he somehow managed to quirk an eyebrow and give a lazy half-smile at the same time. She’d always considered it a most becoming combination. The hand on her waist and the kiss on her cheek were equally charming.
‘It’s absolutely the right time.’ She ushered him indoors. ‘I’ve just poured myself a glass of wine.’ After the day she’d had, she needed one, but she didn’t want to dwell on what had happened or how Charles might be doing. It only fed her anxiety. Rob was just the distraction she needed. ‘Would you like one?’ she asked him.
‘I’d love one, only a small one, that’s if I’m not intruding, of course. Where’s Hannah tonight?’
‘Not at all. She’s up in her room. She wanted to get an early night.’
Tess fetched the opened bottle of wine from the fridge and poured Rob a glass, leading him into the orangery.
‘Hey Barney, I heard about your great escape,’ he said, with a chuckle, as the dog brushed past his legs, eager to find the best seating position. Rob took the spot on the sofa, offered by Tess. ‘I wanted to see how you were all doing. How is Houdini now, or perhaps more pertinently, how are you?’
‘He’s absolutely fine as you can probably tell.’ At that precise moment, Barney was turning in circles on the sofa, pawing at the blanket to ensure it was exactly in the right position, before he flopped down onto the cushion, nestling his rear end into Rob’s side. Rob, knowing exactly what his role was in this arrangement, duly scratched Barney’s rump. Tess shook her head in mock dismay; she had intended to sit alongside Rob, but with her place hijacked by Barney, she sat in the chair opposite him instead.
‘I, on the other hand, well, let’s just say it might take me a while yet to get over it,’ she said with a wry smile.
‘I can imagine. Danny was telling me what happened. You should have called me. I would have come and helped you look for him.’
‘Oh, I didn’t want to disturb you. I knew that you were out with your family. And to be honest, I was so caught up in the moment and finding Barney that it didn’t occur to me to call you until later, by which point, the intrepid traveller had returned home. It was fortunate that Danny was around at the time. I was so grateful to him. I’ve had a few sleepless nights wondering what might have happened if we hadn’t found him then and if he’d wandered off into the countryside to find more scraps to eat. I think he was about to go pop at any moment.’
‘Well, I’m glad there was a happy ending to the story. Don’t go inflicting any more stress on your poor mum, though, Barney.’ He lightly chastised the dog, who responded with an oblivious, happy wag of his tail. ‘And how were your visitors?’ he asked, taking a sip from his wine.
‘They were delightful, really friendly. To be honest, I didn’t see much of them as they were out most of the time, but they’ve left me a glowing review so that has to be a good thing.’
‘Excellent. Mind you, I wouldn’t have expected any different.’
‘Aw, thanks Rob. You’ve been so supportive ever since I first mooted the idea. I’m not sure I would have had the confidence to see it through without you.’
He held up his palms towards her. ‘Nope, I can’t take any credit at all. You’ve done this all by yourself.’
‘Well, it’s a relief to get that first stay out of the way. I was a bit bereft after they left. I would much prefer to have someone making use of the lodge than it standing empty. I’m looking forward to next year, when hopefully, I’ll have a diary full of bookings.’ She lifted her glass to her lips at the same time as Rob did, their eyes locking over their drinks. ‘How was your weekend? Did you have a good time with the kids?’
‘Yep, it was fun. We went to see the latest superhero film, not really my kind of thing, but the kids enjoy them and it was actually better than I was expecting. Then we went to the Mexican restaurant next door. It’s always good spending time with them. I think they’re a bit unsettled because of what’s going on with their mum.’
‘Oh…’ It always came as a jolt of surprise when he mentioned his wife. As though she could pretend she didn’t actually exist if he didn’t talk about her. Now she was in the centre of the room. ‘How is Jennifer?’
‘Not great. I think she’s struggling being on her own. It’s the first time since she was a teenager so it’s a big adjustment for her and it means the kids are bearing the brunt of the fallout from that.’
‘It must worry you.’
He gave a nonchalant shrug.
‘It’s not ideal. She’s always been…’ He paused as he searched for the right word. ‘Mercurial. Vulnerable. She needs a lot of emotional support and careful handling.’
Tess nodded in what she hoped was an understanding manner, even though she was tempted to laugh, thinking that Rob made his wife sound like a temperamental sports car. Ever since she’d known him, she’d got the impression that Jennifer was the one who’d held all the power in their relationship, especially as she’d been the person to have an affair and bring about the end of the marriage. Now, hearing about a different side to Jennifer made her feel as though she was intruding on something altogether more intimate and personal.
‘It’s a difficult situation,’ she said, at a loss as to what else to say, and Rob exhaled a sigh. Her gaze travelled over his handsome features. He looked wearied, pained, as if all this was causing him a great deal of emotional turmoil.
After a prolonged silence, he said, ‘She wants me to move back in, to give our marriage another go.’
