‘What’s up?’ Florrie asked as she set the biscuit tin on the table. ‘I’ve got the munchies; can’t wait till our evening meal, I’m afraid.’ She popped the lid off and helped herself to a chocolate digestive, offering the tin to Ed.
‘No, thanks.’ He shook his head, turning his phone towards her. ‘Take a look at this.’
‘What am I looking at?’ She peered through her glasses, squinting. ‘Oh—’ She stopped in her tracks. ‘Is that who I think it is?’
‘Mm-hm.’
Florrie grabbed a chair and nudged it closer to Ed, before easing onto it. ‘Can you play it again? I couldn’t see it too clearly with my eyesight being so pants.’
‘Two ticks, I’m still getting used to all the settings.’ He took a few seconds of tapping on the screen before he said, ‘That’s it.’
They both watched as Dawn arrived at their gate, her whole demeanour radiating annoyance. Even her resting face was one of fury.She knocked at the door, glancing aroundher as she waited a couple of moments. When no one answered, she fished around in her bag, brought out a key and went to push it into the lock. Her expression darkened with irritation when she couldn’t get it in. She made several attempts, her face growing increasingly angry each time the key failed to fit in the hole, until she became verbally abusive.
‘Oh, blimey, she doesn’t sound happy,’ said Florrie, as a tirade of abuse was hurled at the lock, her ears picking up Ed’s name amongst it all, as well as her own.
‘She hasn’t finished,’ said Ed, still holding his phone between them.
Florrie looked on as Dawn lashed out at the plant pot beside the door, knocking it over.
‘Goodness, she’s got a heck of a temper. I wondered what had happened to the plant pot, especially since it hasn’t been windy enough to knock it over.’
When the footage came to an end, Ed turned to her, disappointment hovering in his eyes. ‘This is proof that my mother clearly hasn’t listened to a word anyone’s said to her.’
‘At least she couldn’t get in. You never know, it might make her take notice,’ said Florrie, keen to reassure him. She hoped she sounded more convincing than she felt.
‘This has got to stop,’ said Ed grimly. He pushed his chair back and got to his feet. ‘She’s used up all her chances. I don’t see why we should have to put up with this, especially with our wedding being so close.’
Florrie watched as he headed out of the kitchen, the sound of his determined strides making their way down the hall. Seconds later came the sound of the front door closing. Gerty glanced over at Florrie and whimpered.
Though Ed had been gone for less than an hour, it had felt more like twice that to Florrie, and her heart leapt when she heard hiskey in the door. Following Gerty down the hallway, she found him unbuttoning his coat.
‘Hi.’ Though he smiled, she was struggling to read his expression. He bent and ruffled Gerty’s ears. ‘Hello, lass.’
‘Hi, you okay?’ Florrie asked, anxiety squirming in her stomach. She couldn’t imagine how awful it must be for him to have to keep tackling his parents about their unreasonable behaviour, not to mention exhausting.
‘I am now. Come on, I’ll make a pot of tea and tell you all about it.’ He hung up his coat then flung his arm around her and kissed her on the cheek as they made their way to the kitchen.
Florrie listened, her hands cradling her mug, as Ed explained how he’d called his parents and told them to meet him at his mother’s B&B. There he showed them both the doorbell camera footage of Dawn attempting to gain entry to Samphire Cottage.
‘There was no way she could wriggle out of it,’ he told her matter-of-factly. ‘Not that she didn’t have a good old try, mind, but even my father was having none of her rubbish. I told her if she didn’t go back to London, I’d have no choice but to take legal action. Left her in no doubt I wasn’t joking. Between us, me and my father managed to get her to agree to leave. She packed her bags while I was there and is heading back first thing.’
Florrie let his words sink in. ‘And are you sure she’ll definitely leave?’ She hardly dared hope it could be the end of the trouble Dawn had been subjecting them to; the woman wasn’t exactly one for taking things lying down.
‘I’m positive. The look on her face told me she knew she was beaten; I’ve never seen her wear an expression of defeat like that. Though, before I left, she took great pleasure in telling me she wanted nothing more to do with me; that I was no longer her son.’
‘I’m so sorry, Ed, that can’t have been very nice for you to hear.’ Her heart twisted for him.
‘It’s nothing more than I expected. In fact, I felt surprisingly numb to her words; they didn’t upset me at all. I’ve come to realise they’re par for the course with my mother. All I feelnow is relief.’ He reached over and took Florrie’s hands in his. ‘It’s over, Florrie. There’ll be no more trouble from her – or my father. We’re free to get on with looking forward to our wedding. We’re all that matters now, you and me.’ He raised his hand to her face, cupping her cheek, and touched his lips to hers.
Gerty whimpered from her bed, making them pull apart, the pair of them giggling.
‘Ah, bless her,’ Florrie said fondly.
‘And of course, you matter, too, Gerty-Girl,’ Ed said, laughing. ‘We could never forget you.’
THIRTY-FOUR
SATURDAY 25TH APRIL
