Page 16 of Christmas Joy at the Cornish Bakery

‘No.’ Robyn shook her head. She couldn’t nod and leave it at that. If she did, Jasper would just correct her, repeat what Gerald had told him. She shrugged. ‘Most families argue, don’t they? That’s all I was referring to. People pretend to be happy when in public, to like each other. It’s not the same at home.’

Looking at her, her forehead furrowed, and her eyebrows twisted in concern, Lizzie reached out and placed her hand on Robyn’s. ‘You don’t really believe that, do you?’

Robyn glanced around the room, people still chatting and smiling at the tables, as she squirmed in her seat. Everyone knew it was for show. Each laugh, every story told, each fascinated listen, a social dance to cover up the cracks in relationships, to portray the perfect family dynamic to any and all potential onlookers.

‘She does. According to Gerald anyway.’ Jasper spoke to the table.

‘I just think people put on a pretence. Pretend everything is okay when it’s not.’ Robyn breathed out.

‘Oh, dear. You can’t believe such a thing.’ Lizzie’s voice softened. ‘People don’t have to put on a show. Not everyone anyway.’

Terrence cleared his throat, his voice gruff as he spoke. ‘I understand. My parents argued too.’

‘They did?’ Taking her hand from Robyn’s, Lizzie looked across at her husband, a look of shock on her face. ‘No, your parents never argued. Not once and I visited enough times.’

‘Oh, they did. Of course, as Robyn here has just said, they never would have wanted anyone else to know. To everyone else, they were desperate to portray this perfect front, but at home...’ Terrence shook his head, his face clouding with memories before turning to Robyn. ‘Not everyone understands, you see. Thosepeople who grew up in families where the evenings were filled with playing board games, listening to the radio or now, the television, they assume everyone else’s lives are just as simple. It wouldn’t occur to them that the so-called happy family who you see joking as they walk the dog together has a completely different life behind closed doors.’

‘Well, I know not every household is happy.’ Lizzie fiddled with her cards, which were still lying face down in their fan shape. ‘But your parents? I’m shocked they were able to cover it up so easily.’

Terrence lifted his cup. ‘And therein lies the problem: people covering something up such as an unhappy marriage or other such worries are often so adept at putting on a show to people, at essentially living a lie in public, that the act becomes easy.’

Pushing her chair back, Lizzie slowly walked around to her husband and hugged him from the back. ‘Why didn’t you ever say anything?’

Jasper shot Robyn a look, an expression flashing across his face, one which she couldn’t quite make out. Was he angry at her for exposing the truth about Terrence’s family? For highlighting a past he’d repressed? Or was it pity in his eyes she could detect?

Terrence twisted in his seat. ‘Honestly, my love, I didn’t not say anything, it just never came up. By the time we met, most of the arguments had stopped and were instead replaced with a silence. They rubbed along for years like that until my dad passed away.’

‘I wish you could have spoken to me about it.’ Lizzie rubbed his shoulders.

‘I would have done if I’d wanted to, love. I can talk to you about anything and everything. Both of us can, but I didn’t need to.’ Terrence squeezed his wife’s hand and met Robyn’s eyes. ‘And I can hand on heart promise you that not all families arethe same. We’re not putting on a show to anyone. What you see is what you get with us.’

Robyn nodded slowly. It was sweet of him to say, but on the other hand, he would just say that, wouldn’t he? He wouldn’t just come out in the middle of the lounge here and admit if they argued, anyway. She bit down on her bottom lip. She may only have known Lizzie and Terrence for a few hours now, but they seemed sincere. Still...

‘And one other thing. Your belief that true love doesn’t exist? In short, that’s a load of codswallop.’ Lizzie ran her finger down Terrence’s cheek before leaning down and kissing him.

‘Oh, Mum.’ Their son, Tom, frowned. ‘There’s a time and a place for that.’

Straightening her back, Lizzie waved her hand, dismissing his comment. ‘As if you and Lucy don’t ever kiss in public.’

‘But...’

‘No, buts son. Me and your mother have the real deal, true love, and if my wife wants to kiss me in public, then that’s what we’ll do.’ Terrence chuckled.

Laughing, Tom reached his arm around his wife’s shoulders and pulled her close, kissing her on top of the head. ‘Fair enough. That’s me told.’

As she slipped back into her chair next to Robyn, Lizzie squeezed her hand. ‘And you, dear, will find love just likes ours one day and then you’ll know that not everything you witness is a fabrication.’

Robyn looked at Lizzie before pulling her mug towards her again, a flash of self-consciousness flushing across her cheeks. Is this what Gerald had in mind when he’d insisted she join Jasper here?

Chapter Thirteen

‘Morning, love. Did you sleep well?’ Elsie looked up from the dough she was kneading as Robyn let the kitchen door close behind her.

‘Morning, yes thanks.’ Robyn stifled a yawn as she looked across to Teresa, who was icing cupcakes. ‘Hi, Teresa.’

‘Hey, Robyn.’ Teresa grinned as she swapped the pale orange icing bag for one containing green.

‘What do you want me to do?’ Robyn pulled an apron from the hooks by the door and pulled it over her head. She’d probably had the best night’s sleep last night than she had for the first time since she’d arrived, which had meant she’d actually got up when her alarm had gone off instead of automatically snoozing it for another hour or two as she’d done every other morning. Despite not feeling fully awake yet, it felt good to be up this early, to see the winter sun beginning to rise outside the kitchen window. Quiet music played from a radio on a shelf at the back of the kitchen and the aroma of baking bread mixed with the spicey scent of gingerbread, resulting in the most cosy atmosphere Robyn thought she’d ever experienced.

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