Page 40 of Escape to the Country

When I got in the passenger seat of his car, Edward smiled at me and we chatted amiably for the journey. He was so easy to talk to. I could definitely see why Mum liked him.

When we arrived at Giddywell Grange, he said how lovely the barn was and as he had offered to carry my shopping in with me, I invited him in to have a quick look around. He stroked Baxter as we walked into the kitchen and he started to bark and ran off excitedly. I almost died of shame when I was giving Edward a guided tour and Baxter ran into the dining room with a pair of very small, red flimsy pants and started to fling them around up in the air and brought them over to Edward to throw for him. I didn’t know where to put myself as I wrestled them off him which he thought was even more fun and started doing doggy tug of war.

‘You should maybe buy him some toys, you know.’ Edward laughed and it eased some of my horror. ‘I’ll go and leave you to it. Looks like someone wants your attention.’ We both laughed.

As Edward walked out of the front door, he turned to look at me. ‘Your father was a complete fool, you know, Madison. A huge fool! You look just like your mum. You’re both beautiful and funny and kind.’

‘Ooh, you old smoothie!’ I batted his arm and leant across and kissed his cheek. He raised his hand in a wave as he drove away. He definitely reminded me of someone. It must be an actor or someone off the TV. I was sure that it would come to me eventually.

* * *

Work the next day was so busy that I didn’t really have much time to think about anything in particular, which was a good thing. I’d managed to avoid calls from Jamie and dropped him a brief text, saying that I needed some time to think and that I’d get in touch with him when I was ready. I didn’t hear back from him so could only assume that he had accepted my need for some time.

A night in, in my PJs, was on the cards, but before that, I needed to pop into the local supermarket. I’d bought some new fairy lights at the weekend and I’d wound them round the beams in the lounge but realised when I went to plug them in that they needed batteries and weren’t the plug-in kind. I needed to stock up on a few bits and bobs but I couldn’t remember what I needed because I’d left my list on the dining room table, so I ended up grabbing a packet of chocolate fingers and the batteries.

When I went to the checkout till, there was a new young lad who I’d not seen before. He looked really pleasant and was chatting nicely to those in the queue before me. When my items moved up the conveyor belt, he looked at what I’d bought, winked at me and said, ‘Blimey, you look like you’re in for a good night!’ Totally mortified, I grabbed my stuff, handed over a tenner and told him to keep the change.

18

The following day, when I went to visit Beth, I was totally gobsmacked when she told me what she’d been up to.

She’d only gone and booked a surprise holiday for me and Mum. The last time I went away with Mum was when I was fifteen. We couldn’t afford many holidays in those days but Mum had been working extra shifts and had saved up enough to go on a caravan holiday to Cornwall. It was lovely, apart from the fact that I was fifteen and hormonal and a bit bored, and to add to my dismay and disappointment that we weren’t spending a week in the Med, like most of the kids at school, the car broke down on the way there and we had to wait for four hours to get the rescue services out. Not the best start.

As it was a caravan holiday and I was a lazy teenager, I suppose all it really meant for Mum was that she got to cook and clean in a different place to home. I never realised this till years later and it was probably too late to apologise then. And the rain! It never stopped all week. Mum must have felt awful. Why hadn’t I seen it at the time?

Since I’d been working, I’d never again planned a UK holiday. I made sure that even if it meant scrimping and saving, I’d go abroad. I never wanted to go back to Cornwall and have a holiday like that again.

But the tickets, which Beth now handed me, showed that we were going somewhere way further than Cornwall. The tickets were for a Mediterranean cruise.

‘Bloody hell, Beth. I can’t accept this. This is a crazy present.’ I looked at the dates. It was in three days’ time. For a split second, I thought that I’d never have time to get work sorted to be ready for then. Then reality hit again. I didn’t work at Ronington’s any more. I could actually go on holiday not worrying about a thing, apart from having no work, no plans and wondering what the hell was going to happen in my life once Beth was better.

‘It’s not as generous as it looks,’ she said. ‘I’d booked those dates for myself and then obviously ended up having the op, so I’m not able to go. And to be honest, it was never going to work out, me not being around for the dogs. I’d miss them too much and Dad would never cope without me.’

‘But Beth, it must have cost you a small fortune.’

‘Actually, I haven’t told anyone this, but I won it in a competition. I’ve been entering lots of competitions recently and couldn’t believe my luck when I won this one. So it hasn’t cost me a penny. I’ve already checked and transferred it over into your names. You just need to ring the cruise line and confirm your passport numbers and Bob’s your uncle. I’m not taking no for an answer. I do hope your mum has got a passport.’

I supposed I’d better check with Mum as soon as I could.

‘But what about the kennels? And what about Baxter? I can’t go swanning off on a cruise.’

‘Yes, you can. Alex is going to be back here for a few days because I was going anyway, and young Russell has agreed to do extra hours too. Baxter can come and stay over here at the farm with me when he’s not over at the kennels. It’s only for a long weekend and it’s all already organised. It’s just something from us here to say thank you for all that you’ve done for us. We couldn’t have managed these last few weeks without you, and you’ll need to work your backside off when you come back too. Ring your mum now and tell her, Mads. Go on, I want to be with you when you tell her.’

‘Beth, this is just amazing. Are you absolutely sure?’

‘I couldn’t be surer, Mads.’

Maddy leaned across and gave her a hug.

‘Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is just amazing. Right, I’m going to ring Mum right now.’ I couldn’t stop smiling.

‘Hey, Mum, how are you?’

‘Oh, Madison, my darling, how lovely to hear from you. It does make my day when you call.’

I smiled then realised that she couldn’t see me. ‘Well, I might make your day even more now, Mum. What are you doing Friday onwards for the next few days?’

‘Mmm, that sounds mysterious. Now, let me check.’ I could hear Mum’s heels click-clacking across the tiled kitchen floor and could just imagine her checking the calendar which was – and has always been – pinned to the fridge door. ‘Well, it’s knit and natter tomorrow morning at the wool shop in the village, and book club on Wednesday evening at the library. Apart from that, from Thursday onwards I have no plans apart from dull stuff like food shopping. Why do you ask?’

---