Page 47 of Coming Home to Roseford Villas
‘She’ll be at work, Aunt Vi,’ Leo replied. ‘But don’t worry, I’ll call her later. Well, when I can get my head around what time it is in Melbourne, anyway.’
‘You know, it all seems to be falling into place rather well, given the confusion at the start,’ Vi said. She placed the cup of Horlicks she was carrying down on a coaster on the chest of drawers by the bedroom door. ‘I know you said you weren’t hungry, but I thought some of this would do you good. Bryan calls it Yorkshire Laudanum, you know. Knock you out in a minute if you drink it before bed.’
Leo smiled. ‘What would I do without you, Aunt Vi?’
Vi smiled back. ‘Get on with you. Now, is there anything else you need before I leave you alone?’
‘I’ll be right, thanks,’ Leo replied. ‘I’m just glad to be back.’
‘We’re glad you’re here, too,’ Vi said. ‘I know your Uncle Bryan won’t say it in so many words, but he’s right proud you’re taking over.’
‘You’ve done more than I ever could have hoped,’ Leo said softly. ‘You’ve put your trust in me to run this place, and I can never repay you for that.’
‘You might think differently once we’ve handed over the reins entirely,’ Vi replied dryly. ‘Looking after it for the summer was one thing, but forever? I hope you know what you’re taking on.’
‘I’ll have great teachers,’ Leo said, smiling at his aunt.
‘Oh,’ Vi said, furrowing her brow, ‘that reminds me. I know what I meant to tell you. I was talking to Stella Simpson, who runs the retreat at the other end of the village, the other day. She said that girl who rented the chalet last summer has moved back to the village. You know, the one you got, er, friendly with? What was her name?’
‘Rory,’ Leo said. He sat down onto the bed with a jarring thump to the base of his spine. ‘Aunt Vi, are you sure?’
‘Well, Stella told me, so I’d be surprised if she was mistaken. She’s doing some supply teaching in one of the local schools, apparently.’
‘Did Stella say where she was living?’ Leo asked, cursing the excited tremble in his voice.
‘No,’ Vi replied. ‘I didn’t really think to ask. Sorry, love. I was a bit too concerned with getting something for Uncle Bryan’s headache. We’d run out of painkillers, you see, and the cost of paracetamol at that village shop! Honestly, you could buy ten packets in the supermarket for less…’
Leo didn’t take in the finer details of the cost of over-the-counter analgesics at this point, he was too shaken up by the revelation that Rory was back in Roseford. She was really, really back! And now, as of tonight, so was he. Once Aunt Vi had wished him goodnight and closed the bedroom door, Leo pulledout his phone. With trembling hands, he swiped to her number. For the next half an hour, he dithered over the precise wording of the text he wanted to send. What should he say? Eventually, after typing and deleting what felt like dozens of variants of the same thing, he settled on a message:
Hi Rory. Hope you’re well. I hear you’re back in Roseford. Can we talk?
Taking a deep breath, he pressed ‘Send’.
He then spent the next half an hour waiting to see if she’d read it. By the time he’d got ready for bed, downed the rapidly cooling Horlicks and switched off the light, he was still waiting.
55
After a stomach-churningly sweaty, nervous and sleepless night, caused by the combination of the realisation that he was now taking over Roseford Villasfor real, and that Rory still hadn’t read his text, Leo pulled himself out of bed to a cold, crisp, frosty day. After showering and chucking on some clothes, he went down to the kitchen to find Aunt Vi already in full flow with the breakfast service for the residents.
‘Shouldn’t I be doing that?’ Leo asked as she glanced up from the eggs she was scrambling and smiled briefly at him before returning her attention to the pan.
‘Thought you’d like a day or so to settle in before we start the actual training,’ Aunt Vi replied, with a brief smile over her shoulder. ‘Although I’m sure you’re already familiar with a lot of it from when you were here before.’
‘Just like riding a bike,’ Leo said, smiling back despite his tiredness. Aunt Vi always did know how to make him feel better. He grabbed the toast rack, already loaded up with white and brown. ‘Which table is this for?’
‘The couple by the window,’ Vi replied. ‘Thanks, love.’
Leo helped out with the breakfast service and tried valiantly to put what he’d learned about Rory’s whereabouts to the back of his mind. If she wanted to, she’d reply to him. If she didn’t… well, he’d have to accept that.
After clearing down the breakfast things, he asked if Vi minded if he went out to the village.
‘Of course not, love. As I said, you can be a guest for a couple of days, before we really get going with the handover. But while you’re down there, would you be able to collect a frock that Polly’s altering for me? She owns the dress shop in the village, Roseford Reloved. I know I shouldn’t be shopping for Spain yet, but I saw something on her sale rail that I just had to have, and when it was a bit big, she said she’d take it in. I tried it on the other day, but didn’t have my purse with me, so left it there. I’ll settle up with you when I get back.’
‘No worries,’ Leo replied. ‘I won’t be long.’
Chucking on a soft, navy-blue jumper, and his dark brown leather jacket that was hanging up on the coat rack in the hall, Leo felt the bite of the cold as he left the house. He sped up a little, and soon the pace warmed him. He’d have to get used to the colder winters now he was a permanent resident, not just of the UK but of Roseford. The West Country tended to get cold and damp rather than snowy, but all the same, it wouldn’t do any harm to invest in some warmer clothing.
As he approached the main street, he could see that the tourists, though fewer than in the summer, were already starting to arrive. Ducking into Roseford Reloved, he spotted a couple of people already perusing the rails.
