Page 8 of Could It Be Magic?
Thea had never been wealthy. When her parents had died, the proceeds from their estate had been held in trust for both herself and Tristan until they were eighteen. The inheritance was substantial, and both she and Tristan had used some of the money to put themselves through university. Then, wisely, Tristan had put his share into property and now owned his house outright, having bought a decrepit townhouse on the outskirts of Taunton’s city centre and renovated it.
Sadly, Thea’s fortunes hadn’t been so lucky. Even now, the sting of what she’d had, and what she’d lost, stayed with her and tainted every decision she made. She’d fallen in love with a charming man, who’d swept her off her feet and had promised to give her the security that she’d craved in the wake of her parents’ death. She’d fallen hard for Ed and had been blind to his gambling problem that eventually became an addiction which inevitably caused tensions, a rift, and, eventually, a separation. Unfortunately for Thea and her two children, by the time she’d realised what was happening, Ed had left her and what was left of her inheritance was sunk into a house that was more mortgage than mortar. That the Observatory Field site held painful memories for her, there was no doubt, but the development was a stone’s throw from her grandmother’s cottage, and she couldn’t bear to pass up the opportunity to own her own home.
It was funny, she thought, how she and Tristan had felt so differently about Observatory Field. Tristan had headed up the development as a kind of catharsis: it allowed him to control the destiny and future of the site and finally see the building that had been so much a part of the family’s life, and their tragedy, razed to the ground. In Tristan’s eyes, it was just what the place deserved: the final piece in the long, painful puzzle of the Lower Brambleton Observatory’s history. Taking charge of that last step was Tristan’s way of gaining closure after a lifetime of living with the traumatic memories the place evoked.
Thea glanced up at the sky, which was still dotted with bright stars, even though dawn would start greying the velvety blackness over the next couple of hours. Her parents had loved being here, in this space, and had spent many hours observing the night sky through the great telescope inside the dome of the observatory. They’d even discovered something hitherto unseen; an eclipsing binary, a pair of orbiting stars that moved in perfect harmony on the tip of the Volucris constellation. Although that discovery had been lost to time for thirty years, due to the bitterness and frustration of Lorelai’s brother, here had been a posthumous accolade for her parents, and while this would always be bittersweet, she was delighted that it had happened.
But Thea would never stop missing them. Even though they were blurred memories in her mind, she was still brought up short by the scent of Yardley’s Lily of the Valley if she happened to smell it or had to blink away sudden tears if she saw a copy of Better Than Life, her father’s favourite science fiction novel, on a charity shop bookshelf. Something that always made her smile, though, was whenever Chesney Hawkes’ ‘I Am the One and Only’ came on the radio. She had a faded memory of her mother bopping along in the kitchen to the catchy pop song, and she could never be sure if she actually did remember her rather more serious father rolling his eyes whenever she did, or if it was just her own childish mind filling in the gaps.
Her gentle, pre-dawn meandering had taken her to a familiar spot. When the housing development had been conceived, a late addition had been made that had necessitated the adjustment of the plans for one part of the land. Inset into a small, paved area where the observatory itself had once stood was a burnished bronze plaque with a by now very familiar inscription:
This plaque is dedicated to the tireless efforts and passion for discovery of the members of the Lower Brambleton Astronomical Society.
In 1994, Laura and Martin Ashcombe, esteemed members of LBAS, made the remarkable discovery of an eclipsing binary star, expanding our understanding of the cosmos. Their dedication and contribution to the field of astronomy continue to inspire future generations of stargazers and scholars.
‘Per Aspera ad Astra’
Through hardships to the stars.
‘I miss you,’ Thea murmured as her eyes traced over the memorial plaque. She ran a tired hand over her face. ‘I wish you were here.’
Thea didn’t often feel lonely, although the loss she’d suffered was always with her. Children, both her own and those for whom she was responsible in her classroom, stopped her from feeling that emotion, and she knew that Tristan would always be there for her, come what may. And Lorelai, too, for as long as she was still around. But in the darkness of what felt like yet another morning of an unending winter, loneliness hit her like a smack to the stomach. The gap that her parents had left in her life had translated itself to a longing for love that, in turn, had led her to her relationship with Ed. He’d sensed that longing, but in the end, it hadn’t been enough for him. His own, addictive desires had been too great. Ed had burned her and made her more cautious than she should have been about entering into new relationships, so, for a long time she’d steered herself away from anyone who might be interested in getting involved with her.
But there was no getting away from it. She missed the feeling of arms around her. She missed being able to laugh with someone over the antics of the children, and she missed being able to call someone up and make plans for a shared evening, day or weekend together. As she glanced at her watch, and wearily contemplated the beginning of another long day, she touched her fingers to her lips and then placed them in the centre of the memorial plaque. It felt cold under her touch. Then, straightening herself back up, she headed back to the house, where, in about an hour’s time, she’d be back into the familiar routines of getting the kids up and out of the door for school. She wouldn’t be thinking about how lonely she was, then. It was only when things were quiet, in these early hours, that it seemed to creep up on her. She’d be busy at Saints’ Farm, too – the learning curve was going to be steep for a few days, and she hoped she wouldn’t have time for gloomy thoughts. Letting herself back into the house, she closed the front door quietly and went through to the kitchen to make a cup of tea before the day really got going.
7
The sight of Nick’s smile of welcome as she pushed open the doors of the farm shop did a lot to calm Thea’s nerves. Nick, who’d always been the shy and reserved one of their friendship group at school, had, in adulthood, developed a quiet confidence that Thea found calmed her down. They’d drifted apart over the years, but whenever their paths had crossed, Thea always felt the better for it afterwards, no matter how stressed she was. When she’d been living away from Lower Brambleton, during those years spent with Ed, she’d not seen much of him, or any of her school friends. Even when she and Ed had split, she’d been working so hard to provide for the children she hadn’t really had the emotional bandwidth to reconnect with her friends. However, whenever she’d returned to the village to visit her grandmother and bumped into Nick, her day had always seemed to improve. She’d always put it down to the strength of a friendship formed in early childhood, but as she walked towards him now, she wondered if something else had been behind that emotion.
‘Morning,’ he called from where he was picking up the last sack of spuds to go out on the display by the front door. ‘All set for today?’
Thea couldn’t help noticing the ease with which he handled the twenty-five-kilo sack, and the slight bulge of his biceps as he did so. This kind of work obviously kept him fit. He was in great shape, with broad shoulders and lean hips, hugged snugly by well-fitting light blue jeans, and as he brushed his hair back from his eyes as he straightened up again, she found she was looking at him rather too intensely.
‘I think so,’ she said hurriedly. ‘Where do you want me to start?’
Nick, who’d swiftly returned from outside the front door, grinned. ‘Well, why don’t you stick the kettle on? It’s usually pretty quiet between nine and ten – you’ve missed the people who tend to pop in to get lunch on their way to work.’
‘Sounds good,’ Thea replied. She donned her apron from where she’d hung it back up behind the counter after her training had finished the previous evening. Nick had shown her the small back office and the kitchen next to the storeroom, so, ascertaining if he wanted tea or coffee, she set to making it while he put the rest of the produce outside.
On her return, Nick was taking a phone call. She tried not to listen in and busied herself with looking through the price list for the loose produce, as well as some of the other documentation she might need. She couldn’t help noticing Nick’s tone of voice, though; he sounded a little stressed.
‘OK. No, look, you take things easy. Yeah, it’s not ideal, but I’m sure we’ll manage here. I’ll pop over after work and give you a hand. OK, bye.’
‘Everything all right?’ Thea asked as Nick ended the call.
Nick slipped his phone into the back pocket of his jeans and gave her a slightly less than convincing smile. ‘Er, not exactly, no. Dad’s put his back out. Silly sod was shifting the Christmas tree into the house last night and he felt it ping.’
‘Oh no,’ Thea sympathised. ‘How is he feeling?’
‘Irritated, mainly, but it means he can’t really come into work for a day or two until it settles back down. He’s doped up to the eyeballs on painkillers, so it’s not a great idea for him to muck around with the forklift and the tractor, and with Mum’s hip still mending, that leaves us even more short-handed.’ Nick gave a grimace of frustration.
Thea, who was at her best when she had to think on her feet, put a reassuring hand on his arm. ‘We’ll manage. I’m a quick learner and the film crew will only be around for a few days, won’t they? I’m sure we can muddle through, between the two of us.’
Nick gave her a smile. ‘Shouldn’t it be me trying to make you feel better? I’m in charge now, after all!’
‘I’ll try to remember that,’ Thea laughed. ‘Although I’m sure you’ll have to talk me through quite a bit if we’re going to keep this place running, between the two of us.’
‘I’m here to help in any way I can,’ Nick replied, and Thea felt a shift in the atmosphere between them as he held her gaze with his piercing blue eyes a fraction longer than necessary. ‘You’re really helping me out, Thea, and I’m grateful.’
