‘Come on,’ Colin said when they’d rejoined Xander and the rest of Nell’s family. ‘Freddie, Leanne, we’re going home.’
‘You don’t need to do that,’ Nell said, looking at him with pleading in her eyes. ‘Stay, Dad, please. We’ll go out to dinner or something before you all head off.’
‘Sorry, Nelly. I don’t think we can.’ He glanced at Xander. ‘Er, something urgent’s just come up. Sorry to have to dash off. Hopefully we can get better acquainted another day.’
‘OK, what was that all about?’ Xander asked Nell when they’d gone.
Nell had turned pale again, but she smiled at him. ‘Nothing. Something silly. I kind of lied to my dad about my scooter after the break-in the other week.’
‘Your scooter that got stolen?’
‘Yeah. I told him it was covered by the insurance and I’d had it replaced. He bought it for me, and I knew he’d be worried sick if I confessed I’d been sleeping in a house with a broken door for the best part of four months.’
‘That’s why he stormed off like that? Because you ’fessed up about your door?’
‘He’s not too happy with me,’ she admitted. ‘That’s the reason I was so keen to avoid them coming till I’d got more of the repair work done. Dad only worries.’ She scowled. ‘Bloody Freddie, I could throttle him. Nearly all his life he’s been dropping me in it.’
Xander examined her face. ‘Nell, are you telling me the truth?’
‘I… Xand, it’s just family stuff, OK? Shackleton stuff. It’s like you with the anniversary of your dad’s death.’ She looked up at him. ‘It’s not that I want us to have secrets from each other. It’s just that right at the moment, you’re my happy place. I like to keep you separate from all the weird.’
He smiled. ‘Well, that I get.’
‘It’s OK, isn’t it? For us to let ourselves just enjoy this bit, when it’s all new and beautiful? There’ll be plenty of time for sharing life stuff.’
He met her eyes. ‘All the time in the world, Nell,’ he said softly.
‘Xander, you’re incredible. I mean it. You really are.’ She patted his arm in lieu of the kiss she would’ve given him if they’d been alone. ‘We should go mingle. We are actually supposed to be running this event. Plus I want to give that frobscottle a try.’
‘We should also probably stop lurking in corners together. Given we’re trying not to give rise to gossip.’
‘Mmm.’ Nell nodded to Mrs Rhodes, who was eyeing them with a knowing simper from across the room as she queued for a cuppa. ‘I’m not sure that’s really a strength of ours, is it?’
He laughed. ‘Well, come on, let’s try this discretion thing on for size. You go that way, I’ll go this way. See you later.’
There was only half an hour of the fete left to go now. The visitors had started to thin out a little, but numbers were still very healthy.
As she weaved through the crowd, Nell wondered how much they’d raised so far for the charity they were supporting. Lots, judging by the attendance. Perhaps when it was all counted up, they could get one of those giant cheques to present for a photo op. Xander could be in the paper with some of the kids, maybe in fancy dress. She guessed he’d hate the idea of that, but it would be good publicity for the school and the charity. Plus it’d be one in the eye for Ryan Theakston and anyone else who hadn’t believed he could do it. Xander might be above such petty thoughts, but she bloody well wasn’t.
She could see Ryan actually, face like a Force Ten hurricane, being dragged around by a woman she presumed was the lady lucky enough to have been granted the honour of becoming Mrs Theakston.
Nell couldn’t resist. She just had to go up and have a bit of a gloat.
‘Hi Ryan,’ she said, smiling brightly as she approached him browsing the Marvellous Medicines all-natural handmade smellies stall. ‘So, what do you think?’
‘Bit pricey for my purse,’ he muttered, drawing an offended ‘humph’ from the mum running the stall.
‘Of the event, I mean,’ Nell said. ‘You must be pleased by how well-attended it’s been. I reckon we could turn it into a yearly thing, don’t you?’
‘Hm. Not bad,’ was all the grudging praise she could draw from him.
‘I’m considering sending a write-up to the Halifax Courier,’ she told him, just to see the look on his face. ‘I bet they’d run a story, don’t you think? I thought maybe we could ask for a photographer to come and get a snap of Xander presenting a cheque to the charity.’
His frown grew deeper. ‘What?’
‘You know, one of those big ones. I know Xander won’t like it, the modest lad he is, but he’s worked so hard that I think we should press him to take the credit he deserves. Don’t you agree?’
Ryan was silent, but his smiley, pleasant-looking wife – who surely went to prove the truth of the phrase that opposites attract – looked up from the organic bath hampers to nod in agreement.
‘It’s certainly an impressive feat,’ she said. ‘You know, I don’t mind admitting I had my doubts about that young man when Ryan told me he’d been offered the role of acting head. Always looked like he couldn’t boo a goose to me. But he seems to have really found his voice lately.’
‘Yes, well thank you for your contribution, Martha,’ Ryan snapped. ‘The next time I need your advice on—’
At that moment a woman stumbled forward from the crowd, falling heavily against the table. There was a crash as a couple of jars of rose water fell to the floor and smashed to pieces, filling the air with a sweet, slightly sickly perfume.
‘Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,’ the woman gasped, looking horrified. ‘I’ll… I’ll pay for those.’
‘Anne?’ Martha Theakston said. ‘We hadn’t expected to see you today.’
Nell frowned. Anne Scott – Xander’s mum? Was this her?
Anne leaned forward to peer at Martha.
‘Martha,’ she said at last. ‘Yes. Well, I had to come and support my boy, didn’t I? You know, he’s worked ever so hard.’
‘Are you all right?’ Martha asked. ‘That fall into the table looked like a bruiser.’
‘Fine,’ Anne said, glancing vacantly around her. ‘Fine, yes, just fine.’
Her wandering gaze fell on the smashed jars again and she looked up in horror at the parent running the stall. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. Here, let me clean that up. I’ll pay, I promise. Do you take cards? No, no, of course you don’t, how silly. My son… I didn’t bring any money, but he can give you some when he comes. This is his school.’
Wobbling slightly, she knelt down and started trying to pick up the glass with her fingers. Martha cast a worried look at her husband, who shrugged.
Nell got to her knees beside Anne.
‘Don’t,’ she said gently, resting her hand on the other woman’s arm. ‘You’ll cut yourself. Let me fetch a dustpan and handbrush, eh? I can clean it up, I work here.’
‘I didn’t mean to… just fell, that’s all.’
‘I know. It was an accident. Mrs Scott, let me, please.’
Anne stopped picking at the glass to stare at her. Her eyes were glazed and red-rimmed.
‘You’re her,’ she mumbled. ‘The girl. Xander’s girl.’
‘Um, I’m Nell.’ She summoned a smile. ‘Hello.’
‘He said you were beautiful.’ Anne stared hard at her, as if struggling to focus. ‘You are rather, aren’t you? That’s not really important, though. Do you make him happy?’
‘Er…’ Nell glanced helplessly up at Ryan and his wife.
‘Anne, why don’t you let me take you out for some fresh air?’ Martha said, smiling kindly. ‘It’s ages since we had a lovely long chat. We never seem to see you at WI meetings these days.’
Nell nodded. ‘That sounds like a good idea. I can get this mess cleaned up and go find Xander.’
Anne grabbed Nell’s arm and held it hard. ‘I said, do you make him happy?’ she said in a loud voice. Heads were starting to turn now. ‘I should be allowed to know, if you’re going to be taking him away from me.’
‘I… hope we’re good friends, yes.’
‘His father made me happy. Very happy, once. But I didn’t make him very happy, did I?’ She let out a hysterical sort of laugh. ‘I made him… made him…’
‘Mrs Scott, you’re hurting me,’ Nell whispered.
Anne looked down at her fingers digging into Nell’s arm and dropped it at once, staring in horror at her own hand. ‘Oh, my dear, I’m so sorry.’
Then she buried her face in her hands and burst into tears.
Across the room, Xander had discovered Sara and Jacob queueing for the Giant Peach bowling and stopped for a chat.
‘Having fun?’ he said, ruffling Jacob’s hair. The toddler eyed him resentfully as he sucked on Ben the Bunny’s foot.
‘We’re flying by the seat of our pants, aren’t we, Jacob?’ Sara said. ‘We’ve been to a chocolate factory, we’ve met the BFG, we’ve eaten a snozzcumber and Mummy’s going to pick up a bottle of wine on the way home that she’s not going to share with Daddy tonight.’
Xander smiled. ‘Sounds like Mummy’s earned it.’
‘Has it all run smoothly then, Mr Scott?’
‘Yeah, it has actually. All that worry, and it’s been and gone in a flash.’
‘It’s been a triumph. Hope you’re proud, Xand.’ She glanced down at Jacob. ‘We’re proud of Uncle Xander, aren’t we, kiddo?’
Jacob wasn’t old enough to shrug, but he managed to convey the same sentiment with his eyes.
‘I am feeling pretty pleased with myself. Although Nell really deserves most of the credit.’ Xander looked around for her, but she’d disappeared into the crowd. ‘I met her parents today, Sar.’
‘Nice?’
He frowned. ‘Well, the stepmum seemed pleasant, although Nell said things were a bit strained between the two of them. But her dad… I’m not sure what to make of him. He might be a bit of a bully. Nell seemed sort of afraid of him – Freddie too.’
‘Why, what happened?’
‘She introduced him to me and Stevie, and he was pretty weird about her having a group of new friends. Then he dragged her off for a private word and she came back white as a ghost.’
Sara blinked. ‘Odd. Are they still here?’
‘No, he took his wife and son and flounced out after that. He told us something urgent had come up back at home.’
‘What did Nell say?’
‘She tried to dismiss it. Said they’d had a row about her scooter or something, but I didn’t like it. I’m sure there’s more to it than she’s saying.’
‘How come you never told her about your dad? I mean, about today? I put my foot right in it before.’
He flushed. ‘Just… you know, Marie and everything. I didn’t want to put her off with unrelenting misery when we’ve only been together a few weeks. I really like her, Sar.’
‘I know you do, love.’ She frowned. ‘Hey. Isn’t that your mum over there by the smellies? I didn’t think she was coming.’
He turned to look and grimaced. ‘Oh God. It is and she’s talking to Nell. I hope she’s not telling her how amazing I am.’
‘Looks like something’s been broken.’ Sara watched the scene with a worried expression. ‘Um, Xander. I think you’d better get over there.’
He turned back to look at her. ‘What’s up, can you see what they’re saying? Are they talking about me?’
‘Your mum… the way her lips are moving.’ Sara lowered her voice. ‘Xand, I think she might be drunk.’
‘Shit! Oh, shit! No, not here. Not today.’
Xander pushed his way through the crowd. All the people close to the smellies stall had stopped to look at his mum and Nell. His mum had started sobbing, rocking on her haunches, while poor Nell crouched beside her, looking horrified.
‘Mum?’ he said.
She rubbed her face and looked up at him, forcing a smile. ‘Xander. You see, here I am.’ She wobbled sideways, putting her hand down to steady herself. ‘Whoops.’
‘Mum, careful, the glass!’
‘Oh,’ she said, holding her cut hand up in front of her and staring at it in a puzzled sort of way. ‘I’m bleeding.’ She laughed. ‘Silly old thing. Always in the wars, aren’t I?’
‘Here, let’s get you up.’ Xander came forward and held out his hand. She seized it with her uncut one and he helped her to her feet.
Her skirt had hitched up at the back when she’d fallen into the glass. Xander winced when he noticed her underwear was visible.
‘Mum, your skirt…’
‘Skirt. Yes.’ She tried to straighten it, but only succeeded in yanking it down at one side.
‘Let me,’ Xander said, flushing bright red as he tugged it back into place for her. ‘There. All smart again.’
‘Came to see your fair,’ she mumbled. ‘And the girl. I like her.’
The hall was deathly silent now. Everyone had turned to watch the scene that was unfolding.
Xander looked at Nell, who’d got to her feet and was blinking in shock along with everyone else.
‘What the hell is everyone staring at?’ Anne demanded, turning unfocused eyes on her audience.
‘They’re not staring, Mum,’ Xander said in a pained whisper. ‘It’s your imagination.’
‘They’re staring. Staring at the weirdo family. Wondering what goes on behind closed doors, what we did to drive him to it – I know.’
‘Honestly they’re not. You’re just tired.’ She tottered slightly and Xander put a supportive arm around her.
Anne gasped out a sob. ‘I am sorry, Xander, I couldn’t help it. It was… too hard. Every time I close my eyes, I see him there.’
‘I know,’ he said gently. ‘Let’s go back home and get something on that cut, eh? I’ll look after you.’
‘Flowers.’ She clutched at his arm, leaving a bloody mark on his jacket. ‘Xander, we have to take them to him.’
‘I think you ought to get a bit of sleep first. We can take them tomorrow when you’re… better.’
He felt his mum’s body sag against him. She seemed smaller suddenly, frailer, as if their roles from his early years had now reversed and he was the parent, she the child.
‘I hope… I hope I won’t get you into any trouble, Xander,’ she whispered. ‘You’re all I’ve got.’ She laughed. ‘Soft old baggage, aren’t I? Still embarrassing you in front of your friends just like when you were a boy.’
‘Don’t be daft. I’ve never been embarrassed by you.’ He gave her a squeeze. ‘Come on, old lady, let’s go home.’
She smiled. ‘Oi. Less of the old, you.’
‘Well, young lady then,’ he said, bending to plant a kiss on her hair.
‘You were always a good boy. Exceptional.’ She let out another sob. ‘You know, they… they put that on your school report once.’
There was silence. All eyes followed the tall young man, glowing with a quiet inner dignity as he supported his sobbing, stumbling parent out of the hall.