‘Do you see anything different? With the sisters?’ Hugh studiously made a point of not looking toward the fireplace. The night was bitter and a stout fire roared up the chimney.
‘They’ve complained about being cold so you built an extra big fire for them?’ Alex suggested.
‘Dopey answer, Alex,’ Hugh said. ‘Look again.’
She stared for a few moments. ‘Oh, no. Two covered grocery wheelies. Tell me the second one has their shopping in it. Max is on the table, as usual.’
Hugh pulled a beer for Kev Winslet and poured a glass of Cinzano for his lovely little wife, Fay, who rarely accompanied her big, often loud, husband. If his bluster bothered her, she showed no sign, rather Fay looked at him with undisguised fondness.
‘Well,’ Alex said when Hugh turned back to her. ‘Is there another cat in the Burke family?’
‘No. At least I’m told there isn’t.’
‘This is a ploy to take my mind off the current nastiness, isn’t it? You’re not funny, Hugh, and it isn’t working. Not a word from O’Reilly and Lamb since last night. I’m choking on my own nerves.’
‘A ploy? I’d use a ploy lightly? Never. It’s a dog, I think.’
Alex shook her head. ‘No, it’s not. That’s silly. Can you imagine those cats with a new dog in their house?’
‘I’m just passing along some news, that’s all. If you want to abuse me for it, I’m a big boy.’ His grin was shark-like.
Leaving the counter and walking quickly to the sisters’ table, Alex asked, more abruptly than she’d intended, ‘Have you got a dog?’
The red tartan blanket across Harriet’s knees moved and a tiny white dog pushed out its head. Bright black eyes regarded Alex, sadly she thought, and a long, very pink tongue protruded from the side of a closed mouth.
Alex leaned over and scratched the dog’s nose, rubbed between her ears and finally planted a kiss on her head. ‘You took in Lillie Belle. Thank you, ladies, but aren’t the cats having fits?’
‘Oliver ignores her and Max thinks she’s a kitten that barks. She barks and he taps her with one paw, like an irritated mother, and Lillie Belle stops barking. It’s really working very well.’
‘You’re the kindest, nicest people I know. I didn’t even think about where she was.’
‘That glamorous Mrs Hill and her son just came in,’ Harriet said in a low voice. ‘I wonder if they’ve picked a winner for the contest. If they have, someone will be very happy.’
‘I’ll be glad when it’s over. Talk to you later.’ With a sinking stomach, Alex turned around to see Esme and Grant Hill talking expansively at the counter while Hugh listened politely. When he saw Alex coming, he gave a wave. He didn’t deal well with overpowering people and was ready for her to take over.
‘Good evening,’ she said. ‘Lovely to see you. I hope you had an easier drive tonight. At least we’re only getting rain, not snow.’ She came close to wincing. Her heritage was showing. The British could always use weather to make empty conversation.
Esme threw her arms around Alex in a smothering hug, murmuring how thrilled she was to see her. Over the woman’s shoulder, she met the cold eyes of Grant Hill who would never make an actor if it meant covering his real feelings. He detested Alex.
She untangled herself from Esme, smiling as she did so. She was saved from welcoming Grant. He turned his back to her and ordered drinks.
‘Bob,’ Alex heard Esme exclaim.
Bob Hill joined his family. He looked at Alex. ‘My poor family isn’t used to me turning up like this,’ he said. ‘Workaholics like me get bad reputations for being no-shows but I’m working on improving, aren’t I?’ He gave his wife’s shoulders a squeeze.
Esme rested her head on his shoulder and smiled at him.
‘Audra changed her mind about having a night in and came with me,’ Bob said, searching around. ‘Where did she go? Oh, might have known. She’s persuading people they wanted to move so we can have the biggest table.’ He cast his eyes upward.
Audra, Lady Mekins, was indeed pouring the charm onto a couple at the largest table in the bar and they were in the process of moving to share a smaller table with another couple. Inwardly, Alex cringed but the new tablemates seemed quite happy with the arrangement.
‘What’ll you have, Dad?’ Grant asked and Alex took in a sharp breath.
The delight on the son’s face at the sight of his father almost hurt to watch.
‘Orange juice and tonic,’ Bob said. ‘It’ll be gin and tonic time for Audra. How are you, Alex?’
‘Well, thank you.’ She didn’t belong with this group. ‘We’re having a busy night but that’s how we like it.’
‘It’s the atmosphere and the way you treat people that brings in the folks. You make them want to come. That’s a gift.’
He embarrassed her. ‘Thank you. Please make yourselves comfortable.’
‘We’ve picked a winner for our pub name,’ Grant said, still not cracking a smile at her. ‘Would you like to make the announcement?’
‘Why not let your father do it. Everyone would like to put a face to his name.’
Bob accepted a piece of paper from Grant, and some envelopes, and said, ‘Hello, everybody. I’m Bob Hill. For my sins, the new village near Winchcombe is being built by my company. I won’t bore you by going on about how good it’s going to be for the area. Now, what are we going to call the new pub there when it’s built?’ He waved the envelopes. ‘And who wins a thousand pounds? From this, I see there’s a second place of four hundred and an honorable mention good for a hundred. Sounds very nice. Let’s see what we’ve got.’
He looked at the paper and chuckled.
Alex noticed her mother slip through the archway leading to the restaurant and inn. She stood against the wall, her head on one side. It did Alex good to see Lily interested again.
‘The first prize goes to The Cock and Bull, submitted by Alfred Short. Is Alfred here?’
A red-faced local farmer got up amid shouts and cheers. He came forward to accept his prize. ‘A round on me,’ he announced to the bar. ‘Nothing over a pound apiece, mind you.’
Everyone laughed.
Kev Winslet got second for Bottoms Up and the honorable mention went to new incomer, Basil Lloyd-Edwards with Heads It Was Queenie, which Alex decided was a stretch for most imaginations.
Alfred Short bought drinks for all who wanted them and the atmosphere rose to a roaring pitch.
Smiling, Bob put an arm around Alex’s shoulders. ‘This is something,’ he said over the din.
What Alex felt was Grant’s eyes boring into her. She looked away and he walked rapidly to Lady Mekins’ table where he stood behind the woman and leaned down to talk into her ear. Grant raised his face to stare at Alex but Lady Mekins frowned at him and shook his head. What Alex wouldn’t give to be able to hear what he was saying about her. Whatever it was, he didn’t seem to be getting a positive reaction.
Taking advantage of the diversion he’d caused, Bob Hill urged Alex aside. ‘I’ve wanted to talk to you again,’ he said. ‘Have you given any more thought to expanding your business?’
She decided he had a face she liked very much. He had the look of a man you could trust. ‘Not really, Bob. It’s been busy around here and I don’t think I took the suggestion seriously.’
‘I want you to,’ he said. ‘You know what you’re doing and I want you to put in a manager and run the Cock and Bull for me. Whenever you’re comfortable with taking it on as a partner, we’ll work that out.’
Alex didn’t know what to say. Was she interested in expanding? She was only human, so the thought of doing well enough to grow the business appealed to her, but she was happy as she was. Then there was Tony and she could no longer even pretend she didn’t want to consider him in her long-term plans.
‘Alex?’ Bob prompted her.
Before she could think of a response, her mother took her by the arm and whispered, ‘Come into the kitchens with me.’ Lily’s head was purposefully down and she kept on walking.
The tug was insistent and Alex barely had time to catch Bob Hill’s eyes before Lily hurried her away. ‘What is it, Mum?’ They faced each other in the middle of the kitchen. ‘What? Something’s happened.’
‘Nothing’s happened. Nothing is going to happen. Please, just this once, do as I ask you to do.’
‘Just this once? What are you talking about?’
‘Please come with me. We can’t be interrupted. We’ll go upstairs to your room. No one will expect that.’
Alex absorbed the desperation in her mother’s eyes and took off along the back passageway leading to the restaurant and the stairs to the inn. The room she kept for times when it was easier not to drive up the hill to her house was just to the left at the top of the staircase. Lily had the key and let them in.
‘Mum, will you put me out of my misery, please?’ Alex asked as Lily closed the door. ‘You’re frightening me.’
Lily closed and locked the door. ‘I’m sorry to do this to you. I haven’t managed things very well. Liz Hadley can take over my work for as long as necessary. She’s very good.’
‘You’re not managing whatever this is well, Mum.’ That wasn’t how she’d meant to sound. ‘I mean … just tell me what you mean.’
Her mother’s hands went to her neck. ‘As soon as I saw Bob Hill’s name in the papers with all the fuss about the development, I wondered if he was the Bob Hill I knew a long time ago. The pictures were grainy and I wouldn’t let myself try to find out for sure. I didn’t want it to be him and for as long as I didn’t have proof I could tell myself this was a different man with the same ordinary name. It isn’t. He’s more than thirty years older than when I last saw him but it’s the same face. A man, not a teenager, but it’s the same person.
‘Alex, Bob Hill is your father. He doesn’t know that, although he’s obviously drawn to you and the fact that you helped him the way you did has given him a reason to stay close to you. At least, that’s what he thinks. He must feel an affinity he can’t understand. If you get to know him better you may have to win his son over. He doesn’t like you although he probably doesn’t know why either. And Rob’s wife – I called him Rob – could be overdoing how much fussy attention she pays you. And I may be automatically jealous of anyone else who could come into your life and share you. Other than Tony.’
Too much. Was this what freefall from a plane felt like while you waited for your chute to open? Alex swallowed with difficulty. She couldn’t explain the sensation.
‘You do believe what I’m telling you?’
She nodded.
‘He has his own life and I have mine. I wouldn’t have it any differently now. At the time, I loved him and I thought he loved me, but we were too young.
‘I’m going to stay out of the way, probably at James’s. It’s secluded there and I want to explain this to him. He deserves that and much more.’
‘You don’t want Bob Hill to know the truth, do you?’ Alex said. She felt shivery. ‘At least not yet. He doesn’t have to.’
‘Thank you. Let me have time to work out how to deal with it all. That’s a lot to ask, I know, when you must be very confused.’
‘I’ll be all right.’ Would she? ‘You come first with me. Can I tell Tony?’
Her mother’s smile was a surprise – and puzzling. ‘I want you to. Once James knows. And I will find a way to deal with it.’
‘You’ve got guts.’ Alex hugged her mother, held her for a long time.