HARRIET ET AL.
Harriet sighed with satisfaction looking out over the garden. Although sadly the roses had finished and the summer flamboyance of colourful plants had died back somewhat, it was still looking good. Frank had placed the half dozen tall torch candles they’d bought yesterday around and she’d hung candles in jars from various branches. Already lit, they were starting to cast a shadowy, magical ambience over the garden. Later, the full moon would add its own special silver light to the atmosphere.
The terrace too had candles as well as the solar-powered lights they’d placed in the wall over summer. Fixed to the brick side wall at the end of the terrace was a banner. ‘Happy 30th Birthday Ellie’. The birthday cake with its thirty candles was in the old-fashioned larder. Extra bottles of champagne were in the fridge ready for a toast.
Frank was already busy, hovering over the BBQ like a master chef, feeding people. The trestle table alongside was full of pork soaked in a spicy marinade, lamb kebabs, sausages and chicken legs still waiting to be cooked. Jacket potatoes cooked in the Aga were wrapped in foil keeping warm at the back of the BBQ.
‘Looking good. Just like the old days,’ Sabine said, appearing at Harriet’s side. ‘I see Johnnie and Carla are here with Rachel.’
‘You made your peace with her yet?’
Sabine nodded. ‘Funny how time has the effect of mellowing things, isn’t it?’
‘You happy with Rachel stepping into your shoes to help with Carla while you’re away?’
‘Johnnie’s happy so I can accept that.’
‘Where’s Owen?’ Harriet asked, looking around.
‘Getting some food and talking to BB. Apparently we sail on the 18th and there are lots of things to organise.’
‘I’ll miss you,’ Harriet said. ‘When do you reckon you’ll be back?’
‘If Owen gets his way, next March. Just in time for the summer.’
‘You’ll be able to see a lot of the world in that time.’
‘I’m going to miss all this,’ Sabine said, waving her hand in the direction of the garden and river. ‘I’ve never been away for longer than a fortnight.’
‘Owen will make sure you don’t get too homesick,’ Harriet said. ‘There’s always Skype too.’
Sabine nodded.
‘Frank wants to sell up Cirencester, retire and move here permanently,’ Harriet said. ‘So I’ll definitely be here when you get back.’
‘Ellie too?’
‘Yes. Unless a certain Nick Walters entices her away to live in London.’ Harriet looked over at the corner of the garden where Ellie was laughing at something Nick had said. ‘I have a feeling that she may have finally met “the one” for her.’
‘I’ve left her a present in the kitchen. Shame I didn’t know about him.’
Harriet glanced at her curiously.
‘You’ll see. Right. I’m going to go and get some of that delicious-looking food Frank is cooking.’
An hour later, after Ellie had cut her birthday cake accompanied by a loud champagne-fuelled rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’, Harriet made her way to the corner of the garden near the house, where Frank had recently placed a bench. By day it had one of the best views up river. By night, the lights along the river banks and on the river itself were mesmerising.
Sabine, carrying two glasses and a champagne bottle, joined her a few moments later.
‘Is it an “I want to be alone” moment? Or can I join you?’
Harriet patted the seat next to her. ‘Sit. I was just gathering myself together for the last hour or so,’ Harriet said. ‘Don’t seem to have the stamina to party the night away these days.’
‘Me neither.’ Sabine poured two glasses of champagne. ‘This will help though.’
As they sipped their drinks, Ellie appeared. ‘Mum. You have to come and see what Sabine has given me. It’s wonderful.’ She turned to Sabine.
‘Thank you so much. It’s a picture I’ll always treasure. ‘
Harriet stood up. ‘Sabine has painted you a picture? Lucky girl. Where is it?’
‘In the kitchen. And it’s infinitely more than a picture,’ Ellie said.
Looking at the painting two minutes later, Harriet had to agree. It was an artistic masterpiece of their life in Dartmouth.
Sabine had painted a modern genre picture of the Royal Avenue Gardens in all its summer glory. A band playing in the bandstand, couples dancing, children playing and people standing around watching. Recognisable people.
‘Look, this is me standing under the archway watching everybody. There’s you, Mum, dancing with Dad. There’s Johnnie and Carla in her pushchair. BB is with them. I think that’s Aunt Amy sitting on the bench eating an ice cream. See that couple there,’ Ellie pointed to a couple Sabine had placed to the back and slightly to the left in the painting. ‘That’s Rachel and Oscar. Oh this is so brilliant.’
‘There are other local people in there too that you’ll get to know now you’re living here,’ Sabine said. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t know about Nick in time to paint him in.’
‘That is a shame,’ Ellie agreed. ‘Otherwise it represents all the people that are important in my life. I must go show Dad and everyone.’ Holding the picture carefully, she was gone.
‘You’re so talented,’ Harriet said. ‘That painting is something else. Somehow you’ve captured the essence of all our pasts and combined it with promise for the future.’
‘Thank you,’ Sabine said. ‘Have to say I’m rather proud of it.’ She hesitated before continuing. ‘When we get back from our travels, Owen thinks I should concentrate on my painting. Not work the kiosk for him.’
‘You should so do that, Beeny,’ Sabine said. ‘You have such talent.’
‘Think I’ve left it a bit late in life to take the art world by storm though,’ Sabine said.
‘Nonsense.’
‘That’s what Owen says. Oh and by the way, you were right. He threw out my idea of being “friends with benefits” straight away when I mentioned it. Said he wanted marriage or nothing. Then he proposed again.’
‘And?’
Sabine smiled. ‘This time I said yes.’