Two days later, the well-oiled camping machine swings into action. It’s not long before breakfast is over and they’re ready to go. They’ve spent the night on a site near Barmouth, having worked their way down from Rhyl, and everyone is glowing with fresh air and exercise. Isaac insists on making a brief detour to say goodbye to the sea and then they’re off, taking one last look at the promenade and the rows of genteel guest houses and flats before they head in the general direction of Shropshire.
Lucia sings as she drives, and when they do their now-slick changeover, she entertains Reggie happily and chats to Tommy about people they both know from their village. Flora eats up the miles, and before too long, the Sat Nav is telling them that they’re almost at Polly’s father’s smallholding.
Checking the younger girl in the driver’s mirror, Lu isn’t surprised to see her face is white and there are dark circles under her eyes. She’s been glancing at her phone repeatedly. Messages from her father have been coming through thick and fast. He’s obviously delighted at the prospect of Polly’s visit but it’s not hard to see that she doesn’t share his joy.
When they reach the outskirts of Church Stretton, they’re directed out into open country and finally down a long, rutty lane, with the holes in the surface of the road getting deeper as they head into what looks to be an alpaca farm.
‘They’re branching out,’ says Polly briefly, as the motorhome trundles into a wide courtyard surrounded by apples trees and fruit bushes. ‘Here he is.’
A tall, well-built man in a blue boiler suit is coming towards them, arms open wide in welcome. He takes the group in with one piercing gaze but then sweeps his daughter into a bear hug that almost knocks her off her feet.
‘My girl,’ is all he says, but his voice is warm and husky and Polly doesn’t try to resist.
Behind him, Lucia spots a tiny figure dressed in jeans, wellies and a work shirt. Her hair is tied on top of her head, reminding Lu of Nigel when he’s been to the grooming parlour. Her eyes are as bright as those of Lu’s little dog and if she’d had a tail, she’d probably be wagging it.
‘I’m Vinnie,’ the woman says, coming to shake them all by the hand. ‘Come into the kitchen and have some tea. These two won’t need us for a little while, I’m sure.’
Later, when Lucia thinks back to that hour spent around the battered oak table in the farmhouse kitchen, with chickens wandering in and out and an impromptu visit from a curious goat, it has a dream-like quality. Vinnie is so welcoming that nobody feels the slightest awkwardness, and although nettle tea is probably an acquired taste, the welsh cakes that come with it are fresh from the oven and utterly delicious.
‘I can’t believe you’re actually here,’ Vinnie says more than once. ‘Jack has wanted this for so long. It’ll be a new beginning for them both, I’m positive.’
When Polly, Reg and her father finally emerge, blinking as if they’ve come out into the light, it’s not easy to refuse the offer of a vegetable curry and more chat, but Polly is adamant that Reggie needs to go home.
‘We’ve been away ages. It’s been amazing fun but it’s time to get ourselves organised again. I like him to have at least some sort of routine, Dad,’ she says, kissing Jack goodbye with more warmth that Lu would have thought possible when they arrived. ‘I’m doing my best to give him the sort of upbringing that Alice would have wanted. She’d have been such a good mum if she was here.’
Jack appears to be on the point of commenting on this but meets Vinnie’s stern gaze and says nothing. Tommy ushers the party into the van and they begin the final leg of their journey, winding their way through stunning countryside until they reach more built-up city areas.
It doesn’t seem long before the motorhome, on its last quarter tank of fuel and looking dusty and fly-spattered, is pulling up at the side of Lu’s home. Polly has driven the last lap, having dropped Peter back at what he lovingly calls his ancestral pile. Rowan is there to meet them. She tells them she’s left Joe in charge of the post office for half an hour, and has provided a huge lunch of salad, crusty bread warming in the oven and an extensive cheese board so they won’t need to cook. Tommy sets off immediately to walk to the corner shop, because although they’ve bought French wine home with them, he says he’s craving a bottle or two of bitter.
When Rowan’s safely out of earshot, Isaac groans. ‘I know she means well, but I feel as if I never want to see cheese again after all we’ve eaten on this trip. We overdosed on it in France.’
‘Button your lip, Isaac,’ says Polly, giving him a playful slap. ‘Just be glad you haven’t got to do a supermarket shop before we eat. We’re going to be busy all the rest of the day unpacking and getting the washing done. I’m sure after that your mum will be ready to relax.’
‘Well, it’s funny you should say that.’ Lucia says slowly, relieved that Polly’s colour and usual bounce has returned but preoccupied with the next steps. ‘I’ve been thinking.’
‘Not you too? All this thinking’s getting to be a habit,’ says Isaac. He sees his mother’s expression and mimes zipping up his mouth.
‘I’ve already said I need to see your dad and sort a few things out,’ Lu continues, giving him her best mean stare. ‘I can’t settle here until I’ve done that.’
‘You’re not going off again, are you?’ asks Polly, frowning. ‘You really need to kick back for a little while, surely?’
‘I’ll do that when I know what he’s playing at. Don’t worry. I won’t be away long. He’s obviously not going to come here to me, so if I want to get some answers, I’ll have to go to Huddersfield.’
When Tommy returns from the off licence, he’s less than impressed by the news of Lu’s trip, but she won’t be dissuaded so he consoles himself with a pint. Isaac pours wine for himself and Polly, but Lu refuses both.
‘I need a clear head for the next few days,’ she says. The others say nothing but their expressions leave no doubt as to how they feel about this.
‘Could we just have a quick chat before you start packing again, Lu?’ Tommy asks. ‘Come into the garden. I won’t keep you long. I can tell you’re itching to be off.’
Tommy’s expression is unreadable as Lu starts to prevaricate but he’s clearly not taking no for an answer so she follows him outside, noticing absent-mindedly that the lawn badly needs mowing.
‘Shall we sit on the bench under the apple tree?’ Tommy asks.
Lu nods. ‘What’s all this about?’ she says sitting down at the opposite end of the bench to Tommy. There’s something very unsettling about the way he’s looking at her today.
For a few moments, Tommy is silent. Then he turns to face Lu. ‘So, what are we going to do about you, darling?’ he says quietly.
‘About me? Why would you need to do anything about me? I’m fine.’ Lu sees his face and adds, ‘Well, obviously not completely fine, but I’m getting my head round Des leaving and I’ll be okay eventually. I just need to speak to him face to face. I’m sure we can sort something out.’
‘And I need to speak to you. I’ve tried several times while we were away but there’s always something or someone distracting you. Don’t put me off this time, just when we’re on our own at last.’
Lu stands up suddenly, looking towards the house hopefully, but Tommy’s on his feet too now. He takes a step forward so that Lu is looking right up into the bright blue eyes that usually twinkle but are now serious, and clearly trying to tell her something important. He takes her by the shoulders very gently. She can feel the warmth of his strong hands, reassuring and yet disturbing.
‘Lu, this is really important. Just listen, would you?’
Lucia takes a few deep breaths to steady her jangling nerves but makes no further move to leave. Tommy’s eyes are mesmerising. He clears his throat.
‘Darling, when we were in Pengelly, Angelina made me face up to a thing or two, most of all the fact that throughout my adult life I’ve constantly flitted from woman to woman. Oh, to start with I know it was mainly because I didn’t feel the need to settle. I haven’t left a string of broken hearts behind me, or anything like that though.’
‘I wasn’t going to say you had.’
Lucia is having trouble keeping eye contact with Tommy now he’s so close. Her heart is pounding quite alarmingly but she’s determined not to be the one to break this powerful connection between them. The more she looks into the familiar blue eyes, the more she feels herself drowning in a totally unexpected longing for Tommy just to hold her really tightly, to kiss her, to … but he hasn’t finished talking.
‘I’ve stayed single because … well, I think you know now that it was because of you, Lucia Lemon. We fudged around the issue of the CD I made for you … all those romantic songs … but you must have realised it was really just an extended love letter.’
So her first thoughts had been right after all. A burst of happiness takes Lucia by surprise but she squashes it quickly. ‘What have I got to do with you playing the field? You can’t blame me for you being a serial flirt, can you?’
‘Okay, here goes. I love you, Lucia Lemon. Absolutely adore you. Always have. Des saw you first and I’m nearly twelve years older than you in any case, so naturally I backed off. But it’s been there all the time underneath. No other woman has been right for me because I’ve always, always wanted to be with you. There’s never been anyone but you for me, Lucia.’
Vaguely, Lu registers that Reggie is crying inside the house. The bedroom window is open and she can hear Polly singing to him. Isaac must be busy in the kitchen. They really are alone. Should she?
Lucia reaches up to touch Tommy’s cheek. His face is tanned, and comfortably lined with echoes of all the smiling and laughing he’s done through the years. She traces a finger down to his lips, and stops. He moves even closer, bending his head so their foreheads are touching.
‘I know my timing isn’t great,’ he says. ‘Dropping this on you when you’re just about to go and fight for your marriage, but I couldn’t let you go without just once telling you exactly how I feel. If you and Des decide to try and make a go of it, I’ll back off, of course I will.’
Lucia leans back slightly so she can look at Tommy properly. ‘We’ll always be friends, whatever happens though, won’t we?’ she says, suddenly terrified at the thought of not having this man in her life.
His steady gaze is still holding Lu’s but now Tommy’s eyes are unbearably sad.
‘I’ll always love you, Lucia, that’s for sure, but I think if you and Des are going to be together again the only thing I can do is to make myself scarce. It wouldn’t be fair for me to hang around here like a lovesick teenager.’
‘But … but I’d miss you. I mean … we’d all miss you. Don’t go away. Where would you go anyway?’
Tommy smiles, but the deep sadness is still there, making Lu want to cry. ‘I’ve always had a yen to buy a narrow boat and just sail off into the sunset,’ he says. ‘Explore the waterways of Britain, meander around and stop wherever looks interesting.’
‘That sounds wonderful,’ Lu breathes, her head full of a vision of Tommy on the back of a boat steering with one hand and with his other arm firmly around her waist. Wait, she shouldn’t be putting herself in that picture, should she? As Lu tries to clear her mind of the disturbing image, Tommy leans down and kisses her, putting all other ideas firmly out of her head.
For a long, blissful moment, Lucia leans into him, warm, flickering excitement growing as their bodies move together. Tommy’s lips on hers, his arms around her waist, the mingled feelings of intense safety tinged with danger … no, this can’t happen. Summoning up every ounce of willpower, Lu pulls away from him.
‘Tommy, I’m still married to Des and I’ve got no idea what’s going on with us. This can’t happen. It just can’t. I’m so sorry. I really am.’
Arms by his side now, Tommy nods. ‘I guess I knew that all along. It’s okay, darling. You go and find the silly bugger. I’ll be fine. Another adventure is maybe just what I need. Off you go and pack.’
Lu hesitates for a second or two but makes herself turn and walk back to the house. She should be proud to have resisted such powerful and unexpected temptation. She ought to be happy that even if Tommy loves her as much as he claims to, he’ll still be able to have a perfectly good life without her and follow his dream. Somehow neither of these thoughts is even remotely comforting.