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DURING HER LUNCH BREAK at the hospital on Tuesday Tess received a message from Jonathan announcing the arrival of baby Rosie, weighing in at 7lbs 4oz. A fuzzy photo accompanied the text, with the message saying mother and daughter were both well. Tess immediately replied offering her congratulations to all and spent the rest of the day smiling at everyone, even the grumpy old boy who insisted he should be admitted although his only problem seemed to be poor hygiene. Tess suspected he was probably homeless and referred him to a local charity for help. When her shift finished she bought a card and present from the hospital shop to send to Colette.
Once home Tess prepared a quick supper and poured a much-needed glass of wine. The good news about the baby had taken her mind off her own problems for a while, but now they herded back into full view. The chief one was what, if anything, to do about her parents. Sipping the wine, she came to the conclusion the only thing to do was confront her mother. And not on the phone this time. It would have to be face to face so she could see her mum’s reaction. She was on an early shift the next day so sent Elaine a text to say she would like to meet for a drink at five o’clock as she had something to discuss, suggesting a wine bar handy for both of them. A reply came back an hour later – just one word, ‘OK’. Tess spent the rest of the evening absorbed in another episode of Doc Martin to take her mind off the meeting to come.
The bar was nearly empty, waiting for the regulars who popped in after work for a quick one or two before going home. Her mother hadn’t arrived and Tess ordered two glasses of white wine before settling at a table near the back which would, hopefully, remain quiet. Five minutes later, Elaine came in and she waved her over. She noticed her mother was dressed particularly smartly for a casual drink; a leather jacket she hadn’t seen before, a silky blouse and figure hugging trousers. Her heart sank. Not a good sign.
‘Hi, Mum, I’ve got you a drink. Pinot Grigio, okay?’ She forced a smile as Elaine sat down, nodded and picked up her glass.
‘So, what did you want to discuss that you couldn’t say on the phone or at home?’ she said, with a scowl.
Tess cleared her throat, wishing too late she hadn’t suggested the meeting. The phone would have been easier...
‘It’s about you...and Dad. You don’t seem to be getting on these days and, to be honest, I’m wondering if there’s a...a problem.’ Tess took a gulp of wine and hoped her mother would offer an angry response.
‘If there was a problem, what business would it be of yours?’ Elaine shot back.
‘I’m your daughter, so of course it’s my business if you and Dad don’t get on. You...you’ve changed, Mum. Dad says you’re never in and it’s hard to get hold of you.’ She bit her lips. ‘You’re not seeing someone else, are you?’
Silence sat heavy between them for what seemed like hours but was probably a couple of minutes.
‘Yes.’
‘Mum!’ Tess found a lump in her throat. Her poor father...
Elaine looked up from her glass, a look of defiance on her face.
‘Nothing’s happened yet, not that that’s any of your business, but I’m not saying it won’t.’
‘How long have you known him?’
Elaine tossed her hair back, in the manner of a young girl, Tess thought.
‘A few months. We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party and we just seemed to click.’ She dropped her eyes, perhaps not wanting to see the condemnation in her daughter’s face.
‘I see. So he knows you’re married?’
Elaine nodded.
‘Yes, your father was at the party, too. The...man’s a widower, has been for five years. Hasn’t been out with anyone since his wife died.’ Elaine twiddled her glass, still avoiding Tess’s eyes.
What could she say to her mother? At least she wasn’t having an affair yet.
‘But what about Dad? Don’t you love him anymore?’
Elaine finally raised her eyes.
‘To be honest I don’t know. As I said the other week, we don’t want the same things anymore. He’s changed since he retired, lost the drive he used to have. I’m not ready to settle for carpet and slippers yet. I want to enjoy life, go places, have fun.’ Her face took on an animated look as she said this.
Tess groaned inwardly. It was getting worse.
‘Have you considered counselling, Mum? You and Dad. Talk through your feelings and what you want from life. It might help, before it’s...it’s too late.’
Her mother shook her head.
‘I doubt if that’d help, but I understand why you’re suggesting it. You want everything to carry on as normal, don’t you? Then you can forget about us and swan off to Guernsey with a clear conscience,’ Elaine said, her face flushed with anger.
Taken aback by her mother’s vehemence, Tess sat mute. Was she only interested in how her parents splitting up would impact on her? Or did she care about the effect on them? It didn’t take her long to come to a conclusion.
‘Mum, whatever you may think, I do care about both of you and would hate to see you split up. And if it was because you found someone else, then I admit I’d be on Dad’s side. But whatever happens, I have to live my life as I see fit and it looks like that means moving back to Guernsey.’ She stared hard at her mother, who returned her stare, defiance in her eyes. ‘I think you should give your marriage a chance before taking up with someone else that’s all. But,’ she sighed, ‘I expect you’ll do just what you want.’
Elaine swallowed the rest of the wine and stood, her face pinched with anger.
‘Thanks for the drink.’ She turned and marched to the exit.
Tess was left wondering if she’d made the situation worse and put her head in her hands. Her eyes blurred with tears. Should she or shouldn’t she tell her father?
Work kept her preoccupied the next day and by the time Tess arrived home she was in no mood to dwell on her parents’ marriage. She switched on her laptop to check her emails and saw one had arrived from the practice manager in Guernsey. Taking a deep breath she clicked on it and scanned it quickly. Relief flooded through her as she read ‘pleased to offer...probationary period six months...on completion contract...could lead to a partnership’. The tension of the last couple of days floated away and she punched the air as she poured herself a glass of wine to celebrate. Reading the email again, Tess noted they had mentioned a start date of 1st July, subject to references. This fitted perfectly with the end of her current contract which ended in six weeks, giving her a couple of weeks to settle into life in Guernsey before starting work.
After firing off her acceptance of the offer, including details of her referee, Tess phoned Jonathan to talk jobs and babies. After that, her rumbling stomach insisted on being fed and she cooked some pasta, serving it with a readymade sauce for ease. She told herself that once settled in her Guernsey home, she would make more of an effort with cooking. After all, there would no longer be the excuse of extra-long shifts and unsocial hours.
The next day Tess saw her boss who was happy to supply a reference and wished her well with her new job. That evening she phoned her father on his mobile to tell him.
‘That’s wonderful news, love. I couldn’t be more pleased for you and I know it’s what you want. When do you start?’
She told him, then said, ‘And how are things with you, Dad? You sounded a bit down when we last spoke.’
She heard him sigh.
‘I’m okay, but something’s not right with your mother. She’s out more than she’s in and when I offered to take her away for a weekend she flatly refused to go. Said she had a lot of social events coming up and didn’t want to miss any. So I’m back to square one.’ He coughed. ‘Still, I’m sure it will sort itself out. The important thing is you’ve got a new job and a new house back in Guernsey and that makes me very happy. As long as you’ll have us over when the house is ready, mind,’ he said, laughing.
‘Oh, for sure. No worries. I’ll ring soon, Dad. Take care.’ She had come to the conclusion it wasn’t her place to tell him about her mother, much as it hurt her to think how he was being deceived. Tess then sent a text to Elaine telling her about the job. Best to avoid further confrontation.
After making further calls to local friends and Charlotte and Andy in Guernsey with her news, Tess sent an email to her brother suggesting they talk via Skype soon. It occurred to her she needed to put the flat on the market. The equity wasn’t great but would help towards the cost of renovating St Michel. Sighing, she started writing a To Do list, not looking forward to the upheaval that lay ahead. Still, it would be worth it in the end.
The next few days were filled with work, arranging for valuations of the flat and writing lists of what she wanted to keep and what could be sold or given to charity shops. Early the following week the quote came in from Premium Builders and it was higher than Andy’s ballpark figure. Tess could only hope Jack’s figure would be lower, even though that meant she would have to have regular contact with him. The thought was unsettling and she wasn’t sure if this was because he had seemed too sure of himself or because she found him attractive. Pushing it to the back of her mind, Tess whipped around the flat making it presentable for the estate agents arriving the next day.
As Tess closed the door on the third agent she heaved a sigh of relief. All their valuations were better than she had hoped and within ten thousand pounds of each other. It appeared the market was picking up after the crash a few years before and the agents were confident the flat would be easy to sell. One firm appealed to her above the others for their enthusiasm and professional approach and she phoned to confirm them as sole agents. Another tick against the ever-present To Do list.
The quote from Jack Renouf popped into her inbox the next day and Tess held her breath as she opened the attachment. Phew! It was close to Andy’s figure and Jack had confirmed a start date of three weeks from the quote being accepted and a build time of about three months, meaning Tess would be able to take up residence by late August, if all went to plan. She’d just have to learn to get along with Jack for the short time they would spend together. No problem. Tingling with excitement now the last jigsaw piece was slotted into place, Tess emailed Jack to accept his quote and then phoned Andy.
‘Hi, I’ve accepted a quote from Jack...’ she went on to give Andy the details and to ask if he and Charlotte were still happy to have her as a lodger.
‘We’ll be happy to have you. The guest suite is self-contained as we designed it with Charlotte’s mother in mind.’ He chuckled, adding, ‘We both felt we’d cope better with her visits if there were some space between us. And I’m glad you’ve gone with Jack. He takes pride in his work and any developments he’s completed have been first rate. What are you going to do about the contents of the house?’
‘There’s very little worth keeping so I thought recycling or the tip. I need to come over for a day or two and organise that and getting the boxes to your place, if you can recommend a man with a van?’
‘Sure, I’ll email you some contact details. It might be worthwhile asking Jack’s advice on the furniture as he’s got a nose for what’s good and what isn’t.’
After a quick chat with Charlotte, Tess was reassured she was also happy to have her stay and in fact was looking forward to female company. And now it was time to start the clear-out in the flat.
The next few weeks sped by as Tess counted down the days to her departure to Guernsey. She saw little of her parents but kept in touch by phone. Ken made no comment about Elaine’s behaviour so Tess hoped her mother was reconsidering her new ‘friendship’. Viewings on the flat were encouraging and nearly three weeks after accepting Jack’s quote, Tess flew over to Guernsey on her day off to arrange removal of the contents of the house. The boxes had already been collected and were now stored in Andy’s attic and when Tess walked into St Michel it looked so much bigger than she remembered. The house had a different feel to it now only the furniture remained. Tess thought of Eugénie. Would she learn more of her story? She wanted to. But where was the evidence? Was there anything left in the house from that time? Apart from the bed and a couple of other pieces of furniture, nothing. Surely there must be something, somewhere, she thought, stroking a table.
She wandered around the house waiting for Jack to arrive at nine o’clock, somewhat unsure of how they would react after their last meeting. At least the air had been cleared, and he obviously was keen to work for her so she only needed to be the polite but firm client and all would be well. So why did she feel more like a schoolgirl about to meet her latest crush? Jack was coming round to help her decide what furniture was worth selling, keeping or recycling so the house could be emptied ready for the work to begin the following week.
He surprised her by arriving dead on time.
‘Morning, Doctor,’ he said, as she opened the door.
‘Morning, Jack. And for heaven’s sake drop the “doctor”. You’ve made your point,’ she said, exasperated. ‘Tess will do.’
He inclined his head in acknowledgement and followed her into the hall, a clipboard under his arm.
‘Before we start, I’d like to say thanks for entrusting the work to me and my team. I promise you won’t be disappointed.’ His dark eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled and Tess felt heat rising up her neck. She turned away to hide it and muttered an innocuous reply before moving swiftly into the sitting room. He followed behind.
‘I suspect some of this stuff is as old as the house. Certainly looks early Victorian. Are there any pieces you particularly want to keep?’ he said, his voice neutral, as they stood in the sitting room. She glanced at her list.
‘The bookcases and the dining table downstairs. Nothing in the kitchen and perhaps the four-poster in the main bedroom and the bookshelves upstairs.’
He nodded.
‘Good choice. You could sell any of them for decent money but they’ll mix well with any modern furniture you buy. And it’s nice to have a few family heirlooms to pass down. I’ll make a list as we go round and if you only plan to keep a few items they can probably be stored in one room out of harm’s way as we work through the house.’
‘Great.’ That would save paying storage, she thought, as they made a start downstairs.
By the time they had finished, the list for sending to recycling or the tip was far longer than what she wanted to keep. Jack pointed out that some of the better furniture, ornaments and paintings which she didn’t want were worth sending to auction, with the auctioneers conveniently situated in Cornet Street.
‘Why not give them a call? There’s a good chance someone could pop round today and if they agree to sell anything for you see if they can collect as soon as possible. The rest,’ he scanned the long list, ‘I can organise to go to the recycling at Bulwer Avenue or the tip at Chouet. And if you’ve time today, it’d help if you could remove all the old curtains and bag them up with any small items going to the tip.’
Tess readily agreed and they then spent time confirming the timetable for the agreed works. Andy would project manage until Tess arrived and would remain on hand as needed.
‘Right, I’ll be off. See you in a few weeks. Good luck with your new job.’ Jack reached out to shake her hand and she took it, thanking him. After he left she experienced the odd sensation of being abandoned. Weird. Trying to shake it off, she phoned Martel Maides, the auctioneers, and they agreed to send someone round at twelve. She kept busy by bagging up the curtains which almost fell off the old brass rails, leaving rust stains from the hooks on the material. More light flooded the rooms as the curtains came down, exposing the dingy paintwork and peeling wallpaper. Tess double-checked for anything else to bin before piling up the black sacks outside. She just had time to wash her hands before the valuer arrived from the auctioneers. He agreed with Jack’s assessment of their having value and said all the items could be added to their next general sale in two weeks and offered to collect them the day the builders were due to start. Tess signed a form to this effect and breathed a sigh of relief. Mission accomplished! With a few hours clear before her return flight, she phoned Colette and asked if she could come round to admire the baby. Permission duly granted she called a taxi before popping next door to say a quick hello to Heather with the news of her job and the start of the building work.
‘Brilliant news, Tess. So pleased for you and I look forward to you being our new neighbour eventually. Just pop in whenever you’re round at the house, won’t you?’ Heather hugged her goodbye and Tess promised to do so, as the taxi arrived to take her to Bordeaux. Now for some fun time.
The trip to Guernsey, short as it was, had been enough to make Tess impatient to leave Exeter for good. The time spent with Colette and baby Rosie had reminded her how much she was looking forward to being able to see them regularly and to building up a network of new friends. Possibly even embark on a proper, meaningful relationship. Unlike the short-term relationships based mainly on lust which had been the feature of the last few years. Not that she was looking for a forever-after partner, but she was ready for more than a quick fling.
Tess had only been home an hour when her phone rang.
‘Hi, Dad, good timing. I was going to ring later. Everything all right?’ For a moment the line remained silent and then she heard her father’s voice say, heavy with despair, ‘I’m so glad you’re back, love. Your...your mother’s left me.’