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TESS DROPPED HER FATHER off at the airport the next morning feeling more positive than when he arrived. She still hadn’t talked to her mother and decided to wait a little longer. Elaine could phone her if she wanted to. With Ken planning to put the marital house on the market, it might not be too long before he was able to formalise their separation and buy a place in Guernsey. As she drove into Town Tess reflected on how much had changed in the three months since Aunt Doris had died. Humming to herself, she thought of her coming night out with Jack. Another change in her life: but would it last? Well, that remained to be seen, but it was better than the casual flings of the past few years. It was time to grow up and have a grown-up relationship. And she sensed it might be what Jack wanted, too. She parked the car and saw his Range Rover was already there. Her stomach fluttered in anticipation as she went in.
The place was a hive of activity with men in the hall and sitting room and she asked one where Jack was and he pointed downstairs. She found him studying the drawings with the electrician known as Sparks.
‘Morning. Everything all right?’
Jack looked up and smiled.
‘Hi, yes it’s been a good week. Sparks has started first fixing in some of the rooms and we were just going over the plans for the kitchen. As it needs a lot of electrics we were double-checking everything. In fact, it’s good you’re here because you can confirm what you want.’
Tess pored over the plans and they discussed sockets, under-cabinet lighting, ceiling lights and switches. Jack said the kitchen units were due in about a month and he wanted to ensure Sparks and the plumber had completed their initial fixes.
After Sparks left them alone, Jack gave her a kiss on the cheek.
‘I don’t think it’s a good idea for the men to know we’re seeing each other, do you? Thought it better to be professional when we’re not alone.’ His eyes crinkled up as he smiled.
‘Absolutely, that’s fine. And it’s still on for tonight?’ She took a step back, her senses on full alert so close to him.
‘Sure. I’ve booked a table at Village East in Town for eight o’clock, and thought we could have a drink somewhere first. Should be at yours about seven, if that’s okay?’
‘Great. I–’ the jingle on her mobile pierced the air and with a muttered, ‘Sorry,’ she answered it, listening carefully. By the time the caller rang off, Tess was tingling with excitement. ‘That was Stéphanie Duluc, from Hauteville House. She kindly agreed to check if there was an invoice in Hugo’s name for the desk we found in the attic. And there was! Dated 1865 and marked with the initials “E.S.” My ancestor.’ She hopped from foot to foot in delight.
‘Hey, that’s wonderful news. A real piece of history, attached to such a famous name as his.’ He paused. ‘I wonder if we should leave it up there? I’d hate for anything to happen to it and we already know accidents can happen.’
‘You’re right. As I’ve got so much stuff at Charlotte’s one more piece might not make much difference. Let me ring her.’ Tess tapped in the number and her friend was only too happy to oblige, sounding as excited as she was at the news. Ending the call, she turned to Jack, saying, ‘It’s too big to go in my car, though.’
‘It should fit in mine. I’ll get one of the men to help me put it in the back and will bring it round later this afternoon. I’ve booked a taxi for us for dinner.’
‘Thank you. While I’m here, is there anything else we need to discuss? What was that man wanting the other day?’
‘He’s my quantity surveyor and we were going over our costings. Nothing important.’
Jack then told her the arrival dates of goods ordered from the mainland were on schedule, and Tess was relieved there were no issues relating to Larry’s accident. One of the men came in search of Jack and she left them talking about insulation and plasterboard and went next door to see Heather.
‘Tess, I’m so glad to see you. Come in, come in.’ She was ushered into the sitting room and Tess could tell by the sparkle in her eyes that she had good news. Colette had loved the cakes she had tasted and placed an order on a trial basis.
‘Thanks so much for suggesting this, Tess, it’s not the money that interests me, it’s the being of use. Doing something creative. And Colette thinks I should offer my cakes to shops if I can keep up with demand. She’s even letting me use the restaurant kitchen in order to comply with food regulations.’
‘That’s brilliant news and I’m sure you’ll be rushed off your feet. Are we celebrating with a coffee and a piece of cake?’ Tess said, laughing.
‘Of course, hang on while I go and make it. The coffee, I mean, not the cake!’ Heather rushed off leaving Tess sending a silent prayer of thanks to Colette for her endorsement.
The desk was delivered late in the afternoon and squeezed into a space in the guest suite, as Charlotte was concerned to keep it out of reach of James. Jack didn’t stop to chat, only saying he would see Tess later. Charlotte left her son downstairs with Andy and joined Tess to admire the desk in its new light-filled setting.
‘There’s hardly a mark on it. It’s difficult to believe it’s about one hundred and fifty years old,’ Tess said, running her fingers over the intricate wood.
‘Not surprising if it’s been locked away most of that time. And I’m sure young Eugénie would have cherished it as the fabulous gift it was,’ Charlotte said, pulling the writing flap down. ‘Will you keep it? Must be worth a fortune, thanks to its provenance.’
‘For sure. But I don’t think I’d actually use it as a working desk, too decorative, and not big enough for a PC. Perhaps pride of place in my new sitting room?’ She tried to picture where Eugénie had sat at the desk before locking it away. Her bedroom? Sitting room? Living on her own, apart from her maid who presumably slept in the attic, she had ample choice. Suddenly, the image of a young woman in a pale grey Victorian dress sitting at the desk and writing with a pen appeared in front of her. It was so vivid, so real. Tess blinked. It disappeared. What on earth was that?
‘Are you all right? You look distracted.’ Charlotte squeezed her arm.
‘Yes, just an odd thought, that’s all.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘I’d better go and have a shower and get ready for my date, he’ll be here in less than an hour.’
Charlotte nodded and left her alone. Tess was still shaken by what she’d ‘seen’. Instead of the room here, the woman had been sitting at the desk in what Tess recognised as the front room of St Michel, the windows onto the street clearly visible. Telling herself her imagination was running away with her, she headed into the bathroom for the hottest shower she could stand.
Later, dressed in a short skirt and silk blouse, Tess went downstairs to wait for Jack. Five minutes later a taxi pulled into the drive and she went out as Jack slid out and held the door for her. A quick exchange of kisses on the cheek and they slipped into the back seat. Conscious of the lack of privacy, little was said other than Jack saying how lovely she looked. The taxi dropped them off in the Lower Pollet and he suggested they had a drink in Christies, a few yards away.
‘Do you remember Christies from when you lived here?’ he asked, reaching for her hand. She loved the feel of his fingers around hers, experiencing a frisson of electricity.
‘I do, not that I was a regular, an occasional coffee or milkshake with friends. We felt very sophisticated sitting in the window on a Saturday morning, watching the world go by.’ Tonight people were streaming past, on the way to the various bars and restaurants of Town, laughing and light-hearted on a beautiful evening. Tess caught their mood and trotted along beside Jack feeling little older than her twelve-year-old self when she last enjoyed a coffee there with Colette.
‘My mates and I went there to eye the girls walking past and, I’m ashamed to say, when the windows were open, we’d call out or wolf whistle. Needless to say, they ignored us and I’ve gained a lot of respect for the female sex.’ He grinned, guiding her through the door. The bar was busy and Jack had to search for a table, eventually finding one tucked away towards the back. Tess studied the drinks menu and chose a gin and tonic. A waiter turned up to take the order and Jack settled on a local cider.
‘It tends to be a bit noisy to talk in here, but it’ll be quieter in Village East. And I like this place to chill, get the weekend started. Okay?’
‘Sure. The pubs and bars in Exeter were great for chilling in, as well. We’d sometimes get hammered to help us forget the traumas we’d dealt with at work. I don’t have that excuse, or need, these days.’ She had to lean in close to be heard over the sound of music, talking and laughter and breathed in Jack’s aftershave. She felt a bit light-headed.
‘I honestly don’t know how you coped with the horrors you must have seen, day after day. Which reminds me, Larry’s home and doing well and should be back at work in another week.’
The waiter arrived with their drinks before Tess could respond. After a clink of their glasses, she said, ‘It was tough in A & E but also rewarding when we managed to save lives. Not so good when we failed, and those were the bad days when we needed to let go and forget for a while.’ She sipped her drink as the unbidden image of young Gary surfaced. Would she ever be free of the memory? With a mental shake, Tess continued, ‘I’m really pleased about Larry, he was one of the success stories.’ She managed a smile which Jack returned.
For a moment they lapsed into silence; Tess, for one, aware of the beat of the background music as she took swallows of her drink. She found herself tapping her foot in time to the music as she embraced the Friday night mood. Glancing at Jack she noticed he was tapping his fingers on his leg and as he caught her glance, they both laughed.
‘Good beat, isn’t it? Great for dancing.’
‘Do you dance, Jack?’
‘Sure, if the music’s good and I’m with someone I’d like to dance with. I’m not one of those guys who gets on the floor and does his own thing in a show-off kind of way. What about you?’
‘I love to dance, but I’ve probably danced more with my girlfriends than a bloke. A bit crazy style when we’re having a great night out.’ She grinned, taking another sip of her drink.
‘I’d like to see that, you going a bit crazy on the dancefloor,’ he said, his eyes narrowing.
Tess looked down at her glass, feeling self-conscious at the idea. Squashed close on a dancefloor was too intimate a thought when they were still getting to know each other. Perhaps Jack picked up on her hesitation as he suggested they should head to the restaurant, literally around the corner on the North Plantation, opposite the harbour.
Once outside he reached for her hand and she was happy to let him as they had to push through a crowd to reach Village East, the bistro spilling outside with tables set on the pavement. It was in one of the old Georgian buildings, narrow but tall spread over several floors. Jack led her inside and was welcomed by a cheerful Portuguese man he introduced as the boss, Nobby.
‘I come here at least once a month and Nobby and I have become friends. Right, Nobby?’
‘Right, Senhor. Your usual table is ready if you’ll follow me, please, Senhorita.’
Tess followed Nobby upstairs and he led them to a table set for two in the window, with an uninterrupted view over the harbour entrance and the islands of Herm and Sark. He left them with menus and went to take an order from another table.
‘This is lovely, Jack. You must be popular to get the best table like this.’ Tess picked up the menu.
‘I’ve known Nobby since he ran Crabby Jacks at Vazon so he tends to look after me. And the food’s good, particularly the fish, which I’m going for. How about a bottle of white wine?’
Tess was happy with that and a bottle was ordered while they perused the menus. She decided on seared scallops followed by sea bass and Jack chose crab cakes and Dover sole. The wine arrived and was duly poured. Lights started to twinkle around the harbour as the sky darkened and Tess sighed, entranced.
‘You look happy, enjoying yourself?’ Jack stroked her fingers and she felt a tingle of electricity.
‘Yes, thanks. It’s a nice way to end a good week. What about you?’
‘I’m happy, thanks to the delightful company.’ He smiled and Tess felt her stomach lurch. He really was sexy. Was she going to be able to resist him? And why should she? She took a deep breath.
‘There’s quite a lot I don’t know about you, Jack. How about filling in the gaps?’
‘Sure. Where shall I start?’ He took a swallow of wine and went on, ‘How about after I left school?’ She nodded. ‘I didn’t go straight to uni but took time out and went with a couple of mates to the Far East, spending time in Vietnam, Cambodia and Japan. Mind blowing!’ He spread his hands. ‘We had a great time, but were pretty broke as it was hard to get jobs except in bars catering for English speakers. We survived, just, and then came back to go off to uni.’
‘Sounds quite brave. I managed Australia and New Zealand, but I was on my own and had to play it safe. Had a lot of fun, though, and got pretty good at surfing.’
His eyes lit up.
‘That’s great, I love the water. Perhaps we could surf together sometime?’
‘Sure, that would be good.’ Umm, he definitely wanted them to spend more time together. ‘So, which uni did you go to?’
‘Bristol, for a degree in civil engineering. At the time I wasn’t that keen on returning to Guernsey, thought it too insular after my time abroad. I figured an engineering degree would guarantee me a good career in the UK or abroad.’
‘What happened to change your mind?’
‘By the time I graduated I realised I actually missed home and the slower pace of life. My degree studies increased my respect for building construction and, with my father’s help, I started my own business. And the rest, as they say, is history.’
A waiter arrived with their starters and Tess waited until after he’d left before replying.
‘I’m impressed. I hadn’t realised you had such a technical background. Must help when you’re deciding on potential projects. Any regrets about not staying in the UK?’
He gave her a long, slow look.
‘Not from where I’m sitting, no.’
She felt the heat rise to her face and lifted her glass to her lips as a foil.
‘Now it’s your turn. Tell me about your time since school.’
‘After my gap year I went to Plymouth medical school and it was during clinical practice that I decided to train as a GP. And here I am, ready to start on Monday.’
Jack raised his glass.
‘Well, here’s to your first day in your new job. I’m sure you’ll nail it, no problem.’ Tess smiled as she raised her own. She certainly hoped so, or coming home could prove her worst decision yet.
The rest of the meal was a pleasurable combination of good food, wine and animated conversation. It was as if their original business relationship had segued into one much more personal and Tess, though still somewhat nervous, looked forward to seeing how it developed. Jack was easy to talk to and they had more in common than she’d realised. The arrival of coffee and small glasses of port marked the imminent end of an evening she had thoroughly enjoyed.
Jack’s eyes appeared to mirror her own feelings as they gazed at each other over the port. He stroked her palm with a light touch.
‘I’d better order the taxi. We, er, have two choices. I can ask them to drop you off first or we could go to my place and have another drink and I’ll arrange another taxi for later.’
‘Let’s go to yours. I’d love to see it.’ There, she’d said it. They both knew she wasn’t just wanting to see his house. She wanted to see more of him.