Love Mends (2 page)

Chapter 4

“Welcome to Marley, Mr Riley.” Anne’s mother came out to meet the carriage.

“Thank you for allowing me to stay here. Oh, and please call me Tom.”

“Tom it is. And you must call me Jean. Arthur, my husband, will be back shortly. We hope you'll join us for dinner tonight.”

“I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.”

“Another place at the table is no trouble at all. You’ll want to get settled into the cottage first, I imagine. Dinner is at seven.”

“Thank you.”

Tom followed Anne and David across the yard to a small cottage. As they walked, he studied his surroundings. The farmhouse was located on the slope of a hill. Below them, fields stretched down towards the cliffs. All around, as far as the eye could see, sheep grazed. There were no other buildings in sight. He'd never known such isolation, and wondered how he was going to cope for the next two weeks.

“More storms are coming in tonight,” Anne said. “I hope you're able to sleep.”

“I can sleep through most things,” Tom smiled. “Besides, I’m pretty beat.”

“Would you like any help with your unpacking?”

“No thanks. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll see you at dinner then. Come on David. We have to go.”

All alone in the cottage, Tom wondered what he’d let himself in for. After years of being based in the factory, he’d submitted a request to be reassigned as a field engineer. The West Isle contract was very different to any of his previous assignments. He was used to staying in motels or B&Bs. What would he do in the evenings without the Internet or TV? How did Anne, David and the rest of the family survive up here?  He couldn’t even phone anyone. This might prove to be the longest two weeks of his life.

“What’s he like?” Katherine asked, as soon as Anne set foot in the farmhouse.

“He seems nice. The boat crossing wasn’t much to his liking.”

“He was green with seasick,” David chipped in.

“Is he good looking?” Katherine said in little more than a whisper.

“Katherine!” Her mother snapped. “What kind of question is that? I’m sure Tom is a perfectly nice young man. You should know by now that looks are unimportant. You’ll get a chance to talk to him tonight at dinner.”

“Yes Mum.”

“So, is he good looking?” Katherine had followed Anne into her bedroom.

“You heard what Mum said.”

“Is he?”

“I suppose so.”

Anne wasn’t about to tell her sister that Tom was the best looking man she’d ever met. Her mother was right—looks were only skin deep, and not something to judge a person by.

Chapter 5

The table was set for six. Arthur Mason was at the head; his wife at the opposite end of the table. Anne and Katherine sat on one side, David across from them. The knock at the door came at precisely seven o’ clock.

“I’ll get it.” David was already out of his seat.

“Hello David,” Tom said, as he stepped inside.

Jean Mason stood up.

“Tom. This is Arthur—my husband.”

“Pleased to meet you, sir.”

“Call me Arthur, please.”

“You’ve already met Anne and David. This is Katherine—my younger daughter.

“Hi.” Tom nodded towards Katherine who suddenly appeared to be shy.

“Sit here, next to David.” Jean said. “I hope you like chicken.”

“I sure do. I’m a big KFC fan.”

“KFC?” Jean looked puzzled.

“Sorry. It’s a chain of fast-food restaurants on the mainland.”

Tom couldn't remember the last time he'd sat down for a family meal—probably not since he was a teenager. The Masons were really friendly, but he still felt a little uncomfortable with so many eyes on him.

“I hope you don't mind if we say grace first,” Arthur said.

“No, of course not.” Tom was unsure what to do, so he followed the lead of the others—clasping his hands, and bowing his head.

“So, Tom.” Jean said, “What are your first impressions of West Isle?”

“Wet and cold,” Tom laughed.

“You haven't seen wet yet,” Arthur said. “And it certainly isn't cold. You should see a West Isle winter.”

“I'm not sure I'm ready for that.”

“Where do you live Tom?” Jean asked.

“Cambridge.”

“Did you go to university there?” Anne asked.

“No.” Tom smiled. “I didn't go to university anywhere—I did an apprenticeship, and qualified as an electrical engineer.”

“The world will always need engineers and electricians,” Arthur said.

“I hope so.” Tom touched the plate with his knife. “This is delicious. Much better than KFC.”

“Anne did most of the cooking today,” Jean said.

“Well, it's excellent.” He turned towards Anne, and thought he saw her cheeks redden.

 “Do you live with your parents?” Jean asked.

“No, they moved to Spain a few years ago.”

“Do you visit them often?”

“Not really. We do Skype occasionally.”

“Skype?”

“It's like a video phone—on the Internet.”

“Do you travel a lot for work?” Arthur asked.

“Recently—yes. I used to be based in the factory, but I applied to be a field engineer.”

“Do you like it?”

Tom nodded.

“Even after today's boat crossing?”

“I'm not sure I'd want to do that too often.”

Dinner was a leisurely affair. Tom was more accustomed to eating fast-food on the go. Each member of the family had some news to relay—even David, who entertained them by describing Tom's green face. Everyone was interested in what the others had to say. They laughed, and appeared truly happy—that's what struck Tom the most. On the mainland, he was used to people's indifference. The Masons showed a genuine interest in him and his life. Even so, he was guarded about what he told them. There were parts of his life which were still too raw to discuss with anyone.

“That was the best meal I've had in years.” Tom patted his stomach.

“Thank you.” Jean said. “I hope you'll join us for dinner again while you're on the island.”

“I'd love to, but now I'd better make tracks. I want to make an early start.”

“What time do you plan to start?” Arthur asked.

“Eight o' clock, hopefully.”

“I thought you said early,” Arthur laughed.

“Isn't that early?”

“Not around these parts. We're usually up at five thirty.”

“Really?” Tom looked horrified.

“Bye, and thanks again,” Tom said, as he left.

“Goodnight.”

“Sleep well.”

“He seems like a nice young man,” Arthur said, once Tom had left.

**************

As Tom lay in bed, he could hear the wind howling around the cottage. He'd called it a day much earlier than usual. Back home, he'd usually watch TV until the early hours, or go online—maybe on Facebook. He had to be sure he was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. If he didn't, his mind would begin to wander. Just as it was doing tonight.

What would Susan have thought if she could see him on the island? She'd often teased him for being a city boy. It was true; he'd spent most of his life in Cambridge or London. Susan had loved the quiet of the countryside, but had practically had to force Tom's arm up his back to get him out of the city. He'd been selfish—he knew that now. Not only about the whole city/countryside thing, but in many other ways too. Susan had always put him first—why hadn't he done the same for her?

Chapter 6

The Masons hadn't been joking when they'd said they were early risers. Noises from the farmyard had woken Tom. He checked his watch—it was a few minutes before six.  Bleary-eyed, he pulled the curtain aside, and peered out. Rain was pounding against the glass.

Anne was carrying a bucket towards the small pen at the far side of the yard. David appeared in the doorway of the farmhouse—he spotted Tom, and waved. Tom held up a hand in acknowledgement, and then pulled the curtain closed.

There was little point in going back to bed; he was awake now. When he'd looked around the cottage the previous day, he'd been relieved to find it had a bath. He'd thought he might have to go to the main house to bathe. The water pressure was less than ideal, but he eventually managed to coax enough water for a good soak.

Tom checked the kitchen. The Masons had provided basic supplies, but he'd need to go into the village. He was more a 'ready-meal' kind of cook. There was no microwave in the cottage—that was a disappointment. It was many years since Tom had eaten porridge, and he wasn't sure he could face it. There was bread, but no toaster as far as he could see. He was still pondering what he should have when there was a knock at the door.

“David.”

“Morning Tom. Mum wants to know if you'd like to come over for breakfast.”

“Thanks. I'll be straight over.” Whatever Jean Mason was cooking would be infinitely better than anything he could rustle up.

He'd expected to find the whole family at the table as they'd been the previous night. In fact, the only person in the kitchen was Jean Mason.

“Good morning, Tom.” She looked up from the pile of dishes she was washing.

“Morning. It's good of you to make breakfast for me. I should be better organised after today.”

“It's my pleasure. Bacon, sausage, eggs and tomatoes—is that all right for you?”

“That would be great.”

“Take a seat.” Jean pointed to the table.

Tom sat in the same seat as he had the previous night.

“Will the others be joining us?”

“Goodness no. We had our breakfast at five thirty.”

“Now, I feel guilty.”

“No need. You're a guest.”

It was strange to hear Jean Mason refer to him as a guest. After all, the islanders were footing the bill for him to come over and work on the generators.

“I saw Anne earlier,” Tom said.

“She's feeding the animals. Katherine will be mucking out. David should be collecting the eggs, but he's probably playing somewhere. He and Katherine will be going to school later.”

“Is there a school on the island?”

“Yes. It's very small as you might imagine. Only twelve pupils at the moment. It was rated 'Excellent' on the last inspection.”

“What about Anne? Does she have a job?”

“She does. A full time one—here on the farm. There you are.” She placed the plate on the table in front of Tom. He did a double-take. It was the largest breakfast he'd ever seen.

“I thought I might go to the general store later. Is it far?”

“Ten to fifteen minutes on foot, but I'm sure someone will be able to take you down in the carriage.”

“I don't mind walking. It'll be nice to see something of the island. I'll just need someone to point me in the right direction. I'm going to work on your generator today, so I thought I might go to the store mid afternoon.”

“Directions are easy enough. When you leave the farm, turn left, and carry on walking. It's the opposite direction to the quay.”

“That sounds simple. Even I shouldn't get lost. Anne mentioned a telephone in the village.”

“Yes, there's one in the general store. Just ask Walter Taylor—he's the owner. He'll sort you out. Are you phoning home?”

“No, just work. I thought I'd better let them know I've arrived. I normally do it by email. Am I okay to make a start on the generator after I've finished breakfast?”

“Will the power be off for long?”

“No. I can do most of the work while it's still running. I'll only need to turn it off for a few minutes.”

“That's no problem. Will you warn me before you do turn if off?”

“Yes, of course.”