When Alice Met Danny (26 page)

‘I don’t believe it. You’re stopping me from using these letters. Letters that I found in my house. Can you do that?’ She could feel the colour rushing to her cheeks. A sense of outrage flooded through her.

‘My solicitor tells me that I can. Of course, you are free to consult a lawyer of your own for an opinion. But I am advised that, in the event of it coming to court, the judge would find in my favour. Now, if you’ll excuse me.’ He turned and left. It was probably for the best. She would have throttled him if he had stayed there much longer.

At that moment, Vicky came out of her front door with little Danny in her arms. ‘You look as if you’ve just stepped in something.’

‘The little toad. What a miserable, despicable thing to do…’ Alice was still barely able to speak.

‘You look as if you are about to explode. I think tea is in order. Come in and tell me all about it.’ Vicky led Alice into the kitchen and sat her down. Seeing that she was still very upset, Vicky hit upon a surefire solution. ‘Here, hold Danny for me, will you? I’ll make the tea.’ She passed the little boy over to Alice and turned away. By the time the kettle was on, and the mugs ready, Alice was looking more like her normal self. Danny’s magic had worked. Vicky took a seat opposite her and asked gently, ‘Want to talk about it?’

Alice cleared her throat and recounted the scene on the pavement, up to and including the letter. Vicky was appalled.

‘Wait a minute. Didn’t you say that he was taking you out for dinner the other day?’ Alice nodded. ‘And then he stabs you in the back like this…’ The kettle began to boil. This gave both of them time to calm down. Vicky handed over the mug of tea and sat back down again. ‘So you have definitely signed up for an MA?’

Alice nodded. ‘Yes, and I was really hoping to use the Danny letters as part of my work. Ah well, something else will come along.’ She made a weak attempt at a smile. Looking up, she caught the expression on Vicky’s face.

‘You can’t trust anybody these days.’ It was a grim observation, and it reminded Alice of the main reason for her visit to Lyndhurst Avenue. She did her best to bottle up her sense of outrage about the letters, and concentrate on more important things.

‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that.’ As she spoke, she thought back to the previous evening; the lovely sunset over the sea, the champagne, the warm blanket and Danny, her Danny. ‘I’ve come down here today about something far, far more important than our friend with the jeans with a crease down the front. Vicky, I’m here as a messenger from your husband.’

Vicky sat bolt upright, spilling some of her tea as she did so. ‘My husband? Daniel?’ Her expression was one of blank surprise but, beneath it, there was something else. Hope? She reached for a cloth and wiped up the spilt tea as Alice began to explain.

‘You know I live in Woodcombe now? Well, I’ve met Daniel a few times. I’ve even played tennis with him. Anyway, he started talking about things yesterday. Somehow he ended up opening his heart to me about everything that’s happened over the last year or so, ever since the accident.’

The little boy wriggled around in her arms and gave a few cries of protest. Alice nuzzled him with her face. ‘Yes, Danny, I’ve been talking to your daddy.’

‘How is he?’ Vicky’s voice was shaky. ‘You see, I haven’t seen him for a year. Did he tell you that?’

‘He told me this week’s the anniversary of your leaving home.’

‘Wednesday. So he remembered that? That’s progress.’ She sounded heartened by the news.

‘Progress is the word. He’s much, much better than he was. I’m sure you wouldn’t recognise him. Megan the vicar tells me he’s back to what he used to be. I’ve only known him for a few weeks and, to me, he seems quite normal. He says he hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol for over six months, and the doctors say he’s nearly mended. But, Vicky, he wants you to see for yourself.’

Their eyes met and Alice was unsurprised to see tears running down Vicky’s cheeks. The little boy, sensing the strained atmosphere, began to grizzle. Alice handed him back to his mum, who snuggled him to her breast. Alice waited as the baby calmed down, and his mother did her best to do likewise.

‘He said that? He wants to see me?’ Her voice was little more than a whisper. ‘He’s been writing to me. He told me in his letters that he couldn’t face seeing me again after the way he’d behaved. I’ve been trying to tell him it was the blow to the head, that awful accident. He wasn’t himself. I knew that. Anyone could see that.’

‘Well, I get the impression that it’s time for you both to pick up your lives again. He wants to see you, Vicky. He was terrified about just turning up here unannounced. That’s why he asked me to speak to you. I hope you don’t mind my acting as messenger.’

Vicky wiped her eyes. They were brighter now. ‘Mind? Alice, I can’t even begin to put into words what I’m feeling now. The last year has been so awful… So, what should I do? Should I ring him?’

Alice smiled. ‘Yes, Vicky. He knew I was coming to see you today. He’s probably glued to the telephone. Ring him.’ She finished her tea and stood up.

‘Thank you, Alice. Thank you with all my heart.’ Vicky gave her a hug, assisted by little Danny. A smile came to her face. ‘Before you go, you’ve got to see this one’s latest trick. Come and watch.’

Together, they walked through to the lounge where a blanket was spread across the carpet. The blanket was dotted with brightly-coloured toys and animals. ‘Right, here we go. He’s learnt how to crawl.’ She placed him gently on the ground. ‘There’s just one problem. You’ll see.’ Danny pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and looked around with a cheeky grin. Then he launched into an energetic crawl. The only problem was that he was crawling backwards. Seconds later he had to be retrieved from the sofa, where he had jammed himself under the front – right up to his nappy. They both laughed out loud, the atmosphere once more happy.

Vicky accompanied Alice to the door. She gave her a big hug on the doorstep. ‘Thanks so very much, Alice. And I’ll make that phone call now, I promise.’

Chapter 43

Next door, at number 23, Alice found that it was all go. Reggie Burrell was just finishing laying the floor tiles in the kitchen, in readiness for the kitchen units that were coming the following Monday. Upstairs, she could hear his brother Max muttering to himself as he struggled with the intricate job of tiling around the bath and basin. Billy the body beautiful was conspicuous by his absence.

‘Where’s Billy?’ She saw Reg look up.

‘Morning, Alice. He’s sulking.’ His dad gave her a big smile. ‘He was out with some woman over the weekend and she asked him if all the bulging muscles were an allergic reaction to something. He still hasn’t recovered.’ He raised himself to his feet, groaning as his knees protested. ‘Apart from his hurt pride, he’s fine though. He’s round at Megan’s house. She’s got a leak.’

‘While I think of it, Reg, Derek Tinker asked me to ask if one of you could go round some time and fix a leak by the back door. He said it’s not urgent.’

‘Fine, I’ll stick it on the list. What do you think of your kitchen floor? We’ll need to give it a couple of days to dry out and then I’ll pop back at the end of the week to do the grout.’

It looked very impressive. ‘Terrific, Reg. So is it all right for Neil to start the painting and decorating next week?’

‘Absolutely. It won’t be long now. Pretty soon you will be ordering carpets. Then you’ll flog this one, and move on to your next project.’ He gave her a grin. ‘A good property developer would already have the next one lined up, you know.’

‘After buying a house full of poo, I think it’ll be a while before I contemplate another development. Anyway, I’ve decided to sign up for a course at the university. That’ll keep me out of trouble.’

‘Talking of trouble, do you know Mandy, the Woodcombe gossip?’

‘Doesn’t everybody?’

‘Well, the word on the street is that her ex-husband is back. He was competing in some sailing competition. And won it, too, I believe. So, does the fact that he’s down here mean they will be getting back together?’

Alice almost jumped. She did her best to keep her face expressionless as she replied. ‘Reginald Burrell, you are turning into a worse gossip than Mandy.’

‘You’re wrong there, Alice. He always has been a worse gossip than her.’ They both looked round. It was Scottie the tattooed plumber. He was smiling. ‘I thought I’d just call by to see that the bad weather hasn’t caused any trouble here.’

‘Thanks, Scottie, that was kind. I haven’t been upstairs yet, but I think we’re dry.’

‘The roof’s not my department. If you’ve got a leak up there, it’s down to these comedians.’ He glanced across at Reggie with a smile. ‘I was more worried about the drains. I’ve spent most of the morning trying to unblock old drains and helping people bail out their houses.’ He tiptoed across the newly-laid tiles and peered out of the back door. ‘No, we’re fine. That’s good.’

Alice was very glad that the topic of conversation had changed. In view of Reggie’s reputation as a gossip, she refrained from revealing exactly who Danny was here to visit. Instead, she went on the offensive. ‘Anyway, Reg, I’ve got a bit of gossip for you.’ Both men looked round expectantly. ‘The word on the street is that a certain builder is more interested in fishing than in his girlfriend.’

He looked up in alarm. ‘Oh no, she’s not angry with me, is she? She told me she didn’t mind.’

He looked so worried, she put him out of his misery. ‘No, Reg, she still loves you.’ She saw his cheeks redden. Scottie gave him a dig in the ribs as she went on. ‘That was just me giving you a hard time.’

‘Well, I’m cooking fish for her tonight to make up for it.’

‘Tell her where you got the fish, Reg.’ Max was evidently listening from upstairs. Reggie looked a bit shamefaced.

‘Yeah, all right, so I bought it.’ He saw the expression on Alice’s face. ‘The sort of fishing I do – inland waters, mainly carp – we weigh them, photograph them if they’re big enough, and then put them back in.’ He caught Alice’s eye. ‘So I’ve ordered a couple of sea bass from Tom down by the harbour.’

‘Well, it’s the thought that counts. Anyway, seriously, how’s it going with Megan? Were my services as Cupid worthwhile?’ He gave her a beaming smile.

‘I owe you, Alice. She’s a great lady. Anyway, talking of Cupid, how’re you doing for yourself? Found the love of your life yet?’

She gave him a broad smile. ‘Who’s to say?’

As Alice left the house, she saw Joyce Parker with her spaniel. She stopped for a long chat and promised her a viewing of the house once it was finished. Mrs Parker had been talking to the Burrell brothers and was planning to use them to build her a conservatory. If relations with
my friends call me Danny
hadn’t been soured, Alice would have advised her to go and see what he had done. As it was, she restricted herself to giving the builders a glowing reference.

She drove down into town and went shopping for food for that evening. She had decided to make it simple, but really good. After buying fresh scallops, she invested in a fine bottle of Chablis to go with it. By the time, she reached home, it was almost four o’clock in the afternoon. The rain had stopped and the clouds were beginning to break up. As she locked the car, the front door to Drake Cottage opened. Derek Tinker was standing there, a broad smile on his face.

‘It’s a full time job being your neighbour, you know. Not one, but two deliveries for you today.’ He reached into the hall behind him and brought out a huge bunch of red roses. ‘This lot arrived a couple of hours ago.’ He handed them over to a now blushing Alice. She saw the envelope pinned to the paper. Inside was a card. The message was simple:
With love, Danny
. She smiled at the memory of the previous evening, and the thought of the night to come.

‘And here’s the other one.’ Derek was still smiling as he brought out another large bunch of roses. This time they were white roses. ‘These arrived only a matter of minutes ago. He brought them round himself, so I know who these are from.’ This bunch was not in a florists’ wrapper, but there was a card tucked in along with the blooms. It read:
To Alice with more thanks than I can express. xxx Daniel

‘So two different men, eh? Looks like you are fighting them off now. Or rather, you’re playing them off against each other. Not that it surprises me, after seeing the way you answer the phone.’ She didn’t believe she could blush more, but somehow she achieved it.

‘If you promise to stop reminding me about that scene, I’ll reveal all.’ As she said it, she realised her mistake. She rushed to correct herself, but not before he had started guffawing. ‘I mean I’ll tell you all about it.’

She opened her front door and both of them received a boisterous welcome from Danny the dog. She led Derek through to the coffee machine and told him about her mission to reunite Daniel and Victoria. She then went on to tell him about what had transpired with
my friends call me Danny
and the war letters. He shared her anger.

‘That’s just plain mean. If we were in Canada I’d chain him to a tree and leave him for the wolves or the bears.’

She considered it. ‘There’s a badger sett down by the stream. I wonder if that might do.’ She passed him a coffee and settled down to eat a sandwich at the kitchen table. She offered him one, but he shook his head.

‘Thanks, I’ve eaten. So what effect is this injunction going to have on your plans?’

‘I’ll survive.’ Alice knew she would. ‘The worst part was losing Danny Green, the person, not just a faceless soldier of the Great War.’ She had begun to develop a deep relationship with him as a result of the letters.

Just then, there was a knock on the front door. Alice and the dog both went to see who it was. It was Megan.

‘I smelt the coffee as I was walking past. I don’t suppose…’

‘Come on in. I think I might open a coffee shop one of these days.’ She led the way to the kitchen and set about making more coffee. She cast an interrogative glance at Derek, but he handed her his empty cup and shook his head.

‘No thanks. I’d better not. But it’s definitely the best coffee I’ve had in the UK.’ He stood up, ruffled the dog’s ears and left the two ladies to it. ‘Thanks again. I’ll let myself out.’