When Alice Met Danny (28 page)

‘Will I see you?’ She reached across and took his hand. ‘But I know that isn’t going to be easy.’

He looked uncomfortable. ‘I suppose the answer is probably not.’ He looked across at her, his face a mask of sorrow. ‘I’ve got to do the right thing. And I know that is to stay with Mandy for as long as she needs me. G&B will let me work from down here for a while, I’m sure. I’d love you to meet Janie, but now’s not the time. I’d love to spend time with you, but, the way things are, I just can’t.’ There was no need to spell it out. He was saying he had to stay with his wife, at least for now. Alice nodded. She understood.

‘Will you be at Mrs Tinker’s funeral today?’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. I am off to the hospital as soon as Janie stirs. I doubt if we’ll make it back in time.’

‘Danny,’ she squeezed his hand. ‘As far as anybody needs to know, I’m just a casual friend from the village. Only Megan and Derek know about us. Janie, Mandy’s mum, her relatives; nobody needs to know anything.’ She leant across and kissed him gently on the cheek. ‘Not that there’s much to know yet. Casual friends, OK?’

He nodded wearily. ‘It’s just so unfair. Unfair on her, unfair on us.’

She took a deep breath. ‘You have no choice. No, that’s not right. You do have a choice. You can carry on with your life and leave her to her fate, or you can do the decent thing. What you are doing is the right thing to do.’ She kept strict control of her emotions. ‘I admire you for it.’ And she did.

For the first time that morning, he gave the ghost of a smile. ‘I love you, Alice. I’ve loved you for years.’ She almost gave in, but she bit her lip and stood firm. He hurried on. ‘This situation can’t go on for long. Things will get sorted out. I’ll be back for you. If you’ll have me.’

‘I’ll have you.’ She was pleased to hear her voice still strong.

He reached across and pulled her towards him, until his mouth rested gently against hers. She felt the lightest pressure of his lips and then he stood up. ‘I’d better go.’

She accompanied him to the door. Before opening it, she turned back and looked him straight in the eye.

‘Casual friends, OK? Until you say the word.’

He nodded, pulled on his waterproof and made a run for it.

Chapter 46

The church was packed for Mrs Tinker’s funeral. Alice left her umbrella alongside a whole host of others in buckets by the door, and made her way to a seat. She looked around and saw a lot of familiar faces. The Burrell brothers, including young Billy, were seated near the front. Along with them was Neil the decorator, and even the electrician and plumber had come along. Gerry the giraffe’s head stood out from the rest, a good three or four inches above even Neil’s.

The service was simple and moving. Megan spoke warmly about Mrs Tinker, calling her Agnes, although few had ever used her first name. It was evident she had been well-loved in the village and Alice found herself crying into her handkerchief. In the short time she had known her, she had come to think of her as more like a mum than a landlady.

As the service proceeded, she thought back to the reading she had been doing. She found herself comparing the dignity and the warmth of this ceremony to the squalid end of so many millions during the First World War. No funeral service for them, no coming together of friends and family as they were laid to rest. Instead, just ugly, vicious maiming and death, often followed by putrefaction in a muddy shell hole, then hasty burial in a common grave. She wept for them as well as for Mrs Tinker.

At the end of the service, they all filed out into the churchyard, the rain continuing to fall in a continuous stream. The grave where her husband lay had been opened and they all stood in silence as the coffin was lowered into it. Alice saw Peter the surveyor and big Derek among the little group of family members close to the grave.

The mood back at the King’s Arms was less sombre. The general sense of relief to be in from the inclement weather spread throughout the room. Time and time again, Alice heard people refer to Mrs Tinker’s “good run”. Drinks were passed round, as were plates of food, and soon the atmosphere in the function room had warmed up. Even Alice began to feel a bit less dejected. She felt a hand on her shoulder, turned round and beamed.

‘Vicky, you’re here. And you’ve brought my little boyfriend.’ Vicky was holding young Danny in her arms. Beside her, looking happier than she had ever seen him, was Daniel Tremayne. The look of love in his eyes as he surveyed his family made her eyes burn. She glanced from one to the other. ‘All well? I don’t need to ask, do I?’ The answer was so obvious from their expressions. Daniel was the first to answer.

‘If we weren’t at a funeral, I’d be singing. Alice, thank you for all you’ve done.’

‘Yes, Alice, thanks for everything.’ Vicky held out the baby. ‘Want to take the weight?’ Alice took him most willingly and the little boy’s face lit up. He gurgled contentedly.

‘Hello, Danny. You sound almost as happy as your parents.’ She held him for a few minutes while they chatted, before handing him over to his very proud father. As she did so, she clearly saw the family resemblance in their faces. ‘He’s unmistakably a Tremayne, isn’t he?’

His answer was his smile.

Alice saw Neil the decorator in the distance, excused herself and made her way through the crush of people towards him.

‘Hello, Alice, what can I get you?’

She gave him a weak smile and looked at her watch. It was well past twelve. ‘You know, I think I’d quite like a glass of beer.’ She rarely drank beer, but somehow it felt like the right thing to do. When, moments later, a pint glass was passed to her, she began to question the wisdom of her decision. She talked over her choice of colours for the paintwork at number 23 for a while, finding herself having to decide between gloss, satin and eggshell for the woodwork. Confused, she decided to leave the decision up to Neil. He gave her a smile.

‘I’ll do it in eggshell. I think it looks classy.’

‘Hi. Alice.’ It was Billy the bodybuilder. He had somehow squeezed his muscular frame into a dark suit, but the button on his shirt collar had not been man enough for the job. It gaped open, just held by the thin dark tie. ‘I see you are on pints now.’

‘Pint, singular. And I’ll be doing well to get through just one of them. How’re you doing, Billy?’

‘I’m fine. I’m waiting for my dad, but he’s waiting for the vicar.’ He gave Alice a sly grin. ‘Things are looking serious between them. I’m not sure what she’s going to make of my little sideline.’

‘What sort of sideline is that? Something to do with bodybuilding?’

He had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. ‘Ever heard of the Chippendales?’ Alice began to see where this might be leading.

‘The dancers? Or whatever they do...’ He laughed out loud.

‘Dancing is not the half of it. Anyway, there’s a group of us who’ve set up our own version. We’re called the Builderdales. We’re all builders or tradesmen. We have our first gig in two weeks’ time. I’ll get you tickets if you like.’

Alice was looking for a polite way of refusing when Mrs Tinker’s nephew, Peter, came up.

‘Hello, Alice. Thanks for coming.’ He looked very smart in a dark suit.

‘I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. Your aunt was a lovely, lovely lady.’

He nodded gently then looked up, a more cheerful expression on his face. ‘So how’s the house full of poo? Are you getting there?’ His question cheered her up in her turn.

‘I certainly am. Decoration and new kitchen next week, carpets the week after. I’m planning on having a party in July to say thank you to all the people who helped. I hope you’ll be able to come along.’

‘I’ll look forward to it.’ And with that, he made his way towards the door to greet other guests.

A few moments later, Alice saw Megan coming through the crowd. She was still in uniform, the hem of her robe soaking wet from the churchyard.

‘Hi, Alice.’ She accepted Billy’s offer of a drink and turned to Alice, lowering her voice. ‘You’ve heard about Mandy?’ Alice nodded. ‘Isn’t that awful?’

‘Poor Danny is distraught.’ Alice kept her voice down. ‘His daughter must be in a terrible state.’ She glanced around the room. ‘He’s going to stay with them for as long as it takes.’

‘He’s a good man.’ Megan laid a comforting hand on Alice’s arm. ‘I know it doesn’t make it easy for you though.’

‘I’ll manage. You’ll see.’ Her voice betrayed her sorrow, but she rallied. ‘But at least the Tremaynes seem to have found happiness once more.’ Megan followed her gaze.

‘It’s no more than they deserve.’

‘And your fish dinner last night?’ Alice was doing her best to sound cheerful. ‘Did the evening match up to your expectations?’

Megan gave her a happy smile. ‘It certainly did. And, what’s more, he really can cook. The whole evening was a delight.’

Alice smiled back, glad that her friend had found the happiness she had been seeking. ‘So where is Reg now? Billy said he was waiting for you.’

‘He and Peter are talking fishing. I thought I’d leave them to it.’

Alice smiled. ‘So he can catch them, cook them and he can even fix the leaky roof as well. That’s quite some man you’ve got there.’ Her eyes flitted around the room.

Megan knew enough about human nature to see how despondent Alice was. She laid a hand on her arm and lowered her voice. ‘And what about you?’

‘I told you, Megan, it’ll be fine. I lost two Dannys yesterday; Danny from the trenches and my slimy neighbour, but he was no real loss. I’ve lost little Danny Tremayne to his mum and his dad, and that’s only right. I’ve lost Daniel Tremayne to his wife and that’s only right, too.’ She took a deep breath and looked up. ‘But Danny, my Danny, will come back to me when he can. I know he will.’

Chapter 47

By the time Alice came out of the pub, the rain had stopped. Patches of blue sky were emerging from behind the clouds as the weather front cleared. She walked the few hundred yards back to the cottage, her mood still bleak. She knew it was for the loss of Mrs Tinker, but she also knew it was for herself. Her new life had been going so well; new friends, a new home, a successful building project and even a historical period to study. And now she felt almost as alone and aimless as she had been a few months ago.

She slid her key into the lock and opened the door to Duck Cottage. Danny the dog came rushing out to greet her.

‘Hello, handsome.’ She ruffled his ears. He had dried out now, although the kitchen still smelt of wet dog. She went over to the back door and opened it. Along with fresh air from outside, a chorus of birdsong filled the room. Danny trotted over to the door and flopped down in the position he so loved: his front paws hanging over the top step, head in the emerging sunshine, master of all he surveyed.

She went over to the coffee machine and turned it on. As the wonderful aroma of coffee replaced the stuffy atmosphere, she sat down, glad of the rest after hours on her feet. The smell of the coffee soon reached into the garden, round to her next-door neighbour and, before long, the sound of the dog’s tail whacking the ground told her that Derek Tinker was on his way. She had put a cup under the spout for him before he reached the open door.

He bent down to pat the dog. ‘Hi there, Danny. Isn’t it good to see the sun again?’ He tapped the door frame. ‘Knock, knock. Wasn’t it the Sirens who tempted sailors? If they’d had coffee machines, the whole merchant marine would have been lured to their doom.’

‘Hi, Derek. Enjoy it while you can. Tomorrow night you’ll be thousands of miles away.’ She realised she would miss this good-natured bear of a man.

‘Ah, yes, but I’ve got a good coffee machine at home. All is not lost. I’m going to miss you, Alice. Still, you’ve promised to come over on your honeymoon.’

She looked up from the machine. ‘Erm, slight change of plan. Honeymoon prospects not looking quite as rosy as they were a day or two ago.’

He slid his not inconsiderable bulk onto a chair and accepted the cup of coffee gratefully. ‘Want to talk about it?’

She realised that she did. She took a coffee for herself and sat down beside him. Conscious that he was flying off the next day, she told him pretty much everything. She told him of her feelings for Daniel Tremayne, as well as her part in his return to happiness with his wife and child. She told him how she felt about Danny Kemp, her evening on the cliff top and at least some of her plans for the previous night. A thought struck her.

‘Do you like scallops?’ He looked up, surprised at the change of subject.

‘Do I? Alice, when you live over a thousand miles from any ocean, fresh seafood becomes a real luxury. Why? Have you got some?’

‘Let’s just say that there is a certain amount of food in the fridge left over from the dinner that didn’t take place last night.’ She looked at her watch. It was almost three o’clock. ‘There’s never a bad time to eat scallops, is there?’

She spent the next few minutes preparing two small plates of salad before dropping the scallops into a frying pan, flipping them over, and taking them out again almost immediately. During this time Derek said very little, his mind running over what she had told him. She set the plates down on the table and pulled the remains of the Chablis from the fridge. She filled two glasses and passed one over to him.

‘First coffee, and then wine? This doesn’t appear in the recipe books too often.’ Nevertheless, he took the glass and toasted her. ‘Here’s to you, neighbour.’

She clinked her glass against his and speared a piece of scallop. It was exquisite. From the other side of the table he was making appreciative noises. ‘Wow, these are good. Your Danny missed a treat last night.’ He took a mouthful of wine. ‘Terrific wine, too.’ He attacked the salad with gusto.

He swallowed the last piece of scallop, wiped his mouth and sat back. ‘But, of course he knows what he missed, Alice. You need have no fears on that score. And if you are here feeling miserable, spare a thought for him.’

She nodded. She had been thinking about him a lot.

‘For him there’s only one Alice. But he can’t be with her, at least for the time being. As for you, you’ve still got lots of Dannys. There’s this big guy here.’ Derek pointed downwards. The dog, smelling the food, had positioned himself with his nose on her lap. There was always the possibility of something falling from the plate. ‘You know what you’ve got there, don’t you? Plain, simple, uncomplicated love. It takes a lot of beating.’