A Summer to Remember (27 page)

Nina sighed. ‘I want to trust him, I really do.’

‘Then why don’t you?’ Janey said. ‘Honestly, Nina. It’s not as if you’re planning a big romance or anything. I thought you said you wanted a break from all that after he-who-shall-not-be-mentioned. So why not just take things one step at a time and enjoy a bit of summer fun?’

Nina looked at her friend’s smiling face across the table and couldn’t help thinking she was right. What was she making such a big fuss about, anyway? She probably wouldn’t even see Justin again.

‘Okay,’ she said at last. ‘I’ll try not to worry so much. Now, what’s for dessert?’

Nina got a taxi back to The Old Mill House that night. It was late, but the hallway light had been left on for her, casting a warm glow and lighting her way to the kitchen where Ziggy was sleeping.

She knelt down to stroke his head as he opened an eye and thumped his tail on the quarry tile floor.

‘Have you been out, boy?’ she whispered to him and his head sunk back down into his cushion, which Nina took as a yes. It was then that footsteps were heard on the stairs and it wasn’t long before Olivia entered the kitchen, her red hair tousled and her face cloudy with sleep.

‘Oh, I’m so sorry – I didn’t mean to disturb you,’ Nina said.

‘You didn’t, my dear!’ Olivia assured her. ‘I’m a light sleeper and Dudley’s been snoring away tonight. I thought it best to get up. Did you have a nice evening with your friend?’

‘Yes, thank you,’ Nina said, standing up and walking across to the sink to fill a glass with water.

Olivia nodded. ‘I used to have so many lovely nights out with my girlfriends before the boys arrived. It’s not the same afterwards, you mark my words. Everyone says they’ll keep in touch and that they won’t let families change them, but it’s all nonsense, of course.’

Nina smiled. ‘Did I miss anything here?’ she asked.

Olivia’s eyes suddenly lit up. ‘You most certainly did! And I’m sorry you were out because you’ll never guess who dropped by.’

‘Who?’

‘Billy! It was such a lovely surprise. I wasn’t expecting him at all. Thought he’d gone away.’

Nina laughed. ‘We keep missing each other, don’t we?’ she said.

‘Not to worry. I’ve told him that he’s going to be your partner for the anniversary party.’

‘You have?’ Nina said in surprise.

Olivia nodded excitedly. ‘You’ll make
such
a handsome couple!’ she said, and Nina sighed inwardly. Was this Olivia matchmaking again? ‘Although,’ she continued, ‘I got the distinct impression that there might be a girl on the scene.’

‘Really?’ Nina said.

Olivia nodded. ‘He didn’t say too much, of course. He never does. Always one to play his cards close to his chest when it comes to women, our Billy, but there was something about him this evening – a certain glow.’

Nina looked at Olivia’s happy face and knew that, in her mind, she was choosing flowers for the church in time for an autumn wedding.

‘Then perhaps I shouldn’t be partnering him at the party,’ she said.

‘Oh, nonsense!’ Olivia said. ‘Better safe than sorry when it comes to partners. This other girl might just be passing through.’

Nina smiled. ‘Well, it’s been a long day,’ she said at last and Olivia nodded.

Once in bed, Nina thought about Janey’s words of advice.

‘Enjoy a bit of summer fun,’ she’d told her. Why did Nina find that so hard to do? Why couldn’t she flirt happily with Dominic and Alex and enjoy the uncomplicated attention of Justin and allow herself to be matchmade with Billy?

‘Because I’m not made like that,’ she whispered into the darkness. She couldn’t help it, but she wanted the big romance – the romance that was definitely going somewhere and had a future rather than a fade out.

Nina turned over in bed. After her experience with Matt, it was surprising to have such feelings once again. The heart was a truly incredible thing, she couldn’t help thinking, but she also remembered that it could get you into a lot of trouble, too.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Days slipped by and weeks passed as Nina continued her duties at the mill. It was an early afternoon in late July and Nina had just finished typing a pile of notes that Dudley had produced the night before. She’d never seen anyone so prolific. They were making good progress on
The Solitary Neighbour
and Nina imagined that it wouldn’t be long before she typed those two magical words: The End.

After almost two months at the mill, Nina had fallen into a very satisfying routine with Dudley and felt comfortable with his funny little ways and occasional bursts of temper. They didn’t scare her anymore; she merely worked around them, giving him some space when he needed to be alone and taking charge of situations that he was finding hard to cope with, such as navigating certain websites.

She was relieved that his earlier addiction to Labradoodle videos on YouTube had waned and he was now, once again, fully immersed in his novel. Nina was kept busy typing up the previous day’s scribbles as well as continuing to research important facts and figures for his book, which she found both challenging and enjoyable.

It was after Nina had made them both a cup of tea that she decided to ask him something that she hadn’t yet dared to. But, before she could broach the subject, he spoke.

‘I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve revised the latest chapter of the novel completely,’ he said, walking across the study towards her. ‘I’ve made it much tighter. Anyway, see what you think of it and let me know.’

‘I will,’ she said. She loved the way he trusted her opinion so much now with the novel.

‘Dudley?’ she asked.

He looked up from his computer, his white eyebrows hovering over his eyes. ‘What?’ he barked – it was a bark that Nina had come to be rather fond of.

‘I was just wondering what your plans are for when you finish the novel.’

Dudley looked confused for a moment, as if he had never even tried to imagine such a time. ‘Well, I—’ he paused. ‘I guess I’ll write another.’

‘But what will you do with this one?’

He stroked his chin and looked thoughtful.

‘I mean, are you going to try and get it published?’ Nina added.

He didn’t answer for a moment, but stared out of the French doors into the garden beyond. ‘What do you think?’ he asked her at last.

Nina’s mouth dropped open in surprise. What did
she
think? He was asking her opinion on what was a pretty important decision to make. She felt a swell of pride at being so trusted by him. It was something she had never experienced in the workplace and it made her feel so happy.

‘I think,’ she began, ‘that you should definitely send it to a publisher or an agent. I believe that’s what writers do.’

‘Is it?’

She nodded. ‘I’ve done a little bit of research on the internet about it all. You can even self-publish. It’s very easy these days.’

‘You’ve been thinking about this for a while, have you?’

Nina bit her lip, hoping that he wouldn’t think she’d overstepped the mark. ‘I think the novel deserves to be read,’ she told him. ‘It’s a wonderful story and it would be so sad to think that we’re the only people who will ever read it.’

Dudley picked up his pipe, but didn’t light it. He just tapped it into the palm of his left hand as he thought things through.

‘What do you think?’ Nina prompted him a moment later.

His eyebrows were dangerously close to the brow of his nose now, but then a tiny smile broke across his face. ‘I think I should very much like to see my little book published. Look into it some more for me, will you?’

Nina beamed him a smile. ‘I certainly will,’ she said, making a mental note to make a good long list of agents and publishers whom she hoped would like what she was fast becoming to think of as
their
novel.

‘But this business is just between you and me, right?’

‘Right!’ Nina said.

‘And we still keep everything under lock and key. There aren’t many things in this house that are mine, but this book is mine and, until it’s finished,
nobody
sees it but you and me!’

Nina immediately thought of Olivia’s confession to reading it and wondered how many others had seen the manuscript. Poor Dudley, she thought. There was very little privacy to be had at the mill. He had recently insisted that he and Nina kept the study door locked whenever they left the room. It seemed rather a ridiculous set-up, particularly if you were just going down the hall to make a cup of tea in the kitchen. But, Dudley assured her, those were the precise moments when one could be taken advantage of.

It was as though he were researching a cure to the common cold rather than scribbling a historical romance that would probably never see the light of day, but it was Nina’s job to oblige him. Although, perhaps she should warn him not to read any more of his novel in bed and then fall asleep – leaving his chapters in the clutches of Olivia.

She smiled. She rather liked being Dudley’s trusted assistant with honoured access to his most private novel. It was a true privilege, and one she had never been afforded before.

Along with her progress on Dudley’s novel, Nina had been given another list of things to organise for the wedding anniversary party. Olivia had ordered the marquee that was to be erected in the back garden, but had left Nina in charge of most of the other things. That meant that there was a long list of people to coordinate.

That afternoon had been set aside for a progress report.

‘Have we got the final number of guests now?’ Olivia asked as she placed a tray with tea and homemade cherry scones on the table in the front room.

‘Out of the eighty invited, there have been only five so far who can’t make it.’

‘Excellent!’ Olivia enthused.

‘So I’ve informed the caterers.’

‘And they’ve got the number of vegetarians and other dietary requirements?’

Nina nodded. ‘I’ve also been in touch with the rental company and have given them a final number for chairs and tables.’

Olivia smiled as she poured the tea. ‘And how are the decorations coming on? What about all these marvellous balloons?’

‘No problems there. We’ve got the twenty-five large silver balloons to launch at the end of the evening and we’ve also got a mix of silver and purple for inside the marquee.’

‘It’s like getting married all over again!’ Olivia laughed. ‘I’m so excited!’

Nina smiled. She was looking forward to the party almost as much as Olivia, and had been formally invited to sit at the table with the Miltons.

‘The florist is going to erect two stands of flowers and trailing foliage at the entrance, and a rope of ivy and silver ribbon around the marquee.’

‘And have you been in touch with the band?’

‘Yes. They’re booked and raring to go, too,’ Nina told her.

‘It isn’t a real party without real music and dancing, is it?’

‘Livvy?’ a voice called from the hall.

‘We’re in here, Dud.’

‘Did I hear dancing mentioned?’ Dudley asked, breezing into the room and whisking Olivia out of her seat. She giggled as Dudley spun her around the room. Nina watched, mesmerised. She’d never seen Dudley in such a good mood. Wow, she thought; twenty-five years of marriage and they still wanted to dance together. Now that was something to aim for.

‘Stop, stop!’ Olivia pleaded after a moment.

‘You’ll need more practice than that before the big day.’

‘I know, but the champagne will fuel me. OH, CHAMPAGNE!’

‘All in hand,’ Nina assured her.

‘This girl,’ Olivia started, short of breath after her waltz around the living room, ‘is an absolute gem.’

‘Don’t I know it,’ Dudley agreed, causing Nina to blush.

As well as the party arrangements, there was Nina’s dog-walking duties with Ziggy. Whilst it had been a job that had been forced upon her without much in the way of consultation, it was one she couldn’t imagine living without now.

‘You’re
so
good with him!’ Olivia had told her one evening over a glass of wine.

‘I am?’ Nina had said in surprise.

‘I’ve seen how he is around you. You just have the knack. Honestly, I wish I had half your talent with him. He’d be a much calmer dog, I’m sure!’

Nina knew that Olivia was just buttering her up and would do and say almost anything to get Ziggy off her hands. Still, she had come to love her time with Ziggy, getting to know the footpaths across the fields and through the woods and learning the different moods of the river. It was such a far cry from her previous job, but Nina was all too aware that her time at the mill was fast drawing to a close.

On one particularly beautiful July evening, Nina and Ziggy were emerging from a little wood and heading down to the river. The sky was slowly turning from a duck-egg blue to a rich apricot streaked with violet clouds, and a cool breeze had encouraged Nina to do up the buttons on her yellow cotton cardigan. She was going to miss these walks, she thought. How easy it was to just leave the mill and immediately find oneself in the middle of some of Norfolk’s loveliest countryside. She often wondered if she would have discovered it herself if it hadn’t been for her dog-walking duties. She certainly wouldn’t have met Justin if it hadn’t been for Ziggy.

She still hadn’t seen him since his strange departure from the mill all those weeks ago, but they had swapped innumerable texts since then, with photos of Bess and Ziggy flying between their phones and silly snippets of news. It was a funny kind of relationship, but it brightened many of Nina’s solitary hours at the computer.

She was just watching a deer dancing across a field when she saw him.

‘Justin?’ she called.

‘Nina!’ he said. ‘I was just going to text you.’

‘I didn’t know you were back in Norfolk.’

‘No. I didn’t know myself until a couple of hours ago. Got some unexpected time off. Have to go back first thing tomorrow, though.’

‘Oh,’ she said, unable to disguise her disappointment. ‘Where’s Bess?’

‘Got her nose stuck in a rabbit hole,’ he said, bending down to stroke Ziggy’s head. ‘This one’s looking a lot calmer, these days.’