Move Over Darling (19 page)

A lane closure on the motorway meant that Coralie’s journey home took far longer than she’d anticipated when she set off from her parents hoping to get back in the light. By the time she reached the narrow lane that curled down to Penmorfa, the village was in darkness and she was shaking with fatigue. Not that there were any guarantees that she would sleep. Not only was she was apprehensive about how Sweet Cleans had fared in her absence, although she was sure Kitty would have done her best, but now there was Alys to face, too.

As she persuaded Betty up the hill through the other side of the village, a shadowy canopy of branches loomed over the dark lanes. The road dwindled to a thin strip, slowly unravelling in the car’s headlights. But, outside the farmhouse, the beams picked up something worrying, a shape in Alys’s Berlingo, as if someone was slumped over the steering wheel. She pulled up beside it and wrenched open the driver’s door.

‘Kitty!’

‘I’m fine.’ Even in the artificial light Kitty’s face was very pale as she lifted her head and pushed her hair back. ‘It’s been a long day, that’s all.’

‘I hope you’re doing a better job of convincing yourself than you are me!’ Coralie muttered fiercely as she crouched down beside her. ‘What’s happened?’

Kitty explained that she’d been driving back through the Cambrian mountains after a wedding fair, when she had to pull over for a pee. She’d been compelled to stop twice more on the way home, once at a public loo and once to use the facilities in a supermarket, and had been alarmed to find a trace of blood as she wiped herself. Her back was hurting, too.

‘Don’t worry, everything’s going to be all right. Stay calm, and I’ll get help.’ Coralie put her arm around her in comfort.

‘No, don’t go!’ Kitty said, looking scared. ‘Oh, frigging hell, I’m tired, Coralie. I’ll probably feel better in a minute. I’ve just got to take this as a warning, a sign to take it easy for the next few days and let everything settle down.’

They both looked up at the sound of footsteps coming towards them. Kitty’s bottom lip started to tremble and a tear ran down her cheek.

‘I think the baby’s coming, Mam,’ she said, reaching out towards her.

Coralie shuffled out of the way so that Alys could get closer.

‘What baby’s that then, love? This one here?’ Alys asked gently, rubbing Kitty’s hard tummy. ‘The one you haven’t been telling us about?’ She turned anxiously to Coralie before touching her lips to her daughter’s forehead.

‘Now try to relax as best you can whilst we get you inside. It’s probably a false alarm and it’ll settle down once you’ve rested. After all, you’re not due yet, are you?’

Rock’s rapturous welcome and mewling cries broke the silence of the lonely lane and went some way to making up for the emptiness of the adjoining holiday cottage. Once Alys had appeared Coralie had made a tactful withdrawal, leaving mother and daughter to handle their new situation in their own way. Crouching to stroke Rock, Coralie felt unexpectedly weepy and was grateful that he was ready to overlook being deprived of first his mouse and then her company. Whereas some cats would be a bit standoffish after being deserted for a week, Rock was far too needy to play games, greeting her as if she’d returned after years of absence.

Picking Rock up, since getting to her front door with a small cat threading through her legs was hampering progress, she allowed herself one brief glance at the neighbouring windows just to confirm that there was really no one at home.

‘Just you and me then, Rock.’

She opened the door which led straight into her living room and all the warm colours and vintage fabrics she had chosen to please herself. Instead of cheering her up, the bright colours jarred and her clever charity shop nostalgic nods to domestic bliss looked shabby and second-hand. What was wrong? This was her home, the place she’d come to find her own slice of the Good Life. Why did she suddenly feel like chucking everything in a skip and starting again? Why, instead of feeling peaceful, did her home feel empty and quiet? She pressed a few buttons and music flooded the room; Doris started singing ‘Lullaby on Broadway’ and Coralie stomped over and switched her off. From now on she was going to listen to Tinie Tempah or Plan B. Anything but Doris.

Kitty let everything go in a frightened rush of tears. Alys led her inside, holding her close and letting her sob out her fears. ‘There, there, it’s all going to be fine. I must say, I thought my grandchild was in danger of going off to school before you let on,’ she said, trying to keep her own emotions in check.

‘I just thought everyone would think I was stupid. I mean me – getting pregnant! I couldn’t believe it myself at first. I mean, we did use contraception … most of the time.’

‘After you’d had a little practice run without first, I suppose,’ Alys said, giving her a squeeze. ‘I hope you’ve given him hell.’ She felt her daughter stiffen as she tried to hold back more tears and knew there was worse to come. ‘You haven’t told him? Or he doesn’t want to know?’

‘Both,’ Kitty mumbled into Alys’s tee shirt. ‘I didn’t tell him because he wouldn’t want to know.’

Alys couldn’t help the sigh that escaped.

‘Oh, Mam,’ said Kitty pulling herself up with difficulty. ‘I’m not completely stupid. I have been doing all the other things right; not drinking, being careful with my diet. I’ve been seeing Nurse Williams regularly, too.’

‘I know,’ said Alys. ‘She told me she was looking after you.’

‘Isn’t that illegal or something?’ Kitty frowned.

‘So sue us,’ said Alys. ‘Someone needed to keep an eye on you.’

Kitty opened her mouth to reply, but her retort was stifled by the spasm of pain that made her double up.

‘Breathe through it,’ said Alys. ‘There’s a good girl.’ She waited until the contraction had passed and Kitty managed a weak smile. ‘I think we’ll ring the hospital just to be on the safe side, but I’m sure there’s no need to panic; it’s often tricky to tell what’s happening with first babies. Then I’ll wake your dad up so he comes, too. Just in case he has to drive.’

‘Mam? Whilst you fetch Dad, I just need to make a quick phone call.’

Gethin dragged himself into the bathroom and stood under the cold shower to wash away the last of his hangover. The cold jets of water, like acupuncture needles in his skull, were supposed to take his mind off the pain, but did nothing for his guilty conscience. When he looked in the mirror, the same dumb prick stared back at him; the one who’d taken advantage of a good-natured woman who’d trailed all the way out to America for the sake of others. He should have given her the attention she deserved when she needed it, and should have addressed her fears instead of brushing them aside, but he’d behaved just like his father, who’d never listened to his mother. Whenever his mother had tried to express her concerns for the farm, her father had rubbished them and made her look small. As for all that selfless devotion to him? Had his father respected it? Had he, hell! All he’d done was take her love and trample all over it.

Maybe it would be better for Coralie if he did keep away, but there was something he could still do to prove he wasn’t all bad. Gethin picked up the old jeans and shirt he wore when he was working. He’d promised that there would be a painting for the handover ceremony at the end of April when everyone in Penmorfa would have an opportunity to see the work. And if he wanted to avoid letting everyone down, there’d be an awful lot of midnight oil to burn if he was to meet the deadline. He squared his shoulders and rubbed his hands together, eager for the challenge. A Lewis man by name, but no longer, if he could help it, in nature.

The first faint blush of dawn was illuminating the sky when Kitty and her parents arrived at the hospital. By the time the midwife had finished her initial checks, a pale sun cast a lemon light over the white walls. At first Kitty clutched at the daylight, grateful that she wasn’t hemmed in by inky-black squares of night. But, as her contractions racked up in strength and frequency, even the sight of clouds scudding across the blue began to annoy her and she jumped every time the door opened.

‘It’s all right,’ said Alys, who was looking much happier now that the midwife had reassured her that the baby was doing well. ‘Your dad’s waiting outside until it’s all over.’

‘I wish I bloody could,’ Kitty said, as the screw of pain in her back tightened again.

‘Try to relax,’ said Alys, smoothing the hair from her brow. ‘I know it’s easier said than done, but believe me, fighting it won’t help.’

Her mother was clearly too old to remember that this was seriously painful.

‘Fuuuck!’

‘Nice greeting!’ she heard someone say as the contraction subsided. Good, she thought, resting back on the pillow, now it can begin.

‘Adam?’

Kitty grinned at the surprise in her mother’s voice.

‘Oh good,’ said the midwife following him into the room, ‘your partner’s arrived!’

‘Birthing partner!’ Adam added quickly. ‘A spare one at that since she’s already got her mum here.’

‘Shame,’ muttered the midwife, looking disappointed. ‘Lovely looking man like you. I’m not sure you should be here, in that case.’

‘Don’t you dare go!’ Kitty bellowed, finding some strength.

The midwife thought about it. ‘Hmm, well, Mum seems to want you here …’

‘Yes, I sodding do!’ roared Kitty, feeling like a huge monster baby herself.

‘Well, since we’re not busy …’

Kitty saw Adam twinkle at the nurse, then quickly wiped the smile off his face when Alys gave him her hard stare. Was it something genetic that made him flirt with every woman he met?

‘You got round to telling your mum at last then,’ he said, bending down to drop a kiss on Kitty’s forehead, as she reached for the gas and air. ‘I offered to be here just in case,’ he explained, pulling up a seat next to Alys. ‘Although, I never seriously thought she’d take me up on it,’ he added, grinning back at Kitty.

‘I’m just going to check to see how she’s progressing,’ said the midwife.

‘Do you want to swap places?’ Kitty heard her mother offer. ‘You’re very close to the business end.’ She was glad that Alys refrained from making any further comment; Adam was looking quite self-conscious enough. Then, as the next contraction broke over her, Kitty reached out and grabbed his hand as if someone had just thrown her a lifeline.

‘I want to push!’ she yelled. She was sorry for swearing at the midwife when she suggested she might not be quite ready, but it was very fucking annoying, to say the least, to be advised to stop, and highly satisfying when she finally got the green light. Kitty gave everything she had into one almighty push and nearly as much to a second. By the time she’d got to what felt like the tenth or possibly the twentieth, her initial enthusiasm was beginning to wane.

‘I can’t do this anymore,’ she wailed.

‘You got to!’ said Adam, sounding horrified.

‘I want to go home now!’

‘Don’t be silly,’ said Alys, suddenly not sounding so reassuringly like mummy. ‘Working yourself into a tantrum isn’t going to help any of us.’

She heard a small muffled sob and sensed someone quietening her mother. Then Adam was there, holding her face, making her look into his eyes.

‘Come on now, sweetheart,’ he said gently. ‘Just keep calm and think of how close you are to seeing your beautiful baby. Stick with it, girl.’

‘You’re doing really well,’ said the midwife. ‘I can see baby’s head now. Baby’s got lovely blonde hair.’

Hair? For a split second, she forgot the pain. A real baby with real hair! And then she sensed something like the first ripples of a distant tsunami heading her way and braced herself for it to break. Kitty grunted and the grunt turned into a roar of pain and triumph. Suddenly everyone in the room was crying.

‘You beauty!’ said Adam, wiping away the tears to kiss her and then Alys. Alys managed to stop him kissing the midwife, who was just wiping the baby ready to pass to Kitty.

‘Well done, Mummy,’ said the midwife, handing him over. ‘Here’s your beautiful son.’

Kitty took her eyes off her baby just long enough to smile at Adam. ‘What do you think of him, Daddy?’

‘So that’s what all the bickering between Kitty and Adam was about!’ said Coralie the next afternoon when Alys called into the shop with the news.

‘“My only love sprung from my only hate”,’ quoted Alys, sending Coralie’s thoughts off in a direction she didn’t especially want them to follow.

‘I could see the sparks flying between them last summer, but I was a bit slow on the uptake,’ Alys continued, looking thoughtful. ‘No wonder some of the flower beds were looking a bit neglected.’

‘But why didn’t Kitty tell Adam about the baby sooner?’

‘I think she assumed he wouldn’t be able to handle it; with good reason, I guess. He’s never going to be an easy dog to keep on the porch.’ Alys perched on the stool next to the counter. ‘This way at least she knew he’d be there for the birth of his son.’

‘I wished I’d seen his face, I bet it was a picture.’ Coralie smiled, thinking how unfair it was that she was about to spoil Alys’s happy mood.

‘Well, fair play to him, he didn’t faint, not even when he realised what Kitty was saying. He looked over the moon, actually.’ Alys sighed and shook her head when her eyes met Coralie’s. Adam settling down? However lovely it seemed, they both knew it was unlikely to happen.

‘Have they chosen a name yet?’

A shadow flitted across Alys’s face. ‘I think she feels she wants to get to know him first. I’m worried that she’s spent so long denying this baby’s existence that she’s finding it particularly hard to accept he’s here. I’m thinking about putting her and the baby in the holiday cottage. Would you mind? Adam’s still sharing a place with his brother, but I thought it would be a way to encourage the three of them to get to know each other without me and Huw cramping their style. Who knows if Adam will stick around for the long haul, but let’s give them all the best possible chance. I think Kitty’s got enough to cope with just getting her head around being a mum.’

Whilst it would be nice to have company again, Coralie wasn’t convinced that a screaming baby would make up for Gethin’s absence. ‘Well, Kitty can always give me a shout if she needs anything. Though I can’t say I’m an expert on babies.’

Nor was she ever likely to be, she thought, feeling glum.

Alys gave her a sharp look, ‘I must say, you’re looking very sleek. Something to do with New York?’

Coralie acknowledged the compliment with a smile. Alys didn’t look entirely convinced by the silky black shirt teamed with black jersey boot-cut trousers. Since she’d brought them back with her though, it seemed a waste not to wear the clothes she’d been storing at her parents. Especially when she’d spent so much on them in the first place. Her hot brush had been amongst her things too, so she’d straightened out the kinks and swept her hair back in a simple pony tail rather than fiddling around with scarves.

‘Well, it did make me think twice about where I want to go with Sweet Cleans. I’m thinking about redesigning the brand, maybe going for something a bit more sophisticated. When I approached Tessa at The Cabin at Abersaith about my range, she thought it looked a bit amateurish. Different styling might make it a better fit.’

‘The Cabin
is
a very upmarket hotel,’ Alys said frowning, ‘though there’s a high chance that someone like Keira or Sienna or one of those other actresses will discover you, if Tessa agrees to stock you.’

Coralie hesitated. When an email had arrived from the Pamala Gray Gallery her hopes had been raised then dashed. Her dejection was somewhat mollified when she read on. Laura Schiffman, who’d done such a good job of fielding Gethin on the night of the disastrous reception, had written to send warm thanks for the sample of Happy Hands which had apparently soothed her eczema like no other cream.

So impressed was she by its efficacy that she’d even ordered a dozen more to give to her stressed-out colleagues and friends. The interest had caused Coralie to wonder yet again if she could muddle on with Sweet Cleans on her own, or if it was time to think big. She decided against sharing her thoughts with Alys, putting off the discussion that would certainly cause the older woman additional worry.

‘But are you sure that’s the direction you want to follow?’ Alys went on. ‘Most people are trying to save money. I mean, we’re even pushing plants for austerity Britain now. Some of our customers are uneasy about buying roses which have racked up air-miles, so there’s been a real resurgence of interest in grow-your-own cut flowers like dahlias, roses and gladioli.’

The sound of R&B blasting from a white van crunching down the road beside the garden centre from the old cottage made them both look up.

‘I haven’t seen any of those for a while,’ said Alys. ‘They can’t have very much left to do.’