The Cornish Guest House (14 page)

Everyone tried not to notice, but it wasn’t easy, and one of the visiting boys snorted, much to his mother’s disgust. Fortunately, they were rescued by a rousing rendition of ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High!’, before everyone trooped out into the night, wishing each other a ‘Happy Christmas!’. All in all, it had been an excellent service.

Thankfully, the restaurant was closed on the twenty-fifth and at 9.15 a.m. Liz, Robert and Rosie went together to collect Pat before making their way to the seafront. It was a grey day – no hint of sunshine – but the temperature was well above average for the time of year, which was a blessing.

Most people dressed in silly costumes for the annual swim and Liz and Rosie were wearing pink swimsuits with white tutus under their winter coats, and cheap toy tiaras on their heads. By the time they arrived, there was already quite a crowd gathered in front of The Lobster Pot, including Jean and Tom dressed as Father and Mother Christmas, Audrey in a wimple and veil, Barbara in a green spotty dress, the Lamberts and their teenagers in Disney outfits, Tony in a Harlequin outfit and Rick, who always made the most effort, in a silver bikini, complete with fake boobs, a long blonde wig and lashings of make-up.

Sylvia, meanwhile, was standing a little way back from the swimmers, well wrapped up in her fake-fur coat, beside Esme and Felipe, who thought they were all quite mad. There were others, too, friends and relatives, some of whom Liz didn’t recognise, who’d come along to watch the fun.

‘Are you sure you want to?’ Pat asked Rosie, who was shivering in her coat. She turned to Liz. ‘I really don’t think she should do it, do you? She might catch a cold.’

Liz couldn’t help agreeing, but wouldn’t say no. For the previous two years Rosie had been too ill to join in and she was determined to today. She’d never been one to shirk a challenge; it was part of what made her who she was.

They were distracted by a shout – ‘Merry Christmas, friends!’ – and turned to see Luke strolling towards them in some bright red swimming trunks decorated with sleigh bells, a pair of goggles perched on his head. Behind him, Tabitha was wheeling Oscar in his pushchair, nodding hello only when she caught someone’s eye. She was fully dressed in jeans, boots and a puffer jacket and clearly had no intention of swimming herself.

Luke had a most impressive physique – slim and toned, with broad shoulders, narrow hips and a washboard stomach. You could tell that he worked out. Audrey’s mouth dropped open and Sylvia quickly muscled through the crowd towards him; she couldn’t help herself.

‘Where’s your towel?’ she asked breathlessly, glancing at Tabitha almost as an afterthought to see if she was carrying one. ‘Would you like me to get you one? It’s no trouble at all.’

Luke grinned and shook his head. He seemed to have forgotten his muddy tumble and the unfortunate tussle. ‘I’ll dry off on the way home.’

‘Goodness!’ gasped Sylvia, who couldn’t take her eyes off him. ‘You’re so hard!’

She didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, but Tony sniggered while Liz stared determinedly at her feet.

‘No wig?’ Rick shouted at Luke, keen to divert attention. ‘Keeps the head warm!’ He patted his blonde mane girlishly and Audrey giggled.

‘He can borrow my wimple,’ she joked, but Sylvia, oblivious, continued to gawp at Luke’s manly chest, drinking it in.

‘I think Rick’s had it,’ Pat whispered mournfully. ‘Look at the woman. She’s gone absolutely gaga!’

Someone indicated that it was time and the swimmers in coats or towels dropped them on the ground or handed them to their families and stepped on to the beach. Then the whistle blew once, twice, three times, and all of a sudden there was a mad dash towards the waves.

Luke, who was a fast runner, speeded ahead and plunged in first, creating a tremendous splash and swell, but Rosie couldn’t hurry and Liz held her hand tightly as they made their way more cautiously to the water’s edge.

‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ she asked hopefully, but Rosie wasn’t to be deterred.

‘Of course!’

The pair braced themselves, closed their eyes and hopped into the waves, still holding hands and gasping as the cold water hit them. Rosie lost her footing and tumbled in first before bobbing up almost immediately, her eyes goggling like a fish’s. ‘I can’t breathe!’

But she was laughing, so Liz clenched her teeth and ducked under. ‘It’s like ice!’ she screamed, feeling her skin shrink and her lungs contract. ‘I can’t stand it!’

Some of the others thrashed around for a while, creating a tremendous spray, and Luke swam out quite far, stopping to wave at the onlookers, but Liz and Rosie had had enough after just a few strokes and skipped as fast as they could back to the shore, where Robert was waiting with their towels.

‘Well done!’ he said, rubbing Rosie vigorously before starting on his wife. ‘Quick! Into the shower with you!’

Barbara had already said that they could use her bathroom above the pub, because she knew that Rosie needed to get warm quickly, and as they entered The Lobster Pot, Robert handed over the bags that they’d brought along with a change of clothes.

‘See you in a minute. What’ll you girls have?’ he asked as they disappeared up the windy stairs that led to Barbara’s flat.

‘A stiff gin, please!’ Rosie quipped.

She took ages to get changed, and by the time they went back down, the pub was humming and there was scarcely room to move. There was a big blaze going, so that everyone’s cheeks were rosy, and Liz stopped for a moment on the second to last step to check who was there. She could see Robert in the far corner, talking to Pat and a now wig-less Rick. A younger crowd was hovering by the door, including Loveday, in lashings of black eye make-up, Jesse, Ryan, Alex, Nathan and Annie. Over by the fire, Tony was holding court with Felipe, Tom, John Lambert and Audrey’s aged mum, while Barbara and her son Aiden were busy serving at the bar.

In the middle of the room, standing in a rapt circle, were Sylvia, Audrey, Esme, Jean and Jenny, and right in the centre of them all, holding back his head and laughing loudly, was Luke. He looked more striking than ever, Liz thought, in a clean white shirt, his fair hair still damp and slicked back off his smooth, shaven face. He was clearly enjoying himself immensely. Tabitha, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she’d already gone home.

Rosie pushed past her mother and started to weave her way through the crowd towards Robert, but Liz remained glued to the spot, reluctant to budge. From a distance, the women surrounding Luke appeared to her so silly, fake and simpering that Liz was tempted to shout at them to pull themselves together, yet they were her friends and it troubled her to be thinking this way. Perhaps she was the one at fault, but of one thing she was absolutely certain: she would not be joining their fan club.

She might have stayed like that for some time, wondering how to reach Robert without being noticed, but then she glimpsed Loveday breaking away from her group and making for the bar. Liz stood on tiptoe to try to attract her attention, thinking it would be the perfect way to dodge Luke’s posse, but something made him turn and he spotted the girl himself.

Her eyes lit up and she made a beeline for him, the older women fanning out so that she could enter their inner sanctum. As soon as she was close enough, Luke bent down, rested a hand on her shoulder and kissed her on both cheeks and she smiled back coyly. Then he took her arm and led her back a few paces so that they could talk, just the two of them, while the rest looked on enviously. Unable to watch any more, Liz seized her moment and hurried towards Robert, keeping her head down. What on earth was the matter with them all? They seemed to have lost their senses.

On reaching her husband at last, he handed her a glass of red wine that she took gratefully. ‘You’ve been ages. What have you been doing?’ But she didn’t know how to explain and shook her head. By now Pat was flagging, and they agreed to finish their drinks quickly and head for home. In any case, the turkey had to go in and Rosie was keen to open the presents; she’d been extremely patient.

‘It’s so hot in here,’ she complained, as they made their way towards the fresh air, ‘I can’t wait to get out.’

But of course they had to stop and chat to the younger ones, still huddling by the door. Jesse said he and Loveday had gone to a party after the restaurant had closed last night and hadn’t got to bed till 5 a.m. He looked a little pale but was in remarkably good spirits.

‘What did they put in your drink?’ Liz laughed. ‘A magic potion? I think I could do with some myself!’

Annie, who was wearing a little black dress instead of Lycra for a change and looked extremely pretty, mentioned that she and Nathan were driving to South Devon shortly to spend the day with her mum and gran, who was eighty and needed a bit of TLC.

‘Only eighty?’ said Pat. ‘She’s a spring chicken!’ Annie laughed.

Next Loveday arrived, brimming with excitement, and she grabbed Liz’s arm and insisted that she stay a moment longer.

‘Amazing news!’ she whisper-shouted, so that Liz could hear her above the chatter. ‘The Mallon’s au pair’s left ’cause she can’t stand Tremarnock and Luke’s asked if I want to be their nanny!’

Liz’s heart fluttered and her mouth dropped open; she couldn’t help it. It was so sudden. He’d hardly met the girl – and did Tabitha even know?

‘But you’ve no experience,’ she blurted. ‘You’ve never worked with children. I wouldn’t have thought it would be your thing at all.’

Loveday frowned, having clearly expected a quite different response.

‘He said his wife can train me,’ she huffed. ‘Apparently their little boy’s really easy and he said whatever I earn now, he’ll top it.’ Her eyes were shining. ‘And when Oscar’s asleep or at nursery, I can help run the guest house, take bookings and that. I’d be like a personal assistant.’

Jesse and Robert, who’d been chatting to the others, turned now and listened to the news.

‘Sounds great,’ Jesse said, ruffling his girlfriend’s hair. ‘Well done, babe. I’ll miss you at the restaurant, though.’

The corners of Loveday’s mouth drooped. ‘I’ll miss you, too.’ Then a new thought perked her up. ‘But I like little kids and Luke’s got a big financial advice business so he won’t have time to do the guest house.’ She puffed out her chest. ‘It’s not like being a waitress is a proper career, is it?’

She glanced sideways at Robert to see if he was offended, but he put an arm round her shoulder.

‘It’s fantastic,’ he said, bending down to kiss her on the cheek. ‘It could be just what you need.’

Liz bit her lip. Loveday wasn’t exactly a natural at waitressing and it was probably time to move on, yet still she felt a deep misgiving that she couldn’t put into words. But it was mean to pour cold water on the girl’s enthusiasm. Jesse and Robert were enthusiastic, so she should try to be, too, especially as she couldn’t think of a rational objection.

‘You’re right,’ she sighed, reaching for Rosie’s hand. ‘Just make sure you know what you’re getting into and you have a proper contract before you start.’

Pilar’s abrupt decision to leave had been a terrible blow and the prospect of having to get to know someone new filled Tabitha with dread. She’d begged the au pair to stay, offering extra money and promising more time off, but to no avail. Pilar liked Manchester and hadn’t wanted to come to Cornwall in the first place.

‘I am sorry,’ she’d said, when she’d handed in her notice and announced that she’d be leaving just before Christmas, ‘but I prefer the city. I do not like being in such a small place. I feel choked.’ She’d made a gagging sound to hammer the point home.

Tabitha couldn’t help agreeing, but hadn’t let on. ‘It’ll get better. There are lots of people your age, you just need to get to know them.’

‘I do not think,’ Pilar said gravely, ‘that they are my type of people. I have bought my plane ticket and I will not change my mind.’

When Luke had told Tabitha that Loveday was to take over, Tabitha had felt slightly sick. It went completely against all her resolutions, but she hadn’t bothered to argue – there was no point.

‘Does she have any experience of looking after children?’ she’d asked quietly, careful not to criticise.

Luke had waved a dismissive hand. ‘She says she likes them and you can teach her. It won’t take long. In any case, we’re in a hurry. We haven’t got time to interview lots of people and she’s only on two weeks’ notice.’

Now, three days after Christmas, the girl was due to arrive for a ‘getting to know each other’ session. You couldn’t even call it an interview, really, because she’d already been offered the job.

‘Make her welcome, Tabby,’ Luke had said when he’d left home early that morning to go to his new office. He’d squeezed her shoulder before running a palm slowly down her face and cupping his fingers round her jaw. ‘She’s going to be very useful.’

Oscar was having his afternoon nap when Loveday turned up five minutes early, and Tabitha ushered her into the kitchen and closed the door. The girl had made an attempt to look smart in a tight navy V-necked jumper that might once have been part of her school uniform, a green skirt that reached almost to her knees and remarkably sensible black pumps. She had no coat, though, and her bare legs were blue with cold.

‘Liz and Robert tell me off about it,’ she shrugged, when Tabitha asked if she were chilly. ‘I don’t much like coats, never have. The one I’ve got makes me feel like I can’t breathe.’ She grinned. ‘Sounds weird, doesn’t it? I guess I’m just a weird person.’

Tabitha found herself smiling, remembering their brief conversation at the party about the crazy boots, and it occurred to her now, as it had then, that there was something very appealing about her. She was argumentative, sure, a bit silly and ignorant and no doubt extremely annoying at times, but beneath the surface, Tabitha guessed, lay a fierce pride, vulnerability and a desire to be loved that she did her best to conceal. She seemed like someone unused to praise and encouragement but who might just blossom in its warmth. She reminded Tabitha of herself.

‘I think we’re going to get on just fine,’ she announced suddenly, and Loveday’s face lit up.