Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage

‘I’m worried, Lucy. It’s not the actual divorce, that’ll be a relief in a way, but she’s playing games again over Maisie. I thought we’d got a truce, that we’d worked a solution out. You know, that when she comes back to the UK she’d get a place nearby and Maisie wouldn’t have to be uprooted again. We’d share the arrangements.’ He ran his fingers through his hair in the agitated way that was so familiar to her. She put a hand over his, but the ache of dread inside her grew. This was what had been worrying her, eating away inside her. But she had to be the calm one here. ‘That’s what she said. But I don’t know, the whole tone of this spells trouble.’

‘Are you sure?’ Lucy searched his face, but all she could see was worry. Charlie wasn’t one to overreact. And Lucy still couldn’t quite work out what she thought about Charlie’s ex. From what Charlie had told her about their break-up, Josie had seemed pretty callous. There probably wasn’t a nice way to tell a man that his daughter probably wasn’t biologically his, but doing it as you walk through the door and suggesting he never see her again was bad by anybody’s standards. But then when she’d brought Maisie in to Langtry Meadows Primary School in the spring, telling Charlie his daughter missed him, needed him, Lucy thought she was seeing the real Josie. The caring side, the side that was putting her daughter first.

Until she’d announced the real reason – that she wanted Charlie to look after Maisie while she worked abroad, ignoring her responsibilities.

And now this.

Lucy wanted to tear her hair out and scream, but instead took a deep breath.

Either the woman was incredibly selfish, or there was far more to this than Lucy and Charlie realised. Lucy’s heart ached for the man and his daughter. She loved both of them, she wanted them to be happy, and as hard as she tried, taking a detached view of this was impossible.

‘Read it, tell me what you think.’ He touched the very edge of the sheet of paper. ‘When she comes back she’s going to take Maisie away again.’

‘Only if we let her.’ Lucy felt her throat dry. She’d seen the state Charlie had been in when he’d thought he’d lost his daughter before – when he’d returned to Langtry Meadows heartbroken. It had taken a long time for him to confide in her, admit what Josie had done, that she’d told him he’d be in the wrong trying to see his daughter.

He’d jumped at the opportunity to see her again, to have her stay with him.

Neither of them had seen this on the horizon. And not so soon.

Lucy scanned the words as he spoke, we need closure … I feel we need to formalise arrangements for Maisie and think about what she will want as she gets older … I miss her … this was just a temporary solution … better with her mother … I’ve spoken to my solicitor.

‘She’s just been using me, Lucy, so she could have six months off gallivanting and living her dream.’ His voice was tinged with bitterness. ‘She’ll come back and try to push me out of their lives again, won’t she? Disrupt Maisie, do exactly what she wants.’

Lucy’s stomach felt hollow as she looked at him. ‘She can’t do that to you, or to Maisie.’

‘Can’t she?’

When Lucy had first met Charlie, he’d spent months struggling to put his life back together. He’d always been prepared to fight for his right to see Maisie – whether she was his or not – but then when Josie had unexpectedly offered an olive branch, his life had picked up. ‘But surely any court would see you’ve been a father to her? That you’re looking after her now? She can’t just stop you seeing her.’ The unspoken question that neither of them knew the answer to hung in the air between them, can she?

He shrugged, looking defeated. ‘But what if I’m not her father? Do I have any say at all? What if her …’

‘I don’t know.’ She squeezed his hand, looked into his eyes and knew they were having the same thought. What if he really wasn’t Maisie’s dad, what if her real father came back? ‘But we can find out what rights you’ve got, can’t we? You do want her here with you don’t you?’ She knew he did, but he needed to say it.

‘Of course I do.’ His eyes were shadowed. ‘I really thought Josie was planning on coming back, settling locally so that Maisie had both of us. That’s what she said, we agreed. But now …’ He shrugged despondently, the droop of his shoulders saying it all.

‘Oh Charlie.’ She wrapped her arms round him, and after a moment he put his arm round her shoulders and pulled her in tighter against him. ‘We can’t think about the worst case right now. We’ve got to assume the best, make it look like you’re expecting her to stay.’ She could feel the burn of tears in her eyes. Josie couldn’t be allowed to do this again. She wouldn’t let her. Swallowing away her upset she forced the tremor out of her voice. ‘You’re right though, you need a proper home and you need child care.’

‘But the surgery needs somebody there all the time. It works, me being in the flat, on hand.’

‘But it doesn’t work for Maisie.’ Lucy pulled away and straightened up. ‘Eric didn’t live there before, did he?’

‘No, it was just used if Sal needed to stay overnight, if we had a dog in.’

‘Right, well it sounds like it’s time you moved out, and went back to that arrangement. It was fine for just you, Charlie when you were a locum and weren’t even expecting to stay long.’

‘True.’ Charlie nodded, ran his fingers through his hair in a gesture she knew so well. When he’d moved back to Langtry Meadows, it had been to help Eric out. A temporary position. Eric was now on the road to recovery, and soon he’d be back in the surgery helping out, but he’d already told Charlie he wanted him to stay. That he needed help for the foreseeable future.

‘But it’s different now, isn’t it? In fact,’ she paused as a sudden idea popped into her head, ‘why not ask Eric if Sal can move in permanently? I know on the wage you pay her,’ he raised an eyebrow but she carried on, ‘she can’t afford anywhere big, and there are hardly any small places up for sale or rent in Langtry Meadows. Oh come on, Charlie, it makes sense, I know she’s dying to get away from her parents.’

‘Sounds like we need one of your spreadsheets.’ There was a glimmer of the old Charlie there, a hint of smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

‘It does. And an estate agent.’

‘You’re right, it might make Maisie feel more settled as well if I get a place that reminds her of home.’ He put a hand on her knee, the warmth seeping in, and she leaned in against him. She couldn’t help it. ‘Thanks.’ He dropped the lightest of kisses on her hair. ‘You’ve got to show me this house that you’re after as well, over the weekend. I am interested you know, sorry we’ve not had time—’

‘Neither of us have had a spare moment. I’ll show you round, but don’t expect much, it needs a lot of work.’

‘But you’ve got time, before Annie comes back?’

‘True. But first let’s sort your stuff out, that’s far more urgent.’

‘I’ll get Becky’s number off Sally tomorrow, she’s bound to have it.’

‘She is, or I can ask at school. Jill will probably know.’

‘Talking of Sal, your little Piper is ready to go home. Shall I bring her round in the morning?’

‘Sure.’ Lucy frowned. She really wanted the little dog, she’d been thinking about her ever since she’d found her by the garden gate – and she’d popped into the surgery regularly after school to check up on how she was doing. But the thought of taking responsibility for her was a bit daunting, even though she’d been caring for all of Annie’s animals. This was different, this was a dog of her own.

‘What’s up?’ Charlie nudged her.

‘How can I look after her? I don’t often get a chance to pop home at lunch time, and she can’t spend all day on her own.’ And soon she might have a house-renovation project on her hands as well.

‘Well I can soon sort that.’

Lucy jumped at the gruff country burr behind her, then twisted round to find Jim had sneaked up unnoticed. ‘Jim!’ The school governor, and Annie’s brother, had been looking after her since she’d arrived in Langtry Meadows. It was Jim who had introduced her to Annie, found her a place to stay, he kept an eye on things and checked she was coping with the gorgeous but overgrown cottage garden, and now it seemed he was jumping into the breach again.

‘Evening!’ He grinned, showing a chipped tooth.

‘But how …’

‘You’ve no need to go worrying about that pup while you’re in school, I can quite easily take the young ’un a walk for you when I take Molly.’

‘You walk Molly?’ Lucy was surprised, she’d never realised that Jim helped Elsie out with her dog, and she hadn’t realised that her discovering Piper was common knowledge either. But in Langtry Meadows it was hard to keep anything under wraps.

‘Oh aye. I offered a while ago, when Elsie was finding she was too,’ he paused diplomatically, looking for the right word. Nobody would dare call Elsie old, or suggest she couldn’t cope, ‘busy. Not been feeling quite herself lately, and she has a lot on some days so I said it was no trouble.’

Lucy frowned. ‘Is she okay?’ She’d not seen quite as much of Elsie Harrington as she should since she’d been caught up in the new term, and the old lady had been so kind to her.

‘Just old age and a bit of a summer cold, but you know she doesn’t like a fuss young Lucy. I’m sure she’d welcome a visit though if you’re passing. Aye well, official dog walker, me.’ He chuckled. ‘It would be good for Molly to have a youngster come along with us, she doesn’t run around that much since her own pups went, the lazy old thing.’

‘So that’s settled then.’ Charlie stood up. ‘Can I get you a drink, Jim? Lucy?’

Lucy grinned. ‘Definitely. Sit down Jim. I reckon you’re better than any estate agent, aren’t you? Do you know if there are any houses up for rent in the village?’

Chapter 6 (#u00bf11a6-4a10-5799-82d0-ce36c65c3a7e)

‘Oh God, no.’ Lucy clutched her head. It wasn’t how she liked Saturdays to start. Piper was barking a high pitched ‘I didn’t know I could do it’ kind of bark, and a hen was squawking indignantly.