Roses For Katie (2 page)

‘Is it the Irishman who’s doing my neighbour’s garden?’ Sam asked. ‘She says he’s really nice and most presentable.’

‘I’ve no idea who the man is, but I’ve got his telephone number somewhere,’ Katie said, with a wave of her arm. ‘I’ll look for it later. Oh, and by the way, Elspeth phoned; she’s coming to stay a few days.

‘ I don’t know why you put up with her, Mum,’ Tanya said. ‘She is so bossy; always trying to tell you what to do… how to organize your life.’

‘She’s an old friend, means well, and anything’s better than wandering around this place, talking to myself.’

***

After the girls had gone, Katie was at loose ends again. Her days dragged, and the nights were worse. Sometimes she would lie awake for hours before sleep came. Tonight was one of those nights. Maybe it was her walk in the garden that had made her even more morose and missing Greg more than usual. She tossed and turned until the middle of the night and then fell into a fitful sleep. She awoke early the next morning, relieved that a night of unhappy dreams was over.

At one o’clock sharp her son, Richard, swept into the drive that circled the front of Katie’s spacious 17th century, timbered Tudor house. She watched him step out of his white Mercedes and swallowed hard at how very much like his father he looked; more and more as he grew older. Even his walk was Greg’s. She smiled as he hugged her, happy that she couldn’t be more proud of him. He was the youngest executive of a thriving electronics business. His wife, Angie, was like another daughter, and three year-old David, their only child, was healthy, bright and mischievous.

‘This looks as good as it smells, Mother,’ Richard said, inhaling the inviting aroma, and rubbing his hands together as Katie placed a large homemade quiche and salad on the table in front of him.

‘I hope Angie doesn’t make the same for you tonight,’ she said, joining him at the table. ‘Now tell me all your news. What have you been up to?’

‘I pulled off some big deals last week,’ he said, proudly. ‘And that little imp of a son got himself stuck halfway down a large pipe in the garden. We thought we’d have to call in the fire brigade, but we managed to drag him out eventually.’ He took a few mouthfuls and then began again. ‘And by the way, we think there’s another baby on the way, so young David will have something other than drain pipes to think about when it arrives.’

‘That’s exciting. Oh, that’s super.’ Katie’s eyes shone with pleasure. ‘You’ll let me know the moment you’re certain, won’t you?’ She placed a hand on Richard’s arm. ‘Is Angie all right? I mean… she’s got her hands pretty full with David. If she needs any help, tell her to call on me without hesitation.’

‘She’s not having morning sickness this time, and we feel sure this pregnancy will be pretty straight forward.’

Katie nodded. ‘I don’t have any news for you, except that Elspeth is visiting again for a few days. I know how much she annoys you, so I thought I’d better warn you.’ She laughed. ‘You might not want to come to lunch while she’s here.’

‘How right you are. How long will she be staying?’ Richard asked.

‘Only a few days.’

‘Good, so in that case, maybe you’ll be free to help me out. We’re inviting some people for dinner next Friday… mostly my business acquaintances.’ He stopped for a moment, as though to make sure he had Katie’s full attention before he continued. ‘Rex Charteris, one of our consultants, is coming, and he doesn’t have a partner.’ He cocked an eyebrow, and smiled at Katie then. ‘So what about it… would you make up the number?’ He paused. ‘I know Rex can be hard work, but he’s really a pleasant sort of guy. I think you’ve met him before… he’s a professor at the university.’

Katie thought for a moment or two, then her eyes brightened. ‘Yes. Of course I remember him… tall, good-looking man, with a full beard and a shock of hair. Likes to talk a lot.’

‘That’s him. You don’t mind?’ Richard seemed delighted. ‘It’ll help enormously if you can take his attention for some of the time. He’s a nice fellow, but he does tend to monopolize the conversation, especially when he starts going on about his exotic holidays.’ He gave a chuckle. ‘It was Angie who suggested that you might be willing to tolerate him.’ Richard drew his hand over his chin, and looked slightly troubled. ‘Rex is a bit of a ladies’ man, if you know what I mean. He’s not exactly what I’d call your cup of tea.’ His brows were raised, but there was the quirk of a smile on his lips. ‘I have some reservations over the wisdom of partnering him with you, so watch him, Mother.’

‘Nonsense, of course I’ll partner him. It’ll be a light relief for me. I know how charming he can be… and I’m well aware of how he can prattle on. I’ll be happy to do that for you, so don’t worry.’

Richard glanced at his wristwatch. ‘Hey, I’d better get moving. Got a meeting in a half hour.’ He pushed back his chair, got to his feet, and gave her a peck on the cheek. ‘Thanks for the quiche, Mother. It was great. I’ll see you again soon. Take care, now.’

Katie watched Richard hurry to his car, and smiled as she recalled meeting Rex Charteris at a previous dinner party. That was at Richard’s home, too, and Greg had been with her then. She remembered how the professor had gone on about his travels to faraway places on that occasion as well, but he certainly wasn’t dull company. Anyway, the evening would be a change for her, and that was something she needed right now. Moreover, it was good to feel needed, whatever the reason.

After she finished in the kitchen, Katie wandered out into the garden. The early afternoon sun highlighted the roses, and she breathed deeply as the slight breeze wafted the heady perfume of ‘Peace’ around her. She could never get enough of the delicate fragrance, so she lifted one of the plate-sized blooms to her face and breathed in deeply again. She closed her eyes as she inhaled… this was so exquisite that it made her want to stay here forever.

As she looked carefully around the rose beds, she realized that many of the bushes were past their prime now, but even though she had neglected them, they still produced lovely blooms. ‘I need dozens of new hybrids to add to what Greg planted for me,’ she murmured. The thought of digging them up seemed a daunting task. She would have to give that gardener a ring, and soon. She returned to the house just as the phone rang.

‘Elspeth here,’ the strident voice said. ‘You haven’t forgotten I’m coming tomorrow?’

‘Er… no, I haven’t forgotten, but could we postpone it, because I…’

‘Can’t do that,’ Elspeth interrupted. ‘Everything’s arranged now.’

‘But, Elspeth, I need to…’ Katie failed to get her words across to her friend, who cut her short yet again.’

‘I’m not taking no for an answer. Expect me tomorrow for lunch.’ There was just a moment’s pause. ‘Gotta rush now… see you soon.’

Katie sighed. That meant organizing a couple of trips to entertain Elspeth, or spend the whole time listening to her dictating what she should do, and when, and how she should live her life. It was all very well for Elspeth, who didn’t appear to have suffered any great loss when her husband died. In fact, it had given her the chance to control her own money, and plenty of time to become more involved in all the village activities. It had given her total freedom and she seemed to be enjoying it thoroughly. She attended every possible meeting held in the village from the history group to the reading circle, and the list went on and on. Katie sighed again. The trouble was that most of her friend’s conversation revolved around those interests, and it all left her feeling cold.

Still, if that was what kept Elspeth happy, then it was okay for her, but it was not what Katie wanted for herself. She had never previously made time for such activities, and she was loath to start now. Maybe the gardening club might be interesting, but that would be the only one.

After Katie replaced the receiver, she noticed the scrap of paper on which she had scribbled the gardener’s telephone number. She dialled it and listened to the soft, lilting Irish accent on the other end of the line, requesting the caller to leave a message on the answering machine. She explained why she had rung, and left her name, phone number and address, and asked him to call when he was in her area.

Back in the kitchen, she decided it would be best to cook a few things now, rather than try to do it with Elspeth under foot. Several hours later she had a sponge cake made up, a casserole for tomorrow’s lunch, a couple of meat pies and an apple tart. Exhausted, she sank into the comfortable chair in the sitting room and put her feet up to watch a film on television. The program was one she had been looking forward to, but focusing on it now seemed difficult; her mind wandering to Richard’s dinner invitation, and Rex. What would she wear? Giving up on her program she headed upstairs to sort through her wardrobe, but after a quick look at everything, she realized that nothing there would feel right for the occasion. She’d need to go shopping, fairly soon.

Pleasantly tired that night, she slipped between the sheets and quickly drifted off to sleep. She dreamed about how she swept into the sitting room at Richard’s dinner party, and watched Rex Charteris raise an appreciative eyebrow; that pleased her immensely. When she woke up the next morning, she remembered her vivid dream, and wondered what it meant. She had no yearning to attract another man… certainly not while her memory of Greg was still so strong, but she acknowledged a need to feel appreciated by someone, to feel alive once more, and excited about something.

She was well aware that Richard regarded the professor as a bit of a bore, but then, he was probably not at all interested in listening to the man reliving his exotic holidays. As she thought about it, she considered that Rex might be the person best able to advise her where to go when she finally felt up to holidaying abroad. A cruise, maybe, she mused, or a trip to Italy? She had always wanted to see Pompeii and Herculaneum. Visiting such historic places that had been dug free of volcanic deposits, was an exciting idea, and no doubt she could even spend a few days in Rome as well. The very thought of talking with Rex about exotic places was exciting. In fact, the thought of going away anywhere was exciting now. She needed to get out of the house. It would be something to look forward to.

Katie was surprised at how optimistic she felt the next day. It must be all the things she’d planned for this week. First was Elspeth’s visit, and then the dinner party. She showered and dressed, then hurried downstairs, picking up her mail in the hall as she headed for the kitchen. As usual, most of the letters were bills or circulars, but there was one in a pale blue envelope that stood out from all the rest. It was addressed in a hand she did not immediately recognize. Curious, she sat at the kitchen table and tore it open even before making her cup of tea. Her hand flew to her mouth as she read the brief note.

Chapter Two

‘Oh, dear,’ Katie murmured, shaking her head in disbelief at the letter’s contents.

My
dear
Katie
,

I
am
too
emotional
and
full
of
self
-
pity
to
face
up
to
talking
on
the
phone
about
the
sad
news
I
have
for
you
,
so
I
decided
to
write
instead
.
My
dear
sister
,
your
Aunt
Mabel
,
is
no
longer
with
us
.
She
had
been
poorly
for
some
time
,
and
passed
away
soon
after
being
admitted
to
hospital
.
I
really
can’t
believe
she’s
gone
;
foolishly
,
I
always
thought
Mabel
would
go
on
forever
.

The
funeral
is
on
Thursday
,
and
although
I
know
this
is
short
notice
,
I
hope
that
you
will
be
able
to
attend
.
Maybe
you
will
stay
on
for
a
few
days
afterwards
,
so
that
we
can
discuss
certain
matters
of
importance
.
I
will
look
forward
to
seeing
you
,
my
dear
.

Your
ever
-
loving
Aunt
Bertha
.

She read the letter again as guilt set in. She had made little effort to keep in touch with her aunts. In fact, she had made only occasional contact with them since Greg had died over three years ago. Now one of them was gone forever.

She glanced at the clock remembering Elspeth’s visit. She’ll be here any minute.
Well
,
she’ll
just
have
to
cut
her
visit
short
so
that
I
can
get
to
the
funeral
. There was no way she’d let Elspeth go with her to the funeral. It was just the sort of thing her friend would offer to do, but Aunt Bertha would not appreciate dominant Elspeth trying to tell her what to do with Avondale Manor. No, it would be better to go alone, or with Richard or the girls.