The Vintage Teacup Club (9 page)

‘Yes, we did, but I thought you’d still like to see …’ Maggie started.

She looked from her drawings over to Owen’s designs, and was irritated to see that they did look quite carefully thought through. But he was clearly far younger than her, what did he know about planning events of this scale? He drove a pick-up truck, for God’s sake! Maggie was surely far better suited to working on a wedding of this kind, with this calibre of guest.

‘Look. No offence, but weddings really aren’t my thing, as you two know.’ Owen looked from Jack to Lucy. ‘There’s nothing sustainable about one big, blowout day of indulgence, even in the name of love. But like I said, I’m willing to do this for you guys as a favour.’

Jack was starting to look a little uncomfortable now, shuffling in his seat.

‘But if I’m going to do it,’ Owen continued, ‘it has to be my way. Leave the garden stuff to me,’ Owen said to Jack. ‘That’s what we agreed, and that’s what I’m trained to do. And she,’ Owen waved his hand dismissively in Maggie’s direction, ‘can do the flower-arranging.’

‘OK,’ Jack said, hurriedly trying to make amends and placate his friend. ‘Maggie, we really want your input on the flowers, though, like we
said.’

When Maggie looked up to argue her case, Owen was staring at her, at the top of her head his brown eyes glinting.

‘Nice scrunchie,’ he said.

‘Mini pork pie?’ Maggie asked, passing the plate.

‘That would go perfectly with my bowl of Quavers,’ Jenny said, with a giggle, putting a tub of ice cream into Maggie’s freezer and picking up a pie.

Alison picked up the three full glasses of lemonade, and the women took their plates and a large pizza box over into Maggie’s pristine living room.

‘Thanks for coming over,’ Maggie said, getting comfy on the armchair, tucking her legs up under her. ‘And for bringing the junk food extravaganza.’ In front of them was an array of comforting carbs, including an enormous pizza. Maggie hadn’t really expected Alison and Jenny to be free on a Friday night, but after the day she’d had at Darlington Hall she was longing for some friendlier company and so had invited them round on the off-chance. When she’d answered the door to find them laden down with snacks and smiling with slumber-party glee, Maggie’s blues were all but forgotten.

‘Pah!’ Alison said. ‘Don’t worry, Maggie, we’ve all had one of
those days
.’ Jenny nodded and took a mini sausage roll from the pile on her plate, her blonde
ponytail bouncing.

‘It’s been a while since I had a good junk food feast anyway,’ Jenny said, with a wink. ‘They’re wasted on hangovers, don’t you think?’

‘Definitely,’ Maggie said, ‘and it’s the lesser of two evils. It’s a good job you came around really, or I’d probably be a bottle of wine down by now. Honestly, Lucy Mackintosh’s wedding was sent to test me.’

‘Is she really that bad?’ Alison asked, brushing a crumb off her checked shirt.

‘Yes,’ Maggie replied in an instant. ‘Only now it’s not just her.’ She paused, recalling the disaster that had been that day’s meeting. ‘She’s got this really arrogant upstart on board to do the landscaping and … No,’ Maggie shook her head with determination, ‘I’m not wasting valuable snacking time even
thinking
about them.’ A wide smile took the place of her scowl as she took a slice of pizza from the box.

‘Anyway, Alison,’ Maggie said, through a mouthful of mozzarella, ‘your friend Jamie from the charity shop popped into the shop the other day for some freesias. Said he might be starting up a café over the street. Did you know about that?’

Alison beamed. ‘Yes, and to be honest I’ve been desperate to blab about it – I’m thinking of going in with him as a partner,’ she took in her friends’ intrigued expressions. ‘But there’s a lot to think about before then. I’ve got to talk to Pete first really, but
I’ll keep you posted.’ She stroked Mork’s arched back as he sniffed at the pork pies. Looking around the room, Alison changed the subject, ‘Anyway, this place is stunning, Maggie,’ she said. ‘White carpets, blimey, the stuff of dreams when you have kids.’

Maggie smiled warmly, ‘Well, I guess there are advantages to living alone.’

‘You can say that again,’ Alison said, laughing. ‘I think every piece of our furniture is practically wipe-clean.’ She hopped to her feet to inspect the framed photos on Maggie’s mantelpiece. ‘So are you sure there’s no one on the scene, man-wise?’

‘Nope, no one. I’m absolutely certain,’ Maggie said, focusing on taking another bite of pizza without cheese dripping on her chin.

‘Nosy,’ Jenny said, directing the comment at Alison.

‘Look,’ Alison said, picking up a photo of Maggie with Kesha and Sarah for a closer look. ‘Let me live vicariously a little. With two kids and an elderly mum to think about, I need all the kicks I can get.’

‘I don’t mind,’ Maggie said, smiling. ‘I only wish I could provide a bit more in the way of entertainment for you. But it’s a romantic desert round here I’m afraid.’

Alison narrowed her eyes as if she didn’t entirely believe what she was hearing.

‘Seriously!’ Maggie confirmed. ‘Haven’t you spotted all the scented candles and
cushions I’ve got in this place? Single woman’s prerogative.’

‘OK, we believe you – it’s true there are a lot of candles. But still, I’m amazed. Well, enjoy it while it lasts, I say. Family life can really take it out of you.’

‘Does your mum live nearby, Ali?’ Jenny asked, lifting her glass to her lips.

‘Close-ish, yes,’ Alison replied. ‘I’m popping round to see her with my brother tomorrow actually. She’s OK most of the time, but she’s stubborn as you like and she isn’t ready to accept that she’s not as strong as she once was.’ Alison’s eyes drifted, then her gaze came back with a smile. ‘It’s a good reminder to enjoy being young and healthy while we can, isn’t it?’

Jenny raised a glass of lemonade in one hand, the pizza box in the other. ‘Ahem?’ she said, glancing from one to the other. ‘We’d better get busy then. I’m not sure how much longer we
have.’

It was Saturday evening, and when Alison got back from her mother’s house Pete and Holly were curled up together on the Chesterfield sofa watching
Doctor Who
. Alison’s heart lifted at the scene: Pete had one arm around his youngest daughter, the other lazily draped over the dog. Pete was wearing an old checked shirt, one that Alison really liked for its softness. His hazel eyes lit up when he saw Alison come through the door, and Holly acknowledged her with a smile, before her eyes flicked quickly back to the screen.

‘Hello family,’ Alison said, standing in the living room doorway. ‘I’ll be with you in a second, I’m just going to grab a drink.’

Alison poured herself a glass of red wine and rested
against the kitchen counter for a moment. It had been a long day. She’d been riding high since her conversation with Jamie the other day, and Pete had been equally excited about the café idea, but seeing her mum again had brought her back down to earth. Her mother was still the fun and feisty character she’d always been, but physically she was getting extremely frail and Alison could see that living on her own was now a challenge for her. A carer came in a few mornings a week, and Alison and her brother Clive dropped in when they could, but they both knew she needed more help.

Alison’s eyes drifted to the kitchen table and she noticed that the forget-me-not teaset was out of its box; Holly must have wanted to take a look. She put her wine down and wrapped the cups and saucers back up in their newspaper. The text at the top of one of the yellowed sheets caught her eye:
The Charlesworth Chronicle
, 14 June 1964. She remembered that her dad used to read that paper. It had closed a few years ago, was replaced by glossy magazines like the one Jenny worked for, with features rather than local news. As Alison put the cups back into the box and closed the flaps, she saw the biro scribble on the top ‘Mrs Derek Spencer’. Probably a house clearance, she thought to herself with a pang of sadness.

Alison walked back into the living
room and over to the sofa, settling herself beside Pete and Holly and taking off her boots.

‘So,’ she said, giving Pete a kiss and squeezing Holly’s arm. ‘How has today been?’

‘It’s been fun, hasn’t it Holly?’ Pete replied, looking for a response from his daughter, who was still caught up in the programme. Maggie noted that Pete’s stubble was even longer than usual, and it sort of suited him. But then she couldn’t help thinking – he’s unshaven because he’s got nowhere to be, tomorrow or the next day. Or the day after.

‘We took George on a really long walk and I bumped into Sally, you know, old-neighbour Sally? She’s back in town looking for a new property. It turns out London didn’t suit her at all.’

‘Oh, right, that’s nice,’ Alison said. ‘I’d been wondering about her. It was a whole lot more fun when she lived next door, wasn’t it?’

Pete nodded, then changed the subject. ‘How was your mum’s?’

‘Not great, to be honest,’ Alison said. ‘She’s having real trouble moving about on her own. Clive and I were talking today …’

Alison shook her head, as if she could get rid of the problem that way. ‘Clive can’t help any more than he is already, not with the kids and Susan pregnant again. We’re thinking about moving mum
into a home.’

‘Granny?’ Holly said, looking up from the TV.

‘Yes,’ Alison said to them both. ‘She’s beginning to need more support than Clive and I can give, and if her health gets worse I think it’s our only option. There’s a good one in Easton, so she would still be very close. It’s not cheap, but we’ll find the money somehow. I know Clive could cover it, but I don’t want him to … Anyway, nothing’s been decided yet.’

Pete looked at his wife, a softness to his gaze. ‘It sounds wise,’ he said, ‘to at least consider it, I mean.’

‘Yes,’ Alison said, not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer. ‘Where’s Sophie anyway? Upstairs?’

‘Nope,’ Pete began, brushing his hair out of his eyes. ‘She’s gone to a slumber party at Janie’s. I dropped her round there earlier.’

Holly started to fidget, rearranging her position on the sofa. ‘That’s not what I heard,’ she said, glancing up at her mum with a cheeky smile, then looking back at the screen.

‘What do you mean, Hol?’ Alison asked, her brow furrowed.

‘Nothing,’ Holly said, more serious now, as if she’d had a change of heart.

‘Holly,’ Alison’s patience was getting thinner. ‘It is clearly not nothing, or you wouldn’t have said anything. What did you hear?’

‘Matt,’ Holly chirped up at
last. ‘I heard her on the phone to him earlier. He’s a new boy at school, plays guitar in a band.’

‘Sounds cool,’ Pete said, with a smile and a tilt of his head. Alison gave him a glare.

Holly continued, ‘He’s fitter than her last boyfriend.’

‘Matt,’ Alison murmured, letting the sound linger, searching her memory for some link, a mention Sophie could have made. ‘So what was she saying to him? I’m guessing he’s not at Janie’s sleepover too?’ She gave a small snort of disbelief.

‘That part isn’t true,’ Holly said quietly, wriggling to get comfortable as George made a claim for more space on the sofa. ‘It was a lie, so Dad would let her go.’

Alison drew in her breath and looked over at Pete, who looked startled. ‘Holly,’ Alison said, putting a hand on her younger daughter’s arm. ‘It’s really important that you tell us what you heard.’ Holly’s face went pale, and she stared down at George’s fur for what seemed like minutes. ‘OK,’ Alison said, breaking the silence. ‘I’ll just call her then, and—’

‘No,’ Holly said, panicked. ‘You can’t.’ She paused, taking a breath. ‘I shouldn’t have been listening. She was in her room, but the door was a bit open. She said to Matt that she and Janie would meet him by the old house by the tracks, for the party. When she left she had some other clothes to change
into, I could see them in her bag.’

For a moment Alison was relieved to know the truth, feeling just slight annoyance at Pete’s oversight of something even Holly had spotted, and then the facts sank in.

‘She doesn’t mean the
old derelict house
on the outskirts?’ Alison said, registering, looking from Pete to her daughter. ‘By the railway tracks? Where the junkies go?’ Holly’s expression was blank, and it was clear she’d now told them everything she knew.

‘Pete, why didn’t you call me before you agreed to let her go out?’ Alison asked, searching for a way to understand the situation, as she fumbled in her bag for her phone and called through to Sophie’s number. As the line redirected, Sophie’s answerphone message was loud enough for all three of them to hear. Alison cut off the call.

Pete shrugged, but his eyes gave away his anxiety. ‘I didn’t want to bother you, Ali – I know how tough it can be on you sometimes when you go to visit your mum. Anyway, Sophie’s slept over at Janie’s before, I had no reason to think she would do anything else.’

‘Oh God,’ Alison said, hiding behind her hands. ‘Pete, have you ever seen that house? Have you even been around that area? It’s not safe at all.’

Alison put her boots back on again, trying to stay calm as she felt panic begin to rush through her. She got up from her place on the sofa and turned
back to face Pete. ‘You stay here with Holly. I’m going to find Sophie and bring her back.’