Page 14

POLLY

As she glanced through the teashop window, Polly was taken aback to discover that not only was Shona sitting at a table eating her lunch with Rissa’s father, of all people, but Jimmy was there also. She hadn’t been expecting that and hoped they wouldn’t make a fuss about where she’d been all week.

Following Rissa into the teashop, she saw Jimmy glance in her direction and felt a pang of guilt as his face lit up in obvious relief. Mindful of Rissa and her dad, he said nothing, but managed a discreet wink in her direction, while Shona nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

Polly knew she shouldn’t have avoided them all week.

They were her family, and they’d have understood.

She just hadn’t wanted to inflict her misery upon them, especially when she couldn’t explain what was causing her to feel all these unexpected emotions, nor why it was Rissa’s father who’d stirred them up after all this time.

Anyway, even if she had explained the little she could to them, they might have worried what effect the upcoming 1940s weekend would have on her, and knowing those two, they’d have mentioned it to Callie. The last thing Polly wanted was to heap more stress on that poor girl.

She gave Jimmy and Shona bright smiles to reassure them that all was well and slipped into a spare chair at a neighbouring table, close enough that she could eavesdrop on their conversation.

Rissa’s dad, she noticed, got to his feet to greet his daughter, which she thought was very polite and respectable of him.

Rissa smiled awkwardly at him. ‘Sorry about the mix-up, Dad.’

‘It doesn’t matter. You’re here now,’ he said. He waved a hand around the table. ‘I expect you know Jimmy and Shona.’

‘Only in passing,’ Rissa said, blushing slightly. She looked a bit bewildered that her father was sharing a table with them and Polly felt the same. Why on earth was her Jimmy sitting with this fella? She supposed Shona was there because of her dad, or maybe it was the other way around?

As Rissa took a seat, Shona tactfully announced that she’d better be getting back to work.

‘Don’t go on my account,’ Rissa said, though she didn’t sound as if she really wanted Shona to stay.

‘Lunch break’s over,’ Shona said with a forced smile. ‘Back to work for me, I’m afraid.’

Jimmy cleared his throat. ‘Yes, and I’d better be getting back home. I’ve had my little wander for the day, and I’ve treated myself to that lemon sponge cake, so I’ll take my leave. Nice to meet you, Max. Rissa.’

‘Thank you so much for your company,’ Max (so that was his name!) said, shaking Jimmy’s hand. ‘It’s been a pleasure to talk to you.’

‘Aw, you’re very welcome. Maybe we’ll catch up again, eh? I’m at Starling Cottage if you ever fancy a chat.’

‘You’re very kind,’ Max said warmly, although he didn’t make any mention of dropping by, Polly noticed.

As Jimmy headed towards the door, he discreetly jerked his head towards the door at Polly, and she followed him out of the teashop.

‘Where you bin, Pol?’ he asked, after glancing round to make sure no tourists were watching.

There were a few locals in the vicinity, but he didn’t bother about those.

Everyone in Rowan Vale was used to people chatting to thin air.

‘Me and Shona were getting worried about you. Not seen you all week.’

‘Worried about me?’ Polly hoped her laugh sounded genuine. ‘Why would you worry about me? I’m fine.’

‘So where have you been? Shona says you haven’t been at the flat when she’s gone there to clean and air it either. Not like you, Polly.’

‘Between you and me,’ she said, ‘I’ve been staying with old Percy Swain.

You know, the station porter? Bless him, he’s fed up with Ronnie’s and Bill’s antics.

They’re getting him down a bit, and he needed cheering up, so I thought I’d keep him company.

It was nice for me, too. Sort of a holiday, like.

Sorry to worry you, Jimmy. I never thought. ’

‘Aw, that’s okay,’ he said, the worried creases in his forehead smoothing immediately. ‘Just glad you’re all right, that’s all.’

‘Well,’ she said with a grin, ‘apart from being dead, I’m absolutely smashing.’

He grinned back. ‘Will you be popping round later then?’

Polly nodded. ‘Yes, I’ll come and see you and Shona after tea, how’s that? We’ll have a proper catch-up, eh?’

‘We will. See you soon, Pol.’

‘Bye, love.’

She waited a moment as she watched him heading along the river path then she hurried back inside the teashop and slipped into an empty seat between Max and Rissa, just in time to hear Max protest, ‘I’m not saying she’s a bad person!’

‘But that’s exactly what you’re saying,’ Rissa snapped.

‘Let me tell you something: if it wasn’t for Betty, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you right now.

It was she who persuaded me to see you. Told me to see things from your point of view and try to fix our relationship. You ought to be thanking her!’

‘You needed to be persuaded to see me?’ he murmured, the hurt clear in his eyes.

‘Well…’ She shifted uncomfortably. ‘What do you expect, Dad? I knew I’d get nothing but grief about working on the farm, and what’s the first thing you start going on about the minute I sit down?

Little digs about my crappy job and how I should be doing something better with my life than working for those people . ’

Max massaged his temples for a moment. ‘Rissa, you have a first-class honours degree in history, and here you are working as a fake land girl at some tourist attraction! What happened to you being a teacher? That’s what you always wanted, remember?

You loved your subject. You wanted to teach it at schools, to instil your passion for the subject into children.

Why have you thrown your dreams away for this ? ’

‘It’s not forever,’ she said sullenly. ‘But I like it here. It’s a beautiful place. Look around you.’ She waved a hand at the window, indicating the pretty village that lay beyond. ‘It was only supposed to be for six months, but I liked it, so I stayed.’

‘And how long will you continue to work here?’

She shrugged. ‘Until I don’t want to any longer.’

He sighed and shook his head, clearly baffled.

Polly couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled, too.

Rissa had a first-class honours degree? Nothing wrong with working on a farm, of course.

She’d done it herself for years and was very proud of the fact, but it did seem a bit odd that the girl had worked so hard to get a qualification to teach and had then thrown her dreams away for a job that needed no formal qualifications at all.

Paige arrived at the table. ‘Would you like to order?’ she enquired politely.

Max raised an eyebrow at his daughter. ‘Hungry?’

‘Just coffee will do,’ she replied.

Paige grinned. ‘Sorry. We’ve had a phone call from Betty, and she says we’ve to make sure you eat a proper lunch or you’ll be fit for nothing this afternoon.’

Rissa sighed. ‘Oh, all right. I’ll have a sandwich then.’

‘Cheese? Egg and cress? Ham and tomato? Roast beef and?—’

‘Cheese will be fine,’ Rissa said. ‘And don’t forget the coffee.’

As Paige nodded, Max cleared his throat and gave Rissa a meaningful stare.

‘Er, please,’ she added, her cheeks turning pink with embarrassment.

‘Just coffee for me, please,’ Max said politely.

Paige smiled at him and returned to the kitchen. Polly thought that, whatever else he was, Max Meyer was well-mannered at least, and clearly tried to instil those same manners in his daughter.

After a few moments of silence, he said quietly, ‘It’s a nice place. The teashop, I mean. The staff are very friendly, and the owner seems to be a nice woman.’

‘Owner?’ Rissa asked sharply.

‘The lady who was sitting here when you arrived.’

Rissa frowned. ‘Shona’s not the owner. She’s the manager. This entire village is owned by – well, some girl who got lucky.’

Polly glared at her. Some girl who got lucky indeed! Just because Brodie had fallen for Callie, there was no need for Rissa to be so dismissive of her. And just when she was starting to feel sorry for her!

‘Really?’ Max asked, clearly surprised. ‘Well, the manager then. She has a sense of humour, I think. The toilets,’ he added, as Rissa gave him a puzzled look. ‘There are squares of newspaper hung up in the cubicles. Thankfully, there is modern toilet roll there, too.’

‘Oh, yeah.’ Rissa nodded. ‘We have little touches like that at the farm.’

At the mention of the farm, Max lowered his gaze. He fiddled awkwardly with a napkin for a moment, as if working out what to say next. ‘You think our relationship needs fixing?’ he asked at last.

Rissa’s eyes widened. ‘What?’

‘You said, Betty told you to try to fix our relationship. Does it need fixing?’

‘Well…’ Rissa fiddled with her own napkin, her pink cheeks growing ever darker. ‘Don’t you?’

‘I… It’s been a hard few years, mausi ,’ he mumbled. ‘We have had a lot to deal with, and we’ve been busy, too. I took the new job at Chipping Royston, and I moved house, and?—’

‘Left our family home behind.’

‘I couldn’t be there any longer, Rissa. I needed a fresh start. Everywhere I looked, there were memories of…’ His voice trailed off and he shook his head.

Impulsively, Polly put her hand over his.

Of course, he couldn’t feel it, but she wanted to offer him sympathy in some small way.

She understood all too well that urge to start again, away from all the painful reminders of a lost love.

Hadn’t she left the marital home after Charlie’s death for that very reason? Max must have loved his wife very much.

‘I know that, Dad. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…’ Rissa sighed and sat up straight, throwing her napkin on the table. ‘You’re right. We’ve been busy. Your new job, new house, settling in at Chipping Royston, me graduating from uni, working, moving to London then moving here. It’s a lot.’