thought you’d be really miserable. Haven’t you left Aidan to finish his filming?’
Tilly nodded, her forehead furrowing in concentration as she buttered her roll.
‘This is my brave face. I only got back at the weekend and I’m still riding high from our two weeks together. Quite frankly, I don’t know how I’ll cope without him for four days, let alone four weeks.’
I made a soothing noise and squeezed her shoulder. I felt the same about Charlie; I’d missed him even during my few days at the farm.
Then she beamed at me. ‘But looking on the bright side, when he does come back we’re moving in together. So I’m going to start looking at houses while he’s away.’
‘Wow. I mean, wow!’ I stammered. ‘That’s amazing.’
‘I know it’s fast.’ She shrugged, her cheeks turning pink. ‘But we had plenty of time to talk when we were away. And when someone’s right, you just know. No point hanging around.’
‘Absolutely.’ I swallowed.
‘Freya!’ Shirley shouted.
‘Coming.’ My heart plummeted; what had I incinerated this time?
‘Your mobile phone is vibrating in your bag. Can you turn it off, please?’ Shirley gave me her stern look.
‘Sorry. Again.’ I winced at my boss. At least it had been on silent. I rummaged in my handbag and glanced at the screen, intending to reject the call and turn the phone off completely. My heart thumped. I didn’t recognize the number but the area code was familiar.
‘It’s a Lake District phone number.’ I whirled and gave Shirley my best pleading look. ‘Do you mind? It might be important.’
Shirley rolled her eyes and smiled. ‘Go on then.’
I accepted the call. ‘Hello?’
‘Oh, lass … I’m … It’s your Auntie Sue calling, from the hospital. Uncle Arthur’s had a heart attack.’
For a second the café swam out of focus. My knees gave way and I sagged forward across the counter, knocking a stack of dirty plates as I did so. Goosebumps appeared all over my bare arms and along my spine, and a whooshing noise filled my ears.
‘Oh my God.’ I pressed my free hand to my forehead. Shirley frowned at me with concern. ‘Is he …? Will he be OK?’
‘Now, I don’t want you to panic,’ Auntie Sue said and then promptly burst into tears.
Between the two of us both sobbing down the line I managed to establish that it had all happened this morning at breakfast time, thankfully, before he had had a chance to leave the farmhouse. He’d suddenly gone pale and clammy, sunk down on to a chair and pressed his hand to his chest. Despite him saying it was probably nothing, Auntie Sue had called an ambulance straight away. Paramedics had confirmed he was having a heart attack and now he was in hospital, hooked up to wires and monitors.
‘I’ve never been more terrified in my life, Freya,’ she sobbed.
‘Oh, Auntie Sue, you poor thing. Please don’t cry, you’re making me cry.’
‘What if they can’t save him? I won’t know what to do with myself.’
‘You mustn’t think like that. Give him my love and I promise, I’ll come and visit as soon as I can.’
We ended the call arranging to speak as soon as the results of Uncle Arthur’s tests came through.
‘This was exactly what I was worried about,’ I wept into Shirley’s chest after she had bustled me into the tiny store room at the back of the café. Tilly had joined us and both of them were doing their best to console me. Shirley tightened her grip around my shoulders and was making soft shushing noises into my hair, while Tilly held my hand and was stroking my arm.
‘I don’t know how they’re going to cope,’ I said, taking a tissue from Shirley. ‘Auntie Sue can’t even drive.’
‘At least he’s alive,’ Tilly pointed out, giving me a weak smile. ‘And he’s in the best place.’
‘Yes, and now he’s been diagnosed, he’ll be put on the right drugs to keep it from happening again,’ Shirley assured me.
‘Buggeration!’ Tilly looked at her
Tilly nodded, her forehead furrowing in concentration as she buttered her roll.
‘This is my brave face. I only got back at the weekend and I’m still riding high from our two weeks together. Quite frankly, I don’t know how I’ll cope without him for four days, let alone four weeks.’
I made a soothing noise and squeezed her shoulder. I felt the same about Charlie; I’d missed him even during my few days at the farm.
Then she beamed at me. ‘But looking on the bright side, when he does come back we’re moving in together. So I’m going to start looking at houses while he’s away.’
‘Wow. I mean, wow!’ I stammered. ‘That’s amazing.’
‘I know it’s fast.’ She shrugged, her cheeks turning pink. ‘But we had plenty of time to talk when we were away. And when someone’s right, you just know. No point hanging around.’
‘Absolutely.’ I swallowed.
‘Freya!’ Shirley shouted.
‘Coming.’ My heart plummeted; what had I incinerated this time?
‘Your mobile phone is vibrating in your bag. Can you turn it off, please?’ Shirley gave me her stern look.
‘Sorry. Again.’ I winced at my boss. At least it had been on silent. I rummaged in my handbag and glanced at the screen, intending to reject the call and turn the phone off completely. My heart thumped. I didn’t recognize the number but the area code was familiar.
‘It’s a Lake District phone number.’ I whirled and gave Shirley my best pleading look. ‘Do you mind? It might be important.’
Shirley rolled her eyes and smiled. ‘Go on then.’
I accepted the call. ‘Hello?’
‘Oh, lass … I’m … It’s your Auntie Sue calling, from the hospital. Uncle Arthur’s had a heart attack.’
For a second the café swam out of focus. My knees gave way and I sagged forward across the counter, knocking a stack of dirty plates as I did so. Goosebumps appeared all over my bare arms and along my spine, and a whooshing noise filled my ears.
‘Oh my God.’ I pressed my free hand to my forehead. Shirley frowned at me with concern. ‘Is he …? Will he be OK?’
‘Now, I don’t want you to panic,’ Auntie Sue said and then promptly burst into tears.
Between the two of us both sobbing down the line I managed to establish that it had all happened this morning at breakfast time, thankfully, before he had had a chance to leave the farmhouse. He’d suddenly gone pale and clammy, sunk down on to a chair and pressed his hand to his chest. Despite him saying it was probably nothing, Auntie Sue had called an ambulance straight away. Paramedics had confirmed he was having a heart attack and now he was in hospital, hooked up to wires and monitors.
‘I’ve never been more terrified in my life, Freya,’ she sobbed.
‘Oh, Auntie Sue, you poor thing. Please don’t cry, you’re making me cry.’
‘What if they can’t save him? I won’t know what to do with myself.’
‘You mustn’t think like that. Give him my love and I promise, I’ll come and visit as soon as I can.’
We ended the call arranging to speak as soon as the results of Uncle Arthur’s tests came through.
‘This was exactly what I was worried about,’ I wept into Shirley’s chest after she had bustled me into the tiny store room at the back of the café. Tilly had joined us and both of them were doing their best to console me. Shirley tightened her grip around my shoulders and was making soft shushing noises into my hair, while Tilly held my hand and was stroking my arm.
‘I don’t know how they’re going to cope,’ I said, taking a tissue from Shirley. ‘Auntie Sue can’t even drive.’
‘At least he’s alive,’ Tilly pointed out, giving me a weak smile. ‘And he’s in the best place.’
‘Yes, and now he’s been diagnosed, he’ll be put on the right drugs to keep it from happening again,’ Shirley assured me.
‘Buggeration!’ Tilly looked at her
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