He nodded. ‘Sure. I’d best be going then.’
‘Fine. Can you let me have the distillery costs as soon as possible? I want to factor them in.’
He shrugged. ‘Sure. See you later.’
He left, and the car crunched over the gravel moments later. I could tell he was irked by my apparent lack of interest in Theo’s welfare, but I resisted the temptation to ask anything else, or offer to help. I liked the boy, but I didn’t want to overstep. Plus, what comfort or advice could I possibly offer? Alexander clearly had all that covered without me. Thank goodness I had no aspirations to motherhood – it was becoming more and more obvious that it was the one area in which I strongly took after Jacqueline Honeywood.
I went up to my room to carry on with the work; it felt odd to be sitting in Alexander’s office without him there, but I would have to be careful not to give in to the temptation to lie down for a nap. It wasn’t long before the front door opened and his and Theo’s voices floated through. Theo was sobbing as if his heart was going to break and the sound, unexpectedly, sliced rightthrough me and brought tears to my own eyes. At first, I put my hands over my ears and stared determinedly at my computer screen, but the numbers swam miserably in front of me. I stood up to shut the door but made the mistake of catching Runcible’s eye. She was sitting up on the bed, her head on one side, an unmistakeable look of concern on her patchy little face.
‘Oh, allright,’ I said, and scooped her up. We jogged down the stairs to find Alexander and Theo sitting on the sofa in the hallway, their coats still on, the poor child howling into his father’s shoulder as Alexander rubbed his back and spoke soothingly to him. I hesitated awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs and Alexander looked up. I pointed to Runcible and gave a questioning shrug. He nodded and over we went.
‘Er, Theo?’ I said, putting my hand stiffly on his shoulder. ‘Runcible heard you were upset, and she wanted to know if she could help.’ The noise subsided, but he was still shaking. I leaned over and stroked the bit of his cheek I could see with Runcible’s paw. ‘See, she’s worried about you. Will you give her a cuddle so that she knows she’s done something to help?’
He lifted his tearstained face slowly from Alexander’s shoulder and nodded. I handed him my dog and he immediately cuddled her close; she snuggled comfortingly into his neck, a gesture of hers I had experienced the many times she had helped me in the same way.
‘Can I take her to the kitchen?’ he whispered.
I nodded, knowing that he liked to curl up in the old, soft armchair that stood in one corner of the room. Speaking quietly to her, he carried Runcible away. I felt stunned and rather pleased that I had apparently managed to help him. Probably a fluke.
Alexander looked at me with troubled eyes.
‘Thank you, Fallon, you really helped. You and Runcible, of course.’ He smiled weakly. ‘Theo won’t tell me whathappened, and his friend’s parents weren’t sure either. It probably wasn’t anything serious – in our eyes at least – but Theo does have…difficulties sometimes with friends. There are misunderstandings and he gets so distraught. I wish I knew how to help him.’
I sat down next to him.
‘I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say other than that Theo strikes me as a sweet, sensitive boy. Maybe telling Runcible what happened might be the best thing for him? I know it sounds silly, but she has a way of listening without judgement that can be immensely helpful.’
Now it was Alexander’s turn to brush away a tear. He nodded.
‘I expect you’re right. It can be so difficult, you know, parenting. The love is so…fierceand yet it can leave me feeling so helpless with the desperation to get it right, whilst knowing I can’t do that one hundred percent of the time.’
I didn’t reply. I couldn’t. Had Mum ever felt like that about me?
‘Sorry, Fallon, I’m sure you don’t need to be an agony aunt on top of what I’m already asking of you. How are the numbers crunching?’
I smiled in relief. This was more like it.
‘Very nicely, thank you. I’d better get back to them, though, there’s a lot to do.’
‘Okay. Are you looking forward to the party tonight?’
‘Of course! What’s not to like?’ I pulled a face, laughed and got up. ‘How about you? Got the tux ready?’
‘I see you think that all men are so uncreative as to simply shove on black tie and come as Bond. Well, maybe I’ll surprise you!’
‘I look forward to it.’
As I returned to the safety of work, I wondered what other surprises the evening might have in store.
EIGHT
I spent much of the rest of the afternoon in my room going through my contacts list and writing emails to set in motion our plans for the Christmas Fayre. As I had hoped, I didn’t feel stressed by it; rather, it helped distract me from worrying about the party that evening. I took regular breaks, too, something I had learned was vital for preserving my energy. Although I spent my working life arranging parties and other large events, they were for other people. I was happy to be at them, working, but when it came to my own social life, I was happiest with one or two friends, or just tucked up at home with Runcible. The fact that Mum would be the main draw for many of the guests tonight was a comfort – nobody would be interested in me. I planned to indulge myself with a bit of people-watching, and maybe get to know Coco better.
When I had finished work for the day, about four hours earlier than I was used to doing in London, I decided to venture downstairs, partly for a cup of tea, partly to see how Runcible was getting on and partly to ask if there was anything I could do to help. As I came out onto the landing, Coco emerged from a room a few doors down.
‘Hello!’
‘Hi there.’ She smiled warmly. ‘I was just going to make a cuppa – do you want one?’
