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Chapter 17
Margam Country Park was only a fifteen-minute drive from Porthcawl, so an early start wasn’t needed, although a substantial breakfast was, especially for the younger members of the family because they were going to need bags of energy for the day ahead. The older ones managed to pack away a decent amount as well, and even Helen, who was generally careful about what she ate, scoffed a bacon and cream cheese bagel and a croissant at the breakfast table, and Ron also spied her sneakily scoffing another croissant when she thought no one was looking.
Beverley, on the other hand, made no secret that she enjoyed her food, and neither did Annabelle. For such a slim woman, Annabelle had a hearty appetite. Ron didn’t skimp, either. There was something about being at the seaside that made him feel constantly hungry. Or maybe it was because he was expending much more energy than usual, because Annabelle had been sneaking into his room every night since the first time they’d made love. And he’d enjoyed every second of it, even if he was exhausted.
Finally, with everyone fed and watered, they were off. Ron rode with Annabelle, with the three younger children in the back, while the rest of the family piled into Brett’s seven-seater Peugeot. Smiling, he let the kids’ excited chatter wash over him as the car pootled along, their sheer enthusiasm lifting his spirits.
Aware that this was the last-but-one day of the holiday and that once everyone returned to their respective homes, Ron didn’t know when he’d next see Annabelle, he was determined to make the most of today.
It was less than two weeks since he’d first set eyes on Annabelle Litton, and Ron couldn’t believe how thoroughly she’d burrowed under his skin and pierced his heart. This holiday had been magical, purely because he’d shared it with her, but he was under no illusion that things would be quite so wonderful when they were back in Brighton. Both their situations were in flux: he would still be relying on Beverley’s charity, and Annabelle needed to find a job and a place of her own. The future of their budding relationship was far from assured, but if both of them were determined enough, he was confident they’d make it work. It was scary, though; Ron was acutely conscious of how badly his last relationship had ended. However, there was a significant difference this time around: this time Ron was in love. Properly, deeply, irreversibly in love.
The feeling was poignant. If he had loved Louise the way he loved Annabelle, his life would have been vastly different, and he couldn’t help feeling a certain measure of guilt that he hadn’t loved Louise as deeply as he should have done. Wherever she was, whoever she was with, Ron hoped she was happy. She deserved it. The last he’d heard, she was engaged to be married to a chap who owned a company which manufactured car parts for the luxury end of the market, but Ron didn’t know how accurate the information was. Regardless, he wished her well.
Cross with himself for thinking about the past when he should be concentrating on the present, he came out of his reverie to find Brett’s car turning off the road, Annabelle following.
‘We’re here!’ Sam cried, bouncing up and down in his seat. The other children joined in, and Ron clapped his hands to his ears at the deafening noise until Annabelle shouted at them to calm down, otherwise no one would be going on anything.
By “going on”, Annabelle was referring to the main attraction for all the youngsters, which was something called Go Ape. Even Ellis, who at eighteen definitely wasn’t a child, was keen to have a go at swinging and clambering about through the treetops.
Ron and Brett had volunteered to keep an eye on them if the women wanted to explore some of the less energetic parts of the extensive park, but Kate and Annabelle decided to go with them, while Beverley and Helen, in a rare show of solidarity, decided to have a look around the sections of the impressive manor house that were open to the public, then take a gentle stroll around the gardens. Pepe would stay with the main party at Go Ape, as he wouldn’t be allowed in the house.
So, with an agreement to meet up for lunch, the elderly ladies strolled off.
‘From this distance they look as though they actually like each other,’ Brett muttered in Ron’s ear.
‘I think you could say it’s the lesser of two evils’, Ron said chuckling. ‘I honestly couldn’t see Helen tottering through the woods, could you? And Beverley might be game, but she hasn’t got the energy.’
‘I’m not sure I have either,’ Brett said.
‘Nonsense! You’re on your feet all day, and what about all those rounds of golf you play?’
‘Hmm, I’m not so sure I’m as fit as you think I am,’ Brett replied. ‘You seem to have kept in trim, though.’
‘When you’re constantly being moved on by the police, and when most of the food you eat goes towards trying to keep you warm, you don’t get to accumulate a lot of fat.’
‘Oh, Lord, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.’
Ron hadn’t taken offence and he told Brett so. ‘It’s just the way it is,’ he said shrugging. ‘It’s a fact of life. Besides, I never stay long in one place. I’m always on the move, and all that walking keeps you fit.’
Brett gave him a quizzical look. ‘Except for now. I don’t want you to take this the wrong way and it might be a silly question, but you do like living in a house, don’t you?’
Ron barked out a laugh. ‘Yes, I do.’
‘And you like living with Beverley?’
‘I like that, too,’ Ron said. ‘She’s a lovely lady: very kind, very generous.’
‘Do you miss it at all?’
‘Being homeless?’
Brett looked sheepish. ‘Not being homeless as such, but being on the road. When I was going through my really dark patch just before Christmas and before I started my new job, I had a fantasy of buying a camper van, selling the house, and touring the world.’
‘Some people do it,’ Ron said, ‘but I suspect it’s not as idyllic as it looks.’
‘Not with three kids it wouldn’t be,’ Brett said. ‘At least not with my three. Sam isn’t so bad, but can you imagine Ellis and Portia squashed in a camper van and being on top of each other all day, every day? There’d be hell to pay.’
‘I don’t think Kate would be too keen, either,’ Ron observed.
