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‘Only on Friday. I was keen to get Merryn into school.’
‘Oh my goodness, you must have been busy. Well, welcome to your new school.’ She smiled gently at Merryn, who looked terrified. ‘And it’s hard making new starts. I understand.’ She reached out a hand and was relieved when Merryn took it. ‘I know because I moved here from the Midlands. But, do you know, Merryn, I think Lullbury Bay is the friendliest town in west Dorset. I wouldn’t live anywhere else. Are you ready to come in now? I’ll show you where you can hang your coat and PE kit and then we can meet the class. You’ve arrived in town at the absolute best time. There are lots of Christmassy things going on.’ Over the child’s head, she mouthed to her mother, ‘She’ll be fine.’ Too many new parents hung anxiously on, prolonging the agony. And there had been a flurry of new children recently. Some settled quickly but some didn’t. Either way it meant disruption to class routine as the dynamics shifted and changed. The sooner Merryn got into class and met her new classmates the better. Thankfully Mrs Pengethley took the hint.
Giving her daughter a huge hug, she said, ‘Off you go now, Merryn. The day will fly by and I’ll see you at three thirty. We can go for a hot chocolate in the café on the seafront you liked the look of.’
Honor looked seriously at them both. ‘Only with marshmallows though. It’s the only way to drink hot chocolate at the Sea Spray Cafe.’
‘You can only have it with marshmallows?’ Merryn looked up at her, eyes wide.
Honor winked. ‘Absolutely. It’s the law. And in November and December, you have to have it with a chocolate flake too. So come on in then. Tell me all about your new house. Did you get to choose the biggest bedroom for your own? It’s Christmas Tree Cottage, isn’t it? The one on Harbour Hill with the fabulous views? What a wonderful place to live.’
She steered the little girl towards the classroom. Merryn was so busy telling her all about her new bedroom which she planned on having painted turquoise, Mum was forgotten. Honor gave a subtle thumbs up to Mrs Pengethley who smiled and went.
‘And they have a class hamster. He’s called Chestnut and you get to look after him in the holidays. Holly had him all through half term. And I had chicken pasta for lunch. It was delicious. Holly didn’t eat all of hers but I did. Holly wants me to go to tea. Can I, Mum?’
Avril pushed the mug of hot chocolate nearer. They were sitting in the cosy fug of the café. Right on the seafront, it was decorated in yellows and blues and smelled sweetly of cake and pastry. ‘Of course you can. Introduce me to Holly and her mum tomorrow morning and we’ll sort out a date.’ She grinned at Jago over the child’s head. ‘Think she’s enjoyed her first day.’
‘I think she has.’ Jago ruffled Merryn’s hair. ‘Did you ever stop talking? Your poor teacher. What’s her name?’
‘Miss Martin. She’s so beautiful.’ Merryn sighed happily. ‘She’s got eyes like the sea and hair like honey. We did similes in literacy,’ she added, importantly. ‘Miss Martin says my similes make her smile.’
‘Impressive.’ He chuckled. ‘How would you describe me then?’
Merryn put her head on one side, studying him. ‘Hair like bubbles and eyes like green sea glass. Like the bit we picked up off the beach on Saturday.’
Jago laughed and tugged on one of his dark curls. ‘Even more impressive. Maybe I should get it cut though?’
‘No. It makes you look like a pirate. We had a pirate story at home time. Miss Martin tells stories so well. She does all the voices. It was really funny.’ Suddenly distracted, Merryn pointed out of the window. ‘Look at that dog!’
Avril and Jago turned to see what she was staring at. An enormous man with an equally large dog were loping along the promenade, past the café.
‘I’ve never seen such a big dog,’ Merryn cried. ‘It looks like a wolf!’
‘Irish Wolfhound I think,’ Jago explained. ‘Or deerhound maybe. Huge but gentle giants.’
‘Canwehave a dog, Mum? Can we?’
Avril hesitated. It had been a request repeated ever since the child had learned to talk. Their London house had had a long strip of garden but she’d never thought their lifestyle was right. Her husband had worked all the hours known to man, and so had she. It would have been cruel to have a dog they wouldn’t have time for. But now, with the move to Dorset, it might be possible. With savings, Kenan’s pension and her redundancy money, she didn’t need to look for work straight away. Maybe it was time for a puppy? Merryn had been the bravest of all of them through this, perhaps she deserved a reward?
The girl picked up on the fact her mother hadn’t squashed the idea flat straight away. ‘Can we, Mum? I’ll look after it, I can walk it on the beach. I promise.’
‘Well maybe. Not for Christmas though,’ Avril added firmly. ‘Christmas is not the right time to get a puppy.’
‘And possibly not an Irish Wolfhound,’ Jago suggested. ‘Maybe something smaller?’ He saved Merryn’s mug from being knocked over as the child leaped to her feet and threw her arms around her mother’s neck. ‘Jolly-wow! A dog,’ she cried. ‘I’m getting a dog!’ Bouncing back to Jago, she landed, half on his lap.
The movement caught Honor’s attention as she walked past. She never once took for granted that she could walk home from work along the promenade. She could take the route uphill from school and then down the high street, but it was much prettier this way. Plus, it was good to get the fug out of her lungs from a day in school, and she needed the exercise. Even today, with the light going and mist hanging over the sea, it was beautiful. Stopping outside the café, she wondered about going in. She often did at the end of the day. It was easier to grab something quick to eat rather than cook for one at home. But it was Monday and she had a pile of marking to do. Through the steamed-up windows she glimpsed Mrs Pengethley and Merryn. The girl had settled easily into her new class and had already made a friend. Holly Carmichael hadn’t been in Lullbury Bay long either. Lots of new people had moved into town. COVID had forced people to re-evaluate, and many came in search of a better quality of life, which Lullbury Bay offered in buckets and spades. Seeing Merryn hug her mother, she thought she’d leave them to it, not wanting to intrude. A man got up from their table. He was tall and lanky and looked much younger than his wife. Honor shrugged. In twelve years of teaching, she’d learned families came in all shapes and sizes. Pulling up her collar against the damp, she shifted her heavy workbag onto her shoulder and turned to go. If she got a move on, she could throw something together to eat in front ofIt Takes Two. This year’s series ofStrictlywas the best she’d watched and she was obsessed. Trying not to dwell on the fact that she was thirty-two and the highlight of her life was a reality dance show, she made her way home.
CHAPTER3
‘O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL’ – TRAD.
Sunday 28th November
Jago hadn’t been in a church since school. He’d never been sure of what he believed. Had rarely given it a thought before losing his father. He had a vague notion of there being some kind of great being somewhere, but his father dying had made him question everything. There was no way a god could exist when such sorrow had been inflicted on him and his family. He hadn’t wanted to be here, he had a commission waiting to be finished, but his mother, with unusual sternness, had insisted he support Merryn. The church smelled old and the dense cold was making the inside of his nostrils burn. They’d dropped Merryn off at the side entrance where she’d been gathered up by her new best friend Holly, and were now sitting on the third pew from the front. They were lucky to get the spot. Even though Avril had insisted on arriving early, the church was filling up. Good. It might make it warmer. The primary school was a Church of England one and boasted proud links with the church. It had made Jago uneasy but, as it was the only school in town and fed into a prestigious secondary, it made sense for Merryn to go there. And to be fair, it had done an amazing job of settling her in. There had been a few wobbles, but she’d taken to it like a duck to water. Jago suppressed a grin. The literacy lessons on similes were catching. Or was that an idiom?
‘Glad to see you looking more cheerful,’ his mother hissed. ‘Especially when I had to practically drag you here.’
‘It’s not my usual habitat.’
