Page 27 of The Only Way Is Up

‘No. It certainly explains why you were so upset the first time we met.’ She reached out to touch him, then withdrew her hand. ‘I’m so sorry, Tom. It must be really hard.’ Especially seeing me here, like a ghost.

Tom’s face was grim, his eyes vacant and unseeing, then he shook his head. ‘I’m told it will get easier. And it has a bit, I suppose. I’ve accepted it was just an accident and stopped blaming everyone else. I’ve met the van driver a couple of times, a guy called Martin. He’s torn himself apart over it, poor bastard.’ He turned from the window and looked at Daisy. ‘Some days I almost feel ready to move on, other days not so much. Apparently one day the fog will lift. I’m really looking forward to it, actually.’

Daisy instinctively put her hand on his arm, but the crackle of static from her sports top made her jump, so she refolded her arms and walked back to the chair. She should probably leave, even though she felt the pull of something indefinable which made her want to stay.

She put on her coat. ‘I’ve taken up enough of your time. I’m going skiing for the week before Christmas, so why don’t I drop you an email next week about the cooking classes? Let you know what I’d need so you can have a think about it.’

Tom nodded and walked back to his desk. ‘We still have an old domestic science classroom, although we haven’t taught that in years. I could ask the maintenance team to give it a spruce up while you’re away, make sure it’s up to code.’

‘That would be amazing,’ Daisy murmured, her eyes searching his. ‘I’ll cover all the costs.’ Tom smiled softly, and Daisy felt that thing in the pit of her stomach again. She shook it off and headed for the door before she made a fool of herself.

Just before ten, Daisy’s phone rang. It was Ruby. She never usually called this late.

‘Hey, Rubes,’ said Daisy with concern. ‘Are you OK?’

‘I’m fine,’ Ruby assured her. ‘Better than fine. I’m amazing actually, and I know exactly what I want for my birthday.’

‘Hooray, about time,’ Daisy said happily. ‘What is it?’

‘I want Will to come skiing with us.’

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The following Sunday morning Daisy power-walked up the school drive towards the rectory, her breath creating clouds of vapour in the still air. She’d spent over a week procrastinating about going to see Will’s parents, hoping that Ruby might change her mind. Of course she could have refused point blank, but Ruby rarely asked for anything and she could see how much she liked Will. Considering her upbringing, she’d been a surprisingly undemanding child. So, Daisy really had to give this her best shot. Even if it might mean breathing the same air as Will’s father.

As she crossed the road to the gates of the rectory, Daisy was surprised and relieved to see Melanie walking across the gravel drive. She was dressed in the same hideously ill-fitting sportswear as last time, and carrying her tennis racquet.

‘Hello. Heading for another lesson?’

Melanie nodded. ‘It’s nice to play again, so I thought I’d get one in while it’s dry. Gerald’s playing golf.’ She looked happy, so Daisy gave Gerald a temporary pass – he might be a dreadful letch, but at least he bought his wife nice presents.

‘Can I walk with you?’ asked Daisy. ‘I’m heading your way.’ She fell into step with Melanie, wondering how best to engage her in conversation before she threw in ‘by the way, can I take your son on holiday?’ as idle chit-chat.

‘I saw the story,’ said Melanie nervously. ‘In the news.’

‘Hmm,’ said Daisy with a hollow laugh. ‘I get that kind of thing a lot.’

‘I know how it feels,’ said Melanie, looking at her feet. ‘When it’s just speculation, but no actual facts.’

‘Of course you do,’ said Daisy, feeling a brief moment of connection with Melanie. They were quiet for a moment, neither of them in any hurry. ‘It’s hard for Ruby too. She’s been through a lot over the past few months. Meeting Will has made it a lot easier, actually.’

‘I’m glad,’ said Melanie with a soft smile. ‘Will struggled too, when everything about Gerald was in the papers. He was only ten and didn’t really understand why we suddenly had to move here.’

‘It must have been a nightmare,’ said Daisy, thinking that she, Melanie and Tom could write a book about emotional rollercoasters. ‘Out of interest, did you know Tessa? Tom’s wife?’

‘Yes,’ said Melanie. ‘We were good friends. We used to do the flowers together at the church.’ Her eyes widened as she looked at Daisy. ‘She was lovely. I’m sorry, it’s just so uncanny . . .’

‘I know,’ said Daisy. ‘Tom told me. Let’s talk about that another day.’

‘OK,’ said Melanie. They were both quiet for a moment, walking side by side through the sleepy village. ‘So what was the news story all about?’ she asked tentatively. ‘Are things between you and your fiancé OK?’

‘We’ll be fine,’ said Daisy with a shrug, not wanting to lie any more than she had to. ‘And what about you? How are things between you and Gerald?’

Melanie looked at her warily. ‘Oh, well. Fine.’

Daisy touched her arm ‘Look, Melanie. I don’t mean to pry. But I don’t know many people in this village, and I’d really like us to be friends. I think we have things in common, our children apart.’ She took a deep breath. ‘We’ve both had our personal lives slapped all over the tabloids.’

Melanie was quiet for a moment, clearly battling with how much to say. ‘I suppose you know all the details about what happened with Gerald.’