Page 54 of The Only Way Is Up

‘Like, why shouldn’t you be allowed to mess up occasionally?’ Ruby said, clearly referencing The Incident. ‘Why do your mistakes have to follow you around for the rest of time?’

‘I wish I knew,’ Daisy smiled gamely. Although the fact she was a woman probably had something to do with it.

‘Yeah, well, it sucks.’ Ruby’s mouth was set in a determined line. ‘Fame can absolutely do one!’

‘Amen to that.’ Daisy wondered if Ruby would still feel the same if she reminded her that fame had scored them this holiday.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Tom lay on the floor of his office, feeling cold and hollowed out. He’d been hoping to hear from Daisy all week, just a hello or a how are you?, maybe something that implied ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t honest about Christian’, but he’d heard nothing. In the end he’d taken the initiative and messaged Daisy himself, and the conversation hadn’t made him feel any better at all.

He stood up and walked over to the window of his office, Henry loping along behind him. It was raining hard, the trees in the school grounds bent over against the howling wind. Being cooped up in this place wasn’t good for him, especially at this time of year. He should have gone away instead of staying here with nobody but ghosts for company. But where would he go? The mountains reminded him of Tessa, his brother and sister were both abroad and his mother was on a cruise ship somewhere. He briefly considered spending the afternoon drinking red wine in the bath, but the knock at the door saved him.

Angela poked her white-haired head into the office. She was wearing an orange cardigan and a green scarf that made her look like a Halloween pumpkin. She’d been the Shipton School secretary for decades and was generally thought to be older than the building itself, which was early eighteenth century. She was a widow and should have retired years ago to put her feet up and potter around her garden, but her children and grandchildren had all moved away and she was clearly lonely. So, each day, she slowly made her way from her house in the village to her desk outside Tom’s office.

Her continued presence raised a few eyebrows among the teachers, mostly because she was breathtakingly rude in a way that only elderly people can get away with, and categorically refused to acknowledge the existence of the school IT system. But Tom defended her till the end. She’d pretty much saved him when Tessa had died, moving into his house for weeks to make sure he ate and washed and didn’t kill himself. She liaised with Tessa’s parents on funeral arrangements, managed visits and calls from Tom’s family, dealt with the wave of cards and frozen meals from teachers, parents and local ghouls, and forced him outside to walk Henry every day. She’d arranged with the governors for the deputy head to take over the running of the school for the rest of the autumn term, while she spent each day with Tom, gently nursing him through a living nightmare, until he could face the world again.

So, the best way he knew how to thank Angela was to keep her in a job for as long as she liked, while quietly doing eighty per cent of the school admin himself. He’d also bought her a mobility scooter when the walk from her cottage to the office started to take longer than the first lesson of the day, not realising this thoughtful gesture would unleash a menace on four wheels. Barely a day went by when a parent wasn’t forced to do an emergency stop on the school drive, and the kitchen cat rarely ventured outside these days.

‘That bloody vicar is here again,’ she whispered, rolling her rheumy eyes. This was the third visit from Reverend Miriam since the story about Daisy and Christian had appeared in the press, and Tom couldn’t work out whether she was worried for his tortured soul or just wanted to be in the thick of the gossip. Either way he couldn’t face another facile chat about the winter fete: he’d rather cut off an arm with school scissors.

‘Can you let her know I’m busy with prep for mocks?’ said Tom, gesturing towards the untouched pile of folders gathering dust on his desk. ‘It’s really not a great time. I’ll stop for a chat after the carol service on Friday.’

Angela winked conspiratorially and quietly closed the door. Tom sat on the floor again, his back against the scalding radiator, and waited for Henry to haul himself over to join him. The dog draped himself across Tom’s legs, imparting a furry warmth that felt lovely now, but would at some point cut off the circulation to Tom’s lower limbs so he couldn’t stand up. He stroked Henry’s head until he huffed contentedly, then pulled out his phone to call Tessa’s parents. It was a call he made three or four times a year that was guaranteed to make everyone involved feel like utter shit, but since he felt terrible anyway, he might as well go for gold.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Daisy’s first stop in Shipton Combe was the rectory, where she and Ruby helped Melanie and Will unload their luggage. The drive back from Heathrow had been a ninety-mile battle against driving rain and side winds, and Daisy needed a cup of tea and an hour in front of the fire with her eyes closed.

Gerald came out to meet them, giving Melanie an awkward hug and shaking Will’s hand like he was about to help him open his first bank account. Daisy braced herself for some over-familiar kissing and was slightly taken aback when Gerald opted for just a polite arm pat, then shook Ruby’s hand warmly. Daisy spotted Will surreptitiously raise his eyebrows at his mother, who gave him a stern look in return.

Melanie invited them in for tea but Daisy made their excuses, so they hugged goodbye. It was strange how close they had all become in just a week.

‘How are you feeling?’ Daisy asked her daughter as they pulled out of the rectory and turned into the school drive. Will and Ruby kept their goodbyes brief, subtle and chaste, but Daisy knew they were planning to see each other again in the morning before Simon picked her up.

‘Pretty good,’ smiled Ruby. ‘Thanks for an amazing trip.’

Daisy beamed. ‘You’re really welcome.’ She reached over to briefly squeeze her daughter’s hand.

‘I’m knackered now though,’ Ruby yawned. ‘Do we have to do anything else today?’

‘Nope,’ Daisy smiled. ‘I’m thinking a cup of tea and a movie in our pyjamas. Let’s see what we can find in the freezer for dinner. Hopefully your granny’s been cooking while we’ve been away.’ Even the prospect of seeing Stella couldn’t ruin her post-holiday joy.

Ruby sighed happily. ‘That sounds perfect.’

‘SURPRISE!’ shouted Simon, bursting out of Willow Cottage with his arms in the air like he’d been picked from the audience on Wheel of Fortune. Stella and Archie followed closely behind, both beaming and waving. Archie was holding a small brown and white dog who wriggled with excitement at all the noise.

‘Oh God,’ mumbled Daisy, closing the car door as their cosy evening in front of the fire slipped away before her eyes.

‘We thought we’d surprise you!’ Simon gave Ruby a huge hug. ‘I’m sorry I missed your birthday, sweetheart, but we can celebrate this evening instead.’

‘That’s OK,’ said Ruby, rallying from her tiredness at the sight of her dad. Daisy’s mother stood in the doorway behind them, arms folded, watching.

‘Are you staying tonight?’ asked Daisy, hoping very much they weren’t.

‘No, Archie’s flying to New Hampshire tomorrow morning, so we thought we might give you a crash course on caring for Hank over dinner, then take Ruby back tonight.’

Daisy pasted on a happy smile. ‘Well, that sounds lovely.’ She caught Stella’s eye and tried not to look too pained.