The Cosy Teashop in the Castle Read online

‘Course not … I didn’t go in for the book, I went in for you.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Ellie, all I could think of in there was you … I should have told you this before … and then I didn’t think I might ever get the chance.’ He held her gaze.

  The tears were back again fuzzing her view.

  ‘Ellie, I love you.’

  She gulped, knowing she was about to blubber. ‘I know. I love you too, Batman.’

  ‘Hmn.’ He looked her over. ‘You’re still in your catsuit … promise you won’t take it off till I get home?’

  ‘Alright.’ She’d have done anything for him right then.

  As the consultant walked in, he found the young couple indulging in a very full-on kiss. He coughed politely to warn them of his presence. ‘Those lungs seem to be getting stronger, then, Mr Ward.’

  25

  June – twenty months later

  ‘So, are you ready, pet?’ Her dad looked very unlike himself, and, in fact, rather suave in a burly kind of way, all suited and booted in grey pinstripes, and a million miles away from his boiler-suit-and-spanner look.

  ‘Yes, I am.’ Ellie smiled across at him as she fastened the clasp of a beautiful silver-and-pearl necklace that matched the drop-pearl earrings she had just put on. A wonderful surprise that Joe had given her the day before; the last time they were to be together before the wedding. Oh yes, she was ready, hook, line and sinker, heart and soul. What she was nervous about was tripping over in her very high satin heels and ripping the hem of her ivory lace dress, or stuttering the words she had learned and had to repeat when the rings were being exchanged.

  ‘Well, I’m proud of you, our lass. Coming here, making a go of the teashop and everything, when you didn’t know a soul. And Joe, too. I like him – yes, he’s not a bad lad. As long as he looks after you right, mind.’

  ‘He will, Dad. I know he will.’

  ‘Well, he seems a decent sort, I must say. I taught him a few tricks to keep the plumbing here flowing yesterday – problem with the new ensuites to the guest rooms. He seemed willing to learn and a hard worker. Anyway, hey, look at us two in our finery, I can’t believe I’ll be walking my little girl down the aisle in just a few minutes.’

  Ellie spotted the mistiness in her dad’s eyes. He was never one to be given over to emotion, and seeing him getting choked up made her own heart clench. And a happy tear welled in her eye too. Thank heavens she’d remembered to use the waterproof mascara. Mum would be there waiting with Jay and all their friends by now, downstairs in the castle chapel. Gemma, her maid of honour, had given her a hug and then gone on five minutes before with Ellie’s gorgeous little cousin, Daisy, who was flower girl, and Joe’s best man’s little boy, Jack, who was page boy, all dressed in a cute mini suit that was the same material as the gents’ morning suits. Gemma was cursing about having to be nanny all day to her junior assistants, but Ellie had the feeling she was secretly enjoying it all! Why else would you bring Jelly Babies and Dolly Mixtures along with you – though she had mentioned bribery tactics!

  The great hall and a marquee in the gardens for dancing later were all set up, ready for the reception. Ellie and Joe had spent many hours, using their newly found contacts and skills to plan and make sure that their guests had a fantastic day. Wendy had agreed to do the flowers and Ellie’s bridal bouquet was absolutely gorgeous, scented with white summer roses and soft-pink peonies, greenery swathed artfully around them – like an English summer garden. Ellie was a bit cross with her, in fact, as she would only accept half the true price for it all, and she was sure she’d seen extra pedestals being sneaked in that weren’t even on the order list. But Wendy insisted, saying Ellie had given her loads of new business with all the weddings at the Castle now (today was to be the twelfth wedding at Claverham Castle) and it was the least she could do for her and Joe.

  The champagne was on ice ready for a Fuck’s Bizz welcome drink and a toast to Nanna! And the pièce de résistance was a two-tier choffee cake extravaganza, the biggest and best yet, which Ellie had spent two days making and decorating with the most stunning white-and dark-chocolate flowers. From the detail of the petals, with chocolate stems and leaves that twined around the two sections, to the delicate and edible gold-leaf-effect finish, it was Ellie’s best-ever masterpiece – and a true homage to her beloved nanna.

  The soft glow of tea lights would light the hall and tables later, and even the trees out in the garden had fairy lights ready to switch on at dusk, which Derek and Malcolm had helped set up. There were also two large storm lanterns to guide the way in and out of the back terrace. Colin had been kept very busy, with James to help, pruning the roses and trimming the box hedge in the Italian gardens to perfection. There wasn’t a dead head within a mile of the castle!

  Doris, Nicola and Deana had stayed late after the tearooms had shut one night, making chintzy material bunting, which now adorned the stone walls of the hall so that it looked a quirky, yet oh-so-pretty mix of vintage teashop-meets-seventeenth-century castle. Doris had turned out to be a bit of a whizz with her Singer sewing machine, and had even been found happily humming to herself on several occasions.

  And the food for the reception was going to be the best afternoon tea ever! There was a catering company coming in to serve and to bring all variety of dainty sandwiches, mini quiches and savouries, but Ellie had made the prettiest cup-cakes with sugar roses on the top and some fun and funky ice cream cup-cakes – the vanilla icing twirled to look like Mr Whippy 99s’ with hundreds and thousands and a chocolate Flake in. She’d also made a batch of lemon drizzles to cut into small squares, and mini Victoria sponges decorated with fresh strawberries to go on all the cake stands. She’d picked up loads of gorgeous china cake-stands in charity shops and flea markets over the past six months, her mum and friends all being on the lookout too. She knew they’d come in handy after the wedding in the teashop, anyhow, and she’d also picked up pretty porcelain cups and saucers all mixed and matched – rose patterns, spotty, willow-pattern, and somehow it all worked. Even the posy jars for the peonies on the great hall tables were recycled jam jars from the tearoom kitchens, with pink silk ribbons and hessian twine tied in bows around them. Wendy had enjoyed making them up.

  Ellie had sat quietly with a cup of tea at the close of business yesterday, after Doris and Nicola had gone, thinking how far she had come from the hurt, and rather naïve, girl who risked it all for her dream, for her love of baking and the chance of a different life, a chance to run her own business. Back then, she hadn’t even dared to imagine that she might just fall in love too, but, wow, it had happened! And she felt so full up with love that she wanted to jump up and down and shout it from the top of the castle tower every day. And, amazingly, he seemed to feel the same way. She and Joe would have to work hard, and they still had a long way to go until the castle was profitable in the way it needed to be. But it was all heading in the right direction. And she loved seeing the faces of the wedding couples and their families when their reception and special day had all gone well. When the great hall or the marquee looked like the fairytale, vintage, or medieval banquet they had wanted, and everyone had delighted in the food she had made. The cards of thanks for her catering services were proudly stuck on the kitchen pinboard, the kitchen having had a full re-fit after the fire.

  ‘Well, lass.’ Dad made a show of checking his watch. ‘Time to go.’ He crooked his arm in a grand gesture for her to slip her own through and smiled broadly at her, bringing her back from her reverie.

  So this was it, she was getting her wedding day at last, and, boy, was she so glad it was Joe who would be waiting for her (not tosser Gavin). And to think that all their guests, close family and friends, both new and old, and all the wonderful castle staff who were now friends too, would be there in wonderful support.

  ‘We’d better take it slow down those steps, lass. I’d hitch your skirt up a little if I were you, pet.’

  Ellie grinned. ‘Good idea, Dad!’ She laughed
as she tried to tuck some of the ivory lace material in her knickers – which were just a little scrap of lace too, so they weren’t holding much up! They made it down the spiral stairwell from Ellie’s room, across the cobbles of the inner courtyard and up the grand stone steps, which Ellie spotted were adorned with peonies and roses and ivy entwined along the balustrades.

  Malcolm, who was hovering at the top of the stone steps, gave the nod, and suddenly an old organ struck up with a wobbly ‘Here Comes the Bride’ tune. Ellie chuckled and her dad grinned. Derek was sitting playing on an ancient piano stool, dressed in top hat and tails, that Ellie seemed to remember seeing in the costume display room here at the castle before. He gave her a wink. She and her dad turned left, approaching the chapel.

  Ellie now felt a little nervous. Would Joe really be there waiting for her? Or could it all have been just a lovely, but not real, dream. And she’d wake up in her little bed in the terraced house in Heaton, and have to get up and head off to work at the insurance office, just after Gavin had done the dirty on her. Could her life really be this beautiful?

  ‘Just go on in and enjoy every moment, pet,’ Nanna’s bossy tones played in her mind, as the final chords of ‘Here Comes the Bride’ played out. Gemma was waiting outside the chapel’s arched wooden doors, grinning across at Ellie. She was wearing the long mink-coloured satin dress they’d chosen together. Gemma quickly organised the page boy and flower girl. ‘Right, ready, kids? Your big moment is here. We’ve got to follow Ellie down into the chapel room now, so just keep with me and remember the deal, yeah? There’s some jelly babies in it for the prize winner who doesn’t step on the dress, okay?’ Two little heads nodded seriously; Daisy clutching a flower basket, and little Jack, the page boy, looking so smart with his cream carnation button hole just the same as the men’s on his waistcoat pocket.

  ‘Okay?’ she mouthed to Ellie, giving her a big thumbs-up. ‘You look fantastic, girl!’

  Ellie nodded back, feeling a lump rising in her throat. This was really it, the wedding day she’d wanted for so long, but this was so the right one.

  ‘Pinch me, Gem.’

  ‘What? I’ll hurt you. Your skin’ll go all red and nasty.’

  ‘Just the back of my hand, p-lease.’

  ‘O-kay, nutter.’

  She pinched, and it hurt, and a bright-pink mark rose up.

  ‘Great, thanks.’ Ellie grinned.

  ‘A grade nutter,’ Gemma muttered. ‘Now, don’t copy that, kids, alright? That is just for the grown-ups, ’cos it’s a special day.’

  Dad was shaking his head, but smiling. So, it was real. Gemma took a second to smooth Ellie’s dress down at the back, slightly re-aligning the stylish V, which plunged to her back midway down. The front bodice was fitted, but not too low, with a sweetheart neckline, ivory lace over satin. The sleeves were three-quarters, and there was a sash at the waist that exactly matched the mink shade of Gemma’s dress.

  ‘Right, then, pet.’

  ‘Yes.’ Here goes. Woohoo!

  She paused on the threshold as she reached those heavy wooden doors. Oh, all the flowers down the pews, and the satin ribbons the very same shade as the bridesmaids’ dresses – they looked so beautiful. And then, all these people, her friends. Look, there was Nicola, and Deana and her husband, Bill, two colleagues from her old insurance office, Auntie Dorothy and Uncle David and her Cousin Lauren. Hah – Doris and Wendy in huge fancy hats, all dressed in their finest. Mum and Jay. She grinned at them all, and then her eyes reached the end of the aisle, and Joe was there looking at her with his gorgeous smile, dressed in his grey morning suit; tall and distinguished-looking and her heart did a somersault and triple flip.

  Lord Henry was there at the front pew, just behind Joe. Their height and stance the exact same. His father – they were all still getting used to that, but it was easier now the staff were aware. Oh, and just along on the same pew, Joe’s mum, Sue. It was the first time she had been back to the castle in over thirty years. She was looking so proud, with a hanky ready in her hand and a little wave of encouragement to Ellie. And then she and her dad made the slow walk down the aisle, with all eyes on them. They made it to the front and she hadn’t tripped up or fallen, and Joe was there just a metre away, his eyes giving her a look of awe that made her insides melt a little.

  ‘Hello, you.’

  ‘Hello, you,’ she echoed, smiling back at him.

  ‘You look beautiful.’

  Dad gave her a wide smile and wink, as he stepped back and joined Mum and Jay. And it was just the two of them standing at the altar with the local vicar, who was welcoming everyone to the service. She heard the words about ‘love and trust’ and they sang a hymn, her nanna’s favourite, ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’, and Ellie made her vows to ‘Love him, comfort him, honour and protect him, forsaking all others’. And she heard Joe’s loud and sure ‘I will’ as he confirmed his own vows. The vicar then asked for the rings to be brought forward. There was an embarrassed shuffle as Joe’s best mate, Rob, an old college friend, riffled his top pocket for a second or two and then sighed with relief, doing a mock swipe of his forehead as he pulled out the jeweller’s box, where the platinum bands Joe and Ellie had chosen lay on navy velvet.

  Ellie reached out her hand ready towards Joe, as he took out the smaller band. As he lifted his wrist to reach her fourth finger on her left hand, the sleeve of his jacket rode up a little. She caught sight of his cufflink. Hah – a black Batman symbol on silver. She stifled a giggle, looking up at him, catching those sexy hazel eyes, then gave a tip of her head towards his cuff. He grinned knowingly, and as the wedding ring slid to the base of her finger, he leaned in close and whispered in her ear, ‘Just you wait till you see the boxer shorts later.’

  She couldn’t help but smile.

  The afternoon tea reception was fabulous, with speeches, lots of bubbly, and much laughter. Later, there was a fish-and-chip supper, as well as an ice cream van, to serve those wanting to stay and dance in the marquee.

  Ellie and Joe had a taxi booked for nine o’clock, ready to take them to the station for their honeymoon breakaway in a country hotel in the Lake District. (And, yes, she had packed her walking boots and cagoule!) Instead of Kirkton Taxis, along came Doris’s husband, Clifford, in his prized old jaguar done up with satin ribbon on the bonnet, streamers, a ‘Just Married’ sign, and rattling tin cans tied to the back bumper. He stepped out grandly, announcing, ‘Your chariot awaits.’

  Ellie stood on the top step of the castle entrance, in her going-away outfit, a pretty vintage-style floral dress and navy jacket, ready to throw her bouquet in the time-honoured tradition. She turned her back to the small gathering: Gemma, Nicola, Cousin Lauren, and a few others were ready there. Malcolm and Derek stood to one side to watch the happy couple set off. Ellie had never been particularly good at throwing, and from her backwards stance the bouquet hurtled off sideways. Malcolm, star catch at the Kirkton cricket club in his time, threw up a hand instinctively and caught it beautifully. He and Derek shared a surprised glance and grin, as the small crowd cheered.

  Shouts of ‘Have a lovely time!’ and ‘Good luck’ reached Ellie and Joe as they got into the car.

  Ellie looked up at the castle, remembering that first interview day and her hopes for her teashop dream. What she had managed to achieve there made her proud, and finding Joe there too, wow, she could never have dreamed of that. She took his hand, which was warm and sure, sitting there on the back seat, with their friends and family wishing them well, waving them off. There was so much more to come. They could dream their dreams together now.

  A memory: golden-tipped sand dunes, early June heat waves blurring the Northumberland coastline. Michael racing towards the shore, Emily on his shoulders, their laughter ringing out against the crash of the rolling waves. A family together.

  Two years later, and the landscape of Kate’s marriage has changed irrevocably. When Michael came home one evening and dealt the fateful blow to their m
arriage, neither could have imagined the heart-wrenching journey stretching before them.

  Her happy home with Michael and their two beautiful girls has been washed away like footprints in the sand.

  As he tries to build a new home from home, Michael’s about to learn just how precious his family is. Kate’s left dealing with the consequences but can you ever forgive such a betrayal?

  And when your marriage is torn apart, all hope hanging by a thread, what will it take to stitch it back together?

  Click here to buy now 978-0-00-812538-7

  Acknowledgements

  My dream was to become a published author. Last year that dream became a reality, and after over ten years of writing, rewriting and submitting, I finally got to hold a copy of my debut novel, The Torn Up Marriage – wow, what a feeling! Now, as the icing on the cake, here is The Cosy Teashop in the Castle. So my thanks have to go to Kimberley Young and my lovely HarperImpulse team, especially my editors Charlotte Brabbin and Charlotte Ledger, for giving me that opportunity, and for helping to make my first two published books the best they could be.

  Thanks to all my fabulous friends, especially the Barcelona Trio, for fuelling me with prosecco, nibbles and chat when the going got tough! For Julie, for creating the wonderful choffee cake recipe and for letting me go ‘undercover’ as a waitress in her tea rooms for the day. For Isabel, for being my test reader on The Cosy Teashop in the Castle and for advising me I was on the right lines with a very gorgeous Joe! Louise, through thick and thin, near or far.

  The Romantic Novelists’ Association – without the support of this wonderful organisation, and the special friends I have made in the Northumberland Chapter, I would never have had the encouragement to keep going, nor had the chance to meet my publisher or my new agent, Hannah Ferguson. So big thanks!

  To Northumberland, my beautiful home county, for inspiring me with the most wonderful settings.