Christie Barlow - Love Heart Lane

‘I tried my best,’ said Rona, holding on to the last trace of pride.

Felicity’s heart sank.

‘I couldn’t do everything.’

Feeling wretched, Felicity blinked back the tears that brimmed in her eyes. The business her grandmother had worked so hard for lay in ruins. What had her grandmother thought? The teashop closed, her hopes and dreams dashed. Felicity swallowed hard. She’d never thought in a million years that this place would close. Add in the factor that her mum was clearly struggling, and Felicity felt shaken by it all.

‘I tried to keep things afloat but everything just spiralled out of control. It all got a bit too much for me.’

The comfortingly familiar life and beloved teashop had folded around Rona and Felicity had been none the wiser. She was devastated that she’d been caught up in her own little world and never realised how bad things had got back home. This place had been the heart of the community for decades, and this was a hurdle that they needed to get over. This place couldn’t stay shut. In deep thought, Felicity linked her arm through her mum’s and turned to slowly walk back into the kitchen of the cottage.

‘I’ll make us a hot drink and bring it through. You go and sit down.’

Rona nodded and settled down on the wingback chair in front of the fire. As soon as the drinks were made Felicity slid herself on to the battered old chesterfield.

‘How long has the shop been closed?’

Rona looked up at her daughter. ‘About eight months.’ She let out a breath. ‘Everything seemed to all go wrong at once.’

‘You mean with Grandma being ill.’

Rona nodded. ‘That was the start of it, but not just that, there was this place too. Everything seemed to break at once. The boiler packed up, the tap’s beginning to leak and looking after your grandma full time meant I couldn’t juggle the shop.’ The tone to her voice was sad.

Felicity sat back and digested this information, ‘Did you get any help with Grandma?’

Rona shook her head and took a sip of her drink. ‘No, all those years ago we’d made a pact; when the time came, she never ever wanted to go into a home. I promised I would care for her until the very end and that’s what I did. She dedicated her life to looking after me, looking after us when you were growing up. I couldn’t even afford my own house after your father died, there was no life insurance or any spare cash. We’d always lived here with Mum and after putting a roof over our heads all this time it wasn’t a big ask. I kept my promise.’

A small tear slid down Rona’s face. ‘I miss her so much. And there’s still so much to sort out, her clothes and belongings, but I just can’t face it all at the minute.’

‘I can help with all that while I’m here.’

Rona smiled with appreciation towards her daughter.

‘Mum, I’m so sorry.’ Felicity was heartbroken and surprised to discover how hard things had become for her mum.

‘It’s not your fault, you have your own life, and your grandmother wouldn’t have wanted you to come home just for her.’

Felicity knew her life hadn’t been all that in the past year. She could have come home at any time to help and felt disappointed in herself that she hadn’t supported her mother more.

‘And the boiler, is that fixed? It does seem awfully cold in the cottage.’

Rona regretfully shook her head, ‘Unfortunately, with the teashop being shut I’ve lost my income and just didn’t have the money to get it fixed. Any savings I had, I used them to get by … to live on for the last eight months.’

Felicity stared at her mum. She couldn’t believe for all this time she had been struggling by herself. ‘How are you heating the water?’

‘With the kettle. I’ve been boiling the water on the Aga to have a wash. It’s going to be all right,’ Rona quickly added with a wan smile.

Felicity’s eyes widened; she couldn’t believe her mum was living like this. Twelve months ago, this cottage had been spick and span, everything gleamed, and the teashop had been packed to the brim with customers, and now everything had changed in such a short space of time.

‘Why didn’t you ask for help, surely Drew would have taken a look at the boiler for you?’

‘I don’t like to bother people and anyway he’s got enough on his plate with the new baby on the way.’

‘Mum, you wouldn’t be bothering them. They’d be upset knowing you’ve been living like this; they would never ever see you in a pickle and without a proper source of heat, especially in the winter months.’

Rona sipped her drink. She was a proud, strong, independent woman and had always been in control, but things had begun to slip when Bonnie had become ill.

‘There’s also Rory – and even Fergus wouldn’t see you struggling surely.’

Now it was Rona’s turn to stare at her daughter. ‘That’s the first time I’ve heard you mention his name in a long time,’ she said in astonishment.

Felicity had avoided saying Fergus’s name out loud for years; the memories were too painful, and she thought if she pretended he didn’t exist it would all go away, but of course it was never going to go away. It was always going to be there.

Felicity exhaled. ‘I’ve seen him.’

Taking Rona by surprise she sat up straight. ‘You’ve seen Fergus? When? Where?’

‘Today, up at the farm. One of Drew’s Shetlands was stranded in the river. Fergus went in after it and Drew and I helped to rescue them.’

‘In this weather? He’d catch his death.’

‘He nearly did.’ The pang of worry was still firmly in the pit of her stomach.

‘How is he?’

‘He’s okay now,’ answered Felicity, thinking of a cold Fergus shivering out of control.

‘And how did that go down … seeing you?’

Felicity sighed. ‘Difficult, he wasn’t over the moon to see me, which of course is understandable.’

‘Did you talk?’

Felicity shook her head. ‘Not really, it wasn’t the time or the place, but I will. And anyway—’ she attempted to change the subject ‘—what are we going to do about this boiler? We can’t go on boiling kettles on the Aga.’

Rona sighed. ‘There’s a quote on the dresser, but it’s over a thousand pounds for a new one.’

Felicity stood up and wandered over to the stack of papers piled up and stared down at the quote. ‘Mum, let me help. I can pay this.’

‘That’s very kind of you but…’

‘But nothing, I insist. I’ve a little saved up with all the extra work over Christmas and there’s no way I’m going back to London leaving you here with no hot water or heat.’ Felicity flicked a glance towards the living-room clock – it was now past five o’clock. ‘I’ll give them a ring first thing in the morning.’

Rona blinked back her tears and her face brightened. ‘Thank you.’

‘You don’t need to thank me and please talk to me in the future. Let me know if you need help.’

Rona nodded. ‘I will, I promise.’ She got to her feet and enveloped her daughter in a hug. ‘It’s good to have you home, even if it’s only for a little while.’

Felicity felt the love and warmth from her mother as she wrapped her arms tightly around her. She made a promise to herself there and then that she would come home more and ring as often as possible.

‘What time do we need to be at the pub?’ asked Felicity, releasing herself from her mother’s arms and suddenly feeling ravenous.

‘Anytime now,’ answered Rona, looking towards the window. The snow was still coming down thick and fast. ‘Everyone will be there, you know.’ Rona held her daughter’s gaze and Felicity nodded her understanding.

‘Might as well get it over with.’