A Rose and a Promise, page 31
Aled nodded slowly. ‘I know, and I’m sorry, but I thought it was for the best.’
‘Best for who: you? Because it wasn’t the best for me. You might think your chair would’ve held me back, but you couldn’t be further from the truth. When you turned your back on me, you changed everything. I can’t talk to anyone the way I used to talk to you.’
He gazed at her, shame-faced. ‘I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you, or anyone else for that matter, and if it’s any consolation I nearly came over at Oscar’s christening, because watching you from a distance wasn’t enough. But the thought of you seeing me in this thing terrified me.’ He sighed breathily. ‘My wheelchair means we live in completely different worlds. Besides, as far as I was concerned, I’d burned my bridges, and I had no right to come back into your life after treating you so badly.’
Cadi spoke coolly. ‘You were never going to tell me, were you?’
Aled shook his head. ‘How could I? Tom told me that you’d come to the station.’ There was a momentary silence as he fought to keep hold of his emotions. ‘He also told me that you’d cried, and that I was being a selfish idiot. He was right, and I knew it, but it didn’t change my mind.’
‘You said something about the doctors thinking the worst. What changed?’
‘I surpassed their expectations when it came to my body’s ability to heal. And one of the nurses kept reminding me of who I was before the accident. In fact I’ll always be grateful to the nurses. They stuck by me no matter how obnoxious I became, and without their support I wouldn’t be where I am today.’
At last, Cadi smiled. ‘Well, you’re here now, and that’s what counts.’
He eyed her incredulously. ‘Does that mean that you forgive me?’
‘Of course I forgive you.’ She took his hands in hers. ‘Aled, you’re one of my oldest, dearest friends, and I love you very much. I just wish you’d said something sooner, rather than suffer in silence for all these years.’ She glanced from the smart pinstriped suit to the briefcase which Aled had placed on the floor beside his wheelchair. ‘Am I to take it you’re now working in an office?’
Aled followed her gaze. ‘I am indeed. I started off working for the War Office, but the airman in me still wanted to move around, so I packed that in and started my own business working as a freelance accountant. That’s why I’m in Liverpool.’ He grimaced as he glanced at the empty chair beside his. ‘Miss Grainger – the woman I was with – is a client of mine.’
Cadi buried her face in her hands as the colour rose in her cheeks. ‘Oh, Aled! I’m so sorry. Whatever must she have thought?’
He chuckled softly. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll clear things up with her when I get back.’
Eager to steer the subject away from her outburst, Cadi asked the next question on her mind. ‘So, where are you based?’
‘Pretty much anywhere and everywhere. I don’t have an office per se, but I do have a nice little flat in London’s Soho.’ He hesitated. ‘How’s Oscar?’
Cadi smiled. ‘He’s a cheeky cherub, full of the joys of spring and not a care in the world. I’d love for you to meet him.’
Aled waved a dismissive hand. ‘Kids aren’t interested in old men in wheelchairs.’
Cadi was quick to put him right. ‘Oscar would love to meet the man whose life his father saved, the man who saved Annie – the apple of Oscar’s eye.’ She met Aled’s gaze squarely. ‘I’ve not told him any of this, because I knew he’d want to meet you, and I’d have had to tell him that his hero had vanished without a trace.’
Aled covered his forehead with his hand. ‘I’m so sorry, Cadi. I never realised my absence would have such a big impact.’
‘That’s all in the past,’ said Cadi, ‘where it will remain.’
He glanced at Cadi’s ring fingers and saw that she had moved her wedding band to her right hand. ‘I see you never remarried.’
‘I’ve been on a few dates, but they never amounted to anything. To be honest, I never felt comfortable about introducing any of them to Oscar. It will have to be someone pretty special if I’m to feel at ease with them around my son.’ She hesitated. ‘You never made it up with Marnie, then?’
He gazed at her sheepishly. ‘No. Mainly because I knew she’d got it right.’
Cadi tilted her head. ‘Oh?’
‘I thought I’d buried my feelings for you a long time ago, but when you lost Jez I guess something resurfaced.’ He waved his hand helplessly. ‘Not that I realised it, of course, which is why I pooh-poohed Marnie’s claims. It was only after I lost the use of my legs that everything became clear. I’d never stopped loving you, not deep down, and the thought of you giving up your dreams in order to care for me was more than I could bear. But worse still was the thought of you being with someone else.’ He shrugged. ‘I realised that I couldn’t stand by and watch another man enter your life, so I used the wheelchair as an excuse to hide.’ He eyed her quizzically. ‘You don’t seem surprised?’
‘The girls always thought that Marnie might have been right,’ said Cadi, ‘so I suppose it’s been at the back of my mind.’
‘So I was only managing to pull the wool over my own eyes,’ said Aled. ‘I did the same when I said there had been too much water under the bridge for us to be anything other than friends. I didn’t know then that I was only using it as an excuse because I thought you’d never see me in that way.’
‘But sometimes having a history can make a relationship,’ Cadi said thoughtfully. ‘It’s part of the reason why my dates never came to anything. I couldn’t talk to them about the day I left Rhos for Liverpool, or what it was like to hear that my father was trapped down the mine, because they’d not been through any of it with me. Not like you. You know everything about me, warts and all. That’s why I find it so easy to talk to you.’
He nodded slowly. ‘And we’ve always been able to continue with our friendship, no matter how long the breaks between meetings.’
‘We just pick up where we left off.’
‘Because we know each other inside out.’
‘Never a cross word – until today,’ said Cadi. ‘And even now, we’ve managed to talk things through and sort it out.’
‘Oldest friends are always the best,’ said Aled.
She smiled at him affectionately. ‘So let’s not leave it another five years, eh?’
His eyes twinkled as he gazed at her across the table. ‘Definitely not.’
Cadi glanced at the clock above the counter. ‘What time does your train leave?’
He smiled. ‘I’m my own boss, so I don’t have to go back to London this evening if I don’t want to, and we’ve still got a lot to catch up on. How about I take you out for dinner this evening?’ Seeing the uncertainty in her face, he quickly added, ‘Unless you’d rather not, of course.’
‘That depends.’ Her expression was serious, but her eyes were dancing mischievously. ‘Are you asking me out on a date?’
Aled felt his cheeks grow warm. ‘And would you say yes if I were?’
She gazed at him solemnly. ‘Do you know, I rather think I would.’
Two dimples punctured Aled’s cheeks as a smile swept his face. ‘In that case, dear Cadi, would you do me the honour of accompanying me on a date this evening?’
Cadi beamed. ‘That would be lovely.’
Epilogue
It had been a little over a year since Aled moved to Liverpool and Cadi couldn’t stop smiling as she drove towards the train station to collect him. It seemed as though she had been walking on air since his return. They had gone on their date, and Aled had proved to be the perfect gentleman, assuring her that he wouldn’t try to rush things and they would take their relationship at a pace which would suit them both.
As Maria had known Jez the longest, it was to her Cadi had turned for advice as to whether she was doing the right thing by courting Aled. Her friend had given her her open and honest opinion.
‘You’ve been on your own for far too long,’ she said. ‘Aled is a lovely man, who will treat you like a princess. If you’ve any reservations concerning what Jez would think then you should clear them from your mind, because Jez liked Aled very much. They became firm friends, and he would want to see you with Aled over any other man, because Aled will respect your free spirit and treat you with the love and compassion that you deserve.’
Cadi was thrilled to have Maria’s approval, but she needed further affirmation from the one who was unable to give it to her in person. ‘Thanks, Maria. Your blessing really does mean a lot, but do you really, truly think Jez would approve?’
Maria held Cadi’s hands in hers. ‘I do. Think about it. Jez wouldn’t have wanted to see you end up like Queen Victoria, a sad and lonely widow who mourned her husband’s passing for the rest of her days. That’s why he made you promise to move on with your life.’ She heaved a weary sigh. ‘Life is too precious not to live it. Not many people get a second chance at happiness, which is why you should grab it with both hands. Have some fun, and let your hair down. You’ve done nothing but work since you had Oscar, and whilst you’ve achieved an awful lot for a single mother I can see you’re still not happy – no one could be in your position. I’m not saying you have to marry Aled or owt like that, but don’t rule it out because you’d feel you were being disloyal to Jez, because you’re really not. What would be disloyal is breaking your promise to him.’
So Cadi and Aled had begun a long-distance relationship, with Cadi travelling down to London whenever she got the chance and Aled catching the train to Liverpool as often as he could. Everything went wonderfully, and in little over a year Aled announced his decision to move to Liverpool.
‘It seems silly for us both to be rushing around like headless chickens when I can easily be based up here,’ Aled had reasoned as they waited for his train. ‘Of course I would still travel for work, but we’d get to see each other more, instead of wasting precious hours sitting on a stuffy train.’
‘I agree,’ said Cadi, ‘but have you thought about where you’d live?’
He wriggled his eyebrows. ‘I’ve seen a nice little place on Ullet Road.’
‘Ullet Road! Do you have any idea how expensive it is to live around there?’
He laughed. ‘Of course I do. I’m an accountant, so it’s the first thing I checked.’ He smiled. ‘I pay myself a decent wage, so it’s not exactly out of my reach.’
Cadi’s cheeks turned pink. ‘You say you’ve seen a little place but I’ve been down there myself and none of the houses on Ullet Road are little – I don’t think I’ve seen a single one that isn’t set over two floors. Are you sure you’d be able to manage?’
Aled had taken her hand in his. ‘The place I’ve seen is a ground-floor flat, so there are no stairs, and the doors are wide enough for my wheelchair to get through. It even has a ramp up to the front door.’
A look of intrigue crossed her face. ‘It sounds as though you’ve already had a good look round.’
He pulled a guilty face. ‘I didn’t want to say anything before I’d had a quick shufti to make sure it was suitable.’ He tapped the side of his wheelchair with the palm of his hand. ‘There’s no point in going off half-cocked when you’re stuck in one of these things.’
‘And as it’s passed muster, what happens next?’
He squeezed her hand. ‘I’d only be coming up here so that I could be closer to you and Oscar, so if you’re happy with that I’ll put my London flat up for sale. If all runs smoothly I could be moving up to Liverpool within the next two months.’
Cadi sighed contentedly. ‘In that case, it looks as if we’re going to be seeing an awful lot more of each other from now on.’
Aled’s London flat had sold to the first person who viewed it, and he had moved to Liverpool the following month.
With Aled living in Liverpool, their relationship had begun to develop more quickly. It seemed that they saw each other on an almost daily basis, only parting when Aled went away on business, and Cadi missed him terribly whenever he did.
Now, as Cadi turned on to Skelhorne Street, just outside Lime Street station. Pulling up alongside the kerb, she switched the engine off and glanced at Annie in the rear-view mirror. The red setter was beginning to get excited, as though she knew why they were there. And she probably does, Cadi thought to herself, because I always bring her with me when I pick Aled up. Reaching back, she smoothed the hair on Annie’s ears. Having Annie back with the family had been the icing on the cake as far as Cadi was concerned. Oscar simply adored her, and Cadi liked to think that Annie sensed Jez in Oscar, because she was loyal to a fault, shadowing him wherever he went, as though ensuring he wouldn’t come to harm.
Taking her handbag, she fished around inside until she found the compact mirror which had been a wedding present from Jez. Opening the case, she gently smoothed her thumb over the engraving which marked the date of their wedding whilst she examined her reflection. She would always cherish Jez’s memory, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t move on with her life. Maria had been right when she said that Cadi deserved a second chance at happiness, and Aled had given her just that. Placing the mirror back in her bag, she glanced at the band of Welsh gold which adorned her wedding finger. The lonely widow had become a happily married woman for the second time, and whilst she would never forget the past, she now had a bright future to look forward to, and she intended to make the most of every minute.
Dear Reader,
A Rose and a Promise may have put me through the wringer emotionally, but I thought it important to acknowledge that not everyone survives war. Jez was an outstanding character who represented all the heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect the women they loved, and it would feel like a disservice if I didn’t recognise that. I also had to tie up many loose ends, such as Daphne and the Finnegans. The thought of letting the dastardly brothers loose on the unsuspecting public was unfathomable, and I knew that they had to be accounted for if I were to sleep at night!
The idea for my next novel, Winter’s Orphan, came on my last trip to London. I’ve always been fascinated with the city’s rich history and iconic settings, one of which is Petticoat Lane. As I began my research, I quickly became intrigued by the infamous street market and its truly villainous beginnings. Probing into the lives of the folk who lived and worked down Petticoat Lane, I was immediately drawn to the captivating characters and their amazing resilience to the hell that was World War II.
To me, Libby is a true representative of that gung-ho attitude, something she displays when she loses her parents along with all her worldly possessions. If that wasn’t bad enough, poor Libby, who can’t swim a stroke, accidentally ends up in the icy water of the River Thames. Fearing that this is the end, she is plucked from the water by the handsome Jack, who comes to her rescue in more ways than one.
Winter’s Orphan is the second in a trilogy that began with White Christmas, a book I wrote as a one-off, then vowed to turn into a trilogy. So how does that happen with Libby in London? She moves to Liverpool in a bid to find her long lost family; but ends up finding a lot more than she bargained for!
I simply adored writing this book, and I hope you love it just as much!
Warmest wishes,
Holly Flynn xx
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PROLOGUE
Christmas Eve 1940
Libby Gilbert gasped as the icy water of the River Thames gushed into her open mouth. Spluttering as the murky liquid slid down her throat, her outstretched arms floundered above her head in a desperate attempt to find something to hold on to, but the current was too powerful, and the banks of the Thames slipped past her fingers before she could find a purchase. As her head sank below the water, Libby was beginning to think that her time was up, when she heard a large splash and a hand with a vice-like grip grabbed hold of her. Fearful that the hands might belong to her aggressor, she tried to fight him off, but he was too strong, and within seconds he had hauled her onto the bank.
Gasping for breath, she looked up at her saviour, but instead of locking eyes with a man hell-bent on revenge, she found herself gazing at a man in his late teens, with curly dark hair and green eyes, which twinkled kindly.
Seeing the anxiety in her face, her saviour took a step back, his hands held up in a submissive gesture. ‘It’s all right, Treacle. Jack, ain’t gonna hurt you.’ Seeing a cut above her eye, he leaned forward, his hand outstretched. ‘You appear to have taken a lump out of yer noggin.’
As she scrambled to her feet, she attempted to scrape her hair, now plastered to her face, away from her eyes. Speaking through chattering teeth, she mumbled her appreciation. ‘Thanks for rescuin’ me Jack, but I’m quite all right.’
Jack eyed her studiously, his face full of concern. ‘Pardon me for sayin’, but you don’t look it.’
She followed his gaze from her soaking wet frock, torn and muddy, to her bare feet, which were covered in cuts and bruises. ‘I’ve lost my shoes,’ said Libby. It was a fib, but she’d rather he believed she’d lost them in the water than explain why she had been running through the streets of London without any shoes.
To her relief, Jack jerked his head in the direction of the river. ‘I expect they come off when you went in the water, but you can’t walk round barefoot…’ He was interrupted by the distant thrum of heavy bombers, making their way towards them. He held his hand out to her. ‘C’mon, we’d best get us to safety before it’s too late.’
Scared that her aggressor might still be nearby, she shook her head. ‘Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine…’ She took a step forward and yelped as one of the many cuts on the soles of her feet hit the cobbled road.
