When Alice Met Danny (21 page)

‘That sounds like a very good idea. I’ll discuss it with my nephew. He’s very interested in history. He writes historical novels. Now, before you go, you must have a drink. Would you like some tea?’ It was a warm afternoon, so Alice declined. But Mrs Cooper wasn’t taking no for an answer. ‘I know what you’d like. Some of my homemade elderflower cordial. Now, isn’t that a good idea? I know, why don’t we sit in the front garden? The dogs will be fine outside.’

She went off to fetch the drinks and Alice made her way over to an old bench, set against the front wall of the house. A nagging thought was going through her head. Just how many old ladies made elderflower cordial and had a nephew with an interest in historical novels? Surely it couldn’t be…

Mrs Cooper came back out again, along with the Jack Russell. She was carrying a tray with a jug of cordial and two glasses. Alongside them on a plate was a freshly baked Victoria sponge cake. Alice thought guiltily of the doughnut she had eaten the previous day. She hoped her new tennis skirt would still fit her come Sunday. The thought of tennis reminded her of Daniel Tremayne, her knight in shining armour, or at least a muddy Land Rover.

‘Be a dear and close the gate to the road, will you? Ethel’s a little scamp. She’ll be off like a rocket if you give her half a chance.’ Alice did as she was bidden and returned to help with the cake. Ethel was eyeing Danny suspiciously and did not notice the gate or the cake. Not so the Labrador. He positioned himself at Mrs Cooper’s feet and subjected her to an unswerving stare.

‘Mrs Cooper...’ Alice wasn’t quite sure how to continue.

‘Yes dear, here’s your cake.’ Alice registered the fact that she now had an enormous slice, almost a quarter of the size of the cake, in her hands. First things first, she cleared her throat.

‘Does your nephew, you know, the one who is interested in history, does he live in Beauchamp?’ The old lady nodded absentmindedly, concentrating on pouring the cordial. Alice ploughed on. ‘Is he called Daniel, by any chance?’

‘Yes dear. Do you know him?’ She looked up proudly. ‘He’s a writer, you know. Have you read any of his books?’

Alice shook her head in disbelief. ‘He lives next door to the house I bought in Lyndhurst Avenue. Have you any idea how the letters might have ended up there? After all, they would have been addressed here, surely?’ As she spoke, she realised her mistake, then Mrs Cooper spelt it out to her.

‘Oh no, this is where my father and his parents lived, not my mother. They didn’t marry until after the war, so he would have been writing to her while she was still living at home with her own parents. Her family were quite well off. They owned a couple of houses in Beauchamp, in Lyndhurst Avenue. I didn’t know you had a house there. Isn’t that funny? They sold one a long time ago, so that must be the one that you’ve bought. Daniel kept the other for himself. Mind you, he spends so much of his time abroad these days, he’s hardly ever there.’

Alice sat back and sipped her cordial. There was no mistaking the taste. She set the glass down and nibbled a corner of the cake. It was still warm and totally delicious. She sighed deeply and carried on eating.
I had better skip dinner tonight
, she decided, hoping to assuage her conscience. The thought of dinner reminded her of Tuesday evening.

‘In fact, we had dinner together the other night.’ She thought she had better say it before he did.

‘Oh, that’s nice. He’s an interesting boy.’

Boy
was not really how she would have described him, but she nodded. ‘He gave me one of his Roman mysteries to read. I haven’t started it yet.’

By this time Ethel had joined Danny at her mistress’s feet. The old lady gave them a glance and smiled. ‘You’ll get the crumbs at the end. But you’ll just have to wait.’ She turned back to Alice. ‘So are you going to move to Lyndhurst Avenue?’

‘No, I plan on staying in Woodcombe, where I’m living at the moment. It’s a nice little village. Do you know it?’

Mrs Cooper reached for her cup. ‘Yes, indeed, it is a fine place. I know it well. My husband was born and brought up there.’ Her expression became more solemn. ‘In fact, he’s still there. He’s buried in the graveyard.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be sorry, Alice. He lived a full life and, just like my father, he survived a war. He was in the infantry all the way through the Second World War, from Dunkirk to D Day and beyond. Not many did that and came home intact.’ Her old eyes were staring out into the branches of an ancient oak tree in the field across the road. ‘He died last year, just three months short of his hundredth birthday.’ She turned and focused again on Alice. ‘Isn’t it funny that you’re there and he’s there, and Daniel’s next door to your house in Lyndhurst Avenue. It’s almost as if it were meant to be.’

Chapter 35

Alice couldn’t get Mrs Cooper’s words out of her head as she walked along the path by the river. A series of coincidences seemed to be leading her towards an MA, maybe even a doctorate dealing with the First World War. Only a few weeks ago, the idea had not even entered her head. As the dog plunged in and out of the water, returning from time to time to shake himself all over her, she was still trying to make sense of it all.
And all these Dannys, for crying out loud?
She was thinking hard when her phone started to ring. It was her friend, Sally.

‘Hi Sal, how’s it going?’

‘Fine up here in the big city, but how about you? How did the big date with the gorgeous older man go?’ Alice sighed, rather regretting having let her friend in on her plans.

‘Um, depends on your point of view.’ She hesitated, unsure how to continue. ‘We had an excellent meal in a lovely little Italian restaurant…’ Her voice tailed off.

‘And then? What happened then? Come on, Al, spill the beans.’

Alice realised she could either tell her to mind her own business or tell her the truth. Their friendship went way back, so she opted for full disclosure. ‘Well, then he invited me back to his house, and he showed me some nude drawings.’

‘Ooh, saucy!’

‘But they were of his partner.’

‘Ah, that’s a bit odd. What did she look like?’

‘He, not she.’

‘Ah.’ There was a pause. Then another, ‘Ah.’

Alice decided to admit her failings. ‘I’ve started checking for wedding rings now, Sally, but I missed all the signs on this one. He’s very good-looking, he’s very generous and he’s even a writer. I thought I was onto a winner.’

‘Well, three out of four isn’t too bad. Better luck next time. And next time is…?’

‘Next time is tomorrow with Danny from London, but that’s not a date as such. He’s got a girlfriend after all. We’ll just be two friends hanging out. But at least I’ll be with a windsurfing legend.’ She went on to tell Sally how famous Danny Kemp had turned out to be. Sally was impressed.

‘I told you he was a good one to go for. I fancy him all the more now, myself. Don’t let a little thing like a girlfriend stand in your way.’ She paused briefly. ‘Now, a boyfriend’s a bit of a deal breaker, I’ve got to admit. But not a girlfriend. A bit of competition is healthy.’

No sooner had Alice finished the call than the phone rang again. This time it was none other than Danny from London, aka windsurfing god. ‘Hi Alice, I was just checking to see if you are still on for tomorrow night.’

‘Hi Danny. I was just talking about you.’

‘Oh dear, that sounds ominous.’

‘Not at all, I was just boasting that I’m going out for dinner with a windsurfing god.’

‘Erm, you forgot the “veteran” part. Anyway, the reservation’s for eight o’clock. How about I come round for you at seven? I’d love to see the cottage and I must meet my namesake after all.’ His namesake chose this particular moment to run up and shake himself all over Alice. She squealed.

‘Danny, stop it.’

‘What did I do?’ Nevertheless, he guessed it wasn’t him she was referring to.

‘Not you, the dog. He’s been swimming. Anyway, seven’s good. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ She paused. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing you again.’

‘Me too, a lot.’

She returned the phone to her pocket and threw a stick into the middle of the river. Danny plunged back in and retrieved it. The game continued until her phone rang a third time. She glanced at the screen. It was Daniel Tremayne.

‘Hi, Daniel. How did the TB testing go?’

‘Hello Alice. Very well indeed. We’re clear. And with all the animals we’ve got, that’s terrific. We’re all celebrating. In fact, that’s what I’m calling about. I’m taking the boys out for dinner tonight at the King’s Arms
.
I wondered if you’d like to join us.’ Before she could answer, he added ‘I’ve asked Megan as well. She’s coming.’

Alice accepted willingly, her resolution to miss dinner now conveniently forgotten.

Alice walked down to the pub at seven o’clock, leaving an exhausted Labrador fast asleep in his basket, an all-pervading smell of damp dog still filling the kitchen.

She spotted them immediately upon entering. They were sitting at the big table in the far corner. Daniel Tremayne was there, along with five men, ranging in age from late teens to late fifties. He waved her over.

‘Alice, do come and have a seat. Megan will be here shortly.’ He pointed to the bottles on the table. ‘Drink? White or red?’

‘Hi, Daniel. A glass of white would be nice.’

He introduced her to his “boys”, who all looked and sounded bright and cheerful. Clearly they had a good relationship with their boss. The conversation was animated and she soon found herself telling them about the house full of poo, watching their expressions go from incredulity to horror, to side-splitting mirth as she did so. Megan arrived just as the laughter was calming down.

‘Did I miss something?’ Megan took a seat on the other side of Daniel Tremayne, who reached for the bottles. ‘A glass of red please.’ He poured her drink and explained. She looked across at Alice. ‘But of course the poo is long gone now. It’s good to see you can laugh about it now.’

‘I may even have a buyer for the house already.’

‘So, have you definitely decided to sell?’ Daniel reached over and topped her glass up. She noticed that he was drinking mineral water.

‘Yes, I plan to settle down here in Woodcombe.’

‘Well, that’s a reason for celebration in itself.’ Daniel Tremayne sounded genuinely pleased. ‘I won’t be losing my tennis partner after all. By the way, are you on for Sunday? The forecast is still looking good.’

She confirmed that she was looking forward to it. He smiled and passed the menus around the table. They all chose what they were going to eat and more drinks arrived. Alice was delighted to see him dispensing alcohol to all and sundry without any apparent difficulty or remorse. Once she had finished her white wine, she opted to join him in some mineral water. ‘Wine’s full of calories, and you should have seen the enormous piece of cake I had this afternoon.’

‘So, where are you going to live, then?’ He sipped his water. Alice saw that Megan was still on her first glass of wine, while most of the “boys” were well into their pints.

Alice explained about the agreement she had reached with Derek Tinker. The more she thought of it, the better it sounded. ‘I can stay renting Duck Cottage until the sale goes through. Then, once I’ve bought the cottages, I can rent Drake Cottage out to pay the mortgage. It’s a perfect solution.’

The food began to arrive. The conversation flagged as everybody settled down to eat. In spite of the big piece of cake, Alice found she was quite hungry. Like Daniel, she had ordered mussels and chips, which were delightful. As the food disappeared, so the conversation picked back up again. She told them about her decision to go back to university, omitting any mention of the first name of the man who had interviewed her. Two of the “boys” were soon performing a double act, miming the vet trying to extricate himself from a cow. They had the whole table in stitches. All, Alice noted, apart from Daniel Tremayne. His expression was serious, his gaze far away.

‘What is it, Daniel?’ She kept her voice low. He turned towards her and she saw the look in his eyes. She glanced down the table. All the attention was on the antics of the two comedians, so she leant a little closer to him. ‘Is something wrong?’

He managed a tired smile. ‘A lot less wrong than it used to be. I was just thinking how unusual the sound of laughter has become for me.’ Alice noticed Megan turn towards him and smile encouragingly. He drew strength from the two of them. ‘It’s so good to be with happy people.’ His smile broadened.

Chapter 36

Danny from London turned up bang on time at seven o’clock on Friday. Alice saw his car pull up outside, a collection of windsurfing boards tied to the roof. She opened the front door and went out to greet him, accompanied by Danny the dog. He gave her a big smile and then turned his attention to the dog.

‘What a beauty!’ He knelt down and stroked him. ‘You’re a handsome fellow, aren’t you?’ Danny the dog seemed equally pleased to see his two-legged counterpart. Alice led both of them into the house and, once in the kitchen, Danny rather surprised her by catching hold of her and kissing her on both cheeks.

‘It really is good to see you, Alice. You look even better than the Labrador.’

‘Praise indeed. Well, I’m really pleased to see you too.’ She pointed to the kettle. ‘Tea? Or something else? I know you said you weren’t going to be drinking tonight, so I bought some elderflower cordial from the farm shop.’

‘That sounds perfect.’ She noticed that he was looking lean and hard. His hair looked even blonder than the last time she had seen him. She had the unworthy thought that he might have dyed it. He was wearing a T-shirt. Predictably, it bore a windsurfing logo on it.

‘Are you in uniform?’ She busied herself making the cordial.

He smiled. ‘In a way. Years ago when I was a pro, I raced for these folk. I’ve got a box full of their T-shirts, so it seems sort of natural to wear them when I’m back in harness.’

‘So, are you going to win tomorrow?’

‘I’d be surprised. It’s a strong field and I’m the second oldest. There are only two of us over forty. Some of the other veterans are still racing on the international circuit. Twitter is alive with jokes about old fogeys.’