Winter Magic on Railway Lane, page 14
This time, the train idea would work, he promised himself. This time, he would throw every ounce of effort that he could to make it a success. He would give it one hundred and ten per cent and not let his grandad down.
Of course, he would need help and input from his friends and family. And he would also have to accept that he would stay on in Cranfield longer than he had planned. But he owed it to his grandad, and to prove to himself as well that he could contribute. That he didn’t need to run away and let his family down again.
He might not believe in the magic of Christmas, but he could provide it for everyone else, couldn’t he? And hopefully a little magic might just rub off on him too, he thought, looking down at Libby’s hand in his once more.
29
Before leaving Platform 1, Libby had sheepishly asked Ethan if it was okay for her to use his kitchen that day. She felt bad about asking, even though he had told her that it was fine and she believed him. But he had already been through a dreadful evening after Eddie’s stroke and she hadn’t wanted to burden him further.
The fact was, though, that she had a week to her deadline and time was racing on. She had somehow managed to complete over half the order, but there was still a huge amount of work to do to get it done on time.
Ethan had been out all day, after his announcement in the coffee shop that morning about staying on in Cranfield to run a Christmas train. She had been surprised but pleased. She knew how much it would mean to his family and she was also happy that she would see him more often as well, although she tried not to dwell on the reasons why that would please her.
For the past couple of hours, she had knuckled down in the kitchen, working quickly. But despite the hard work, Libby found she couldn’t stop her mind towards thinking of Eddie. Ethan and Ryan had taken Bob to visit him in hospital and, according to the text she had just received from Katy, they were pleased with Eddie’s progress so far. Relieved, Libby forwarded on the news to her dad by text.
Libby put down her mobile, and looked around the kitchen. She was still way behind on what she needed to get done. She had made more chocolates but the flat-pack boxes were still in their packaging nearby, so she had to store the truffles in layers. She could box them up last, she decided. The main thing was to get the chocolate finished. Although that was still such a tall order that she could almost cry at the thought.
She looked at the time. It was already half past four and she knew that Ethan wouldn’t want her there when he got home from the hospital. She had maybe two hours before needing to finish her work for the day. She could feel the hysterical laughter bubbling up inside her. She was just tired, that was all. It had been an emotional twenty-four hours.
Libby checked her phone once more and suddenly weariness washed over her. She swayed a little on the spot and shook her head at herself. Just sit down for five minutes, she told herself. You just need to rest for a short while and then you’ll have more energy.
Everything would be better just as soon as she’d had a little rest.
So she went over to the sofa, her phone in her hand and sank down. As soon as she was sitting, she felt her eyes droop. Maybe a power nap would be best, she decided. What was it that she had read recently? Twenty minutes was the optimum time to give the best results. Twenty minutes and the nibs would be ready in the oven. That was it. That sounded perfect.
Libby went to set the alarm on her phone to wake her up as soon as the twenty minutes was up, but she fell fast asleep before she had a chance to press the Set button.
It had been a long day, but Ethan was glad that they had been able to visit Eddie. The doctors were pleased with his progress and Ethan, Ryan and Bob had been grateful to find him weary but still the same old Eddie that they knew and loved.
‘Wish you hadn’t cancelled your job,’ he’d said when he’d found out that Ethan was staying on. But even Ethan could tell that Eddie was pleased that the Christmas train would become a reality. ‘That’s great, lad,’ he had murmured, squeezing Ethan’s hand with his before falling asleep.
After dropping off Bob, Ryan and Ethan chatted outside for a short while.
Ethan suppressed a yawn. ‘Sorry, bro,’ he said. ‘Long day.’
‘Me too,’ said Ryan. ‘But it was good to see Grandad looking all right. He was, wasn’t he?’
Ethan nodded. ‘Early days, like the doctors said. But yeah.’
They both exchanged a concerned brotherly look as they stood by the front gate. Lights were beginning to be switched on in each cottage as dusk started to fall.
Ryan stepped forward to give his brother a hug before he headed home. But as he slapped Ethan on the shoulder, Ryan suddenly took a sharp intake of breath.
Ethan looked at his brother, but Ryan was frowning over his shoulder.
‘Hey,’ he said, squinting into the semi-darkness. ‘Is that smoke coming out of your house?’
Ethan spun around and followed his brother’s gaze down to the old school. He too could see a grey cloud pouring out of the open window of the lounge in the front of the building.
With sudden dread, he broke into a sprint towards his home.
Ryan raced alongside him as they both leapt over the small fence that separated the front yard from the lane.
Ethan ran up to the front door, noting the smell of burning coming out of the kitchen window as well as thick smoke. He threw open the door, grateful that it wasn’t locked. But he realised with horror that it meant that surely Libby had yet to leave to go home as she always locked up each night. Therefore she must still be inside somewhere.
He rushed inside, immediately engulfed in grey smoke. ‘Libby!’ he shouted, trying to get his bearings through the acrid cloud. It was hard to see anything.
He went to switch on the overhead light, but Ryan stopped him. ‘Too dangerous,’ he said, bringing out the torch on his phone instead to shine a light around the lounge.
‘Libby!’ shouted Ethan again.
The brothers raced to the kitchen, feeling their way around. As the smoke billowed out of the open front door, Ethan felt his heart in his mouth as he looked for Libby.
Finally, to his absolute relief, he heard coughing nearby.
‘Libby?’ he shouted, heading in the direction where he had heard her.
It was then that he found her, sitting up on the sofa and coughing endlessly.
Feeling shaky but fired up on adrenaline, Ethan quickly picked her up in his arms and raced out through the front door. He headed down the path and lay her on the overgrown patch of grass, still holding her in his arms.
‘Libby?’ he said, his voice croaky with emotion and smoke. She looked tiny, her beautiful blonde hair covered with a layer of fine soot, as well as her face.
She tried to say something but began another round of coughing.
Ryan joined them, panting heavily. ‘I’ve turned off the oven and opened up some more windows and the back door. How is she?’
‘Fine,’ said Libby, her voice tiny and raspy.
But when she began coughing yet again, Ryan drew out his phone and said, ‘I’m calling the doctor.’
Ethan instinctively drew her closer to him, his heart thumping in his chest. Another hour and perhaps the outcome wouldn’t have been so good, he thought. And the thought that he might have lost Libby made him hold her even tighter.
30
It was later that evening and Libby was tucked up in her bed, still trying to take in what had happened.
Apparently she had fallen asleep, but rather than only napping for a short time as planned, she had been told that she had been asleep for almost two hours. Which was plenty long enough for the cocoa beans in the oven to not only burn but catch alight.
‘So is the school burnt down?’ she asked, her voice still a croak from all the smoke.
Somehow she had slept through the smoke filling the old school until a moment before Ethan had suddenly rushed in and carried her outside. According to the local doctor who had already checked her out, that blast of fresh air had been the reason that she wasn’t in hospital that night.
Katy shook her head. ‘No, thankfully, it’s just smoke damage. The building is still intact. The only fire was in the oven.’
Ryan had rung Katy for support as soon as they knew that the place wasn’t on fire. She had stayed with Libby whilst the doctor had completed his checks, as well as helping her take a shower to wash away all the soot and grime.
Now Libby was in her pyjamas and squeaky clean, at least on her skin. Her throat and lungs would take a little while before they recovered.
She had a terrible thought. ‘What about the chocolate?’ she asked.
Katy sighed. ‘Ryan took a look in there after the smoke had cleared. Unfortunately, anything out on the work surfaces in the kitchen is ruined, but luckily there wasn’t a fire or it could have been much worse.’
Libby gasped, which brought on a further bout of coughing. She had made such a mess of things.
‘But the pantry wall is inches thick and pretty air-tight,’ carried on Katy. ‘So it seems as if the truffles that you’ve made already are safe. You’ll have to check them, but fingers crossed, it looks okay.’
It was a small consolation considering she’d almost ruined Ethan’s kitchen, thought Libby with a grimace.
‘Don’t worry about anything for now,’ carried on Katy, watching her closely. ‘Remember what the doctor said.’ She sighed heavily. ‘You were so lucky that it’s just the effects from the smoke inhalation for you to deal with. Now there’s cough drops there on the side, next to the water, to help soothe your throat. For now, you just need to rest.’
‘But…’ began Libby, her mind thinking through everything that wouldn’t happen if she had enforced rest.
‘No buts,’ said Katy, standing up. ‘Just try to get some sleep tonight. Everything else can be sorted out tomorrow.’ She hesitated. ‘Your dad wants to see you, but he said Ethan could visit you first.’
‘Ethan’s here?’ Libby was shocked. ‘In my house?’
‘He wanted to know what the doctor said. But he also wants to speak with you briefly.’ Katy leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. ‘I’m so glad you’re okay,’ she said, tears filling her eyes. ‘Harriet and Flora send their love too. As well as everyone else in the village.’
‘Everyone?’ Libby’s red eyes clicked wide.
Katy nodded. ‘No secrets in Cranfield,’ she said with a soft smile. ‘Get some rest.’
As she went outside, Libby closed her eyes briefly. They felt gritty and sore, but Katy had rustled up some eye drops from somewhere which would help.
Hearing the creak of the floorboard, she looked up from her prone position in the bed and there was Ethan. He still looked sooty and grubby but, most of all, he looked extremely tired.
‘You look worse than I do,’ she croaked.
He appeared to try to smile at her joke but failed. Instead, he sighed and shook his head. ‘Libs,’ he began, with a groan.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘You were already worried about your grandad and now this! I hope I haven’t completely ruined your lovely house.’
‘To hell with the house!’ snapped Ethan, before sinking down on the bed. ‘I don’t care about that! I care about you! When I think what might have happened if Ryan hadn’t seen the smoke…’ He ran a hand through his hair which was more black than blonde and a shower of sooty dust landed on the duvet cover. He tried to brush it off but ended up making it worse.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ she told him, reaching out to take his hand in hers. ‘I’m okay.’
He looked down at her hand, so pink compared to his, and squeezed it. ‘You so nearly weren’t okay though. I should have checked the batteries on that fire alarm. It’s my fault.’
‘It’s not,’ she told him. ‘Anyway, I’m alright. So shut up.’
‘Well, I’m not going to shut up,’ he told her. ‘I told you that you needed to ask for help.’
‘I don’t need any help,’ she said automatically.
This at least raised a small smile from him. ‘Sweetheart, you nearly burnt my house down,’ he reminded her.
She looked so sheepish suddenly that he burst out laughing.
‘Okay. So I have my faults,’ she told him.
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Am I allowed to list them?’ he drawled.
‘No. Not tonight.’ She sighed. ‘But yeah, maybe I can finally admit that I need help.’
‘Do you know what your problem is?’ he asked.
‘I’m sure you’re about to tell me,’ she said.
He shook his head and finally looked into her eyes. ‘You keep telling me that you’re fine. And don’t say that you are because tonight has proven spectacularly that you most definitely are not managing, are you?’
The tears welled up and made her eyes even more sore, but she didn’t care. ‘Nobody else can make the chocolate and we need the money, okay?’ she said, feeling the tears roll down her cheeks.
Ethan groaned. ‘Don’t cry,’ he said, reaching out to stroke the tears away from her cheek. ‘I hate it when you cry. Listen, it’ll be okay. We’ll think of something.’
She sniffed. ‘We will?’
‘Absolutely.’ He gave her a soft smile. ‘I think between us we can cause everyone enough trouble, don’t you?’
‘It’s been a while,’ she reminded him.
He nodded. ‘Yes, it has.’ He leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead. ‘Your dad wants to see you now.’ He stood up from the bed and looked down at her. He went to say something else but shook his head instead, at himself. ‘Get some sleep,’ he told her.
Then he turned around and walked out of the bedroom. Libby closed her eyes, comforted by Ethan’s visit and how much closer they were becoming after so many years apart.
31
Libby took a sip of the water from the glass that Katy had left on her bedside table and sank back against the pillows.
She still couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid as to fall asleep whilst leaving the cocoa beans roasting in the oven. What an idiot! She felt bad for Ethan, who had effectively handed over full use of the kitchen and what had she done? Filled it with smoke and almost burnt it down!
She shook her head. Now she had to ensure the chocolates weren’t ruined. And what if they were? Without the order for the chocolates, there would be no more income for her and her dad for the rest of the year, unless she found a job and fast.
She heard her dad’s soft tread on the floorboards on the landing and looked up as he came into the bedroom.
He looked pale and drawn. All her fault, of course. He had already been upset about Eddie’s stroke and now she had made things even worse for him by giving him something else to fret about.
‘How are you, Elizabeth?’ he asked, standing formally by her bed.
‘I’m fine,’ she croaked. ‘Everything’s fine, Dad. You don’t need to worry about me.’
He looked surprised. ‘Of course I worry about you,’ he told her.
Libby sighed and shook her head. ‘Only because I give you cause to,’ she replied. ‘I’ve always been a pain, making everything worse, making you ill and now look what a mess I’ve created! I nearly burnt down Ethan’s home!’
She felt the tears prick her eyes once more and closed them to try to stop the emotion from overcoming her. She opened them as she felt her dad sit down on the bed next to her.
His blue eyes looked at hers, confused. ‘What are you talking about?’ he asked, his eyebrows crossed into a frown. ‘How did you make me ill?’
‘You know how,’ she blurted out, the shock and fear from the evening’s traumatic events finally coming to the forefront of her emotions. ‘Your stroke, Dad! You think I don’t know that it’s all my fault?’
Her dad look horrified. ‘What do you mean?’ he said. ‘Of course, it wasn’t.’
She shook her head. ‘I know you’re trying to protect me, but it’s true. All that stress I caused you when I was messing about growing up and that triggered something. I know it. I promised Mum I’d take care of you and look what happened! I failed her. And you.’
There was a short silence whilst Libby lay there, the misery almost overwhelming her. She had made such an almighty mess of things.
So she was shocked when her dad suddenly reached out to take her hand. She looked up at him surprised. He avoided her eyes for a while, merely looking down at the contrast between her smooth skin and his wrinkled one. Then, finally, he looked up.
‘I had no idea that you’ve been blaming yourself all these years,’ he said, with a shake of his head.
‘Of course I have,’ she replied. ‘You’re so sad all the time, Dad. It breaks my heart to see you like this when you were always so passionate about your teaching.’
‘But it’s not your fault,’ he said, frowning. ‘That’s on me. I’ve been so stuck in my own misery that I hadn’t seen what it had done to you. I was always too selfish. Too wrapped up with my job and my career to see what a special daughter I had.’
‘Rubbish,’ muttered Libby. ‘I’ve been a pain to you since day one.’
‘Now who’s talking rubbish,’ replied her dad, a smile touching the corner of his eyes. ‘What a terrible job I’ve done as your father to make you feel like this.’
‘Dad,’ she began.
But he held up his hand. ‘Let me get all this out. First of all, it was a blood clot in my brain that caused the stroke. That was it. And there is no way that you could have caused it.’
Libby gave a start at his words. Was it true?
‘I’ve researched the subject since then and, believe me, I am right,’ he carried on. ‘Second, I don’t know where you get the idea that you’re a terrible daughter.’
Libby rolled her eyes. ‘Have you conveniently forgotten how lazy I was at school, messing about and too busy rebelling to get any kind of qualifications?’
‘All I know is that you’ve had a fire inside of you since the day you were born,’ he replied. ‘Qualifications aren’t everything.’
