Page 15 of The Inn on Bluebell Lane

“Yes…” Ellie looked as if she wanted to say something more, but Gwen wasn’t sure she was up for hearing it now. It was unfortunate that whenever an opportunity came for them to have a proper chat, something else was going on—noise, children, headaches, the fear of cancer. But she couldn’t think about that right now.

Ellie was simply standing there, looking rather exhausted, and Gwen didn’t feel she could slip off for a nap. Despite her headache, she made herself ask as brightly as she could, “Cup of tea?”

“Oh…” Ellie looked startled, and then, rather touchingly, grateful. “If it’s not too much trouble. Thank you. That would be lovely. I’m sorry for all the noise.”

“Which noise?” Gwen asked wryly as Matthew continued to clatter about upstairs. “I think my son is the loudest of them all, and that’s not your fault.” The saw had been replaced by some hammering. What was he doing?

“He does seem keen,” Ellie agreed with a sigh. “I’m glad he has something to focus on. It’s been a while since he’s felt like he’s had that.” She spoke cautiously, as if she didn’t know how much Gwen knew, or maybe had guessed, and the truth was, Gwen wasn’t sure she knew, either. Matthew had been decidedly—and, Gwen thought, deliberately—vague about everything that had happened. She’d known he’d been made redundant, but he’d glossed over the details, and she hadn’t felt she could press. She doubted her son would have been forthcoming even if she had, but, in any case, she’d decided he would tell her when he was ready… whenever that was. But, meanwhile, he was ripping out her bedrooms, and that was more than a bit alarming.

“Yes, I suppose so,” Gwen agreed after a moment. She made Ellie a cup of tea, sinking down into her seat with her own, with a small sigh of relief.

“Are the children looking forward to school?” she asked.

Ellie made a face as she took her cup of tea and sat opposite Gwen. “Ava is, I think, at least. The others are pretty nervous. It’s always hard to start a new school or workplace, isn’t it, especially when you’re Ben or Jess’s age, and it feels as if everyone has already made all their friends.”

“Yes, I would think so,” Gwen agreed, “but Llandrigg is a friendly place.” She smiled, brightening her voice, because Ellie looked so worried. “I’m sure they’ll have a whole group of new friends before too long. Children usually manage to get along, don’t they?”

“I hope so.” Ellie didn’t sound convinced, and Gwen couldn’t really blame her. Starting over had to be hard, especially for Jess, at thirteen—not an easy age, regardless of one’s circumstances. Still, she felt her daughter-in-law needed some cheering up, and so she continued with more enthusiasm than she felt.

“Sarah showed you the sights, then? She knows so much, more than I do, I’m sure.”

“Yes,” Ellie agreed, after a pause, her tone sounding a tiny bit flat. “She does.”

Oh, dear. Gwen knew she wouldn’t be entirely surprised if Sarah and Ellie didn’t become the best of friends themselves; they were such very different people. Sarah was so officious and efficient, and Ellie… wasn’t. But that, perhaps, was a problem for another day, if at all. Right now, her head was throbbing, and she was doing her best not to wince and cringe and show how much she was struggling to Ellie, although she feared she gave herself away when her daughter-in-law looked at her in concern. As much as she’d been trying to take this morning’s appointment in her stride, clearly, she hadn’t quite managed it.

“How was your… appointment?” Ellie asked.

Gwen thought of the waiting room, the needle, as her head continued to pound. “It was fine,” she replied, and she knew from her tone that she’d been a bit repressive, even off-putting. Ellie looked a little offended, although she tried to hide it. Gwen forced a smile as she finished her tea. “All fine,” she said again, more firmly this time.

CHAPTER 8

JESS

Jess glared at her reflection—pleated gray skirt, boring white buttoned-up blouse, a forest-green sweater and actual knee socks. Who wore those, like, ever? She looked like such a nerd.

“Why do they have uniforms here?” she’d complained to her mother when they’d bought all the clothes online a few days ago. “Why can’t you just wear your normal clothes, like back home?”

Home. Jess had been in Wales for almost a week, and she still wanted, so badly, to go home. The place just got worse and worse—it had rained for the last three days, it was only August and it was already cold, and she’d decided she really didn’t like her stuck-up cousins. Even when they’d come over for dinner, they’d barely talked to her. Mairi was crazy about horses and seemed to think Jess was weird for never having gone horseback riding. No one in her old school had ever even been on a horse, but the way Mairi talked, everyone here had their own pony. Just another way she was going to stand out and seem weird. And now this uniform, having to go to the comprehensive in Abergavenny, walking into a huge school where she knew absolutely no one…

She couldn’t count on her cousin Owen, who was in the year below her, or Mairi, in the year above. Owen had literally not said one word to her during dinner, although he and Ben had kicked a soccer ball around in the yard, which had made her mom think they were practically best friends. Or, as her Aunt Sarah had remarked with that tinkling little laugh, “you mean a football, darling, don’t you? In the garden.” Whatever. She didn’t even want to speak the way everyone else did. She’d do her best to make sure she didn’t.

It wasn’t any fun being in this boring house either, where everything was creaky and dusty and old—her dad was making a total racket, and he was too busy to actually do anything with them, and her mom always seemed hassled and stressed, while her grandmother always looked nervous around her. Ben and Josh were always fighting, and Ava was little and whiny and boring.

Tears pricked Jess’s eyes and she blinked them back angrily. If only she was back in Connecticut; they’d started school yesterday, and she’d scrolled through all the first-day selfies—no stupid uniforms, just cool outfits. Chloe was even wearing lip gloss, which had been forbidden last year, but her mom was way cooler than Jess’s, so maybe she’d allowed it for eighth grade. If she and Chloe had been starting together, they would have coordinated their outfits, lent each other clothes, done each other’s hair… it would have been epic.

As it was, Jess’s stomach had clenched when she’d seen Chloe and Emily standing shoulder to shoulder in front of the big yellow school bus, arms linked, both of them grinning wildly. What? Chloe hadn’t posted any photos since that sleepover one, and Jess had half-convinced herself that it had been just one of those weird things, like, maybe their moms had insisted on the sleepover, or whatever. They’d had a really good text chat two nights ago, when Jess had snuck her phone upstairs again, but Chloe hadn’t mentioned Emily and Jess hadn’t wanted to ask. And then she’d seen that second photo with Emily, and she’d wondered if her friendship with Chloe was all fake. Did Chloe even miss her?

It had been enough to make Jess Snapchat her last night, Is Emily your new BFF or what? Thankfully, Chloe had replied immediately: No way! As if I’d forget you. With several hearts and kissy face emojis that had made Jessa feel a little bit better.

I just want to come home, she’d texted.

Any chance of that???

Not yet.

Just be really bad, Chloe had advised. Act out in school and stuff and then they’ll have to send you back here. You could live with me!

That had been such a wonderful thought that Jess had almost laughed out loud with the sheer delight of it. If she really showed her parents how much she hated it here, would they agree to send her back? How bad would she have to be?