Autumn Leaves at Mill Grange by Jenny Kane (the little red hen ebook .txt) 📗

couldn’t prevent the question that was racing up his throat. ‘Father is okay with this?’

Tina admired the antique tea set, complete with Victorian sugar tongs and paper-thin china cups and saucers as Bea replied with practised calm. ‘The house staff are my responsibility.’ Then, arranging the cups ready to pour the tea, she changed the subject. ‘So, Tina, tell me all about yourself.’

Thirty-Nine

September 24th

Lady Malvern was clapping her hands together and laughing as Tina finished telling her about the Mill Grange chickens.

‘You must think me quite mad, but I have a dear friend called Gertrude and she has one almighty crush on Robert Downey Junior. I can’t wait to tell her that she shares a name with one of your hens and your rooster is called Tony Stark.’

After her initial alarm at being invited to talk about herself, Tina had started to relax, and now, two cups of tea and a slice of the best fruit cake she’d ever tasted later, she found herself giggling alongside her boyfriend’s mother. ‘Sam and I built the coop together. It was one of the things that brought us together.’

While Sam kept one eye on the back door of the house, half hoping his father wouldn’t appear, and half hoping he would so they could get the inevitable showdown over with, he said, ‘Those chickens have an awful lot to answer for.’

‘They sound delightful.’ Bea tilted her head towards her son, her hair hanging over half her face. ‘And you, Sam? How are you?’

Taking Tina’s hand, Sam opened his phone. ‘I’m good thanks. Not “cured,” as father would put it, but better than I was thanks to Tina, Thea, Shaun, and all our other friends at Mill Grange.’

‘I’m thrilled to hear that.’ Bea winked at Tina. ‘Every man needs a good woman.’

Pressing a few buttons on his phone, Sam passed it to his mum. ‘Would you like to see some pictures of Mill Grange?’

Taking the phone, Lady Malvern scrolled through a few shots of the outside of the house. ‘I saw a few photographs in the brochure, the one that named you as the new owner, but I have to say, they didn’t do it justice.’

Tina was about to retrieve her phone from her handbag to show Bea pictures of the inside of the manor, when the sound of footsteps across the gravel path made them all look up.

‘Ah.’ Bea stood up as her husband approached. ‘Tina, let me introduce you to the Earl of Malvern. Charles, this is Miss Tina Martin.’

Not sure if she was supposed to curtsey, bow, shake hands, or do none of the above, Tina felt as if the sun had gone behind a storm cloud. The air changed from friendly to potentially hostile as the earl gave a curt nod in her direction. Tina held her breath as she waited for Sam to speak.

‘Father, it’s good to see you.’

‘Indeed.’

The earl didn’t say anything else as he sat on the opposite side of the table, waiting for his wife to pour his tea. Tina couldn’t work out why such a free spirit as Lady Malvern was married to this stuffy man in a clichéd three-piece suit and burgundy silk tie. Everything about him was stiff.

Passing her husband his tea, Bea said, ‘Sam was showing me photographs of Mill Grange. It looks wonderful.’

‘I’m impressed you invested in property, son. Have you seen inside your home yet?’

The temperature dropped further as Sam responded with a brittle, ‘I have. Video links are wonderful things.’

Tina winced inside. It was like watching two stags sizing each other up before a fight.

‘Are you telling us you haven’t stepped inside the manor you have purchased?’ The earl tutted into his tea. ‘How do you propose to run the place if you can’t adopt a hands-on management technique?’

Biting her lip, stopping herself from answering on Sam’s behalf, Tina observed Lady Malvern. She appeared resigned but resolute, as if she hadn’t yet given up hope of a reconciliation.

‘Sam has employees of course. Good people by the sounds of it. And I believe you have been inside the manor, haven’t you, Sam?’

‘I suppose you’ve been having therapy?’ The earl grunted, as if therapy was akin to gun running.

Tina opened her mouth to respond, but Sam put his hand out. ‘As it happens, Father, I have been getting help. Now, if you’ll excuse me.’

Before Tina realised what was happening, Sam had picked up two empty cups and was walking at high speed towards the kitchen. Seconds later he went through the back door, disappearing from the view of his gobsmacked family.

For a second Tina exchanged a shocked look with Lady Malvern, before, with a muttered apology, she got up and walked towards the house. It took a massive effort of will not to run, but she didn’t want Lord Malvern to think she was worried about Sam coping inside, even though she was.

He can go inside! He never said.

Looking around, finding herself in a short corridor and then a huge kitchen, Tina almost bumped into Sam. He was sweating and his hands were shaking, but he was there, catching his breath as he rested against the kitchen door, having already left the china by the sink.

‘Sam?’

‘Surprise!’ His smile was shaky, but the relief in his eyes was huge. ‘Did he see me? Did Father see me come in?’

‘You know he did. We all did.’ Tina wrapped her arms around him. ‘When did you learn…? I mean, how did you do that?’

‘Bert.’ Sam licked his dry lips. ‘I’ll tell you everything, but outside.’

*

Back in the marquee, Tina placed a hand on Sam’s knee, pinning him in place as she addressed his father. ‘Lord Malvern, Sam’s just told me he has been having in-depth training to get him inside, albeit for short bursts at a time. I think you should know about the man helping Sam. He isn’t the sort of person you’re imagining. In fairness, I don’t imagine any therapists are as you’re assuming them to be. Bert certainly