Life Less Lived Ch 06

Thursday, 3 shopping days to Christmas

The snow ploughs came into the village in the early hours of next morning and two of them trundled down the Underhill Lane past the Medcalf house. The first plough formed a bow wave by the side of the road, the second truck was a salt spreader with a small plough stuck on the front. It stopped in front of the Grange and, by reversing up and manoeuvring back and forth managed to break up the bow wave across the Medcalf drive.

Matt, the driver on this truck, could see the house owner and two well-wrapped women, one of them a girl, shovelling and sweeping a channel in the gravel drive from the garage. Matt cleared a path on their drive far enough to join theirs. Unfortunately, on the last reverse, despite a late shout from the house owner, Matt clipped the street lamp opposite the drive. Matt got out of his cab to inspect the damage.

All three current members of the Medcalf household had been out since first light, using shovels and brooms to clear a channel from the garage to the road so that Daniel could get his car out on the off-chance that the ploughs would eventually appear. The sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky. The temperature was just above freezing, bright, crisp and cold.

Daniel had noticed that the first truck pushing the plough down their lane was painted with the Sands Corporation logo and marked as 'motorway maintenance'. The village was a long way from the motorway, including twenty-odd miles of narrow twisting country lanes. Perhaps it was coincidence, but it seemed odd that his tiny lane was cleared while others of his neighbours weren't touched. Perhaps Lady Barbara was calling in some favours, or it was Sir Philip, looking after his wife, even though their relationship was strained? This follow-up gritter lorry was marked with the same livery, and the driver wore the Sands' logo on his yellow fluorescent jacket.

"Bugger," Matt exclaimed, as he examined the damage. The old cast iron post was bent slightly, but still alight, so no damage to the electrics, but the glass or plastic lamp cover was hanging down from its mountings and swaying. It appeared to be held by the rubber seal and could fall down at any time in a heavy wind. He climbed up onto the top of the grit box, but the lamp was still well out of reach, even using the handle of his broom used to brush off the top of the hopper. He got down again and was searching with a torch around the back of the column.

Daniel had walked over from where he was clearing his drive after the impact. Marina and Sophie followed at a distance, staying on the drive of the Grange.

"You all right?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, aye didn't see t'blasted thing. Can't see no County Council asset number on it neither."

"It's not the County's lamp, all the ones along here belong to the parish council."

"Yeah? I dunno how to get hold o' them, cos we normally deals with tha ... er County."

"I know them actually, I used to be on the local parish council and still am on the County. The contractor I know closes down for Christmas and so does the parish council, until the third of January, I think."

"Don't like tha look of that diffuser, it could come dahn any time." Matt scratched his head. "Not back 'til t'January, you say?"

"It's only a small village, these lights were installed in the early 1960s. Pretty solid cast iron, they normally only need the odd bulb changing."

"I might have ta pop back with t'cherry picker and either get that diffuser dahn, or else wire it oop. Cain't get dahn 'ere today, though, it'll 'ave ta be Boxin' Day or t'day after."

"Not many people come down this lane, I'll let the other residents know about it so they can go careful past it."

"Well, aye better be off'n catch up with me mate. 'Ave a good day then, sir."

"You too, and thanks for clearing the lane. I would have thought you were a bit off your normal patch, though aren't you?"

Daniel pointed to the Sands' logo on his tunic and repeated on the door of the cab.

"Aye, we're all over't place these past couple o' days. It's all 'ands t'pumps when it's weather like this, tha know. We just go where we're sent."

"Yes, you're probably right. Anyway, we do appreciate clearing the road and the entrance to the drive was a big help. Make sure you and your family have a Merry Christmas." He slipped him a tightly rolled note, a tenner.

"Thank you sir, and the same goes for your missus and daughter, too. Ta ta mate!" And he drove off in a spray of salt crystals to catch up with his colleague.

Between them, Daniel and the two women managed to clear a wide channel from the garage through to the end of the drive. Daniel or Sophie would have to reverse out into the road to get out, but one of the passengers could walk out to the road and ensure that the road was clear and safe to reverse on to.

During an early lunch, by which time they had built up a good appetite, Marina broached the subject that, now that the roads were cleared, she really should make her way back home.

"Oh, no, Marina, do you have to?" Sophie looked so crestfallen, "I had just got used to having you here with us."

Marina looked at Daniel, who smiled at her gently by way of reply.

"I can't stay here imposing on you any longer," she said.

"You are no imposition, Marina, we've loved having you here, haven't we Daddy?" Sophie was quick to say and looked to her father for support.

"Of course we have," Daniel agreed without hesitation, "And this morning's forecast did say we were due for more snow later and another heavy frost tonight."

"That's one reason why I need to get back, as far as I know, the pipes in my flat might all be frozen and burst in my absence," she said, "Besides, I desperately need a change of clothing!"

"Oh, of course you do," Sophie exclaimed, "I am just being completely selfish and hadn't thought of that. I could drive you home in my Mini, now the roads are clear."

Marina said, "I wouldn't hear of it, Sophie, it is still far too dangerous out there for your little car. I can walk to the bus stop, hopefully the buses are now running, and catch a train back to Portsmouth from Worthing."

This time it was Daniel who spoke up. "Oh no, that is not going to work, either of you. I insist that I drive Marina home, then we can check that everything's OK at your flat. If not, Marina, then you could collect any clothing that you require and we'll bring you back to the Grange. For one thing it'll save us coming back to collect you when we go up to Ginny's on Christmas Eve."

"That's a great idea, Daddy!" Sophie exclaimed, "We could kill two birds with one stone by shopping in Portsmouth for presents for Ginny and Giles, my nanny and others, rather than go into Chichester or Brighton. I'm all behind with my shopping, what with college and followed by all this snow."

"That's settled then," Daniel laughed, "I could kill two birds too, I need to see someone in Southampton for a couple of hours, so once we are happy your flat's OK, Marina, I can drop you off at the shops and then pick you up ... what do you think, Sophie, say three or four hours later give you time enough to shop?"

"You don't have to drop us off at the shops, Daniel, from the flat we can walk to them in ten minutes," Marina smiled.

"Right," decided Daniel, "You girls get changed, then. Will you be ready to go in twenty minutes?" Marina and Sophie looked at one another and nodded, "OK, I'll go to my office then, and make a couple of phone calls."

The weather was still cold once they ventured outside in the car but the local roads were quite manageable, Daniel negotiated the country lanes, going around numerous vehicles that were still abandoned by the roadside. The plough trucks had managed to get around them too, so it was a simple operation for Daniel and his sleek and powerful saloon car. The main trunk roads when they got there, though, were completely clear of snow and any abandoned vehicles appear to have been towed away earlier in the day.

On the journey, Marina and Sophie chattered away amiably, with Daniel only contributing the odd comment. Sophie had insisted that Marina sat in the front while the teenager sat in the back. He noticed the two plough trucks, with their ploughs hoisted well off the ground, trundling along the motorway, only a few miles away from their depot.

"It is chilly here in the flat, though, Marina," Sophie commented pointedly after entering Marina's flat, "Don't you think so, Daddy?"

"A little chilly," Daniel confirmed.

"It is only cool in here because I switched the timer off and adjusted the thermostat for the heater to only come on if the temperature dropped down to ten degrees," explained Marina, "it helps keep the gas bills down. It may not be so comfortable to live in but hopefully it is plenty high enough to stop the pipes from freezing up."

Marina noticed that the red light was flashing on the phone in the hallway. On the menu she noticed that there were several from Tracey's mobile and one from her sister Alex's house.

She offered her guests a tea or coffee, apologising for the lack of milk. Daniel declined as there would be coffee at his meeting, but Sophie accepted a cup of black tea. Marina took the phone with her into her tiny galley kitchen, where she returned calls to the two callers, leaving a voice mail on Alex's landline, saying she would call her later. Tracey answered her mobile and Marina told her in a whisper that she had been staying with Daniel and his daughter Sophie since the night of the snow.

"What!?" Tracey exploded at the other end of the line, "you stayed with them in that lovely old house?"

"Yes, well, it was snowing and I -"

"Did he recognise you from when you knew him before?"

"Yes, he did, I think."

"Did he take you in his arms and passionately kiss you straight away?"

Marina thought she could hear some giggling in the background. Tracey was probably with some of her old school friends who were clearly only hearing just one side of their conversation.

"No, but then I threw him by pretending I had never met him before and that he'd obviously confused me with someone else."

"That ploy didn't work for long then?"

"No," Marina laughed, "it didn't!"

"What's he like?"

"He's ... well, he's ... really quite wonderful."

"Just as you remember?"

"Yes, very much so. He's so natural and friendly, he's the sort of person that you'd trust with your life."

"And, if he asked, would you stay with him for the rest of your life?"

"I think most women would, but it really won't come to that, Tracey, he's just an old friend."

"Mmm, I don't think I believe you. Anyway, tell me, what's the house like?"

"Beautiful, with beams throughout and inglenook fire places in the older part of the house. I know you'd love the kitchen in a modern extension at the back. There's a lovely cosy parlour and I shared a bedroom with Sophie -"

"So you're virtually a member of the family already, then?"

"Hardly. I said I was trapped by the snow."

"Are you still going to tear yourself away from your country paradise and coming up here for Christmas?"

"Yes, I am home now, and I'll be seeing you on Christmas Eve."

"And you'll speak to Mum for me when you are here, won't you?"

"Of course I will. Look I must go, the kettle's just boiled."

"Are you alone in the flat then, or are they with you now?"

"Yes, they're in the sitting room, Sophie wants a cup of tea before we go out shopping."

"Oh, Aunt Marina, are you going to be buying them presents, too?"

"I was considering it, yes, especially as they've offered to drive me up to London on Christmas Eve. Look, I'll speak to you tomorrow."

After the primary concerns of the flat's pipes had been cleared, and the flat and airing cupboard started to warm up, Marina was able to change into fresh warm clothes. By then she was pretty sick of the ones she'd worn for the past couple of days. 'I mean, she thought, who wears their best clothes to a murder?'

The two girls were keen to get out of the flat and go shopping together. However, because it was sleeting hard outside again, and they would get soaked if they walked, Daniel drove them into the crowded centre and dropped them off. He excused joining the two ladies in the actual shopping, to leave them free to meander where they want and agreed a rendezvous time and place. He had already contacted an acquaintance that he needed to meet on council business and drove off to have a meeting with them.

***

Sir Philip called Lady Barbara again late in the morning. He was upbeat at this hour of the morning, but then he hadn't spoken to Patience yet, and she only ever had bad news for him lately.

"Hey, Babs, did your road get cleared yet?"

"Funny you should say that, Phil," she felt comfortable in reciprocating her husband's casual use of her shortened name. She hadn't heard it for quite a while, as Daniel and the girls were conditioned to always refer to her as Barbara.

Yesterday their conversation had been more stilted, more like strangers than married people, after going so long without any contact. "I noticed that one of the snow ploughs was a Sands' one and I know from the regular reports I get that your company doesn't have any local authority contracts around here. So who did you call?"

"Ghostbusters!" he laughed, which she returned, sharing the joke, "I sometimes forget that you are a director of the company, Babs, although you never did attend meetings very often."

"Well, I still have those shares that you only put in my name as a tax reducing exercise, my nominal salary as a non-executive director happens to be my only source of income. Therefore, I feel a sense of duty to the company and I do read the information the company secretary sends through to me."

"Well, then you must know how much we need this new scheme. Anyway, I called Matthew Jameson, you may remember him?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, I got him to wake up a few of his lads and do us a favour and overnight, if possible, plough a route through to the main London road for you."

"Oh, I remember Matt, his big red face, which matches his hair," she replied, "I do like his wife Pat, too. She's funny, with that dry sense of humour that I like. Aww, and their Judy's such a sweet girl. Shame that her wedding fell through last year."

Once again, Sir Philip was gobsmacked at the way Barbara seemed capable of remembering all these people. He never did remember the wives and girlfriends, the kids' birthdays and stuff. He found it difficult. That's why he now relied so heavily on his PA, even more so these last couple of years. Lady Barbara was always an asset at the firm's picnics and dinners, she knew all the managers' wives and their children, ably, effortlessly charming the key staff and major customers alike. She had got on so well with the previous Transport Minister, he wondered how she would fare with the new one introduced at the last Cabinet shuffle, Sir Philip simply couldn't stand him. That reminded him to get this conversation back on track.

"Look, the reason I called. It's regarding the firm's Christmas dinner and ball tomorrow night. Are you still definitely coming?"

"Yes, as I said before, but only if I can get a decent dress to wear at such short notice."

"Not a problem, I hope. I will send a car down to pick you up early in the morning. What time best suits you?"

"I can be ready at six in the morning, better early to beat the rush hour."

"Perfect. I'll get Mrs MacKenzie in early to cook us a breakfast for when you get here, so we can get to Knightsbridge as soon as the stores open in the morning. I can get Patience to book you into a salon for your hair -"

"No, I'll do all that, so long as I can be finished shopping and get to Chelsea by three or four, I'll give Marcel a call now and see if he can free himself to see me. I'm sure he'll be able to fit me in."

"OK, Babs, I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow."

"Bye, Phil, me too. Hey, and thanks."

"No, sweetheart, and I mean this most sincerely, I thank you."

***

Laden down with what appeared to any outside observer, a far larger number of packages than could be justified for such a small pair of families, Marina and Sophie enjoyed a cream tea in a busy tea shop. It gave them a chance to draw breath to consider their purchases and whether they needed to shop for anything either had missed. Marina had bought presents for Ginny, Giles, Sophie and Daniel, she also added a couple of small gifts for the Morrison children at the Grange, even though she hadn't actually met them yet. She had called into the bank at the centre, to find her cheque still hadn't cleared and so she decided to transfer virtually all the money from her savings into her current account to tide herself over for the Christmas holidays. At least she could top it up again as soon as her settlement cheque cleared.

Sophie had insisted on buying something for Tracey and her baby, which was due in June. She added that, although they'd never met, there was only a year's difference in age and was sure once they did meet they'd be firm friends.

As soon as they sat in the café with their tea and scones, Sophie once again brought up the subject of Marina's accommodation for the next few days.

"Your flat is so cold and lonely, without your niece being there. I would much prefer it if you were to stay with us until Christmas Eve, when we're driving up to London, rather than stay alone in your flat. It's only for a couple of days anyway, it would be great company for me and a real comfort to Daddy."

Marina was doubtful, thinking about it while she played Mum and poured the milk and tea, that Daniel would find her presence there any comfort. Any guest, particularly one turning up so unexpectedly, from a past life which would have to remain secret, would easily outstay their welcome. He had done his good deed, rescuing her from the snow storm, the glow of which must have sustained the last couple of days, but that wouldn't last any time at all now that she was no longer trapped in his home by the weather. After all, they hardly knew each other any more, there was a huge gap in class and education between them; she knew nothing about politics, local, regional or international, so what would they ever talk about? Other than the subject which could not, would not if she had a choice, ever be mentioned between them. No, she determined, Daniel would clearly prefer to spend this time alone with his daughter before she went back to Cambridge to study. He already had to share her with villagers, neighbours and Marina ever since she came home, having not seen her since she left home for the first time in early October. She cleared her throat and said as much as she dared to Sophie.

"I know your father sort of offered to put up with me, you know, when we spoke at breakfast, but I would hardly be much company for your Dad. After all, he's got his house, the farm, the market garden, the horses, the book about your mother to promote and all his council business to worry about. Oh, and this road protest business seems to be getting bigger and bigger, as well."

Sophie vigorously shook her head, a hank of her hair catching in her mouth as she attempted to interrupt. Marina pressed on.

"And he hasn't seen much of you for ages, Soph. I know that if I was around too, that I would only get in the way. You know and I know that he's far too much of a gentleman to admit to any objection to my staying if you pressed him unduly. And I really do not want to be any bother to him. I could still very easily get directly into London from here by train, without any inconvenience at all to your father."

Sophie laughed, putting a hand on Marina's, to squeeze in affection, "Honestly, Marina, you don't know my father anywhere near as well as I do. It's obvious to me that Daddy would much rather spend time with YOU than with me. If only you can see from where I am that his face absolutely lights up every time you come into the room. You are such a sweet woman, Marina, I think you are precious."