Page 110 of Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay
I smile at him.
‘Now, you were about to tell me about this title thing?’ Tom asks again as he returns the bottle to the ice bucket. ‘What’s the big issue?’
‘I would have thought that was obvious, isn’t it?’
‘Not really. I completely understand why you’d prefer not to be called “Lady” or “madam”, but you seemsoagainst it. I’ve seen your face when someone makes a mistake and addresses you in that way. You absolutely detest it.’
‘I do; it really irritates me. I’ve always believed that everyone is equal in life, and I’ve brought Charlie up to treat everyone the same whether they’re a different age, gender, colour or they come from a different background to him. I dislike people having titles bestowed upon them, whether it’s through family ties or an honour from the Queen. It’s not right.’
‘The people who get an honour from the Queen deserve it, though, surely? Many of them have done great work for charity.’
‘That’s true, I suppose. All right, maybe not so much when they get an OBE or an MBE after their name – that’s acceptable, I guess. But why do they have to become Sir this or Dame that? It’s giving them a title that suggests they’re better than someone who hasn’t got one.’
Tom nods. ‘You could be right.’
‘I am right,’ I reply adamantly. ‘This is something I feel very strongly about. I’ve been on both sides of the fence, Tom. I’ve been very comfortable, with my nice house and my easy life, where I’m ashamed to admit my only worry was whether my curtains matched my sofa. But I’ve also found myself living on very little money, worried sick that I’d have enough food to last the week or that the meter would keep running long enough to keep us warm.’
‘But you were still the same person throughout both those times in your life, were you not?’
‘I definitely was. But other people didn’t treat me the same. It was like I was a second-class citizen when we lived on the council estate. People looked down their noses at us, people who we’d once called our friends.’
‘They say you find out who your friends are in times of need.’
‘I can certainly vouch for that!’ I lift my glass and take a sip. ‘Very nice,’ I say approvingly.
‘And now you find yourself at the other end of the spectrum again,’ Tom says, looking down the Great Hall. ‘Living here as lady of the manor – even if you don’t wish to be known as that,’ he adds hurriedly.
‘I know. I had to think very hard about bringing Charlie here when I found out about not only the castle but the Chesterford title too.’
‘Why?’
‘I didn’t want him turning into one ofthosekids: the sort that think they’re better than the others.’
‘But Charlie isn’t like that. He’s a great kid.’
‘I know; that’s why I don’t want him to change.’
‘With you as his mother I don’t think he’ll stray too far from what’s right. Besides, this castle is your family’s history, isn’t it? You both deserve to live here.’
I take another, longer sip from my glass.
‘Let’s talk about something else,’ I say quickly. ‘So, when am I going to taste some of this delicious food that you helped Dorothy cook?’
When Tom told me how much the others had helped him prepare for tonight, I wondered if they might be waiting on us too this evening, which I would have felt very uncomfortable about. So I’m quite relieved when Tom gets up and disappears for a few minutes and returns with our first course – a cold salmon mousse with mini oatcakes accompaniment.
‘How did you know I liked salmon?’ I ask him, tucking hungrily into the dish in front of me.
‘A little bird told me.’ Tom winks. ‘Enjoy.’
After our delicious first course, Tom gets up again, collects our plates and heads back down to the kitchen.
‘Can I help you at all?’ I ask before he leaves, anxious that he’s doing all the work.
‘No, you just sit right there and relax,’ he says, heading out of the door. ‘I’ve got it all covered.’
So I do as he says and sit back in my chair sipping my wine, enjoying for once the sense of stillness and quiet that surrounds me. I don’t usually get much peace when I’m here in the castle. I spend so much time rushing here and there trying to get things done before I have to collect Charlie from school, that I don’t get to appreciate how calm and tranquil the castle can be.
But as I’m sitting having my few moments of peace, something strange happens. I feel something cold brush lightly past me, like someone has left a window open and a draught is wafting in. Nothing unusual there: this castle is full of draughty rooms, but this feels different. I feel a bit like I had in the Ladies’ Chamber earlier today before I’d been disturbed by the two boys . . .
