Page 70 of Hope and Happiness in Bluebell Wood
‘We’re hardly in the middle of nowhere,’ Callum interjects when he sees me beginning to look uncomfortable. ‘Cambridge isn’t that far down the road, and Peterborough the other way.’
‘My dearest Callum, I love this village, you know I do. Everyone, including your good self, has made me most welcome since I came here. Did you know I was like you not so long ago, Ava? A newbie. But dearest Callum took me under his wing, and now I’m a true blue . . . blue . . . Bluebellian!’ she cries, delighted to have found the right word. ‘But you must all agree we are out in the sticks here.’
Callum, looking a tad embarrassed, gazes down into his glass, but Lonan as always has a clever retort.
‘Of course we’re out in the sticks,’ he pipes up. ‘We’re living in a wood!’
We all laugh, some of us a little nervously.
I knew why I felt on edge, Jemima was pushing me into areas I didn’t feel comfortable exploring in public, but why was Callum looking so uneasy?
‘That’s actually the origin of that phrase,’ Lonan explains. ‘To be in the sticks means to live where there are lots of twigs, i.e. the countryside.’
‘Very good, very good,’ Jemima says, tapping Lonan’s arm. ‘But compared to somewhere like London, there’s not too much going on, is there?’ She turns back to me for my response.
Hannah is looking at me with a concerned expression now; she knows why I don’t want to keep talking about this, but the others, including Jemima, have no idea. I try to deflect Jemima’s questions as naturally as I can.
‘I thought it might be a bit like that when I first came here,’ I respond calmly, ‘but I wanted to come somewhere quiet, somewhere I could be alone, and that’s why I chose Bluebell Wood. It seemed perfect to me: peaceful, safe, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. But I actually speak to more people here in a day than I ever did when I lived in London – people who actually seem interested in my life and how my day is going. In London, people only speak to you when they want something from you, not to make pleasant conversation or to brighten your day. And that, to me, is worth more than any over-inflated salary, fancy apartment or highflying career.’
Lonan applauds. ‘Hear, hear,’ he says. ‘I agree with you, Ava, give me Bluebell Wood over the big smoke any day.’
‘I have to agree too,’ Callum joins in. ‘I spent the first couple of years of my clerical life in a tough East End parish. Don’t get me wrong, it was rewarding being there, trying to make adifference, but I’d take Bluebell Wood any time over living in London. I, too, have met some wonderful people here.’
He glances at me, and I smile shyly back at him.
‘Seems like the gentlemen all agree with you, Ava,’ Jemima announces, in a voice just a little too loud. She tops up her glass again and smiles happily at us as she sips from it, completely unaware of any unease she might have caused me with her questions.
‘I think now might be a good time for dessert,’ Hannah says abruptly, standing up.
‘Yes! Let me help you,’ Lonan says, quickly putting down his glass.
Lonan and Hannah disappear to the kitchen together, leaving us in a strange, slightly awkward silence.
‘Have I said something I shouldn’t?’ Jemima says, a deeply concerned expression spreading over her face. ‘I sense I may have put my foot in it just now, Ava, talking about your previous life in London.’
‘No, not at all,’ I reply hurriedly.
‘I guess I’m just a little bit jealous of you,’ she says, casually leaning back in her chair, then swiftly shooting forwards again when she almost topples backwards. She reaches for the bottle of wine and distractedly refills her glass, which is only half empty, while she talks.
‘You have this quaint little cottage, two successful children who obviously adore you. And you seem to have charmed everyone in Bluebell Wood since your arrival, including our lovely vicar here!’ She waves her glass towards Callum.
Both Callum and my cheeks flush a shade of salmon pink.
‘It took me ages to be accepted here,’ she continues. ‘The old head teacher was adored; no one wanted a new one whenshe retired and moved away – especially one as young as me. Did they, Callum?’
‘I don’t know about that,’ Callum says diplomatically.
‘Oh, come on, it was the same for you. The previous vicar had been here ages when you came along. I heard no one was too keen when you turned up with your new ideas and modern ways, but you fitted in a lot quicker than I did.’
‘Perhaps,’ Callum says, looking uneasy.
‘Callum took me under his wing,’ Jemima continues, blissfully unaware of any awkwardness around the table. Now any discomfort was much more in Callum’s court than mine, but I was very keen to hear what Jemima had to say. ‘Didn’t you, Callum?’
Callum doesn’t respond, so she continues.
‘He took me under his wing when I arrived here, like the Good Samaritan he is, and helped me to become a part of the village. We were both fairly new at the time, but Callum had been here just that little bit longer, so he wasn’t regarded asa stranger to these parts,’ she attempts a southern drawl as she says this last part. ‘And for that, I’ll always be grateful to him.’
Jemima lifts her glass to Callum, but Callum just nods his appreciation.
