Page 5 of A Scottish Love Story
Now, Roxie looked at Oaklands View and knew she had to put the past out of her mind and take the first step into her new life as a companion chauffeur, at least for the present.
She climbed out of the car and headed to the house, but, before she could ring the doorbell, the front door was flung open and a smiling woman appeared, leaning on a Zimmer frame with wheels. Although she obviously had mobility issues and was possibly in some pain, she looked healthy, with rosy cheeks, and curly hair that was a mixture of grey, silver and traces of auburn.
‘Welcome, my dear,’ she said. ‘You must be Roxanne, my new chauffeur?’
‘I am, and I’m sorry to be so very late arriving, Mrs Baxter.’
‘Please, call me Amy. “Mrs Baxter” makes me feel old. And never mind, my dear, I am relieved to know you are safe. A very nice policeman telephoned to let me know you had been delayed by a bad road accident. Are you all right yourself?’
‘Yes, thank you, but I was anxious in case you were here alone and in need of help.’
‘I’m fine, but I do tend to worry when things don’t go as expected. There is so much traffic on the road these days and you have had a long journey. Now, do come in. I have a tray set for tea, or coffee, if you prefer. I’m sure you must be ready for a hot drink.’
‘Now you mention it, I am quite thirsty.’ Roxie smiled, feeling a rush of relief at the pleasant welcome. ‘I did stop for the toilets as soon after Scotch Corner as I could. The policewoman recommended a very nice place and they had lovely food on display so I enjoyed a quick salad and coffee there.’
‘That was hours ago. You’ve driven many miles since then. If you like, you can drive your car round the back. There’s plenty of parking and it will be handier for you unloading. Just come in through the back door and straight into the kitchen.’
Roxie did as instructed, bringing the cool bag in with her. There was a porch with a door to a small cloakroom and toilet on one side. On the other side, the door stood open into a light, modern kitchen that seemed to stretch from front to back of the bungalow with a large window at either end.
‘This is lovely,’ she said spontaneously. ‘So bright and airy. You have a beautiful view over the fields.’
‘Yes, I usually use the table under the window at that end for dining these days. It’s more convenient than carrying everything through to the dining room, except for special occasions — especially since I’ve been reduced to needing this pesky contraption.’ Amy grimaced at the offending wheels. ‘We were used to a large farmhouse kitchen where everyone congregates, so my late husband and I decided we would have one here too, including the range.’
‘I understand.’ Roxie nodded. ‘It is so pleasant in here, anyway, it would be a shame not to use it and appreciate the view.’
‘We planned this house especially so we could look down on the farm after we retired. My son farms it now.’
‘Er... yes. We have met. I’m afraid I turned into the farm first, when I saw the sign for Oaklands.’
‘Yes, a lot of people turn into the farm by mistake the first time they visit me...’
Presumably not with two tractors on their tail, Roxie thought.
‘We named the bungalow after the farm and maybe we should have chosen something completely different.’
‘I-I’m afraid I chose an inconvenient time so I was rather a nuisance to everyone.’
‘Oh? Surely not, my dear?’
‘I got my car stuck on a big stone at the side of the front drive. Your son and Donald had to lever it off. If — if it is convenient for you, he asked me to take my car back down there tomorrow morning so that he can put it over his inspection pit. He wants to examine it underneath to make sure it’s safe before I take you out anywhere.’
‘Asked or ordered?’ Amy asked drily. ‘Ciaran worries about me too much even though it’s four years since his father died! He has been even more concerned since I broke my hip!’ She sighed in exasperation. ‘I know he means well, so I should be grateful. It will be a good opportunity for me to go down there with you and say hello to Jenny, my niece, and her husband, Donald. They are visiting Ciaran for a couple of days. They have always been good friends since the boys went to school together.’ She broke off, her eyes widening. ‘Now, what have we got here?’ she asked, her blue eyes bright with curiosity as Roxie began delving into the cool bag.
‘I didn’t know you had family close by, or that your son has a farm, so I brought a dozen fresh eggs and a large bottle of milk from home. Mum used to show some of the hens before she was ill. Dad and I never showed them, but we always kept some of the hens for their lovely brown eggs.’
‘What a kind and thoughtful girl you are.’
‘After I was delayed so long with the traffic accident, I was worried in case you were relying on me to do your weekend shopping, had I arrived round lunchtime as expected. I bought ahome-baked pork pie from the shop, and a cream sponge. They had no soft fruit in November as they don’t import anything, but I bought some tomatoes and a tray of apples and pears. They told me these are all grown locally.’
‘They look lovely and fresh. My dear child, how kind you are!’ For a moment, Roxie thought she saw a glint of tears in the blue eyes. She was surprised when the elderly woman enveloped her in a warm hug. ‘This will make a delicious meal for us.’
Later, Roxie discovered that Mrs Amynta Baxter rarely ran out of anything in the food line. Next to the kitchen was a roomy utility room with a washing machine and tumble dryer, and a large freezer well stocked with food, as well as a corner pantry for a supply of dry goods in case they got snowed in during the winter.
When they had finished a welcome drink of tea and biscuits, Roxie unloaded her luggage.
‘I won’t come upstairs with you, my dear. They are a bit narrow and the bend makes them more difficult for me now. Steps are one of the things I find difficult — and painful, if I am honest. My bedroom is downstairs, next to the sitting room. At the top of the stairs, you will see the first room has been cleared to make a sitting room. I know it is really a loft extension, but I hope it will provide a pleasant place for you when you want to spend time on your own. The other room is your bedroom with the en-suite shower room. It was intended to service both rooms as bedrooms originally. It was actually Jenny’s idea to make one of the bedrooms into a sitting room to give you your own space to relax. I will leave you to settle in, my dear. The dining room is next to the kitchen, but you will find me in the sitting room. It’s the largest room through there.’ She indicated the door a little further along the hallway. ‘You will soon find your way around, especially when you’ve been used to a farmhouse. Theywere never built for convenience or comfort,’ she said with a wry smile.
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