Page 39 of Escape to the Country

Chapter 14

Tom was angry with both himself and Eleanor as he headed towards the main house for dinner.

She had no right to say those things about him. She didn’t know him. Didn’t need to know him.

He groaned at his own failings. He shouldn’t have agreed to cut the ribbon for the wretched walk. The village had nothing to do with him. He didn’t know anyone there. It had only been the trigger of the word ‘cancer’ that had persuaded him to say yes.

The problem was that he was still here at Willow Tree Hall in the first place. One day had led to the next and then the next. It was time to leave before he became too close to everyone.

Still feeling irritated with himself and everything, he sat down at the dinner table in the dining room. He had tried to decline their invitation to eat with them every evening but to no avail. ‘You’re family,’ he was repeatedly told. Except he wasn’t.

He had no family. He was better off alone. That was the only way to get through life, wasn’t it? The only way to survive.

Everyone chatted about the walk, which appeared to have been a huge success, despite his lack of appearance.

Tom kept his head down and tried to get through the meal as quickly as possible.

But, as usual, he was swept into the conversation.

‘I hope your foot isn’t too sore,’ said Arthur, looking across the table at him.

‘It’s fine,’ said Tom, realising his sullen tone of voice made him sound like a teenager. ‘Thank you.’

‘Well, darling, you were most definitely missed,’ said Rose, reaching across to help herself to more salad.

‘Yeah, where were you?’ asked Sam. ‘I hear you missed the ribbon cutting.’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Annie quickly told him.

‘I agree,’ said Rose. ‘Mainly because I totally stole the show in my bodice.’

Sam muttered something under his breath about being glad he wasn’t there.

‘Anyway, you can come and open next year’s walk for us, Tom,’ carried on Rose. ‘Do your bit for cancer, as it were. Just wait until you hear what I’m planning to wear next time!’

But Tom had heard enough. ‘I don’t intend living here forever,’ he snapped, abruptly standing up. ‘So I won’t be here in a year’s time. In fact, I think it’s best I leave as soon as possible.’

Only the sound of a shocked silence filled the room before he quickly walked out of the room. He hobbled across the entrance hall and flung open the French doors to head out onto the patio at the back of the house. There he took gulps of fresh air to calm himself down. And then he groaned at what he had done.

He had been rude to a warm, loving family who had treated him as one of their own. They had opened their home to him and he had snapped and snarled like a surly teenager. What was wrong with him? The last thing he had ever wanted to do was hurt Sam or his family.

He sank down onto the rickety wooden bench with a heavy sigh.

‘Thought I’d find you out here.’

Tom looked up to find Sam walking across the patio towards him.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Tom. ‘I’ll apologise to the family.’

‘Don’t worry about that now,’ said Sam, sitting down next to him. ‘They understand, you know. You should have seen what they put up with from me and Will when we were younger.’

‘Yes, but I’m over thirty,’ said Tom with a sigh. ‘I can’t get away with acting like a stroppy teenager anymore.’

Sam shrugged his shoulders. ‘We all have pressure valves that need releasing once in a while. Even someone as closed off and private as you.’

‘Is that what you think I am?’ Tom frowned. ‘Closed off?’

Sam was quiet for a moment before he replied. ‘I think you had no one to teach you or show you how to behave when you were growing up. Most people let you down so you had to figure out everything on your own. And you’ve continued to battle everything on your own throughout your adult life as well. You never ask for help. And it’s tough to cope with everything alone. Especially now you haven’t got your gran.’