Page 59 of Winter Magic on Railway Lane

‘You see, I gave up what I thought was the pinnacle of my career to be here,’ carried on Philip. ‘I was headmaster of Chantries Grammar School for ten years.’

The shock on Ethan’s face must have shown because Philip gave him a nod of his head in confirmation. Chantries was a highly exclusive private school on the outskirts of Aldwych town.

‘You and Libby were too young to remember back to that time,’ Philip told him. ‘It was the most prestigious school in the area even back then.’

‘So why did you move jobs back here?’ Ethan couldn’t help but ask.

‘Because my dear wife’s illness had begun to make its unwelcome appearance,’ said Philip with a soft sigh. ‘We didn’t tell Elizabeth for many years that her mother was unwell. And, for the most part, we were able to keep it hidden. Elizabeth was so young, you see. But Diana needed me more and more and so I took this job instead so that I could be close by.’ Philip shook his head, almost at himself, it seemed. ‘I’m afraid I took my frustrations of the backwards step in my career at any unruly behaviour in the classroom.’

Ethan shrugged his shoulders. ‘Some of us most definitely deserved it,’ he said, remembering the many times that he played the clown to impress Libby.

But Philip was still frowning. ‘You were only children. It was wrong of me.’

‘But you were hugely encouraging too,’ Ethan told him, truthfully. ‘You know, a lot of kids are where they are today in their careers because of your guidance and help.’

Philip placed a tentative hand on Ethan’s shoulder. ‘I was so glad Elizabeth had a friend like you growing up. Someone who understood her.’

Ethan raised his eyebrows. ‘Are you sure about that?’ he asked, with a smile. ‘We got into a lot of trouble.’

But Philip merely shook his head. ‘You’re a good man, Ethan. And I know you care for her. How much, is down to what’s in your heart.’ He hesitated for a moment. ‘How is your grandad?’ he asked.

‘Fine,’ said Ethan. ‘He’s still very tired, but his speech has certainly improved over the past couple of days.’

‘When do they think he’ll be home?’ asked Philip.

‘According to the doctors, next week hopefully,’ replied Ethan, holding up his crossed fingers. ‘Here’s hoping, although there’s various tests and things to sort out before then.’ But then he paused before carrying on. ‘He just seems so different. Dad and I weren’t sure if he’s a bit depressed, to be honest.’

‘That’s totally understandable,’ replied Philip.

‘Hopefully we’ll find him in better spirits this afternoon,’ said Ethan. ‘Ryan was just about to head over for visiting time. I’ll head over tomorrow when all this is cleared up.’

Philip nodded slowly before seeming to come to a decision. ‘Actually, would it be terribly intrusive if I came with you tomorrow?’ he asked. ‘Perhaps I may help, having been through the same thing myself, that is.’

Ethan was pleased. ‘Of course,’ he said, with a smile. ‘I’m sure Grandad would welcome a change of conversation from me and the rest of the family.’

Philip smiled. ‘Excellent,’ he said. ‘Now, what can I do to help around here?’

‘How good are you with a scrubbing brush?’ asked Bob, coming over to join them.

Philip held up his one good hand. ‘I’ll do my best,’ he replied.

‘Excellent,’ said Bob. ‘I’ll lead the way.’

As they headed into the kitchen, Ethan found that he was surprised but pleased that Philip had come to join them. He knew that Libby’s dad had been something of a recluse since his own stroke, but perhaps he was finally coming to termswith what had happened to him. And maybe he would help Eddie through these early days and weeks as well, although the family had already agreed that they wouldn’t tell him about the dramatic events of the night before.

‘You know,’ said Nico, who was kneeling down to scrub the skirting board. ‘I don’t think this is going to come up too badly once we give it all a lick of paint.’

Ethan nodded. The feel of the place was much better, he thought. And the smoky smell would eventually disappear too.

The truth be told, almost losing the school wasn’t anything like the thought of what might have happened to Libby. And yet, despite his initial reservations on buying somewhere in Cranfield, he actually liked the old school. It had felt more like home than anywhere he had lived for a very long time. Probably since he’d left the family apartment above the station all those years ago. He’d kept running all these years, except coming full circle back to Cranfield hadn’t been quite as painful as he’d imagined. If anything, he was enjoying the company of his friends and neighbours even more than he would ever thought possible.

He wondered briefly how Libby was feeling that afternoon before distracting himself by picking up a mop and began to clear the soot from above the fireplace.

36

After another busy day, and with the help of her friends, it looked as if Libby was actually going to make her deadline for the large order of truffles. There was only a small amount left to do after everyone had clubbed together to get the order fulfilled.

‘I never had any doubt that you could do it,’ said Katy, beaming from ear to ear as she packaged up a box of glossy truffles with a red bow.