When they arrived back at the cottage, Emily could see Jennifer busy in the kitchen and gave her a friendly wave. She let herself in with the key she had been given and poked her head around the kitchen door.
‘We’re just going up for a bath. I forgot to ask what time you are serving dinner.’ She had thought it easier with Alex to book the dinner, bed and breakfast option Jennifer offered.
‘Any time you like. I was aiming for about six as I thought, with Alex, you’d want to eat quite early but it’s entirely up to you.’
‘Six sounds fine,’ said Emily.
They returned to their room and she set the water running in the bath in their ensuite bathroom. Alex always enjoyed bath time and Jennifer had thoughtfully provided some bath toys for him to play with. He particular liked the little boat which created bubbles as he pushed it through the water.
It was about five minutes to six when they returned to the living room. Alex immediately dived into the box of toys still sitting in the middle of the floor and Emily wandered over to the door on the right-hand wall. It was a typical cottage door with a black, metal latch. She opened it and peered into the room beyond – the dining room, obviously, with a table set for two. Feeling a little like she was prying, she closed the door quietly and returned to Alex, just as Jennifer appeared.
‘Let me show you to your seats,’ she announced and headed for the door Emily had just opened. She stood back to allow her guests to go through, Alex still clutching a robot he had been playing with. ‘You get yourselves settled and I’ll be along shortly with your food.’
The dining room was quite small and sparsely furnished with cream, painted walls, a wooden floor and a small window, covered by some pretty cream curtains with a terracotta floral print. The table was covered with a crisp, white linen tablecloth, a basket of crusty rolls and a vase of pink alstroemeria. It felt warm and welcoming.
Jennifer placed a small tureen of soup in the middle of the table. ‘It’s homemade leek and potato,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t sure what Alex would eat or how much so I thought it would be easier for you to serve yourselves.’
‘That’s great. Thank you,’ Emily replied. Alex was a reasonably good eater but she was impressed by the care and thought Jennifer had put into their stay.
The soup was delicious, as was the rest of the meal. Jennifer served a cottage pie with vegetables and extra gravy and a chocolate tart with cream. At Emily’s request, they had water to drink.
‘That was amazing,’ Emily told her as she cleared the plates. ‘If I eat like that all week, I’ll be the size of a house when I leave!’
Jennifer smiled. ‘I’m so pleased you enjoyed it. Now feel free to treat the cottage as your own. I’ll be in the kitchen or in my snug if you need me. The snug is the room opposite your room. Just give me a knock.’
Emily played with Alex for a while in the living room until he started to yawn when she took him back through to their room to get ready for bed. He was excited at the thought of sleeping in a bed next to his mummy and disappointed when she was not going to bed too.
‘It’s a bit early for me, poppet,’ she said as he snuggled under the covers, ‘but I’ll just be down the hallway. I’ve switched the monitor on so, if you wake up, you just need to give me a call and I’ll be right here – just like at home.’
She waited until his even breathing told her he was fast asleep and then returned to the living room with her phone. After a call to Adam, who had arrived safely in Australia, she turned on the television and flicked through the channels but there was nothing which caught her interest. It was still early, barely half past eight and a solitary evening in someone else’s house held little appeal. In the excitement of her quest to find the cottage in Norah’s scrapbook, she had not thought through what bringing an infant on her own to a rural part of Suffolk in early January might mean. Bit of an error, she thought ruefully. She should have asked Annie to accompany her after all.
Then she thought of Jennifer. Perhaps she would like to join her. Without thinking about it too hard, she leapt to her feet and made her way back down the hallway. Silently, she opened the door to her room and peered in. Alex was still sleeping peacefully. Like an angel, she thought, with his fair hair a halo around his head. She crossed to the door opposite and knocked quietly. Jennifer appeared almost at once, her face creased with concern.
‘Hello Emily. Is everything ok? Can I get you anything?’
‘No, no, everything’s fine,’ Emily quickly reassured her. ‘I was just wondering if you’d like to join me in the living room … only if you’re not doing anything else. Please say if you are.’
Jennifer beamed at her. ‘Of course; I’d love to. I wasn’t really doing anything at all. I’m still getting used to having company in the cottage and I suppose I’ve been on tenterhooks, just a little, listening in case there was anything you needed.’
‘You shouldn’t worry. It’s all wonderful. You seem to have thought of everything. Alex loved the bath toys, by the way.’ She had another thought. ‘Perhaps we could have a glass of
