Family Matters by Gillian Villiers

Author:Gillian Villiers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Accent Press

Chapter Fourteen

‘You’ll be going back up to the hall now I’m settled?’ said Mr Jackson. He looked rather pale and tired, lying back against the white pillows. Hope was worried she had let him do too much.

‘I don’t think so. I’ll take Lucy for a short walk then I’ll call it a night. I’m quite tired myself.’

‘Rubbish. A young thing like you can’t be tired. You’ll soon brighten up once you start dancing.’

‘I won’t know any of the dances. I’ve never been to a ceilidh before.’ This hadn’t worried Hope when she thought Robbie would be around to show her what to do. Now she didn’t think she could be bothered.

Mr Jackson ignored her protest. ‘You’ll be fine. The lads will be falling over themselves to show you the steps. And don’t you want to go and hear Robbie Mackenzie play his fiddle? You’ve got to go back and tell me how he does.’

Hope wasn’t sure if Mr Jackson was interested in hearing about success or failure, but she realised she would like to hear Robbie herself. The fresh air and silence had helped her recover from the discomfort caused by old Mrs Slater. She was just being silly, to run away like that.

‘OK, I’ll go back for a while. But I’ll leave the phone beside you here, and I’ll keep checking my mobile. Call me at once if you need me.’

‘I’m going to sleep,’ said Mr Jackson firmly, removing his hearing aid. ‘Put the light out. You can pop Lucy in here before you go.’ His voice softened, as always, when he spoke of his dog. Hope took the old girl for a wander around the garden and then slipped her back into her master’s bedroom.

She walked slowly back up the hill to the village hall. There were no street lights out here but the faint moonlight was enough to see by. She didn’t feel at all nervous walking alone in the near-darkness. There was something about St Ann’s Bridge that felt safe. Not always happy, but safe.

She could hear the music long before she reached the hall. Lively tunes she didn’t recognise lilting across the quiet night. She quickened her step. It sounded like they were having fun in there.

The hall was a different place from the one Hope had left an hour or so earlier. The lights had been dimmed and tables moved back to clear a large space for dancing. And a large space was needed! More than half the guests seemed to be on their feet, ranging from toddlers to sprightly pensioners. Hope slipped into a seat where she guessed the Ashburys had been sitting – all of them were currently on the floor – and settled down to watch.

The dancing was great fun. It reminded Hope of barn dances she had been to at college. There was a definite structure to the dances and most people seemed to have some idea of what they were supposed to be doing. If they made mistakes, it didn’t seem to matter.

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