Loving Ellen

By Sheila Claydon

A head teacher trying to escape from a tragic past, two sons about to hit puberty, a five-year-old girl who talks to a ghost, and the unwelcome reappearance of her ex. These are just a few of the things single mother Millie Carter has to cope with. But with no qualifications, no prospects and her self-confidence at an all-time low, she isn’t sure she is up to it until help comes from an unexpected source.

Reviews
Love the twists and turns this book had also the going back in time. You could almost image stepping back in time . Fantastic story from a brilliant author ......

Really interesting characters, great read, read it in one go!

I couldn't put this book down!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BWL Publishing Inc.
• Release date: Feb 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9780228616412

Sheila Claydon

Born and educated on the south coast of England, Sheila Claydon has gradually moved northwards across the UK. Now living in northwest England on a stunning stretch of unspoiled coastline, she finds walking a constant source of inspiration as well as a counterweight to the sedentary life of a writer.Interspersed with her writing is a long and varied career in health, education and employment. She likes to think she is a better writer because of those experiences, and also admits to basing some of her characters on people she has worked with in the past.Although family is central to her life, she still finds the time to read, to write, and to travel. Many of the places she has visited feature in her books. Her fans say reading them is like buying a ticket to romance.Her motto is a quote by the late Ray Bradbury: 'First, find out what your hero wants. Then just follow him.' She starts with plots, chapter outlines, characterisation, each time she starts to write a new story. Then the hero takes over and she follows him instead...'She loves to hear from readers and can be contacted at http://sheilaclaydon.com where her books are listed and where she also writes an occasional blog.

Book preview

Loving Ellen

Mapleby Memories Book 2

Sheila Claydon

Digital ISBNs

EPUB 978-0-2286-1641-2

Kindle 978-0-2286-1642-9

PDF 978-0-2286-1643-6

Print ISBNs

Amazon Print 978-0-2286-1644-3

B&N Print 978-0-2286-1645-0

LSI Print 978-0-2286-1646-7

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

Dedication

For Darcey who helped me to move the story forward

Chapter One

Rachel Ryan is my best friend bar none. She knows everything there is to know about me. Well, almost everything. She knows my ex bailed out on me soon after I had our second child, taking every penny of our meagre savings with him. She knows how much I regret leaving school without qualifications and how much I regret getting married when I was barely eighteen. She even knows I once had the hots for Daniel until I saw how he looked at her and knew I was onto a loser. She doesn’t know what happened last summer though. Nobody does. Nor are they going to. I mean, how could I ever begin to explain that I made a deal with a ghost?

It began when I was polishing the deli counter in Ryan’s Village Store, which is where I work, and heard a crash. Throwing down my cloth, I ran to the open doorway. The man lying in the middle of the road was disentangling his legs from a bicycle that had fallen sideways, tipping him and an overflowing sports bag onto the gritty asphalt. As I hurried to help him, I saw a black and white football roll towards the curb and my heart sank. It didn’t matter how many times I scolded Liam and Connor for kicking balls in the yard, they still did it. And now this! I began to pick up his scattered belongings while the man righted himself and the bicycle to the accompaniment of some steady and colorful cursing.

When I handed him his bag, I noticed the blood trickling down his leg. He followed my gaze and winced.

I must have scraped it on the pedal.

Seeing livid slashes on both his forearms and a grit-embedded rash on one side of his face, I felt sick with worry. Are you sure you haven’t broken anything? What about your head? Did you knock it when you fell? Do you…should I call someone?

He gave a grim smile. I think a couple of sticking plasters will do it, and maybe a chance to clean myself up a bit.

Still doubtful, I waited while he propped his bicycle against the wall and dumped the sports bag next to it, and then led him into the shop. Grabbing plasters, cotton wipes and a bottle of antiseptic from a shelf, I thrust them into his hands, pointed up the stairs and told him the bathroom was the first door on the right.

By the time he returned, limping slightly, Liam and Connor were lined up, their apologies rehearsed and their faces suitably contrite.

I waited for them to say something, secure in the knowledge that whatever else I might have got wrong, I had at least taught them good manners. When nothing was forthcoming, I frowned, but before I could prompt them, the unfortunate cyclist spoke.

It’s Liam Carter isn’t it?

Yes sir.

Well, what have you got to say for yourself Liam?

Sorry sir.

Not good enough. How about, sorry sir and I’ll never kick a ball into the road again.

Sorry sir. I’ll never kick a ball into the road again. Liam’s voice was a mumble of embarrassment. Beside him Connor squirmed in sympathy.

And why is that? The man still wasn’t ready to let him off the hook.

Because it could have been a lot worse if a car had been driving along when you fell off your bike.

I was knocked off my bike Liam. I didn’t fall.

No sir…I mean yes sir. Sorry sir.

Right. Well just remember what happened the next time you want to kick a ball. You too, young man. Being younger than your brother is no excuse for doing something silly, he turned to Connor who visibly paled under the unwanted scrutiny.

Although I knew my sons deserved a tongue-lashing, the sight of the tears brimming in Connor’s eyes almost made me feel sorry for him. Even Liam was biting his lip instead of displaying the usual bored resentment that had recently become his default expression.

I turned back to the cyclist. He saw my unspoken question and gave the shadow of a smile. Liam and I met at his school recently.

All I could think was that perhaps he had been running some sort of arty workshop. I couldn’t imagine what else anyone cycling around the village in faded shorts and a baggy T-shirt would be doing at the school. His hair was a bit too long and he had a tattoo as well. He was probably a musician or an artist, and possibly not a very good one if he had to pad out his earnings at Mapleby primary.

I was suddenly aware of Liam and Connor fidgeting beside me, anxious to escape. I gave them a gentle push. Go and wash your hands. I’ll be up in a minute.

They didn’t need a second bidding. With one last worried glance at their nemesis, they clattered up the stairs. I turned back to the cyclist. I’m so sorry. I’ll make sure they never do it again.

You can guarantee that can you Mrs. Carter?

I felt a flicker of irritation. Liam and Connor were in the wrong, which meant I was too, but we had all apologized so why couldn’t he let it drop? It wasn’t even as if he was very badly injured. Now he had cleaned up his abrasions I could see they were all superficial. I wasn’t about to make things worse though, so hoping I looked more positive than I felt, I nodded.

To my surprise, he grinned at me. In that case your parenting skills are better than mine.

I relaxed just a tiny bit. You have children?

Just one. A daughter who is almost five going on sixteen and who is developing an increasingly laissez-faire attitude towards any rules I try to impose.

I thought girls were meant to be easier.

Don’t you believe it.

I walked him to the door and waited while he reclaimed his bicycle and swung one leg over the saddle, wincing slightly as he did so.

Worry came flooding back. Are you sure you’re okay? If you wait a bit Daniel can take you home when he gets back from the wholesalers. Your bike will easily fit into his van.

He shook his head. I’m fine, just a bit sore. Goodbye Mrs. Carter, and thanks for the plasters.

I half raised my hand as he rode away. Then I went to find Liam and Connor.

* * *

They were both lying on the couch, which wasn’t unusual. What was unusual was that they were neither watching TV nor playing on the Xbox Daniel and Rachel had given them for Christmas. They weren’t even talking to one another. Ignoring the misery on his face, I confronted Liam.

Has something happened that you’ve forgotten to tell me about?

He shook his head.

Then how come he knew you?

Cos I showed him around the school. I told you…I did Mum. I said.

Remembering how proud he had been towards the end of the summer term when his teacher had chosen him to look after the man who was going to be the new school principal, I stared at him in disbelief. You mean he…the man you knocked off his bicycle…is…oh well done Liam! If you’d planned it, you couldn’t have hoped for a more spectacular start to the next school year.

He shrugged, pretending he didn’t care. Sighing inwardly, I turned away, ashamed I had resorted to sarcasm and knowing I wouldn’t get any more answers. It was no good wishing for a manual to guide me through Liam’s teenage years. I was going to have to wing it like every other parent.

Connor followed me through to the kitchen and wanting to make things better for his brother, gave me the only thing he could think of. I know his name.

Despite everything, I smiled. Although Connor is only eighteen months younger than Liam, the gap seems bigger. I hugged him, glad that at least one of my sons still let me cuddle him. What is it then?

It’s Mr. Penny.

* * *

What’s this about Liam trying to kill the new head teacher before term even starts? Rachel said with a grin as she tied a striped apron around her waist.

I pulled a face. It’s not funny Rach. He could have been really badly hurt.

He wasn’t though, was he, so you can stop stressing about it.

Millie stressing about Liam, I never heard anything so ridiculous, Daniel teased as he walked into the storeroom and picked up a box of sugar.

I scowled at the pair of them. You try living with him. At the moment he’s impossible. I know it’s because he’s worried half to death, but it isn’t easy. It doesn’t matter how many times I tell him Mr. Penny will have far more important things to think about when school starts, he is still convinced his life is over.

In that case he had better come to the wholesalers with me this afternoon. It’ll give him something else to think about, Daniel said. I’ll go upstairs and tell him I need some help.

I gave him a grateful smile. Thank you. He’s done nothing but play computer games ever since it happened. He won’t go outside at all. Even Connor is fed up with him.

"So that’s why Connor offered to keep an eye on Rose and Leah for me until you were ready, Rachel said. Seriously Millie, you look worn out. Are you sure you’re up to looking after my two today, because if you’re not I’ll ask one of my sisters, or Ma."

Don’t you dare. Cuddles with your two always make me feel better. Besides, it’s Liam’s problem, not mine, and he knows it.

It doesn’t stop you worrying though, does it? Come on, let’s go upstairs and have a coffee before I take over. The girls are safe enough in the yard with Connor, and Daniel can mind the shop on his own for another ten minutes or so.

I led the way upstairs wondering afresh what I would do without Rachel and Daniel. As well as being my best friends, they employed me, let me rent the rooms above their shop for less than they were worth and, on top of that, included me in all their family gatherings. I said as much as I filled the kettle and spooned coffee into two mugs.

Don’t talk such rubbish, Rachel said, pulling a stool out from under the kitchen counter. It works both ways as you very well know. I would still be at home, bored out of my mind, if you didn’t look after the girls when it’s my turn in the shop, and Daniel would worry far more about out-of-hours security if you didn’t live on the premises. And don’t forget Connor and Liam. You know how much Rose and Leah adore them.

I guess. I pushed a mug of coffee across the kitchen counter and opened the cookie jar.

Rachel took one and bit into it. Tell me what he’s like then.

Who?

This dragon of a head teacher. After all, Leah is starting school in September, so I want to know if it’s just Liam he has in his sights or if he’s mean to all small children.

I laughed. He’s tall and dark and he needs a haircut. He’s got a tattoo on his wrist too. Actually, he doesn’t look anything like your average teacher, but I don’t think he’ll be mean to anyone. He was just making sure Liam learned his lesson. Oh, and he has a daughter the same age as Leah, so you are far more likely to get to know him than I am.

Chapter Two

It’s a twenty-minute walk to the village green and by the time we arrived Rose had fallen asleep, soothed by the rhythmic movement of the stroller as I pushed it along the road. Leah and Connor were hot and thirsty though, so I sent them to buy ice-lollies from the van that parks on the grassy verge throughout the summer. By the time they returned I had chosen a shady spot under one of the oak trees near the edge of the green and spread a check blanket on the grass. Leah sat down beside me and concentrated on her ice-lolly while Connor sprawled on the ground nearby.

There was a girl, she said as she slurped at the melting juice.

I reached across and mopped at her chin with a tissue. Was she buying an ice-lolly too?

She nodded. A red one. Mine was orange.

So I see. I smiled at her as I accepted the wooden stick that was all that was left of her lolly and dropped it into the carry bag strapped to Rose’s stroller. I’d put it in the trash when we returned home.

She wanted to be friends, but her mummy won’t let her.

I looked around the green, already indignant on Leah’s behalf. There was nobody there. Mapleby might be a picture postcard village but a celebrity hub it is not. Its summer tourists are mostly dog walkers, cyclists and hikers, and its inhabitants almost never frequent the village green on a Monday afternoon. The little girl and her mother had probably seen the ice-cream van as they were driving through and stopped to buy a lolly because it was such a hot day.

Never mind. I expect her mummy was in a hurry.

She shook her head, looking uncharacteristically dejected. No, she wasn’t. She was just being mean.

I frowned as I wondered if I should ask Connor what had happened. Then I decided I was being ridiculous. Finding a way to distract Leah was a much better idea.

Never mind. How about you go over to the pond with Connor and look for frogs? I’ll bring Rose over as soon as she wakes up.

In the summer the village pond is rarely more than knee deep, and as it dries out it uncovers a sloping shelf of sandy soil that acts like a magnet to all the children in Mapleby. I played there myself when I was small, splashing in and out of the water and squealing with pretend horror when the sandy mud oozed between my toes. Leah would be safe enough with Connor. Besides, I had a clear view of the pond from where I was sitting, so I could watch from a distance while Rose finished her afternoon nap in the shade of the oak tree.

My suggestion had the desired effect and soon Leah was laughing as Connor pretended to chase her across the grass. I smiled. Although Liam was turning into a difficult almost-teenager, Connor was still the sweet, affectionate child he had always been. My smile faded as I wondered how long it would be before he changed too, and when he did would I be up to coping with two stroppy teenagers.

Once I had recovered from the shock of finding myself broke and on my own, I had never doubted that the split from their father had been the right one. Even in the early days when I was struggling to feed the three of us, I still knew we were better off without his surly moods and the undercurrent of menace that had kept me on tenterhooks from early on in our marriage. No, it wasn’t him they needed, it was a positive male presence in their lives. They saw Daniel most days of course, and he is a fantastic role model, but it’s not the same. He went home to Rachel when he closed the store, leaving us behind. Sometimes it was fine, but on the days when Liam’s main aim seemed to be to upset me and his brother, I dreaded climbing the stairs to the rooms above the shop.

Rose interrupted my thoughts by waking up and starting to cry, and by the time I had unstrapped her from the stroller and found her bottle, Leah had disappeared. Connor was still there, stretched out on his stomach as he poked about in the water with a long stick. When I yelled at him, he looked up and waved. With my heart in my mouth, I raced across the grass towards him, a protesting Rose tucked under my arm.

Where’s Leah?

She’s playing with a little girl.

Where? Where is she Connor? I can’t see her anywhere. I could hear my voice rising in panic.

His gesture was vague. She’s over there.

I turned my head every which way, but I still couldn’t see Leah. Almost hysterical with fear I shouted at him. Where over there? Get up and help me find her. Whatever were you thinking of, letting her go off with someone you don’t know?

I didn’t! I wouldn’t. He stood up, indignation written all over his face. She’s over there with Mr. Penny. She’s playing with his little girl.

Although my pulse rate slowed a little when he said that, I was still angry. Why didn’t she come and tell me what she was doing? Why didn’t you?

He looked at me in genuine puzzlement as he pointed to a spot a few meters away. Because they’re only over there playing some sort of stupid girly game in those bushes, and Mr. Penny is too.

My heart stopped. Two little girls playing in the bushes with a man. Then I realized what he had just said. Mr. Penny. Leah was playing with Mr. Penny’s daughter. In less than a dozen steps I ducked my head and still clutching a now silent Rose, inched my way into a green cavern of leaves. Just ahead of me I could hear a lot of giggling.

You won’t fit. Mr. Penny startled me as he materialized out of the gloom. He was still wearing shorts and his white T-shirt was streaked with grass stains. He smiled at me.

Still too frightened to return his smile, I rounded on him instead. How dare you take Leah into the bushes without telling me. I had no idea where she was.

His smile was replaced by a scowl. Maybe you should have kept a closer eye on her then. And for your information, I didn’t take her into the bushes. She and Ellen made that decision all by themselves. I was just checking on them.

Before I could answer, Leah and a little girl of about her own age emerged from a gloomy tunnel that was far too small for me to fit through. Leah grinned at me. Her daddy lets us be friends.

So I see, I blinked hard. I wasn’t going to cry.

Leah and her new friend pushed past me, too intent on continuing their game on the village green to notice the expression on my face. Mr. Penny saw it though and I heard the sympathy in his voice as he followed me back into the sunlight. By then Rose had remembered her abandoned bottle and was protesting again.

I’m sorry you were so frightened because I know how it feels. I lost Ellen in a supermarket once. It was only for a few minutes, but it seemed like hours.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Rose made up for my silence.

Dink…dink…dink…dink, her voice grew steadily louder. She had only recently started to talk and, overcome by her own ability, always produced the few words she knew at full volume.

Mr. Penny laughed. She’s not leaving anything to doubt, is she? Why don’t you go back to your blanket and give her a drink while I keep an eye on the girls? Connor too if you like, although I won’t let him know I’m doing that.

I smiled then. It was a shaky smile because my pulse rate still seemed to be