The Dream Weavers by Barbara Erskine (books you have to read txt) 📕

‘She wasn’t there, Dad. Honest.’ Felix wore his wounded puppy expression which Simon from long experience immediately identified as guilt. He had obviously forgotten to keep an eye on anyone.

‘Well, the main thing is she’s here now and perfectly safe,’ he said soothingly. ‘So, may I suggest we forget it and have a nice evening together, OK?’

They trooped into the kitchen where Emma was stacking her father’s purchases in the fridge. Simon registered her stormy expression with a long-suffering sigh. Felix sat down at the table and pulled out his phone. ‘There’s a text from Mum.’

‘Is she OK?’ Simon was stacking the drinks in the fridge.

‘No!’ Felix stood up, staring at the screen in his hand. ‘No, she can’t!’

‘What?’ Simon and Emma both stopped what they were doing.

‘She says she’s texted you both already. She wants us to go home. Tomorrow.’

‘No. No we can’t. Absolutely not!’ Emma had visibly paled. ‘Oh God, where’s my phone!’ She was groping in her pockets.

Simon had found his:

I’m sorry about the change of plan, but it only means collecting them a few days earlier than expected. I find I have a meeting of my book group on Thursday and I don’t want to miss it. It’s a long drive, so we’ll need to set off in good time. I’ll pick the kids up at about ten, so make sure they’re ready. It won’t do them any harm to get them away from any distractions so they can get ready for school at home.

As he looked up, Emma snatched his phone. ‘Let me see! What does she say?’

Simon looked at Felix. The boy appeared distraught. He was astonished at how upset he was himself. ‘We can’t go, Dad, not yet,’ Felix said miserably.

‘There’s no way I’m leaving,’ Emma announced. She dropped her father’s phone on the table. ‘It’s out of the question. I have to see Bea again, for one thing. And there are other things I have to do. Ring Mum and tell her we’re not going. It’s not fair. Her stupid book group is hardly that important. She is always missing it at home if something better turns up. She’s just bored with the Fords, that’s all there is to it. If she wants to go, she can go without us. We can go later on the train.’ She folded her arms.

Simon thought for a moment. ‘It does seem a shame to cut your visit short. I’ll ring her and see if we can sort this out.’

Picking up his phone, he walked out of the room. They followed him. No chance of a private conversation then. He sat down at the table by the fire, staring at the blank screen of his laptop as he waited for her to pick up. Her phone went to voicemail.

He put it down with a sigh. ‘She’s not there.’

‘She’s there all right. She’s not taking your call because she doesn’t want to argue,’ Emma said furiously. ‘I’m going to message her.’ She had spotted her own phone on the arm of the chair by the hearth.

Don’t come tomorrow, she typed. We are not ready. Dad says he will put us on the train next week, so don’t worry. Enjoy your book club! Em

A few seconds later, Simon’s phone rang. They all looked at each other.

‘Val?’ Simon took the call after three rings.

Emma and Felix could hear their mother’s voice from the other end of the room. ‘Tell Emma there is no choice in the matter, is that clear? I am coming to get them, and I expect you to make sure they are packed and ready.’ She had hung up before Simon had the chance to speak.

‘Tough,’ Emma snorted. ‘Because we won’t be here.’

‘You probably have to go, Em,’ Simon said wearily. ‘You know what your mother’s like. If you don’t do what she says, she’ll never let you come and stay without her again and she’ll make all our lives hell. It might be as well to get in some serious revision time at home before the exams anyway. Tell you what, I will make her promise to let you both come back here for a large chunk of the summer holidays, how about that?’

‘She wants us to go with her to Provence for the summer holidays,’ Felix put in gloomily.

‘That’s the first I’ve heard of it.’ Simon looked across at him, shocked.

‘I don’t think you were invited,’ his son looked embarrassed. ‘She told the Fords you would be busy with your book and wouldn’t be available.’

‘The Fords have a farmhouse near Roussillon,’ Emma put in. ‘They showed us loads of pictures. It’s very pretty.’ Normally she would have been elated at the idea of going somewhere clearly so desirable, but it seemed Simon’s little cottage in the Welsh borders had somehow gained precedence. ‘I’m not going. I think she’s behaving really badly. I’m not going in the summer and I’m not going back to London now. In fact, I might not go back at all. I can do my exams in Hereford or somewhere.’

‘Ah, now, Em, that’s not a good idea,’ Simon put in hastily. ‘Sweetheart, I know you’re distracted, and I know Bea is helping you with everything that has happened here, but you can’t just change schools like that.’ Val was going to kill him.

Felix had obviously decided to adopt the role of peacemaker. ‘Let’s have a drink and think about cooking those pizzas,’ he said quietly. ‘We don’t have to decide anything at this moment. I’m sure there’s some way round this, but if Mum gets cross she won’t shift, we all know that. We need to do some negotiating and that’s easier on a full stomach.’ To his relief, he saw both his father and his sister smile. His famous fondness for food was often a teasing point in the family, but on this occasion it was something to bring them together. They trailed back into the kitchen and Felix dug in the fridge for a lager for