Chapter 26

When Abby returned to her room, the first thing she did was to go through the wardrobe, looking for a suitable dress for tonight. Nothing too formal, this wasn't a Cocktail Bar, but nothing too casual. As she was doing this Mary knocked and came in when Abby called.

"I wondered if you would like to have a bath." Abby jumped at the chance.

"Oh yes, Mary, that would be lovely. What do you think of this?" Abby held up a frock. It was a dark blue, with a little white collar. Mary looked unimpressed.

"A little too business-like, don't you think?" Abby had to agree. Mary moved to the wardrobe and looked through with Abby. She pointed.

"Now that would look nice." Abby pulled the frock out, a Polka Dot button-through in lemon with white spots, a square top and thin straps over the shoulder. Abby held it against herself and looked in the mirror. Mary went on.

"The lemon will show off your tanned shoulders." Abby looked more closely, indeed she had tanned quite well, she looked round at Mary and nodded her head.

"Yes, I think you are right."

James arrived, wearing immaculately pressed Chinos, pale blue shirt with the collar unbuttoned, and a Linen jacket, which he immediately discarded. He regarded Abby with a jaundiced eye.

"I didn't think we were going to be formal?" The grin forecast one of his sardonic comments. "If this is casual do you put a Tiara on for a slightly more important occasion?" He went on, "But I have to say that you look lovely." Abby smiled with pleasure at the compliment.

"Thank you kind sir, do I curtsey now?" James grinned. Then Abby went on the attack.

"You don't appear to be too casual yourself." James shrugged his shoulders and held his hands up before replying.

"Well let's say I had a sneaky suspicion that you were going to be a little elastic in your idea of casual, so in honour of the occasion I even shaved again." This was said with a smile on his face, and Abby could do little except smile in return, but she did put her hand up to his cheek to check for the closeness of the shave. Was this what they meant about being hoist with your own petard? She sat down whilst James went to get their drinks. Of course James could not go to the bar without some banter from the early evening drinkers, many just in from the days labour, and still in their working clothes. Before he returned Mary had appeared at Abby's side asking if they would like the food served now. Abby thought about it and decided against.

"Could you leave it for a while, Mary? James is getting us some drinks and it would be nice to sit quietly and enjoy those for a while." Mary was only too pleased to do this. As far as she was concerned the more time that Abby and James spent together the better.

The food had come up to Mary's normal standard, superb, and James despite demolishing the pile of scones earlier managed to clear a large plate of Somerset Pork with a host of vegetables. They were sitting with coffee and chatting over the events of the day when their quiet chat was disturbed by an increase in noise from the bar. James had his back to the bar and turned round to see what had caused this. Abby looked up, and was curious to see a man staring at her. His face had a look of total surprise, almost of shock. He was medium height, pale-faced with a fringe of ruddy hair surrounding an otherwise completely bald head. James suddenly thought he recognised the man.

"Good Lord, its Reg, isn't it? Reg, is that you?" The man stared at James for some time, and then with recognition clearing his face greeted James.

"Well Mr. James, it took me a bit to place you, last time I saw you was just before they closed the box, late sixty-five that was. You were nobbut a lad then." He approached their table, although speaking to James; his eyes never left Abby's face. James could understand his astonishment, and made an introduction.

"Abby, this is Reg Purvess. Reg, this is Abby Tregonney." This had a surprising effect, as Reg slumped into a chair open-mouthed in shock and then felt in his pocket producing a handkerchief, and proceeded to wipe his eyes. Abby put her hand on his arm, and said gently.

"I am Marion's daughter." Reg made no reply for a moment, but eventually looked up, his eyes red-rimmed.

"I don't understand, I can see the likeness, is Marion here? I can't believe it, I mean how did ... No what I mean is." Reg stumbled over words, the tumult in his brain making his thoughts a complete nonsense.

James got up. His innate courtesy told him to leave a man alone when he was emotional.

"I'll get you a drink, Reg, Bitter is it?" Reg nodded, and James walked away. Reg suddenly turned round and called after him.

"Thank you Mr. James." Abby waited until Reg pulled himself together and smiled at him.

"It's good to meet you, Mr. Purvess. I have heard a lot about you. You taught Mum to work the signals, didn't you?" Reg nodded.

"Yes, she was quick, got to know the bells in next to no time. Please Miss, where is your Mum? I would love to see her again." Abby could see no way in which she could let him down lightly.

"I am sorry, Mr. Purvess. Mum is dead; she died about sixteen years ago." Sorrow is something that everyone expresses from time to time. For some it is genuine, for others something that is expected of them but not touching their emotions. Abby saw immediately that Reg's sorrow was genuine. The handkerchief was produced again, and no one could fake the grief that Reg was suffering. James arrived with the drinks. He also brought with him a lady who was introduced to Abby as Gladys, Reg's wife. He had briefed her when getting the drinks and she put her arm round her husband's shoulder. She looked at Abby and gave a wan smile.

"He liked your Mum, and has worried for years about what happened to her, this is a bit of a shaker for him." Abby nodded, and when Reg had again gathered himself, she asked him if he was alright. Reg nodded.

Rather than having Reg ask question after question Abby felt she should explain.

"When Mum left here, she was expecting me. We lived in London, but she never talked about when and where she had grown up. Only once or twice did she mention Combe Lyney. I was working when she died and it didn't really cross my mind to try and find this place until earlier this year. I came down here not knowing whether I had any family here or anything. With Sam's help I have been able to discover a lot, who my grandfather was, and how my Mum grew up." Reg listened with rapt attention.

"But you are still Tregonney?"

"Yes Mum never married." Reg absorbed this with a disturbed look on his face.

"Do you know who your father was?"

"I have no idea. I have talked with Sam and Mavis, and they have no idea either. I had a silly thought that you may know, but now I don't think you do."

"No I don't." This was said with some anger, "but if I did I would have done for him after letting Marion down like that." Abby smiled at Reg.

"That's good of you to say, but really it is all academic now. I have known all these years that I was illegitimate; not having a father has never been a problem. Mum was all the parent I needed." Reg nodded.

"Yes Marion would have been, always thorough, must have got that from her Dad."

It was at that point that Sam, who had only just arrived at the Combe Inn, came in all flustered.

"Reg, you're here! I am sorry but I got held up." He addressed Abby.

"Sorry Love, I meant to meet Reg before and explain everything to him." Reg stood up and shook Sam's hand.

"It's good to see you, Sam after all these years. You don't look a day over sixty, but I know you must be at least one hundred." He smiled, as did Sam.

"Well show some respect for your elders, Lad. I'll have a pint whilst you're at the bar." He leaned down to give Abby a kiss on the cheek, and turned to Gladys.

"Well, Gladys Carter as was, how are you? Sorry day for us when you went off with this fellow. The prettiest girl in the village, gone just like that." He clicked his fingers. Gladys stood up and gave Sam a hug."

"It's good to see you again Mr. Perry. How is Roger these days? Are you working him just as hard as you used to?" Sam shrugged his shoulders.

"I have handed the farm over to him now, so he pushes himself rather than me pushing him. You know he married Valerie Williams, don't you?"

"No, I didn't, but I am not surprised. She always had her eye on Roger, none of us others could get a look in." Reg came back with drinks at that moment.