Tomorrow's Promise Read online

  TOMORROW’S PROMISE

  Gillian Villiers

  Leaving Glasgow under a cloud when she is forced from her teaching job by a vindictive colleague, Lara Mason uproots herself and moves to provincial Loreburn, determined to put her past behind her. Needing a home in a hurry, she takes the first room she can find, in a house with handsome fellow teacher Mick, whose laid-back manner is infuriating and seriously distracting. Resolving to move out as soon as possible, Lara’s interest is caught by Ladybank Row, a dilapidated group of 1930s houses which remain a genteel haven in the centre of town. Developing them proves to be a serious commitment beset by endless problems. Mick offers to help, but Lara isn’t so sure she should let him …

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Women’s Contemporary Fiction

  Chapter One

  ‘I have to get this job, I just have to,’ thought Lara as she hurried along the unfamiliar road. And then, ‘Calm down. Stop being so melodramatic.’ She did want the job, desperately, but if she wasn’t offered this post she would find something else. Wouldn’t she? One way or another, she was going to move on.

  She tried to think positively, to get in the right frame of mind for the interview. She had the qualifications and experience needed for the teaching post. She had an excellent reference from her previous head of department. She had to remember how motivated and hardworking she was. Remember, in short, that she was perfect for the job.

  And yet the doubts crept in again. None of these things counted if they didn’t want her. The last few months had taught Lara it wasn’t enough to be good at what you did; other people had to value you too. And if they didn’t, if they really wanted to drive you down, it was hard not to go under.

  She felt a small rush of relief when she finally found her way to Loreburn High School. It was one of the ugliest buildings she had ever seen. This was a good sign. If it had been a pretty building, she would have known it wasn’t meant for her.

  She hesitated before the wide metal gates. Take a deep breath. Check that the train journey and the walk hadn’t given her that crumpled look she so hated. Remember what Alex had said about smiling. OK, ready to go.

  ‘Are you lost?’

  Startled, she swung round to find a man standing almost at her shoulder. Where had he sprung from?

  ‘No, I’m not lost, thank you,’ she said. ‘I’m looking for Loreburn High School, and it seems to me that I’ve found it.’

  ‘So you have.’ He grinned. He was about her height, wearing extremely scruffy sports gear, and standing rather close. ‘You’ll be here for the interview?’

  ‘As it happens, I am.’ She looked at him more closely, wondering how he knew. He couldn’t be a teacher here, could he? With his untidy blond hair and wide smile, he wasn’t at all like the teachers she was used to.

  ‘Best of luck,’ he said, patting her lightly on the shoulder and making her jump.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said stiffly, and marched across the empty playground towards the unattractive buildings.

  It was only when she got closer that she realised she couldn’t actually see a way in. The school was a series of concrete boxes of different heights, with courtyards and passageways between them, but she couldn’t see any signs of an entrance. She chewed her lip. If she wasted any more time she was going to be late. She turned around to ask directions from the stranger, and saw him jog lazily around the corner to the playing fields.

  OK, another deep breath. If she kept walking she was bound to find a door eventually. She felt hundreds of pairs of eyes watching her from the expanse of windows. She straightened her back and tried, at the same time, to look relaxed. She could do this. Really, she could.

  The interview went better than she had dared to hope. The interview panel were pleasant and interested, keen to put her at her ease. Lara felt silly for having worked herself into such a state, but none of that mattered now. Mr McIntyre, the head teacher, asked her to wait after the question-and-answer session had finished, which she hoped was a good sign.

  It was. When he called her back in, he offered her the job there and then. ‘I’ll quite understand if you want some time to consider. In the meantime, would you like to have another look around the school buildings, meet some of the other teachers …?’

  Lara smiled properly for the first time in weeks. It was as though the weight of the world had dropped from her shoulders. Yes! The first step towards her new life had been taken.

  She was going to like her new headteacher. A wiry, energetic man in his early fifties, he was straightforward and friendly. She answered him in the same way. ‘I’m sure I should think it over before I give you an answer, but I think you can take it I’ll say yes.’

  ‘Excellent, excellent. And you said you could start after the February half term break, is that right? You don’t need to work out any notice?’

  ‘No, I gave in my notice a while ago.’ He didn’t ask why and she didn’t explain. Lara didn’t want to think about her old job.

  ‘Wonderful. So we’ll see you here a fortnight on Monday. Which brings me to the next point. Accommodation. Have you thought of anywhere to stay?’

  ‘No, I …’

  ‘You didn’t want to jump the gun. Quite understand. But we aren’t giving you very long to get organised, are we? I happen to know that one of the other teachers has a room to let in their house, and I wondered if that might be of interest to you? Short term, of course, but it’s convenient for the school and no doubt preferable to a Bed and Breakfast.’

  ‘That’s very kind of you.’ Lara was impressed. When she had taken her job in Glasgow, nobody had shown any interest in her living arrangements. ‘I’ll certainly think about it.’

  ‘Very good.’ Mr McIntyre was back on his feet. ‘No time like the present, eh? I’ll take you through to the staff room, see if I can introduce you to Mick right now.’

  Lara knew, she just knew, as soon as they walked into the sprawling, noisy staff room which of the twenty or so teachers would be the one with the room to rent. She was sure this wasn’t a good idea. She wanted to say something to Mr McIntyre, but he had already cleared his throat and a silence of sorts fell.

  He introduced her as, ‘Lara Mason, who I very much hope will be our new senior Geography teacher.’

  Then he led her across to the far corner where two men were sitting with mugs of coffee, their feet on a low table, watching her approach. They were both wearing tracksuits and one of them was the man who had accosted her at the gate.

  ‘Mick Jensen, Sandy Woods. Let me introduce Lara Mason. Mick, I told Miss Mason that you might be able to help her with accommodation.’

  Mick pushed the too long, sun-bleached hair from his eyes. ‘We’ve already met.’

  ‘Excellent. Well, if you’ll excuse me …’ Mr McIntyre patted Lara’s shoulder in a fatherly fashion. ‘I’ll see that letter goes off to you straight away.’

&nb
sp; And then she was left alone in the room full of strangers.

  ‘So you got the job,’ said Mick Jensen. ‘I knew you would. Congratulations.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Lara doubtfully. Somehow this man seemed to be laughing at her and it made her uncomfortable.

  ‘Would you like a coffee?’ asked the other man. He was older and tidier than his colleague.

  Lara smiled at him. ‘That would be lovely. White, no sugar.’

  He rose in the fluid movement of the very fit and went to a kitchen alcove. Lara hesitated, waiting for the man Mick to invite her to sit down. When he didn’t she said, ‘I’ll have a seat, shall I?’ Really, did he have no manners?

  ‘Help yourself,’ said Mick easily. He gestured with his mug to the numerous empty chairs, and then – apparently making a supreme effort – lifted his feet from the coffee table. ‘What brings you to this part of the world, then?’ He had a way of looking at her as though his whole attention was caught, green eyes wide and interested, and just a little amused.

  ‘I’d heard it was a good place to live,’ she said cautiously.

  ‘It’s not bad. Know the area at all?’

  ‘I’ve visited. One of my friends had family nearby.’

  ‘And where are you working just now?’

  ‘Glasgow.’ She named the school.

  He grinned. ‘Aye. I can see why you’d like to get out of there.’

  ‘It’s all right.’

  ‘You’d be too la-di-da for those kids,’ he said.

  ‘I’m not la-di-da.’ She didn’t know why he riled her so much. It didn’t matter what he thought, after all. He would never know it wasn’t the children who had been the problem. Lara looked around the staff room again, wondering what the teachers were like here.

  Sandy Woods came back with the coffee and she turned with relief to accept it. How had she got into this ridiculous conversation?

  ‘Where is it you’re from?’ asked the older man, his tone friendly rather than intrusive. ‘There’s an accent there, but I can’t place it.’

  ‘I was brought up partly overseas. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, various places.’ Lara had therefore spent years at boarding school, but she didn’t mention that. It hadn’t been a happy time.

  Sandy asked Lara a few more questions and told her a little about the school. Then, just when she was starting to relax, he rose to his feet once again. ‘Time I was off. I’ll let you two talk about arrangements. Look forward to meeting you again soon, Lara.’

  ‘You’ve not changed your mind yet?’ Mick bent down to rummage in the massive duffle bag at his feet and pulled out an open packet of chocolate digestives. ‘Want one?’

  ‘No. Thanks. Changed my mind about what?’

  ‘Moving to Loreburn. I hope we haven’t put you off.’ He began to eat his way through the packet, speaking between bites. ‘D’you want to hear about my house? It’s a couple of miles from the school, on the edge of town on the Dunmuir side. It’s nothing special. 1970s semi, three bedrooms, but one’s little more than a box room, so it’s really only two. I’ve been renting out the second to help with the mortgage. We share bathroom, kitchen, etc. Split the bills. What do you think?’

  ‘Why did your last tenant move out?’ Lara meant to sound business-like, but the grin he shot her made her realise the question sounded a little rude. She blushed.

  Mick said, ‘He couldn’t stand the chaos, of course. No, actually, he’s bought a place of his own. He’d always meant to do it, but being Steve it took him a couple of years to get round to it. He moves out next week, which leaves me in the lurch.’

  ‘If I did take it, it would only be for a short time,’ said Lara cautiously. ‘I’d really like to get a place of my own and I don’t intend to take a couple of years over it. Perhaps you’d rather look for someone who would rent longer term?’

  Mick put another biscuit in his mouth and she had to wait a moment before he answered. ‘Not a problem.’ He smiled. ‘You look like the perfect housemate to me.’

  Lara could feel herself blush again and resented it. ‘I don’t know …’

  ‘And you’re probably a much better cook than Steve, too. No, only joking, I don’t expect you to cook for me, or me for you, unless it suits. So, are you interested?’

  ‘You haven’t mentioned the rent yet.’ Lara really wanted to say no. There was something about this man with his laid-back manner and inquisitive eyes that disconcerted her. But when he mentioned an amount that was half what she would have paid in Glasgow, and she thought of the convenience of having a solution offered to her on a plate, she weakened.

  ‘I haven’t officially accepted the job yet, but if I do, and you’re sure …’

  ‘No pressure. Think it over and you can give me a ring.’ He delved into the enormous bag again and came out with a crumpled notepad. ‘Have you got a pen handy? I’ll give you my number.’

  Lara passed him her favourite fountain pen, at which he gave a silent whistle, and she watched as he wrote out the information in a surprisingly attractive script. He handed her the piece of paper but kept hold of the pen, turning it over in his hand. ‘Nice. I suppose you want it back?’

  ‘You suppose right.’

  ‘Bit fancy, though. Isn’t it a hassle filling it with ink and all that?’

  ‘It’s a hassle I consider worthwhile.’

  ‘Are you a school teacher or something?’ he said with a grin. ‘Do you want to come over and see the house now?’

  ‘No. I …’ Lara glanced at her watch and noted with relief that she could honestly say she had to catch her train. She wanted time to think things over, away from this man, before she committed herself further. She had never been one to make decisions in a hurry. She still couldn’t quite believe she had given in her notice in Glasgow without another job to go to. Taking risks wasn’t like her at all, which just showed how desperate she had been. She shuddered. She was not going to think about that now. ‘I’ll phone you in a few days’ time,’ she said.

  ‘I’ll look forward to it.’ He swung his feet back on to the table and popped the last biscuit into his mouth.

  It was as she was walking briskly back to the railway station that Lara saw Ladybank Row for the first time. On the way to the school she had been far too preoccupied to notice her surroundings, but now she was free to look about.

  It was good to be back in Loreburn. The small town feel, even on a grey January morning, was comforting. The roads she walked along were not too busy, pedestrians stopped to chat, waved to passing cars. Yes, it felt homely and peaceful, just as she had remembered.

  Then she glimpsed the higgledy piggledy broken-down houses and wondered why she had never noticed them before.

  She had five minutes to spare and, after a moment’s hesitation, she turned down the little cul-de-sac. The houses stood on one side of the street. On the other was a fence hiding a small industrial estate. Behind the houses was a line of trees and Lara thought she could glimpse a railway line beyond them. What a funny little spot this was.

  Then, as soon as she turned into the little road, it was as though she was miles from the town centre. The traffic noises faded as the great bare trees nodded to her. And there was a sign standing askew in the front garden, For Sale.

  She went closer, interest kindled, and then saw the words As One Lot. That was a shame. Those funny little houses with their pointy roofs and oddly-placed windows had a strange appeal. But buying one place so run down would be a challenge. A row of four was out of the question. Lara was nothing if not sensible.

  She turned on her heel and headed back to the station.

  Chapter Two

  Elizabeth Mason was surprised, and very pleased, to receive a phone call from her daughter. They spoke, dutifully, once a week, but it wasn’t usually Lara who initiated the calls. Elizabeth could understand that, overseas calls were expensive. It made it all the more exciting to receive a call now.

  ‘Lara, darling. How are you?’ Elizabeth settled herself d
own on the white settee close to the air-conditioning unit. The weather in Dubai was even hotter than usual.

  ‘I’m fine, thanks. How are you and Dad?’

  Elizabeth answered cheerfully, suppressing a sigh at the formal way her daughter spoke. How could it be they were so far apart? Not just the hundreds of miles, but the coolness between them. Not for the first time she wished they hadn’t had to send Lara back to the UK for her schooling. But there hadn’t been any choice, had there? They had moved around so much with Derek’s work, it was important to give the child some stability. Lara had always been a child who longed for stability.

  ‘Mum, I’ve got a new job.’

  ‘Goodness! Have you really? Why, we didn’t even know you were thinking about changing jobs.’

  ‘Didn’t I say? Well, things weren’t going so well at school since that new head of department started, so I thought I’d look for something else.’

  A wave of sadness swept through Elizabeth. Lara had been unhappy and they had known nothing about it. She tried to be positive. ‘And have you found something nice?’

  ‘I’ve got a job at a school in Loreburn. I’ll be moving down there in a few weeks’ time.’

  ‘Loreburn? Gosh, that is a big change.’ Lara had seemed so settled in Glasgow. ‘Why Loreburn?’ Elizabeth wished Lara had discussed this with them first. Derek was coming up for retirement and it would have been lovely if they could have all moved somewhere a little closer together.

  ‘Alex’s gran, Nana Edna, used to live near Loreburn, don’t you remember? I’ve always liked the town.’

  Elizabeth vaguely remembered Lara had spent some holidays with her friend Alexandra in a town in the south of Scotland. It hadn’t always been possible for her to fly out to the Middle East. But she hadn’t realised her daughter had liked the place so much. In fact, she had never quite understood the friendship Lara had with Alex, a plump, quiet girl who had none of Lara’s verve. But there was no time to go into that now. Instead she concentrated on the practicalities. ‘What will you do with your flat?’

  ‘Sell it, of course, and buy somewhere down there.’ Lara sounded impatient. ‘The headmaster of the school seems really nice, he’s arranged for me to rent a room from one of the other teachers whilst I look for somewhere to buy.’