Author's Note: I've often admired Sally Wainwright's economic use of the supporting characters she's created but every once in a while I wish she would give some of them a bit more screen time. Beverley, Caroline's long-suffering, loyal assistant, is one such character. This story is something that might have happened off camera that could explain, in part, why Kate returned to the wedding reception in the last episode of the second season. Enjoy and Carpe Diem, Dis-Moi/Nola
Beverley was leisurely making her way through the local farmer's market early one Saturday morning in December. She liked to get there right when it opened so she could avoid the crowds and have a chance to pick out the best looking produce without getting elbowed by other shoppers. Walking up to her favorite vegetable stand, she was surprised to see Kate already there, looking at the broccoli.
"Kate, good to see you. I didn't know you shopped here," she said as Kate gave her a wide smile.
"Good morning Beverley. You're quite the early bird," she replied as she handed a head of the dark green veg to the attendant to be bagged. Kate had been a regular but usually got there mid morning. The last time she was there she ran into Caroline so she decided to go early, before Caroline would normally get out of bed on the weekend, in order to avoid yet another uncomfortable encounter.
"I could say the same about you. I miss seeing you. I always enjoyed our chats when you stopped in to see Caroline," Beverley confessed. In truth, most of the teachers treated her like she was invisible, but not Kate. She always took the time to make her feel like she mattered in the scheme of things at Sulgrave.
"That's kind of you to say. I've missed our chats too," said Kate as she handed some mushrooms and asparagus to the sales girl.
"Want to grab some breakfast at the little café in the back corner and have a proper catch-up?" Beverley offered.
"What a great idea. How about in fifteen minutes or so? I'm almost done with my shopping and I'd like to drop things off at the car first." Truth be told, Kate was more than a little lonely these days and welcomed some social interaction. She had been laying low after her scare sent her to the hospital. She knew it was an over-reaction but her fear of losing this baby was always foremost in her mind.
"Perfect, see you in fifteen," Beverley agreed as she bent down to look at the peppers while Kate handed her payment to the girl on the other side of the stand and prepared to move on.
Beverley was waiting at a table with her first cup of coffee in front of her when Kate breezed in. She was surprised Kate still had her shopping with her. Since it took her longer than she expected to make her way through the stalls, she didn't want to keep Beverley waiting by going to her car.
As soon as she sat down, a chirpy waitress appeared at their table, pot of bold coffee in hand which she gestured at Kate. "Yes, please," Kate responded as she held up her cup. "I love the coffee here. It's always so fresh and strong."
"I remember having trouble with coffee when I was pregnant. Mind you, strong tea also seemed to give me heart burn back then," Beverley reminisced.
"So far so good," said Kate as she reached for the creamer. The smell of bacon hit her as she entered the little eating area. Suddenly, all she could think about was a plate of bacon and eggs.
"So, how are you? Being pregnant seems to suit you," Beverley began as she considered the short breakfast menu.
"I'm feeling fine. The baby seems to be doing well despite the scare the other day. They are keeping a close eye on me because of my age and history of miscarriages so I'm trying to leave some of the worrying to the professionals."
"That's got to be a comfort. I imagine it's hard to do this on your own. You're well past the first trimester now right?" Beverley stirred some sugar into her cup.
"Amazingly. My second trimester is soon winding down. It seems to be going very quickly," Kate said. "Speaking of quick, how fast did word spread at school about the baby?"
"Once Michael knew, pretty fast, I'm sorry to say. He's such a gossip and can't be trusted," Beverly reminded her.
"Yeah. I learned that lesson the hard way awhile back," Kate confessed.
"You know it's a two second school, right?" Beverley meant it as a joke and instantly regretted her words as she realized she should have changed the subject; she knew the amount of gossip about her and Caroline could hurt her.
At that moment, the waitress reappeared to take their order.
"I know I shouldn't because of the salt but I'd like a side of extra bacon with that, please," Kate concluded; she couldn't resist its enticing aroma.
"Food cravings. I remember them well," Beverley shared, hoping to have changed the subject.
Kate looked up from stirring her cup of coffee as the waitress took her leave. "So you were saying it's a two-second school? I don't think I know that expression."
Beverley let out a gentle sigh. "It means it takes two seconds for a rumor to get from one end of it to the other."
"Oh." Kate looked back down at her coffee.
"It wasn't that bad, Kate. Everyone likes you and is chuffed to know you're getting your wish to be a mum." Beverley reached for her water glass and picked up a straw from the table, removing its paper sleeve before putting the straw in the glass and taking a long sip. Dreading another question about Sulgrave's rumor mill, she started playing with straw paper; it was one of her nervous habits. First she flattened it out and then began folding it neatly in half again and again until she couldn't fold it any further.
"Well, how long did it take for the rumor about Caroline and me to get around? I assume that one only took about a second even though we tried to be discrete."
"Which one? The one that you were a couple or the one that you broke up?" Beverley couldn't look at Kate as she talked. She was afraid the answer would hurt her.
"Both, I guess." Kate slumped back in her seat at the realization that she and Caroline hadn't been as discrete as they had hoped.
Beverley, continuing to play with the straw paper, explained that it took a long time for the staff to twig onto the relationship but a very short time for them to know when it was over, primarily because they all noticed Caroline stopped smiling and Kate kept to herself more and didn't smile much either. She consoled her by telling her how supportive everyone was of her and how no one seemed to blink more than twice after the initial shock that Caroline was that "interesting". Her word choice made Kate laugh and seemed to put her at ease.
"I know you were supportive of us from the beginning," Kate said. "I never thanked you for that. It meant a lot to both Caroline and me."
"It always warmed my heart to see you two together. Did you know I'm a twin?"
Kate thought the last tidbit to be a strange non sequitur. "I didn't."
"My twin, Anne, is gay and I know from her how tough it was to be open with her straight friends for the longest time," she explained. "She was even scared to come out to me."
"You never said before," Kate responded as she put her fork down and looked at Beverley in a new light. She gave her an appreciative smile as if to say she was thankful she shared something so personal. It was then that she realized their exchanges tended to be about things in general and nothing so specific. Beverley always seemed to respect personal boundaries.
"I don't really think about her as anything other than just being my sister, which is why I don't feel the need to talk about her in those terms. But I have to tell you, I love her partner like a sister. They've been together almost as long as Gerry and me."
"That explains why you were so accepting of us from the beginning," Kate said with a smile. "Was it hard for her back then? I would imagine she had to stay in the closet out of fear."
Because the little cafe was so empty, the waitress returned quickly with their breakfasts and they began to tuck in. As she was waiting for Kate, Beverley wondered if she should try to put a plug in for Caroline. Although she decided she should stay as neutral as possible, she saw this as an opening for her to test the waters and couldn't resist.
"It took them a long time before they were comfortable living openly. But I'm so glad for them that they found each other and have such a good relationship. They've often said that going through the tough times has made their relationship stronger. 'Forged in fire makes for the strongest relationships' my sis always says." Beverley took a bite of her rye toast and wondered if Kate got her deeper meaning.
When Kate didn't respond, Beverley decided to try a more direct approach. "I know it's none of my business, but I've always thought you and Caroline are a lot like my sister and her partner. Forged in fire and coming out stronger. Is there really no hope for you and Caroline to get back together?"
"Beverley." It was the only word Kate could seem to find.
"I don't mean to put you on the spot. It's just that I want to see you both happy and I think you're both miserable apart," Beverley explained. "I've worked for Caroline for what seems like a lifetime. I know she can be self-absorbed and buttoned-up emotionally, but I never saw Caroline as happy as she was when she was with you. It was like she finally found the missing pieces to her jigsaw puzzle and resulting the picture was lovely. Perhaps it just took her a little longer than it should have for the whole image to come into focus."
Suddenly, tears started forming in Kate's eyes. She reached down into her purse to look for a tissue. Kate was embarrassed the conversation had moved her to tears. She cried easier these days than she use to and it always seemed to happen at the most inopportune moments.
As she looked back across at Beverley, she said, "Sorry. The hormones do this to me at all the wrong times, it seems."
They sat in silence as the waitress topped off their cups of coffee and checked to see if she could bring them anything else.
"I'm afraid it's too late. In some ways too much has been said and too much time has passed," Kate declared when the waitress was out of earshot.
"It's never too late when true love is on the line. I'm sure she would forgive you anything. The question is can you do the same for her?"
"What are you saying?"
"I know she still loves you. And I know she loves the baby too. I think she proved both those points by blowing off her meetings and going to be with you at the hospital the other day. That's not the action of someone who doesn't still care." Beverley made sure to maintain eye contact with Kate as she spoke.
The waitress interrupted them by bringing their bill. When she turned her attention to the table beside theirs, Kate broke the silence. "Does she really show interest in the baby?"
Beverley gave her a tender smile. "Yes. She's been telling me for months how worried she's been about both you and the baby. If you're holding back out of fear that she won't love your cherub as much as you, you needn't."
Kate was stunned to hear that Caroline was so open with Beverley after she had been so nervous about letting anyone see or know their relationship status. It was part of what drove Kate mad about their relationship. She was so happy with Caroline but so sad she couldn't tell anyone at school about their relationship.
"Is this why you invited me to breakfast?" Kate asked feeling equal parts defensive and confused.
"No. But as I sat here waiting for you, I just thought if you and Caroline could get past whatever happened, you'd both be better off for it. Tell me to mind my own business but I wouldn't be a very good friend to you if I didn't tell you what I think," she said cautiously. She knew she could get away with that tact with Kate but would never venture to do so with Caroline.
"Hmmm. Are you this frank with Caroline?" Kate teased.
Beverley smirked, "What do you think?"
Kate played with the few coins the waitress brought as her change as she mulled over the surprising news and gathered her thoughts.
When she finally did speak, she said, "I never would have guessed. I thought she was relieved to not have to go through raising a baby again."
"I asked her the other day if she ever wanted more children. Her immediate response was she hadn't until recently." This was possibly the most powerful bit of insight Beverley had to share and it wasn't lost on Kate.
"You know, if it were just me and Caroline, it would be one thing but then there's her mum to consider. She's a pretty tough old bird," Kate proffered to remind Beverley the situation really was more complicated than she understood.
"Given all I've heard about Celia's resistance to your relationship, I hear what you're saying. Maybe she's softening. No mum wants to see her child as unhappy as I'm sure she's seen Caroline these past few months," Beverley reasoned. "Just promise me you'll think it all over and do something about it before it really is too late. I can see she still loves you and dare I say it, I can see you still love her."
"Well, it's a lot to think about," Kate said as she stood to hug Beverley goodbye. "Thanks for caring. I'll see you Monday."
Kate struggled to carry her groceries into the house from her car in one trip. She had bought some extra items to make some vegetable soup and meals to put in the freezer for those nights when she knew she'd be too tired to want to cook when she got home from school. After setting the bags on the counter by the fridge, she turned to put her car keys in the dish by the phone on the opposite counter. She noticed the answering machine blinking at her and pressed the play button.
"Hi Kate. It's Celia. I'm wondering if you would be willing to serve as pianist for our wedding and stay for the reception afterward. The ceremony will be on Christmas Eve and I'm hoping you'll be available. Please call me back at your convenience."