by Della Galton
Clara’s head was reeling. She was glad she was sitting down.
She was aware that Rosanna was looking at her with concern in her eyes. She became aware more slowly that Kate was still speaking.
‘Apparently Veronica and Simon thought that if the Bluebell lost enough business, we’d have to close down and then she could buy up the site for a pittance.’
‘But surely there are other sites she could buy…?’
‘Yes, but she’s always wanted that one. She was furious when Aunt Carrie outbid her in the first place. I think to be honest that’s mostly what was motivating her. That sense of entitlement. From what I can gather, she has a super-rich daddy who treats her like his little princess and it was the first time in her life that she didn’t get her own way. It turns out Veronica is still desperate to get a clifftop plot to build on and the only other one that’s anywhere near close to suitable is the Manor House, which, she’d already been told, in no uncertain terms, by the Brothers Grim, wasn’t for sale. She wants a plot of land on the cliffs to build luxury flats. Phil did a spot of digging and we’ve discovered she’s got investors waiting.’ There was a tiny pause. ‘Clara. Are you still there?’
‘Yes. Um…’ Clara could feel her brain coming slowly back online. ‘Yes, I am.’ She was still trying to adjust to this new shocking but wonderful news as her brain finally processed it. ‘Do they know that you’ve rumbled them – I mean, I know you’ve got photographs of them and everything, but isn’t that all a bit circumstantial? How can we stop them from doing anything else?’
‘I’ve spoken to my solicitor and he thinks we may have enough to issue an injunction, and if we haven’t, then I’ll keep rooting away until we have. Phil and Mr B are keen to go and issue a personal injunction of their own, but I think I’ve managed to talk them out of it for now.’
By the time Clara had disconnected, her ear hurt from pressing the phone against it so hard. But her heart felt a thousand times lighter.
Across a cinnamon latte with pink and white marshmallows floating in the top, she relayed everything to a fascinated Rosanna, who listened patiently and then said, ‘I don’t want to throw a spanner in the works, but that still doesn’t explain why your man and his brother were making coffee for Cruella de Vil, does it?’
‘Yes it does. You were right about there being an innocent explanation for her being there. Nick and Adam may have turned her down in the past, but they’ve just been forced to put the Manor House on the market.’
Rosanna nodded. ‘So maybe the future doesn’t look quite so bleak after all.’
‘No, it doesn’t. Although I think I probably owe Adam an explanation for why I was so snippy earlier.’
‘Are you going to phone him?’
‘No.’ Clara stood up resolutely. ‘I know it’s late, but I’m going to go and see him.’
Rosanna clapped her hands. ‘Does this mean it’s possible there may still be a happy ever after?’
32
Clara was slightly regretting her impulsiveness as she drew into the car park of the Manor House. It was ten fifteen and, as Adam had pointed out yesterday, he had to get up early to do breakfast.
She switched off the ignition, but she didn’t get out of her car. Maybe it would have been better if she had just rung him back. She could still do that. She was deliberating in the coolness of the night-time air when she saw a figure silhouetted briefly in the light of the hotel’s front entrance. It was a tall figure wearing a dark coat that she recognised and, as she looked, she realised that it – Adam – was coming out and down the steps and heading straight towards her car.
She got out just before he reached her.
‘Clara, are you OK? I’ve been trying to get hold of you all evening.’ She realised he was jangling a bunch of keys in his hand. ‘I was just going to come over and see you. You seemed so odd earlier?’ He glanced at her more closely and he must have taken in her tear-stained face. ‘It’s not your grandad, is it?’
‘No. It’s not. I’m fine. Haven’t you got to get up early in the morning?’
‘I have… but… some things are more important.’
The way he was looking at her now, with such concern, with such tenderness, made her throat close with emotion. Thunderbolts were brilliant, but this was important too. This was what she wanted – this total care (except that sounded too much like a toothpaste brand). Someone to be in her corner – like her family always were – someone who really cared. Enough to have a late night even though they had to get up at the crack of dawn the next day to do breakfast.
She was close to crying again. Oh heck.
Adam put his arms around her. ‘Come in for a minute, sweetheart, it’s cold out here. Have you got time?’
A few moments later, they were walking past the night porter and through a door marked Private, into the staff quarters of the hotel and Clara had an impression of bachelor accommodation: utilitarian carpets, magnolia walls, business papers and a book called The History of The Jaguar Car on a low glass table. Over everything hung a slight smell of mustiness and old coffee.
Adam cleared a space on a dark red sofa by shifting a pile of magazines and she sat down.
Oddly, she thought, as she told him what had been going on, she no longer had the slightest doubt that he wasn’t, and never had been, involved. She told him this too.
‘I would have thought the same in your shoes,’ he said, his eyes darkly serious when she got to the part about Veronica Cooper Clark. ‘Particularly if I had your chef whispering in my ear. But you’re correct, she was here to make us an offer, which we are considering accepting.’
‘Was it a good offer?’
‘No. Not really, but, as she was very quick to point out, we may not get another offer for years. If at all.’ He gave her a slightly twisted smile. ‘I guess she must have decided sabotage was too risky a game after her plans to wreck the wedding went awry. I can tell you one thing, though, Clara. We won’t be accepting her offer now.’ Anger sparked in his eyes.
‘But she’s probably right. You might not get another one.’
‘It doesn’t matter.’ His face tightened. ‘After what she’s done.’ He took her hand.
‘That’s really sweet of you, but business is business. Maybe you could push her up? Tell her that’s the only way she’ll get a quick sale. From what I’ve heard, her investors won’t wait forever.’
‘Maybe.’ He frowned.
‘What will you and Nick do when you sell. Do you have plans?’
‘Nick’s going to move in with Alice, his girlfriend. Do you remember me mentioning her before?’
‘I do.’
‘Well, they’ve had an on/off relationship for years, but this latest hospital stay of his seemed to have cemented things for them. Nick said it made them both realise that none of us is immortal and they want to spend more time with each other. Running a hotel isn’t that conducive to having a social life. As we both know.’
‘How about you?’ she asked.
‘I thought I might take a leaf out of my little brother’s book and see if I could do something about redressing my work/life balance, which hasn’t been that good for a while.’ He shot her a sideways glance. ‘I know of this hotel where people go to live out their dreams. I thought I might go and talk to their manager. Maybe see if she had any ideas.’
Clara rested her head against his shoulder. ‘I think she might have,’ she said.
Then, quite suddenly, but also quite naturally, she found herself in his arms again and they were kissing. And that high-voltage-electricity thing was happening again and now several explosive fireworks had also been thrown into the mix.
‘It’s a pity you have to get up so early,’ she murmured. ‘I should let you get to bed. I’d hate to be responsible for you oversleeping.’
‘Maybe it would be easier not to go to bed at all. Then I wouldn’t have to worry.’ He shot her a questioning glance. ‘Or am I overstepping the mark?’
‘Not
at all. But I have Foxy in the car.’
‘You could always bring her in.’
‘The sensible, grown-up option would be for me to go home to the bungalow and for you to go and get some sleep.’
‘You’re right,’ Adam said. There was a huge smile in his voice. ‘I’ll walk you to your car.’
As they stood next to her car beneath a sky that was clear and bright and held a scattering of stars, it was Clara who looked up at the silver moon and then back once more at Adam.
‘But who wants to be a sensible grown-up?’ she said.
Epilogue
Adam and Nick Greenwood negotiated a much higher price with Veronica Cooper Clark’s development company, which meant they were able to recoup all of their original investment and some extra.
With his share of the proceeds, Nick and his girlfriend, Alice, were able to buy a tearoom and a perfect little ground-floor flat in Swanage.
Kate Rawlinson tracked down the Lighthousegate cameraman and persuaded him that if he positively identified the person who’d paid him for the footage, she would put his link back on the Bluebell’s website. He identified Rupert Cooper Clark, which gave Kate enough leverage to take out an injunction against him and Veronica.
Aiden told John Scargill that Veronica had tried to wreck Isobel’s special day. This resulted in John, who was a patron of the Yacht Club, telling the entire membership how one of their own had been instrumental in trying to sabotage his ‘only daughter’s only wedding’. This, in turn, resulted in Veronica having her membership of the Yacht Club suspended. It also resulted in the severing of many of her business ties amongst the yachties and two of her investors pulled out of the luxury-flat deals. Her development company went bankrupt and the Manor House was finally bought by another hotel chain, who were keen to work in harmony with the Bluebell.
Kate visited the editor of The Purbeck Gazette and they investigated the Curly Wurly Challenge incident and discovered Simon Tomlinson had bragged to a colleague that he’d spiked Micky Tucker’s drink. Subsequently, they ran a full retraction, saying there was no truth in the Bluebell being responsible for Micky Tucker being unable to challenge the Curly Wurly Stretching Guinness World Record and that he would be having another attempt at the record within the year. They would be sponsoring him.
Simon Tomlinson was asked to leave.
Phil Grimshaw got offered a small part in a crime drama about a conspiracy-theorist chef after a couple of screenwriters had stayed at the Bluebell Cliff for a fortnight. The screenwriters also asked Mr B if he would be interested in being a story consultant on the project.
He was delighted to be able to add the role of ‘story consultant’ to his CV and is also hugely relieved that, to date, no one has guessed his full name.
Zoe ended up with a hunky firefighter called Seth Bottomley!
Portia and Prudence turned out to be Portia and Percy and they had a litter of eleven piglets.
Kate offered Thelma and Eric Price, via Clara, the chance to renew their wedding vows for free at the Bluebell in a quiet family ceremony. They were delighted.
Kate’s mother sent news that she was happily dating again after her divorce and had her eyes set on husband number four.
Will Lightfoot met a girl in Thailand, soon after he sent his angry postcard, and, as far as anybody knows, they are still travelling happily.
Clara and Adam were the fourth couple to get married at the Bluebell Cliff – nothing at all went wrong on their wedding day, which was attended by their extended family and closest friends, which included Foxy, and was a day full of sunshine and laugher.
They are currently looking for a smallholding and/or possible garden centre in Dorset, which is in commuting distance of the Bluebell. Adam will be running their enterprise while Clara stays on at the Bluebell as manager.
Foxy divides her time between Clara and Kate – depending on who is going on the most walks and stocking the best dog treats.
The Bluebell continues to go from strength to strength and at the end of its second full year of trading it won Best Dorset Hotel, Best Unique Wedding Venue and Best Food on The Isle of Purbeck.
Kate finishes every acceptance speech she makes with these words: ‘The Bluebell Cliff Hotel was my Aunt Carrie’s dream. She created it to help other people fulfil theirs. I will never let anyone stand in the way of her amazing vision and of her wonderful generosity. As our mission statement says, “We are here to help you make your dreams come true”.’
Acknowledgments
It takes more than one person to write a novel.
Thank you to Judith Murdoch for her unfailing encouragement. Thank you to Caroline Ridding, my excellent editor, and to the whole Boldwood team, you are amazing.
Thank you also, in no particular order, to: Adam Millward, Gordon Rawsthorne, Jan Wright, Ian Burton, Selina Hepworth, Paul Kefford, Tony Millward, Gaynor Davies and Pat, Werner and Stefan Luetolf, for your advice and patience and huge encouragement. Thank you to the Parkhurst family for the Granny-isms.
And thank you Mum and Keith for providing the inspiration for the Bluebell Cliff Hotel and one or two of the things that happened there!
More from Della Galton
We hope you enjoyed reading Sunshine Over Bluebell Cliff. If you did, please leave a review.
If you’d like to gift a copy, this book is also available as a paperback, digital audio download and audiobook CD.
Sign up to Della Galton’s mailing list here for news, competitions and updates on future books.
About the Author
Della Galton is the author of 15 books, including Ice and a Slice. She writes short stories, teaches writing groups and is Agony Aunt for Writers Forum Magazine. She lives in Dorset.
Visit Della’s website: www.dellagalton.co.uk
Follow Della on social media:
About Boldwood Books
Boldwood Books is a fiction publishing company seeking out the best stories from around the world.
Find out more at www.boldwoodbooks.com
Sign up to the Book and Tonic newsletter for news, offers and competitions from Boldwood Books!
We’d love to hear from you, follow us on social media:
First published in Great Britain in 2020 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
Copyright © Della Galton, 2020
Cover Design by Debbie Clement Design
Cover Photography: Shutterstock
The moral right of Della Galton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Paperback ISBN 978-1-83889-001-8
Ebook ISBN 978-1-83889-003-2
Kindle ISBN 978-1-83889-002-5
Audio CD ISBN 978-1-83889-252-4
MP3 CD ISBN 978-1-83889-737-6
Digital audio download ISBN 978-1-83889-000-1
Boldwood Books Ltd
23 Bowerdean Street
London SW6 3TN
www.boldwoodbooks.com
iv style = " -webkit-filter: grayscale(100%); -moz-filter: grayscale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share