I so hope it is as I can hardly bear to think that her legacy will end here.
Then I bolt down some food and jump into the truck. I check the address and head off. It’s quite close to Shelby’s manor house, so I know most of the route by now. Before I reach his village, I turn off and the lanes become steadily more narrow and the houses further apart. Wherever this place is, it’s clear that we won’t have many neighbours to trouble or to trouble us.
As I round the corner, slightly worried about how close the truck is to the hedges on either side of the lane, I see a sign for Edward’s Farm and turn towards it. Shelby’s car is parked by the first of the farm buildings and I pull in behind him. He gets out of the car as I approach and comes to kiss my cheek.
‘Hey,’ he says. ‘Very punctual.’
‘The animals were all well-behaved tonight. No dramas.’ It’s not often that I can say that in my life.
‘Good. Come on. Let’s survey your estate, ma’am.’ He grabs my hand, tucks it into the crook of his arm and leads me through to the main area of buildings.
Chapter Seventy-Six
The yard here is situated centrally on the land and is surrounded by neat buildings on three sides – all of them in better condition than our existing ones too. This looks like a place that has had a bit of cash thrown at it. I bet leaky roofs and blocked drains are less in evidence as well. The whole area is swept clean and the stables look as if they haven’t been used in a long time. It looks more like the Flinton’s Farm set than a working farm.
‘This is it.’ Shelby spreads his hands. ‘You’ve got this place that you could use as your tea room and lunch stop as you do now.’ He points at a well-maintained wooden cabin and he’s right – it looks ideal. We could all squeeze in there nicely. Shelby leads me on. ‘Then there’s this huge barn, a couple more stables and stuff.’ Plenty of room for the horses and everyone.
He walks me slowly down the yard so that we can inspect them all and I try very hard to take it all in. Already, I can see where all the animals would be at home.
‘What do you think?’
‘To be honest with you, I’m a bit overwhelmed. It looks amazing. I didn’t expect anything like this.’ I’d envisaged a bit of rough land, a work in progress, some ramshackle barns. This is beyond my wildest dreams.
‘It’s smaller in overall size,’ he says. ‘And there’s no house. That’s further down the road and was sold off years ago with a large part of the farm. Although there are plenty of barns, there’s probably nothing that we’d be allowed to convert for residential use. Planning consent is notoriously difficult to get round here.’
‘You know that my own comfort isn’t really my priority. It’s the students and the animals that I’m more concerned about. As long as they’re happy, then I am too.’
‘Still, it would have been nice to get you an upgrade in living accommodation.’
‘Honestly, I’m fine where I am. Thank you.’ Though I’m not entirely sure that my dear old caravan will survive a move. I’m sure it’s only held together by love and a lot of cobwebs. Dislodge one of the cobwebs and the whole thing could fall apart. ‘Would I be allowed to bring it here?’
‘I’m just waiting for confirmation on that, but it’s looking positive,’ Shelby says. ‘Come and see the land. You’ll love it.’
We walk away from the array of buildings and Shelby helps me to climb over a stile in the thick hawthorn hedge and I drop down into the field beyond. We stand for a moment, my hand in his, and I can hear nothing but the sound of a skylark above us. This is heaven, right here, right now.
Shelby turns me around and acres of finest, unspoilt Buckinghamshire countryside stretch ahead of me. I shade my brow with my hand and gaze out at it. ‘This looks just beautiful.’
‘I think so too,’ Shelby says, obviously pleased with himself. ‘It’s not too hilly so the land is all useable, yet it dips down towards the river, so good drainage. I’m not a farmer, but I’d say this was a great space.’
‘I didn’t think that I could love anywhere as much as my current home. But this would make the most wonderful replacement.’
‘Good.’ He grins at me and together we walk over the field and I struggle to take it in as it’s all so wonderful.
I don’t know how to explain it when, at the end of the day it’s another slice of countryside, but it has exactly the same feel to it as Hope Farm does. I believe the land would be kind, accommodating, somewhere that we could make into a nice home. My hearts swells as I look at it. Home. That sounds very lovely, indeed.
I can already picture the animals here too. The alpacas would love it over there by the hedge. If we ever managed to make them into the charmers that people think they are this would be a good place to organise alpaca walks. The ponies and goats could go on the other side while the Shire horses would be very happy next door to them.
We wander down the gently curving slope of the vale until we reach the thin ribbon of meandering river which has carved its way through the landscape over hundreds of years. It’s shaded by weeping willows and teasels grow along the bank. Two ducks let themselves drift along on the current and a moorhen on the other side picks at the grass. There’s a splash from an unseen fish. It couldn’t be more idyllic if it tried.
As we walk along the bank together, Shelby turns to me. ‘So, Molly? What do you think?’
‘I love it.’ To be honest, that really doesn’t even begin to sum up how I feel. ‘It would be perfect.’
‘You could have it on a ten-year lease.’
‘Can I afford the rent?’
‘It’s something we need to discuss further, but I very much hope it will be less than you’re paying now.’
I frown at him. ‘Then there must be a catch. Is the landlord difficult?’
‘Yes,’ he laughs. ‘An absolute stinker.’
Finally, the penny drops. ‘It’s you, isn’t it?’ Of course, it’s Shelby. Who else would it be?
‘Would you mind that very much? I won’t be your sole landlord, I’m afraid. I hold this land with two other partners, so it’s not entirely mine to do as I please with. I’ve had to bring them on board as well. That took a bit of persuasion. We bought it years ago as an investment thinking that one day we might get permission to develop it – philistines that we were.’
‘Now you’ve had a change of heart?’
‘I can’t bear the thought of that blasted trainline ruining the countryside. I wouldn’t want to add my bit of development to it even if we could get permission now. Thankfully, we were thwarted in our attempts to build on it.’ He gives me an apologetic look. ‘So much so that I’d almost forgotten that I owned a bit of it. It’s been standing empty for a good few years now and could be put to much better use. If you want to move here, then it would be less intrusive and the land can be used for its intended purpose. I’d love to see your animals here.’
‘Me too.’ I can’t lie, this seems like paradise.
‘In time, I might be able to buy out my partners but that’s a future negotiation. I didn’t dare share with you what was going on before I’d secured their agreement. I checked that there are no restrictions that would prohibit you from operating here and that’s fine too. All you need to do now is say yes.’
‘It’s fantastic, but can I fund it? As you well know, we live from hand-to-mouth.’ I don’t want to think of the practicalities, but I have to. All I really want to do is sign on the dotted line. ‘This rather swift eviction has shown me that I need to be in a more stable financial situation.’
‘As I mentioned the other day, I thought we could put on a concert at the manor house to get you up and running. I’ve floated it to a few friends and they’ve already agreed to take part. You could bring along some of the students and animals from the farm as you did for the charity day. Would you be up for that?’
‘It sounds perfect.’ That went off without incident, didn’t it? Like me, the animals are becoming a bit more accustomed to people.
Besides, Bev would kill me in a particularly slow and painful way if I said no.
‘In the long term, the extra barns could give you an opportunity to do more open days and the like.’ Perhaps he sees the flash of anxiety on my face as he quickly adds, ‘If you want to.’
‘It would be a great idea.’ I’ve put a toe in these murky waters now and while I might not be ready to dive headlong into commercialism, I know that I can do it and it would add to our income stream. Look at me with my fancy words. Income stream, eh?
‘If you look up at the other side of the vale, you can see the back of my house up there.’
He stands close as he points out the area. I see it now. This is the land that Lucas and I looked out over when we sat together on the hay bales.
He looks at me, expression suddenly serious. ‘If you want it, Molly. Then it’s all yours.’
‘I’d love it.’
Shelby looks relieved. ‘It’s a deal, then?’
‘Yes.’ And, without wanting to, I start to cry as all the anxiety of the past few months is lifted. A knot of tension in my heart unfurls and, suddenly, I feel as if I can breathe again. Thanks to Shelby’s generosity, I have a home for my dear students and my beloved animals who will love it here. I won’t have to send my young people away or scatter the animals to the four corners of the country. We can all stay together and I couldn’t be happier. Could I, at last, be getting on top of things once more? Have things finally turned a corner for us? Bev will be overjoyed too. With Alan it will be harder to tell.
‘Hush, hush.’ Shelby wipes the tears from my cheeks with a gentle rub of his thumb. ‘It will all be OK.’ He steps in to kiss me and our lips meet, friendly at first, then becoming increasingly more passionate.
I’m the first one to break away and we both look sheepish. I shouldn’t do this. It’s not that I don’t want Shelby. For heaven’s sake, this is the first time in my life that I’ve ever really wanted a man in this way. But he’s going to be my landlord now and I don’t want to jeopardise my relationship with him. What about Lucas too? If he knew that we were carrying on like this, he’d be furious.
‘If you’re going to be my landlord and benefactor, we should really keep things firmly on a business footing from now on.’ I sound more breathy than I’d like.
‘We should,’ he echoes.
But we kiss again, nevertheless.
Chapter Seventy-Seven
I feel as if I’m floating on cloud nine as we walk back towards our vehicles. As Shelby locks the gate and we cross the road, he says, ‘There’s a nice pub a few minutes down the road. Have you got time for a celebratory drink?’
‘Yes, of course.’ I can think of nothing nicer than spending the evening with Shelby and for once, I have nothing to rush back for. Thankfully, Bev and Alan are feeding the lambs tonight so I don’t have to worry about that. The rest of the animals can cope for another hour or two without me. I only have to tuck them in and say goodnight when I go home. I’m glad too that I spent a few minutes upgrading my usual wardrobe. At least I won’t now walk into the bar smelling of alpaca poo.
Shelby smiles at me. ‘I have something else that I want to share with you too.’
‘Sounds good.’
‘I think it is,’ he says enigmatically.
I’m beginning to like surprises from Shelby and I never thought I’d hear myself say that. I positively spring into the truck and follow him feeling light of spirit and young of heart. After all that worrying, we have a fabulous new home and I can’t wait to tell Bev about it. I even sing as I crunch the gears and follow him down the lane and I’m not usually a spontaneous singer.
The pub is low, thatched and looks as if it has served beer to the locals for many a good year now. It’s clearly in a gentrified stage as a chalkboard sign outside announces GASTRO PUB. Which, by my limited experience, means expensive with small portions. I expect the beer will be hand-crafted, hand-pumped, high-priced microbrewery stuff and the food will be served on slates.
Shelby locks his car and then waits for me as I park the truck on the road. I’m a pretty dab hand at manoeuvring it, but I think the tiny car park is beyond me – especially as I’m still a bit trembly with happiness. I’m still struggling to believe that amazing place is going to be our permanent home. Already my head is buzzing with ideas for things we can do with it. So, I abandon the truck in the lane, crossing my fingers that other cars will be able to pass easily, and join Shelby to head into the pub.
As it’s a lovely evening; a few people are sitting outside under picnic umbrellas and I watch them as they surreptitiously monitor Shelby’s arrival. When we open the door and walk in, more heads swivel and I don’t think that they’re turning for me. Some people gape openly at Shelby and there’s a bit of nudging and whispering going on. I hear a few girly giggles too. Others, perhaps more used to him in their local pub, glance up and return immediately to their beer. I see one woman angling her camera to take a sneaky selfie which also includes Shelby too. This is weird. On the rare occasions I come to the pub with Bev, I normally slope in unnoticed. Even when I try to get served with a drink I often go unnoticed. This is the first time I’ve been out with Shelby in public and I’d drastically underestimated the kind of stir he creates. It must be strange to have people note your every move. Though, credit to Shelby, he doesn’t seem to be aware of the ripple of interest that he’s causing.
We head to the far end of the bar where it’s quieter and he asks, ‘What would you like, Molly? A glass of fizz as we’re celebrating?’
‘Well, I’m driving, but I wouldn’t say no to one.’
‘What can I get you, Shelby?’ the barman says.
‘Bottle of Bollinger and a couple of glasses please, Adam.’
‘Coming up.’
While the barman gets Shelby’s order, I whisper, ‘I presume this is your local.’
‘Yeah. I don’t get out for a drink that often, but when I do I usually come here. The natives are quite friendly. They don’t bother me too much.’
I look round. I’m sure I’ve been in here once before when it was all a bit battered and broken with dark varnished wood everywhere. It seems to have been done up very nicely. The wooden floors are all stripped and sanded. The chairs and tables are mismatched but in a good way. A few people are eating in the bar and the food looks lovely.
‘You can leave your truck here overnight, if you like. It’ll be safe. I can order a taxi to take you home. I sometimes walk back from here if I’ve had a few and then send one of the lads for the car in the morning.’
Oh, to have ‘lads’ to do your every bidding.
‘I’m fine. Just the one for me. I’ve got my rounds to do, so I can’t be too late back.’ My only pang of guilt is that I’ve left Little Dog by himself and, as he’s used to being about an inch from my heel, he’ll be fretting. He might even have ripped up one of the cushions to spite me.
When the barman brings the champagne and two glasses, Shelby flashes a shiny black credit card. I’m alarmed to see the cost ping up on the till. Yikes.
‘Enjoy,’ the barman says.
Shelby picks up the bottle and glasses and nods towards a quiet corner of the pub. ‘You don’t mind sitting inside?’
It’s a nice evening and one of those umbrella tables looks quite appealing, but I can imagine that it gets tiresome with people gawping at you all the time. ‘Not at all.’
So we retreat to a far corner of the bar in a little snug with a booth made just for two. It’s cosy here, out of the way, but still heads swivel again when Shelby pops the cork. He fills my glass with bubbles.
Shelby raises his glass. ‘To your new home.’
‘I still can’t quite believe it,’ I say, but I toast with the champagne nevertheless.
‘There’s a lot to do before your deadline,’ he says. ‘I can help to organise that.’
‘It will mainly involve a lot of shuttling back and forth with the animals in the truck.’ Already my mind is whirring wi
th the logistics of it. That’s a good sign, isn’t it? They say if you look at a house and you start to picture your furniture in it, then you should buy it. Same thing with animals and farms, I should think.
I can’t believe that this kind man opposite me is enabling this. I know that he’s got pots of money – probably more than he knows what to do with. If he can pay these prices for a bottle of fizzy wine, it’s clear he has some cash to spare. But he didn’t have to choose us. I know that we’re trying to help his son, but he’s paying for that and there are lots of other very worthy and more high-profile causes where he could be seen to be doing good. We are so low-key we’re not on anyone’s radar, yet he’s chosen us to support. I feel very humble.
We settle back in the seats and I can feel Shelby studying me. It’s disconcerting.
‘What else was it you wanted to tell me?’ I ask.
‘Ah. That.’ He glugs his champagne and tops up his glass again. A man obviously accustomed to fine wines. I hang on to mine and sip it, wanting to make it last as long as I possibly can. I also calculate how much each mouthful is costing and how much animal feed I could buy for that. ‘Promise that you won’t breathe a word to anyone, Molly.’
‘Of course not.’
‘This is top secret. As top secret as it gets.’ He looks round to check that no one’s listening and I brace myself for his announcement. It must be big, I think, very big.
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Shelby is glowing when he says, ‘I’ve been offered a new part. A fantastic new part.’
‘That’s great.’ For one horrible moment, I did wonder if he was going to tell me that he and Scarlett Vincent had got back together and were planning to get married. It’s the sort of thing that celebrities do, no? I’m more than relieved that it’s simply another acting role. He’d told me that he wanted to cast off Gordon Flinton. ‘It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?’
Happiness for Beginners Page 27