The Little Orchard on the Lane: An absolutely perfect and uplifting romantic comedy

by Tilly Tennant

  ‘So… what do we do now?’ Karen asked. She didn’t seem all that surprised to see any of this drama unfold, and like all the other supposedly secret business going on in Astercombe, she probably knew a good deal more about it than anyone else.

  ‘They’ll be back shortly,’ Sandra said as she came over with a plastic rubbish bag that Posy hadn’t seen her go and fetch. She forced a brighter tone as she began to clear away discarded napkins. ‘I’m sure we can all keep the party going while the men are missing.’

  Posy and Carmel exchanged an anxious glance.

  ‘I’ll help you clear up,’ Karen said, following Sandra.

  ‘God, I hope he’s alright,’ Posy said quietly once Karen and Sandra were out of earshot.

  ‘Why do you think he came here?’ Carmel asked. ‘Asa didn’t look very happy – to be expected – but Giles looked furious.’

  ‘I can only imagine,’ Posy said, and she was saved further speculation by the return of Giles, marching back to the garden trying to look relaxed, though his body language said he was anything but.

  ‘Sorry about that,’ he said, taking his spot at the grill again.

  ‘I really don’t think we need any more food,’ Sandra called over. Giles glanced at the barbeque and then gave a short nod of agreement.

  ‘I’ve probably been here too long actually,’ Karen said. ‘I ought to get back and relieve Pavla of her duties so she can pop over.’

  She gave Posy and Carmel a hug and bid Giles and Sandra goodbye and then left. Now there were only four of them in the garden, struggling to make any kind of genial conversation. Posy wondered what was going on in the house. What were Asa and Drew discussing? Was Asa OK? Would he be able to stay strong?

  It was obvious why Drew was here – at least it was to her. What other reason could there be other than him trying to win Asa back? He’d been trying for weeks as far as she could tell, but to come here like this he must really mean business this time. A bit of her had to grudgingly admire his bravery – to walk into totally expected hostility took some nerve. Perhaps he really was sorry; perhaps he’d come to realise just what he’d lost, what a mistake he’d made letting Asa down like that.

  But could Asa trust him again, and would it do his already fragile emotional state any good to try?

  ‘Would you excuse us for a minute?’ Sandra asked, breaking into Posy’s thoughts. ‘Giles and I just need to attend to something.’

  Carmel smiled tightly. ‘Of course.’ She looked at Posy as Giles and Sandra went into the house. Were they going to give Asa backup? Or stop him making a terrible mistake? Or were they having a separate discussion of their own?

  Posy and Carmel waited in the garden. Ten more minutes passed and nobody came back.

  ‘Is Asa terribly in love with this man?’ Carmel asked after a long pause, during which the only sounds had been the hissing and cracking of the coals as they cooled on the barbeque and leaves being lifted from their branches by the breeze in the orchard.

  ‘It looks like it, doesn’t it?’

  ‘I thought so too. What do you think he’ll do?’

  ‘Goodness only knows. He’s been struggling, I know that much.’

  ‘I wonder why Drew’s come here.’

  ‘I expect he wants to try again.’

  ‘I expect you’re right.’

  ‘I don’t think that’s a very good idea, though.’

  ‘But if there’s love there—’

  ‘Mum, this man utterly destroyed Asa. He can’t be good for him, no matter how much love there is.’

  ‘Are you sure about that?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, just remember that things aren’t always as clear-cut as they seem. You’ve heard one version of events but there are always others, and if you heard them you might think differently.’

  Posy mused on Carmel’s words. Would she? What could she hear that would change her mind on this? It would have to be persuasive, whatever it was.

  Carmel’s phone bleeped faintly and she took it from her handbag to read a message from Karen.

  ‘Pavla can’t make it,’ she said. ‘She sends her apologies and says she’ll come to say goodbye just before we leave if that’s alright.’

  ‘Karen’s told her it’s not a good idea to come.’

  ‘Probably. She always reads a situation perfectly, doesn’t she? And I’m quite sure Pavla wouldn’t want to walk into all this anyway.’

  ‘I wouldn’t,’ Posy agreed.

  As Carmel put her phone away, Asa, Giles and Sandra came back into the garden, but Drew wasn’t with them.

  ‘I’m so sorry about all that,’ Asa said.

  ‘God, don’t even think about apologising!’ Posy said. ‘Was that…?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘That was Drew. He’s gone now. He didn’t mean to interrupt our evening; he obviously didn’t know we had guests…’

  Posy wanted to ask what had happened but wondered if maybe Asa didn’t want to discuss it right now, especially not in front of Carmel either, someone he still hardly knew, so she didn’t. She guessed that he’d share some of it with her when he was ready, and she had to be content with that.

  ‘I suppose…’ Asa let out a long breath. What he’d been about to say Posy would never know because his phone started to ring and he teared up as he checked the display. ‘Drew…’ he said tensely as he took the call to a quiet corner. ‘Don’t cry…’

  Posy felt the blood drain from her face.

  ‘He’s only just left here,’ she said to her mum. ‘Where on earth is he calling from already?’

  ‘He can’t have got far,’ Carmel agreed. ‘I’m guessing he’s been sent away and is making a fuss about going.’

  Giles and Sandra had begun to pack up the food that hadn’t been eaten.

  ‘I’ll go and help them,’ Carmel said.

  ‘I’d better hang back for a few minutes to see if Asa needs me.’

  Pavla was no longer planning to come over, and as it had gone eight thirty from a 6 p.m. start, it didn’t look as if Lachlan was going to show either. Posy hadn’t really expected him to, though she was unreasonably disappointed all the same. Though, in light of what had happened here in the last hour, perhaps it was for the best. As for that, could they rescue this evening, and was it even worth trying?

  When a couple of minutes had passed and Asa still hadn’t returned, Posy, feeling useless and dejected, decided to go and help with the clean-up. It was better than standing around in the garden by herself.

  * * *

  ‘We’re all but finished really,’ Sandra said when Posy offered her services. ‘We thought we might wind down and have some quiet drinks on the patio – would you mind? I know it’s not the going-away we’d promised—’

  ‘It sounds lovely,’ Posy said.

  Giles twisted the tie on a bag of bread rolls and gave her a pained smile. ‘Thank you for being so understanding.’

  ‘Honestly, please don’t worry. I’ve had such an amazing time with you this summer and that was enough – I wasn’t expecting a fuss when I left, but this has been the cherry on the cake.’

  ‘It’s just a shame it had to be cut short,’ he said.

  Posy gave him an encouraging smile. ‘It hasn’t been cut short; it’s just calming down. All parties do that eventually but they’re still as nice, only in a less rowdy way.’

  ‘That’s the one thing we’ve noticed you take everywhere you go,’ Sandra said. ‘Optimism and positivity. You see the best in every situation and every person.’ She looked at Carmel. ‘You must be so proud of her.’

  ‘Of course I am,’ Carmel said fondly, and while Posy felt an embarrassed appreciation of the compliment, she also wondered if Sandra would still think that if she knew half the cock-ups and pessimistic thoughts that had characterised her last few days in Astercombe.

  * * *

  They were settled round the table on the patio in low, easy conversation when Asa returned. Posy had a blanket over her knees an
d there was a heater glowing nearby so, although the temperature had dropped, she’d be happy to stay out there all night if everyone else wanted to. Asa sat down to join them with a strained smile.

  ‘I suppose I owe you an explanation,’ he said to Posy and Carmel.

  ‘You don’t,’ Carmel said. ‘Unless it would help to talk about it.’

  ‘Not especially.’

  ‘Then it doesn’t matter.’

  ‘Just…’ Posy said, ‘are you alright? You don’t have to tell us anything else.’

  He nodded. ‘I’m more worried about Drew. He’s in a state.’

  ‘Do you feel as if he might do something silly?’

  Posy glanced at Sandra, who now had real concern in her voice.

  ‘I don’t think it’s that bad,’ Asa said. ‘But I am going to stay in contact over the next few days to be certain. And no’ – he looked at his brother and sister-in-law firmly – ‘in case you’re wondering, we haven’t got back together and I’ve no intention of it.’

  Was he just saying that but thinking something different? Posy wondered. What had Carmel said about taking a risk if they had real love?

  Asa poured himself a glass of Lachlan’s wine. Posy watched him. Though he looked troubled, he was composed and very sober considering he’d been legless not more than an hour before. Would she get a chance to really talk to him before she left? And even if she did, what could she do to help? Maybe very little, but the idea that he might have to face this alone when she was gone made her sad. He had Giles and Sandra, of course, but she had the feeling they saw things in a very much more black-and-white way, and sometimes black and white wasn’t enough. Sometimes you needed the whole spectrum to see the truth of something, to find your real answer. Sometimes it was the mess in the colours that made you happy even if it didn’t make sense. Asa had turned Drew away and that had made sense, but would it make him truly happy?

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  It was just after midnight when they’d turned in. Asa had been subdued, though he’d tried his best to be cheerful, and most of the quiet conversation had focused on the orchard, Posy’s new job and Carmel’s latest commissions. Lachlan had cropped up too, but he was almost as tough for Posy to talk about as Asa’s dilemma was for him. Sandra and Giles had said they were planning to keep an eye on how things were going at the vineyard when they could spare the time. Asa had said Lachlan was likely to tell them to bog off and mind their own business, which Posy agreed was probably true, but she was nonetheless glad to hear someone would be looking out for him. She had a feeling that even though he didn’t let people close enough to care, he needed it.

  It took another hour to fall asleep. Carmel was spending the night in the spare room at the big house while Posy took her usual bed in Asa’s annexe. As she got up for the third time that hour, restless and unable to figure out why, she looked across to see the lights finally go out in the main building. She wished she was in there, just so she could talk to her mum for a while.

  Eventually, though, her mind a mess of open-ended questions and unformed thoughts, she drifted off.

  * * *

  It was hard to say how long she’d been asleep when something woke her. A sort of roaring, whooshing noise. Posy lay still, listening for a moment, groggy and unable to pull herself together. What the hell was that? And then she noticed the light outside – it looked so strange, so different to any she’d seen before.

  She leapt out of bed and yanked up the blinds to be greeted by a sight that froze her blood.

  Oleander House was on fire.

  Chapter Thirty

  Asa almost knocked her flying as she ran into him at her bedroom door.

  ‘Call for help!’

  Posy was already dialling for the emergency services; the first thing she’d done was grab her phone. As she gave the address and nature of the emergency to the operator Asa raced outside into the courtyard.

  ‘Giles! Sandra!’

  Posy finished her call and rushed out to him.

  ‘Why aren’t they out here?’ he cried. ‘Why haven’t they woken up?’

  ‘Must be the smoke!’ Posy stared helplessly at the building. ‘Mum’s in there too!’

  In the courtyard the air was getting thick. Vast, soupy clouds rose up to blot out the stars, but the changing direction of the wind was forcing it to billow back down to engulf the grounds too. It was in Posy’s throat and nose already, acrid and bitter, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was like inside the house. The idea filled her with suffocating panic. There was so much smoke it was hard to see how widespread the actual fire was. The epicentre had to be somewhere inside, but where? Why hadn’t anyone come out yet? There was nothing else to be done and they couldn’t wait for help – somehow she and Asa had to get in.

  Posy ran to the back door and pushed against it, but it was stuck fast. The one time Sandra bothered to lock up, it had to be now. She’d probably imagined she was making Carmel feel safe, but instead it had put her in greater danger. Posy swept the building, looking for an alternative entrance, but she couldn’t see anything that looked accessible. She was about to run off and search for something that would smash the kitchen window when she saw Asa race back into his house. Had he thought of that too? But he returned a second later with a key.

  ‘Spares,’ he said tersely. ‘Never thought I’d need them.’

  Posy was glad he had them, though.

  They opened the door and ran in together, immediately hitting a thicker wall of smoke. Posy pulled her pyjama top over her nose and mouth.

  ‘I can’t see a thing!’ Asa shouted.

  Posy could just about hear him over the din of the fire raging somewhere within, but she couldn’t see him despite the fact they’d just walked in. How much worse was the rest of the house going to be? She was filled with dread once again, her insides churning. The effects of the smoke were already biting at her too; it was no wonder anyone inside hadn’t come out yet. Did that mean she and Asa were already too late to save anyone?

  She had to push the idea from her head or she’d sink with the hopelessness of it. Instead, she steeled herself and began to feel her way through the kitchen, eyes streaming, lungs burning, her skin itching.

  ‘Are you there?’ Asa called, coughing out his words.

  ‘Here.’

  His hand brushed against hers, and though she was as terrified for him and for herself as she was for everyone else she was glad to have him with her.

  ‘You should go back outside,’ he said as she lost his hand again.

  ‘No chance.’

  He didn’t waste breath on a reply but yelled into the house.

  ‘Giles!’

  He started to cough again. It was all Posy could focus on, knowing that every spasm would force him to draw in a bigger breath and more smoke. It wouldn’t take long for both of them to be overcome. They had to find the others fast and get out or they were all going to die.

  ‘Asa…?’

  ‘Here,’ he croaked. ‘I’m OK.’

  They were moving painfully slowly, but their surroundings were so disorientating that she barely knew where they were. The house was in darkness and that was bad enough, but the smoke and the noise made everything a hundred times worse.

  Then she thought she heard a sort of dragging, muffled thump. A second later Posy could make out a shape, moving in the smoke.

  ‘Asa…?’

  ‘Posy!’ It was Giles. ‘What are you doing in here?’

  ‘Giles! We thought…’

  ‘I’ve got Sandra. We’re alright.’

  ‘My mum?’

  ‘I’ll go back for her. Take Sandra outside.’

  ‘But—’

  Posy’s sentence was cut short by a violent coughing fit. Before she’d managed to catch her breath a hand closed around her wrist and she was yanked backward. A moment later she could see the shape of the back door and could tell that the air was a tiny bit clearer and colder. Asa pulled her through it a
nd out into the courtyard. Giles followed with Sandra in his arms. She was unconscious and he laid her gently down onto the ground before racing back into the house, coughing constantly and violently as he did.

  ‘I have to go back in; I have to help find Mum!’ Posy cried.

  Asa shook his head firmly. ‘It’s not safe,’ he panted. ‘Giles will find her.’

  ‘It’s not safe for him!’

  ‘Posy! Let him find her! He knows the house better than you – it makes sense!’

  He knelt down and placed Sandra’s head onto his lap as he began to talk softly to her, trying to get a response. She was still breathing, but it was shallow and laboured.

  Posy stared miserably down at her, and then back up at the house. She could see flames now, licking at a front downstairs window. She tried desperately to work out where they might be coming from, where the worst of the blaze might be. Asa was still talking to Sandra but she didn’t open her eyes.

  A minute passed that felt like a year and then a figure emerged from the house.

  It was Giles, but he was alone. Bent double, he dragged at the air, coughing so hard he could barely get any.

  ‘Mum?’ Posy shrieked.

  He shook his head.

  ‘Where is she?’

  ‘Can’t… find…’

  Posy broke into a run. Dimly aware of a hand reaching out for her, she shook it off.

  ‘Posy – no!’

  She ran into the kitchen, everywhere sharp corners of furniture hitting her arms and legs, her hands outstretched to feel for walls and doorways, the sounds of the growing fire now almost overwhelming. She had no clue where she was going but she couldn’t stand outside and do nothing while her mum choked to death in here.

  ‘Mum!’

  The only reply was the cracking and breaking of the house as it burned and dim voices from somewhere outside. She hoped that nobody would be stupid enough to follow her in. She had to save her mum, whatever it took, but she didn’t want to put anyone else in danger.