Lucian had captured a whole behind the scenes video on his phone for his social media accounts and it was already being broadcast live. His phone pinged constantly with notifications as his followers began to respond to the beautiful tree.
At the end of it all, when the photographer and his team had packed up and gone home, they’d cleared up all the mess and random pieces of greenery that littered every surface of the Orangery, Lucian sat with Sallie by the tree, exhausted, their feet up on the chairs.
‘Fancy a Gin and tonic in the fernery?’ Sallie asked.
‘Darling, I don’t think I’ve ever had a better offer.’
Chapter 52
Sallie tucked Ottilie into the carrier, popped on her little white hat with the pink bobble, opened the door of the Boat House and walked down across the bridge and into the bakers. Warm, thick air and the smell of bread hit her and Holly came sprinting around the side of the counter.
‘There she is, the little doll,’ Holly said and took hold of Tillie’s tiny little hand, cooing at her.
‘Any news?’ She asked Sallie hopefully, as Sallie put the huge changing bag on the floor.
‘Nothing, no further activity. They say it will be at least a few weeks.’
‘Terrible times. I was just talking about it with Rory... you just never know, do you?’ Holly said.
‘I know and this little one must be feeling it now.’
‘At least she’s got all of us here in Pretty Beach and you.’ Holly replied, stroking Tillie’s hair.
‘And Lilly and Pete - to be honest it’s not been too bad, what with everyone chipping in. Thanks again for your help Holly, it’s been invaluable,’ Sallie said as Holly smiled at Tillie.
‘Ahh, not a problem at all - just wish we could do more. But you have to keep Tillie’s routine and stability and not pass her around all over the place. Anyway, what can I get for you?’
‘I don’t suppose you’ve any cinnamon buns this morning? I’m on my way to Lucian’s for a meeting and to talk to the groom for the wedding competition and thought a bag of buns might go down quite nicely.’
‘Funny you should ask - we did a small batch this morning. Let me go and see if there are any left,’ Holly replied and went out to the back of the shop. She came back through the side door with a little white paper bag full of the buns, and she poked the bag into Tillie’s change bag and put her fingers to her lips.
‘There you go,’ she lowered her voice, ‘and I’m doing vanilla buns tomorrow, trade secret though - shall I drop some over for you all?’
‘Absolutely, thanks.’
‘You’ll be at Nina’s or the Boat House?’
‘We’ll be at Nina’s - it’s much easier to be there and I’ve got a few clothes and my work bits there now too. This little darling settles much better there, and I must say although it’s a cosy little cottage it’s bigger than the apartment and I’m getting used to the extra space. It’s made us realise that we definitely need to move.’ Sallie said, tapping Tillie’s back through the carrier.
‘Nothing on the market still?’
‘Well, I can’t really say much because it’s a bit of a secret - but I can say Old Town and Victorian.’
‘Ahh, yes, I know the one you mean - that’s been on the cards for the last few years. I had the little nod when I was in the Marina Club the other day playing the fruit machine but didn’t want to say anything to you.’
‘Wow! Is there anything in Pretty Beach you don’t know about, Holly?’
‘I’m quite confident that I can say no in answer to that,’ Holly replied and shook her head.
Sallie said goodbye and walked down the laneway with Tillie and arrived a few minutes later at Lucian’s - he’d been waiting for her and sprung the door open, looking over the side of the carrier to see if Tillie was awake and exclaimed.
‘Darlings! Oh good, she’s awake! Hopefully, I’ll get a cuddle.’
Right on cue, Tillie gurgled and smiled up at Lucian who was giving her the biggest smile and had grabbed her chubby cheeks.
‘Come in, darlings! We’re all set up and ready for the video call to go through all the last things.’
‘And Katie’s still no idea at all?’ Sallie asked as she took off the carrier.
‘Not as far as we can tell - Sam’s hinted at a few things and she’s said nothing to indicate she’s guessed, so it all seems legit. I mean why would you think you were going to be surprised with a wedding?’
‘True. This is going to be really good if it really is such a surprise,’ Sallie replied and lifted Tillie up as Lucian held out his arms to Tillie who leant over to him and settled easily into his arms.
‘Cinnamon buns in my bag - shall I make us a coffee?’
‘Goodness darling, you were lucky to get those. Perfect, yes please.’
Sallie went into Lucian’s high-tech kitchen, grappled with the Italian coffee machine and came back a few minutes later to find Lucian on the floor, with Tillie, the pair of them gurgling and laughing away.
They walked into the tiny room with the laptop, and got settled, Tillie perched on the end of Lucian’s lap, fiddling with a bunch of play keys and he video called the number from his laptop.
Sam answered and sat in front of them, his cheerful face and Yorkshire twang making them both smile.
‘Who is the little cutie you have with you?’ Sam asked.
‘This is Tillie. A friend of Sallie’s baby, she’s our assistant for the day - she’s been here for all the meetings, the decoration of the Orangery and just missed out on the photoshoot when she went off with her uncle for the day.’
‘Ahhh that’s nice - she looks like a little doll.’
‘Everyone says the same! Right, back to the wedding - Katie still has no idea then, you think?’ Lucian asked, looking through the camera of the laptop.
‘Nope, nothing as far as I can tell...’ Sam replied. ‘She thinks we’re coming down for a weekend away. Everyone else is in on it and is ready to go. I’ve got everything organised down to the last letter.’
‘And what about you? How are you finding it all? It’s a lot of organisation, especially after what you two have been through,’ Sallie asked.
‘Not too bad really - if I’m honest you two have done it all, all we have to do is turn up!’
‘Fair point darling,’ Lucian responded.
‘The only thing now to worry about is the dress and all the things with getting Katie ready - the plan went well to persuade her to get her hair done last week so hopefully, she’ll be happy with it when she arrives with your hairdresser. I have to warn you, she’s umm, how can I put it, particular about how she looks,’ Sam said.
‘I just hope the dress fits - those girls in Hong Kong were spot on last time, so hopefully, it will all be okay, but if it’s not we have a plan in place to get it altered,’ Sallie replied, raising her eyebrows and giving Sam a big, encouraging smile.
‘She did find me the other day fiddling around in the wardrobe looking at the size of one of her dresses just to double-check. When I suddenly started panicking and she asked me what I was doing in her wardrobe looking at a summer dress in the middle of Winter, and then she followed it up with why I was in her side of the wardrobe looking at her clothes at all.’
‘Yes, that would have seemed a bit odd, you in your partner’s wardrobe looking at her clothes!’ Lucian replied, chuckling as Tillie banged on the table with the keys.
‘I fluffed over it okay I think - though goodness knows what she really thinks of me now.’ Sam said laughing.
They concluded the call finalising the rest of the plans for the transport and once Sam had gone and the laptop was closed they sat there finishing the remains of the cinnamon buns and playing with Tillie.
‘We’re all ready then. All we need now is the dress, the video man and the party to start.’ Lucian said, clapping his hands together.
‘Ha! You make it all sound so easy Lucian, I just hope it all goes to plan,’ Sallie replied, fid
dling nervously with the cuff of her jumper.
‘It will be wonderful darling - we’ve thought of everything, everything is on the run sheet and barring a dirty great snowstorm that closes the road into Pretty Beach, nothing can go wrong.’
‘Ahhh don’t say that, you’ll jinx it.’
Chapter 53
Sallie sat with her laptop open and a large piece of paper with the details of Strawberry Hill House and beside her on her phone she had the pictures she’d taken herself.
She’d worked out that the old summer house at the bottom of the garden could potentially be a holiday let - it had its own small area of garden and all it needed was a gate out from the fence into the lane.
‘I can see your mind ticking over and over,’ Ben commented as she sat at the kitchen table looking at it all and he made a tea.
‘I know. I’m obsessed. I just keep scrolling and scrolling through the photos Ben, and imagining myself in that kitchen, walking down those stairs. I’ve even imagined myself in an apron standing at the Aga making jam. It’s absolutely ridiculous.’
‘I know you do, whenever I look at you you’ve got them open.’ He smiled and looked at her lovingly.
‘Ha - I mean look, look at this,’ she used her thumb and finger to expand a photo on her phone, ‘We didn’t even look properly at this - the original ceiling roses! And the Aga - you couldn’t make this up Ben! It’s all there, the bones of it are all there.’
‘You’re so strange with the things that make you go ooh. Many women like designer handbags, perfume, you know, stuff like that, Tana liked shoes, but not my wife, she likes ceiling roses and old cookers.’
‘Those bricks and all those chimney pots, all the different heights and levels and all the old vintage slate tiles. And the colours - blacks and greys and... oh, I really, really, really want it.’ Sallie put her hands together as if she was praying.
‘Well, that’s a good job, because we’re going back for a second look later after we get back from the hospital. Shane just messaged me to see if we were free.’
‘What? We are! Woohoo! I can’t wait. I’m going to take my time and look around properly and take loads more photos.’
‘Shane is meeting with the couple this morning to talk more firmly about price and they’ve said we can go back in this afternoon for a second look.’
Sallie got up, did a little jig around the table and kissed Ben on the cheek.
‘I just hope we can afford it. We’re going to need to take Tillie with us though - Lilly is off this afternoon.’ Sallie said, jigging around from foot to foot.
‘No worries from my end.’
‘Excellent. Ooh, I cannot wait!’
***
Sallie and Ben, with Tillie in her little seat in the back, sat parked in the car in the lane at the back of the house on Strawberry Hill Lane. Huge old horse chestnut trees lined the side of the road and a string of brightly coloured Christmas lights ran all the way from the fence of a neighbour’s garden to the back of the house. Sallie looked out at the thick, vintage brick wall running along the back of the property and the double gates covered in climbing weeds.
‘Doesn’t look as though they use the gates out here at all - they must park their car here in the lane. Shane said there was no problem parking with the permits.’ Sallie stated.
‘Or they don’t have a car - the bus stop down the road goes straight to the ferry stop and to Newport Reef and the train station isn’t that far from this side either.’
‘True, hadn’t thought of that - you could probably get away without a car at all if you lived here,’ Sallie replied.
‘Yep - how nice would that be, not to have to bother with a car?’
They sat in the car and watched as Shane pulled up opposite them in his white BMW. He got out, strolled over to their car, looked into the back at Tillie and smiled.
‘Okay, you two, I mean three - do you want to head on in and look around? I’ve just got to take a call from a solicitor and then I’ll join you in there,’ he said while using the key to open the back gates. ‘The back door is open apparently.’
Sallie and Ben stepped into the long garden, bordered either side by old brick walls. To the left an old outbuilding, and old stone steps which led up to a tiny little terrace area, overloaded with planter pots with exotic looking plants and tiny little figurines on every available ledge. A high jumbled up stone wall towered over to their right and a moss-covered bench sat perfectly into an alcove in the wall which looked like with one push it might crumble away and topple down in front of them.
Sallie tucked her chin into her coat, and put her hand inside Tillie’s jacket to check that she was warm enough. It was a cold day, threatening to snow and in the walled garden with the wind whipping around it felt much chillier than it actually was.
They walked all the way through the garden following the old wall to a sunken patio, filled with plants, pots and on the right a tiny fountain spilled water out of the wall to a trough below.
‘Brrrr, it’s freezing Ben, come on let’s get her inside,’ Sallie said, pointing to the door.
They stepped through the back door of the house and into the cosy, warmth of the kitchen, the Aga filling the air with heat, the bright ochre on the walls hurting Sallie’s eyes. Hundreds of tiny frames full of pictures, memorabilia and keepsakes covered the wall opposite them.
‘Imagine having to dust that lot!’ She whispered as they walked around.
Ben rolled his eyes and went and stood in front of the Aga with Tillie, warming his jeans and legs. Then they leant over the counter and peered into the door to the left that led down to the basement floor below and walked through another door into the adjacent sitting room.
Off the sitting room an old conservatory had been boarded up, the room dark and sad with mould on the windows, the stale air signifying that it hadn't been lived in, or indeed opened for a very long time.
They walked up the stairs, Ben holding Tillie and strolled in and out of the bedrooms. Bright orange linen curtains screamed at them from a small room with huge windows and wooden floors and a little yellow chair perched on the landing had seen better days.
‘I would love to get my hands on this colour scheme,’ Sallie said as they looked around at another bedroom with dark, bottle green walls.
They continued to walk in and out of rooms, peeking into under stairs cupboards and at the top of the house Ben turned on a tap in a tiny bathroom and the whole house sounded as if it was working to get the water to the top.
They walked out onto the little balcony overlooking the sea. Ben patted Tillie’s back gently as he squinted up at the lighthouse and Sallie crossed her fingers behind her back and silently made all sorts of promises to herself that she would be a better person, take up charity work in her spare time and even be nice to Pippa Waterton (if she had to) if she could be the new owner of Strawberry Hill House.
Chapter 54
Sallie sat on the sofa, her feet tucked up under her, a quilt over her legs, her planner open on her lap, full of cold with a box of tissues by her side.
Ben walked in holding Tillie, put her into the high chair and opened up a tiny pouch of pureed apple, tied a pink and white bib around her neck and spooned the apple into Tillie’s mouth. Tillie seemed to love the apple puree and Sallie loved watching Ben with her - he was a natural and the little space in her heart, the dark space that she’d thought would never ever feel better, turned a tiny smidgeon brighter.
‘How are you feeling, beautiful?’ He asked as Sallie sneezed again.
‘Still feel awful. The pain in my sinuses is unbelievable - nothing is touching it either. Not even any point in taking more paracetamol if it does nothing.’
‘Wonder where you picked it up from?’ Ben replied.
‘No idea, the plane was ages ago now - I wondered if it was just going in and out of the hospital and on the bus.’
‘Maybe,’ he replied as Tillie blew a raspberry splattering him, the high chair and the fl
oor with apple puree.
‘Now I can’t even go to the hospital and visit - not until this is very much gone.’ Sallie said, blowing her nose on a tissue again.
‘Any further news this morning?’
‘Nothing, just a text to say that there is no change but she is stable.’
Ben sighed and continued to spoon the apple into Tillie’s mouth.
‘Hopefully, we’ll get some good news soon, this one needs her mummy back.’ he said.
‘We’re sitting here waiting on all the news, aren’t we? Have you heard from Shane about the house?’
‘Nothing - he said the owners are away in Ireland for the week at a farmhouse and the reception may be patchy so it might be something to do with that.’
‘I don’t suppose they were expecting him to actually have anyone interested quite as quickly. I mean it’s not exactly a straightforward buy anyway,’ Sallie said as Ben continued feeding Tillie the apple.
‘True,’ Ben replied and Sallie didn’t know if she was imagining it or not, but a weird look seemed to cross Ben’s face.
‘I just get the feeling though that this is all very touch and go Ben - you know what I mean? I don’t want to get my heart set on it when it’s not even really on the market and they were just putting the feelers out.’
‘Hmm - is that why you’re looking at the photos again? Because you don’t want to get your heart set on it?’ He said, pointing to Sallie’s laptop, which was open on the sofa at the photos she’d taken on their second visit to the house.
She laughed, scrolling through. ‘I can’t stop gazing at them and imagining what I would do with it all.’
‘I know, every time I look at you you’re looking at the ones you took or on the maps app and zooming in on the place or down the lane.’
‘I just never, ever, in a million years thought I would be in a position to be viewing a Victorian four-storey property a few streets back from the sea.’ She shook her head in wonder at it all.
Winter at Pretty Beach Page 19