A Way Back Home: Full of warmth, laughter, tears and a wedding! (The Willow Tree Hall Series)

by Alison Sherlock

  ‘Yes, well, this is all very fascinating,’ said Will, breaking through their cosy chat. ‘But what has this got to do with the lodge?’

  ‘We always enjoyed a game of snooker,’ said Arthur, who appeared unruffled by his grandson’s sarcastic tone and continued with his story. ‘Norman was one of the best players I ever saw play. A real natural. Anyway, he used to come and visit us even after he had moved back to London. We had a wager one evening here in the library. The winner was to keep the gamekeeper’s lodge, which had just become empty. Would you believe it, but we had a power cut on the final game and had to abandon the match! The only gentlemanly thing to do, of course, was to halve the winnings.’

  ‘You gave away the lodge as a bet?’ said Will, sounding shocked.

  Skye was also stunned. Who had a whole house to give away as part of a wager?

  Arthur gave a shrug of his shoulders. ‘It seemed insignificant as the role of gamekeeper was due to be taken over by Annie’s grandfather who lived elsewhere on the estate.’

  ‘I’m still a bit confused,’ said Skye, running a hand through her long hair. ‘You were the gamekeeper? That’s why the lodge is yours to bet on? You work here?’

  Will snorted at this and rolled his eyes.

  But Arthur smiled gently at her. ‘You could say that, my dear. I’m Lord Arthur Harris, seventh Earl of Cranley. Willow Tree Hall and the whole estate is my ancestral home.’

  Skye’s mouth dropped open. It was so obvious now to her that he was of blue blood, thanks to his refined way of speaking. But there was also a fragility about his slim frame, encased in its tweed jacket and old worn trousers. Yet there was no escaping the fact that this elderly gentleman in front of her was a real life earl!

  So that made his grandson presumably some kind of heir eventually. She glanced over at the younger man, who didn’t look like his grandfather at all. He was far taller and broader of shoulder with blonde hair and more chiselled cheekbones. They were also vastly different in their conduct. Arthur was old style manners and a steady calm whereas Will had been downright rude, despite his – she had to admit – somewhat handsome face, which she was pretty certain she had seen before. She just couldn’t think where at that moment.

  ‘But the lodge has always been mine,’ said Will, looking across at his grandfather. ‘Not officially, I mean. But I thought…’ His voice trailed off.

  A frown creased Arthur’s forehead. ‘Norman never returned to Cranley after he got married and, because he never had children, I expected the inheritance to lapse, as the role of gamekeeper had, over time. I had always intended that the lodge become yours as you seemed to be the only one who wanted to care for it. But half the lodge was always Norman’s by right. I always honour my debts.’ Arthur looked at Skye, suddenly sad. ‘By the way, I was heartbroken not to be able to attend his funeral. I had a heavy cold and was stuck in the house for a few weeks. I really did want to pay my respects personally.’

  ‘I remember your letter,’ said Skye. ‘It was very touching.’

  They were suddenly interrupted by a glamorous older woman appearing at a window on the ground floor of the large stately home.

  ‘Arthur!’ she called out across the gravel driveway. ‘Do come inside, dear. This fog is not good for that chest of yours.’

  Then the sash window was closed once more.

  ‘My sister fusses over me,’ said Arthur, with a warm smile as he turned to Skye. ‘Would you care for a cup of tea?’

  ‘I’d love one,’ she replied. ‘Thank you.’

  Reeling from all the information her brain was trying to process, Skye needed a few minutes to try and take it all in. She had no idea what any of the talk about a lodge meant and couldn’t quite believe it was somehow linked to her as well.

  She was secretly pleased to be invited indoors as the damp of the chilly autumnal afternoon was beginning to seep through her woollen cape and make her feel cold. She was also very interested to see the inside of such an elegant stately home.

  However, she could feel Will’s eyes glaring at her back as they walked towards the big house. It sounded as if the lodge had been his for a long time and she had obviously caused him yet more upset after already having dented his beloved sports car. She felt mortified that her visit had brought about so much trouble for him.

  Following Arthur inside the double fronted red door, Skye couldn’t help but stare around the huge entrance hall in admiration. Despite the deep red walls, the room still felt light and airy. A wide, dark oak staircase curved up to the first floor. All along the stairwell were portraits of presumably countless generations of the Harris family. From the double height ceiling a chandelier hung high above them, glittering despite the gloom of the day. A fire was lit in the large stone fireplace, its flames bringing warmth to the chilly air.

  She caught Arthur watching and waiting for her reaction.

  ‘It’s lovely,’ she told him, nodding enthusiastically. ‘A really nice example of the Georgian era.’

  ‘Isn’t it?’ said Arthur, beaming as if pleased that she had noticed. ‘Do come into the drawing room and meet my sister.’

  He led the way towards the entrance to the wing on the left hand side of the hall. They went into the first room on the left, the drawing room.

  Skye didn’t think she had ever been in such an elegant room, with its walls painted in soft green, oak floorboards, and comfortable looking sofas and chairs. The large sash windows overlooked the grounds at the front. There were framed photographs, antique ornaments and candlesticks everywhere. Along with lots of rugs and cushions, it felt homely, warm and welcoming.

  ‘Right, who’s for tea?’ said the dark haired elderly woman who had called out from the window. She was now sitting next to a coffee table which held a packed tea tray of cups, saucers and plates. The bejewelled rings on her hands glistened as she held up a teapot. Then she spotted Skye and paused. ‘My goodness, that hair colour is magnificent! Do you think it would suit me? They say older women shouldn’t wear purple, but I’ve never followed the rules, have I, darlings? Mind you, I haven’t had a colour rinse since the eighties, but on you it’s utterly glorious.’

  The whole speech had been said in the same clipped aristocratic voice as Arthur. But whereas he had a gentrified, olde worlde style about him, this lady was highly sophisticated and wearing what looked like a classic bright pink Chanel jacket, wide trousers and many strings of pearls around her neck.

  ‘This is my sister, Rose,’ said Arthur, with an indulgent smile. ‘Rose, let me introduce you to Miss Skye Jackson.’

  Rose put the teapot down with a clatter and rushed to stand up and sweep Skye into a bear hug. ‘Darling girl!’ she said, finally releasing her to hold her at arm’s length and study her with dark blue eyes. ‘What an absolute joy to meet you at last. We were so sorry about dear Norman. What a wonderful man he was. You must still be utterly bereft. Do sit down.’

  Skye was somewhat overwhelmed by the warm and exuberant welcome that Rose had given her. But the tears pricked at her eyes as she realised how nice it was to be amongst people who had known Norman so well.

  ‘Such a shame Annie and Sam aren’t here to meet you, but they’re both out until later,’ carried on Rose, rattling on with her monologue. ‘Sam’s my great-nephew, big brother to Will here and Annie is his gorgeous fiancée. But I’m just an aunty, never a great-aunt. So old sounding when I’m still only middle-aged!’

  Skye smiled, especially as it was obvious up close that Rose had to be at least seventy.

  ‘I love your poncho, by the way. Primark?’ Rose continued.

  Skye shook her head. ‘I knitted it myself.’

  ‘How marvellous! And so unique, of course. Although you can’t beat a bit of Primarni, can you? Now, do I take it that you’ve come to claim your half of the lodge?’ asked Rose, placing a gentle hand on Skye’s sleeve.

  ‘You knew about that?’ said Will, going to stand in front of the fireplace and look at his aunt in amazement.
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  ‘Of course, darling!’ said Rose, beaming up at him. ‘I think I’d just left my first husband so I was back home for a time. My goodness, we were steaming drunk that evening! That gorgeous magnum of champagne from the wine cellar, wasn’t it, Arthur? Such fun.’

  ‘I still can’t believe Grandad would put something like the lodge up as a bet,’ said Will, shaking his head.

  Rose waved away his disbelief with her hand. ‘We were all young and frivolous once upon a time,’ she said. ‘And it didn’t seem to matter until you began to use it more frequently, these past few years. But fair’s fair, half belongs to Norman.’

  Will turned to look straight at Skye, his blue eyes burning into hers. ‘But you’re not technically Norman’s family, is that right?’

  Skye could feel herself blushing under his scrutiny. ‘Well, you see, it started off when he became my landlord around ten years ago,’ she told them in a small voice. ‘I rented one of his spare bedrooms.’

  Arthur nodded thoughtfully. ‘I remember when he told me that he had rented out a couple of his rooms to top up his pension.’

  ‘That’s right,’ said Skye. ‘For myself and my younger sister. Anyway, we stayed there for all that time and became close to Norman. I used to help him with the shopping and cleaning when his arthritis became too bad.’

  And they had kept each other company in the evenings when the loneliness took hold. But she wasn’t going to tell these strangers that, however nice they were.

  ‘And these past few years after he had that massive stroke?’ asked Rose gently. ‘How did you cope then?’

  ‘I tried to take care of him,’ said Skye, looking away to stare down at the rug. ‘But it was just too much. We tried to use carers at home, but if they didn’t show up then he was left alone until I came home from work.’ She gulped away the guilt that she had utterly failed him after all of his generosity towards them. ‘Norman told me that it was for the best that he should go into a nursing home so we chose the best one that we could find.’

  And the most expensive, she had realised afterwards. But it didn’t matter that once Norman’s house had been sold to pay the costs that there was nothing left for her to inherit. It had never been about the money. What mattered was that Norman had been cared for properly through his final months and years which had been no more than he deserved.

  ‘Well, how wonderful of you,’ said Rose, reaching out to squeeze Skye’s hand. ‘Jolly well done for taking such care of our dear friend. I’m sure he was very grateful.’

  Skye shuffled in her seat, embarrassed by the warmth and attention.

  ‘Grateful enough to leave her half of my lodge,’ muttered Will, loud enough for them all to hear.

  Skye looked up and glared at him. ‘I didn’t know what I was inheriting,’ she told him. She grabbed her handbag from her shoulder and took out the letter, holding it out for him to read. ‘Read it for yourself as you obviously don’t believe me.’

  He took the paper from her and read the brief note aloud.

  ‘And how do we know you are who you say you are?’ he said after a brief pause, holding the letter back for her to take. She brought out her driving licence and then Norman’s will, which he proceeded to read very slowly and thoroughly. ‘Hmmm,’ he said eventually. ‘I suppose it looks real enough.’

  ‘Of course it is,’ said Rose, frowning at him. ‘Skye wouldn’t lie about a thing like that. You are in a bad grump today.’

  Skye could understand why he was upset. After all, she was just a stranger who had turned up and dropped a bombshell on him and another onto his car as well. ‘Willow Tree Hall is still yours to use,’ said Arthur, in a pointed tone. ‘As it has always been.’

  But Will looked away and didn’t reply.

  It was all very awkward and Skye was suddenly desperate to get out of there.

  ‘Maybe I should just leave,’ she said, scooping up her handbag and getting ready to bolt.

  ‘Nonsense,’ said Rose. ‘You’ve only just arrived.’

  ‘I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,’ said Skye, trying to avoid eye contact with Will.

  ‘You haven’t, my dear,’ said Arthur.

  Was she the only one who could hear Will grinding his teeth?

  ‘Look, I know what will make you feel better,’ said Rose. ‘Will, why don’t you show lovely Skye here the lodge? That might make things a bit clearer for both of you. And then you can come back and we’ll finally have a cup of tea. There’s lemon cake as well!’

  The last thing Skye wanted to do was leave the warmth and smiles of Rose and Arthur to go with this angry, mistrustful man. But despite all of the shock and awkwardness of the situation, a tiny part of her was tempted to see what her unexpected windfall looked like. She had never owned anything so incredible before, let alone a share in a house!

  She tried to keep her imagination in check and force herself to be sensible. Her dreams had never amounted to anything before, so there was no reason to think they would do now. As always, it was best to stay in control and stick with her plans. Uncertainty had never brought her anything but misery.

  She would view the lodge, have a cup of tea with Rose and Arthur and then leave Willow Tree Hall far behind her forever.

  4

  From the beautiful interior of the drawing room, Skye followed Will back through the entrance hall and out of the front door, where she was immediately brought back to earth with a bump.

  If anything, the fog had grown denser and hung over the driveway like a thick blanket. It was the end of October and it already felt as if the dark winter nights were just around the corner, even though it was only half past four in the afternoon.

  She shivered in the cold air and suddenly felt in a hurry to escape the countryside and head for the bright, safe city lights of Liverpool. But Will was already striding ahead to show her their lodge.

  Skye was reeling from trying to take everything in. Norman had given her a house! Well, half a house but still, she couldn’t believe it.

  Not knowing where the lodge actually was, she followed Will as he turned left. They walked along the front of the house, in the direction of the triple garage in front of which she had parked her car and the Airstream. She quickly looked away when she saw the heavily dented sports car

  Walking in silence, she realised that she had better perhaps try and make amends for their rocky start.

  She cleared her throat. ‘Look, I’m very sorry about your car,’ she began. ‘Obviously I’ll get it fixed.’

  He glanced at her. ‘It’s worth a quarter of a million pounds,’ he said. ‘If you sold that old Fiesta, the profit would probably only replace one headlamp on the Aston Martin.’

  He was impossible. She grew cross. ‘I am trying to apologise,’ she told him. ‘It was an accident.’

  ‘Don’t bother,’ he replied, with a heavy sigh. ‘It’s the least of my problems right now.’

  She was trying to feel some sympathy for his situation. After all, he hadn’t known about the ownership of the lodge any more than she had.

  As they continued walking past the garage block, she couldn’t see anything that resembled a lodge.

  ‘Where is this place?’ she asked, peering into the darkness beyond.

  ‘It’s a five minute walk through the woods,’ he told her.

  Woods? Skye gulped and fell back a pace to let Will lead the way down a grassy track. She could barely see anything in the gloom of the late afternoon. But what she could feel was the cold chill of the fog. And the mud beneath her feet. She glanced at Will’s legs. His jeans were tucked into thick, heavy Timberland boots which looked rugged and sturdy. She looked down at her bare feet in cheap, black ballerina shoes. Fine for the city streets. Not so great for walking down increasingly muddy tracks.

  ‘Is it always this wet?’ she asked, trying to dodge the puddles which were getting ever bigger.

  ‘Only in autumn, winter and spring,’ he said.

  Glancing back over her left shoulder,
she could just about make out the grounds around the main house. Even though the view faded into the fog, they were obviously extensive. The place was absolutely huge. She found herself wondering just how much money the whole family was worth.

  As her feet began to squelch through the sodden grass and soil, she was grateful when she saw a building up ahead through the trees. She was amazed that a lodge could be that large and spread so wide.

  ‘At last,’ she said, with a sigh. ‘That track is awful.’

  To her surprise, Will glanced behind him and laughed. For a second he looked quite handsome. ‘This is the stable block, not the lodge.’

  ‘Oh.’

  As they went around a large tree, she could see the building properly for the first time. It was an L shaped, brick built single storey building that wrapped around an empty courtyard. The stables themselves looked quite well maintained, with what looked like freshly painted green shutters. Although only the stable at the very end appeared to have been recently used, with a sign above one of the shutters that read, ‘No 1. Eleanor’s Apothecary.’

  Perhaps the other stables were also occupied, she wondered. ‘Do you have any horses?’ she asked, still trying to make conversation.

  ‘No,’ he replied.

  She thought about the name of the mystery lodge. ‘What about, er, game?’

  ‘Nope. None of that either.’

  ‘Well, thanks for all the information,’ she snapped, her patience wearing thin. She glanced down as one particularly deep puddle went over her foot and began to fill up her shoe with rain water. ‘That’s been really helpful.’

  He turned to look at her. ‘The stables were renovated over the summer and we’re hoping to rent them out to local businesses to try and bring some much needed money into the estate. We haven’t had horses or game in years as we have neither the finances to buy them nor can we afford the staff to look after them these days.’

  It sounded as if money was quite tight, thought Skye. At least that was one thing they had in common. Although things couldn’t be that bad if he could afford an Aston Martin and that fancy watch.