Summer in the Orchard (Little Somerby)

by Fay Keenan

  ‘Something like that,’ Alex replied. Meredith was so like her father Matthew in looks and mannerisms, it was slightly unsettling. He looked at the paper folder Meredith was clutching. ‘Are those a few more pieces for the exhibition?’

  Meredith grinned. ‘Well, I’ve got to mount these this afternoon and add them to the collection – do you want a sneaky peek before they go on display?’

  ‘Sure,’ Alex replied. He had some time before he was due at the cannery, and he was intrigued as to what else Meredith had to add to the museum. He wandered over to where she was spreading out the documents and photographs on the large wooden table at the side of the room.

  ‘My wicked stepmother Anna’s still going through a lot of the documents and photos, and she’s a bit of a perfectionist, but she’s sorted out a lot of the stuff from the early eighties this summer. She’s obsessed with finding out what Dad was like when he was growing up, as they lived so close to each other, but never really met until recently. Come and have a look.’ At a glance, the folder seemed to contain mostly more photographs, but also the odd letter, too. Alex scanned the images, picking up one or two, before finding his eyes inexplicably drawn to a particular photo.

  ‘That’s your grandma and grandpa?’ Alex asked softly.

  Meredith nodded briefly before starting to cut out sticky pads to mount the pictures. ‘Granny died when I was small; I don’t really remember her. She and Granddad were married for forty years before she died. That photo was taken the day they were married.’ She went back to sorting out the other pieces.

  Alex looked at the photo. In it were Jack and Cecily Carter in the orchard. Jack was in a smart suit, and Cecily had flowers in her hair. They looked intensely glamorous and lit up with happiness. ‘They got married in the orchard?’ he said, mostly to himself.

  ‘What? Oh, no – they had their wedding party in the orchard. They were pretty broke at the time, apparently, but the party was talked about for years afterwards. Dad and Anna actually got married in the same spot a couple of years back. Granddad really was a party animal, pretty much right up until he died.’ Meredith looked thoughtful. ‘I still miss him.’

  ‘I’m sure,’ Alex said.

  ‘Sorry?’ Meredith said, only half listening as she read through one of the letters she had to find a home for in the museum. She looked up again and smiled. ‘I hope you’re enjoying being here,’ she said. ‘You seem to have settled in really quickly. I heard Sophie saying how impressed she was with your palate.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Alex replied. ‘I’ve got a lot to learn, but Sophie’s a great teacher.’

  Meredith looked at him speculatively. ‘You two seem to have clicked. I guess that helps.’

  Alex grinned. ‘She’s very patient with me. I must be asking an awful lot of rookie questions.’

  ‘I don’t think she minds too much,’ Meredith replied. ‘She’s really knowledgeable. I’d say she knows more than Dad or Uncle Jonathan about how to blend a decent cider. I know that Granddad really enjoyed working with her over the years. He used to call her his protégé, which got on David’s nerves a bit. But Granddad seemed to get away with stuff like that; stuff no one else could. I guess he was just like that.’

  ‘Well, she’s certainly been really helpful to me,’ Alex replied, mindful that the conversation was turning back to Jack. ‘Your grandfather really knew his apples, didn’t he?’

  ‘Yup,’ Meredith replied. ‘If it was up to Dad, he’d have cut the varieties of cider we produce by half, but Granddad always wanted to innovate, to find new things to do with the orchards. Even when he retired he would still take part in the tastings, still hang out with the blenders. He was a bit obsessed.’

  ‘It was in his blood,’ Alex said thoughtfully. ‘It must have been difficult to ignore.’

  ‘Dad always knew he’d be a part of this business,’ Meredith said. ‘He tried to get out, at least for a while, but in the end he came back to it.’ She sighed. ‘I suppose that’s what’ll happen with me, eventually. I can go and study what I like, but the business will be waiting for me.’

  ‘Is that what you want?’

  Meredith looked up, clear blue eyes serious. ‘I don’t know,’ she replied. ‘It’s exciting, but it’s also really scary. What if I’m the one that the business fails with? What if my heart isn’t really in it? What if I just can’t do it?’ Embarrassed at making such a public admission, and to a stranger, Meredith looked back down at the documents on the table.

  ‘Follow your heart,’ Alex said gently. ‘If being in this business is what you truly want, then you should go for it. If it isn’t, then the family will understand. It sounds like your dad had to make a tough choice at an early age, and that he’ll get it if you decide to follow a different path.’

  ‘Are you following the path that you want, now, with this choice to go into the cider business?’ Meredith asked. Alex sensed that she was keen to move the focus from her own doubts and fears.

  Alex nodded. ‘Law was always my first love, and I followed it into some interesting places. But doing this… going into a new place, a new venture, it feels like I’ve come home. And learning how to make cider… knowing that I’ll be able to use that knowledge to create something exciting when I go home… that feels right, somehow. Like I’m finally doing what I’m supposed to.’

  ‘You sound just like Dad!’ Meredith laughed. ‘He’s got a law degree, too, you know, but he came back home to run this place when Granddad had his heart attack.’ She looked thoughtful. ‘With your passion for ciders, you and Granddad would probably have got on like a house on fire.’ She passed him another one of the photos that she’d soft mounted. ‘This was him at about your age.’

  Alex’s heart jumped. Jack looked totally at home in his orchards. The master of his domain, he was as much a part of the landscape as the apples hanging on the trees. Clearing his throat, he handed it back to Meredith. ‘Good looking guy,’ he quipped.

  Meredith laughed. ‘And he knew it. He was the most incorrigible flirt, even when he got old. Apparently, he had quite a reputation round here when he was young. But Grandma wouldn’t have any of it when she met him. Granddad had to work really hard to win Grandma over, but it must have worked – they were married for forty years.’ Meredith smiled sadly.

  ‘They were happy, then?’

  ‘Well, Dad once hinted that Granddad might not have been quite the husband everyone thought he was —but the rumour mill around here always goes into overdrive. I like to think he still liked to flirt, but perhaps that’s all it was.’

  Alex said nothing. Meredith was a friendly girl who clearly thought the world of her grandfather, and was obviously having some struggles of her own about finding her place in her own heritage. That was a conversation she wasn’t prepared to have just yet with her own family, and her conflict resonated within him, reminding him of his own. The truth was never easy to face, he thought. He hoped that when the time came to face his, he would be up to the task.

  7

  Still feeling muddled, Alex finished work that day and headed back to the Rose Cottage B & B. While he was happy with the accommodation, he was starting to feel a little claustrophobic living with the ever inquisitive Brenda and her husband Roy. Since he’d met Sophie on her way home, the night she’d introduced him to Lily, he’d taken to mooching down to the local pub, The Stationmaster, for a quiet drink, in the hope of seeing Sophie socially again. It didn’t feel right to ask her out on a date during working hours, but he did feel as though he wanted to see more of her. His conversation with Meredith had given him a lot to think about, too. Being conflicted about your direction in life was obviously something that you could feel at any age.

  Deep in his thoughts, he hadn’t realised that his wanderings had taken him to the back gate of Lily Henderson’s cottage once again. When he heard a whirr that sounded suspiciously like the pull cord of a petrol mower, and then Lily’s exasperated voice muttering a curse under her breath, Alex’s curiosity wa
s piqued. Hesitating for a moment, he was tall enough to peer over the top of the stone wall and when he did, he saw Lily bent over a huge lawnmower, which was obviously not doing what it was supposed to. Without giving himself time to wonder if Lily would appreciate his intrusion, he pushed open the garden gate.

  ‘Can I help you, Mrs Henderson?’ he asked as he drew closer.

  ‘Oh, Alex, how nice to see you.’ Lily straightened up from where she’d been inspecting the mower with some effort. ‘What can I do for you?’

  ‘I think it’s rather more what I can do for you,’ Alex replied gently, handing Lily her walking stick, which she’d propped by the garden wall. ‘Would you like me to take a look at that?’ He gestured to the mower.

  ‘Oh, I’ll be fine,’ Lily said airily, but her eyes told a different story. Alex raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, all right. The blasted thing’s not usually my responsibility, but my dear gardener’s put his back out and hasn’t been able to come and cut the grass for a fortnight.’ She sighed. ‘I got fed up of looking at it, so I thought I might as well have a go.’

  ‘Well, why don’t I take a look at it?’ Alex said, kneeling down to check over the motor. ‘If I can get it going, would you like me to mow the lawn for you?’

  Lily smiled. ‘That would be very kind. That’s if you’ve nowhere else to be on a fine evening like this?’

  Alex shook his head. ‘I was going to have a beer at the bar, sorry, the pub, but that can wait.’

  ‘In that case, let me get you something to drink for after you’ve finished,’ Lily said. ‘I’m sure I’ve got a bottle of white wine in the fridge.’

  ‘That sounds lovely,’ Alex replied. Getting up, he took hold of the pull cord and, after a couple of false starts, the mower started. Lily, in her haste to cut the grass, had forgotten to prime the engine. In no time he was cutting neat stripes into her lawn, finding the action strangely therapeutic.

  ‘Thank you for taking care of the lawns, Alexander,’ Lily said as he powered the lawn mower down. She’d brought a jug of iced water and a bottle of white wine to the table on the small patio outside her back door. ‘I can rest a little easier tonight. Much as I appreciate Sophie’s offer to wield that mechanical monstrosity, I think some things are better left in the hands of a man.’

  ‘I wouldn’t let Sophie hear you say that!’ Alex grinned. ‘From what I’ve learned of her so far, she’s more than capable of holding her own.’

  ‘Oh, I know,’ Lily sighed. ‘She’s done well in such a male dominated business, but I still don’t like the idea of her mowing the lawn. I only tried to do it because I couldn’t stand it any longer!’ She laughed. ‘It’s like hoovering the carpet; the more you put it off, the more you think about it. Of course…’ she paused mischievously ‘… the lawn mower is a convenient excuse not to work on my current manuscript, which is due in August.’

  Alex smiled. ‘I know all about procrastination! The nights I spent putting off writing up case notes when I was practising law were crazy. Is there anything else I can do for you while I’m here?’

  ‘Not at the moment, but thank you,’ Lily replied. ‘So, do you have anything else planned over the next few days? I know from experience that Little Somerby can get a bit claustrophobic if you can’t get out of it occasionally!’

  Alex took a sip of his wine. ‘Nothing definite yet,’ he said. ‘Except that Matthew Carter’s invited me to dinner at his place tomorrow night, and I was planning on going into Bristol some time this weekend or next – Sophie tells me the Bristol Museum is well worth a look, and somewhere called The Red Lodge is a bit of a hidden gem.’

  ‘Oh, you’ll enjoy dinner with Matthew and his family, they’re all such lovely people,’ Lily replied. She looked speculatively at Alex, and Alex felt himself shifting uncomfortably under her scrutiny. He was glad when she spoke again. ‘And as far as Sophie’s concerned, she’d make an excellent Bristol tour guide. Why don’t you give her a ring and see if she fancies going with you?’

  ‘Oh, I’m sure she’s got better things to do,’ Alex replied. ‘And she’s probably sick of the sight of me.’

  ‘Nonsense!’ Lily snorted. ‘She loves that end of Bristol, and she doesn’t get out nearly enough. Although you mustn’t tell her I said that. She’s been smarting a bit since she and that Mark Simpson went their separate ways. I’m sure spending a sunny afternoon in town would be just what the doctor ordered.’

  Alex definitely got the feeling he was being led. ‘Are you trying to matchmake me with your granddaughter, Mrs Henderson? Because I don’t think she approves of office romances.’

  ‘Oh, I wouldn’t let that put you off!’ Lily said. ‘She’s not got out much at all since Mark. Frankly, my love, if I was fifty years younger, I’d be trying to make a date with you myself!’ She paused as Alex burst out laughing. ‘Sophie needs some fun, and you should go and see some of the sights while you’re this side of the Atlantic. Time marches on so quickly, and before you know it, you’ll be back on the plane to Canada.’

  ‘Very true.’ Alex topped up both of their glasses with the chilled white wine. ‘But perhaps it’s a little short notice to ask Sophie to come with me. She’s bound to have other plans.’

  ‘No harm in asking,’ Lily said. ‘Speaking of which, I’ve had an idea.’

  ‘Oh, yes?’

  ‘How long are you booked into Rose Cottage?’

  ‘Until tomorrow night. Brenda likes to keep things fairly informal and suggested a weekly booking.’

  ‘Well, you can’t stay there forever,’ Lily said. ‘After all, nice as it is, it’s not cheap, even if it is tax deductible, and from the look of you you’ve not exactly been availing yourself too often of Brenda’s famous breakfast option. If you had, you’d be twice the size you are by now.’

  Alex laughed. He liked Lily’s directness; she reminded him of his own grandmother. ‘Perhaps you’re right. But do you know of anyone who might take a temporary lodger for the summer?’

  ‘Well, I’ve got a decent sized spare room with its own bathroom, which, while not exactly en-suite, is just down the landing. If you can bear the thought of sharing a breakfast table with me in the morning, you’re more than welcome to take it.’ Lily’s eyes twinkled. ‘And since I usually let it out to students from Langford Veterinary College just down the road, the rate is a lot more reasonable than Brenda’s at the B & B.’

  ‘That’s a very kind offer, Mrs Henderson,’ Alex said. ‘But are you sure you want another stranger in your house over the summer? After all, I’m going to be working some pretty long hours, and I’m also up quite early to run. I wouldn’t want to disturb you.’

  ‘Oh, don’t you worry about that.’ Lily brushed away his concerns with a brisk hand. ‘I’d appreciate the company, and, truth be told, I’ve missed having someone in the house since the last student from the vets’ school moved out a few weeks ago. You’d fill the gap nicely between the end of term and the next academic year, if you can cope with a flowery duvet and a few copies of my own novels on the shelves.’

  ‘Well, then, thank you,’ Alex said. ‘I’d like that. And it sounds like I’ll have plenty to read, too!’

  Lily smiled. ‘I’m not sure you’re quite my target market, writing romantic fiction as I do, but you’re very welcome to read a few if you’d like.’ She sighed. ‘After thirty-one novels, you’d think I’d be finding the process easier, but sadly it seems to get harder every year.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll get there,’ Alex replied, impressed by Lily’s output as a novelist. ‘It must be a passion for you.’

  ‘Well, I had to do something to take myself away from things when my son died.’ Lily smiled, but it was a smile that thinly masked the pain. ‘Writing novels allowed me to escape the ordinary, and it turned out that I was rather good at it.’ She paused, as if to collect herself. ‘Of course, I’ve been waiting for that lucrative screen deal, but in the meantime the words, and my readers, will do.’ Shaking her head slightly, as if shrugging off
the painful memories, she topped up their glasses. ‘So, when would you like to move in?’

  ‘As soon as you’re ready for me,’ Alex replied, realising too late to diplomatically comment on the fact that Lily’s son must have been Sophie’s father. It seemed they were all plagued by losses.

  Lily stood up from the table and reached for her carved walking stick. ‘I’ll show you the way to the room so you can have a look, just to be sure.’

  ‘There’s no need, Mrs Henderson,’ Alex replied, standing as soon as she had. ‘I’m sure it’ll be lovely, and, nice as it’s been staying at Rose Cottage, it will be equally lovely to make my own bed again without coming back to find someone’s made a better job of it!’

  ‘Ah, yes, Brenda and her famous hospital corners!’ Lily laughed. ‘She used to be a psychiatric nurse, you know, and the training never really leaves you. She’s often joked it comes in handy when dealing with her more, er, eccentric guests. Present company excluded, I’m sure.’

  Alex smiled back, feeling relieved to be offered an escape from Brenda and her endless small talk. Living with Lily, he thought, would be far more fun and hopefully give him more of an opportunity to spend time with Sophie. Much as he still had his reservations about starting a long distance relationship, he couldn’t help feeling more and more drawn to her.

  8

  After a lazy Saturday morning catching up on some sleep, and a lunchtime spent doing a little housework and having a Skype call with her mother, who was keen for her to take some time off soon and visit her in the South of France, Sophie decided to wander down to the village to get some supplies in for a quiet evening at home. She’d earmarked a series on Netflix that she fancied binge watching that weekend, and needed wine, pizza and ice cream to accompany it. Having skipped both breakfast and lunch, she was feeling hungry. She’d popped in on Lily after heading down to the shops and was now on her way back from giving Barney, her grandmother’s Weimaraner, his afternoon walk when she saw a familiar figure coming down High Street towards her. Surmising from the shorts and T-shirt that he must be on his way back from a run, Sophie wondered whether she should cross the road so that she didn’t disrupt his momentum, but, as she drew closer to him, he caught sight of her and smiled, taking out his earphones.