Starry Skies at Castle Court

by Holly Hepburn

  The hexagonal cells were covered in bees. Sadie watched in fascination as they crawled around the sticky surface; she knew from listening to Adam talk about the hives before that each one had a job to do and that they all worked tirelessly for the benefit of the colony.

  ‘Somewhere in there is the queen,’ Adam said, his finger hovering over the cluster of bees. ‘I like to find her every time I open the hive, if I can, just to make sure she’s okay. The whole hive revolves around her.’

  Sadie smiled. ‘Nice work if you can get it.’

  ‘Sort of,’ Adam replied. ‘She’s basically an egg-laying machine who can’t actually feed or clean herself. And as she gets older, the colony might decide to replace her with a younger model. There’s only really room for one queen in a hive.’

  Unbidden, an image of Emma flashed into Sadie’s mind. She shook it away. ‘Can’t she fight back?’

  ‘Not really,’ Adam replied. ‘If the colony loses faith in the queen, they’ll drive her out to die. The only option she has is to swarm with the bees that have stayed loyal and go in search of a new home.’

  Sadie felt a shiver go through her. Wasn’t that exactly what she’d done with Lissy? Flown away and started up a new home while Daniel made honey with his new queen? Except that things with Emma hadn’t worked out and Daniel had decided he wanted his old queen back. And now he wanted a baby too . . .

  ‘There she is,’ Adam said, pointing at a noticeably larger bee with a red spot on her back. ‘See? She’s bigger than the others.’

  Sadie frowned. ‘And she’s born red?’

  He laughed. ‘No, that’s my handiwork so I can find her easily. Beekeepers rotate the colours over a five-year cycle so that it’s easy to tell how old a queen is but it’s not unusual for the workers to clean the paint from her back – bees are often very hygienic.’

  Sadie listened as he pointed out the eggs and larvae in various stages of growth, marvelling at his knowledge and enthusiasm. Eventually, he slotted the frame back into place and eased the roof of the hive back on top. They walked slowly away until the bees were just dots flying in and out of the hives.

  ‘Thanks,’ Sadie said, as Adam helped her to remove the veiled hat.

  ‘No problem,’ he said. ‘It’s always a good idea to make sure you don’t have any hitch-hikers before you get too far from the hives.’

  Sadie’s eyes widened as she looked down at her white overalls. Adam smiled. ‘Don’t worry, you’re clear.’

  ‘Thank you for introducing me to your bees,’ Sadie said. ‘I can see why you love them – they’re fascinating.’

  He glanced across the garden, his smile widening. ‘Yeah, they’re pretty amazing. Thanks for letting me show off a bit.’ His gaze drifted upwards, to where the sun was climbing high in the sky. ‘But I’ve kept you long enough – Cat will be thinking I’ve kidnapped you.’

  Sadie shook her head. ‘She won’t mind once she knows I’ve been with you.’

  The words replayed themselves in her head and she felt the familiar burn of embarrassment. What was wrong with her – first the kiss, and now this, making it seem as though Cat was trying to push the two of them together. Which she was, Sadie thought wretchedly, but there was no need for Adam to know that. ‘What I meant was—’

  His eyes creased at the edges. ‘I know what you meant.’ They stood smiling at one another for a few long seconds, then Adam seemed to give himself a mental shake. ‘Come on. Let’s see if I can find a box for your honey. Cat will definitely have my head if you leave without that.’

  Chapter Three

  ‘Do you ever dream about just . . . sailing away?’

  Jaren took a long swig from his pint glass and leaned back against the brick wall of the pub, shading his eyes against the evening sunshine as he considered Cat’s question. ‘I used to,’ he said, after a while. ‘But not recently. Why – do you?’

  Cat watched what was left of a heat haze shimmer over the canal and sighed. ‘Not sailing, no – I only mentioned that because you live on a houseboat. It would be mad not to take it with you if you suddenly upped and left Chester.’

  He studied her over the top of his drink. ‘But you have thought about leaving?’

  She hesitated. It wasn’t a fully formed thought, more a reaction to the stress of the last few months; she’d been injured in a flood, had to defend herself against scurrilous lies and discovered that her boyfriend had betrayed her with a woman she’d thought of as a friend. And now Greg Valois had declared war on her over something she hadn’t done. Who wouldn’t dream about escaping all of that?

  ‘Not seriously,’ she said, after a thoughtful sip of her wine. ‘But maybe if I lived on a canal boat, I might be more tempted.’

  Jaren grinned. ‘Typical landlubber – imagining it’s all cocktails at sunset and pub lunches at old boating inns. Whereas the truth is nothing like that – the mooring points are few and far between, you never know if they’ll be busy when you get there and don’t get me started about the toilet facilities.’

  Cat frowned. ‘But you have a toilet on board the boat.’

  ‘I do,’ he replied, pulling a face. ‘But – how can I put this delicately? It has a tank that needs to be emptied. That needs to be factored into your journey plans.’

  ‘So what you’re basically saying is that even running away generates admin. There’s no such thing as living the dream, is that it?’

  Jaren spread his hands. ‘Broadly. Or maybe that shit happens, I’m not sure.’ He regarded her with concern. ‘But what’s brought this on? Is it your run-in with Greg?’

  ‘Partly,’ Cat admitted with a sigh. ‘But it’s not just him – it’s everything. I even found myself looking at a job advert for a restaurant in New York yesterday. That’s how bad it’s got.’

  She knew without having to look at Jaren that he was shocked. Why wouldn’t he be? Cat hardly knew what to make of it herself. Sipping her drink, she lapsed into silence. She was sure Jaren had his own problems to deal with; he didn’t need hers dumped on top.

  ‘I’m sorry you feel like this,’ Jaren said, a few moments later. ‘Have you spoken to Sadie about any of it?’

  ‘No,’ Cat replied quietly. ‘I don’t want to bother her.’

  Jaren leaned forwards and gazed at her intently. ‘It’s not bothering her. You are business partners and best friends – she’d want to know. In fact, she needs to know, especially if there’s a chance you might apply for another job.’ He gave a little shake of the head. ‘Look at it this way – if the situation was reversed and Sadie was looking at other jobs, or talking about walking away, wouldn’t you want to know?’

  He was right, she realised; she would want to know. The trouble was that Sadie’s artistic flair meant that she was integral to Smart Cookies, whereas Cat was starting to feel that anyone could bake the biscuits, now that she’d perfected the recipe. And the wedding favours had given her a new challenge – one she was enjoying – but she still felt a little as though she was treading water. Cat was also acutely aware that Sadie never seemed to struggle this way; obviously, she’d been through some difficult times when Daniel’s affair was revealed but she had faced her problems head on. And Cat might not agree that taking Daniel back was the right course of action but she couldn’t deny her best friend’s courage in doing what she thought was best for her family. Sadie was strong, even if she didn’t always believe it; she didn’t run, the way Cat wanted to.

  ‘Cat?’ Jaren said softly, taking her hand. ‘If you don’t want to tell Sadie how you feel then I hope you know you can always talk to me.’

  His dark eyes were so sincere that a lump grew in Cat’s throat. She didn’t trust herself to speak and nodded instead.

  ‘I like to think I’m a really good listener,’ he went on and a wry smile tugged at his mouth. ‘When I’m not talking about toilet tanks, that is.’

  The words lifted Cat’s spirits enough for a little laugh to escape her. ‘Yeah – thanks for ruining that particular
dream.’

  ‘I prefer to think of it as keeping it real,’ he said. ‘Or a reminder that the water isn’t always bluer on the other side.’

  Cat watched a couple strolling along the canal, their arms wrapped around each other. ‘No, I know. Thanks, Jaren. You are a good listener.’

  He twined his fingers around hers. ‘That is what friends are for, Cat Garcia.’

  *

  The opportunity to talk to Sadie failed to materialise over the next few days; business in the shop was brisk, and whenever there was a quiet moment and Cat was able to screw up the courage to start the conversation, someone always seemed to appear. In the end, Cat offered to come over to cook at Sadie’s cottage on Friday, once she’d established that Daniel would be out at a work function.

  ‘I can’t quite believe I have a two-Michelin-starred chef cooking in my own home,’ Sadie said, leaning back in her seat at the kitchen table to watch Cat work. ‘I hope you haven’t gone all Blumenthal on me.’

  ‘Not exactly,’ Cat said, stirring the bubbling pan of paella. ‘You’re a bit lacking in basic equipment for that – no liquid nitrogen, for a start.’

  Sadie grimaced. ‘Please tell me that wasn’t a regular feature of the menu at La Perle?’

  Cat summoned up a mental image of the menu she had created for the most famous restaurant in Paris. She’d taken a pinch of classic French cookery and mixed it with the best flavours from around the world to create recipes that couldn’t be found anywhere else. Food lovers and critics alike had flocked to the restaurant, earning Cat the two highly coveted Michelin stars Sadie had mentioned with such awe. And she’d never needed gimmicks or dangerous chemicals to win the praise of her customers and colleagues; it had all come from a deep understanding of food and flavour.

  ‘No,’ she said, dipping a spoon into the pan to taste the sauce. ‘I failed GCSE Chemistry, remember?’

  ‘That’s right, you did,’ Sadie replied, a twinkling look in her eyes. ‘Didn’t you almost blow up the lab once?’

  ‘Exactly,’ Cat said. ‘So it’s probably safest if I stick to traditional cooking. It’s ready, by the way, if you want to help me plate up.’

  Sadie got to her feet and reached for an oven glove. ‘I feel like a proper chef. What do you need me to do?’

  The conversation slid inevitably towards Smart Cookies business as they ate. Once they’d finished, Sadie got up to clear the plates and Cat touched her arm. ‘Leave those a minute, will you? There’s something I need to tell you.’

  Concern flickered over her best friend’s face. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Nothing’s wrong,’ Cat reassured her. ‘Well, nothing major, anyway. It’s just that I’ve been feeling a bit . . . not overwhelmed exactly, but struggling with everything that’s happened this year. And rather than stick my head in the sand and pretend everything was fine, I decided the grown-up thing to do was talk to you.’

  Sadie listened as Cat spilled out everything she’d told Jaren, although she didn’t mention the job in New York, telling herself it was just a symptom of the deeper problem. When she’d finished, Sadie shook her head. ‘You’ve been under so much pressure that I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming. What can I do to help?’

  ‘That’s just it,’ Cat said wretchedly. ‘I don’t know. I mean, obviously if you could arrange for Greg to vanish into a puff of smoke then that would be great but he’s only part of the problem. I don’t expect you to manage the same trick with Seb and Elin.’

  ‘No,’ Sadie said thoughtfully. ‘They’re not going anywhere, I’m afraid. But what if you took a few days off?’

  ‘You know I can’t – not at the weekend. We’ve got way too many orders for me to skive off, plus I’m still working on the designs for the wedding favours.’

  ‘So work from home, then,’ Sadie suggested. ‘You said yourself that you’re enjoying designing them and it’s work that can be done on a laptop – you don’t need to be at the shop for that.’

  Cat considered the idea; it would be good not to have to run the gauntlet of bumping into her ex, or mouth-frothing Greg, each morning. ‘Are you sure?’ she asked Sadie, with a frown. ‘Won’t you need extra cover in the shop?’

  ‘We’ll manage,’ Sadie said, her tone firm. ‘I’m sure Clare and Delilah will be happy to do a bit of overtime if I need them to. No, don’t argue – it’s happening.’

  The sudden surge of relief Cat felt at knowing she didn’t have to go to Smart Cookies in the morning made her slightly tearful. ‘Thank you. You’re the best business partner I’ve ever had.’

  Sadie smiled. ‘I’m the only business partner you’ve ever had.’ Her smile faded into mock severity. ‘Just promise me you won’t bottle everything up again, okay? I can’t help you if I don’t know there’s a problem.’

  ‘I promise,’ Cat said, sniffing. ‘Now enough about me – what’s new with you?’

  ‘There’s nothing new with me,’ Sadie replied firmly. ‘Nothing to write home about at all.’

  ‘Really?’ Cat said, glad to shift the conversation away from herself. ‘Had any more romantic trips to Adam’s apiary recently?’

  Her friend laughed. ‘None. And if you’d seen what I had to wear that morning, you’d know that it was anything but romantic.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Cat asked, raising her eyebrows. ‘I assume there were birds in the garden – couldn’t you think up some subtly sexy questions to ask Adam about the relationship between them and the bees?’

  ‘I’m not sure Adam would have got the hint,’ Sadie said in amusement. ‘There might have been birds and there were definitely bees but, believe me, romance was the last thing on either of our minds. We’re friends, that’s all.’

  ‘For now,’ Cat added.

  ‘For ever,’ Sadie insisted. ‘And you need to stop trying to push Adam and me together – sooner or later he’s going to notice and I’m happy with Daniel.’

  Her gaze skittered away at the very last second, telling Cat more in that one action than Sadie seemed willing to admit, even to herself. With a thoughtful look at her friend, Cat rose to start the clearing up. It appeared she wasn’t the only one pretending everything was perfect in her life.

  *

  When Sadie awoke early on Saturday morning, the first thing she noticed was Daniel’s absence. His side of the bed was unruffled, the sheets cool, meaning he hadn’t come home last night. That wasn’t an issue, Sadie decided as she stared at the ceiling and yawned; he’d probably been a little the worse for wear and decided to sleep it off at his own house rather than disturb her. He’d be along soon, carrying fresh bread from the village bakery and a hangover.

  Checking the time and deciding there was no point in going back to sleep, Sadie slid out of bed and padded downstairs to put the kettle on. The kitchen was immaculate; Cat had insisted on helping her to clean up, despite Sadie’s insistence that she sit down and leave it all to her. Outside, the sun was already warm. Birdsong floated through the window and if she listened very carefully, she could just about hear the crow of a cockerel. Could it be the one at Waverton farm? she wondered. Was Adam listening to exactly the same sound as he stood in his own kitchen, sipping a cup of tea like her? The thought made her smile, although she drew the line at reaching for her phone to ask. It would be even harder to draft than the honey message . . .

  Lissy woke up just before seven and came thundering downstairs when she discovered her mother was already up.

  ‘Where’s Daddy?’ the little girl asked, upon finding Sadie alone in the kitchen.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Sadie replied. ‘I think he must have stayed at his house last night.’

  Lissy nodded; she was used to Daniel spending some nights away from the cottage, although they had happened less and less frequently as he and Sadie rebuilt their marriage. ‘He needs to come home soon – he promised to take me to Dino Golf today. And you’ll be late for work.’

  Sadie glanced at the clock. ‘It’s okay. We’ve got plenty of tim
e before I need to leave.’

  By eight-fifteen, she was starting to worry. Daniel hadn’t read her message asking what time she could expect him, nor was he answering his home phone, and she needed to set off by half past eight to reach Smart Cookies in time to open up; there was no way she was calling Cat to do it for her, not after their conversation the night before. Lissy was fidgeting on the sofa, listening out for the crunch of Daniel’s feet on the gravel path that led to the front door.

  ‘Where’s Daddy?’ the little girl asked again.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Sadie repeated, listening to Daniel’s phone ring and ring through her mobile. Finally, she gave up and went to find her daughter’s shoes. ‘Sorry, Lissy, you’ll have to come to work with me today.’

  Lissy’s expression drooped. ‘But I wanted to play Dino Golf with Daddy.’

  Bending down, Sadie tugged the shoes onto Lissy’s feet. ‘I know. Maybe he’ll be able to pick you up later and take you this afternoon.’

  She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. There had to be a rational explanation – a good reason for not being where he’d promised to be – because it wasn’t like Daniel to let either of them down like this; at least, it wasn’t like the new and improved Daniel. The old version had never been around when Sadie had needed him but she’d finally come to believe that those days were gone. Until now.

  Now it felt very much as though she and Lissy had travelled back in time.

  ‘Can I decorate some biscuits like you do, Mummy?’ Lissy asked from the back seat, as Sadie turned the car around and pointed it towards Chester.

  ‘Of course,’ Sadie said, smoothing out the frown lines and doing her best to smile at her daughter in the rear-view mirror. ‘You can decorate as many as you like. Just don’t leave the shop.’

  The last time Sadie had taken Lissy into Smart Cookies, the little girl had wandered into the Court and sent her mother into a spiral of panic. Sadie was keen to avoid a repeat of that. Apart from anything else, it had aged her five years in fifteen minutes.