The Little Cottage on the Hill

by Emma Davies

  Chapter 5

  The smell of baking bread the next morning could have drawn a dead man from his bed, and by the time Maddie had scrambled from underneath the duvet and hit the shower, the most tantalising smell of bacon had joined it too. It was later than she had planned, but she had slept so well that the clock had marched past her usual waking time without her so much as turning a hair. Now that she was up though, she was anxious to get going.

  By the look of things Seth had already been at the table for some while before she finally joined him. His plate was empty and the coffee pot which sat in front of him was only a third full.

  ‘It must have been the wine,’ she said, moving to join him. ‘I’m not normally this late up.’

  Seth was warming his hands around his mug. ‘I’m not sure that’s true,’ he remarked. ‘I think you’re a girl who’s quite used to a drop or two of wine.’ He grinned. ‘More likely it was the dark that made you sleep, that and the absolute quiet. I can’t imagine London being either of those things.’

  He was right of course. While she was living there it was easy to convince herself that she was used to the noise, even in the small hours of the morning, but here it was easy to forget quite how insistent it was.

  ‘Have I still got time for something to eat?’ she asked, eyeing his plate.

  ‘Sit down,’ he replied. ‘I’ll get you a drink. Bacon sandwich to go with it?’

  She hesitated. Breakfast was usually fruit and some yoghurt. If she carried on at this rate she’d be the size of a house, never mind the state of her arteries. Trouble was, it smelled so good… Perhaps if she just had it every now and again.

  ‘I probably shouldn’t,’ she began, ‘but just a small one wouldn’t hurt, would it?’

  He gave her an odd look as he rose from the table.

  ‘I can’t make them small,’ he replied. ‘And in any case, with the amount of work I’ve got planned for us today, a small one won’t do you any good at all.’ He was slapping rashers of bacon between pieces of bread at least an inch thick. ‘Can’t have you keeling over on me.’

  Maddie stared at the plate in front of her and at the biggest sandwich she had ever seen. Never mind breakfast, at this rate she’d still be eating come lunchtime.

  Seth was hovering by the table. ‘Listen, I just need to go and have a word with Clara about something. I won’t be too long, but take your time.’

  She scarcely had any choice, it was just about all she could do to open her mouth wide enough to get the sandwich in there in the first place. She took a bite and began to chew. Best. Bacon. Sandwich. Ever.

  Amazingly, she had nearly finished by the time Seth arrived back. She eyed the bags he was carrying, wondering what he was looking quite so uncomfortable about. She soon found out.

  ‘Now don’t take this the wrong way…’

  She hated that sentence.

  ‘But I couldn’t help noticing that you and Clara were roughly the same size and… well, she has some things here, work-type clothes that she doesn’t wear any more, and I thought, we thought, that you might be able to make use of them.’

  She looked down at her brand-new jeans and polo top. ‘But I bought…’ She looked up at him. ‘What’s wrong with the things I have?’

  He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

  ‘Nothing,’ he said quickly, ‘it’s just that they’re too… nice… new, even. We’re going to get really filthy and you need to be comfortable.’ He handed her the bags. ‘Have a look and see if there’s anything you like. It’s not compulsory.’

  She wasn’t sure what worried her the most; the fact that he didn’t think her new country clothes were suitable, or that they were about to get very dirty.

  ‘Well if we’re about to get filthy then the clothes I have on will cease to be nice or new-looking, won’t they? Problem solved. And I’m quite comfortable, thank you.’ She peered into the top of the bags. ‘I’ll take these upstairs and then let’s make a start, shall we.’

  He didn’t mean anything by it, she repeated to herself all the way up the stairs. He was just trying to be helpful. Today is going to be a good day, and nothing is going to spoil it. She repeated it like a mantra as she laid the carrier bags on the bed and picked up her hairbrush. Getting filthy or not, there were certain professional standards to maintain, and that included the way she looked. She twisted her hair quickly into a bun and neatly fastened it with pins before reaching for her lipstick. Now she was ready to face the world. She plucked at the collar of her new top, running a finger inside to find the bit that was sticking in her, to no avail. No, she was perfectly comfortable.

  * * *

  ‘You have got to be kidding me?’ She couldn’t help herself. It was the first thing that came into her head. She stared at the pitchfork she’d just been given. If this was a joke, it was seriously unfunny. And if it wasn’t a joke…

  ‘Say that again, Seth, I don’t think I heard you quite right.’

  He grinned at her. ‘I told you we’d get filthy.’

  ‘You seriously want me to pull the thatch off this roof?’

  ‘Not all of it, no. And I’m going to be doing the pulling off, what I need is you underneath to collect it up and barrow it away.’

  They were standing in the garden of the first cottage that Maddie had looked at when she arrived, peering up at the roof.

  ‘You can see the problem; these cottages are several hundred years old, and a good thatch might only last thirty years or so. This one is long overdue for replacement.’

  She eyed the mess of straw, moss and cobwebs above her. ‘But it’s disgusting.’

  ‘Hmm,’ agreed Seth, ‘but just imagine how it’s going to look when it’s redone.’

  He had completely missed her point.

  ‘No,’ she said pointedly, ‘I mean it’s disgusting. I dread to think what you could catch from that. It’s filthy.’

  ‘Well, yes…’ He trailed off as he lowered his eyes from the roof, looking at her for the first time. ‘I think I mentioned that…’ He ground to a halt.

  Maddie planted her feet even firmer. ‘I can’t believe you think it’s acceptable to even ask me to do such a thing, never mind actually expect me to do it. Can I remind you what my position is here? I’m your Development and Marketing Executive, not a builder’s navvy.’

  ‘Yes, and I’m your boss.’ His eyes flashed at her.

  ‘You’re not actually, Agatha is. I’m sure when she gets to hear about this—’

  ‘Madeline?’ Seth’s voice was dangerously quiet. ‘Agatha pays your wages, as per our agreement. What you do here, however, is under my direction. Now, I would have thought that even you can see that it’s all well and good being a Development and Marketing Executive, but there’s a teeny tiny flaw in your plan…’ He looked up pointedly. ‘You don’t actually have anything to develop and market yet…’

  ‘I know that, I’m not stupid!’ She drew herself up, standing as tall as she could. How dare he? If he wasn’t careful he’d get the pitchfork right up his…

  ‘Maybe not, but you are supposedly: creative, resourceful and a natural problem solver. A highly motivated people person, skilled in verbal communication and negotiation…’

  He was quoting from her CV, the bastard. She flushed bright red.

  ‘So, time to prove it. Tom the thatcher is coming tomorrow to make a start on this baby here, and he’s expecting to be able to get going straight away. I promised him I would have the groundwork done in time. Are you able to suggest another way of removing the top layers of thatch in readiness for tomorrow, other than by actually removing them?’

  ‘Try pulling the whole bloody place down, that should do it,’ she muttered furiously.

  ‘Ah, but then you’d have even less to market, wouldn’t you?’

  She glared at him. ‘Do you know there’s one thing I hate even more than a smart arse… and that’s a smart arse who thinks they’re funny.’ She glared at him. ‘Now bloody well shut
up and show me what to do.’

  He rolled his eyes dramatically. ‘Anyone would think you were afraid of a bit of hard work.’ He made a beckoning motion with his finger. ‘Follow me.’

  She had to try hard not to stab him in the back with her pitchfork as she followed him around the back of the cottage. They came to a halt beside a pair of ladders.

  ‘Now listen, I’m glad you’re mad at me, because this is hard work… and it’s so much easier when you’re angry… but anger can make you sloppy too, take risks when you shouldn’t, and I can’t have that.’ He held up his hand as her mouth opened to protest. ‘Don’t interrupt either, you can have your say in a minute.’

  He picked up a bag from beside the ladders. ‘Masks are not optional, neither are these goggles. They don’t look pretty, but thatch is dusty, and as you pointed out, full of stuff you don’t want in your lungs or in your eyes. Wear the gloves too, it will help with the blisters.’

  Maddie took the bag. The distance up to the roof seemed vast, and while she was extremely unhappy about the task that had been given to her, it was decidedly preferable than having to go on the roof.

  Seth followed her line of sight. ‘Don’t worry, I’m not about to make you go up there, although I had hoped you might want to have a look. Thatching’s a hugely skilled job, and I’d be happy to show you what I’m doing.’

  Maddie shuddered. ‘And why would I want to do that? I’m not remotely interested in how the roof goes on, or off for that matter.’

  She could see that Seth had a valid point about the work that needed to be done, but this was so far removed from what she was expecting to do here, she wasn’t about to give in without a fight.

  ‘There are employment laws about this sort of thing. It’s bullying in the workplace.’

  ‘Then go home. I’ll have your contract cancelled. You haven’t served out your probationary period yet, so we don’t owe each other a thing. You’re free to go.’

  He ran a hand through his hair. ‘But…’ He paused and took a breath. ‘I really need some help here, Madeline. I’m sorry this isn’t living up to your expectations, but there’s nothing I can do about that right now. Someone else sold you your dream job, not me. If I’d had the opportunity, I would have been honest about what was required here. You could have come and had a look first to see what it was all about and then decided. Unfortunately, that luxury was denied to both of us, so we can do one of two things: walk away and chalk it up to experience, or try and make a go of things. What do you say?’

  Maddie looked at him suspiciously. It wasn’t his fault, she knew that, but he didn’t have to be so rude to her. She risked a glance at his face, and was surprised to see a gentle expression there.

  ‘Please, Madeline, we have a lot to do here, and not a great deal of time to do it in. I’d love for you to be a part of things, but only because you want to, not because you feel you’ve been backed into a corner. In time, I hope you’ll come to understand what we’re about and maybe even believe in it. The only thing that’s going to give us the edge is kindred spirits working together, not Agatha’s pots of money, that’s for sure. She’s desperate for us to fail as it is.’

  She frowned. ‘But that makes no sense at all. Why would Agatha give money to this project in the first place if she wanted it to fail?’

  ‘A very good question… and let’s just say if this place fails then her opinion of me will be justified. That constitutes a valid reason, in her head at least.’ He sighed. ‘But that’s a discussion for another time, Madeline. Can we get on now?’

  Despite his obvious discomfort, she wasn’t about to let him off the hook just yet.

  ‘But I don’t even know what you are trying to do here yet, you haven’t told me. You also haven’t done me the courtesy of listening to any of the ideas I’ve had either. Instead, all you seem to want from me is manual labour, and you’re right, that doesn’t live up to my expectations at all. I’m good at what I do, Seth, and instead of dismissing that out of hand you could at least give me a chance to show you.’

  He dropped his hand slightly with an acknowledging nod.

  ‘Point taken,’ he replied. ‘I promise I will have a full and complete discussion with you as soon as possible. Until then, we can work until we’re too knackered to speak…’

  ‘You’re not really selling this, are you?’ she asked.

  He grinned. ‘No, that’s your job.’

  * * *

  Half an hour later and the only thing that was keeping Maddie going was the thought of the shower she was going to have when they’d finished. She was certain that her whole body was crawling with insects; dust and straw had got everywhere. She also didn’t want to admit it, but bits of her were beginning to hurt: her arms, her shoulders, back, and that damn spot on the base of her neck where the scratchy label from her new polo shirt was rubbing.

  She repositioned her legs slightly, trying to relax the muscles, dropping her arms as she did so.

  ‘So, what are your plans for the cottage then?’ she asked. ‘I’m surprised you’re having it re-thatched actually. Don’t you think it’s perhaps a little twee?’

  Seth looked up, a strand of straw caught in his hair. He pulled the mask away from his face. ‘Say again?’

  Maddie pulled off her own mask and repeated her question.

  ‘What you mean by twee?’

  ‘Well, you know, twee; a bit cutesy, pretty-pretty…’

  ‘So thatch is a bad thing, is it? What would be your alternative?’

  He was interested more than accusatory, for the moment at least, although Maddie was very conscious that his mood could change at any moment. She had no wish to be inflammatory, but if she was to have any chance of discussing her ideas she had to know where his feelings lay.

  ‘I’m not sure I have one just yet, I’m just exploring the possibilities in my head… trying to see the overall look of things and where there might be opportunities for change.’

  He studied her for a minute. ‘How old are you, Madeline?’

  Her chin came up a little. ‘I’m twenty-six, why?’

  ‘I’m just wondering why there’s such a huge difference in the way we see things, but it’s obviously not your age. I’m thirty-two, so only six years between us, and yet you have only one wish, it would seem, and that’s to want to change things… whereas—’

  ‘You want everything to stay the same?’

  ‘No, I want to restore things to their former glory.’

  ‘But old isn’t necessarily better.’

  ‘And neither is new.’

  They looked at one another for a moment, a smile playing across Seth’s face. Maddie sighed.

  ‘Okay then, tell me why restoration is better than seizing an opportunity to create something unique, visionary even. What’s so amazing about thatch?’

  ‘Because it’s part of our heritage, for one. It supports a tradition of skilled craftsmanship that has been passed down from generation to generation going back centuries. It’s living, organic and imperfect with a character all of its own. On its own, a single strand of straw can serve no real purpose, but pull those strands together and it forms something that’s strong, and enduring; it becomes something greater than itself.’

  Maddie rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, spare me! Did you rehearse that speech?’

  Seth was about to launch into a defence when she held up her hand. ‘Don’t panic, I was only teasing… although you are a bit over-zealous. Has someone been giving you a hard time?’

  ‘Don’t you bloody start,’ he replied, but his brown eyes twinkled with amusement. He rested a hand on top of the moth-eaten roof. ‘Come on, I can sense a massive debate is about to ensue and we need to crack on. Another hour and we’ll stop for a break. Then I’ll share my vision for this place and you can trample all over my ideas and tell me where I’m going wrong.’ He replaced his mask and motioned for her to do the same.

  Maddie adjusted her grip on the pitchfork. Another hour of this migh
t kill her, but there was nothing else for it. If she stood any chance at all of getting her point across, for the time being, she had to play the game.

  * * *

  The coffee was extraordinarily good. Or was it just that she was dying of thirst, sore, aching and utterly exhausted? Either way, it was nearly an hour and a half before they had stopped for a break and, for Maddie, it couldn’t have come sooner.

  Seth, by contrast, had shinned down his ladder like a gymnast and practically bounced back to the house. Maddie had to stop several times to feign interest in the plants around her just to walk at a slower pace. Now that she was seated at the kitchen table she seriously doubted whether she would ever be able to get up again.

  Placing her mug back down on the coaster in front of her, she reached for a biscuit from a plate that had materialised from nowhere. She never normally ate biscuits.

  ‘So, come on then,’ she said through a mouthful of crumbs, ‘you’ve worked me like a dog all morning, what’s it all for?’

  Seth joined her at the table. ‘You city girls,’ he grinned, ‘too soft. Not used to good honest work.’

  Maddie ignored him. ‘An explanation of your ideas for this place, please. You promised. Besides, I spent most of yesterday coming up with some blisteringly hot plans of my own which I need to convince you are the only way if you ever want to make any money from this pile of forgotten—’

  She caught the look on his face and broke off abruptly. She raised an eyebrow instead.

  ‘Joy’s Acre is essentially a farm, was a farm. Except that there’s also a rather special history here and I’m trying to recreate the same environment there would have been back then. It’s that simple.’

  ‘But you’re talking about the farm, which is an entirely different focus to what I’ve been brought here to concentrate on. I can see you have some really useful buildings here, and my brief is to market and grow the complex to accommodate upmarket holidaymakers, and business people looking for well-served conference facilities. That has nothing whatsoever to do with a farm.’