A Cottage in the Country

by Linn B. Halton

  The other problem I have is Lewis' invoice. Clearly, he didn't just work a standard seven-hour day, so I need to reflect that in the cheque I'm going to send off. I decide it's only fair to divide the total by the number of days he worked on the kitchen alone. That gives me his standard daily rate. Multiplying this by the total number of days he was here, and adding twenty per cent on top seems the right thing to do. I know he could have chosen to ramp up the bill because of the holidays and I don't want to take advantage of his situation. There are too many unanswered questions floating around in my head for me to simply accept that he's a good man who enjoys breathing life back into a wreck. Without knowing his precise motive, he could just as easily be something akin to a conman. My heart sinks, to think that people can stoop so low.

  I write out the cheque and address the envelope, noting that at least he's now a couple of hundred miles away and out of my life for good. Before I can seal it, there's a tap on the door and I look up to see Joanna, from next door.

  She peers over my shoulder, seemingly unsurprised at the dramatic change.

  "Is Lewis here?"

  "No, he's finished his work. I only arrived back late yesterday, so I'm not sure when exactly he left. Is there a problem?" No pleasantries I notice and it looks as if she's recovered from the 'flu, then.

  Joanna's eyes flick over me, taking in my paint-covered jeans and baggy sweater. There's disdain in her look and it's a puzzle why Terence is attracted to someone whose personality is so very different. He's so laid-back and friendly by nature. Was it a case of opposites attract?

  "Yes, there is, but if Lewis isn't here then I'll have to find someone else to come out and fix it."

  "I didn't realise he was doing work for you, too." It's a throwaway comment, but her eyes flash.

  "He's a handyman; he does work for a lot of people in the Forest. I hope you didn't take advantage of his good nature, Madeleine. It was difficult enough that he was working here without any facilities. It was the least I could do to ensure he had a hot meal every day."

  Is that really what she thinks? I wonder if Terence feels the same way. It's going to give entirely the wrong impression when I put the cottage back on the market; they'll no doubt think I used Lewis' connection with Ash Cottage to get the work done quickly and make a nice little profit from his hard work. What a mess!

  "Thank you for that, Joanna. To be honest, I'd intended working through the holidays, myself. My boss meant well, he, um…"

  "Yes, well, I can't stand here chatting. I need to ring a plumber. Did Lewis say when he was coming back?"

  Clearly she knows he's gone back home, but I have to shake my head as I have no idea what his plans might be.

  "It's upset him, you know. Aggie wanted him to have this place and everyone knew that." She literally throws the words over her shoulder as she walks away from me.

  I'm so angry, I'm shaking. That was so mean; Joanna has no idea about my situation – unless Lewis told her. The thought of that makes my blood run cold. It might account for the venom in her voice if she thinks I'm the sort of woman to use every tactic to get what I want.

  I slump back down into the folding chair and stare out at the view. What a difference just a couple of weeks have made. As I scan around, this is no longer a strange, slightly alien, environment. Even without proper furniture and the trappings that make a house a home, it's distinctly cosy. My eyes rest on Aggie's box, pushed back beneath the coffee table, and I reach for it. I remember stuffing a lot of documents into the side pocket of the holdall when I left that day and I realise now that I simply forgot they were there. Grabbing a coffee, I figure now is as good a time as any to finish going through them.

  I begin with the ones from the holdall, as I'd already leafed through what was in the box. Mostly it's a big wedge of papers that seem to be the original deeds, now redundant in this electronic age. One huge sheet of parchment folded into eight carries a large red seal. There are notarised papers indicating that a part of the garden was purchased from the owner of the barn back in the early fifties. Everything is old – nothing newer than that document – so I assume the issue with the strip of land to the rear is always going to be a puzzle. It looks as if someone was careful to keep every single document relating to the cottage – and there are even more recent invoices for the re-wiring and the central heating.

  As I shuffle the loose pile into some semblance of order and lift the lid off the box to place them back inside, I notice the documents are all sitting squarely within the box. Someone has been through them in my absence. If Lewis hopes to end up with Ash Cottage, does that strip of land at the back concern him that much? It would devalue the cottage if someone suddenly stepped forward and decided to build a garage on it or something. I laugh, disdainfully, at Joanna's words; if anyone is taking advantage, it's Lewis Hart.

  CHAPTER 35

  As winter finally gives way to spring, the garden begins to come alive. I wander around discovering little areas full of shoots as the earth starts to warm and the first bulbs break out. Inside the cottage, the two men from Chappell and Hicks are putting the finishing touches to the downstairs bathroom. To celebrate, and thank Ryan for his help in organising the remodelling of the bathrooms, he's coming over to dinner tonight.

  Standing here, looking up at Ash Cottage in the spring sunshine, all I can hear are the birds twittering as they flit between the trees. There's a marked chill in the air still, but it's clean and sweet as I fill my lungs. With the sun on my face it feels good to be alive and surrounded by nature rather than modern living keeping nature at bay. Does that sound odd? That's the difference between city living and life in the country, I suppose.

  Hugging my woolly jacket closer to me, it's hard to believe that not so very long ago this was my dream. This was my idea of heaven and where I saw myself living a quiet and gentler life. I wanted to get away from the city and the frenetic pace of life. All the stop-start queues of traffic, short tempers and pressures associated with that pace of life. It was easy to let things go past you; we call it keeping out of other people's business. Since living in the Forest I've come to appreciate something very unique. It's true that village life revolves around gossip, but the pace of life is gentler and people have time to make time. Yes, there is gossip for gossip's sake, but there's also a lot of genuine caring and kindness. There's a real sense of community, when what I was expecting to feel was almost a sense of isolation. From the postman to the lady who lives at the bottom of the hill, they take the time to enquire after you and listen to what you have to say. Several of the locals invited me for Christmas lunch, knowing my situation and I felt guilty, politely declining. My excuse was that I needed to be here to work, but while that was true, another reason was that it takes a while to adjust to a new set of values. I suppose I wasn't ready for people to get to know me, the new Maddie Brooks, cut off from her old, familiar life and trying so hard to find herself. I wanted to hide myself away. How quickly life can change and now the cottage is about to go on the market. It is with much sadness, though, and I know I will have to steel myself to say goodbye. Every day I question whether I'm ready to move on, to take that next step with Ryan. I suppose I won't know that for sure until I'm turning the key in the lock for the last time, but that's a few months away, thank goodness.

  "Well, your dream came true. You have that slipper bath with a view of the heavens. They've done a great job and it looks amazing, darling." Ryan slides his arm around my waist and draws me close for a celebratory hug. "This is a big moment for us."

  "It is something rather special, isn't it? And thank you for calling in a favour with Chappell and Hicks."

  He spins me around gently, so that we are facing each other and peers down into my eyes. He's a man who likes to have control of every single aspect of his life and he's happy that a plan is beginning to come together.

  "They've done a few jobs for us over the past couple of years and I was going to use them for the big eco-house project anyway,
as it's almost on the doorstep. It was nothing. Besides, getting it done quickly was important to me. The sooner you sell Ash Cottage, the sooner you move in with me." He kisses my forehead, choosing to linger for a moment.

  I should feel just as happy, but now everything here looks as I imagined it on that very first visit, it's hard to believe I'm going to hand it over to someone else.

  "I need to rescue the pasta before it sticks to the bottom of the pan," I say, wriggling out of his arms. "Go into the conservatory and make yourself comfortable; there's wine on the table waiting to be poured if you can do the honours."

  As I layer the home-made sauce over the spaghetti and grate some parmesan on top, I look through what would have been the old exterior side window. It's now an open view straight through into the conservatory. The eight-foot-long dining table in white is offset against the dark walnut floor, and with the dark-brown Lloyd Loom chairs it looks stunning. The candles send shards of light out to reflect on the wall of glass windows and a wave of satisfaction washes over me. It's done and it's beautiful, as I knew it would be. Maybe it isn't as magazine-perfect as Ryan's house, but it's a happy place with good vibes. At first I felt like a stranger here, someone who had stepped in uninvited and it regarded me as an intruder. Everything that could go wrong did, and I wondered if it was a sign that I'd made a mistake. Any doubts I had have long since disappeared because, for whatever reason, renovating Ash Cottage was something that was a part of my fate. It's been a journey of discovery about so many things.

  "It smells good," Ryan inclines his head to catch my attention. I can count on one hand the number of times he's been here. Maybe tonight is the night he, too, will fall under the spell of Ash Cottage.

  "Nearly done."

  I finish loading the tray and carry it through. The ambience is very romantic and cosy. Outside, the pale gleam of the garden lights set an intriguing boundary in the darkness. From inside, all you get is a sense of openness and nature, as the sky darkens and the stars begin to appear. There is no light pollution here and looking up through the glazed roof of the conservatory it feels as if there is only us and this moment in time.

  As I take my seat opposite Ryan, we raise our glasses to toast the occasion.

  "To the end of this part of the journey."

  We chink glasses and I wonder if now is the right moment to test the water.

  "It's been an interesting one. But it's turned into a lovely little place to relax in and enjoy some downtime, don't you think?"

  Ryan has a mouthful of pasta, so I wait patiently for his reply, absentmindedly rearranging the food on the plate in front of me.

  "Perfect. It looks great. When is Sarah coming over to take the photos for the brochure?"

  My hint hasn't even registered. I know he's going to be disappointed with my answer.

  "I haven't contacted her yet. I wondered if, maybe, selling it now is the wrong thing to do."

  He places his knife and fork down on the plate and leans back in his chair to look at me with a slight air of disappointment.

  "I thought we'd agreed you would press ahead quickly? I know it's a great little cottage now it's finished and I understand the lure of wanting to spend some time here to enjoy the finished product. But time is precious, Maddie, and we have plans to make."

  He misunderstood me.

  "Um…I wasn't talking about timing. I wondered if I should just keep it as an investment. We could use it as an occasional holiday home; a place to come and get away from everything for a few days."

  He shakes his head and an involuntary sigh escapes from his lips. Ryan reaches for his wine glass and takes a long sip before settling back in his chair again.

  "How often would we do that? You have to be practical, Maddie. If you don't want to let it go, then maybe think about renting it out, but do you want the hassle of being a landlady? I think you are better off banking the money, maybe even letting your sons have some of their inheritance to reinvest sooner rather than later."

  He leans forward to pick up his knife and fork, taking another bite of the pasta.

  I feel as if I'm being ungrateful. Ryan is going to take care of me and here I am, making a fuss over a little cottage that will, no doubt, turn out to have been a wise investment.

  "So you couldn't see us coming here and using this as a…retreat?" I continue, pushing the pasta around my plate. I'm trying my best to appear relaxed, when my stomach is actually tied up in knots over this.

  "Our life together can be whatever we choose to make it, Maddie." He places the cutlery back down once more and leans forward, intently. His eyes search mine and his expression is one of concern, but beneath that is a sense of excitement. "I know that you have misgivings about moving in with me because you feel it's my house and not our home. I understand that, and it's a natural reaction. But it won't be for long. Maybe now is the time to air a few ideas I've been kicking around."

  I put down my own fork and sit back, wondering what he's going to say next. I think I've known for a little while now that he's been planning something.

  "I've had the house and business valued. I have quite a healthy pension fund and if I decide to retire next year, when I'm fifty, it will still give me a very respectable monthly return. I know this is going to be a bit of a step for you and I want you to think about it for a few days before you let me know what you think. But what if we bought that dream holiday home and made it a permanent base? What if we found some sprawling, rustic house in a sunnier clime, where every day would feel like an adventure? Your sons could come and stay whenever they wanted and together we'd turn it into our place. Life's too short to get stuck in a groove and not stand back to see all of the options. It's something I guess I've been heading towards for a long time now, but having you by my side makes me want to grab the opportunity now. I'm excited about this, Maddie, and it's do-able. I reckon it would take a year to organise everything and that's perfect because…wow, I didn't think I'd be saying this tonight, but when the time is right, I'm going to ask you to marry me."

  I open my mouth, not sure quite what to say, but he stops me.

  "No, please, don't say anything now. This wasn't how I wanted to broach this, but I need you to understand that I know you will be letting go of something that has become meaningful to you. I'm prepared to give up everything that my life has centred on so far, to prove how much you mean to me. I'm only asking you to do the same, so that we can start our life together with a fresh, completely blank, page. I'm excited for us, Maddie, and I hope you are, too."

  He pushes back his chair and rises, never taking his eyes off me for even so much as a second, as he walks around the table. I stand and he wraps his arms lovingly around me with an intensity that reflects his passion and excitement.

  It wasn't quite the night of celebration I'd expected. I didn't manage to change Ryan's mind, but he managed to change mine. The next morning I ring Sarah to arrange for her to bring the paperwork over and take the photos.

  CHAPTER 36

  "Hi, Sarah, come in," I hold open the door wide, as she steps inside carrying a bulky briefcase.

  "Gosh, what a difference! I can hardly believe it."

  "I know. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

  Taking her coat, I indicate for her to grab a seat at the table. When I return, the contract and some brochures are spread out on the table and she's scribbling in a note pad.

  "Would you like a tea, or a coffee?"

  "No, I'm good, thank you. We need to talk about price and I have some comparable properties to show you. Things that have sold recently and I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised, as I'm sure it will reflect a handsome profit."

  She smiles encouragingly as I take my seat.

  "I didn't do this for profit and it is tough to sell it, but I'm getting married."

  Her eyes open wide and she breaks out into a beaming smile. "Oh, fabulous news! Congratulations, Maddie. I did wonder why you were moving on so soon. Especially when I look back on your first view
ing and how you instantly fell in love with it, as tired as it looked then. Still, it's onwards to more exciting things in your case."

  If I'd stayed in the Forest I know we would have become good friends. She's a lady who grabs life and it's clear she's doing a job she loves. She's in a happy place in her life. It's no coincidence that lots of women of our age often seem to have mellowed, learning the knack of acceptance and understanding that there are some things you can control and some you can't. So you seek out the things that bring you happiness and suddenly it's not all about more money, more material possessions and having high expectations. It's about savouring the moment and living each day as it comes.

  "I think this is the sort of price we should be targeting, although you would normally expect a buyer to haggle, especially when they are buying a fully renovated property. I'd say you'd achieve within five thousand pounds of the asking price."

  Sarah slides three brochures across the table and they are all small, Forest cottages.

  "However," there's a hint of concern creeping into her voice. "You do have the issue of that strip of land behind the cottage. I know it didn't concern you personally, but the worst-case scenario is that someone does own it and they decide to use it. If someone parked an ugly, old caravan up there, or a lorry, it would be a blot on the landscape for you when you were sitting on your top terrace. Okay, you would be facing the view most of the time, but to look up and see vehicles at that level would be like looking up into a car park."

  "I guess I was rather cavalier about that, wasn't I?" I admit, remembering that I had totally ignored my solicitor's advice not to leave the matter unresolved. But the clock had been ticking then.

  "All you need is a buyer who falls in love with the cottage and the views, who will feel the way you did on that first day. It's unlikely anyone would suddenly appear and begin using the strip; it might even be common land – who knows? I don't think it will affect the purchase price as such, but it will put some buyers off. Solicitors have no choice but to make it very clear to their clients there is a risk involved."