‘Thank you, Charlie,’ she muttered. ‘Thank you for listening to an old lady…’ She smiled and her head moved slightly to one side. She was fast asleep.
10
‘Darling, are you going out with a young man dressed like that?’ Vivienne, sartorially elegant in flowing lavender for another Saturday afternoon rehearsal in the village hall, looked me up and down dubiously. ‘I can lend you something to wear that might be more appropriate for a first date? I’m assuming most of your going-out clothes are still in London?’ She stepped back to get another good look at my jeans and sweater.
‘All my goods and chattels came back with me, Vivienne,’ I said more cheerfully than I felt. Why on earth had I agreed to go out for lunch with Josh Lee? It was the last thing I was in the mood for. ‘Anyway, it’s a business meeting, not a date. Josh and I are going to discuss builders and who, if not himself and his workers, we might use for Madge’s house.’
‘It’s all very strange, don’t you think?’ Vivienne sniffed. ‘I can’t imagine why your great- grandmother has kept this house of hers secret for so long. Is it a very elegant house? Would I like it?’
I shook my head. ‘Elegant? Gosh, no, it’s an old farmhouse.’ I glanced at Vivienne’s colour-coordinated lavender kitten heels – she was going to ruin those once she walked outside. ‘Nothing elegant about it at all, really. It’s all beams and low ceilings. You’d hate it.’ I pictured Vivienne’s upmarket little town house on the outskirts of Midhope, which was in the process of having a new kitchen and bathrooms, and knew that Vivienne would have found Holly Close Farm too rural, too Yorkshire.
‘Well, how about a little chiffon scarf for that sweater? Or maybe a brooch to complement its colour?’ Vivienne was determined to fix some adornment on me.
‘I’m fine, really. Got to go, there’s the bell.’ I grabbed my bag and one of Daisy’s coats – it was her new pink Hobbs boyfriend coat and she’d go mad once she found out I’d filched it – but it did go fantastically well with my black polo sweater and black skinny jeans. Anyway, I told myself, needs must.
‘Hmm, not sure pink is going to be the best colour for that.’ Josh, head to toe in black leathers, frowned and nodded towards the huge motorbike that sat squarely in the middle of Mum and Dad’s drive. ‘I’ve brought you a spare helmet but you might want to swap that coat for a leather jacket if you’ve got one? The roads will throw up some dirt and it will come back filthy if you go out in that.’
‘Oh,’ I said in delight. ‘Wow, I never had you for a bike sort of person. You should have warned me we were going out on a bike.’
‘I did.’ Josh frowned. ‘I sent you a text this morning.’
‘My phone’s knackered. It was on its last legs anyway, but I dropped it down the loo this morning. I’m just waiting for it to dry out and hoping it’ll be OK.’
‘What is it with women and dropping their phones down toilets? You’d never get a man doing that.’
I grinned. ‘Search me. Right, give me two minutes.’ I knew Daisy had a leather jacket somewhere. Good job she was out in Leeds.
I’d always loved speed. I reckoned I got the gene from Mum, who adored anything fast. Alton Towers, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Lightwater Valley. She’d dragged Dad to every one over the years and, while he waited patiently beneath The Mouse Trap, Oblivion and Nemesis, knowing that he’d be throwing up even on so much as a simple merry-go-round, Mum had screamed and yelled her way round the pleasure parks of England. That was love for you.
I found Daisy’s ancient black leather jacket, ran back down the stairs and fastened the helmet.
‘Have you done this before?’ Josh asked seriously. ‘Do you know how to lean with me? If you don’t, just stay still and try not to tense up when I accelerate. Oh, and it goes without saying, avoid putting your foot on the exhaust or you’ll end up in A and E with third-degree burns. So, where are we going?’
‘I thought you were taking me out? Lunch, remember?’
‘That’s fine. I thought we could go to the Coach and Horses at Upper Clawson. There’s a great stretch of road out by the moors to give the bike its head. But how about you take me to see your grandmother’s house first?’
‘OK.’ I was more than happy to have another trip out there. I particularly wanted to see the cottage again. I’d already attempted simple plans for it in my sketchbook and needed some actual measurements. ‘Let’s go before Daisy realises I’ve nicked her leather jacket and my dad sees me on a bike and tells me I can’t go.’ I laughed. ‘It is a bit like being a kid again, being home.’
I pulled on my gloves and Josh moved closer – a bit closer than was strictly necessary – and helped me fasten the strap underneath my chin. He was wearing an aftershave I instantly recognised – Davidoff Horizon – and for a couple of seconds I had to close my eyes and fight the temptation to breathe it in and be instantly back with Dominic, my nose buried in his neck.
‘Are you OK?’ Josh looked concerned as I opened my eyes. ‘I can go and get the car if you’d prefer?’
‘I’m fine,’ I said, trying to smile.
‘So, this house is out on the Midhope road, isn’t it? Once we get near you can indicate the directions by squeezing my waist. You know, if you want me to turn right…’
‘Don’t worry, I get it. Come on.’
I adored the sheer energy, joy and freedom of being on a bike, and the gloom and misery I seemed to have sunk back into that Saturday morning began to lift as we roared down the streets and out onto the main road. I loved the feel of the bike between my thighs and yes, cliché or not, a throbbing great bike between your legs is a total turn on when compounded with a feeling of danger and fear. I wrapped my arms around Josh’s waist, smelled the leather and felt the kick of excitement flood through me.
Josh put the bike into low gear as I gave tactile instructions that he should turn and head down the lane leading to Holly Close Farm. He stopped at the end, spread his legs to keep the bike upright and just stared. He took off his helmet and turned. ‘I imagined you to be taking on a little cottage,’ he said finally. ‘Nothing like this.’
I laughed. ‘Well, there is a cottage that Madge is giving to Daisy and me. But the farm itself and most of the land is being bought by David Henderson’s son. Do you know him?’
‘Who? David Henderson or his son?’
‘Either.’
‘I’ve heard of David Henderson, of course, but I wasn’t aware he had a son.’
‘So, you can see, money will be no object. Mind you, I’m sure my granny Madge will do a fair deal with the Hendersons. She’s not out to fleece anyone.’
‘I can’t believe I’ve not come across this place before,’ Josh mused as he parked the bike and I pulled off my helmet and raked fingers through my hair. ‘I really thought I knew most of any potential renovation sites round here.’
‘I don’t really understand it myself, Josh. Even my mum didn’t know about it. She and Dad only came down for the first time yesterday and Dad was actually really miffed Granny has kept it to herself all these years; it’s just the sort of place he’d have loved to live in when we were kids. He’d have had goats and horses and geese and a ton of dogs here and Mum could have had the cottage for her pottery. Anyway, too late now, but Granny is a bit persona non grata with my parents, particularly my dad, at the moment because of this.
Josh nodded. ‘I can understand that. Come on, show me your new cottage.’
It was another mild, late November day, the temperature belying the fact that Christmas was just around the corner, and only the overgrown abundant holly bushes – exuberant with a glut of red berries – displaying the seasonal truth.
I took out the tape measure, paper and pencil I’d secured in Daisy’s jacket pocket before we set off and, while Josh set about exploring, tapping walls and kicking wood and stone, I made some quick basic measurements of the place. By extending the footfall of the cottage, there was definite scope to create two separate semi-detached places and
that’s what both Daisy and I wanted. Much as we got on, living together, sharing a kitchen and bathroom, wouldn’t work.
A good hour later and both Josh and I had been able to gather as much information as we needed for the moment. Josh had disappeared for most of the time, checking over the farm building as far as was possible without actually going in, examining the walls, the look of the foundations and finally spending a lot of time just standing back and staring skywards to see the state of the roof. I’d then gone to sit outside in what was originally the cottage garden, enjoying the weak sun on my face and being in the company of, let’s face it, a very attractive man.
‘What are you doing? Just sitting and thinking?’ Josh appeared at my side, making me jump, my senses suddenly alert. He hunkered down on the dry-stone wall next to me and the smell of leather, lemony cologne and maleness assailed my nostrils. I remembered how I’d fancied him like mad but he’d gone off with Nicci Fellowes, who was home from university for the summer and, a year older than Josh, an obvious magnet as a sophisticated, living away from home, more sexually aware woman.
‘I was just enjoying the view,’ I lied and then conceded, ‘and remembering how you went off with Nicci Fellowes when you were supposed to be meeting me and taking me to the school prom.’
‘Who?’ Josh looked genuinely puzzled.
‘Nicci Fellowes? Her dad has the hardware shop down in Westenbury?’
Josh still looked unsure. ‘I seem to remember something about her. Wasn’t she a few years above us at school?’ Josh didn’t seem overly interested as he came to sit beside me. ‘You’ve been given a wonderful opportunity here, Charlie.’ He looked me full in the face, his leathers brushing my arm. ‘I’d really like to be your builder on the whole project. By the time the sale has gone through and you’ve got planning permission and drawn up plans, I’ll have finished most of the site work down in Westenbury and will be able to spare quite a few of the men. I’m going to be fully involved with Edward Bamforth’s building project at some point, but if they cross over I can take on other labourers, brickies, sparkies and joiners, etc. I have a great site manager – a Lithuanian guy – who can always be relied on to find an extra gang if needs be. I’m assuming you’ll be wanting to do this project fairly quickly so you can get yourself back to London?’
‘That’s the plan, yes. I know Seb Henderson is really wanting to get on with it. There’s no chain involved so I’m sure, especially with his father behind it, we should be able to move fairly quickly.’
‘But meanwhile…’ Josh grinned at me and moved closer and I felt slightly shocked at his nearness. ‘Close your eyes and listen…’
I did as he said. ‘I can’t hear a thing.’
‘Exactly. It’s so wonderfully quiet down here. No, no, keep your eyes closed.’
I jumped as I felt his mouth on mine. Not the beery-tongue teenaged kiss I recalled from over ten years previously, but a man’s kiss. How could I possibly be kissing another man – and Josh Lee from Westenbury High School, for heaven’s sake – when I only wanted Dominic? Oh, but this was such a professional kiss from a man who’d obviously kissed a lot of women in his time. And, after rejection from Dominic, I was enjoying the contact with a warm-blooded male. Josh moved his legs closer to mine and I opened my eyes. If he’d had a soppy look on his face, I’d have been off, but he was lazily grinning down at me and, against my better judgement – let’s face it, my judgement had been crap anyway for the past year or so – my arms came up and rested on his black leather jacket.
‘There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?’ Josh smiled, but just as I was considering closing my eyes once again and carrying on where we’d left off, he jumped up. ‘Come on, I’m starving. I only had a bowl of cornflakes for breakfast and I could murder a steak. They do pretty good ones at the Coach and Horses.’
‘I’m almost vegetarian,’ I said a little primly, slightly miffed that he had his mind set on food.
‘Oh, we’ll soon cure you of that,’ Josh laughed. ‘Tha’s back in’t North na, tha knows. None of that namby-pamby London vegan stuff up here.’ He set off back to the bike and, realising I was also ravenously hungry for the first time in a week, I levered myself up from the garden and ran to catch him up.
As we neared the top of the lane that led back on to the main road, Josh slowed right down and stopped, indicating we take off our helmets just to admire the view down the valley. We must have sat there for a good ten minutes, enjoying the weak sunshine and the glorious countryside, when a rather flash silver car drove towards us and carried on past us down the lane. I turned to see who was heading down to the house – our house. Was it Seb’s father, David Henderson, perhaps? I managed a good view of the man: youngish, around my age and one I was almost sure was from the speed dating at the Jolly Sailor. An extremely attractive man who’d stood at the back of the room for ten minutes or so, arms folded and slowly drinking a glass of wine but not taking an active part in any of the proceedings.
*
By the time Josh dropped me back at home, sated with the most deliciously tender fillet steak I think I’d ever eaten, it was dark.
‘Oy, that’s my jacket,’ Daisy snapped as I attempted, and failed, to creep past the kitchen where she was watching Saturday afternoon rugby with Dad and Malvolio. ‘Dad, tell her, she’s been wearing my leather jacket without asking.’
‘Yes, but a very ancient specimen, I think you’ll agree,’ I said loftily. ‘Not worth having a hissy fit over.’
‘Well, you owe me one,’ Daisy said, her eyes never leaving the TV and a particularly horny pair of muddy thighs attached to a New Zealand All Black. ‘I should keep your eye on that lovely cream cashmere sweater of yours, if I were you.’
‘Don’t even think about it, Daisy,’ I hissed. ‘Dad, tell her, she’s not to touch my new cream cashmere sweater.’
‘Will the pair of you shut it? I’m trying to watch England being annihilated by these poncy down-under softies.’
‘Ooh, nothing poncy about those bums,’ Daisy grinned. ‘Look at them in those white shorts: rock hard, all of them. Now, that jumper of yours will be perfect for me to wear tonight.’
‘I mean it, Daisy. That jumper is the only good thing I’ve got left in my life.’
‘Kate,’ Dad shouted towards the kitchen. ‘Come and tell these two to shut it. The dog and I can’t get a minute’s peace to watch the game living with all you women.’
‘Mum’ll be in the attic,’ I said. ‘No good trying to get help from her.’ I left them to it, went to hide my best jumper and carried on up the next flight of stairs to find Mum.
‘Hello, darling, just give me a sec and I’ll be with you.’
‘Gosh, Mum, these are really good. You are talented, you know.’ I inspected the finished article – a christening cup in blue, by the look of it.
She smiled. ‘Well, now that I’m teaching only two days a week, I’ve so much more time on my hands. Or at least I did until Vivienne, you and Daisy arrived back.’
‘Don’t you want us back?’
‘Of course I do, darling. Although to be honest Vivienne is intent on outstaying her welcome. If I hear A handbag practised in her Lady Bracknell voice just one more time, I shall shove the sodding handbag where the sun don’t shine. Once Christmas is over she will have to be on her way.’ Mum scratched absentmindedly at the drying clay on her forehead. ‘So, yes, now I have more time, I’m happy to accept commissions. What I’m on now has been ordered by Mandy Henderson – David Henderson’s wife. It’s for her new grandson, Lysander.’
‘You do know that it’s Seb Henderson who’s buying Holly Close Farm with Libby?’
Mum looked at me. ‘I do now. I didn’t when I first took on the commission, but Mandy put me in the picture just this afternoon when she called round. Apparently, they’re all very excited about the project.’ Mum scratched again and examined the brown clay beneath her fingernails. ‘As I would have been if Madge had given us the opportunity all those years
ago when you girls were little. I’m absolutely furious with Madge, but also my mum for keeping the place under wraps. Once she’s home I shall really have it out with her.’
‘Where is Granny Nancy?’
‘Living it large in South Africa with some new man. She’s supposed to be here for Christmas, but whether she will arrive or not is anyone’s guess. Oh, and while I remember, did Madge get hold of you? Something about a coat? I think she’d like you to go over to the bungalow and fetch it for her.’
‘OK. It’ll have to be tomorrow now. I’ve been drinking, so I can’t drive. I’ll pop over tomorrow.’
11
‘Come on, Charlie, I want to take Mum’s car over to Madge’s bungalow to get stuck in to her garden and I can’t if you need it to take Madge’s coat over to Almast for her.’ Daisy was in the process of pulling the bedcovers off me.
‘For God’s sake, Daisy. It’s Sunday and it’s…’ I peered at my watch in the half-light … ‘not even eight o’clock yet.’ I grabbed the duvet back from her and pulled it back up to my neck. ‘What on earth’s the matter with you?’ I muttered. ‘Get a life, or at least a bacon sandwich. And if I’ve got to get up, make one for me too and then I’ll think about it.’ I snuggled back down and tried to bring back the dream I’d been having of Dominic making love to me in the garden of the cottage at Holly Close Farm. Or was it Josh Lee? I screwed my eyes shut, slightly embarrassed at the vividness of the dream, trying to work out exactly who it was I’d been urging on. As far as I could recall, he’d had Dominic’s face but Josh’s black biker-leathers. Whoever it was, the dream had left me horny as hell. And hungry.
‘I thought you were vegetarian?’ Daisy grinned, pulling the duvet in her direction once more.
‘I’ve been seduced over to the dark side by Mum’s shepherd’s pie and that fillet steak I had for lunch yesterday.’ I frowned, sitting up. ‘I’m a bit like a shark: I’ve got the taste for blood. You go and make bacon sandwiches, some proper coffee – Mum’s got some somewhere – and I’ll be with you. I’ll drive us both over there, find Madge’s coat, take it over to her and then come back for you. Do you want to look at the sketches I’ve done for the cottage so far?’
Coming Home To Holly Close Farm Page 10