by Heidi Swain
How was it really possible that so much could change in just twenty-four hours? I had been so happy, so content, but all that had been taken from me in the course of two minutes trapped inside a portable toilet. I found myself wondering whether it was too soon to plead with my letting agent and ask them to find a legal loophole to clear the tenant out of my flat so I could move back to London. Not that I really wanted to go back, but nor did I want to live this new life if it was destined to be filled with deceit.
I parked the truck in the market square and bagged myself a tucked away table in The Cherry Tree Café.
‘What can I get you, my love?’ smiled Angela.
‘Whichever slice of cake is most calorific,’ I nodded, ‘oh, and a coffee, please, a vat full.’
‘Oh dear,’ she said sympathetically, ‘that bad, eh?’
I nodded and watched her bustle back to the kitchen, then waved to Jemma who popped her head through the beaded curtain and mouthed ‘hello’.
‘Mind if I join you?’ said a voice behind me.
It was Jessica.
‘Of course not,’ I said, patting the seat next to me. ‘No work today?’
She hung her bag over the back of the chair and eyed the coffee and towering plate of pretty cakes Angela was setting down in front of me.
‘No,’ she frowned, ‘I’m running errands. What is all that?’ she asked, looking up at Angela wide eyed.
‘A little bit of everything Amber should have already sampled, according to Jemma,’ Angela chuckled. ‘As I understand it, all the cakes Jake took were devoured en route back to London.’
‘Oh yes,’ said Jessica, greedily eyeing the treats, ‘I remember now. I’ll have the same, please, Angela, and a pot of tea.’
‘You’ll never fit into your dress,’ I warned her.
‘Then they’ll jolly well have to let it out a bit then, won’t they?’
I’m not so naïve to think that the entire world’s problems can be cured with tea, coffee and cake, but having devoured roughly two thirds of what had been put in front of me I was feeling much happier and far more willing to share my concerns with Jessica than I had been when she first arrived.
‘So,’ she said, laying down her fork and wiping her lips with her cupcake patterned napkin, ‘what’s up?’
Not an easy question to answer as no one had told me anything much, but I owed it to myself to try to figure it out before the situation escalated to irretrievable.
‘Are you on a bit of a show comedown or is there more to it than that?’
Given her tone and the concern knitting her brow I guessed she already knew some of what I was going to say.
‘Ever since I moved here,’ I began with a sigh, ‘everyone, Annie included, has gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and part of the community.’
‘And that’s a problem because?’ she asked, selecting herself another iced fancy.
‘Because there’s something else going on, something they aren’t telling me. I know that Jake practically grew up on the farm and I also know that he had a relationship with Holly whatshername, but I get the distinct impression that there was more to their parting than just a simple relationship break-up and I can’t shrug off the feeling that everyone’s still thinking and talking about it behind my back.’
The words came out in a rush, spilling over themselves and almost tripping me up in the process, but at least they’d been said. If I did end up scurrying back to London with my tail between my legs at least there was one person who knew the real reason why.
‘Oh, I don’t think that’s true,’ Jessica said, shaking her head, ‘no one’s talking about anything. Why would they be?’
‘Because she’s back,’ I said simply. ‘This Holly whatshername is in Wynbridge and don’t even pretend you didn’t know. Harriet obviously knows so you must too.’
‘I haven’t clapped eyes on her,’ said Jessica sheepishly, ‘but I admit that Harriet had mentioned she’d been seen.’
‘And heard,’ I muttered.
‘What do you mean?’
Blushing furiously I then went on to explain what I’d heard Holly and her friend saying about me.
‘It’s obvious she’s out to change people’s opinions of me,’ I sniffed, ‘or maybe just wants to put me in my place. I really was a fool to think I could fit in here so quickly, wasn’t I?’
‘Absolutely not,’ said Jessica, sounding cross. ‘You’ve never put a foot wrong, you’ve made sure the May Fair happened this year and you’ve been nothing but kindness and generosity itself, Amber. Don’t you think for one second that her opinion is the same as anyone else’s! Everyone loves you to bits.’
‘So why is she going round telling everyone I’ve got ideas above my station and that I’m a fake?’
‘Because she’s jealous maybe,’ Jessica suggested, ‘and who can blame her? She’s doubtless heard how happy you and Jake are and seen for herself at the fair how much of a go you’re making of things, and decided to stick her nose in.’
That kind of made sense but it still didn’t explain why she would want to stick her nose in.
‘Look, you need to talk to Jake and Harriet,’ said Jessica sensibly. ‘If you explain exactly how you’re feeling about all this they’ll soon think better of keeping quiet and tell you what went on before she left.’
I gave her my most pleading look but it was obvious she wasn’t going to spill any more beans; however, at least my hunch had been proved right. I knew there was more to this unsavoury situation than just post-relationship break-up sour grapes.
‘My guess,’ Jessica continued, reaching for her purse so she could settle the bill, ‘is that she’s come back here because she’s bored or she’s run out of money or fallen out with her latest man. I daresay she’ll be gone again as soon as mummy and daddy have replenished her bank account, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t know what she did. I for one think that you should be told and I’m frankly surprised that Jake hasn’t explained already. It might even help you understand why he still hasn’t got around to clearing out the cottage.’
I nodded but didn’t say anything, my mind abuzz with this freshly gleaned information.
‘Talk to Jake and Harriet,’ Jessica said again, patting my hand. ‘They’re the only ones who know the full story. Really, I’m almost as clueless as you are and have probably got the wrong end of the stick anyway.’
The drive back to Skylark Farm was slow, purposefully slow, and when I pulled back into the yard and spotted Harriet’s little truck parked outside the back door I guessed she and Jake had already had their heads together. To be honest, as the miles had slipped by, I had fast reached the point where I was beyond worrying about myself and whether or not I was going to have a meltdown when I heard what they had to tell me. I was more concerned about the parting shot I’d left with Annie. Had she worked out that I’d found the unopened letters from the bank, and if so could she forgive me for mentioning them?
Jake and Harriet were walking back up from Pip’s paddock and I waited for them to reach the yard before walking over.
Jake was the first to speak.
‘Amber,’ he said, ‘we need to talk.’
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘I was rather hoping you were going to say that.’
We walked over to Annie’s swinging seat and the little table and chairs that were haphazardly arranged in what she called ‘her garden’, at the back of the house. The lawn was in need of a cut and the borders definitely needed tidying. The garden had been on my list of jobs for the following week, a sort of cathartic form of post-fair withdrawal symptom therapy, assuming of course that I was still here.
‘Is Annie inside?’ I asked, nodding towards the house.
‘No,’ said Jake, ‘she’s gone for a walk in the orchards.’
‘And is she,’ I croaked, ‘is she all right?’
‘She’s fine,’ said Jake, ‘we’ll talk about her later. Right now I’m more interested in sorting out the mess t
hat even just the thought of a certain someone has managed to stir up again.’
‘I take it you mean Holly,’ I said, looking squarely up at him. ‘If that is who you mean then please just say her name. I think there’s been more than enough confusion, don’t you? And by the way, I know you don’t really want to believe me, but I’m certain it was her I heard at the show.’
‘Having thought about it,’ Jake agreed, ‘I think you are probably right. That’s exactly the sort of thing she would say.’
I was relieved that Jake agreed with me now, but I just wanted to get on with clarifying the situation.
‘OK,’ I said, quickly continuing before either of them could stop me again. ‘Let’s just get this over with. I know that Holly is back in Wynbridge, I know she hates my guts and I also know that she’s going around slagging me off. What I don’t know is why.’
‘Because she’s poison,’ Harriet muttered darkly.
‘But is that really what you think of her, Harriet?’ I frowned. ‘I kind of got the impression that the two of you were friends. I thought she’d just moved away and that you’d drifted apart.’
‘Actually, that isn’t the half of it,’ she sighed.
‘Then you’d better fill me in, hadn’t you?’
I sat, poised for her to continue, but it was Jake who finally spoke up.
‘As you know, Holly and I used to date,’ he said, his words rushed, ‘and I’m guessing that you’ve worked out that we lived for a while down at the cottage.’
‘Yes,’ I confirmed, ‘it had crossed my mind. But why,’ I added, the thought only just occurring to me, ‘didn’t you live in the house? Like you and I do now?’
‘Because Annie couldn’t stand Holly,’ Jake said plainly, ‘she never could. Ever since that day she caught her scrumping in the orchards with Harriet, she maintained that Holly was the one responsible for the trouble the girls found themselves in. She tried to warn me off, she was always telling me that the girl was devious and sly, which was exactly what she turned out to be.’
‘So why did you fall in love with her then?’
‘Do you know,’ he said, ‘looking back, I have absolutely no idea.’
I wasn’t sure if that was a comforting thought or not.
‘Everything down at the cottage was fine to begin with,’ he carried on. ‘I worked on the farm and Holly kept herself out of Annie’s way. Then, gradually, she began talking about how much the place was worth and what we could do with the money if Annie decided to sell. Annie had never mentioned leaving the farm and I had no idea where Holly had got these grand ideas from.’
I stole a glance at Harriet who was staring pointedly at the grass.
‘In the end it became unbearable. She said she wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life chained to this place, that she wanted me to make something of myself like Dan had. She was obsessed with leading the sort of lifestyle I had no interest in at all and spent every waking minute trying to convince me to supply it for her.’
‘Sounds to me like she should have been dating your brother if she didn’t want to earn it for herself,’ I remarked as Harriet shifted uncomfortably in her seat. ‘But how did she even know him? I thought Dan never came here.’
‘Sometimes he would come up for the day,’ Jake explained, ‘he’d roll up in his fancy car with gifts from London that no one, except Holly of course, actually wanted. I think she fell in love with the idea of urban penthouse living because of him, and as a result, run-down, ramshackle Skylark Farm fell well and truly out of favour.’
‘And where do you come into all this?’ I asked Harriet who had so far had little to contribute beyond calling her former friend ‘poison’.
‘I came to see Jake at the farm one day,’ she said, clearing her throat, ‘and found Holly in the house going through a pile of Annie’s papers. She didn’t know I was watching her to begin with but when she started to put some of the documents in a separate file I let her know I was there.’
‘And what did she say? What was her defence?’
‘She didn’t bother to come up with one,’ Harriet shrugged. ‘She was convinced I wouldn’t tell Jake what she was up to.’
‘Why?’ I frowned. ‘Why would she think you’d keep her dirty little secret?’
‘Because,’ Harriet sighed, ‘because she . . .’
Jake reached across the table and grasped Harriet’s hand.
‘Because,’ he explained, ‘she was the only person at the time who knew that Harriet was gay and she said that if she said anything to me about the letters, then she’d “out her” in the pub in front of everyone.’
‘But that’s preposterous!’ I gasped.
‘Well, that’s what she did,’ Jake sighed.
‘You mean she actually did it?’
Jake nodded.
‘I’d gone straight to Jake, of course,’ said Harriet. ‘What else could I do? I knew Holly had the wherewithal to manipulate her way into getting what she wanted and I was terrified Jake and Annie were in danger of losing the farm. I wasn’t ready for everyone to know the details of my private life, but what choice did I have?’
‘And what did you do,’ I said, turning back to Jake, ‘when you discovered what she was up to?’
‘I locked her out of the cottage,’ he explained, ‘locked myself out too and in my temper threw the only set of keys for the place I had in the river.’
‘The place is exactly as they left it,’ Harriet smiled, ‘and no one’s seen her since, until now that is . . .’ she faltered.
‘You mean you didn’t even let her back in to pack?’ I asked.
‘Not a thing,’ Jake said smugly. ‘All she had was her phone and the clothes she stood up in.’
‘And she never put up a fight?’ I questioned.
‘She didn’t dare. Harriet had discovered she had been secretly meeting someone behind my back, hadn’t you?’ he said turning to Harriet.
‘Who?’ I asked the pair of them.
‘I never found out,’ Harriet shrugged. ‘She’d left before I got to the bottom of it all.’
‘So that was the end of it,’ Jake said, shaking his head. ‘I told her I’d go straight to the police if she gave me cause and the next thing I heard she’d left for good. I don’t know how she managed to fund her move or where she went, but she was out of my life and that was all I cared about.’
‘And was that when you came to London?’
‘Yes,’ said Jake. ‘I needed to get away from here for a while. She’d tainted everything I loved with her spiteful behaviour and when I first left, and Dan set me up with the job with Hamilton, I wondered if I’d ever come back. It didn’t take long, though. Well, you know that, Amber,’ he smiled, ‘you soon brought me back to life and before long I was going on about the place again.’
I couldn’t help feeling a little cheated. When we started dating I had no idea I was ‘bringing him back to life’, but we’d never delved into each other’s former relationships before, not even serious ones. Was I being a fool, letting the circumstances surrounding his move to the city get to me, or was I right to suddenly feel fearful that I was a rebound relationship and one that he might be prepared to move on from if someone else came along? Was that a natural reaction to what I’d just discovered, or an overreaction?
Suddenly I couldn’t resist asking:
‘Why didn’t you tell me about any of this before?’
‘I guess, because it didn’t matter. Holly was history, she wasn’t important any more. I’m in love with you, Amber, and bringing you here has been all about the future. I didn’t want you coming here and comparing what you were doing with what she did.’
‘I would never have done that,’ I said, ‘and besides, there is nothing to compare. She never wanted to work on the farm and that’s all I wanted to do from the day I arrived at Skylark. All you’ve done is made me feel a fool and vulnerable to boot. If I’d known that there was an ex lurking who would object to my being here I could have prepare
d myself. This is just all so unexpected.’
‘But we never thought for one second that she’d come back,’ Jake insisted. ‘I really believed she had gone for good.’
‘Jake never meant to hurt you, Amber,’ pleaded Harriet. ‘His keeping quiet was more about me than him. I’d been so humiliated that I just wanted to let the whole thing drop, so if you want to blame anyone for not speaking up, then blame me.’
I didn’t want to blame anyone but I couldn’t help wishing I’d known what I was letting myself in for when I came here. Clearly I was nothing like Holly. She was a manipulative, selfish bully who was out to use Annie, the farm, and even the man she claimed to love, all to suit her own needs; whereas I was looking for a fresh start and a new life with the man I loved just for who he was, not because of what he and his auntie had. No motive, no strings, no hidden intentions.
We didn’t analyse the situation any longer, and as the dust began to settle that afternoon, I realised what a relief it was to finally know that everything was out in the open, well, everything other than the contents of those letters from the bank, of course. Obviously they still had to be dealt with, but in the spirit of renewed solidarity I hoped we could tackle those together.
As far as Holly was concerned, if Jake wasn’t bothered by her being back in Wynbridge, then I was going to have to accept the situation and let it drift off down the River Wyn and out to the North Sea. It sounded simple enough, but with their former life still preserved in Meadowview Cottage like some macabre mausoleum, I hoped I was going to be able to live up to my seemingly accommodating attitude towards it all.
I waved Harriet off and went to check on the chicks again, sternly telling myself that my current priority was to stand side by side with Jake and Annie and put on a united front. What with a harvest to prepare for and Jessica and Henry’s wedding to finalise, there were more exciting times on the horizon for Skylark Farm and I wasn’t prepared to let anything take the shine off, or stop me from enjoying my first summer here. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Holly before,’ Jake said as we snuggled up in bed that night. ‘If I’d thought for even a second that she’d have the cheek to turn up again I would have explained sooner.’