Summer At Skylark Farm

by Heidi Swain

In fact, the shock was almost too much when we finally took in her transformation as she stepped shyly out from behind the decoupage screen and slipped her slender feet into her heels. Every time we’d visited the boutique in Norwich she’d refused to come out of the changing rooms and, beyond knowing that the dress fitted, even the bride was clueless as to how she really looked.

  ‘But Harriet,’ I teased, more used to seeing her caked in mud and sporting nothing more elegant than a pair of Hunter wellies, ‘you really are a girl!’

  ‘Shurrup,’ she muttered, half flattered, half embarrassed.

  The sound of voices and car doors slamming beneath the windows warned us it was almost time to leave and the three of us bustled about putting the finishing touches to our hair and our dresses. We didn’t dare look at one another; there simply wasn’t time to touch up our make-up again.

  ‘Are you girls ready in there?’

  Jessica’s mother sounded as brisk and composed as ever. She had stayed out of the way while we dressed, opting instead to look after the little flower girl and keep Jessica’s father out of the drinks cabinet and from changing his speech.

  ‘The cars are here, Jessica!’

  ‘You can come in, Mum!’ Jessica shouted back. ‘We’re ready.’

  ‘Oh my,’ she sighed as she slipped into the room, ‘don’t you look beautiful. I admit I had my doubts about that dress, Jessica, but you were right.’

  Harriet and I hid behind our posies as we registered the shock on Jessica’s face.

  ‘Now you girls,’ the mother of the bride said addressing us, ‘turn around so I can see the back. Mmm,’ she frowned, her smile slipping slightly as she fiddled with her pearls, ‘I still think backless was a racy choice. You don’t want to be upstaged, Jessica!’

  ‘It’ll be fine, Mum,’ Jessica tutted, ushering her mother back towards the door.

  ‘Yes, well, too late to do anything about it now, I suppose.’

  Harriet and I grinned at one another again but didn’t say a word.

  Chapter 47

  The wedding service went without a hitch and it was a very happy party that walked down from Wynthorpe church to the marquee that afternoon ready to celebrate in style. Harriet, Jake and I opened the doors to let Jessica and Henry have the first look at the stunning interior and, seeing their reactions, I can safely say there was barely a dry eye amongst the guests.

  After the meal and speeches the happy couple took to the floor for their first dance and I took the opportunity to make sure Annie was enjoying herself and congratulate her on her choice of hat.

  ‘Do you like it?’ she smiled broadly, giving it a little pat. ‘I thought it was quite appropriate for the time of year.’

  The decorated straw affair had definitely seen better days, but she was right: given that we were in the middle of fruit picking season the collection of silk and plastic fruit perched on top of her head was perfect.

  ‘There’s even a little sheaf of wheat tucked around the back,’ she said, twisting round so I could see the full effect. ‘If you hadn’t have gone through the loft I would never have found it.’

  I wasn’t sure if that made me feel guilty or pleased. Judging by the way Jake was shaking his head across the other side of the dancefloor I guessed guilty was the way to go. As Jessica and Henry’s song came to an end he made his way towards me, resplendent in a formal morning suit and looking far smarter and more dashing than I had ever seen him. The colour of his cravat I noticed matched the green of my dress and the pink rose in his button hole was the same as those Lizzie had used for the posies. I smiled and felt my face flush as I thought how we really did match each other in every possible way.

  ‘May I have this dance?’ he asked when he reached me, holding out his hand.

  ‘Of course, dear boy,’ beamed Annie, stepping forward, ‘I thought you’d never ask!’

  I giggled from the edge of the dancefloor as I watched Jake guide his auntie slowly round and round, his progress much impeded by a large bunch of cherries that seemed determined to poke him in the eye whenever he so much as glanced in my direction.

  ‘Having fun?’ said a voice close to my ear.

  ‘Holly,’ I smiled, ‘hello. I didn’t see you arrive.’

  Surreptitiously we looked each other up and down. Personally I’d always thought it was bad form to wear white to a wedding if you weren’t the bride, but perhaps I was wrong, and besides, given that she had such a glowing tan, I couldn’t blame her for wanting to show it off. I was just about to compliment her on it, but she spoke up before I had a chance.

  ‘Not everyone can carry that green off, can they?’ she said, smiling sweetly. ‘But with your dark hair and complexion it just about works.’

  I pursed my lips and tried to think of something to say.

  ‘Shame for Harriet, though,’ she continued, wrinkling her nose and nodding to where my fellow bridesmaid and Rachel were sitting at a corner table working their way through a bowl of strawberries.

  Bam, jellyfish by proxy! I definitely wouldn’t be filling Harriet in on that one later.

  ‘As I said, I didn’t see you arrive,’ I responded, deciding to talk about something else rather than get drawn in to a catty back and forth. ‘Did you bring someone?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ she said, looking around her, ‘he’s here somewhere. You’ll see him later no doubt.’

  ‘And did this mystery man,’ I asked, remembering Harriet had mentioned that a man was probably involved in Holly’s sudden disappearance, ‘travel abroad with you?’

  ‘Sort of,’ she said, her feline eyes flicking back to me, ‘he was abroad already. I just travelled out to spend some time with him.’

  ‘Well, I’ll look forward to meeting him later. Now if you’ll excuse me,’ I said as I spotted Jake settling Annie at a table and heading in my direction, ‘I have a date with the dancefloor and my very handsome escort.’

  ‘Save one for me!’ Holly called coquettishly to Jake, before mingling amongst the other guests.

  ‘Isn’t it frowned upon to wear white to a wedding if you aren’t the bride?’ he said, watching her walk away.

  ‘Hmm,’ I said, slipping my arms around his neck. I had no desire to discuss his ex’s choice of outfit. ‘Now, are you going to dance with me or not?’

  ‘I’d like to do something with you,’ he said as he moved me gently closer. ‘Have I told you how sublime you look in that dress?’

  ‘No,’ I said, pulling away slightly and pretending to play hard to get, ‘you haven’t.’

  ‘Well, you do,’ he whispered, drawing me back in and kissing my neck. ‘In fact, I don’t think I’m going to make it until we go to bed before I have to show you exactly how good I think you look.’

  ‘At ease, soldier,’ I smiled. ‘If you meet me down at the river in an hour you won’t have to wait until bedtime. There’s something I have to tell you,’ I added, just to make sure he didn’t think the liaison was nothing more than a clandestine tryst.

  ‘Oh,’ he said softly, ‘I like the sound of that.’

  ‘Thought you might,’ I said, moving so close that we were practically joined at the hip. ‘Now come on. Just one more song and I’d better get back to my duties.’

  The next hour seemed to take an age to pass but eventually it was time to slip out of the marquee, light the candles and run through what I intended to say again. My heart was beating to its own tune as I looked in wonder at the tiny lights that were beginning to twinkle in the trees and the pretty bunting swaying in the breeze. However, my steps faltered as I reached the river. The candles were already burning. I hoped Jake hadn’t arrived early. I was determined to set the scene myself and didn’t want anything to throw me off course. I was already feeling nervous, but I knew if I could just stick to my plan then I’d be fine.

  A sudden movement next to one of the willow trees caught my attention and as my eyes adjusted to the change in light levels I could just about make out the tall silhouette of a man.

&n
bsp; ‘Hello, Amber.’

  ‘Dan?’ I gasped, my heart beating a different tattoo in my chest. ‘What on earth are you doing here?’

  ‘I need to talk to you,’ he shrugged as he settled himself on the blanket and patted the space next to him. ‘Someone told me you had arranged a little seduction down here so I thought I’d make the most of it. Don’t look so worried,’ he laughed, ‘I’m not gatecrashing the wedding. I was invited.’

  ‘By who?’ I frowned, my brain quickly scrolling through the guest list and trying to locate his name. ‘Who invited you and who told you I was coming down here? I thought you were still abroad,’ I added, my muddled thoughts spilling out in a clumsy rush.

  I knew Jake would be arriving any second and I so wanted everything to be perfect and I also wanted us to be very much alone, but I could tell by Dan’s demeanour that he was in no mood to be fobbed off.

  ‘Holly,’ he said simply. ‘She invited me and she heard you whispering sweet nothings to Jake on the dancefloor about meeting him here.’

  Holly. That one name sent a shiver down my spine and I was instantly filled with a horrible sense of foreboding.

  ‘She came to see me in Dubai,’ Dan continued, ‘and asked if I fancied accompanying her tonight to keep her out of mischief.’

  I didn’t say anything.

  ‘You know Holly, don’t you?’ Dan asked, looking up at me when I didn’t comment. ‘As I understand it the two of you are friends now.’

  ‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ I croaked, my mind frantically searching for clues that might have forewarned me of this unexpected turn of events. ‘Dan,’ I asked, when I realised Holly had been too clever to leave any, ‘what are you really doing here?’

  There was something unnerving about his sudden appearance. Surely if he was back in the country for the wedding he would have made the effort to catch up with his family at the house earlier in the day, rather than lurking in the shadows and turning up at my secret rendezvous spot. My heart sank further as I realised that his presence had nothing to do with keeping Holly out of mischief at all because he was clearly intent on making some himself.

  ‘Actually,’ he said with a twisted smile that made my stomach squirm, ‘I’ve come to remind you that it’s time to go back.’

  ‘What do you mean, go back?’

  ‘Simon’s waiting for an answer,’ he said. ‘I’ve recently discovered that you’ve spent the last six months thinking about whether or not you want the Dubai job. You know, the job that I had assumed was mine. The job that you never mentioned you’d been offered and would be yours as soon as you snapped your fingers. You’ve just been playing at farms until I got everything up and running, haven’t you?’

  I felt my throat go dry and my heart began to beat faster again, but not out of excitement, rather a nauseating, all-consuming fear. I needed to get rid of him and explain everything to Jake before Dan relayed his own bitter and twisted version of events. He may have thought his anger was justified but I had only done what Simon had asked by keeping quiet.

  ‘Amber?’

  I almost jumped out of my skin as Jake called through the trees and I realised I was out of time.

  ‘She’s here!’ Dan quickly called back, sabotaging my one and only chance to retrace my steps and steer Jake away.

  ‘Dan?’

  ‘Hello, brother,’ said Dan, jumping up and amiably shaking Jake’s hand. ‘How’s the farming life suiting you?’

  ‘Great,’ said Jake, looking confused, ‘brilliant actually, but what are you doing here?’ He turned to look at me and asked, ‘Is this the surprise you were talking about?’

  I shook my head but Dan didn’t give me a chance to answer.

  ‘As I understand it you’ve got some great plans for the place,’ he continued. ‘Letting out the cottage and putting some pigs in the orchard. That’s right, isn’t it?’ he said, looking at me.

  ‘How did you know about that?’ said Jake.

  He looked less than thrilled to see his sibling now and I knew Dan wasn’t going to give me the opportunity to explain anything.

  ‘Holly,’ I croaked.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Holly,’ I said again, clearing my throat and looking at Dan. ‘She’s switched allegiance. Dubai, that’s where she got the tan.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Jake, ‘right. I see. So you and Holly are an item now, are you?’ he said to Dan. ‘You’re probably well suited actually. Both single-minded and headstrong, sounds like a match made in heaven.’

  ‘Yes,’ Dan smiled at Jake, ‘single-minded and headstrong. But actually it’s you who seems to have the knack for picking women like that, isn’t it?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Jake frowned.

  ‘Don’t,’ I said, stepping forward and looking at Dan. ‘Please.’

  ‘Don’t what?’ pounced Jake.

  ‘Amber here,’ said Dan, nodding his head at me and carrying straight on despite my pleading, ‘she’s single-minded and headstrong, isn’t she? I’ve come to tell her that Simon’s waiting for an answer.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ said Jake, looking from his brother to me. ‘An answer to what?’

  ‘Whether she wants the job in Dubai he gave her six months to consider while I was out there doing the dirty work and setting everything up.’

  ‘What?’ said Jake, looking at me, his eyes narrowed to tiny slits.

  I gasped for a lungful of air and felt the ground swaying beneath my feet. I couldn’t believe Dan had said it any more than I could believe I’d put off dealing with it for so long.

  ‘What?’ he said again.

  ‘Oh,’ grinned Dan, ‘oops, sorry, hadn’t you told him?’

  ‘Told me what?’ Jake thundered.

  ‘All yours,’ said Dan, looking at me and taking a step back.

  I swallowed hard and looked at Jake, my eyes begging him to understand what I was about to try to explain. What I should have explained before we even boarded the train to come to Skylark Farm.

  ‘Before we left London,’ I began, my voice catching and shaking in my throat, ‘Simon told me that he was considering expanding the business. He said he was thinking about setting up an office in Dubai and asked if I was interested in managing it. I said no straightaway,’ I quickly added, ‘but he didn’t want to lose me, so he offered me six months to think about it.’

  Jake looked dumbstruck and I could see he didn’t understand at all. I wasn’t sure I did any more. I’d let my head and heart run away with life on the farm and put off sending that one simple ‘thanks but no thanks’ email that would have sorted it all out.

  ‘So you came here with me,’ said Jake, his voice unnervingly calm, ‘what, on some sort of sabbatical? You came to the farm with a view to doing something different for a few months before you disappeared to Dubai?’

  ‘No,’ I said, ‘no. It wasn’t like that at all!’

  ‘I fucking knew you weren’t doing anything for Henry when you kept disappearing to check your emails. You were talking to Simon, weren’t you? Is that what all this was about tonight?’ he shouted. ‘One last night together before you left for London?’

  ‘No,’ I sobbed, ‘I never for one second had any intention of leaving. I knew right from the moment we arrived here that there was nowhere else in the world I would rather be. In fact I got so carried away with everything that I completely forgot about Simon and Dubai, and now he’s turned up,’ I said, pointing to Dan, ‘and done this. I don’t know why he’s made me tell you but I promise I never wanted that job and I should never have left London without telling Simon once and for all. You do believe me, don’t you?’ I said, my eyes frantically searching Jake’s for some clue, some hope.

  ‘I don’t know what I believe any more,’ he said, his face unreadable as he ran his hands through his hair. ‘This whole time we’ve been here feels like a sham now. All the time I thought you were committing to me and Annie and the farm and all the time you had this job offer in the background just in case things di
dn’t work out.’ He took a step back towards the orchards. ‘Holly was right about you.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘She said you wouldn’t settle here for long.’

  ‘When,’ I demanded, ‘when did she say that?’

  I couldn’t believe he had been talking to her about me behind my back.

  ‘Weeks ago,’ Jake said nastily, ‘she said you’d get bored here and go back at some point and she was right. And to think I tried to defend you to her.’

  ‘But she couldn’t be more wrong,’ I sobbed, trying to push away the image of Holly and Jake alone together talking about what I did or didn’t want. How many times had they met? Was it a one-off or was it a regular catch-up arrangement? ‘She’s wrong!’ I said again, louder this time.

  ‘I’m sorry, Amber,’ said Jake, ‘but even if she is, I don’t think I know who you are any more.’

  ‘I’m still me,’ I pleaded, ‘I just made a mistake, one silly mistake. Surely you can see that?’

  ‘No,’ he said, ‘I can’t.’ He took another step away and shook his head. ‘Why is it,’ he shouted, ‘that this place is never enough? I think you should just go.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Leave!’ he yelled.

  I stood rooted to the spot too terrified to move and too shocked to speak. I watched through my tears as he turned and stumbled back towards the marquee and Dan began blowing out the candles and folding the rug as if nothing had happened.

  ‘If I were you,’ he said, passing me the blanket, ‘I’d take his advice and get out of here as soon as possible.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ I sniffed, snatching the blanket from him. ‘We’ll get through this. You’ll see. I’ll go to Jake and explain everything properly.’

  ‘No, no, no,’ laughed Dan. ‘It won’t work like that around here, and besides, you heard him. He wants you to go.’

  ‘Don’t be so ridiculous,’ I said bravely, ‘that isn’t what he meant.’ I swallowed, feeling more unsure by the second. ‘That was just heat of the moment stuff. This is my business, Dan, mine and Jake’s. Not yours or Holly’s or even Annie’s. Jake and I will sort this out between us. You’ll see.’