by Shaun Baines
Holly sought out Old Jack in the crowd, whispering hurried words into his ear. “You’re retiring?”
Old Jack raised a glass. “Don’t worry, pet. We’ll be fine.”
“It won’t be easy,” Mrs Masterly said, “and I can’t deliver the kind of money Arcadia Leisure was promising, but there’ll be work for those who want it and a community for those who don’t.”
Callum raised his hand. “Can I ask a question?”
“Don’t worry,” Mrs Masterly said. “Your job as estate gamekeeper has been reinstated, as has your house.”
“It’s not that,” Callum said, hooking fingers through the buttonholes of his lapels. “You need people to stay, right?”
Mrs Masterly nodded.
“So, you’ll need someone to manage the land and the houses on it?”
“I haven’t appointed anyone and that person will have to come cheap, but yes.”
Callum pointed at Derek. “He used to work in real estate. I’m told he was good. If you were willing, I suggest you hire Derek.”
“What do you say?” Mrs Masterly asked, spinning on her heels toward Derek.
“I would think…” he said, jostling on the spot. “Yes. I can do it. I’d be happy to.”
The crowd applauded, the sound so loud it caused a shower of dust to rain from the ceiling. Glasses were refilled and the Reverend turned up the music.
The residents of Little Belton joined each other on a makeshift dancefloor.
Holly pushed her way through the throng. “Are you sure?” she asked her husband.
Derek snatched a bottle of sparkling water from a nearby table. Twisting the lid, he danced out of the way of the froth spraying down his legs.
“I’m sure,” he said. “I would like to stay in Little Belton. With you. If that’s okay?”
Holly swallowed a mouthful of champagne to cool her racing heart.
“It’s more than okay,” she said, resting a hand on Derek’s arm.
The night continued into the morning. It was a blur to Holly. Champagne and music. Excited chatter and gossip. Friendships rekindled and relationships forged forever. It was only when the sun began to rise that Holly needed some space.
She stood outside, feeling the breeze on her face and the warming glow of the sun. Birds chattered in the trees. Rabbits ran loose in the grass. Nancy’s goat strained on its leash, kicking dirt from under its hooves.
“I can see you,” Holly said.
A figure on the outskirts of the light walked forward, brushing calloused hands down his wax jacket.
“Thank you,” Holly said. “For what you did for Derek.”
“Dad would have wanted me to,” Callum said.
“What about you? Did you want to?”
“Now he has a job, I think you’ll see a difference in how he treats you,” Callum said, tugging on the sleeves of his coat. “If your parents can have a long and happy marriage living here, then so can you.”
Holly raised a half-smile. “I didn’t say they were always happy. This is Little Belton. Not Disneyland.”
A deer broke through the rhododendron border of the grounds. It stopped for a moment and then leapt through the bushes on the other side.
“What about you?” Holly asked. “What are you going to do?”
“I have my job back and my home.” Callum pulled a tie from his pocket, unwrapping it from plastic sheeting. It was purple and green paisley, oddly suited to his wax jacket and trousers.
“Things change so quickly,” Holly said. “Now Derek is employed and it’s me without a job. I do the accounts for the Herald. I doubt the new owners will keep me on when they see how little money we make.”
“Except there’s one thing you don’t know.” Callum huffed as he struggled to fix the tie around his neck. “I own the Little Belton Herald.”
“I’m sorry?” Holly stared at the young man accidentally binding a tie to his thumb. “What are you talking about?”
“I overheard Old Jack talking to Mrs Masterly about it,” Callum said, abandoning his attempts. “I stepped in. We all agreed the Herald should stay in local hands.”
Holly shook her head, the drunken haze refusing to shift. “How could you possibly buy a newspaper?”
“My Dad was loyal, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew the value of his services. The Wentworths thought so highly of him, they paid him a generous pension when they left. I inherited it when he died.”
“How generous?” Holly asked.
Callum folded the tie into a square and handed it to Holly.
“Enough for me to spend my time half-feral on the estate while the grown-ups run the village,” he said. “It’s why I’d like you to be the editor-in-chief of the Little Belton Herald.”
“Wait a minute,” Holly said. “Are you saying you’re going to be my new boss?”
Behind them, the party was winding down. The music stopped and there were cheers of farewells.
“Actually, no. I bought the paper because I want you to be happy.” Callum blew into his hands against the morning cold. “You were waiting for Derek to prove himself. Now he can. You were never going to leave him, but I think you need a chance to prove yourself too.”
Guests spilled onto the stone steps of the manor, arms wrapped around shoulders, songs still on their lips. The Reverend held onto Old Jack. Big Gregg swayed in unison with Regina. Catching Holly and Callum in conversation, they respectfully decided to eavesdrop.
Except for Old Jack, who came to the forefront. “I knew all along about what was going on in the Foxglove home and I guessed Nancy would leave Little Belton. It was in her nature to roam. I never said a word, though. I was too afraid.” Jack paused long enough for his blue eyes to flash golden. “We need someone like you. We always did. I love my village. Love it too much to question what’s happening to it. We need someone difficult.”
“Someone stubborn,” Big Gregg added.
“Someone to ask the hard questions,” the Winnows cried together.
Holly wafted the growing heat from her face. “And that’s me?”
“Someone to put principle above profit,” Mrs Masterly said, reapplying her lipstick.
“And someone to keep us on our toes,” Callum said with a smile.
Holly watched her friends sobering up. They were arm in arm, watching her intently. Something told her they knew about this, that they’d come outside to hear her answer. Like Old Jack said, there were no secrets in Little Belton.
Their smiles twitched in anticipation, their nerves making them fidget.
Derek tapped her on the shoulder. “What do you reckon? It’s time for a change, don’t you think?”
The sun rose higher in the sky, casting a spotlight on a village that felt like home. The warmth on her shoulders was matched by the warmth of her friends.
Beyond the overgrown gardens of Black Rock Manor lay a forest where ancient trees stood. They were silhouetted against the morning sun and an over-imaginative person might have seen them as figures lurking in the gloom; the spirits of Little Belton’s ancestors who had been lost through the ages.
But they were trees, Holly reminded herself. Beings that had stood in the same spot long since before she was born. There was nothing supernatural about them until Holly saw a raven swinging from a crooked branch.
It was Black Eye Bobby fixing her with a stare. Guided by the breeze, he steadied himself and tipped his sharp beak in Holly’s direction.
Almost a bow, she thought. Almost a sign of acceptance.
And Holly turned to her friends with her answer.
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Holly and Callum will be back soon…