Chapter 17
Bethany settled in the sagging armchair in the living room of Whispering Willows and lifted Viva onto her lap. The little dog seemed content to be with her, and her presence was a comfort to Bethany. It had been so many years since she’d owned a dog—not since Poppins, in fact. She hadn’t realised how much she’d missed the companionship. Ted hadn’t been a dog lover, so she hadn’t pushed it, and deep down she’d thought maybe she didn’t deserve to own another dog anyway. It would have felt disloyal, given that she’d abandoned Poppins the way she had. Now, she thought she’d quite like to have her own dog again one day. Maybe she’d even give Viva a home. If she ever found a home to give her, of course.
That, she decided firmly, was a problem for another day. She couldn’t give any headspace right now to house hunting. She had enough on her mind trying to decide what to do with Whispering Willows. It was keeping her awake at night, worrying about the estate and the animals that lived on it. Not to mention Summer and, to a lesser extent, Maya and Lennox. They’d all miss the place, and Summer would be unemployed.
Then there was Clive and how he’d feel about it. She was reluctant to admit it, but his opinion mattered to her. At the thought of him her stomach swished, and she bit her lip as she fondled Viva’s ears.
‘What a mess, eh?’ she whispered to the little dog. ‘How on earth did this happen? I didn’t know I could still feel this way.’
Or ever feel this way come to that. How had someone like Clive proved to be such an attraction? He was nothing like Ted. Or Glenn. Maybe, she thought ruefully, that was the point. They’d been wealthy, middle-class men, with refined tastes and posh accents. Clive was so different to them. He was a working man, with a beautiful soft Scottish accent and down to earth tastes. She couldn’t imagine him being an opera buff like Ted, or a connoisseur of fine wines like Glenn.
She thought about him soothing that poor little foal and her heart melted all over again. He’d been so good with him. She’d seen the compassion in his eyes, heard the kindness in his tone of voice, and it had moved her more than she cared to admit.
Was she getting confused about her feelings? Was it just because he was nothing like the two previous so-called loves of her life that she’d developed this attraction to him? Or because he was clearly a caring man and she felt she could trust him?
Was it—and she reluctantly had to admit it was a possibility—because he was a link to Joseph, and all those years with her brother she’d missed out on?
Whatever these feelings were, she didn’t know how to handle them. Not that it mattered, because she’d seen him looking at Jennifer, and she was almost sure he had feelings for her. The last thing she needed was to fall in love with a man whose heart lay elsewhere. She should have learned that lesson by now, surely?
‘I really need to pull myself together,’ she told Viva, who eyed her sympathetically and licked her hand in a show of solidarity.
Bethany laughed. ‘Thank you for that. I think I need to talk to someone who can actually talk back. No offence, Viva.’
She took out her mobile phone and called Helena, who answered within a couple of rings.
‘Bethany! How are you, darling? Still up there knee deep in horse manure?’
Bethany felt a pang of guilt at the thought that she should be, really. Well, not knee deep, but helping in the stables. She’d done a bit of mucking out and some of the messier jobs, but she hadn’t had much to do with the horses themselves. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because she’d been away from them so long she no longer felt sure of her competence. Or perhaps it was because she’d tried so hard to avoid getting emotionally attached to them. Having been around the foal she knew how easy it would be to do so, and where would that leave her? She had to be practical. She was selling Whispering Willows, and the horses would need a new home, so she couldn’t form any sort of bond with them. She’d had to leave one pony behind who she’d loved dearly. She couldn’t go through that again.
‘More up to my eyes in bacon fat and cups of tea,’ she said lightly. ‘I’m here for six every morning so I can make the workers their breakfast.’
‘Six o’clock!’ Helena sounded appalled. ‘Rather you than me. Can’t they make their own breakfasts?’
‘They could,’ Bethany admitted. ‘But I have to say, I quite enjoy it. It’s my favourite time of the day actually. We all sit round the table and have breakfast together and chat.’
‘Who’s all?’ Helena enquired.
‘Me, Clive, Lennox and Maya—you know, the two teenagers I told you about.’
‘Oh, how very cosy. Like a proper family,’ Helena said. ‘Do I take it you’re getting quite attached to this new way of life then?’
‘I never said that,’ Bethany said quickly.
‘Well, you did really. Just not in so many words.’ Helena laughed. ‘You sound in much better spirits anyway. Did you get Joseph’s accounts sorted out at last?’
Bethany rolled her eyes. ‘I’d hardly call them accounts. Scraps of paper just shoved in a drawer in no sort of date order at all. Honestly, I can’t imagine how he managed. But yes, I’ve got them in order at last.’ She paused. ‘He really was in trouble, Hels. Financially, I mean. He’d gone through almost every penny he had. Mum’s inheritance, his pension, the lot. I don’t think Whispering Willows could have continued much longer anyway.’
‘I’m guessing you’re paying for the horses’ keep now then.’
‘Obviously. I can’t touch Joseph’s bank accounts yet, and I doubt there’ll be much in them. Judging by the final demands I found he didn’t have the funds to cover his debts. I’ve just paid the feed bill and the farrier. Aw, the farrier was lovely about it. He even said he’d be happy to waive what was outstanding, but of course I wouldn’t hear of it. He’s getting married soon and has two young children to support.’
‘Ooh, sounds like you’ve had a good long chat with him.’
‘He lives locally,’ Bethany explained. ‘He’s marrying a woman I knew when she was a little girl. I vaguely remember him, too, although mostly because I remember his mother who was a complete dragon. Thankfully he’s nothing like her.’
‘Sounds like you’re really settling in there,’ Helena said, clearly surprised. ‘Do I take it you’re softening towards Tuppenny Bridge?’
‘Not at all!’ Bethany was quick to deny it. ‘Nothing’s changed. I’d just forgotten that some of the locals are nice people, that’s all.’
‘So when are you coming, er, home?’
Bethany sensed the hesitation on Helena’s part when she referred to her house as ‘home’. She wondered if Helena was deliberately drawing attention to the fact that it wasn’t Bethany’s home after all, and maybe she should be thinking of moving out permanently. Or was she just being over-sensitive because the thought had been preying on her own mind for so long?
‘I’ve got a lot to sort out here,’ she admitted. ‘Things are so complicated, what with the financial situation and the state of the place. Then there are the horses…’
‘Have you still not found new owners for them?’ Helena asked. ‘Surely you’ve managed to rehome at least some of them by now?’
Ashamed, Bethany had to admit she hadn’t even tried. ‘I’m thinking of doing some repairs to the stables,’ she said.
‘You’re what? What on earth for?’
‘You should see the state of them. One’s bulging so much it looks like it’s been filled to the brim with something and is about to burst. Anyway, it will add value to the property, won’t it?’
‘I wouldn’t have thought so,’ Helena advised. ‘To be honest, in this day and age people are more likely to pull stables down or convert them into something else. You’d probably be wasting your money.’
‘That’s what Clive said,’ Bethany said, trying not to feel put out.
‘Sounds wise. Actually, I’m surprised he didn’t encourage you to go ahead, given how he’s hoping you’ll keep the sanctuary open. What ulterior motive has he got for telling you not to invest, do you think?’
‘He’s not like that,’ Bethany insisted, with perhaps a little more haste than she should have. ‘He was just being honest with me. I said I might spend some cash on doing up the house and he pointed out that it might be pulled down and replaced with a holiday park or something.’
‘Sounds to me like he’s just trying to frighten you into not selling,’ Helena said. ‘You’re not falling for that trick, are you?’
‘He’s not trying to trick me,’ Bethany said patiently. ‘Besides, he’s got a point when I think about it. It’s such a beautiful area round here. The Dales are so popular, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that Whispering Willows could end up in the hands of a leisure company. It could, best case scenario, become a small hotel or guest house. There’s no guarantee it wouldn’t be demolished though, and then anything could happen. Log cabins, caravans, tents?—’
‘Yurts. Shepherd’s huts. Tree houses. I’ve seen it all. Glamping. They could make a fortune. Hey, there’s an idea!’ Helena sounded enthusiastic. ‘Scrap that. Cut out the middle man and do it yourself. Pull the house down and turn Whispering Willows into a glamping and holiday site. You could make a fortune.’
‘The people of this town would never forgive me,’ Bethany said darkly.
‘What do you care? You won’t be there!’ Helena laughed. ‘Don’t you even want to consider it?’
Bethany nibbled her thumbnail, thinking of Clive’s face if she suggested such a thing.
‘I’ve still got to find homes for the horses and ponies and donkeys, whether I do up the house or not,’ she mused, ignoring Helena’s suggestion.
‘Have you rung round any local sanctuaries? There must be some in the area who’d be willing to take them?’
‘Clive says it’s a real problem at the moment. The cost-of-living crisis is having a massive effect and there are so many abandoned horses. Oh, Hels, you should have seen what I saw.’
She proceeded to tell her friend all about Shirley Bassey and Dylan Thomas.
‘Honestly, it would have broken your heart. Clive can’t guarantee the little one will make it, but I’ve told them all if he does he’s welcome to recover here, along with his mum of course.’
‘Are you insane? You’re supposed to be getting rid of all those animals, not adding to them!’
‘I know, I know. But he just looked so sweet, and so vulnerable. He’s had such a rotten start in life, and I wanted to be able to help him.’
‘And what happens when you sell the stables around his sweet little ears? Where does he go then? You’ve not thought this through,’ Helena reproved her.
‘At least it will buy him some time until we can find him another home.’
‘You can’t even find homes for the thirteen you already have! What on earth’s wrong with you? Can’t this vet keep them, or at least find homes for them when they’re discharged from his care?’
‘I told you, it’s not that easy. I’m sure if Clive had equine facilities he’d have kept them however long it took, but this other vet… Well, who knows how long he’ll be willing to care for them? He might discharge them early to make room for new patients. Did I tell you that Joseph was considering turning part of Whispering Willows into an equine hospital for Clive? Stepping Stones is only a little way along the road from here and it would have been an ideal solution. It’s a shame it never happened.’
‘But if it had you’d then have had the problem of what to do with that when you sell the place,’ Helena pointed out. She sounded puzzled. ‘And then you’d have had more guilt.’
‘I suppose you’re right. It just seems a shame. Clive’s so good with horses and I’m sure his equine unit would be much better than this Walter chap’s.’
She narrowed her eyes as she heard muffled laughter down the phone. ‘Are you laughing at me?’
‘Sorry, but have you any idea how many times you’ve mentioned Clive? Is there something you’re not telling me, Beth?’
Bethany’s face burned with embarrassment. ‘Don’t be ridiculous! Like what?’
‘Oh, I don’t know. But it sounds to me like this Clive fellow has made quite an impression on you.’
‘He’s just a decent man,’ Bethany protested. ‘Not many of those about.’
‘If he’s that decent he’ll find homes for those horses and you can leave it in his capable hands,’ Helena said firmly. ‘Come home, Bethany. Let other people deal with this headache. You’ve got other things to do, like finding your own place for a start.’
Bethany pushed away the scintillating thought that had popped into her head when Helena mentioned Clive’s ‘capable hands’.
‘They’re my responsibility,’ she said stubbornly. ‘Joseph might not have given much thought to their future, but I must. I won’t let them down.’
Not after she’d let Pepper down so badly. She couldn’t have any more animal suffering on her conscience.
‘So I guess you’ll be stuck in Tuppenny Bridge for quite some time then,’ Helena said with a sigh. ‘Maybe you should think about making some improvements to the house after all. You can’t stay with Miss Lavender forever.’
‘You’re right,’ Bethany agreed. ‘I can’t. Maybe I will invest a bit of money in the place. If I can increase its value it might put off leisure companies looking for a quick buck. In fact,’ she considered, feeling a sudden twist of excitement in her stomach, ‘I should turn it back into a proper family home. That would encourage buyers who actually want to live in it.’
‘Are you sure about this?’ Helena sounded doubtful.
‘Absolutely sure,’ Bethany told her, feeling happier than she’d felt for a long time. ‘I’m going to transform Whispering Willows and make sure it becomes a lovely family home again. The way it used to be when Grandma and Grandad owned it before he destroyed it.’
‘And then what?’
Bethany swallowed. ‘And then I’ll sell it and get out of Tuppenny Bridge as fast as I can. What else?’
‘Hmm.’ Helena didn’t sound convinced, and Bethany didn’t blame her.
For the first time ever she’d had a sudden thought that perhaps she’d quite like to stay around here. Not in Whispering Willows, but in Tuppenny Bridge. Just for a while at least.
She couldn’t think where that idea had come from and dismissed it immediately. It was never going to happen.