Sixteen
Sally walked past the pretty little church with its cute pointy spire and through the kissing gate marked on the roughly drawn map in her hand. Just ahead, she could see a lovely house which Jenny had marked as being where she lived. As she walked past, Sally saw a tabby cat sound asleep on one windowsill and a ginger and white one on the other.
The sight of cats on windowsills always made her smile and this time was no exception although, if she was being honest, the sight of any animal made her smile. Unless they were in pain or being maltreated in which case her heart would twist with pain.
Steve used to tease her about being such a softy when it came to animals. Whenever adverts came on the television that had animals in them, he would quickly change the channel to avoid any potential upset. Even the Andrex puppy adverts were a no-go.
With thoughts of Steve in her head again, she wondered once more what he would have made of what she was doing. Would he have said she was daft? Or would he have been right behind her, supporting her?
She let out a sigh. It was a question she’d never get the answer to so she had to stop thinking about it and just get on with doing the best she could on her own.
The path she was following went round a small bend and she stopped dead when she saw the manor house just up ahead.
‘Holy shit!’
She glanced down at the map in her hand. Yup, this was absolutely her intended destination.
‘Thanks for the warning, Jenny!’ she said aloud, as she pulled her handbag up tighter onto her shoulder.
Three minutes later, she was standing in front of the large, solid wood doors and her finger was pressing the vintage ceramic and brass doorbell at the side.
‘If a bloody butler answers this…’ was muttered quietly under her breath.
She needn’t have worried. The door opened and a woman not much older than herself stood in front of her. Wavy chestnut hair hung loosely past her shoulders, hazel-green eyes were shining a welcome that was matched by the smile on her lips. Her casual attire of jeans and a T-shirt helped Sally to relax a little.
‘Hi, are you Sally?’
‘Hi, err… yes, I am.’
‘I’m Sukie Wallace, come on in. Please excuse the mess – the twins have been home all of half an hour and they’ve already made the place look like a bomb has dropped. I’ll show you into the dining room before grabbing some coffees and my husband.’
Sally found herself being swept across the beautiful bright hallway and deposited in a room with a vast shining mahogany table. Even though the room was large – it needed to be to fit a table like that – the dark green walls and pale cream woodwork made it feel cosy and relaxing. She sank down onto a chair and tried to quell the nerves inside her. It was only now, where she was in the position for her dream to be rejected, that she realised just how deeply she’d come to desire it. Two weeks ago, she’d been merely existing and letting the world slip past her. Now, she was gearing herself up to fight for her future.
‘Sorry about the wait, Sally, I had to drag my husband up from his studio. Sometimes, I swear, I think he’s a bat or a vampire – only ever seen at night!’
Sally looked up and the smile on her face rapidly slipped away… standing in front of her was none other than the rock god that was Pete Wallace.
‘Uh… err… urm…’
She tried to gulp down a breath into lungs which had frozen in shock. It was one thing seeing Pete Wallace on the television but when he was mere inches away, in all his golden-haired, emerald-green-eyed, razor-sharp cheek-boned, glory, it was something else altogether. The smattering of lines around his eyes and the peppering of grey on his temples did nothing to detract from the continuing handsomeness of this man.
‘Jenny didn’t tell you, did she?’
She looked at Sukie who was grinning back at her.
‘Err… no!’ she managed to squeak.
‘I’m Pete, lovely to meet you. I can only apologise on my friend’s behalf. I’m guessing she thought it best not to say too much.’
As her hand slipped into Pete’s and he gave it a shake, she tried desperately to get her brain back into action.
‘Argh, I’m really sorry about this. I’m not usually the star-struck type, you’re just a surprise I wasn’t expecting.’
‘That’s not a problem. We try to live a quiet life around here and the people in the village understand that so don’t mention us too often.’
‘Right. Of course. That’s good.’
‘Would you like tea or coffee, Sally? And while I pour, why don’t you bring us up to speed on why you’re here.’
‘Err, yes, sure. Urm, coffee, please.’
As Sukie placed a mug of coffee in front of her and pushed the tray with the sugar and milk jug closer, Sally drew in a deep breath and began to explain about her purchase of the farm and how she wished to change it.
‘A cat rescue? How wonderful.’ Sukie’s response gave her the courage to continue.
‘As it happens, I’m hoping it’ll be more than just a rescue. That was my initial intention but as I’ve done more research into the area, I would like to expand on that.’
‘In what way?’
Sally looked at Pete as she answered his question.
‘The barn has an upstairs hayloft which I would like to convert into a veterinary surgery that will be kitted out with fully up-to-date facilities. The ground-level area below would be for the rescue cats to run around and have some freedom. I don’t want them to be cooped up in pens with little runs. The vet’s main priority would be looking after the cats that come into the rescue but we’d also offer a service for small animals within a five-mile radius. There’s only one vet that I could find, covering this area and they seem to be exceptionally busy. I tried to book an appointment and was told I’d have a two-week wait unless it was an emergency.’
‘It is a problem we have here. I always have to book Tony and Adam’s appointments at least a month ahead.’
‘Tony and Adam?’ Sally turned to Sukie.
‘Yes, our two cats. They were rescue boys which is why I’m so thrilled with your proposition. Pete,’ Sukie looked at her husband, ‘what do you think?’
‘I think it all sounds fabulous and from the point of the “change of use” I can’t see it being a problem. I do have one concern though – do you honestly think a three-bedroom B&B will turn enough of a profit to fund what you’re planning? Unless you’re intending to charge a couple of hundred pounds a night, I suspect your outgoings will far outweigh your incomings. Or do you plan to register yourself as a charity?’
Sally hesitated before answering, giving herself a chance to think over what to say next. Could she share her secret with the Wallaces? After all, they were no strangers to a large bank balance and would also understand the need for privacy. She looked at the couple sitting across from her and the kind expressions on both their faces gave her the courage to take the plunge.
‘The B&B is actually a smokescreen to prevent people asking too many questions. I have… err… funds to cover all the costs but I’d rather they weren’t looked into too closely, so if I say the profits from the B&B fund the rescue, plus things like adoption fees, that’ll be enough to keep folks at bay.’
‘I have no wish to be rude, but may I ask more about your “funds”? If this is money obtained illegally…’
Sally saw the concern on Pete’s face and quickly rushed to reassure him.
‘Gosh! No! No! Nothing like that. I… err… we won big on the lottery three years ago. And I mean “big”. Like ￡137 million big…’
‘I see. You said “we” – is there someone else in this with you?’
‘My husband died six months after we won, Sukie. We hadn’t told anyone because we didn’t want the publicity circus that goes with these things. After he died, I didn’t want anything to do with the money, it felt… I don’t know… tainted somehow, so it has just sat in the bank, gathering an obscene amount of interest – even in these restricted times – until I found Bramblebush Farm and now I want to put it to good use but still without the media interest.’
Sukie looked at Pete and they nodded together before turning back to Sally.
‘Now, that is something we can both understand and sympathise with.’
‘Your secret is safe with us, Sally, and we have no problem with allowing the change of use. There is, however, one small proviso…’
‘Okay…’
‘There is?’ Sukie turned to her husband, looking totally confused.
‘Yes, Sally. At no time is my wife permitted anywhere near your premises.’
‘Oh?’
‘Pete Wallace, please explain why I’m not allowed to visit?’
Sally couldn’t miss the hint of menace in Sukie’s voice.
‘Because, my darling wife, you’ll take pity on all the little furballs, bring them back here and then we’ll look like a cat rescue! In fact, we’d be cutting Sally out as the middleman and they’d all just arrive on our doorstep!’
Sukie burst out laughing as she turned to Sally.
‘Actually, he does have a point there! I’m a total sap when it comes to animals but especially cats, and there’s a good chance that could occur. When I come to visit – and I WILL come to visit and help out,’ she looked back at her husband, ‘you must promise not to let me leave with any cats in my handbag. No matter how cute they are.’
‘I think I can promise to try although you do strike me as a rather determined lady…’
‘Hah! She’s barely known you fifteen minutes, Sukie, and she has you sussed!’
Pete laughed as his wife swiped his arm.
‘Cheeky sod! Although,’ she looked at Sally, ‘he’s absolutely right!’
Then, to Sally’s absolute astonishment, Sukie stood, walked round the table, and hunkered down in front of her while taking a hold of her hand.
‘Sally, you have a very expressive face and I can see that this is a big step forward for you – moving on from the life you thought you were going to have with your husband to making a new life for yourself. I want to welcome you to the village and if there is anything at all we can do to help, you must let us know. Please don’t feel alone. I hope we can be friends – heck, we love cats, how could we not be – so please do ask.’
‘Well, there’s one small thing – do you know of anywhere around here for rent? I can’t find anything online and Fiona at the estate agents has nothing.’
‘Hmmm, you’re going to struggle there, I’m afraid, and unfortunately, all our holiday lets are fully booked for the summer season. Although… I may have one possible option… how would you feel about a motorhome? I have a friend who might be able to help.’