Chapter 3
3
‘So all’s well that ends well,’ Jade said to Finn when he came back from the village bubbling with excitement about the conversation he’d just had with Eleanor Smythe.
Bubbling with excitement was an exaggeration because Finn was one of the most incredibly self-contained people Jade had ever met. Nothing ever seemed to ruffle him for long but his angular face was flushed and his grey eyes were lit up.
They were standing in reception and Finn had just told Jade the esteemed agent had been quite amused to hear he’d been mugged by a hen.
‘That’s brilliant. What else did she say?’
‘She thinks my work could be suitable for an art exhibition in Salisbury in September. She can arrange for that to happen, and basically she’d like to represent me. We’ve arranged a meeting in a couple of weeks. She has an office in Salisbury as well as London, but in the meantime she’s getting her PA to send me a draft contract so I can look through. I can’t believe it, Jade. I really can’t. It’s…’ He paused for the right word and ran a hand through his fair hair. ‘Validation… if that makes sense.’
‘It makes perfect sense, honey. It’s brilliant. How did she know about your work anyway? Did she see it somewhere?’
‘She did. Do you remember the art dealer I met via Mike in the Red Lion last year? We got on well and I had high hopes it might go somewhere but it didn’t in the end.’
‘Yes, I remember.’ She also remembered how disappointed he’d been, but in typical Finn fashion he hadn’t dwelt on it.
‘Well, it turns out the guy knew Eleanor Smythe. He showed her some photos he’d taken of my work and she was interested enough to get in touch.’ He blew out a controlled sigh. ‘The price tags she was talking for my work were mind boggling. She’d take her cut, of course. But I’m trying not to get too excited in case nothing comes of it.’
‘It sounds like it already has if she’s sending you a contract.’ Jade kissed him. ‘You totally deserve this. Congratulations.’
Behind them, Mr Spock burst into song. ‘Congratulations and celebrations…’ They were treated to the parrot’s rendition of Cliff Richard’s old song, followed by a long cackle of laughter.
‘Mr Spock’s on a roll. How on earth does he know all the words?’
‘According to Phoebe Dashwood, his previous owner had weird musical taste. You remember Phoebe, the vet at Puddleduck Farm?’ she added when Finn looked puzzled. ‘Phoebe rehomed Mr Spock originally. She had his cage in her practice, but his swearing was putting off her clients. It’s tricky having a parrot swearing like a trooper in a professional workplace.’
‘It’s tricky here.’
‘No, it isn’t. Most people who come in here think it’s hilarious.’ Jade chuckled and Mr Spock let out another cackle of laughter. ‘Parrots are amazing mimics. They only need one word or a familiar sound to trigger them. It’s astounding, isn’t it?’
In his basket, Mickey yawned, got up and stalked out of the office.
‘He doesn’t look very impressed,’ Finn remarked.
‘He’s not. He can’t get a decent nap in here any more. If he could talk he’d be telling us the sooner we rehome that parrot the better.’
The landline on the desk began to ring and a couple of teenagers who’d been helping with dog walking came into reception. Jade reached for the phone. ‘Let’s catch up properly later, honey.’
* * *
They caught up in bed in the end. Running an animal sanctuary was a 24/7 commitment and even though Jade adored her work, she was well aware it didn’t leave much time for anything else. They usually took it in turns to cook – neither of them was big on cooking and as Jade was vegetarian and Finn wasn’t, it meant either making two meals or one that could be adapted. Stir fries or omelettes were handy because they were easy to add meat to or leave it out. Pasta and pizza worked well too, and sometimes they went to the Red Lion or got a takeaway. Tonight had been Jade’s turn to cook but she’d been tired when she’d got in and Finn had been going through the contract Eleanor had emailed, so they’d ended up having microwave porridge instead of a proper meal.
‘I’m sorry about dinner,’ Jade murmured, snuggling up to Finn in bed.
‘I wasn’t that hungry.’ He kissed her hair. ‘Or I’d have made something. Anyway, I like porridge.’
‘Me too. Hey, maybe when you’re a famous artist earning a fortune we could employ a chef. And a cleaner.’
‘Yeah. That sounds good. Although I wouldn’t be holding your breath. Most artists make a fortune when they’re dead.’
‘It’s lucky Mum’s stocks and shares are doing so well then, isn’t it?’
‘ Your stocks and shares,’ Finn corrected, his gaze holding hers, and Jade mumbled an agreement.
It was weird how she still thought of her inheritance as her mother’s money.
‘It’s still difficult to believe she’s gone, Finn. I used to feel really sad that Mum and I had so little in common, but I’m glad I inherited her skill at investing money. Especially as the dividends help to support this place.’
He glanced at her face. ‘I thought we were pretty much self-sustaining with the adoptions and sponsorship you get from local businesses.’
‘We are, but I don’t like to rely on those. The economy’s been quite bad lately, hasn’t it, and that has a knock-on effect on us. Charitable donations are the first things people stop when money is tight. Also, more people give up their animals when they’re broke. We’re bursting at the seams.’
‘And on that note, you’ve just reminded me of something Mike said earlier. Apparently, the farmer next door is retiring and Mike’s worried he’s going to sell up to developers. He mooted the idea you might like to buy a bit more land and expand this place.’
‘Did he now?’ Jade sat up in bed. ‘Doesn’t Farmer John have any family to take over? Farmers usually pass on the baton to their offspring.’
‘Mike didn’t seem to think so. There’s not a Mrs Farmer John anyway.’
‘No, that’s true. How interesting.’ Jade’s mind buzzed with possibilities. ‘I must admit I hadn’t considered expanding. But maybe we should. It’s a good opportunity and I shouldn’t need too much of the capital. Perhaps I should go and see Farmer John.’
‘I wish I hadn’t mentioned it now.’
‘Why? It’s a great idea.’
‘Yeah, it might be, but is there any chance we can talk about it tomorrow?’
‘Sorry. Are you tired?’
‘I’m not tired.’ He sat up, then leant across and cupped her face in his hands. ‘I’m just thinking that bed’s not the place for heavy discussions about finance. I can think of “far more interesting things” we could be talking about… or… ahem… doing.’
She kissed him back and for a long while there was no more talking.
* * *
Over the next couple of days, the idea of expanding the sanctuary grew in Jade’s mind.
When she’d first bought the smallholding, she’d thought there would be plenty of space to set up an animal rescue. Five acres had seemed like a lot, but in the beginning she’d only really considered having cats and dogs. They’d ended up with horses as well – but they only had enough room for two or three and they had two already.
The other two-acre field was used for dog walking and Finn had fenced part of that off for the ex-battery hens. The dog kennels, the cattery, the hospital block, which was a converted pigsty, the storage areas and the reception took up the rest of the space. When she’d told Finn they were bursting at the seams, she hadn’t been exaggerating.
And her investments were doing well. It wouldn’t hurt to find out how much Farmer John wanted for a couple of fields. There was one big one – she judged it to be about five acres – that abutted the hen field. That would be perfect.
Also, if she bought that, there would be enough space between Duck Pond Cottage and any housing development for it not to be a problem even if the farmer did sell the rest to a developer.
By Friday night, she’d made up her mind. ‘I think I might go and see Farmer John,’ she said to Finn as they cleared up after supper.
He’d cooked tonight – spaghetti, which he’d joked he’d never be able to eat again without thinking of hen muggings, and a roasted red pepper garlicky sauce, which was amazing. He was definitely a better cook than she was.
‘You’re serious about getting more land, then?’
‘I think it’s worth finding out what his intentions are. We don’t know for sure he’s even selling up. He might have a niece or nephew tucked away somewhere who wants to take up farming. But if he hasn’t, it’s a great opportunity.’ She paused for breath. ‘Is Sarah dropping Ben off here tomorrow or are you collecting him?’
‘She’s bringing him here about ten.’
‘Brilliant, so I’ll get to see him. It’s ages since I saw Sarah too. Did you tell them about the hen mugging?’
‘No, I thought we could do that when we’re all together. Maybe over pizza tomorrow night. I bet he’d like to hear the snake story too.’
They smiled at each other. Finn opened his mouth, as if he was about to say something else, and then hesitated.
‘What?’ she asked him, tuning in, but then her phone buzzed and she saw a WhatsApp from Sarah. The part of it she could read said:
Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. I’ve got news.
Sidetracked, she opened the message and by the time she looked up again, Finn had finished drying up and had put down the tea towel.
‘Sorry. That was Sarah. Were you going to tell me something just now?’
‘It’ll keep.’
‘Are you sure?’
He yawned. ‘I’m sure.’
* * *
Finn wondered later if he should have told Jade what was on his mind. But he was still so undecided himself.
A couple of days ago he’d had a curious WhatsApp message from his father.
Getting a WhatsApp message at all was curious because until recently, Ray had been a complete technophobe and although he owned a mobile, he mostly didn’t charge it.
But just over a year ago, Ray had started a relationship with a lovely sixty-something lady called Dorinda, who lived three doors up from him.
Dorinda, or Dorrie as she preferred to be called, had given Ray a whole new lease of life. She was lively, upbeat and massively social – she actually called Ray ‘Pumpkin’, something he didn’t seem to mind at all – and bit by bit she’d drawn the ultra-reserved Ray out of his shell. Recently she’d encouraged him to buy a smartphone to replace his old Nokia.
To Finn’s surprise, Ray had loved the smartphone and had taken to it like an old pro. He mostly used it to look at the BBC news and he’d started sending Finn links to news stories he thought might be of interest to his son.
They were often animal or art based, but the most recent one had been a news item about estranged family members being reunited and the joy that could bring. At first Finn had thought his dad might be referring to the fact he’d only recently met his grandson, Ben. But Ray and Ben had never been estranged – they just hadn’t known about each other’s existence.
At the foot of the news item had been a link to a tracing agency. Finn had wondered if his father was hinting, in that not-too-subtle way he had, that he wouldn’t mind if Finn wanted to contact his own mother. This didn’t seem very likely in view of the fact that for most of Finn’s life his father had clammed up if he’d raised the subject of his mother. ‘Least said, soonest mended’ was a phrase Ray was very fond of. Living for the day was more important than digging about in the past.
On the other hand, Dorrie had worked wonders at changing Ray’s outlook in other ways. Maybe it had been her influence. Whatever the reason Ray had sent the piece, it had stirred something up in Finn. For the first time in his adult life, he had wondered if he should try to track down his mother. He suspected this was because he now knew what it was like to have a son. And having met Ben, he couldn’t imagine a life without him. He certainly couldn’t imagine having a child and then abandoning it. Ben had been five and a half when he’d first met him. Very similar to the age Finn had been when Bridie had abandoned him and Ray. All he knew about his mother was her name and the fact that she’d gone back home to Northern Ireland soon after she’d left his father.
He wanted to discuss all this stuff with Jade, but he needed to find the right time.
Jade’s relationship with her own mother had been difficult. And she’d never known her father. She’d once told Finn she wasn’t interested in tracking him down either. One rejection had been enough. She wouldn’t risk facing a second.
The whole subject of parents was a minefield. And the truth was that Finn might not be able to find his mother even if he did look for her. So he’d decided to put out a few feelers first. It wouldn’t hurt to type her name into a search engine and see what came up. If there was no trace of her – or if there was and she didn’t want to see him – then there was no sense in telling Jade and rocking the boat.