Chapter 45
The next morning, Beth glanced over towards the barn. Rick’s car was still there, so at least she knew he hadn’t disappeared back off to London. There was no sign of movement, though.
Hopefully, Rick and David had sorted out their differences. What if he had changed his mind about coming over?
Full of pent-up energy, she decided that tackling the loos in the stables was better than pacing up and down obsessing about whatever it was that Rick had said he wanted to tell her. She armed herself with a bucket full of cleaning products and released her conflicted emotions on the toilet bowls. The ancient porcelain had a crackled patina but was functional, thank heaven, and the pipework was sound. A cocktail of limescale remover, bleach and elbow grease soon worked wonders. Sharp chemical fumes made her head spin and she opened one of the high-set windows to take a grateful breath of fresh air.
After scrubbing the sink within an inch of its life, she turned her attention to the eight-legged tenants watching her from overhead. Manipulating a long-handled broom one-handed wasn’t easy, but by wedging the base of it under her sling, she persuaded the spiders to abandon their long-held lodgings one-by-one.
Grace arrived munching on a jammy slice of toast, with Paddy at her side. She scrambled on top of a large wooden packing case under the window. ‘Watch out, Mummy,’ she cried, pointing at a black shape scuttling across the floor. ‘Big, big, big ’pider.’
Beth suppressed a horrified squeak and stepped out of the grumpy arachnid’s way. ‘Thanks, Grace. Well spotted.’
‘Morning all.’ Rick appeared behind Grace.
‘Excellent timing.’ Beth grinned a welcome, her insides skipping up and down with delight at the sight of him. ‘How are you with spiders? Any chance you can reach those big cobwebs up there?’ She waved at the thick silvery ropes stretching across the ceiling.
‘Shouldn’t you be taking it easy?’
‘I’m fine. Lucy and the rest of the gang will be here soon. I wanted to get started while I had the energy.’ She bent down and opened the built-in unit under one of the sinks. ‘Oh my. There’s so much crud under here.’ Her eyes lit on something tucked at the back of the first shelf. ‘What’s this?’ she said, reaching for it. A hazy squirm of recognition wriggled in her brain, but she couldn’t quite place it. Rising to her feet, she showed Rick a small stuffed animal attached to a key ring with three keys of differing sizes hanging from it.
Rick squinted at it. ‘Is that a donkey?’
The tired, grim-looking stuffed animal did look a bit like Pablo. Footsteps sounded in the corridor.
Rose arrived armed with yet more cleaning products. ‘Beth, what are you doing?’
‘This is nothing to do with me, Rose,’ said Rick.
‘Traitor!’ said Beth. ‘I’m fine, Rose.’
‘Rose,’ called Daisy, appearing in the doorway. ‘I need… Oh!’ Her eyes locked onto the scrap of grey fabric in Beth’s hand. She scowled. ‘Where did you get that? Have you had it all along?’ She demanded. ‘I might have known you’d do something like this. It’s those bloody postcards all over again, isn’t it?’
Rose grabbed her sister’s arm. ‘Daisy, calm down. Give her a chance to answer.’ She threw Beth an apologetic look. ‘Where were the keys?’
Beth held them out. ‘Under the sink. I literally found them a few minutes ago.’
‘It’s true,’ said Rick. ‘I saw her.’
Daisy snatched them. She cradled them against her chest as if they were precious. ‘OMG, I can’t believe we found them.’
Rose leaned closer. ‘Are you sure it’s them?’
‘Yes. No. I don’t know. Jack will know. Where is he?’
‘In the back garden. Come on,’ said Rose. The two girls hurried from the room.
Beth exchanged a mystified look with Rick. ‘What’s got into them?’
He shrugged. ‘Only one way to find out.’ He sat on the edge of the packing case. ‘Come on, Grace, hop on for a piggy-back ride. We’ll go and see what all the fuss is about.’ Grace needed no further invitation. Beth hurried after him, almost tripping over Paddy, who was keen not to be left behind. As they spilled out of the stables, they ran into Barbara and Lucy on the drive.
‘Where are you off to?’ asked Barbara.
‘I have no idea,’ said Beth. ‘Something is up with the children.’
Barbara and Lucy followed Beth as she rounded the stables into the back garden, just in time to see Daisy hand Jack the little donkey and ask, ‘J. Are these Mum’s keys?’
‘Beth found them in the old bogs. We didn’t think to look there, did we?’ said Rose.
Jack touched each key in turn. ‘That looks like her car key, that’s the one for the front door and…’
‘Is that the one, do you think?’ Daisy’s voice was breathless with excitement.
‘The one for what?’ asked Beth.
Rose glanced up. ‘After Mum died, Dad packed up all her stuff and locked it in the back section of the stables.’ She waved a hand towards the padlocked rear doors. The huge double doors were an identical set to those at the front, except these were covered in ivy because they’d been out of use for so long. ‘We’ve been looking for the key ever since.’
‘You never said. If I’d known getting in there was important to you, I’d have called a locksmith out ages ago.’
‘Yeah, right,’ sneered Daisy.
‘I would,’ insisted Beth. ‘You should have your mother’s things. It’s not right to keep them from you.’
Rose hushed her sister before she could say something else. ‘There’s a lot of stuff we never said, Beth. And, anyway, locksmiths cost money.’
The unprecedented activity in the garden, so early in the morning, was gaining attention. Pablo slunk over from the vegetable patch. Gengis, Percy, the hens and Lady Muck edged closer. The llampacas peered over the fence, a squad of gangly cheerleaders, all long eyelashes and big hair, shoving each other out of the way to gain a better view.
Jack rammed the key into the massive padlock. It turned with a little persuasion. The rusted bolt and the ropes of ivy put up more of a resistance, before giving in and allowing the huge stable doors to finally swing wide.
‘Wow!’ exclaimed Jack.
‘Oh my!’ said Beth. The space was stuffed to the brim. There were several long, thick wooden poles, similar lengths of rolled canvas fabrics, and countless bags and packages haphazardly piled up.
‘What is all this?’ asked Rose.
Jack stepped inside, examining the contents closely. ‘Damned if I know.’
Rick gently slid Grace to the ground. He picked up some paperwork resting on top of one particularly large bundle. After a quick glance, he handed it to Beth.
She read and gave a surprised laugh. ‘It’s a tipi.’
‘A what?’ asked Rose.
‘A modern version of a Native American wigwam,’ said Rick.
Jack scratched his head. ‘That’s random, even for Mum.’
‘Not that random, actually,’ said Barbara. ‘Isla was quite keen on them. She showed me a picture once.’
‘According to the date on these, she bought this a few weeks before she died,’ said Beth. A thought struck her. ‘Barbara, do you remember telling me that Isla wanted to start a donkey sanctuary? Might this have something to do with that?’
‘Possibly. She talked a lot about raising money by holding events up here, so maybe.’
‘And might that also be why there were all those tables and chairs in the main section we’ve just cleared? And what about that huge packing case we found full of cups and saucers and things?’
‘Again. Entirely possible.’
Rose gave an excited squeal. ‘Mum might have wanted to run a tearoom up here for her donkey sanctuary. Just like I want to for the well-being centre.’
Beth smiled. ‘She might. Either way, I think your mum just gave us one of the best presents ever. This thing is huge. We could pitch it, off to one side of the patio. It would definitely work as a covered space for your tearoom.’
‘It’ll be like a piece of Mum is still here with us.’ Jack’s voice was low, almost a whisper.
‘We could even name it after her,’ said Daisy, tossing Beth a mutinous look.
There was silence. It seemed to Beth that the children Isla had never intended to leave behind were holding their collective breaths and waiting for her to react. Whatever she said next had the power to make or break her relationships with all of them.
‘I…uh…’ It was strange. She didn’t feel threatened by Isla’s memory anymore. The poor woman hadn’t been perfect. Beth wasn’t perfect either. She was just a mum trying to do her best. Her eyes went from Rose to Jack and, finally, to Daisy. A wide smile spread across her face. ‘Know what, Daisy? Naming the tipi tearoom after your mum is a great idea. Let’s call it Isla’s Lodge. It will be a vital part of the well-being centre, keeping everyone fed and watered. An important part of everything we do, all day, every day.’
Daisy squealed and flung her arms around Beth, barely able to contain her emotions. ‘Thank you, Beth. Oh! Thank you. Thank you.’ She burst into noisy tears.
Beth suppressed a wince of pain as her damaged collarbone objected to being squashed. She patted Daisy on the back with her good arm, then eased back to pull a tissue from her pocket and mopped the torrents of water cascading down the teen’s cheeks. Broken bones notwithstanding, she wouldn’t have missed her first proper hug with Daisy for anything in the world. ‘It’s all right, sweetheart. It’s all right.’
Jack shuffled over and patted Daisy on the back, too, while shooting Beth a quick smile of gratitude.
Beth grinned back. ‘All we need now is to work out how to put a tipi up.’
Daisy released her. ‘Can we do it now?’
Jack examined the papers. ‘These look like assembly instructions. They don’t look that complicated.’
‘We’ll have to make sure we do it right. If it collapses on anyone, they’ll sue us,’ said Lucy.
‘You know who you need?’ said Barbara.
‘Your Brian?’ asked Beth.
‘Good Lord, no, he’d be utterly useless at this sort of thing. Couldn’t put a four-piece jigsaw together. He’s not butch enough either. No, my cousin’s daughter, Luella, is the woman you need.’
‘Is Luella particularly… er… butch?’ A vision of a gilt-clad wonder-woman striding across the farmhouse lawns flitted through Beth’s head.
‘No, she’s tiny. She’s a structural engineer, knows about buildings and all those pesky health and safety shenanigans. And, with a bit of luck, she might even lend you Dennis.’
‘Dennis?’
‘Her husband. He retired two months ago. Now, he is butch. Built like a brick privy.’ Barbara nodded with satisfaction. ‘Just the job. It’ll be good for him to have something to do other than prop up the bar in the Crashing Boar all day.’
‘That’s true,’ agreed Rose. ‘Him, Wilf and Barry. They’re always in there.’
Barbara snapped her fingers. ‘Good thinking, Rose. Wilf and Barry could help, too.’
‘I don’t know, Barbara,’ said Beth. ‘Do we really need a bunch of drunken layabouts raising our tipi?’
‘Ha!’ Barbara hooted with laugher. ‘They aren’t alkies. Although, come to think about it, Wilf might be borderline. They’re just retired and bored. Give them something useful to do and they’ll be happy as Larry. In fact, Larry might help, too. You can give them all beer afterwards to say thank you.’
‘Well, if you’re sure.’
‘Trust me, Luella will keep them in line. Scariest woman in the forest, she is.’
Beth’s eyes bugged at the thought that anyone could be scarier than Barbara.
‘Let me sort out some public liability insurance for the centre and then we could have a tipi raising party,’ said Lucy. ‘Make it part of our opening event for the well-being centre.’
Daisy clapped her hands. ‘That’s a great idea. We could have a ribbon for someone famous to cut, too.’
Jack scoffed. ‘Where would we get someone famous from?’
Rick coughed. ‘I might be able to help with that.’
Beth saw a frown dance across Lucy’s brow. ‘With respect, Rick,’ said her friend. ‘I know you want to help, but I’m not sure that you’ll bring the right sort of notoriety to this.’
Rick laughed. ‘I didn’t mean me. I was thinking more of Cora Diamond and, maybe, if he’s well enough, perhaps Dean Markwell.’
‘You’re kidding.’ Jack’s eyes were as big as dustbin lids.
Beth’s breath caught in her throat. ‘He’s recovered?’
‘Recovering rather than recovered. It’s going to take time, but he is doing well. There are official announcements about it set for this afternoon. If you could keep it under your hat until then, I’d be grateful.’
‘Dean Markwell? Here?’ muttered Jack. ‘That would be epic.’
‘That is good news, but I thought they were suing you,’ said Lucy.
Beth watched the interplay between her friend and the love of her life.
Rick shook his head. ‘Not anymore. And this is exactly the sort of project they are both keen to support. Something that promotes mental health and well-being, especially if you are involving qualified therapists as part of the package.’
‘We have one counsellor already confirmed.’ Lucy glanced at Beth. ‘Jane agreed to be involved.’
‘I knew she’d like the idea.’ Beth grinned. ‘She’ll be awesome.’
Lucy dropped her gaze. ‘Rick, I… wanted to say that I… I am sorry for what I said to you at the hospital. I was trying to—’
‘To look out for Beth. I know. And you had a valid point.’
‘But perhaps I didn’t say it as well as I could have.’
Rick waved a hand. ‘It needed to be said. Let’s forget it.’
‘I will, if you will. Thank you. Now,’ Lucy clapped her hands, ‘I think we have some work to do.’
Beth let out a breath she didn’t realise she was holding. ‘Actually, Lucy, I think it’s time I took a break.’
‘Are you feeling all right?’ asked Rose.
‘Yes, perfectly fine, thank you. But I’d like to take half an hour to go for a stroll with Rick.’ Beth felt her face grow warm as a sudden wave of shyness swept over her. What was wrong with her? She’d just effectively asked the most popular guy in school out on a date in front of the whole class. What if he didn’t want to come?
As if she sensed Beth’s concern, Lucy did what any good friend would under the circumstances. She backed her up. ‘Good thinking. You need a break and taking Dr Rick with you in case you come over all faint from overwork is an excellent plan. We’ll finish up in the loos while you are gone and sort out the party. Come on, Barbara. Kids, you’re with me.’
*
Ten minutes later, walking sedately under the trees, her good hand resting in the crook of Rick’s elbow, Beth couldn’t think of a single thing to say. His tall, strong, solid presence at her side made her insides do mini somersaults.
‘It’s wonderful news about Dean,’ she said. ‘And the court case, of course.’
‘I won’t lie, I am relieved about the lawsuit. However, the important thing is that Dean is getting better. It turns out he took the consultation papers when he realised that the information would go onto the central NHS database. He didn’t want his mental health battles being leaked to the press, damaging his reputation and his YouTube following. And then he had a bad spell. His mood dropped and that’s when he scored the street drugs that lead to the accidental overdose. He blames himself. He feels really guilty that I got caught in the crossfire, when all I did was try to help him.’
‘And he told you all that yesterday?’
‘He did. And that awful YouTube couple got totally burned by Cora.’
‘Really?’
Rick nodded. ‘I should be ashamed of myself for enjoying the memory of them squirming, but I’m not. You were right about Cora, by the way. She didn’t realise how far reaching the consequences of what she was doing would be for me or my patients.’
A niggle of jealousy at the way Rick spoke about Cora stirred in her chest. She forced herself to find something positive to say. ‘It sounds as if she is trying to undo some of that.’
‘More than that. She and Dean want to use the profile around the case to really make a difference for young people’s mental health and they’ve asked me to join them.’
It was wonderful to hear Rick sounding so enthusiastic. Beth couldn’t help feeling sad at the thought that this was something else that would take him away from her.
Who am I kidding? There is no way he’ll stick around if he gets his old life back. Especially if the glamorous Cora is a part of the package.
Her chaotic, complicated existence in the forest could never compete with London. ‘I am glad for you,’ she murmured.
Rick blew out his cheeks. ‘I’m not sure it’s really me, though. I mean, I fully support them. And will happily play a part in their campaign from a back seat, but…’ He looked up at the tree canopy. ‘I’ve missed all this so much. I’ve decided I’m going to make my home here. In the forest. I’m going to drop my hours at the surgery. The locum whose been covering for me is lovely and will be a great addition to the team. It means I’ll commute up to London a couple of days a week for clinic, but, the rest of the time, I’ll be here.’
‘Really?’ She hardly dared to let herself hope.
‘Yes, the space, the greenery, the peace. It’s wonderful.’ He grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as he stopped walking and turned to face her. ‘I missed you most of all.’
Beth stared up at him, barely able to breath. ‘I missed you, too.’
He pulled her closer, his bright eyes gazing intently down into hers. ‘Say if you want me to stop.’
Beth stayed silent, her heart’s inner gymnastics reaching Olympic gold medal standards.
‘Beth, I’m out of practice with any sort of romance, but…’
‘But?’
‘I’m just going to say it. I think I’m in love with you… no…’
‘No?’ The disappointment was too much, like a cannon ball to the chest.
‘No, not I think… I know… I know I’m in love with you.’
‘I never thought I would ever say this to anyone again, Rick. I’m in love with you, too.’
‘I don’t know how we’re going to work this around the children, but we’ll take it slow for them. Let’s just enjoy spending time together and take it as it comes.’
‘Sounds perfect to me.’
He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.
The world stood still.
Oh… my…
Warm and soft and…
Beth’s legs melted. She sank into his embrace, her heart singing with joy. This time, everything was perfect. Complicated, messy and utterly bonkers, but still perfect.
When their lips broke contact, Beth couldn’t stop grinning. She slid her good arm around his waist. ‘So, you didn’t decide you fancied Cora Diamond instead, then?’ She had to ask. If her Wolverine was choosing her over someone rich, famous, gorgeous and nice like Cora, she wanted it stated in plain English.
Rick tipped his head on one side, his eyes narrowing. ‘Now you come to mention it, she’s a fine-looking woman.’
‘Oi!’ Beth poked him in the ribs, relieved when he laughed.
‘I’m kidding. She’s genuinely a really lovely person. You’d like her. And I’m looking forward to working with her, but she’s no warrior queen.’
‘No what?’
‘That’s what you reminded me of when I first saw you trying to fix your tyre. And then again when you yelled at me for scaring the cows. You looked like a warrior queen. Utterly magnificent. So damn cross, all red curls and flashing green eyes. I was terrified and smitten at the same time. I’ve not been able to get you out of my mind since.’
‘I thought you looked like Wolverine when I first saw you – but then, when you scared the cows, I’m afraid I just thought you were a prat.’
‘Oh, I am a prat sometimes.’ He bowed his head and kissed her again. ‘But I’m a prat who’s going to be sticking around, if that’s alright with you.’
‘Hmm. I think that’s alright, but you’d better kiss me again to help me decide.’
Prat or not, he was an excellent kisser.