Chapter Thirty-One
Ava looked at Henry, wondering what he could mean.
The events of the day had already called for an open mind; she was not only in Dapplebury House but in Henry’s bedroom.
All of these things would have seemed out of the question even a month ago.
She looked at Henry and noticed the tick of tension at his jaw.
Micro-expressions. His green eyes appeared lighter in the sun, and she wished she could still see the longing written in them, from the night before.
‘The land Critters’ Lodge is on, is prime real estate. I wish I could just forgo the sale but it’s just not that simple—’
Ava couldn’t believe what she heard after he had promised the lodge would be safe. ‘But you said—’
She went to stand up. Granger scrambled to his feet. Henry caught Ava’s hand in his before she could rise, and as she turned to him, he held her gaze.
‘I said that Critters’ Lodge would be safe, and it will. The charity will be safe but not there. I have to sell that land, Ava. I’ve got no other choice. I wanted to tell you before you heard it from anyone else, but Dixon reacted too soon.’
Henry released her hand. Looking at him, she waited for more of an explanation — her breathing rapid.
‘I wish I could tell you more about why I need to sell, but I made a promise that means I can’t.’
Ava could see Henry’s frustration and felt the sincerity of his words. ‘Are you in some kind of trouble?’ She sat forward, her eyes searching his.
‘No, it’s not me. But I need to do this for the estate. It will help me buy time, to sort out how, or what to do next.’
‘And the charity?’ Ava’s voice was uncertain.
‘I want to move it here, to the grounds of Dapplebury House. There’s a stable block and an old dairy that you could take over.
The current office and the treatment rooms are in prefabricated buildings, which can all be moved intact as part of the deal with Dermot Dixon.
You’d have more space than you’ve got now so there’d be room for expansion. ’
‘That’s possible?’ Ava opened her bottle of sparkling water and felt the fizz mist her face. She wiped it and took a drink as she contemplated Henry’s words.
‘Yes, it’s what Dixon’s men were at Critters’ Lodge assessing. They didn’t want to agree to our deal without first considering the cost of the move.’
‘Oh.’ Ava thought about the reception they’d given the men.
‘Luckily, Dixon was appeased by the fact you all had no idea about the deal and were acting purely based on passion to protect the charity. I think he was a bit impressed, said it reminded him of something he might do.’
Relieved, Ava smiled. As much as this was a lot to take in, she was aware that despite whatever troubles were causing him to sell the land, Henry was trying to do the right thing by the charity.
Nevertheless, she needed a moment to fathom the ramifications of his plan.
‘So the charity will be here . . . Your mum, Lady Bramlington will—’
‘Will have to get used to the idea.’
‘So that’s what you meant about Mrs Jenkins and Lady Bramlington having to get used to me being here.’ Ava felt a little disappointed at the realisation and dropped her eyes to Granger.
‘Yes. I meant the charity being here in the grounds.’
Ava bit her lip.
‘I’ve thought about opening up the west wing of the house.
I’d have to keep some of it private but, as I said, much of it is like a museum and some of the artefacts are notable antiques.
It might be a way to generate income. It would create jobs for the locals too.
Though I might have to ask you about recruiting volunteers.
Mrs Jenkins mentioned speaking to the local colleges and making links with them.
There’s a lot to explore. Getting revenue is going to have to be my first priority. ’
Ava sat, looking at Henry. These were significant changes, changes that would be good for Dapplebury. She was well aware the village needed a boost.
‘And perhaps we could open up Critters’ Lodge, show people the work you do.’
Ava held up her hand. ‘Mary will never go for that. I can tell you now, if you want us here as some sort of sideshow, like a zoo, she’ll never agree.
The animals in our care need peace and quiet to recuperate away from people.
Returning them to the wild is always our end goal.
Rescue, recovery, rehabilitation, and release.
’ She chanted her mother’s mantra as vehemently as Lily Flynn had always spoken the words herself.
‘Of course, sorry. I . . . I just thought . . .’ Henry stood up and looked out of the window, Granger faithfully at his side.
Ava could sense his disappointment.
‘Honestly, I thought it would help the charity too — that it might help with fundraising if people saw your work.’
‘I can see why you thought it. And if we were a pet rescue, then it might be different. We’d be inviting people in to meet the animals in the hope of rehoming them, but we’re not. We’re a wildlife rescue. It’s different.’
Henry turned and picked up his water, taking a drink. ‘But the idea of moving Critters’ Lodge here, you think you can agree to that?’
‘I’d need to see where you intend to locate us. We’d have to assess the costs—’
‘As I said, the moving of the current buildings are included in my deal with Dixon. There’ll be no cost to the charity for that—’
‘There’ll be change of address and other costs.
There are always hidden costs with a move.
And we’d need to get Mary on side, not just about moving the animals but with her on board it will be easier to persuade the other workers and volunteers.
But, to answer your question, I can see why being here would have its advantages.
The access is certainly easier, and even if we can’t open the rescue centre to visitors, we’d be in a higher profile location.
How long are we talking about?’ Ava pushed a stray curl behind her ears.
As much as this would be an upheaval, she felt excited about it too.
It felt like it could be a new beginning, one where she was at the helm of the charity, moving it forward instead of picking up where her mum left off.
‘I need to push the deal through with Dixon as soon as possible. Then I can use some of the funds to work on getting this place ready. The publicity alone will take a while.’
‘Yes, that reminds me, we have a new website going live soon for the charity, maybe I should delay the launch. We can share the news about the move at the same time.’
‘It sounds like we have a plan.’ Henry smiled, and Ava could see that he felt genuinely happy with all that they’d discussed.
She stood and put out her hand. ‘Shall we shake on it?’
Henry took her hand, and she felt the connection of his touch. She stood just inches away from him and looked from his lips to his eyes. ‘Henry, I wanted to . . . Talking about the charity, it wasn’t why I came here today. I wanted to—’
Henry stepped back, breaking eye contact and letting go of her hand.
‘Yes, I’m sorry. You wanted to speak to my mother.
I’ll take you to see her now. She knows some of what we’ve discussed.
I’ve spoken to her about the sale of the land and opening up the house.
She is . . . reluctant but I’ve told her we have to move forwards.
Keeping a house of this size takes money. She’ll come round.’
Ava was trying to gather her thoughts. She’d been ready to tell him about her feelings, but he’d broken the moment.
She wanted it to be right, and she didn’t want him to think her feelings for him were based on him saving the charity.
She decided to wait. They’d be seeing a whole lot more of each other now, and so the right time would inevitably arise.
‘I hope so. For your sake, and the charity’s.’
‘She’s less’ — Henry shuddered — ‘than she used to be. Don’t worry, I’ll take you to her now and if you want I can stay and make sure she listens to what you have to say.’
Ava thought for a moment. Whatever caused the change in the relationship between their mothers might be of interest to Henry too, especially as his mother’s reaction to them being together all those years ago had been so fierce.
Besides, her stomach was already twisting into knots.
Having Henry along for moral support might help steady her nerves.
As well as ensure she actually got in the door.