Chapter 24 #2
‘Oh, don’t worry about that.’ Pulling his hand from his pocket, Murray waved the idea away. ‘I’ll be too busy wrapped up in my work to be able to even begin thinking about joining any groups.’
‘I send the information pack to all new residents,’ Miss Cooke stated firmly. ‘May I have your address?’
‘Honestly, I don’t want to put you out. I’m happy to skip the pack.’ Murray gave a short smile.
A man slunk up to Miss Cooke then and clasped his hands in front of him, waiting until there was a lull to speak. Putting his forefinger up classroom-style, he spoke quietly. ‘Umm, Miss Cooke, I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I just have a quick word about the chairs?’
‘The chairs?’ Keeping her eyes fixed on Murray, she threw her question to the man.
‘Yes, the chairs. We’ve been asked if we can leave a few out and set them up in a circle for tomorrow’s knitting group. We just wanted to double-check you’re happy with us doing so.’ The man indicated a small group of people who had begun to stack the chairs up at the side of the hall.
‘I’ll be back,’ Miss Cooke told Murray and Ellie, before turning on her heels as the man led her towards the group of people.
Nudging Murray, Ellie waited until he was looking at her before whispering, ‘Why don’t you just give her your address?’
Murray shrugged. ‘It’s weird. I don’t want every random person knowing where I live.’
‘She’s not a random person. She’s the village mayoress, and she’ll find out, anyway. Whether you tell her yourself or she gets the information from Ms Taunton, you’ll be getting one of those welcome packs through your letterbox by morning.’
‘She doesn’t need to know, and I don’t need a pack.’ Murray rubbed the back of his neck as a pink hue formed across his skin.
‘You’re not squatting or something, are you?
’ Ellie laughed at the ridiculousness of the question.
Not that there were any empty houses to squat in anyway.
That was one good thing about Miss Cooke, possibly the only good thing, she didn’t have the time for any part-time residents, and whatever pact she and Ms Taunton had made, no houses had been sold to second homeowners as far as Ellie was aware. None at all.
‘I… just…’ Murray shrugged, the pink hue growing deeper.
The hem of Miss Cooke’s long skirt danced around her ankles as she came to a stop in front of them again. ‘Right, crisis averted. Now, you were about to give me your address so I can send that welcome pack to you.’
Ellie watched as Murray shifted on his feet.
He was hiding something. She didn’t know what, but he was.
And he was adamant that, for whatever reason, he wasn’t about to give their mayoress his address.
She cleared her throat. ‘Murray’s always been terrible with addresses, particularly ones he’s recently moved into.
We’ll pop by the grocery store in the morning and either collect a welcome pack or pass on his address then. ’
Placing her hands on her hips, Miss Cooke looked incredulous. ‘You don’t know where you live?’
‘He has only just moved…’ Ellie spun on the spot as a loud shout sounded from the door to the village hall.
‘She’s escaped again. The blasted sheep has escaped and will be eating my begonias!’ The shrill cry filled the hall and Miss Cooke started racing towards the door, Murray’s address kept secret for one more night.
Turning to him, Ellie frowned. ‘What was all that about? Why didn’t you just tell her where you live?’
‘I have my reasons. Reasons I’ll share soon enough, but please, not right now. She’s probably got the place bugged or something.’ He glanced pointedly around the hall.
‘Okay.’ Holding her hands up, palms forward, Ellie shrugged.
Whatever he was playing at, whatever he didn’t want people to know wasn’t really any of her business either.
And as much as she wanted to quiz him and demand he tell her, she didn’t want anything to spoil the evening or put a stop to what had only just begun between them.
‘We should go and help Charlie and Nicola with their kid.’ Taking her hand, Murray began walking towards the door.
‘Their kid?’ Ellie frowned. Had she missed something?
‘Yes, Claudette, I think they said her name was. I didn’t catch the whole conversation, but they said they couldn’t find her or something.’
Ellie giggled as Murray opened the heavy oak door and held it for her.
‘No, Claudette is the sheep, not their child. She escaped from one of the local farms last year, and Charlie rescued her from being returned, but for a time she was running amok in the village, eating people’s shopping, trampling their flowers and generally causing a right old bother. ’
‘A sheep?’
‘Yes, Miss Cooke got the police involved, and there was a proper manhunt. Or sheep hunt.’ Ellie laughed again at the memory of the chaos Claudette had caused and the sheer outrage displayed by her fellow villagers.
‘Wow, I’ll be thanking her for saving me from that awkward conversation when I see her then.’ Murray chuckled as he closed the door quietly behind them.
‘You might be in luck; it looks as though they’ve saved her from the pitchfork patrol.’ Ellie pointed towards Charlie, Nicola, Laura and Jackson, who were busy loading Claudette into the back of Charlie’s truck.
‘I might just pop by their farm tomorrow and bring her a carrot or whatever she might eat.’ Murray grinned.
‘I’ve heard she’s quite partial to Rich Tea biscuits.’
‘Really?’ Murray wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him as they walked. ‘I might have to raid the biscuit tin then.’
They walked most of the way back to Pennycress in an easy silence, though Ellie was trying her best to work out what Murray might be hiding and Murray was perhaps thinking that he’d had a lucky escape from Miss Cooke’s interrogation.
‘You’ve got to be joking!’ Taking his arm from around Ellie’s waist, Murray hurried forward towards his van, which was parked outside the inn.
‘What’s the matter?’ Looking across the paintwork, she frowned. She couldn’t see any damage or anything to suggest someone had knocked into it.
‘I’ve been clamped.’ Murray shot his arm out in the direction of a large metal clamp covering the front wheel.
‘Oh no! Jackson mentioned Miss Cooke was having a crackdown on illegal parking, but you’ve not parked in the wrong place or anything.’ Ellie jogged towards where he was now circling the truck.
Pausing, he shook his head and pointed towards the back end of the van. ‘Are they being serious? I must have parked only two inches over the yellow lines, if that. Two inches? I park over by that much, and they clamp me?’
Kneeling down by the wheel, Ellie tried to tug off the clamp, but it was well and truly locked. ‘It’s no good, it’s not budging.’
Laying his hand on his forehead, Murray sighed. ‘And I bet the company won’t be open until the morning now.’
‘Probably not.’ Standing up again, she chewed on her bottom lip.
‘I can give you a lift and then pick you up on the way in tomorrow.’ She felt a gnawing guilt for not thinking to tell him about Miss Cooke and her parking patrols, but even if she had realised he was parked out the front of the inn, she wouldn’t have clocked that his truck was over the line by a couple of inches.
And she wouldn’t have thought they’d have issued a clamp for it anyway.
‘Yes, okay, thanks.’ Murray ran his fingers through his hair. ‘I don’t suppose I have any choice but to leave it here for the night.’
‘I don’t think so. Come on, we’ll grab my car.’ Pulling her key from her handbag, Ellie began walking around the side of Pennycress to the small car park.