Chapter 21 #2
‘Well, Bell can derive from the French belle, meaning beautiful or pretty, and mont is mountain. Hmmm.’ She cocked her head, staring at the ex-tennis superstar.
‘Beautiful mountain. He’s certainly got the face to carry off beautiful, and he’s tall and broad, so majestic fits.
There’s something lonely about him too, as if he’s set apart from others.
’ She grinned wickedly. ‘I’m sure Kirsten would love to climb him.
’ Arching an eyebrow, she added, ‘If I were thirty years younger, I would.’
Albie gaped, before bursting into guffaws. The joyous feeling began in his stomach, spreading upwards into his chest and ringing out, bouncing off the ballroom walls.
Once he’d wiped away tears of mirth, and Rosie was entertaining Laurie carrying out a full veterinary inspection of his toy dog, he called the meeting to attention.
‘So, to the cottages. We’re making fantastic progress,’ he ticked items off on his fingers, ‘mine’s more than half done, with the repointing being completed this week, along with the roof thatching.
We’ll start wallpapering once the plaster is dry, and a firm’s been booked to polish and wax the original wooden floors once the messy work is done.
Theo and Kit have done an excellent job weeding everybody’s front gardens with Ezra strapped to their chests in turn, and we’ve now started clearing out Tori and Theo’s cottages. ’
‘You mentioned at the BBQ they have names?’ Clover prompted.
‘Yes, Tori’s is Grace, and Theo’s is Faith.’
‘Interesting.’ She straightened in her chair, looking like a regal queen in her green dress. ‘And yours?’
‘Friendship.’
‘How delightfully apt, given how you’ve brought everyone together and made them friends.’
At Clover’s observation, the group exchanged smiles. Even Tori, initially so against the idea of getting involved, reached over and squeezed Albie’s arm.
Kirsten chirped up, ‘You have made us friends, a kindness tribe and community with purpose. Rebuilding the village is making us happier and healthier. With all the hard work and helping each other, I can practically feel the oxytocin flowing. And making this place whole again matters. Not just for Rose, but for the local area.’ She regarded him fondly, eyes shining. ‘Thank you, Albie.’
He flushed under the attention. ‘Oh, stop. Besides, I should be thanking you all. It was my late wife’s dream to bring Little Beaubrook back to life, and I can’t wait until it’s done for her, but we’ll also have something to be proud of…
’ Emotion caught in his throat, tears blurring his eyes. ‘Which we’ve done together.’
Clover touched his other arm. ‘Quite an accomplishment, in more ways than one.’
Gilly gave a resigned sigh. ‘Okay. I’m in. I’ll do the finances. I have to, after that.’
Ariel whooped. ‘At last!’
‘Th-thank you,’ Albie’s fingers played with the pleat of his brown tweed trousers, overcome with gratitude. ‘If you’re sure.’
‘I’ll make the time. If Kirsten can juggle everything so successfully,’ her eyes crinkled at her friend, ‘I can. Besides, I’ve been enjoying sanding gates and working on our cottage. It’s satisfying.’
Clover, seeing Albie getting choked up, went back to the original topic. ‘What are the other cottages called?’
Glad for the reprieve, he looked up. ‘Gilly and Ariel’s cottage is Peace, Kirsten’s is Devotion, Kit’s is Joy,’ at that, the exhausted dad snorted, ‘and Vanessa’s is Acceptance.’
‘Seriously uncool,’ Vanessa commented, ‘I’ll be changing it to something more glamorous.’
‘And Harley’s?’ Clover asked.
Tearing his eyes away from Kirsten, who he’d been unconsciously gazing at, Harley replied, ‘I don’t own one. Just get cheap rent on the flat, with the job.’
‘I see,’ she mused, ‘and are there any properties available to buy? I’ve heard stories about the previous residents’ life expectancy. Maybe I can boost my own.’
Tori’s mouth quirked. ‘You already look like you could reach a very graceful two hundred. Give the rest of us a chance.’
Clover let out as girlish giggle. ‘Oh, I do like you.’ Glancing around, she asked, ‘Do we know why the care home residents lived so long?’
‘Could be the Roseto effect,’ Theo offered, ‘strong community bonds.’
‘Yes, I’ve heard of that. A fascinating subject.’
Albie indicated the lavish ballroom. ‘Many orphans and unwed mothers were housed here in the first few decades of the 1900s. Rose’s grandparents and parents were very generous, and the best type of people. I do wonder sometimes…’
Clover leaned forward expectantly. ‘Wonder what?’
‘It will sound fanciful.’ Would the manor mind him talking about such things?
‘There’s nothing wrong with fanciful. In fact, there’s often a type of magic to be found in the unexplained.’
Albie grinned, never having met anyone so attuned to him. Not even Rose. The thought caused him to swallow as he shared his theory. ‘I’ve wondered if perhaps kindness resides in the walls of the manor, seeping into everyone who lives here.’
Clover tapped her chin. ‘Hmmm, or perhaps the kindness of the people seeped into the walls first, imbuing them for future generations?’
Kit chipped in, ‘But what came first, the chicken or the egg?’
As they all laughed, Tori turned to Albie. ‘I prefer your version. For a start, I think some of the kindness has seeped into Harley. He’s in a much better mood these days.’
‘Yes, he smiled twice in one day last week. It was a tiny miracle.’
Harley rolled his eyes. ‘I’m sitting right here. And don’t go overboard.’ Yet his expression was light, belying his serious words.
Tori’s voice grew enthused, ‘Hey, has anyone noticed how the manor—’
Ethan swept into the room, uncharacteristically flustered, with damp hair and wearing shorts and T-shirt.
‘Sorry, I’m late.’ Approaching their circle of chairs, he grasped the back of Tori’s, and she shrunk away.
Moving around, he settled beside her, his attention fixed on Albie.
‘I’m sorry to say this, given how much progress you’ve made, but I have bad news. ’
Every one of Albie’s years bore down on him as he took in Ethan’s stricken expression. ‘What is it?’
‘On Friday, a colleague in Planning told me the railway company that owns the disused train station and greenbelt land behind the village are selling it to a developer. I’m sorry.’ Ethan gulped. ‘I wanted to tell you in person.’
‘W-what?’ Albie creaked to his feet, a sinking feeling hollowing his stomach as collective outrage rippled around the group, voices raised and questioning, dismay and anger colouring people’s faces.
‘It gets worse,’ Ethan called above the din. ‘They’re planning to raze it to the ground and build something.’
‘Build what?’ Albie gasped.
Everyone fell silent as they waited for Ethan to answer. ‘I don’t know, but I can’t see how it won’t affect Little Beaubrook, given the proximity to the cottages.’
‘They can’t do this, surely?’ Albie wheezed, chest clenching tight. ‘The manor’s Listed.’
‘But the cottages only date from the 1930s and aren’t Listed. There are no covenants protecting the land. Unfortunately, I think that for the council and local businesses, an economic investment in the area is going to be attractive.’
Cold fear sluiced down Albie’s spine. ‘Is there anything we can do?’
Clover stood, moving closer to comfort him with her warmth. ‘Yes, what can we do?’
‘Not sure,’ Ethan sighed. ‘I’ll do my best to find out more on Monday.’
‘Thank you for coming to tell us personally,’ Albie said, voice gruff. ‘It’s good of you, considering you don’t live here.’
‘I care about this place,’ Ethan said, with a swift glance at Tori, ‘and want to see the village rebuilt. What they’re planning isn’t right.’
‘No,’ Albie echoed, ‘it isn’t.’
What were they going to do? This was catastrophic. Oh, Rose. I’m so sorry.
When everyone started talking about their hard work, and how it wasn’t fair, sharing anxious looks, Albie mustered a grim strength.
It was clear they needed guidance, and he was Chair of this association.
Not to mention the person responsible for bringing them all together and putting them in this situation.
Brooding on the bad news would do no good.
They had achieved so much already, so should have faith they'd find a way through this.
‘Okay everyone. Ahem!’ He waited for them to quieten.
‘There’s nothing we can do right now.’ He paused.
‘So, who’s coming to mine for some beautifully aged whisky?
It’s excellent for shock, you know.’ He revelled in the choked laughs and head shakes from his friends, before tacking on, ‘That includes you, Clover and Ethan. Afraid you’re one of us now, for better or worse. ’
Clover arched an elegant eyebrow. ‘A girl could misread that kind of comment you know, Mr Curville.’
His flirting days long behind him, he was shocked to hear himself retort, ‘Let a fellow have at least one glass of whisky before propositioning him, Ms White.’
The group erupted in laughter, gloom dispelling as they watched the exchange, before standing to tidy away their chairs. Filing out of the sumptuous ballroom to head for Albie’s flat, the room fell quickly silent.
Until a moment later, when Kit came running back in, grabbing his son’s pushchair. ‘I didn’t forget you, it was a momentary lapse. You’re not allowed to throw this in my face when you’re a teenager.’
Wheeling out speedily, the double doors clicked shut behind him.
As they did, a prism of light flooded through the windows, bathing the acres of yellow silk wallpaper and making it glow, as if the room was smiling.
A blanket of gold sparkles rushed across the floor, brightening it to a polished shine, before floating up to coat the gold filigree on the highly ornate decorative ceiling, providing it with a lustre it hadn’t seen in years.