Chapter 37
Albie
Choose Kindness, Every Day
The morning dawned dazzling and warm as they readied Little Beaubrook for the community event.
Members of the association raced around getting everything set up, hoping the gorgeous weather would hold and hundreds of visitors would descend on this sunny, summer Saturday.
Albie, clutching Colin’s lead, stood in his cottage doorway admiring the action in a perspiration-inducing green velvet three-piece suit with a tie covered in yellow primroses.
Everyone was smiling, simultaneously happy and harassed as Kirsten bustled around with a clipboard barking orders, red hair in a low plait and looking stunning in an ankle-length white dress.
Clover joined him, resplendent in a sapphire twinset which brought out her sparkling eyes, matched only by the jewels around her throat. Seeing who he was watching, she spoke from the corner of her mouth, ‘Think she’s trying to subliminally communicate something about weddings to Harley?’
Albie chortled. ‘Don’t know, but he’s been following her instructions with an indulgent expression all morning.’ He pointed to where their site manager was setting up numerous chairs and tables from the school along the centre of the main road in the manner of a street party.
‘Ah, it’s splendid seeing young people in love, isn’t it?’
Albie turned to her. ‘Is it only the young who can be in love?’
Eyes sharpening, she pursed her lips. ‘The kind of passionate, wilful, reckless love they fall into, yes, that we had with our respective spouses. But I think there’s a different kind of love when you’re older.
Maybe it won’t burn with passion, but it’s full of gentle companionship, joy and togetherness. ’
He paused, before raising her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to her delicate liver-spotted skin, which spoke of a life well-lived. Eyes twinkling, he teased, ‘Who says we can’t have passion at our age?’
Giggling girlishly at his remark and seeing the scarlet roses framing the top of the doorframe deepen in colour, she bestowed a firm kiss on his lips.
‘Alright, Al, I stand corrected.’ Colin gave a woof of jealousy, and they drew apart, laughing.
‘It’s like having a demanding toddler,’ she tutted, before leaning down to pat the puppy’s head.
‘It certainly is.’ Sobering, he asked, ‘Do you feel like you’re betraying your late husband?’
She straightened and slid her arm around his waist. ‘No. Feel like you’re betraying Rose?’
‘No, not anymore,’ he replied, feeling more settled after several nights spent talking, accompanied with champagne by candlelight. Waving a hand at the numerous activities being undertaken by his neighbours, he exclaimed, ‘I think she’d be happy for me, and delighted by all of this.’
‘Good. And lots of people will come today, I’m sure of it.’
‘I hope so. But, even if they don’t, I’m still proud of, and so grateful for, the community we’ve built. A shame we’ve only managed to finish three of the cottages so far.’
‘The rest will follow.’ Clover rested her head on his shoulder. ‘And what we’ve achieved…’
‘Is still wonderful,’ Albie finished huskily.
‘Yes.’ After a moment, she straightened. ‘Right. What needs doing? We can’t stand here slacking, we’ll give OAPs a bad name.’
‘Perish the thought. Let’s go ask.’ Holding hands, with Colin skipping along beside them, they made their way down the cottage path and out through the gate.
He frowned, seeing Gilly’s pallid face from across the road, where she was assembling the stage area with help from one of Clover’s friends, a man who’d been a roadie in a previous career.
Albie had a suspicion Ariel wouldn’t be in attendance today.
Not far away, Theo and Kit were unloading the back of a minibus, hefting a drum kit and assorted musical instruments around as they hooted with laughter about something.
‘You’re doing a great job,’ Clover praised Harley as they approached. ‘How can we help?’
He pointed over at Kirsten, perched on a step ladder hanging bunting above the door of one of the vacant buildings. ‘You’d have to ask her. I’m the puppet, not the master.’
‘Quite right. And was it her who convinced you to lose the last of the whiskers?’
‘Nope,’ he said almost cheerfully, ‘that was Rosie.’
‘I see.’ Albie glanced around, ‘Where is your little shadow?’
‘Up at the manor with Laurie, Ezra and Vanessa, making one of those social media picture frames for people to take photos.’
‘Sounds good. And Tori? Ethan?’ They weren’t quite what the younger generation liked to call official, but from what he’d witnessed the previous week and the enthusiasm Tori’s family greeted Ethan with, it felt promising. He had high hopes.
‘Cordoned off both ends of the village with orange cones, and currently sticking up the parking signs.’
‘Oh, brilliant,’ Clover clapped her hands, ‘someone as optimistic as me that hordes will turn up.’
Harley checked his watch, the cheap model a far cry from the one he’d first arrived at the manor with. ‘Huh. They’ve been a while. Maybe we should call and check everything’s okay?’
‘Call who?’ Tori said behind them.
‘Harley was concerned.’ Albie turned around as she and Ethan strolled up. ‘Apparently you’ve been gone for some time.’ They weren’t holding hands, but were standing close enough their arms were touching.
Tori, hair down and looking beautiful in an electric blue thigh-skimming dress with a few gold bangles on her arm, flushed. ‘We decided to put all the signs up, even if it’s overkill.’
Noticing how her heather-toned lipstick had mysteriously vanished, Albie deduced it had been kissed off.
Kirsten hurried across the road, her tone mock-scolding as her plait swung over one shoulder. ‘Why are you standing around chatting?’ She checked her clipboard. ‘There’s still loads to do, and we have less than three hours.’
Harley did a mock bow. ‘Tasks then, Milady?’
Kirsten rolled her eyes, but her mouth curved.
‘Okay. We need to set tables with cloths, flowers, cutlery and the vintage plates from the charity shop. Also, direct the catering vans to their spots, collect the boxes of cakes from my flat, fill the drink tanks with cordial and lemon pieces, help the volunteers set up the temporary bar… Also, all the decorating and the kids’ area needs sorting with the giant Jenga, Connect-4 and Twister.
And about a million other things after that, plus someone needs to meet with the estate agent in charge of selling the vacant cottages and giving the viewings of our completed ones this afternoon.
Hopefully people will bite if they can see the potential. ’
‘And the band?’ Tori’s eyes lit up.
‘The band,’ Kirsten looked excited. ‘Still can’t believe we managed to book them, especially at short notice. Having connections comes in handy sometimes. Right, Harley?’
He shifted uncomfortably, reaching up to tug his baseball cap down before realising he wasn’t wearing it.
Shoving his hands in his pockets instead, he muttered, ‘My ex-agent has a friend who knows their agent and agreed a nominal fee. But they also wanted to help once they knew what we’re dealing with.
’ Referring in part to the nuisance calls they’d been receiving from the developer to sell up, and the leaflets posted through cottage doors.
‘Plus, the lead singer had an ex-girlfriend from around here years ago and is fond of the local area.’
While it was helpful for today’s event that the manor had stopped concealing itself and the village, Albie couldn’t help wishing it would play silly buggers with the developers’ staff members when they came to call.
‘Well, it’s amazing. People will come just for them.’ Kirsten jerked her chin as a van with tinted windows pulled up just beyond the cordon. ‘Oh, that could be the band now.’
A group of men in their forties erupted from the vehicle in jeans and T-shirts, relaxed and smiling as they took in the picturesque country village, with its rose-strewn grey stone cottages, leafy green trees and burbling stream.
‘Morning,’ one of them called, brown hair falling over striking blue eyes as he waved, ‘this all looks great.’
‘Aren’t they the ones who had a massive hit about being lovely?’ Clover asked, astonished. ‘Saw the posters, but the name didn’t mean much.’
Kirsten nodded, looking triumphant. ‘Yes.’
Tori had told Albie they’d been a huge success in the mid-2000s and were still going strong. It wasn’t his normal genre, but he’d listened to some of their music over the past few days. ‘Personally, I’m partial to the one about getting butterflies,’ he said, taking Clover’s hand.
‘Okay,’ Kirsten said briskly, ‘soppy stuff later.’ Assigning them all jobs, she tucked her clipboard under her arm. ‘Harley, don’t forget to change.’
‘What for?’ Albie asked.
‘You’re not dressing up in a costume for donations, are you?’ Tori sniggered. ‘I can’t imagine anything less likely.’
Harley’s jaw tensed. ‘No, something equally unpleasant.’
‘You’ll be fine,’ Kirsten reassured, before looking around the circle. ‘And everyone will get to see what he’s up to later. Now, off you all go.’ With wry laughter ringing in the air, they disbanded, each person more than happy to play their part.
A while later, Tori gawped at the teeming street. ‘I can’t believe it. It’s rammed. There must be at least a thousand people in the village. What the actual fu—’
‘Yes. It’s a shock, but a good one,’ Albie interjected, ‘and the band isn’t even performing for another hour.
’ In the meantime, a medley of upbeat summer hits was playing through a sound system one of Clover’s friends had lent them.
They probably needed some sort of permit for all this, but he’d worry about that if someone from the council showed up.
Ethan was unconcerned, saying it wasn’t his area of expertise, but to only worry about it if they needed to.