Chapter 22
22
When Dylan woke the next morning there was something different about his room. He couldn’t place it for a moment until he realised the light coming through the small gap in the curtains was much brighter than usual. Sliding out of bed, he shivered at the change in temperature and quickly grabbed the dressing gown he’d left draped over a chair, then pushed back the curtains. He couldn’t hold in a gasp as he took in the view before him. It had stopped snowing at some point in the night, but not before several inches had fallen. The rolling vista of the estate grounds had been completely transformed into a winter wonderland. Snow covered the fields and roads in equal measure, flattening the landscape until the only thing that demarcated the road was a thick set of tyre tracks left by one of the family’s big black Range Rovers that was parked outside the front of the hall.
From his vantage point he could see the collection of buildings that made up the farm, their roofs buried under a layer of white. Further to the left, the trees in the forest looked as if they’d been sprinkled in icing sugar. The sky was the pale blue of a Wedgwood vase with a few wisps of thin cloud dotted here and there. It looked so beautiful and he couldn’t wait to wake the kids up and get downstairs for breakfast. They’d made arrangements to meet Sadie and he couldn’t wait to show her more of the estate.
He was waiting for his shower to heat up when then the reality of what he’d just seen hit him and he checked his phone. It was just after 8a.m. and the estate would be opening to the public in a couple of hours. Or perhaps not, given the state of the internal roads he could see. He opened his news app and a quick scan of the top story confirmed his fears: the snowstorm had affected a larger area than had been forecast and there were reports of blocked roads and drivers being stuck on several major roads overnight – including the M4 and the M5 just a few miles from the estate.
After the quickest shower possible, he dressed in jeans, a thermal long-sleeve T-shirt under a thick black jumper. He shoved his feet into his trainers, the thick socks he’d put on making them tight, but they were only a means to get him downstairs because if the snow was as deep as it looked he’d need to borrow a pair of wellies from the boot room. He went to Theo’s room first and knocked on the door before walking in.
Theo cracked open one eye as he approached the bed and sat next to him. ‘What time is it?’
‘Just after eight. Look there’s been a massive dump of snow overnight and I’m worried it’s going to have a knock-on effect on the estate so I’m going to go and find Stevie and see what I can do to help.’
Theo bolted upright. ‘I’ll come with you.’
Dylan patted his leg and stood. ‘No, it’s fine. You and Avery can chill out. I just need you to keep an eye on things until I get back, okay?’
‘There must be something we can do,’ Theo argued, pushing back his covers. ‘Even if it’s just shovelling a bit of snow off the steps or whatever.’
Pride bloomed inside Dylan. ‘If you want to lend a hand, then I’m sure your aunt Stevie can find something for you to do. Look, I’m going to head downstairs. See to your sister and then come down when you’re ready, okay?’
‘Okay, Dad.’
Dylan’s first stop was the lounge to grab himself a cup of coffee. Instead of the young girls he’d got used to seeing, his mother and Tasha were there handing out pastries to the few guests who had made it downstairs. All eyes were fixed on a wall-mounted TV Dylan hadn’t noticed before. The sound was down but it was clear from the subtitles and the images on the screen that the weather overnight was the top story on breakfast news.
‘Oh, Dylan, good morning,’ his mother said, when she turned around and spotted him. ‘Did you sleep well?’
‘I slept fine, thanks, Mum.’ Dylan bent to brush a kiss on her cheek, determined to keep pushing through that horrible distance that had always stood between them. He was rewarded for his efforts by a glowing smile and a pat on the arm. ‘How are things after the other night? Are you okay?’
Alice gave him a sad smile. ‘Your father went off in the van in a huff, but only as far as the pub car park.’
‘He’s still in the village?’
His mother nodded. ‘If he’s waiting for someone to offer him an olive branch, he’ll have a long wait. Ziggy told me what happened when you all confronted him and you have my wholehearted support. Monty knows what he needs to do to try and put things right. It’s up to him now.’
Dylan had a feeling there was more than a touch of brave face to her attitude, but he wasn’t going to mention it. Alice had chosen her side and stuck to it and he could only admire her. Not wanting to upset her, he decided to change the subject. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Everything’s topsy-turvy this morning because of the weather,’ Alice replied. ‘The staff who live outside the village are struggling to get in so Ziggy and Cam have taken a couple of the Range Rovers out to go and collect who they can. Poor Rhys has been out since before dawn trying to clear the drive with the tractor and plough and Zap is down at The Old Stable Yard assessing the conditions there. I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing so I offered to come here with Tasha and help with breakfast.’
‘I felt the same way as soon as I saw how much it had snowed. I want to help wherever I can.’
Alice patted his arm again. ‘Of course you do, darling, it’s what family does.’
Tasha came over to join them. ‘Alice, can you take a couple of orders through to the kitchen for me?’
‘Of course, dear.’ Alice took the piece of paper from Tasha then glanced back at Dylan. ‘You’re not rushing off?’
He shook his head. ‘I’m going to grab a coffee and a quick bite to eat. I’ll still be here when you get back.’ With a smile and a nod, Alice left the lounge. Dylan turned to Tasha. ‘Where’s Stevie? I want to know what I can do to help.’
‘She’s in the office trying to contact suppliers we are expecting deliveries from. Thankfully she persuaded the chef and a couple of his team to stay over once we realised the snow was setting in, but we might have to rearrange a few things. I’ve already had Lydia on the phone and we’ve agreed she shouldn’t risk the journey.’ Tasha sighed and glanced over her shoulder towards the window. ‘We weren’t supposed to catch any of it – so much for the forecast.’
‘Do you think you’ll be able to open at all today?’
She shrugged. ‘It’s too early to tell. Hope has already posted a notice on the website homepage that anyone with pre-booked tickets for the ice rink or the illuminated walk can transfer them to another day. We’ve said that we won’t open before midday at the earliest and will provide regular updates. She’s in the office to cover any calls and emails that come in and I’ll go and back her up once breakfast is done.’
He should’ve known they’d have it all in hand, but still he couldn’t just sit around. ‘I want to help wherever you think I can be of most use.’
Tasha’s cool professionalism slipped for a second as she grabbed his hand. ‘Thank you, we need all the help we can get. Come in the hall with me a minute and we can speak to Rhys as he’s in charge of the clear-up efforts.’
Dylan followed her out, passing Alice on the way. ‘Oh, are you going already?’ There was no missing the disappointment in her words.
He shook his head. ‘We’re just going to call Rhys and see where I can best help.’
Alice brightened. ‘I’ll sort out your coffee and something to eat while you do that.’
Dylan followed Tasha over to one of the sofas in the entrance hall and sat beside her while she made a FaceTime call to Rhys. ‘I hope you’re calling to say you’re bringing me a vat of coffee,’ he said by way of greeting. ‘I’m freezing my bloody balls off.’
Tasha laughed. ‘We can’t have that. Yes, I’ll get some coffee sent out to you, but I’m calling because Dylan is with me and he wants to know what he can do to help.’
‘I’ve cleared most of the drive from the main gate to the junction, and I’m about to start on the road down to the stable yard. I reckon he’ll be most use down there if he has a vehicle he can use.’
‘I can drop him down there and bring you some coffee at the same time,’ Tasha said. ‘I can nip into the office and see how Hope is getting on while I’m there as well. It’s pretty quiet here so I’m sure Alice can hold the fort until I get back.’
The sound of footsteps on the stairs drew Dylan’s attention and he waved as he spotted Theo and Avery. ‘The kids have just come down and I know they’re keen to help out. I trust them enough to run orders to the kitchen and fetch coffees or whatever.’
‘That’s sorted, then,’ Tasha said. ‘Do you need anything else, darling?’ she asked Rhys.
‘If you can rustle me up a bacon buttie, I’ll love you forever.’
Tasha laughed. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’
Dylan had just finished making the kids promise they would listen to their grandmother for the third time, when Sadie walked into the lounge. ‘Good morning. Can you believe how much snow fell overnight?’
‘It’s pretty bad. Have you seen the news?’
She shook her head. ‘I haven’t even switched on the TV in my room. What’s happening.’
‘Carnage on the roads. There’s a big clean-up operation going on. We’ve got our own smaller version happening to try and get the estate ready to open so I’m just heading out to pitch in.’
Sadie’s face fell. ‘Oh, I didn’t even think of that. I just opened my curtains and thought how beautiful everything looked.’ She glanced around. ‘What can I do?’
‘It’s all in hand, although I’d appreciate you keeping an eye on the kids while I’m gone. They’re going to give their grandmother a hand with breakfast service.’ He sighed. ‘I’ll have to take a rain check on our walk.’
Sadie reached out and placed a hand on his chest. ‘That’ll keep. You have more important things to worry about. Focus on doing what you can to help and I’ll make sure everything’s okay here.’
He immediately felt better. As much as he trusted them both, things might get hectic if there was a sudden influx of guests for breakfast. Sadie’s capable calmness would make sure everything ran smoothly until Tasha got back. ‘You’re the best.’ On impulse, Dylan leaned in and pecked a quick kiss on her cheek. Their eyes met and everything faded away for a moment.
‘Ready when you are, Dylan,’ Tasha called from the doorway, holding up a flask of coffee and an insulated bag.
‘Damn.’
‘You have terrible timing, Dylan Travers.’ Sadie’s laugh was a touch breathless.
He groaned. ‘Tell me about it. We’ll pick this up later, okay?’
‘Is that a promise?’
He grinned. Damn right it was.
They found Rhys still working to clear the last of the snow from the junction. He switched off the tractor and jumped down with a smile, gathering Tasha into a bear hug as they got out of the Range Rover to greet him. ‘You are a lifesaver,’ he said as Tasha untangled herself and quickly poured a cup of steaming coffee into the lid of the flask.
‘How’s it going? Looks like you’re making great progress.’ Dylan glanced up the drive towards the main gate, which was now almost completely clear of snow.
‘Not bad, eh? As soon as Denny and Jos are finished feeding and checking the animals they’re meeting up with Graham, who runs the gardens and maintenance team. They’re going to load some salt onto one of the flatbeds and go over what I’ve cleared. Ziggy’s on his way back so hopefully we’ll have a few more helping hands in the next half-hour or so.’
‘Umm, I think we might have more than a few,’ Tasha said in a voice full of wonder. She wasn’t looking at Rhys, she was staring past him, pointing towards the drive.
‘What the hell?’ Where there’d been only an empty stretch of road a moment ago, there were people, lots and lots of people.
‘Oh my God.’ Tasha’s voice was full of tears. ‘That’s Joe and Martha and Iain’s with them too.’ She turned to Dylan with a beaming smile. ‘They run the shop and the pub.’
‘They’ve got half the village with them by the looks of it,’ Rhys said, with a grin.
Dylan gazed at the group of people marching down the drive. They were carrying an assortment of spades, brushes and buckets. It looked as though they’d grabbed whatever they could get their hands on they thought would be of use. In the middle of the group he spotted the familiar multicoloured splash of his father’s patchwork jacket. ‘Monty’s with them.’
Rhys stiffened, his smile vanishing in an instant. ‘We don’t need anything from him.’
Tasha placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘We need all the help we can get.’
He glowered for a moment, then nodded. ‘Fine, but keep him away from me.’
Dylan surprised himself by volunteering. ‘He can come to the stable yard with me. I’ll keep an eye on him.’ He was the least affected by Monty and wouldn’t hesitate to say something if there was any chance of him causing trouble.