Chapter 12 #2
It was an idle quip, and judging by the look of panicked horror on his face, the words were out of his mouth before he’d had a chance to think about them, but it was too late – Gemma had heard them loud and clear.
It was something her father always used to say, something she’d had drummed into her from a young age, and the reminder of all the times she had heard it in the past was stark.
Coming from Leo now, when he knew better than anyone how true this was, was like a kick in the stomach, and she turned her head away.
‘I’ve got some eggs to drop down to Vicky’s at some point,’ said Willow, placing a bowl of soup in front of her. ‘I can take them after lunch if you like? Leave you and your laptop at the tearoom for a bit?’
Gemma managed a nod and murmured her thanks.
It was a good thing they were about to eat because, right at that moment, conversation was totally beyond her.
Leo had fallen silent too, his hands on Mulligan’s head, ruffling his fur and, just for a moment, she had an urge to wrap her arms around the dog’s soft body, to draw comfort from his warmth just as Leo did.
Did it help him, she wondered? Or did he still feel just as guilty?
Her throat closed over and it was all she could do to eat her soup.
‘How’s everything coming along?’ asked Vicky a little while later. ‘Are you making any headway?’ Her face was animated, her full attention fixed on Gemma’s face. She wasn’t just making polite chit-chat, she really was interested.
Gemma found herself responding in kind and beamed back a smile.
‘We are… We’ve found the house!’ She angled her laptop screen so that Vicky could see it better.
‘We still don’t know that much about it, but there was a large house on the site, complete with stables, gardens and a massive long driveway like all the best country houses have.
I’m trying to find out more now because, aside from a couple of documents and a few photos, we really don’t know anything at all.
We’re pretty convinced we’ve got the right place though. ’
‘And what’s it called, this mystery house?’
‘Brenant,’ replied Gemma.
‘Nothing at all like Thistledown then? I have to say I much prefer the new name.’
Gemma nodded. ‘Me too. We’ve no idea when that came into being, or when the original house became no more because there’s certainly no trace of it now.
We can tell where it would have stood, and the tumbledown farmhouse which is there now seems to have been built in part of its footprint, but, aside from that, nothing much else remains. ’
‘So what will you do when you’ve found out more? I can’t see Willow and Rowan being in the market for rebuilding an enormous house.’
Gemma laughed. ‘No, nor me. But the gardens are a different matter. Unwittingly, Willow has already created her kitchen garden in almost exactly the same position as it would have been originally, but the garden I found would have been a pleasure garden, and that is something we can restore. Well, that’s the plan. ’
The tearoom door tinkled and Vicky looked away for a moment. ‘Keep me posted,’ she said, moving away to serve another customer. ‘I’ll bring you a cuppa and a piece of cake in a minute. You’ve got to keep your strength up.’
Gemma was ready for both. Thankfully, neither Willow nor Rowan had seemed to notice that she and Leo had finished the rest of their lunch in virtual silence, but the atmosphere had hung heavy between them, and Gemma had been glad to escape the house.
The morning had been filled with such excitement, along with a feeling of common purpose which Gemma had enjoyed.
It had been a long time since she’d had anything in her life to feel a part of, but that feeling had soured and she had been struggling to find her previous enthusiasm.
Now, however, she was itching to get started again, but there was one other thing she needed to do first.
Morning Cat, she typed.
So how’s the world of advertising treating you today? And how is Shiny Rachel – has her halo slipped at all?
It seems that knackering my ankle has caused something of a chain reaction.
Because while I was laid up I set about researching the history of the farm and discovered that there was once a very grand house on the site.
And not just that, a very grand garden, too, and guess who’s going to restore it?
! (The garden not the house, obviously ) Think Gertrude Jekyll, Capability Brown…
all the famous designers. Possibly not, but you get the idea.
I’ve got masses of research to do before I can make a start though, because we want it to be as authentic as possible. Then, just as soon as my ankle lets me, I’ll be clearing a couple of hundred years’ worth of rubbish and, I expect, undertaking a considerable amount of digging!
Let me know all the gossip, won’t you?
Much love xx
Without pausing, Gemma opened an internet tab and typed into the search bar. Now that she had a name – Brenant House – she hoped the hunt for information would be very much easier.
What came back was not exactly plentiful but certainly more than her search for Thistledown had elicited.
She looked at the photos first. At the top, not surprisingly, were the pictures she’d already seen – the ones from the county archive – but further down were a few more and she clicked on these to see the detail.
Only two were actually from her Brenant House; the others related either to houses with similar names, or in one case what appeared to be a firm of solicitors miles away. Still, that was two more images than she’d had previously, and one showed far more detail than the others.
Her laptop pinged with an incoming email.
Jesus, Gemma, can’t you complain or something? You’re a highly intelligent, very highly qualified and very talented creative director, not a common-or-garden navvy! (No pun intended.)
And what has happened to Leo? You didn’t mention him… Has he been told where to go in no uncertain terms? I do hope so.
I am still very much on the ‘knocking Shiny Rachel’s halo off’ case but these things take time. Hold on, dear friend, I shall come to your rescue soon!
Gemma frowned. Cat had obviously misunderstood her last message.
Thanks, Cat! What would I do without you?
But actually, this is a good thing – it’s really quite exciting, and I think I might finally have found something here I’m good at.
And I’m not going to be doing it all by myself – a woman I’ve met is going to help, and I’m sure everyone else will pitch in too.
It is going to be hard work, but my waistline will probably thank me in the long run. I am seriously unfit!
As for Leo, he’s still here, but apart from the odd foot-in-mouth remark which seems to embarrass him as much as it does me, he’s being pretty well behaved.
Plenty of time for that to change, so keep up the good work with Shiny Rachel – a swift exit may yet be required!
Lots of love xx
Navigating away from the photos, Gemma checked the other search results for Brenant House.
They were mostly misspellings, or related to the wrong time or the wrong place, but tucked away at the bottom of the sixth page, she found something which piqued her interest. She began to read, edging further forward on her seat as she did so.
‘Vicky, is there anywhere in the village I can get something printed? And possibly some photocopies made, too?’