Coming Home to Glendale Hall

by Victoria Walters

  ‘I’m sure that helped her find peace.’

  ‘I hope so.’ I took a sip of the wine.

  ‘And Drew?’ Heather asked hesitantly. ‘Have you spoken about what happened?’

  ‘Not really. He goes back to Boston soon. With April.’ I felt despondent and I didn’t like it. ‘Enough about my woes, please. Tell me something else. I need to stop dwelling on how rubbish everything feels right now. If anyone can cheer me up…’ I looked at her, hopefully.

  ‘Oh, God, the pressure!’ Her cheeks turned a little pink. ‘Actually, I did want to tell you something, but it feels a little silly with everything going on here.’

  ‘I need silly,’ I assured her.

  ‘Okay, well, last night. After everything that happened here, Rory and I got a taxi back to the farm with April. It was too late and too far for me to get home, so I stayed there. And… I slept with him.’

  My eyes widened. ‘Oh my god!’

  She put her hands to her face. ‘I know right! Drew’s older brother. The guy who’s taken the piss out of me for years. But, I think I like him. Oh, man.’ She buried her head in her arms.

  I tried not to laugh. ‘This isn’t a disaster. This is a good thing. You like him. He likes you. I think that’s great.’

  ‘I haven’t heard a peep from him since, though.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Yeah, oh. I swear I have the worst luck with men.’

  ‘Maybe he just doesn’t think you like him? Maybe you need to tell him how you feel.’ I cringed at how hypocritical I was being. Why was it always easier to give someone else advice but not to take the same advice yourself?

  ‘Would you tell him?’ she asked pointedly, reading my mind.

  ‘Probably not,’ I admitted. ‘But that doesn’t mean I’m not right.’

  She sighed. ‘What about you and Drew? Have you told him how you feel?’

  It was my turn for my cheeks to turn pink. ‘No. He doesn’t feel the same way, Heather, I know he doesn’t.’

  ‘None of us ever really know what someone else thinks or feels. He might be waiting for you to say something.’

  ‘Or he’s happy with his girlfriend.’

  Heather rolled her eyes. ‘The girlfriend he never mentioned until she turned up. There’s no way he doesn’t feel something for you; I have seen the way you two are together. Then and now. I don’t think you should let him go back without saying something.’

  There was only one thing for it – I followed her lead and buried my own head in my arms.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Mum was up and bustling in the kitchen when Izzy and I went down the next morning. ‘Morning you two, I’m making us breakfast,’ she said, glancing over her shoulder to smile at us. ‘Sit down, it’s almost ready. Although I must admit I’ll be pleased when Sally comes home tomorrow.’

  I raised an eyebrow. I hadn’t expected her to be up and dressed and bustling around the kitchen but perhaps it was helping to take her mind off things. Izzy and I sat down as we were told. I had phoned Sally to tell her the news of Gran, and she had immediately said she would come straight back, but I had firmly told her to wait until she had originally planned to return. She deserved a break and there would be so much to do when she did get back to the Hall. She had reluctantly agreed.

  ‘Did you sleep okay?’ I asked Mum as she brought over two plates of scrambled eggs and toast and a jug of juice.

  ‘Not really. I was up half the night thinking about everything. There is so much to do, and my mother wouldn’t want us to take our eyes off the ball. We are meeting the council soon, and we have to be prepared. We have to think of a way to save the village. I won’t let all our hard work the past couple of weeks be for nothing.’

  ‘But, surely…?’

  ‘Beth,’ she said in a warning tone, passing me a coffee and sitting down opposite me with her mug and plate. ‘You said it yourself, I need this project. We need to get our Glendale rescue plan back on track.’

  ‘Dad is coming over later to talk to me about Gran, so you could meet up with Heather to come up with a plan for our meeting with the council in a couple of days?’ I suggested, seeing how determined she was. If this was her way of coping with her mother’s death then what could I do but go along with it?

  ‘I hope we can still work something out with them to stop this development. A compromise at the very least.’ She didn’t look one hundred per cent convinced that it would be possible though.

  I wished I could think of something that would help us. Mum deserved to be able to do that after all that had happened. But I had a sinking feeling that Dad’s company would win out, and then the Glendale we knew and loved would cease to exist. I shuffled off after breakfast to shower and get dressed. It was proving hard to buck myself up. Not only was I reeling from losing Gran, and having to deal with planning a funeral, but there was the prospect that Glendale might not be saved after all, and Drew was leaving Scotland. I also soon had to face the prospect of going back to our life in London, and the thought of doing that made me feel a little lonely. I liked having my family, Heather, Sally and John, and of course Drew, around. I had always loved that Izzy and I were a team of two, but it wouldn’t be the same. I had had to deal with so much by myself, and I realised that maybe I didn’t want to do that any more.

  I glanced at the brochure Heather had left last night of the college she had applied to do some art and design courses at. She was planning to study at night and find another day job once the library closed. As I climbed into the shower, I felt a little jealous of Heather. She had everything planned out. Although the prospect of losing her job had been a huge blow, she was turning it into a silver lining and building a new future for herself. She was going after what she loved. I glanced out of the bathroom window, at the vast lawn below me, and wished that I could do the same thing.

  * * *

  Mum left an hour later to meet Heather in the village, and my dad arrived at the Hall soon after that. I left Izzy icing cookies in the kitchen and joined him in his study. I fidgeted in the chair opposite his, the desk between us as the setting felt strangely formal.

  ‘How is Caroline?’ he asked as he searched for the papers he was looking for in his drawer.

  ‘She’s throwing herself back into the Glendale project. But maybe that’s good for her, I don’t know.’

  ‘It is probably helping her to take her mind off losing her mother. I wouldn’t worry. Your mother is one of the strongest women I know.’

  ‘Well, she’s had to be, hasn’t she?’ I couldn’t resist snapping back.

  Dad leaned back in his chair and sighed. ‘Beth, I wish I could change what has happened, but I can’t. I care about Caroline very much. I want to do all I can to help her right now.’

  ‘I know you do. Mum has spoken to the minister and he wants to speak to us about readings and hymns that we’d like at the funeral. I think Mum would like us to go with her, for support. She said we’d see him at the church tomorrow.’

  Dad nodded. ‘Of course I’ll be there. I’ll ask Caroline if there’s anyone she’d like me to tell about it so she doesn’t have to. But first, I wanted to speak to you.’

  I nodded, cautiously. ‘Okay.’

  ‘I am the executor of Margaret’s will, and as such, I shall be sorting out everything regarding that. Her solicitor has arranged to come and discuss it in detail with us, but I wanted to tell you myself what is in her will, and also to give you this.’ He pulled out an envelope. ‘She wrote you a letter, Beth. For you to read after her death.’

  I stared at it as if it was a bomb. ‘She wrote to me?’

  ‘She wasn’t sure if she would see you before the end, so she wrote this in case. It also explains what is in her will.’ Dad leaned forward and looked at me. ‘Beth, this is going to take a while to sink in, and you’re going to have think hard about what you are going to want to do.’

  I felt my pulse speed up. And I wasn’t sure why. ‘What does it say, Dad?’ I asked
, wondering if I really wanted to know.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  ‘You and Caroline are the sole beneficiaries of Margaret’s will. She created a trust fund a long time ago for each of you, and both contain a significant amount of money. As you know, the family whiskey brand still provides an excellent income as we still receive a percentage of all profits they make, plus the original money that your great-grandfather made when he sold the company has been invested well through the years. Basically, Beth, you’re now a very wealthy woman,’ Dad said. I stared at him, open-mouthed. ‘Additionally, Glendale Hall was signed over to you ten years ago, as part of your trust as well. Which means, you are the owner of Glendale Hall. There are two stipulations included in her will – that Caroline may live in the house for as long as she wants, and that you do not sell it so it will remain in the family to be passed down in the future to Izzy.’

  I stared at him in shock. ‘Seriously?’ He nodded. ‘Bloody hell.’

  He smiled a little. ‘When she wrote her will, she told me that this was to make up for something she had done. She wouldn’t tell me what that was at the time, but she wrote it down in this letter to you. Of course, now we know what she meant. This is to apologise for how she treated you when you were pregnant but, more than that, I think she wanted to secure the future of the Hall. She wanted to make sure it would stay in the family, and by passing it down it you, that’s what she has done.’

  It was so hard to take in. Obviously, I knew how badly Gran had felt about the past, but I had no idea she would go as far as to leave such an inheritance to me. ‘I don’t know what to say.’

  ‘As I said, you need to let it sink in and have a think about what you want to do. You could, of course, do nothing. Your mother will keep on living here, and you can go back to London with Izzy, and use the money to buy a property there. Or you could choose to stay here at the Hall. The point is now you have options. Margaret has given you freedom to choose what to do next with your life.’ He held out the letter. ‘Here, why don’t you read what she wrote to you, it might help you decide what to do.’

  I took it nervously. ‘Dad, what do you think I should do?’ I asked him. It had been a long time since I had asked my dad a question like that, and he looked surprised but considered it for a moment before answering me.

  ‘I think you should do what will make you happy.’

  My eyebrows almost left my face, I raised them so high. My serious, business-minded father was telling me to do what would make me happy. Not the right thing or the sensible thing but what would make me happy. I nodded. ‘Does Mum know?’

  ‘Yes, they discussed it. She knew what Margaret wanted. And she told me she thought it was the right decision.’

  ‘Really?’

  Dad smiled. ‘Really.’

  I left his study, still holding the letter, too scared to open it just yet. My mind was racing. I had had no thoughts of what my gran was going to leave anyone, but I would have assumed my mum would inherit everything. Yet, there I was, the new owner of Glendale Hall. I looked around as I walked round the side of the house into the garden. I needed a moment alone before I went to find Izzy. I had no idea what she was going to say when she found out. I slipped my boots and coat on and went outside.

  January was beginning grey and dull. The clouds were thick above me as I walked across the lawn, hands in the pockets of my coat, my breath visible in the air. Behind me, Glendale Hall loomed large. It was strange to think that all of it was mine. I suppose I had assumed that one day it would be, but I had thought that would happen at some far-off distant time when my parents were no longer around. To own it, at twenty-six, was unexpected. If anyone had told me just one month before, I would have rebelled against it. I would have gone back to London, and to the safety of my familiar life there with Izzy.

  But there was no denying that spending Christmas here had reignited my love for the Hall, especially its grounds. Walking, I felt some of my uncertainty lift as if being out in the garden was healing in itself. I felt relaxed out here. I thought of all I could do as the seasons changed, and I ached to be part of it. To go back to our tiny, if cosy, flat seemed somehow less appealing than it used to. And I knew that my parents needed me. Especially my mum. If she and my dad did split up, she would be alone. I knew she had friends, and Sally and John, but she would have no family around her. And although I knew we’d always be as close as we were now, neither would Izzy and I.

  Plus, there was the fact that Izzy hadn’t been as happy in London as she had led me to believe. Her problems at school had upset her, and she didn’t have any close friends there. She had blossomed in Glendale; I couldn’t deny that. She didn’t have her head stuck in a book at all hours; she was involved, happy to try new things, to have fun, and was growing close to everyone here. And if her dad did decide to move to Scotland then she would love being as close to him as possible.

  It wasn’t just the prospect of owning the Hall that was making me question everything. I had also been left a lot of money too. That gave me options for the first time in a long time. When I had run away, I had not only left the house and my family, but the family money too. And I had survived. I’d worked hard for every penny, managed to keep a roof over Izzy and me, and food on the table, but that had been a struggle at times. I had abandoned all ideas of further study, not gone to college or university, and had taken an office job that I really didn’t enjoy all that much. Now, Gran had given me a choice. I wouldn’t have to go back to that.

  But if I didn’t then what would I do instead?

  * * *

  ‘I finally have some good news,’ Mum said when we sat down together that night. ‘Someone came into the library to speak to Heather. They came to the trail and were inspired by it and decided to do some research on what we could do to help save the library. There is a national fund that we can apply to, apparently, providing we come up with an idea they like. Heather thought we could set up a homework club for the kids and computer classes for older people. Community projects. Just like the trail – and they will provide funding for it. Which might help persuade the council to keep it open,’ she said. ‘And look at this!’ She slid the local paper across the coffee table towards me. The Glendale trail took up most of the front page, and the headline was big and bold:

  Let’s save our village!

  The report praised the trail and all the work that been put into it. It was scathing about the council planning to redevelop the high street, especially when there were businesses keen to open up shop there. Almost two hundred people, the newspaper estimated, had been to walk our trail, and the whole village was buzzing about it. I looked at the lights in the photo, and my heart swelled. I had never expected such a great turnout or how inspiring it would be for so many. Maybe it had done more than I thought it had. I really hoped so.

  ‘So, Mr Murray got on the phone to me,’ Mum said as I was reading it. ‘He has finally realised how much the community doesn’t want the village to be redeveloped, and the council are finally starting to listen to us. He has brought our meeting forward. He had seemed keen to come to a compromise. He said: “it was clear the people had spoken”.’

  ‘That’s so great,’ I replied, hardly daring to believe it was true.

  ‘I think they’ve realised that the village isn’t going down without a fight but quite what they’re going to suggest I don’t know,’ Mum said. ‘Heather and I thought about looking into whether some sort of profit sharing scheme could be set up so that instead of paying high rents, people would pay the council once the shops made money.’

  ‘That could work,’ I said. I had had my own thoughts on the subject but wanted to be sure before I said anything to my mum or Heather. I needed to be certain it was the right thing for Izzy, and me, and for everyone else. It was great that the council were coming around, though. I hoped it meant New Horizons would soon be out of the picture.

  ‘What did you say when Gran told you what she was going to put in her will?’
I asked Mum then, taking a sip of my wine and curling my legs up on the sofa. The fire in the corner crackled. The evenings were still freezing, but the room was warm and cosy.

  ‘At the time, I was surprised. You two hadn’t spent much time together since you went to London as my mother didn’t like leaving Scotland, and of course you hadn’t been home in years. She was determined though. She thought that the house needed young blood in it again, and by giving it to you, she hoped you’d come back and live here again. Obviously, now I know she also had another motive – to try to make up for how she treated you when she found out you were pregnant.’

  ‘What would you think if I did live here again, one day?’ I asked, wanting to gauge her thoughts on it all.

  Mum smiled. ‘I would love it. Having you and Isabelle here this Christmas has been really special but, Beth, you need to do what is best for you and your daughter. I hope that we can keep on strengthening our relationship, whether you’re here or in London, and I know that whatever you decide will be the right thing as you haven’t steered yourself or Izzy wrong yet.’

  It was still surprising for me hear praise from her. I smiled. ‘Thanks, Mum. I keep trying to decide but I don’t know. It will be hard to just slot back into our London life. I will miss it here; I do know that. And Gran’s money, it means that I could do something different. Dad told me to do what will make me happy but how will I know what will do that?’

  ‘By following what your heart wants. I think you probably already know what will do that,’ she said then, surprising me yet again. ‘Sometimes you just have to take the leap and do it.’ She patted my arm. ‘I will support you whatever you decide.’