Coming Home to Heritage Cove

by Helen J Rolfe

Before he could get into his truck and leave she found herself blurting out the question, ‘Why didn’t you turn up that day?’

  Harvey froze. It took him a while to turn and look at her, his keys hooked around his middle finger. ‘Maybe it’s not a good idea to dredge all that back up again.’

  ‘Don’t I deserve a moment of your time?’

  ‘I didn’t turn up that day, but at the same time, you didn’t wait,’ he threw back.

  ‘Did you want me to?’

  He looked ready to argue back but then said, ‘No, I don’t suppose I did. I knew you needed to leave, so it all worked out in the end.’

  ‘Harvey…’ she called after him but he’d already headed off towards the house saying he wanted to make sure Barney didn’t need anything else before he left.

  By the time she’d caught up with him inside, Harvey was nagging Barney about the rehabilitation exercises.

  ‘It might be a bit much,’ Melissa said quietly to him. ‘Take it easy.’

  ‘As far as I know, you’re not a nurse,’ Harvey snapped, far louder than her own voice. He didn’t even turn around to face her, all trace of the earlier pleasantries gone. She’d stirred up trouble by mentioning the day she left and now he was taking it out on Barney by going on at him.

  Harvey carried on. ‘Barney, the more you comply, the sooner you’ll be back to normal…we all will.’

  Melissa got the feeling Harvey wasn’t bothered about sleeping in his own bed so much as getting her out of the picture. That was hardly going to work if they really were going to try to help organise the ball this summer.

  ‘Stop bickering, the both of you,’ Barney snapped. ‘Now, will someone please pass me my iPad?’

  Harvey did the honours, although reluctantly.

  ‘Let me open some windows for you,’ Melissa suggested. ‘It’s stuffy in here, even with the doors open.’

  ‘Be my guest.’ Barney didn’t bother to look up from his screen.

  ‘I’d forgotten how lovely it could be in the English countryside,’ she told him, keen to lift the mood of the room. It had been a long while since she’d woken to the sound of a dawn chorus and the delicate scent of whatever was in the garden at that time of the year but this morning at the inn she’d really noticed it. She’d slept soundly, knowing it must be all the fresh air during the day, and woken to a sweet scent coming through her open window, a bird trilling in the morning sunshine.

  Barney didn’t respond with anything other than a non-committal murmur, Harvey was busy making cups of tea, and so she gave up trying to get a conversation going and opened up the windows in the lounge as well as the one in the kitchen. ‘Mind if I open the one in your bedroom, Barney?’ she asked. All she got in answer was a wave of his hand to indicate he’d prefer her to stop asking questions. At least that’s how she interpreted it.

  In Barney’s bedroom the curtains were still closed. Melissa pulled them open, then put the window on its latch and a gentle breeze snaked its way inside. A blanket that must have been on the end of the bed was now lying on the floor so she gathered it up, refolded it and took it to the wardrobe – she assumed that’s where it was kept.

  She was right. There were another couple of blankets on the top shelf and she stretched up to tuck the blanket alongside the others. But as she lifted it, it got caught on a wrapped garment hanging on the rail below. She wrestled the material away, slotted the woolly blanket onto the shelf and looked at what it was that had caught on it. She expected the plastic to be covering a suit or a winter coat that had been dry-cleaned and wouldn’t see daylight until winter came around, but instead it was something white. Too long to be a shirt, she pulled back the other clothes on the rail to reveal a wedding gown hanging at the very end.

  ‘Don’t ask,’ came Harvey’s voice.

  She clutched a hand against her chest. ‘You scared me.’

  ‘Because you’re snooping?’

  ‘Of course I wasn’t.’ The wardrobe doors were still open and she looked around the bedroom door to check Barney was still sitting in his chair in the lounge area. ‘I was putting the blanket away and found this by accident. Why has Barney got a wedding dress?’

  ‘As I said, don’t bring it up. When I mentioned it, he soon shut me down.’

  She was about to close the wardrobe when a thought occurred to her. ‘You know, I’ve seen this before…’

  ‘You have?’

  ‘It was years ago. At least, I think it’s the same one, I suppose I can’t be sure. Hang on…’ She lifted up the bottom of the gown and pulled aside the plastic covering. ‘It must be the same one – see, there’s a section of material missing, same as the dress I found before.’

  He peered closer to see for himself. ‘I never noticed that.’

  ‘I came here one winter’s day after school. I’d forgotten my house key and my parents were still at work. Barney made me a hot cocoa but I couldn’t warm up. I was shivering and he told me to lie down. He went to find some blankets, I followed him, and that’s when I saw this. This same dress.’

  ‘Ah, you’re talking about the winter you came down with flu and gave it to me.’

  ‘You have a good memory.’ She did her best to ignore the tingle when his arm brushed against hers accidentally. ‘I didn’t give it to you on purpose, you know.’

  ‘I don’t think I even minded at the time.’

  She gulped when his gaze held hers. ‘I asked him about it back then. He wouldn’t tell me anything. And then I suppose I just forgot about it.’

  ‘Perhaps it’s a spare, you know, in case someone at the ball has a wardrobe malfunction.’ He shrugged as though it was entirely plausible.

  ‘Doubtful.’ She put her hand against the dress beneath the plastic. ‘And there’s a section missing, remember. That would be a major malfunction for anyone’s dress standards.’

  ‘Good point.’

  ‘It’s such a beautiful dress. Vintage, by the looks of things.’ The satin damask gown in rich heavy silk had been heavy to hold on its hanger. Melissa peeked beneath the plastic again to see a ruched neckline trimmed with ruffles, sleeves that had beads sewn on at the edges. ‘It looks old.’

  Harvey leaned closer again. ‘It smells old.’

  ‘There’s a little bag that goes with it,’ she said when she saw it looped around the hanger behind the garment. ‘Whoever owned this dress would’ve used the bag to carry small items like a lipstick or make-up for touch-ups on their big day. Wait, you don’t think…’

  ‘What? I’m clueless on this, Melissa.’

  ‘Maybe this is the reason for the Wedding Dress Ball, the reason it all started in the first place. Perhaps whoever owned this dress is the reason Barney started the event in Heritage Cove.’

  ‘You think he murdered his wife and kept the dress as a souvenir?’

  ‘Of course not, but there’s something he hasn’t told us.’

  ‘I guess we won’t ever know unless we ask him.’

  ‘The mood he’s in…’ She shook her head. ‘I’m not going to push it.’

  Melissa checked again that they wouldn’t be caught looking, although they’d better get back out to the lounge soon or Barney would get suspicious. Harvey made a show of calling out to say they were opening windows in the spare room and bathroom too, plus the one in the hallway that looked out on a gorse bush that separated the house from a wide flowerbed, a low-lying wall and the road.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Harvey hissed when he saw her opening up the little bag.

  ‘Just looking,’ she said.

  ‘Hurry up, he’ll be in here in a minute.’

  ‘No he won’t, he doesn’t want to move more than he has to, remember.’ She rummaged in the bag and pulled out a piece of paper. But she only got as far as reading “Dear Barney” when Barney’s voice prompted them both to leave it alone.

  ‘What are you kids up to?’ he called out as Melissa stuffed the letter back and quickly shut the wardrobe.

  She went to the end
of the hallway and opened the window there while Harvey saw to the one in the bathroom.

  ‘I love that he calls us kids,’ Harvey whispered when they met at the lounge door, sending a shiver down her spine.

  They shared a smile before joining Barney again. ‘Sorry, window in the hallway was hard to open.’

  ‘It always gets stuck, so I don’t usually bother,’ said Barney, looking up from his iPad for long enough to inspect their faces for signs of mischief in the same way he’d done in years gone by. Finding nothing, he got back to what he was looking at. Clearly they were better at masking their feelings than they’d been back then.

  ‘Let’s drink that tea before it goes cold,’ said Melissa, heading over to the kitchen bench.

  ‘I’ll help,’ Harvey added.

  In a low voice, as they picked up the mugs between them, Melissa told him, ‘We’ll have to look at that letter another time.’

  ‘Or we could just respect his privacy,’ said Harvey, as though they hadn’t been in cahoots moments before.

  ‘But…’

  He merely shrugged.

  Maybe he had a point. What right did she have to snoop? Especially after all this time, especially after her absence.

  Harvey drank his tea quickly enough and left Melissa and Barney to play a few games of cards and although there was no more talk of wedding dresses or the Wedding Dress Ball, Melissa knew that they were going to have to take over the organising soon if they didn’t want the event to be cancelled altogether. And that meant she’d need to stay in the Cove a little longer than she’d planned, a thought that would’ve made her nauseous before but that now filled her with a sense of anticipation that wasn’t altogether unwelcome.

  Chapter Five

  Harvey had a flexible job as it was but with Melissa around he’d been able to return to work confident Barney would be looked out for in his absence, and he was still only a phone call away. She’d spent a lot of time with Barney over the last week, the pair chatting away and catching up, and it instilled a sense of contentment in Harvey that he hadn’t had until Melissa had turned up in the cove for the man who was so important to the both of them.

  Today, Harvey worked the morning and was close enough to Heritage Cove that he could nip over to Barney’s to say hello, check up on him and share a quick lunch.

  ‘It’s much nicer eating a sandwich here than surrounded by dust and mayhem,’ said Harvey, tucking into the cheese and pickle sandwiches he’d rustled up.

  ‘I appreciate the company,’ said Barney, before another voice called out from the open back door.

  ‘Anyone home?’

  ‘Through here,’ Harvey replied, recognising Tilly’s voice. ‘How’s it all going, Tilly?’

  ‘Can’t complain. I thought Barney might be on his own so I popped out for lunch and came to keep him company.’

  ‘I beat you to it,’ said Harvey. ‘Can I interest you in a sandwich? Plenty to go round.’

  ‘I don’t want to be any trouble.’

  ‘No trouble. I’m making myself another, happy to make you one at the same time. You sit down.’

  She rolled up the sleeves of her cream shirt, which she’d teamed with a long red wrap-around summer skirt that reached her ankles, and flopped down onto the sofa. ‘First time I’ve sat down all morning.’

  ‘Candle business going well?’ Barney enquired.

  Harvey let the pair talk about the business, which had originally been owned by Tilly’s grandmother Shirley, a close friend of Barney’s who passed away ten years ago – Harvey suspected that had been one reason Barney stepped in when Tilly’s boyfriend left her, as well as the fact that Tilly’s parents lived in Nottingham so she didn’t have any family to turn to. Tilly’s dad, Shirley’s son, never had much interest in the business and so it had passed down to Tilly, and Harvey couldn’t blame him for his indifference, it was a bit feminine with all its wafty scents coming out onto the street, elegant candles of all shapes and sizes fit for the smartest of interiors. Tilly on the other hand had taken to the business as though running it was part of her genetic makeup.

  ‘Enough about me, how are you doing, Barney?’ Tilly asked after thanking Harvey for the sandwich, and took a hungry bite.

  ‘As you can see, still standing. Or rather, sitting. Harvey and Melissa keep going on at me to move around, think they want me dancing a jig.’

  Harvey looked at Tilly and shook his head before chowing down on his second sandwich.

  ‘Talking of dancing, I have a new dress for the ball.’ She set her sandwich down on her plate, needing her hands to help her explain the dress. ‘It has beading all across the bodice…’ her hands moved across the chest, ‘comes down to about here,’ she said, touching a hand to mid-calf, ‘and if I twirl around it lifts up, à la Marilyn Monroe.’

  ‘Now that sounds like a dress.’

  ‘I can’t wait to show everyone. And you never know, maybe I’ll get a date, it’s been a quiet time since Matt left. I’m fine,’ she said before Barney could attempt to console her, ‘I’m well rid of him, but it doesn’t mean I don’t miss having someone.’

  Harvey knew exactly how that felt. And now was a good opportunity to mention the ball. ‘Barney isn’t going ahead with the ball this year.’

  Tilly’s sandwich hadn’t even made it to her mouth again. ‘You’re kidding, right?’

  Barney shuffled uncomfortably in his chair, his focus on the model ship he’d had on the mantelpiece for as long as Harvey could remember.

  ‘He thinks he’s too old,’ said Harvey.

  ‘What a load of rubbish.’

  ‘This fall,’ Barney began, ‘it’s told me I’m not as young as I was. Talking of which, Tilly, doesn’t your friend Amber work at Aubrey House?’

  ‘That’s right, why?’ She scooped up the chunk of pickle that fell from between the slices of bread.

  ‘Could you ask her to pop a leaflet through the door? It’s high time I started investigating places more suitable than this.’

  Tilly popped the last of her sandwich into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. ‘This is all a bit much, isn’t it? No Wedding Dress Ball, moving out to a retirement home? Have I walked into the wrong house?’ She looked to Harvey. ‘What did you do with Barney?’

  Harvey watched Barney pat her hand. ‘It’s time,’ was all he said before he noticed the maroon plastic container with a smaller turquoise one on top that she’d brought with her. ‘What are those over there?’

  ‘Oh, golly! I almost forgot about those.’ She leapt up and retrieved the containers from the table. ‘This is your dinner, tonight or another night. It’s chicken casserole plus a side of mashed potatoes.’

  ‘I’m being spoiled.’

  ‘Nothing more than you deserve, Barney. Now, should I put it all in the fridge or the freezer?’

  ‘The fridge is fine. I’ll have it tomorrow. Tonight it’s roast lamb – Benjamin is dropping it over before he starts the evening shift in the pub kitchen. Maybe I’ll have to go into hospital more often if I get treated like this.’

  ‘Don’t you go saying things like that. But I’m happy to help. Sorry I didn’t make it up to the hospital more than once, the shop has me busy.’

  ‘It’s not a problem. You all have lives, no need to concern yourselves with one that’s almost over.’

  Harvey rolled his eyes at a surprised Tilly as he held the fridge door open for her to try to slot the containers in amongst what was already in there.

  Another voice called through the open back door and this time it was Ashley, manager of the White Clover charity, recipients of the money raised from the Wedding Dress Ball every year. ‘How’s the patient?’ Hooked over her arm was a basket filled with muffins.

  ‘The patient is doing just fine and being fed very well.’ Barney eyed the latest offering.

  ‘They’re mini orange and poppyseed,’ Ashley smiled. Green eyes danced and her mahogany curls shook whenever she laughed. She was a jolly character, the sort of woman a
charity needed working for them. Even when she wasn’t smiling she looked happy and when she spoke personality bubbled right out of her. ‘Now, Barney, what’s this a little birdie tells me about you wanting to cancel the Wedding Dress Ball?’

  Now Harvey was all ears. It was one thing him and Melissa nagging Barney about the ball, quite another for the locals to bend his ear about it. Perhaps this was what was going to do the trick, especially when Ashley had a vested interest.

  ‘It’s time I stopped, it’s too much for me,’ he told her. ‘Now, do me a favour. Over there in the bureau there’s a folder – if you could get it for me, please.’

  Ashley did as she was asked and handed Barney the folder before telling Tilly and Harvey to help themselves to a muffin.

  ‘In here is everything I’ve organised,’ he told her, the folder on his lap. ‘There’s a list of everything that’ll need to be cancelled. There’s a list of who I’ve sold tickets to and I’m going to issue with a refund. Now, I’m sorry, I know this isn’t what you want for White Clover, but I’ve made my decision.’

  ‘Oh, Barney.’ Ashley put a hand over his. ‘It’s a shame for White Clover, but that’s not my main concern. You’re the priority here, and the whole idea of the ball must be overwhelming – I can see why it would be too much, especially after you’ve only just come home from hospital.’

  Harvey wondered whether he and Melissa had been unfair to push Barney to change his mind.

  ‘Everyone’s main concern is you, Barney,’ Tilly added.

  ‘Do you need help to cancel things?’ Ashley offered, her practical side at the helm.

  ‘I couldn’t ask you to do that.’

  ‘Of course you could. But before I go ahead, I have an alternative suggestion.’

  ‘And what might that be?’ Barney asked.

  ‘Well, if it’s too much for you, why not let someone else take over the organising? It’s an event I’d like to see run for decades. It brings everyone together, people look forward to it all year.’

  Barney sighed. ‘I think it’s best that if I’m no longer running the ball, then someone else takes over and moves it to a completely different venue. That’s if you can find someone else to do it. People have busy lives.’