The Cottage of New Beginnings

by Suzanne Snow

  She took her nearly empty glass into the kitchen and began to cook to distract herself, throwing the ingredients together. She fried the pancetta and added the hot pasta to it, pouring in the egg and cheese after switching off the heat and then it was ready. She divided the food between two plates and shoved them into the warming oven. Annie cleared the kitchen while she waited for the pecan tart to bake, staring out of the window, and not really seeing anything as the evening became dark. She took the dessert from the oven and left it on top of the Rayburn and wearily switched off the light.

  Peering into the night through the sitting room window, she tried to guess where he might be and what kind of emergency he had been called away to. Nothing stirred beyond the cottage and she turned away, sinking onto the sofa as she fought back tears of worry and frustration, shocked by the hurt spilling into her heart. But as she sat alone in the dark, she didn’t really believe that he had done it on purpose. She stood up anxiously as fear took hold again, lurching horribly in her mind as she wondered if something terrible had happened to him.

  It was almost nine when a sudden flash of light lit up the lane outside and the loud roar of an engine was swiftly silenced. Moments later he knocked sharply at the front door, and her instant rush of thankful relief was joined by concern for what had occurred to keep him from her as she switched a lamp on and stepped into the hall to meet him. When she opened the door, Jon looked distracted and Annie was taken aback once again by his height and aura of self-assurance, wondering how she was coming to feel so much for him so soon and trying desperately not to let it show.

  ‘I’m really sorry,’ he said immediately. He reached out to take her hands but she kept them out of reach, still trying to sort through the riot of emotions rushing to the fore. ‘May I come in?’

  She stood aside to let him pass and closed the door after him. He went straight to the fireplace, almost as though he was trying to warm himself and hadn’t realised it wasn’t lit. She saw how tired he looked, and the darkening stubble, jeans and plain T-shirt beneath an open windbreaker jacket told her he must have come straight from the estate or Kilnbeck rather than a search and rescue.

  ‘Is everything okay?’

  Jon looked at her and she saw the distraction and worry return to his eyes and he sighed. ‘It’s Nathan. He’s gone missing and I’ve been searching for him. The police aren’t treating it as urgent yet because they don’t consider him to be at risk, and I can’t call the team out as we’ve no idea of a location or any sightings.’

  Annie felt her heart bump in shock, and the disappointment of their interrupted evening was lost in the new concern darting through her mind. ‘But how? When did he disappear?’

  ‘He was working at Brenda Chapman’s cottage, next door to Megan. Megan nipped in to see Brenda while he was there. She doesn’t usually bother to lock the door if she’s not going far and, when she got back about twenty minutes later, somebody had been in and taken her purse, some cash from her desk and her father’s watch. She ran back to Brenda in panic to tell her and when they tried to find Nathan to ask if he’d seen anything, he was nowhere to be found. Haven’t you heard?’

  Annie looked at him in horror. ‘No. I was out until after lunch and I didn’t leave the house once I came back. Poor Megan. How is she?’

  ‘Okay, trying to be brave but it’s shaken her. Brenda’s with her. She’s going to stay over until Megan feels comfortable again. I suppose it was inevitable if she doesn’t lock up, but it shouldn’t be.’

  ‘You don’t think Nathan did it, do you?’

  Jon shook his head grimly. ‘No. But we don’t know where he is, and that makes him prime suspect number one right now. I don’t think he’s ever stolen before and I know he feels he’s let his mum down already. I just don’t believe he’d cause more trouble for the sake of a few pounds. He’s had his problems, but theft has never been one of them, even if he did know Megan had gone out. I want to find him before the police do so I can talk to him first.’

  ‘Do you think he’s all right?’

  ‘I hope so. He’s streetwise, that’s for sure, but I’m more concerned about what he’s thinking right now.’

  ‘Thank you for coming to apologise. I should let you go.’ She began to walk towards the front door and Jon crossed the room in two long strides, ducking beneath the beams as he caught her arm, whirling her around to face him.

  ‘I wanted to be here, Annie,’ he said quickly, pushing his free hand through already tousled hair. ‘But I have responsibilities to the estate and to other people. I can’t always get away. I called you twice and left a message both times.’

  ‘You called me?’ Astonished, Annie felt her hurt dissolve into relief followed by disappointment. ‘I didn’t get them. The signal’s really unreliable and sometimes voicemails only come through hours later.’

  Jon was still holding her arm and his hand slid down until his fingers were stroking hers. ‘Is that what you thought? That I didn’t bother to let you know or mind that I couldn’t be here?’

  She tipped her head forwards, unwilling to reveal quite how worried and then relieved she’d been as her hair covered her face. ‘I’m so afraid of trusting you,’ she whispered, distracted by his fingers trying to smooth away her fears as he listened. ‘I don’t want to sit at home night after night worrying if you’re okay when you don’t turn up and praying you’re not upside down in a ditch or drowning in a flooded cave. Everybody always seems to leave me and I’m so tired of trying to keep up.’

  ‘Hey.’ His voice was gentler still as he stepped forward and drew her tightly into his arms. The relief of being so close to him was overwhelming and she rested her cheek against his chest, feeling the hard length of his body against her own. Her hands crept around him, searching for assurance. ‘I don’t want to leave you, Annie, or do anything to prevent you trusting me.’ He lifted her chin with one finger, and she looked into his eyes, lost in the softness of his gaze. He pressed his lips against her forehead. ‘I promise.’

  She wound her hands into his dark hair and drew his mouth onto hers, hazily aware of the explosion of desire in his eyes. All her uncertainty was swept away in the scorching intensity of their kiss, her stomach spinning with longing for him as her legs began to tremble. The heat of his chest was imprinted against her breasts and she arched towards him, the thin top and his T-shirt barely a barrier between them. Finally, he drew away, raising his head to look into her eyes. She heard the rasp of his breathing as he lifted a finger to trail it down her neck and slowly across one bare shoulder. Her breath caught and his hands fell to grasp hers.

  ‘I am sorry, about tonight,’ Jon murmured into her hair. ‘It wasn’t how I wanted the evening to be.’

  Annie tipped her head back to look at him, understanding he was telling her the truth. ‘Don’t,’ she said in anguish, placing her palm against his cheek, feeling his roughness beneath her skin. ‘Please don’t. I’m sorry I was angry. I was worried about you.’

  Jon nodded, shifting his head to look into the dark night beyond the window, and Annie tried to think how she could help, her thoughts following his to Nathan.

  ‘Coffee? Or do you need to go now?’

  Jon pulled his phone from a pocket and glanced at it, the distracted look returning as he ran a finger over the screen. ‘Coffee would be great. If there’s nothing new after that then I’m going to go back out, see if he’s turned up at Arthur’s yet.’

  Annie headed into the kitchen, her glance going to the reminder of their meal on the table still set for two and a sudden thought struck her. She spun around, almost crashing into Jon in the doorway as he followed her. He caught her, his hands going to her shoulders as her eyes flew up to his. ‘What is it?’

  Annie rushed out her words, remembering her shopping trip earlier in the day. ‘Nathan! I saw him, about lunchtime.’

  ‘What? Where?’

  ‘At the station, in town. I thought he was doing something for you.’

  Jon’s ey
es widened as he listened and she grabbed his hand impatiently, the coffee forgotten. ‘Come on, let’s go and see if we can find out where he went.’

  Minutes later they were in Jon’s car, speeding through the darkened countryside and retracing her steps back into town.

  ‘I didn’t speak to him and now I wish I had.’ Annie remembered how forlorn and alone Nathan had seemed. ‘He looked so distant from everything around him, like he wasn’t really there.’ And now she knew why. She tried to think where he might’ve gone but it was hopeless. She had no idea.

  Jon reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. ‘You weren’t to know.’ One hand remained on the steering wheel as he kept his foot pressed on the accelerator. Annie glanced out of the window as the lanes flashed by, eventually widening into busier roads with street lights above them as they approached the town. But something else was troubling her, and she had to tell him.

  ‘Jon,’ she began, feeling the warmth of his fingers still resting on her thigh. ‘When you arrived you must’ve thought I knew about Nathan and didn’t care what had happened to him as long as my plans weren’t spoiled.’ She paused. ‘I do care. I would have helped you look earlier if I’d known.’

  He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it briefly. She felt him smile against her fingers and knew that he understood. His phone rang and when he pulled over to answer it, she saw his expression change again and he sounded grim as he disconnected the call.

  ‘Sorry, the speaker’s broken. That was Neil Dawson.’ Briefly he looked at her as they drove off again. ‘His daughter’s missing too. Cara hasn’t come home and she’s not replying to messages. She was supposed to be out with friends from college.’

  ‘Do you think they’re together?’ she asked anxiously, thinking of how worried Neil and Angie must be.

  He shrugged. ‘Maybe. She might know where he’s gone and could have followed him.’

  The station was almost deserted when they arrived, and Jon caught her hand again as they rushed to check the timetable. So many trains had come and gone during the day, and it was impossible to guess which one Nathan might have taken. The ticket office was closed, and nobody seemed to be around to ask if he had been spotted again.

  ‘I don’t think he’d go home yet,’ Jon said finally, and Annie heard the doubt in his voice. He turned to scan the platforms nearby. A couple of teenage boys were staring, and Jon nodded at them casually. They shrugged and looked away. ‘Maybe he just jumped on the first train he saw, to go and get lost in a city. If he has it’ll be almost impossible to find him if he doesn’t want us to.’ He sighed. ‘And I suggested he gave up his phone which will make locating him even harder, so his so-called mates couldn’t get in touch either. I’d better call his mother.’

  The cool air smelt grimy and an old man, sitting on a bench clutching a scruffy holdall, began to cough. It sounded creepy in the half-lit station, and Annie sidled closer to Jon as he reached into his pocket for his phone. She was shivering in her thin top and he quickly shrugged out of his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. She glanced at the darkened coffee shop, its door covered by an ugly metal shutter, still shivering as she wondered where else they might look for Nathan. Far down the platform beyond the cover of the domed roof, she saw two shapes huddled on a bench. She took a step forward, hardly sure what she had seen and yet certain it was them.

  ‘Jon,’ she whispered urgently, grabbing his arm with one hand, and pointing. ‘Look!’

  His eyes followed her outstretched hand and then he rammed the phone back into his pocket. ‘Come on.’

  Their footsteps sounded horribly loud as they hurried to the bench, and with every stride Annie expected the figures to take flight. But they didn’t. Nathan and Cara stood up and faced them warily. It was impossible to see Nathan’s face, concealed beneath a dark hood, and to Annie he appeared more intimidating than he’d ever seemed before. Cara looked tiny and very young at his side, and Nathan slid a protective arm around her shoulders. Jon casually let go of Annie’s hand and stepped forward to meet them.

  ‘Are you both all right?’ he asked quietly. ‘We’re all worried about you.’

  Nathan’s snarl of laughter was scornful, and Annie was taken aback by the anger and hurt in his eyes when he furiously yanked down the hood. ‘Come and get me,’ he said, holding his arms straight out in front of him. ‘That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To make sure I take the blame and you can send me back.’

  Jon remained still, his hands at his sides. ‘I’m not sending you anywhere, Nathan. I want you back at Thorndale. Cara’s parents are very worried, and your mum will be too when she finds out. If you’re truthful with me, I will do everything I can to help you.’

  ‘Do you think I did it? You have to be honest with me first.’

  ‘No. I don’t believe you stole from Megan.’ Jon took a step forward. ‘I’m not here to judge you, and I will support you as long as you come back and face the consequences of running away. I want you to stay.’

  Nathan’s face began to crumple as he stared at Jon, a shred of relief flaring in his eyes. He looked much younger than his years, looking more like a little boy again. ‘It wasn’t me. I’m not lying. I wouldn’t do that to you.’ His voice was almost a whisper and Annie heard the break in it. She rushed past Jon and put her arms around Nathan.

  ‘Come home,’ she said softly. He tensed and then his head fell onto her shoulders. She felt his soundless sobs as she held him, and he clung to her. He was so thin and slight, and she didn’t let go of him until the tears had ended. She stepped back, and Cara took his hand and led him to Jon. When the young couple reached him, Annie saw Jon drape an arm across the boy’s shoulders and, all together, they returned to the car. Cara sat in the back with Nathan, and Jon immediately rang Neil Dawson to let him know they had both been found safe and well. On the way back to Thorndale Jon asked Nathan what had happened that morning and he began to talk. He sounded very matter of fact, and Annie guessed he might have to repeat his story several times more.

  ‘I was fixing the kitchen tap at Mrs Chapman’s. I heard Megan say she was going out – she’d knocked on Mrs Chapman’s door. Mrs Chapman came into the kitchen and told me that Megan had gone to The Courtyard to pick up an order.’ He paused, and Annie glanced sideways at Jon, wondering what he was thinking. And then Nathan continued. ‘Mrs Chapman said she was going upstairs to change the beds and I carried on working. About twenty minutes later Megan came rushing in, I could hear she was upset. I was still in the kitchen and I heard Megan tell Mrs Chapman that she’d been burgled.’

  ‘And what did you do?’ Jon asked quietly.

  Nathan’s voice fell. ‘I panicked. I was sure they’d think it was me cos I knew Megan had gone out and everyone knows she doesn’t always lock the door. I ran out the back and just kept on running. I jumped on the first bus I saw and when I got to town, I rang Cara to let her know I was going. That’s why we were still at the station because I wouldn’t get on a train until she’d promised to go home, and she wouldn’t go unless I went with her. I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you.’

  ‘It’s okay, Nathan. I believe you,’ Jon assured him. ‘Now we’ll do everything we can to prove it wasn’t you and help the police find out who did it.’

  They were already back in the village, and Jon pulled up outside the post office. Almost immediately Neil and Angie rushed out as Cara climbed warily from the car. Angie dragged her into a tight hug as Jon spoke with Neil. Just once Neil glanced at the car, and Annie felt his cool gaze searching for Nathan. She shivered as Jon jumped inside and drove off. Moments later Annie saw the gates of the Hall rearing up through the darkness, and he drove up to the house, parking close to the front door. Nathan leapt out quickly and Jon turned to Annie, speaking quietly as he reached for her hand. ‘Please will you stay with him until I get back? I won’t be long. I’m just going to see the community officer, he lives in the village.’

  Annie nodded at once an
d he gave her a weary smile as he handed her his keys. She was barely out of the car before he hurtled off again, spraying gravel around her feet. It took her a few attempts to unlock the big old door but eventually they were inside, and she fumbled around for a light switch until she found the right one.

  ‘Let’s get you something to eat,’ she said briskly to Nathan and he nodded meekly. ‘Come on, we can sit in the kitchen.’

  In the kitchen she steered him to a sofa and he sank onto it, staring blankly into space. She rummaged in the fridge and made a big plate of sandwiches from a chicken and some salad she found inside. She handed him a plateful and then boiled the kettle as she stirred chocolate powder and a little milk into mugs. She added hot water, wishing she’d found a bottle of brandy to lace it with. Nathan looked frozen and she knew it wasn’t just because he was cold.

  ‘It’ll always be like this, won’t it?’ he asked her as she passed him a steaming mug. ‘Every time something happens people will just assume it’s me because I’m different. I don’t belong here.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she replied honestly, sitting down and meeting his questioning gaze. ‘Not everybody will think like that and once they get to know you better, you will have proved the others wrong. You have nothing to hide.’

  ‘I’m not really very hungry.’ He put the plate back on to the coffee table. ‘Sorry.’