‘Somebody’s put a clip on YouTube from the fete. You know, of the lads singing with Tom.’
Eleanor stared down at the screen, the pain hitting her hard as she stared down at Tom’s face as he sang. She willed her eyes to tear themselves away from him, trying to focus on the numbers. ‘How many hits does that say?’
‘Twenty million and rising,’ Sam told her, breaking into a grin. ‘My phone’s gone mental. The whole thing’s gone viral. The buzz on Hazy Memory’s new Rat Pack album is huge.’
‘Wow,’ said Eleanor, smiling for the first time in days as she looked down at the screen once more. ‘Well, good for them.’
Another unexpected outcome of the fete was a phone call from scary Theresa, her ex-editor. ‘If you want your job back, we could always offer you a column. You know, life of a pop star’s girlfriend type of thing.’
It was the lifeline that Eleanor had dreamt about all those months ago. But now she wanted nothing to do with it.
‘No, thank you,’ she told Theresa and hung up.
Another unwelcome phone call had been from her dad. She knew he had only got in touch because she and Tom were splashed all over the gossip magazines again. But she let the call go to voicemail and then deleted the message. Once the media moved onto the next story then her dad would forget all about her once more.
In contrast, the text messages from her mum had brought her much joy. Various photos taken of her mum and Ben looking suntanned and happy on their holiday were the only good points in the worst week of her life.
Eleanor wandered along to her workshop, thinking how pleased she was that her mum had found happiness. But also how cruel love could be when it was taken away from you.
Outside, the long grass had fallen over under its own weight and was beginning to yellow and die. The air felt cooler. The horse chestnut tree leaves were turning yellow. The other trees would soon follow. Autumn was just around the corner.
Her friends were busy. The wedding for Annie and Sam would come round quickly. And Megan was cheerful, helping with the business as well as trying to keep up with her young family. They were trying to buoy Eleanor up each day and they needed her help too. Annie with becoming a countess. Megan trying to juggle having both a family and a life for herself as well. And Eleanor was determined to be there for both of them from now onwards. After all, what else were best friends for?
It was ironic, really, she thought. She finally had a job she loved and was proud of. Her skin was smooth and free of any flaky patches. She was full of ideas for the business. Someone had requested nail and cuticle oils and creams. She was also considering sourcing some goats’ milk from a local farm. Then there was the possibility of using local beeswax. She also wanted to try out coloured soap. Her mind was racing with possibilities. It was a job she could shout to the rooftops about. But her heart was completely broken.
She hid away in her workshop, working day and night to fill the endless hours without Tom. It was so different, knowing he wasn’t about to walk into small room. She felt empty all the time, especially in the evenings now that he wasn’t around to share those precious moments at dusk with him.
Arthur popped in one day as passed by on his afternoon walk with Dylan. ‘We should get you a wood-burning stove in here for when winter comes,’ he told her. ‘It’ll be liable to get a bit chilly otherwise.’
‘That might be an idea,’ she told him, reaching down to stroke the dog’s head. Dylan looked almost as miserable as she felt, both of them sensing that Tom had left forever. Once more, the guilt overcame her. Not only had she broken her own heart, she’d broken Dylan’s too.
‘You know, I think this could be the start of something new,’ said Arthur, looking around at the other stables. ‘A small business start-up place. Like a group of workshops. I shall put the word out and see if we get any other interest from my tenants. There must be some other creative people like yourself out there.’ He ran his hand along the shutter. ‘I must say, he was an awfully good carpenter.’
Eleanor just about managed to hold it together until Arthur left. And then she cried at the thought of winter without Tom. It would be a bleak one without him. Her heart didn’t hammer from stress any more. It just hurt so much from being broken in two.
Chapter 53
Tom stared out of the window at the skyline of New York as he talked on the phone to Sam. Manhattan didn’t feel like home. He wasn’t sure anywhere ever would again other than the tiny hamlet of Cranley.
‘Have you changed your mind about converting the old barn in the grounds?’ asked Sam.
Before he had left, Tom had mentioned the idea to Sam a fortnight or so previously. He had thought it would give him space to breathe but not so far from the family who had made him so welcome. He felt as if he belonged there.
There was just one thing missing from the picture. One person that he wasn’t sure he could face ever again.
‘I’m not sure,’ he finally replied.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ said Sam. ‘It’s yours if you want it.’
‘Thanks.’
He thought briefly of his Gran’s house. He had received an email the previous day, confirming that the sale had been completed. At least the last link with his father was broken. He would carry his Gran’s love and wise words of advice with him for the rest of his life but he would have no further contact with his dad.
How different families could be, he thought. If any good could come out of the summer he had spent at Willow Tree Hall, it was to show him the happiness that kindness and love within a family could bring.
Sam sighed down the line. ‘Talking of dilapidated buildings on the estate, it seems that my brother might need the gamekeeper’s lodge to hide in, after all. Have you heard?’
Tom grimaced. ‘I saw the headline somewhere.’
Apparently Will had become embroiled in a scandal involving a cabinet minister’s wife. His playboy ways had finally caught up with him and it was splashed all over social media.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ carried on Sam. ‘It’s such a mess. Ah well, that’s for me to try and sort.’ He paused. ‘Dylan misses you. He’s kept me up most nights whining for you.’
‘Sorry,’ said Tom, with a sigh. ‘I’ll probably take him with me back to London when I come back later this week.’
‘Not sure how he’ll cope in your apartment without the grounds here to dig up.’
Tom shrugged his shoulders. ‘I can rent somewhere bigger.’
You know, you’re welcome to stay at the hall when you come back to pick up the dog,’ said Sam.
Tom closed his eyes. He didn’t know where his future lay any more.
Sam sighed into the silence. ‘You know, if you were just a story, she would have published it a long time ago. And published many more details since. But she didn’t.’
Tom stayed quiet.
‘None of those words in that article made sense,’ carried on Sam. ‘Mainly because she didn’t write them. She told Annie that it was her ex-boyfriend who did a number on her. She wouldn’t lie to Annie. Not about that kind of stuff. Think about it,’ said Sam as he hung up.
It was all Tom had thought about for the two weeks since he had last seen Eleanor.
He had always enjoyed New York before; the busy streets and skyscrapers had always welcomed him. But this time he didn’t feel the peace that he had begun to feel all those weeks at Willow Tree Hall. He wasn’t anything except numb.
Eleanor had told him that she loved him. And he hadn’t said a word in reply. Instead, he had left, very angry with her.
He should never have made love to her but he hadn’t been able to stop himself. He should never have trusted her not to hurt him. But he had let her into his heart.
Because deep down, he knew that he did love her. He loved her so much that he ached from it.
He also knew that perhaps Sam was right. That maybe the story had had nothing to do with her. But it was too late. He had pushed her away. Had probably hu
rt her as much as she had hurt him with her lies.
He kept telling himself that leaving Willow Tree Hall was for the best. For her and for him. So why did he feel so utterly miserable?
He looked out across the skyscrapers again. He needed to see Dylan. He missed the dog so much.
Maybe his heart wouldn’t hurt so much if he was in the same village as Eleanor again.
At least, that was what he was hoping.
Chapter 54
In the fortnight since Tom had left, Dylan had become Eleanor’s constant companion at the workshop. It was as if he sensed that she was as depressed as he was and didn’t want to stray too far from her.
Both joined in their misery of missing Tom, they spent each day together, before she left to go home each night.
The sky was turning black one night as she began to close up the workshop but she didn’t realise it was a storm until the thunder rumbled overhead. Dylan shook in fear and cowered beneath the bench.
‘It’s okay,’ she told him, crouching down. ‘You’re safe with me.’
But as the first crack of lightning appeared, she realised too late that the door to the workshop was still open and Dylan rushed out in a panic into the darkness.
She hurtled out after him but he was nowhere to be seen. Knowing how afraid he would be, she searched the woods first, the branches cutting into her bare arms, but she didn’t care. She just needed to make sure that Dylan was safe.
It was so dark now that she needed to use the torch on her phone, but still she couldn’t see the dog anywhere. He wasn’t by the river, nor near her and Tom’s secret hideaway.
She turned away from their special place as the pain overcame her once more. Nothing was secret any more. And they would never be together again there or anywhere else.
Having searched the woods, Eleanor rushed towards the main house. Finding the family in the kitchen about to have their dinner, she told them what had happened. Immediately, everyone began to search the house from top to bottom but the dog wasn’t there either.
Close to despair, she decided to search the grounds again.
‘He won’t have gone too far,’ said Arthur, pulling on his coat. ‘He’ll probably have sought out his favourite spot.’
It was then that she remembered the large willow tree that Dylan had always enjoyed playing under. Was it possible that he had gone there?
She flung open the front door and began to run over to the tree, just as she saw the lights of a car heading down the driveway.
The grass soaked her jeans and legs as she ran, but she kept moving as another bolt of lightning lit up the grounds. Sweeping a large branch of the willow tree aside, she peered into the darkness and, to her relief, there was the big, grey shaggy dog. Crying with relief, she threw herself onto the ground and gathered the dog up close to her. Dylan was shivering, hunched up as close to the trunk of the tree as he could.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she told him, sobbing as she held him close. ‘I shouldn’t have left the door open. It’s okay. You’re safe now. I’m here.’
As the dog continued to tremble, she kept whispering into his fur. ‘You don’t care, do you? You don’t care that I’m an idiot. It’s all my fault, you know. I know you miss him. I miss him too. But I’ve messed up so badly.’
The dog looked up and began to lick the tears from her cheeks, which made her laugh a little. In response she received a little wag of his tail.
‘I’m sorry I caused you more pain,’ she told him, hugging him close once more. ‘You don’t deserve it. Because you’re the best dog in the world, do you know that? The absolute best dog.’
‘He’ll get a big head if you keep telling him that.’
Eleanor gave a start and looked up to find Tom standing between the branches of the tree, watching them.
They gazed at each other, the only sound was Dylan’s excited panting. She couldn’t find any words to speak, her throat was suddenly so dry.
She gulped as she took in the sight of him after the longest fortnight of her life. He looked so devastatingly handsome in his T-shirt and jeans. Tired, yes. But it was Tom. Her Tom. The man she loved.
Of all the scenarios she had run through in her head about when or if she ever saw him again, sitting on the soaking wet ground in the pouring rain wasn’t one she had thought about. She looked a mess. A wet mess. She wiped the mixture of tears and doggy saliva from her cheeks.
Dylan jumped up in his delight to see Tom, leaving her on the wet ground. He raced back and forth between them, eventually deciding that Eleanor required his help more and sat between her legs, wagging his tail.
She kept looking down to avoid seeing any more hate and disappointment in Tom’s eyes.
‘He’s a clever dog, aren’t you?’ she heard Tom say before he paused. ‘Dylan found his own way here. Like me. Eventually.’
She looked up as a tiny piece of hope fluttered deep inside. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, her breath catching on the words, but she was desperate to speak. ‘I know I’ve broken your trust. I should have told you the truth about my past, but I was scared of what you would do. And then you left anyway. I had nothing to do with the article. I know you don’t believe that. And I know you don’t care about me the way I care about you. I know you don’t love me.’ Her voice cracked slightly but she was determined to carry on. ‘But I just want to be with you. So if you want to be a friend, then I’ll always be here for you.’
She gave him a small smile but he still hadn’t said anything. Instead he was just watching her.
‘But, for the record, I’ve realised that I definitely, absolutely, love you and I think I always will.’ She paused. ‘I just wanted you to know that.’
The silence stretched out between them, so she slowly stood up, trying to regain some kind of dignity. She knew she had lost him for good. It was for the best that she left him now. Maybe she should leave Cranley altogether now that he was back. It wasn’t fair on Tom. She’d caused him enough pain.
‘Well, I’ll leave Dylan with you,’ she said and turned to go.
‘It’s true that I was angry with you,’ said Tom, finally speaking. ‘I did try to get you out of my head. I even went as far as New York to get away.’
She stopped walking, unable to move whilst he spoke.
‘But everywhere I went,’ he carried on. ‘All I could smell were flowers.’
She slowly turned around, trying to take in what he was telling her.
He took a step forward. ‘The apartment where I was staying had a roof terrace. Full of roses. There was always the smell of roses. I couldn’t get you out of my mind.’ He took his hand out of his pocket and a dozen rose petals fluttered down to the floor.
She caught one in her fingers and turned it over and over in her hand, suddenly filled with hope. She gasped as the realisation hit her. It was his message. He really did care about her.
He reached out and dragged her towards him, wrapping his arms around her.
‘You’re wrong,’ he told her, almost crushing her with the intensity of his embrace. ‘I most definitely care about you. In fact, I care so much that I love you.’
‘You do?’ she said, looking up at his face in wonder.
‘I love you, Eleanor McCartney.’
She began to cry at the words she had so longed to hear him say.
He laughed, reaching out to wipe the tears from her cheek. ‘That’s a fine start to our relationship if you’re going to cry every time I say that I love you.’
‘We’re going to have a relationship?’ she asked, still stunned.
His eyes crinkled up at the edges as he smiled softly at her. ‘I very much hope so.’
‘And you forgive me?’ she asked, desperately.
‘There’s nothing to forgive,’ he told her.
‘I know I let you down,’ she said, looking up at him. ‘And I know that you’re someone special and I’m most definitely nobody.’
He reached out and drew her close to him so that their bodie
s were touching. ‘I’ve thought for a long time that you’re amazing. And you’re definitely my someone special.’
He then leant forward to kiss her, gently at first before it developed into a deeper embrace. When they finally drew apart, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her once more. She felt so safe in his strong arms. She felt as if she were home.
‘By the way,’ he said, when he finally drew away. ‘I’ve got something for you. To help you believe me.’
She stroked his cheek. ‘You don’t think your kiss just did that?’
He smiled before pulling out a written list on a scrap of paper from his jeans pocket.
‘What’s that?’ she asked.
‘The play list for the new album.’ He handed it over to her.
She ran through the song names. They were all connected with Willow Tree Hall. ‘In The Meadow’, read one. ‘By The River’ was the next.
And then she saw the last song.
‘Eleanor, gee I think you’re swell,’ he sang softly, as he pulled her close to him once more.
She began to cry once more as she saw that he had spelt her name properly for the title, not as in the original song. This was his way of confirming that he really did love her.
Tom shook his head. ‘No more tears,’ he said. ‘I’ll spend the rest of my days making you happy. Trust me?’
She nodded. ‘I do. Do you trust me?’
He smiled down at her. ‘Always.’
Then he drew her into another kiss, his lips crushing hers, and she knew that he meant it. That Tom loved her and knew that he was loved in return. That they were both truly home. Truly together. Forever.
As they carried on kissing and the storm moved away, Dylan settled down at the base of the old willow tree for a nap, feeling content that all three of them were finally going to get the happy future that they deserved.
We hope you enjoyed this book!
The next book in the Welcome to Willow Tree Hall series will be released in winter 2018
Escape to the Country Page 30
