A Way Back Home: Full of warmth, laughter, tears and a wedding! (The Willow Tree Hall Series)

by Alison Sherlock

  Will let the axe fall to his side. ‘Grandad, can I ask you something?’

  ‘Of course, my boy,’ said Arthur, easing himself onto a nearby bench that looked out over the back of the grounds. ‘Fire away.’

  Will was quiet for a moment, trying to find the words without wanting to upset his grandad. ‘You were an only child, weren’t you?’

  Arthur nodded.

  ‘I was wondering…’ Will’s voice trailed off before starting again. ‘I wanted to ask, whether you wished you hadn’t been handed this responsibility. I mean, if you hadn’t become the Earl of Cranley, what would you have done?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ said Arthur, his grey eyebrows creasing in thought. ‘You see, it was always there in the background. The knowledge, I mean, that I was to inherit the estate when my father passed away. It was a destiny that I couldn’t avoid.’

  ‘Did you mind?’ asked Will.

  ‘I don’t think I understood what it would entail until my father fell ill. I was a bit naïve, perhaps,’ said Arthur. ‘I only saw the fun bits like the summer fetes and being the host to various parties. I never realised the responsibility of having tenants and, at that time, employing people to work on the estate.’

  ‘Was it a shock when it happened?’

  Arthur smiled. ‘Absolutely. Luckily I had your grandmother to help guide me through it. She was a remarkable woman. Nothing threw her off balance. Nothing fazed her in the slightest.’ His smile faded. ‘At least, until grief found our door.’

  Will knew he was talking about the loss of their son and daughter-in-law. The death of Will’s parents had had ramifications across the whole family.

  ‘How did Dad feel about the responsibility of taking over the estate?’ he asked.

  He felt bad asking the question to which he already knew the answer.

  Arthur shook his head. ‘Your father never wanted the inheritance. He was a traveller, you see. He didn’t want to stay put when there was a whole wide world out there to be explored.’

  ‘I’m sure that would have upset you that he felt like that,’ said Will.

  But to his surprise, Arthur smiled. ‘The only thing I ever wanted for him, in fact for any of you, was to be happy. It’s only bricks and mortar,’ he said, waving his arm at the house.

  Will was shocked. ‘You’re saying you didn’t mind? About Dad not wanting to stay?’

  ‘I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little upset, but no, not really,’ said Arthur. ‘He wished to fly far away and I would never have wanted to clip his wings.’

  Will gulped. ‘So you knew about Australia?’

  Arthur’s grey eyebrows shot up. ‘Indeed, I did. I’m surprised you did though.’

  It had been something Will had always wondered about. Did he take after his father who had wanted to move his wife and children out to Australia, far away from Willow Tree Hall and the inheritance.

  ‘Mum told me.’

  ‘I see. Well, you were always closer to your mum.’

  Will gulped at this, the pain always near to the surface where his mother was concerned.

  ‘Perhaps Australia would have been good for all four of you,’ carried on Arthur. ‘Unfortunately, we never got to find out.’

  The fatal accident had occurred only a few short months after his father had begun to make plans for the family’s emigration.

  Will went over to sit next to his grandad. ‘So the line of succession fell to Sam instead.’

  Arthur nodded. ‘It did.’

  ‘Do you think he minds?’ he asked.

  ‘He assures me that he doesn’t,’ said Arthur. ‘But I’ve also made him promise that it never becomes a burden either. That way, he stays happy. And that’s all that really matters in this world.’

  ‘Maybe I could take over if Sam gives it all up,’ said Will.

  He expected his grandad to laugh at his joke but Arthur turned his face to stare at his grandson. ‘You could, you know.’

  ‘I was joking, Grandad. Could you really see me as head of the estate?’

  ‘Don’t sell yourself short, my boy,’ said Arthur, shaking his head. ‘How many people did you used to hire for that job of yours at any one time?’

  ‘Twenty or so.’

  ‘And these houses you built were worth millions of pounds, am I correct?’

  Will nodded. ‘Yes.’

  ‘So you’ve already got experience of running projects and people, haven’t you? That’s worth a lot, in my book.’

  Will sighed. ‘I’m not so sure. I’ve not done much with my life so far.’

  ‘You’re still young,’ Arthur told him.

  They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, watching the birds fly to and from the trees.

  ‘I didn’t think I’d like it here,’ said Will. ‘Having to stay on, it’s made me see things differently.’

  ‘I know.’

  Will was surprised and looked at his grandad for clarification.

  ‘You smile a lot more, these days,’ said Arthur. ‘You’re more relaxed. Like your brother.’

  ‘You don’t think Annie has something to do with that?’ said Will, grinning.

  ‘Oh, I think she’s a lot to do with that.’ Arthur stood up slowly. ‘Never underestimate the power that the love of a good woman can do for you.’

  ‘That’s something I wouldn’t know about either,’ Will told him.

  ‘There’s always time to learn that as well,’ said Arthur.

  He hesitated before placing a hand on Will’s shoulder. Will felt himself tense but he didn’t draw away. For the first time in a long while, he didn’t feel the need to.

  Arthur gave his shoulder a quick squeeze and then headed back towards the house.

  Will watched his grandfather go, mulling over his words as he picked up the axe once more.

  24

  Skye had spent the day finishing her designs for the lodge, feeling nervous about showing them to Will. After all, it was more his home than hers. Despite his offer for her to move in, she found she didn’t mind so much about sleeping in the trailer any more and was hoping he would forget about it. She was more concerned with getting the interior design right for the lodge. She supposed he could always ignore her ideas, but somewhere deep inside, she knew that they were good and would work in the small space.

  After the awkwardness of his unexpected overnight stay in the trailer, she hadn’t seen him until dinner with the family but had spotted him earlier sorting through some building materials in the garage and figured that he was still intent on working on the lodge.

  Feeling tired, she left the hall straight after dinner, noticing that the wind was strengthening with every passing minute. As she went by the stable block on her way back to the lodge she was surprised to see Eleanor coming out of her workshop.

  ‘You’re working late,’ said Skye.

  ‘I know,’ said Eleanor, with a smile. ‘I’m trying to get ahead for the Christmas rush. That is, if there is one.’

  A sudden gust of wind suddenly whipped around them, making the trees bend and groan.

  ‘I think it’s getting stronger,’ said Skye, looking around her nervously.

  ‘That’s why I’m heading home now,’ Eleanor told her, frowning. ‘But the latest forecast at lunchtime said that the worst of it is going to miss us so it should be okay. I just need to make sure that Dylan isn’t too freaked out by the storm.’

  ‘Take care getting home,’ said Skye.

  ‘You too!’ replied Eleanor, before laughing. ‘But I guess you’ll be home before I even start the car. See you tomorrow.’

  The wind continued to make the trees creak and groan as Skye went through the woods. She tried to walk as quickly as she could on her sore ankle, a little uneasy because of the high winds.

  As she arrived at the trailer, she saw the lodge was in darkness. Will had remained at the hall after dinner, chatting to Sam about business. He hadn’t looked too bad, despite what must have been an epic hangover. But for some
reason, he now appeared softer to her. There was a vulnerability about him and she was starting to think that the cockiness was an act.

  As the wind whipped her hair around her face, she rushed inside the trailer, grateful that the steps were definitely becoming easier on her foot. The swelling and bruising were going down too, thanks to Eleanor’s arnica cream. She didn’t even need her crutches now. If she was healed then it was nearly time to leave Willow Tree Hall, she thought. She would be okay to drive in a day or so. Her time there was nearly over.

  She realised how sad that made her feel. She had enjoyed getting to know the family and Annie’s friends and would miss them when she left.

  She would also be gone before having a chance to stay in the lodge, but at least she might see it at some point in the future, fully refurbished.

  She sat down at the table and spent some time checking and rechecking her notebooks, trying to make sure that Will would understand every design idea. But having had so many sleepless nights, she suddenly felt exhausted and despite the fact that it was only nine o’clock, Skye changed into her pyjamas.

  She settled down in bed to try and get some sleep, but she couldn’t get comfortable, for some reason. Her mind was racing, even though she was shattered after Will’s drunken wake-up call in the small hours of the morning.

  It was also difficult to get to sleep due to the noise of the strengthening wind outside. The trailer was beginning to rock to and fro in the strong gusts of wind.

  Skye tried to think about her designs for the lodge, but it was hard to concentrate once rain began to splatter down onto the aluminium roof, the noise of which was horrendous. At least the trailer was watertight… She hoped.

  But as she lay there and closed her eyes, the whole trailer suddenly shifted and appeared to drop down on the opposite corner of the bed. She had to hang on to prevent herself from falling onto the floor. Was it possible that one of the wheels had come off? The whole floor was on a steep incline into one corner.

  As she got out of bed, she had to hang onto the table to stop herself sliding towards the kitchen units. Using one hand, she managed to pull on her Ugg boots, grateful that she could at least wear them both now. Then, holding her phone in front of her with the torch on, she edged her way slowly across the wonky caravan floor and opened the door. Immediately she realised she had underestimated the strength of the wind. The door whipped open and crashed against the side of the trailer.

  Thinking that she really didn’t want to be outside too long, she went down the steps, and was almost immediately drenched by the downpour. The noise was incredible. The trees were moaning and groaning the woods, the branches whining in the high wind, creaking and cracking. The wind howled as it swept all around her, and the rain hit her face like gravel.

  She was feeling quite frightened, standing out there, but needed to make sure that getting back into the trailer wouldn’t mean it collapsing beneath her. She bent down to the corner that had dipped down, but she could barely see anything, let alone the wheel, such was the ferocity of the wind and the rain.

  She nearly jumped out of her skin as a hand grabbed her arm in the semi-darkness. She spun round to find Will looming over her, his blonde hair plastered against his head as the rain splattered down.

  ‘What the hell are you doing outside in this?’ he shouted, above the sound of the storm

  ‘The trailer has gone wonky,’ she shouted back.

  ‘What?’ He was straining to hear her.

  ‘I said the trailer isn’t straight!’ she yelled, pointing down at the wheel.

  Will bent down, trying to see what she was talking about. ‘I can’t see anything in this,’ he finally said, straightening up again. ‘Get inside. It’s not safe out here.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ she told him, even though her hair was whipping around her face and her pyjamas were soaked through. She shivered and clutched her arms around herself, willing herself to warm up.

  Will rolled his eyes and took off the coat she realised he was wearing and wrapped it around her. ‘I’ll get a bigger torch,’ he told her, slipping his phone in his back pocket.

  But as he went to move away, there was a shrieking, tearing noise from somewhere close by in the woods.

  ‘Look out!’ he shouted, grabbing her hand and pulling her against him.

  In slow motion, Skye thought she saw something enormous crashing down in the dark and felt the whoosh as it went past them. The next moment, Will had shoved her a few feet away before pushing her down onto the ground and landing on top of her in the mud. For a second, Skye relaxed, feeling safe and secure as he shielded her from whatever he had seen.

  The sound of splintering and smashing rang out, even above the noise of the storm. Then the noise of metal and glass being torn apart was matched only by the howling of the wind.

  Will raised his head as if to check something and then quickly jumped up, easily picking up Skye and holding her close. She peered around him, relieved to see the Airstream still standing in the darkness. It looked intact which made her wonder where the awful noise had come from.

  ‘Come inside,’ Will told her, putting an arm around her waist and almost running towards the lodge.

  Not understanding what was going on, Skye let him lead her inside, her foot a little sore at having to run on it but grateful that it wasn’t feeling worse. Then he slammed the door shut behind them.

  As they stood in the hallway, the noise outside was muffled, and they could hear only the sound of them both breathing deep in shock. Will was still holding her tight as he looked down at her, his face etched with worry.

  ‘I’d get us both up to the hall, but it’s not safe out there at the moment, not with all those trees around here,’ he told her. ‘We’ll just have to hunker down in here until it calms down.’

  ‘Do you think we’re safe in here?’ she asked, glancing around. After all, the lodge was in such a state of disrepair, she wondered whether it could withstand the strength of the storm.

  ‘I honestly don’t know,’ he said.

  For once, his easy swagger and humour were missing. He was all serious concern, which made her worry even more.

  *

  Will was still trying to comprehend what had just happened. He had headed back to the lodge a couple of hours after dinner, only realising when he was in the woods how bad the wind had become. Then he had found Skye standing outside next to the trailer, just before a huge tree had come crashing down within inches of them.

  ‘You could have been killed,’ he said, feeling the blood drain from his face. Will sighed before looking at her more closely. ‘You’re shaking,’ he said, taking her into his arms and holding her against him. ‘It’s just the shock,’ he told her, after a minute, leading her into the lounge. ‘Let’s get you in the warm.’

  Once he had sat her down on the sofa, he quickly drew the curtains. Then he disappeared to get some of the wood panels he had brought over for the upstairs floors. At least he could use them to secure the windows.

  ‘Just in case they blow in,’ he told Skye.

  She gulped but didn’t say anything.

  He then shut both the kitchen and lounge doors and drew the armchair next to the sofa, making an L shape in front of the fireplace.

  ‘Is your foot okay?’ he asked, sitting down on the sofa next to her.

  Skye clutched her arms around herself, still shaking. ‘A little sore, but it’s all right.’

  ‘We’ll be alright,’ he said, pulling her into his arms and stroking her back and arm. ‘We’re safe.’

  ‘How do you know?’ she asked, her voice tremulous.

  ‘I keep telling you. I know everything,’ he told her, with false humour.

  ‘What was that awful noise out there? What happened?’ But after a pause, she suddenly whispered, ‘My car.’

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ he told her, still holding her close, his lips against her hair. ‘But at least it wasn’t us.’

  She began to cry. Between sobs she told
him, ‘It’s my first ever car. I saved up for years for it.’

  Will held her close. Now he understood why the lodge was so important to her. And the defence of the trailer as well. The trailer that he was hoping hadn’t also been wiped out by the tree falling. She obviously had barely anything to her name.

  ‘I need a car. I can’t rely on other people.’ There was a pause while she took a gulp of air before muttering, ‘Other people always let you down.’

  He took her face in his hand and drew it up to his. ‘I won’t. Not any more. I promise.’

  His own words surprised him. Perhaps it was the shock but he realised that he meant it more than anything else that he’d ever said.

  Then he drew her close.

  Eventually, after they had sat there for a long time, her breathing steadied and she began to grow sleepy. Will put his feet up on the armchair so that he was stretched out. Skye snuggled deeper into his chest as sleep overcame her.

  He stayed awake for a few hours, holding her in his arms. Finally, when the wind appeared to be easing at last, he too, fell asleep.

  Despite the noise of the storm outside and the broken springs in the armchair, it was the best night’s sleep he’d had in years.

  25

  Skye woke up from a heavy sleep, confused by her dreams of wild storms.

  She slowly realised that she was trapped by something or someone. She couldn’t move her arms or her legs. What had happened?

  She began to remember the storm whipping up outside. The trailer sinking on one corner. Then she’d gone outside to see what had happened. Was it possible that she was stuck underneath the trailer?

  Then the trailer moved. And she began to understand that it wasn’t a trailer at all. It was a person.

  Her eyes flew open and she came face to face with a familiar navy sweatshirt. Her gaze slowly lifted, taking in the wide shoulders, the neck from which she could detect the faint tang of woody aftershave. And the strong jaw. And Will’s lips.

  She gulped before realising how loud it sounded.