Clover Cottage: A feel good cosy read perfect for your summer holiday reading (Love Heart Lane Series, Book 3)

by Christie Barlow

  ‘But I think he should go.’ Allie took a breath. ‘I think he should go while he’s got the chance.’

  Allie couldn’t believe what she was saying, but in the last few days all her own insecurities about their relationship had been eradicated. They’d been there for each other, supporting and encouraging. They were each other’s future and she was in charge of her own destiny. She felt sad about Stuart’s past but admired what he’d achieved in life: a successful business, the love of a good woman. It was all about loving and looking after each other like no one else mattered. The trip to Africa wasn’t about their relationship, it was Rory’s dream, something he’d wanted to do since university, something to tell their children about.

  Meredith narrowed her eyes. ‘Has something happened?’

  ‘It has.’ Allie shared with her mum about Stuart’s past. Meredith couldn’t quite believe it and pulled out a chair to sit down.

  ‘Stuart was in a boys’ home with James Kerr and he kept that hidden for all these years?’

  ‘He didn’t know it was James until he was left Clover Cottage in James’s will,’ said Allie.

  ‘What a life that poor man had, in care all his childhood. What a struggle, I just can’t comprehend it. I’m shocked. Everyone judged James, his unruly kids … You never know what secrets the past hides. It just shows he was a decent man, leaving the cottage to Stuart.’

  ‘I agree and I’m just trying to work out the best way to make it happen for Rory to go to Africa and whether it is possible with the way things are with Alana. I’ve been reading people’s blogs in similar situations and everyone encourages you to carry on with your life as normally as possible whilst you still have the chance. Alana is only going to deteriorate over time and that’s when Rory will really need to be at home helping his parents.’

  During the hours Allie had been researching dementia, she’d also been thinking more about Stuart and his past with James Kerr, which had planted the seed of an idea in her mind.

  ‘What do you think about this, Mum?’ Allie enthused, ‘I’ve an idea.’

  But before she could carry on the conversation, the door to the pub swung open and in waltzed Felicity and Rona followed by Martha, Aggie and Isla in quick succession.

  ‘Good morning!’ cried Rona, walking towards them. ‘Do you smell that?’

  The source of the aroma was the delicious-looking tray of breakfast pastries she was carrying.

  ‘That is the sweet smell of caramelised sugar and cinnamon, baked with my own fair hands, and those are Nutella puffs. Now don’t think about the calories.’

  Allie had no intention of thinking about the calories as she pinched one off the tray and popped it into her mouth. ‘Mmm, oh my God, they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!’ she said, stringing out the word and bringing her hand up to her mouth to catch the crumbs.

  Rona chuckled. ‘That’s years of practice.’

  ‘Where’s Angus?’ asked Allie, noticing the lack of wheels in front of Isla.

  ‘Drew’s taken him to market, starting him young,’ said Isla grinning, as she took off her jacket and hung it on the back of her chair.

  Allie got behind a frazzled-looking Aggie, who was juggling a large cardboard box and desperately trying not to drop it whilst Martha trundled along carrying a couple of carrier bags.

  ‘Let me help,’ said Allie to a grateful Aggie.

  ‘You pair look like you’re moving in. What have you got in there?’ asked Meredith, clearing a space on the table. She peeped inside. ‘That looks like a whole lot of history to me.’

  ‘That’s exactly what it is. There’s photographs in here that go back decades,’ declared Aggie, triumphantly.

  ‘Where did you get them from?’ asked Meredith, taking a handful from the top of the box and shuffling through them. ‘Oh my, I think this memory night is going to bring back memories for all of us. Some of these are just embarrassing.’

  ‘I can imagine! Stuart gave me the box. He asked if we would select the best ones and make sure we put them in chronological order ready for Alana’s birthday.’

  As soon as Aggie spoke the words ‘Alana’s birthday’, she exhaled softly and flapped a hand in front of her eyes to compose herself. Immediately Allie could see the tears welling up in her eyes, and she slipped her arm around Aggie’s shoulders to comfort her. Aggie gratefully placed her hand on top of Allie’s and gave it a little squeeze. ‘Thanks, love. Sometimes the emotion gets too much for me.’

  ‘I think it’s going to be a night for all of us to remember,’ added Rona, giving her a friend a warm smile. ‘I need to get back to the teashop. There’s a full house at the B&B and Julia has ordered packed lunches for the hikers.’

  ‘Talking of Julia,’ chipped in Martha, holding up a bag, ‘Mystic Martha is back out in full force.’ She took out her crystal ball and placed it on the table alongside her fortune-telling outfit.

  ‘We will have no witchcraft in here,’ said Meredith, wagging her finger in Martha’s direction. ‘I’m already convinced there’s odd goings-on in that cellar, and I promised Fraser all those years ago we wouldn’t go near that Ouija board again. I don’t need any kind of spirits floating around here.’

  ‘I’m not talking to dead people, even though up at that farmhouse I feel a presence … footsteps.’ Martha glanced towards Isla, who looked up, alarmed.

  ‘Gran! Don’t say that and definitely don’t say that in front of Finn, he’ll never go to sleep.’

  ‘To be fair, I think it’s Drew creeping downstairs for a cuppa in the middle of the night when he can’t sleep.’ She winked teasingly.

  Isla brought her hand up to her chest. ‘Do not do that to me.’

  ‘And as far as the pub goes, it’s already full of spirits … Vodka, gin …!’ A broad grin spread across Martha’s face.

  The talk of ghosts made Allie remember when she was a little girl. Once her parents had read her a bedtime story – she’d always fallen asleep while they worked the bar – but this one evening her father had been away on pub business for the brewery when she’d woken in the middle of the night. The door from the bar to the upstairs living quarters was propped open and she could hear voices. Allie had sneaked behind the old battered purple velvet wingback chair and witnessed Aggie, Rona and Alana huddled around one of the tables. There were cards laid out in front of them and their forefingers were firmly on the glass in the middle of the table. Allie had watched and listened as they’d begun to spell out words and sentences. She hadn’t had a clue what was going on. Then, when her dad returned from his trip and they were having dinner together, she turned her empty glass over, placed her finger on the top and said, ‘Is there anyone there?’

  When her dad began to question what she was doing, the look of horror on her mum’s face had said it all. Meredith had promised she wouldn’t mess around with the spirit world ever again.

  ‘Why does Julia need a look into the future?’ questioned Meredith, opening the Buck’s Fizz and pouring everyone a glass as they settled around the table.

  ‘Julia’s getting a little anxious to say the least … Something about planning permission and an extension to the B&B. She wants me to look into my crystal ball and see what the future holds.’

  ‘Why doesn’t she just ask Alfie? Surely he could check where planning was up to at the office?’

  ‘Because that would be the sensible option and mine is a lot more fun,’ replied Martha with a chuckle, placing her crystal ball on a nearby table.

  Aggie began to spill out the photographs into the middle of the table. Straightaway everyone could see there were decades of memories. Some photographs were in black and white, some in colour. There was a sudden silence while they began to look through them.

  ‘It’s like that TV programme This Is Your Life, when you look back on all the occasions and all the people who made your life so special. Then they give you that big red book at the end,’ said Allie. She heard her mum sniffle. She looked over and her mum was gently weeping. ‘I
just had that very same thought. One thing I always remember about that programme …’ Her voice faltered.

  Allie knew exactly what her mum was thinking. The people whose lives they chose to celebrate were near the end of their career and possibly their life.

  ‘I can’t bear to think of any one of us suffering or losing each other. I know this is very selfish of me and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ve always wanted to go first because I just don’t think I could cope without any of you.’ Meredith was tearful and Allie attempted to rescue the situation by picking up her glass.

  ‘We, the community of Heartcross,’ she said in a very formal, posh voice, like she was the mayor or the prime minister, ‘are very lucky to have each other and look out for each other. I for one love our little community, and this, Alana’s birthday, is a time of celebration. I know we don’t know what to expect.’ Allie took a breath. ‘But we are going to make the evening one to remember.’

  ‘Hear, hear,’ chorused everyone, clinking their glasses.

  They took a sip of their drink and reflected on Allie’s words. The community bond in Heartcross was unbreakable. It didn’t matter which generation you belonged to.

  Martha gave a friendly thump on the table before leaning across and grabbing a cinnamon swirl.

  ‘Now let’s have a look through these photographs and place them into piles,’ she said with authority. ‘This pile is a definite for the slide show, a “maybe” pile and a “definitely not” pile, and then we can narrow it down and put them in some sort of order.’

  For the next hour they sorted through the photographs and reminisced. They laughed and dabbed away happy tears. The “definite” pile consisted of Stuart and Alana’s very first car, the opening of the surgery, their wedding day and the birth of Rory. Allie couldn’t help but laugh at the photographs before the digital age; in half of them people had their eyes closed or their heads cut off, often both.

  ‘There was none of this deleting a photo and taking it again or these new-fangled things – what do they call them? – filters?’ said Aggie. ‘This is what you call a proper photograph.’ Aggie held up a picture and everyone laughed. ‘Goodness knows whose shoes those are.’

  ‘The camera must have been pointing to the ground,’ said Felicity. ‘Can you imagine sending your photographs off to be developed and waiting for the postman to deliver them only to discover everyone had no head or you’d taken photographs of the ground?’

  ‘It was like winning the lottery if you were all looking the right way, with your eyes open and your head fully intact,’ said Martha, grinning.

  ‘I know exactly whose those shoes are,’ announced Aggie. ‘Those shoes’ – she pointed at the photograph – ‘were Stuart’s winkle-pickers.’

  ‘Winkle … what?’ Allie cocked an eyebrow. ‘It sounds painful.’

  ‘Winkle-pickers,’ said Aggie. ‘Shoe fashion back in the day. They all thought they were rock ’n’ roll stars wearing those.’

  After another twenty minutes and lots of discussion all of the photographs were sorted into piles, then Martha dealt them out into lines like she was performing some sort of card trick. Once they’d agreed on the definite ones for the slide show, Meredith placed them in an envelope for Stuart to look over, then disappeared behind the bar. She brought out an old jar and small pieces of cream-coloured paper cut up into rectangles. ‘Now for the memories, the more humorous the better,’ she said, passing the paper around the table. ‘We don’t all want to be crying unless it’s with laughter. Hamish has already been out collecting some,’ she said, popping the ones he’d gathered into the jar.

  They set to work writing their memories on the pieces of paper while Allie had them in fits of laughter telling them some of the stuff that Rory had written as a sixteen-year-old boy for his own jar.

  ‘I think this is a brilliant idea,’ said Isla. ‘I’m going to start this with Finn and Angus – obviously not just yet with Angus. It’ll make for a great family evening looking over the past year.’

  ‘Agreed! Esme will love this too, it’s a great idea,’ enthused Felicity.

  After another ten minutes and with all the pastries devoured, they declared themselves finished.

  ‘A lifetime of memories.’ Allie said and everyone was full of mixed emotions. No one knew how quickly Alana’s disease would progress but what everyone did know was that they would all be there for each other.

  Julia arrived just as they were finished and popped her own memory in the box.

  ‘Right, I’ll get myself changed and we can look into your future,’ said Martha, reaching for her bag of clothes.

  ‘Don’t tell me you’re going to say Julia is going to meet a tall handsome man and fall in love,’ teased Felicity.

  But before Martha could reply the pub door swung open and in walked Flynn Carter. Felicity gave Martha an ‘I told you so’ look.

  ‘Another ten minutes until opening time,’ announced Meredith, tapping her watch but with a smile on her face.

  ‘Sorry, sorry,’ said Flynn, all apologetic. ‘Is it possible I could use your bathroom?’ He thrust his hand forward towards Meredith. ‘I’m Flynn, I’ve just rented the house on Love Heart Lane.’

  As soon as Flynn introduced himself Allie noticed Julia narrow her eyes and bristle. She was staring straight at him with a stony face.

  ‘As you are going to be a regular in this establishment then yes, the toilets are that way.’ Meredith nodded towards the door in the corner.

  ‘Thank you, thank you,’ he said, glancing round at everyone before hurrying in the direction of the bathroom.

  ‘Very sultry. Did you see those eyebrows? All dark and mysterious,’ said Meredith, nodding with approval as soon as Flynn was out of sight. ‘He is a man who looks after himself.’ She raised her nose and took in the woody fragrance. ‘And that’s not cheap aftershave.’

  ‘Are you trading Fraser in for a younger model?’ teased Martha.

  ‘He’s not your cup of tea, is he, Allie?’ joined in Felicity, reminding Allie of her reservations the night before.

  ‘What was going on at Clover Cottage last night? Did you find out?’ asked Aggie in a hushed whisper. ‘Why the heated discussion with Stuart?’ She raised her eyebrows then pressed her lips into a fine line.

  Allie wasn’t going to go into that now and it seemed she didn’t have to when Julia spoke up: ‘That man can’t be trusted.’ Julia’s voice was low and everyone spun round to look at her but before she could be questioned any more the bathroom door swung open and Julia stared towards Flynn.

  ‘Thank you, ladies,’ said Flynn, his voice full of charm and his smile as bright as a toothpaste advert.

  ‘You’re welcome,’ said Meredith politely. ‘Can we get you anything else?’

  ‘I’ll be back later for a spot of lunch.’ And with that Flynn walked out of the pub leaving everyone turning towards Julia once more.

  Felicity was first to ask the question that was on everyone’s lips. ‘And why can’t that man be trusted?’

  ‘How do you know him?’ added Aggie with curiosity.

  A stunned-looking Julia scuttled over to the window, looking like an international spy as she gave an incredulous stare out on to the street to make sure he was nowhere in sight.

  ‘That really was Flynn Carter, wasn’t it?’ she said touching her throat whilst still staring out of the window. She turned back round. ‘That was the man who left my schoolfriend standing at the altar. That is the man who promised her the earth and stripped her of her dignity on her wedding day. That man broke her heart then disappeared off the face of the earth. Her parents lost thousands of pounds from the wedding. I can’t believe he’s here in Heartcross.’

  Everyone gasped.

  ‘Drinks all round, Allie,’ ordered Meredith. ‘Tell us more. We want the full story about this Flynn Carter.’

  Chapter 22

  It was a couple of hours until Allie was due to meet Rory at Clover Cottage. He was being very c
loak-and-dagger about the whole affair and his continual texting throughout the day, reminding her not to be late, indicated he was definitely up to something.

  She strode towards the top of the hill on Love Heart Lane, thinking how the small incline never seemed to get any easier, and she paused and caught her breath at the gate of Bonnie’s Teashop, taking in the view. The magnificent mountain of Heartcross towered above her.

  The old-fashioned bell tinkled above her head as Allie stepped inside the vintage teashop. She immediately noticed Stuart sitting in his favourite spot in the window and waved before heading towards the counter. Eyeing up the scrumptious-looking cakes under the glass domes, she didn’t know which one she was going to devour.

  ‘I know I should try something different, but it’s always—’

  ‘Lemon drizzle cake for you,’ chorused Rona and Felicity together with a chuckle.

  ‘You know me so well!’

  Felicity slid a plate over the counter with the biggest slice Allie had set eyes on. ‘I’ll give it a go and take one for the team,’ Allie said with a grin, ordering a pot of tea and looking over in the direction of Stuart, who already had a drink and a slice of cherry Bakewell tart.

  ‘I’ll bring it over,’ said Felicity, placing a small pot of tea on a tray and following Allie to the table.

  Stuart looked up, smiled and pointed to the slice of cake on his plate. ‘This is our little secret. Alana already thinks my waistline is expanding but at my age if you can’t have a little of what you fancy there’s no hope.’