A Way Back Home

by Alison Sherlock

  ‘Is it worthless?’ asked Will, fearing the worst.

  Ralph shook his head. ‘Oh no, it’s definitely got potential,’ he told them. ‘I think the problems you’re going to have are three-fold. First, you need to check with your grandfather as to the legal aspects of it being on the estate. Can it be sold off? I’m not so sure, especially as the cottages and remaining buildings in the estate can’t be. But then again I’m not a legal expert. But perhaps you could rent it out. And that’s going to be your second problem. Access.’ He glanced down the earthy track. ‘That’s going to put off a lot of people, to be honest. Those potholes alone will ensure you have a lawsuit on your hands if anyone tries to come down it in anything other than an off road vehicle.’ Ralph scratched his chin. ‘On the positive side, I think you could let it out as a dream cottage. You know, a rural retreat for busy commuters and city folk. Give it a new lease of life with decoration and so forth and I think you’ll be able to generate some interest.’

  ‘Any ideas of an estimated figure as to its worth for insurance purposes?’ asked Will, feeling upset at the thought of strangers staying in the lodge no matter how much they would pay for the privilege,

  ‘Once it’s done up? Possibly two hundred thousand,’ said Ralph. ‘Maybe a bit higher depending on who you’re going to get to do the work. A good finish will obviously command a higher price.’

  Will sighed, knowing that he had hardly any money whatsoever to pay anyone to do the renovation.

  They all clambered back into the Range Rover and headed up the bumpy track back to the Hall.

  Once at the main house, they shook hands and Ralph drove off. Will turned to look at Skye who had remained silent throughout the whole meeting.

  ‘So,’ he said. ‘That’s one hundred thousand pounds each if we can sell the place.’

  Skye’s blue eyes widened a little. ‘That’s a lot of money.’

  ‘Only if we can sell it,’ he told her. He was yet to process how upset he felt about that option.

  To his surprise, she shrugged her shoulders. ‘If you never had it, then you probably won’t miss it.’

  ‘Of course, if we can rent it out then at least they’ll be some income for you to share.’

  ‘Look,’ she said, after a short silence. ‘Maybe I should just leave you to it.’

  He was puzzled. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean, that this is nothing to do with me. It was very kind of Norman to try and give me his share, but he’s given me enough. He gave me security and he gave me the Airstream.’

  ‘Yes, let us not forget the car killing Airstream,’ drawled Will.

  Skye rolled her eyes.

  But he quickly held up his hand. ‘Okay. Calm down. It was just a joke.’

  She took a deep breath. ‘What I’m saying is that it’s yours. The lodge, I mean.’

  He looked into her deep blue eyes, trying to see if she was joking or trying to get more money out of the situation. But he saw nothing but defeat and kindness.

  ‘This is your land,’ she carried on, waving her arm at the woods. ‘I’m just a stranger here. I think it’s best that I head off and stay with my sister as originally planned and we’ll forget the whole thing ever happened.’ She bit her lip. ‘Except the damage I’ve caused to your car, of course. We’ll have to work out some way that I can pay you back.’

  Will found himself shaking his head. ‘Forget about the car. It’s very noble of you to say all this, but the thing is that my grandad is determined that you should have half of what is yours by right.’

  ‘But…’ Skye was shaking her head, causing her purple hair to waft in front of her face.

  ‘Look, you’re going to need a week to get back on your feet,’ Will told her. ‘Literally. Why not stay here and we can thrash through a few more ideas? It sounds as if it could be a good rental income if we can do it up.’

  Skye looked surprised. ‘We?’

  He smiled. ‘So which bit do you want to tackle first? The plastering or the new boiler? Don’t forget to factor in your crutches, of course.’

  She sighed. ‘I feel so useless. I’m such an idiot for tripping over that stupid tree yesterday. It’s ruined all my plans.’

  Will felt guilty. ‘I was only kidding. You don’t need to worry about the building stuff. Unless you’re good with a paintbrush, of course.’

  ‘Actually…’ Her voice trailed off.

  ‘What?’

  She looked down, obviously uncomfortable with what she wanted to say. ‘Maybe I could come up with a few interior design ideas,’ she said in a small voice. ‘As I can’t do much else, it seems.’

  He looked at her for a moment. He was going to joke about her purple hair again but managed to stop himself in time. ‘That’s an idea,’ he finally said. ‘I haven’t got a clue about that kind of thing. Look, I know you’re desperate to head up north to see your sister but perhaps you could hang around until you can drive up there yourself.’

  And take the wretched Airstream with you, he added to himself.

  She stared wide-eyed at him. ‘So you’re asking me to stay on here for another week? You’d be okay with that?’

  He shrugged. ‘It was my suggestion, wasn’t it? You’ve got the trailer, so you can maintain your privacy by staying in there.’

  Her eyes grew wider at that, for some reason, but he didn’t have time to think about why. Finally she nodded her agreement.

  He had hardly any money to do up the lodge, but he was prepared to muck in and do the hard labour himself. After all, it wasn’t as if he had got anything better to do now that he didn’t have a job. That would take up to a couple of months. Maybe if they could rent it out then they wouldn’t have to sell it.

  And by then, Skye would definitely have left Cranley and life could revert back to how it had always been.

  But suddenly that thought gave him no comfort at all.

  11

  Skye stood alone on the driveway after Will had walked away, reeling from their conversation.

  She was still trying to remain calm after the estate agent’s estimate. The lodge was worth two hundred thousand pounds! It was an extraordinary amount of money. But what would she even do with such a sum?

  She felt a little teary and overwhelmed by it all. Dearest Norman. What a generous gift he had given her. Or tried to give her. But still, what she craved most was seemingly out of reach – security. A home of her own.

  She gulped away the tears pricking her eyes and tried to think straight. They might not be able to sell the lodge if the estate didn’t allow it. But even a steady rental income might help pay for whatever home she and Summer could find.

  In shock from their conversation, she had found herself suggesting she could offer advice on the interior design. What on earth had she been thinking of? She had just blurted it out and now it seemed as if she might be stuck at Willow Tree Hall until her foot was better. That was a whole week sleeping in the trailer!

  She had been so determined to leave only half an hour previously. So resolute in the certainty of her departure that she had even googled train times for that afternoon, even though it turned out that the nearest station was ten miles away and that was the slow route.

  But now she wasn’t so sure. Could she stay on for a week until her foot was healed?

  She automatically shivered as she remembered how cold it had been the previous night and wondered where she had put her poncho. Perhaps she had left it on the bed that morning.

  She slowly made her way across the driveway and then up the couple of steps of the trailer. Pulling open the door, she stepped inside. Still mulling over her conversation with Will, she rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. Interior design? It had been an awfully long time since she had been to college and had ideas like that.

  She glanced around the Airstream. Perhaps it hadn’t been that long. During the summer that had just passed, on the long light evenings when she had found herself alone and needing something to do, she had begun to
update the interior of the trailer. Despite it being crammed with boxes, she could still catch glimpses of her work. She was pleased with her efforts to make over the interior. It had badly needed doing up but she had so much free time over the past summer that it had become a labour of love to pour her creative energies into.

  The tiny original kitchen cupboards had been sanded down and painted in a cream gloss. The hanging hooks for her cooking utensils had been made from spare forks that she had found in Norman’s house. In fact, she had managed to completely redecorate the inside with all of her finds from Norman’s house. She had been pleased, thinking how nice it was to take a part of his home and keep it with her, wherever she went. The interior had all been painted and redecorated but the furniture was original. One, because she loved the retro feel, and two, because she couldn’t afford to replace any of it.

  Beyond the tiny kitchen was the seating area. In the middle was a square table which she had decorated with a green and white spotty tablecloth she had made from some spare material. Both the seating benches had been recovered with cream and white striped cloth, although the one that didn’t turn into a bed was currently covered in boxes and old suitcases. She had been particularly pleased with the lamp on the table. She had painted the stand in cream gloss and made a new shade for it.

  The tiny windows had been given a new lease of life too with curtains from material covered with a decoration of pale green leaves and branches. She had tried to match the curtains when she had stencilled the walls so that the pattern seemed to spread across the whole space, making it feel much bigger than it really was. She had made contrasting cushion covers and they matched the handmade duvet cover. The whole place was cosy but stylish.

  But that had just been for herself. The lodge was altogether more scary and a much larger project. There was no way she could handle something like that, let alone sharing her designs with Will.

  Her phone rang in her pocket and for once she grimaced when she saw her sister’s name. She had just committed herself to staying on, which would mean not going up to see Summer for a few more days.

  Expecting her sister to be upset, she was surprised at Summer’s reaction when she told her the news. ‘Good!’ she said.

  ‘Gee, thanks,’ said Skye. ‘Nice to feel missed.’

  ‘It’s not that,’ said Summer. ‘I was just thinking that it might be good for you to have a holiday before you head up and try and find some work.’

  ‘It’s hardly a holiday when I’m on crutches,’ Skye told her. And sleeping in the trailer, she added to herself.

  ‘Then you probably need the rest and shouldn’t be rushing around the country. Anyway, they were Norman’s friends and it sounds like an amazing place. Have a bit of fun before you race up here. I’m okay. Actually, I’m going out for lunch so I’d better head off soon.’

  After Summer had hung up, Skye looked out of the window and stared across the front field to the large willow tree that was swaying in a gentle breeze. She was still so cross and frustrated with herself. If only she hadn’t hurt her ankle then she could be in Liverpool by now and none of this would matter. Her life could continue in its orderly fashion as it always had done since she had taken control at the age of eighteen.

  Growing up, Skye and Summer had been moved from place to place. Their mother Maggie Jackson was a dreamer, always looking for the next big thing, the next goal to be fulfilled. And with their father having left the family very early on and never getting in touch, it was left to the sisters to cope through life in the best way that they could. But that would always be hard when there was yet another new school to attend, another home to pack up and leave. In the end, Skye gave up bothering with making new friends, knowing that it would only be a matter of months before they were on the move once more to a different area.

  At least they had always stayed within London, thought Skye, looking around the surrounding woods. The underground and buses were easily navigated and she knew every inch of the city. From cramped studio flats to sleeping on sofas, the sisters had endured it all. Then Maggie answered Norman’s advert to rent out his two spare bedrooms. Finally, it had felt as if they had come home. Summer’s school was close by and Skye felt brave enough to attend the art college nearby. But, as usual, Maggie’s feet itched to be elsewhere. This time she wanted to move abroad.

  The difference was that Skye had just turned eighteen and could refuse to go. The argument was immense, but Skye had known by then that it was mainly for show.

  ‘My darlings!’ Maggie had sobbed to Norman. ‘What will I do without them?’

  But Norman had smiled and nodded over Maggie’s shoulder at Skye. He knew it was the right thing for the girls. So Maggie went travelling and they had remained behind. Norman’s home became theirs as well. Summer’s school grades glowed now that she was settled. But the rent needed to be paid, so Skye had given up college and her interior design course to hold down two jobs.

  Over the past summer, it had all changed again. Norman had passed away and Summer had moved up to Liverpool. And Skye was frightened. The not knowing where she would be next unsettled her immensely. She felt like a teenager once more.

  And alone. Some days it felt as if she had no one to care for any more.

  She grabbed her poncho and made her way carefully back down the steps.

  ‘Good morning,’ said a voice nearby.

  Skye turned around and found Arthur walking across the driveway towards her.

  ‘Good morning,’ she replied, fixing on a smile.

  ‘How’s the foot today?’

  ‘A little sore,’ she told him.

  He nodded. ‘These things do take time, unfortunately. Even more so at my age.’ He gave her a sad smile. ‘I fell over last year and broke my hip so I can sympathise with your situation, especially with the wretched crutches.’

  ‘Aren’t they a pain?’ she said. ‘But that must have been a shock for you.’

  ‘A shock but also a blessing,’ said Arthur.

  Skye was confused.

  ‘My little accident brought Sam back to Willow Tree Hall,’ Arthur told her. ‘That, in turn, brought the house back to life and, of course, leads us to the big wedding at the end of the year.’

  ‘Annie’s lovely,’ said Skye.

  ‘I agree,’ said Arthur. ‘My future granddaughter-in-law and a countess in waiting.’ He looked at her with his soft blue eyes. ‘And what about you, my dear? What are your plans?’

  She sighed. ‘It’s all a bit confusing, to be honest. Will and I have agreed to take a look at the plan for renovating the lodge whilst my foot mends. But that would mean staying on here for the next week.’

  Arthur smiled. ‘This may be selfish on my part, but I, for one, would be glad to see you stay on here a little while longer.’

  Skye’s heart lurched. How kind he was. He reminded her of Norman with his generous nature. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘And I’ve been told that my family can be a little, er, overzealous, with invading one’s privacy, so of course you must stay in that lovely silver caravan of yours.’

  Skye hid her dismay. So everyone was encouraging her to stay for a few more days, but it had to be in the trailer?

  ‘But you must of course use the hall as a member of the family,’ added Arthur. ‘That way everybody’s happy.’

  Perhaps she could manage to stay there for a week whilst she thought up some interior designs for the lodge. When was the last time she had had any time to dream up anything like that?

  Any kind of promise of money would bring her much needed security. Maybe even a tiny little place of her own? That meant she could finally put some roots down for her and Summer. No more wondering where she was going to live next ever again.

  And perhaps even a short trip to Venice.

  It had been a long held dream of hers. Ever since she had attended a lecture at art college about the Byzantine style of building, she had been bewitched with the idea of going there. But it had always been imposs
ible. She had never even been abroad. But the passport that she had saved up for had been burning a hole in her bedside drawer for a couple of years.

  Will suddenly appeared next to them. ‘I’ve been looking for you, Grandad,’ he said.

  ‘I was right here all along, talking to Skye about her future plans.’

  Skye looked up at the hall and thought longingly about the warm and no doubt beautiful bedrooms inside. But both Arthur and Will had been most insistent. She had to stay in the trailer for the next week. Hopefully with electricity hooked up, she could just about put up with it.

  ‘Can we plan for the future inside where it’s a bit warmer?’ said Will, leading the way towards the front door.

  As they headed indoors, she noted that because of the cold, cloudy day, some of the lights were on inside even though it was only late morning. It made the whole place look very cosy and inviting, despite its size. She didn’t realise how cold she had been until they went into the entrance hall and she could feel the heat from a fire that had been lit in the vast fireplace. Instinctively, she stood in front of it and warmed her hands.

  ‘How do I look, darlings? Will I do?’ came a voice from above.

  Skye looked up the sweeping staircase to where Rose was coming down. At least, she thought it was Rose. The voice was the same but the glamorous clothes had been replaced by a long black and white fluffy coat and a matching wig.

  ‘I’m Cruella de Vil,’ she said, reaching the bottom of the stairs. ‘Isn’t it marvellous? Such fun.’

  ‘I can’t see any difference to your normal look,’ drawled Will.

  ‘Oh, hush,’ said Rose, grinning. ‘And don’t worry, it’s fake fur. Never the real thing. Now, Skye dear, how are you this morning?’

  ‘I’m okay, thanks.’ Skye was still slightly taken aback. Perhaps Rose was going to a fancy dress party.

  ‘Your poor foot still looks swollen,’ said Rose, glancing down at it.

  ‘Then it’s a good thing that Skye is going to stay with us until she’s able to drive again,’ Arthur told her.

  ‘Oh, how wonderful!’ said Rose, clapping her hands together in glee. ‘I wonder, how good are you at carving pumpkins?’