A Way Back Home

by Alison Sherlock

  ‘She hasn’t got time for that,’ said Will, looking impatient. ‘We need to draft some official paperwork regarding the lodge.’

  ‘Nonsense,’ said Rose, in a tone that certainly meant that she wasn’t to be defied. ‘There’s plenty of time for dull paperwork later, isn’t there? Besides, Annie’s desperate for a hand. Now, come with me to the kitchen.’ She put her arm through Skye’s and gently led her away towards the kitchen.

  Skye smiled gratefully at Rose but she knew she would have to stay independent and detached from this lovely family. It was best that she kept herself to herself. Maybe sleeping in the trailer away from them all was the right thing after all. That was how she had survived with such a hopeless mother as Maggie. Everyone had been kept at arm’s length. She had managed to bring up Summer and herself and they had survived, hadn’t they? After all, Summer was going to be a doctor. She was so proud of her baby sister for achieving her dream. And maybe, just maybe, once the lodge was renovated, she could find a dream of her own.

  12

  Will watched his Aunt Rose lead Skye out of the entrance hall before turning into the west wing. He had made his mind up to face his grandad and get the awkward conversation about the lodge out of the way as soon as possible.

  He headed along the corridor and glanced into the empty rooms until he found both Arthur and Sam sitting in the study. The room had yet to be renovated, but thanks to new windows and a fire burning in the hearth, it felt warm and cosy despite the peeling wallpaper and wonky, ancient wooden furniture.

  ‘How did it go with young Ralph?’ asked Arthur, looking up from the papers on the desk in front of him.

  A year ago, the desk would have been piled high with paperwork, mostly unpaid bills. But Sam had taken on the responsibility of dealing with the household finances.

  Sam looked up from his phone. ‘Yeah, please tell us that it’s worth a fortune. I might need it to pay the water bill this month.’

  Will sat down on a chair on the opposite side of the desk, the ancient wood squealing in protest at being used.

  ‘We’ve got an approximate figure of what it’s worth,’ said Will. ‘Ralph thinks we should be able to get at least two hundred thousand for it.’

  Arthur’s grey eyebrows shot up. ‘Really? Goodness, that seems high for a building in the middle of the woods, but, of course, I’ve lost track with house prices these days.’

  Sam blew out a long whistle. ‘It might be worth thinking about, Grandad.’

  But Arthur was shaking his head. ‘I’ve been looking at the original deeds,’ he said, tapping the papers in front of him with his reading glasses. ‘It seems our ancestors didn’t want the place to be sold off piece by piece and have written it into the laws of the estate.’

  Will had suspected as much and was inwardly relieved, despite the financial bonus it would have given the family. Even though any sale would render him homeless in a short while, he was still surprised to feel so strongly that the lodge deserved to remain as part of the estate.

  ‘The alternative solution is that it could be rented out as some kind of holiday place in the countryside,’ Will told them. ‘Ralph thought that it might bring in some kind of income. Once it’s done up, of course.’

  Arthur grimaced. ‘I’m not sure I like the idea of strangers appearing every week or so to stay in the grounds.’

  ‘They won’t be appearing at all other than in the summer,’ said Sam. ‘They’ll never get down the track. So what shall we do next?’

  Will felt irritated. ‘I believe the decision as to what happens to the lodge should remain with me.’

  His brother and grandfather both looked surprised as they stared at him.

  ‘Yes, but you’re not around most of the time, are you?’ said Sam. ‘If we’ve got even a small chance of it bringing in some income then it should be investigated.’

  ‘But it’s always been mine,’ Will told him.

  ‘For the very odd weekend and then you’re back to work anyway,’ Sam told him, laughing. ‘It’s standing empty most of the time.’

  ‘Well, it won’t be from now onwards,’ snapped Will.

  ‘What about your job?’ said Sam, still smiling. ‘How are you going to build chalets from the middle of our woods?’

  Will looked away to stare at the fire. ‘Actually I’ve just been let go,’ he said, after a pause. ‘Things are hard everywhere at the moment. Global economy, that kind of thing. Luxury holidays are suffering, especially the kind of apartments that we build.’ He knew he was rambling to fill the silence. He could feel both of them studying him.

  ‘Well, that is a shame,’ said Arthur, finally. ‘You always appeared to enjoy that line of work.’

  Will felt even more miserable. ‘I did.’

  ‘Sorry, mate,’ said his brother, his humour now faded. ‘Why didn’t you say something?’

  ‘I just have,’ Will shrugged his shoulders. ‘It all happened yesterday, which turned out to be rather a busy day one way and another.’

  Sam carried on looking at him, concern across his face. It was a look that Will was used to. Sam had been worried about his younger brother ever since they had lost their parents.

  Arthur leant forward to steeple his hands on the desk. ‘So what are your thoughts regarding the lodge?’

  Will shuffled awkwardly in his seat, feeling like a teenager once more. ‘Well, Skye is entitled to half, of course.’

  Arthur nodded vigorously. ‘I wholeheartedly agree. Are you able to buy her out?’

  ‘The trouble is that my savings are a little bit meagre at the minute,’ replied Will.

  ‘I’m not surprised,’ murmured Sam. ‘That Aston Martin must have cost you a pretty penny.’

  His brother’s words rattled him. ‘I have had other bills to pay,’ said Will, his cheeks growing hot despite his endeavours to remain cool.

  ‘We understand,’ said Arthur smoothly, holding up his hands as if to calm everyone down. ‘So what are your plans?’

  Will straightened his back, trying to sound confident. ‘Ralph thinks that if we invest some money into renovating the lodge then we might be able to make a go of the holiday rental thing. Then I can pay Skye back that way.’

  Perhaps he could live in it on the weeks when it wasn’t let out, he found himself thinking.

  Arthur nodded once more. ‘Renovations cost money, as we both know,’ he said, nodding at Sam with a soft smile.

  Will said nothing. Sam had stood all the costs of bringing the hall back to a habitable state. All he had done was pay for Alex, their friend, to cover the interior design.

  ‘We can’t spare anything from the estate,’ said Sam.

  ‘I know that,’ snapped Will. ‘So I thought I’d do most of the work myself to keep the costs down.’

  ‘Well, I can’t say that I’ll ever be happy about the holiday rental idea,’ said Arthur. ‘But perhaps the upside is that renovating the lodge might bring you the same level of enjoyment as your job,’ Arthur smiled softly. ‘Maybe even a new line of work for the future?’

  ‘Perhaps,’ said Will. But he very much doubted it. In the Alps he had employed a team of qualified workers to build and design the luxury ski lodges. Here it would be pretty much him until something more specialised like the electrics would be involved.

  Sam cleared his throat. ‘Well, you’ve been talking about doing it up for years. Maybe now’s your chance.’

  Will felt a flush of humiliation. Even his brother obviously thought he couldn’t keep his word. He knew that money was tight. He also knew that Sam was the sensible one, the one to be relied on. After all, he was the one that had spent all of his savings on doing up the hall itself.

  Once more, Will felt ashamed that he had squandered so much over the years. And yet again, all he wanted to do was run away and hide from the guilt.

  He jumped up from the chair. ‘Okay. Well, thanks for the pep talk.’

  And he rushed out of the room before they could say anything else.
<
br />   But to his dismay, Sam called out after him. ‘Hey!’

  Will stopped at the end of the corridor and spun round in time to see Sam close the study door behind him so that they could speak in private. ‘What? Is it time for another scolding?’ he asked, glaring at his brother.

  Sam looked at him for a beat. ‘Hey, I’m sorry about your job. You must be upset.’

  ‘I’ve had better weeks.’

  ‘Tell me about it,’ said Sam with a sigh.

  Will caught the tone of worry in his voice. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked. ‘I thought everything was okay here?’

  ‘No, it’s not,’ said Sam, shaking his head. ‘But you just keep running and won’t see what’s in front of your nose.’

  ‘Which is?’

  Sam looked him in the eye. ‘We’re running on a shoestring and yet the books still aren’t balancing. I don’t know what to do.’

  Will was shocked. He had no idea things were so bad. ‘And the wedding?’

  Sam smiled. ‘A welcome distraction from all the red in our finances. As well as marrying the love of my life, of course.’

  ‘If I get the lodge done up as quickly as possible then maybe that can generate some income to help,’ said Will.

  Sam looked stern once more. ‘We’re both going to have to work on Grandad to see if we can turn him around on this idea of renting it out. We need all the income we can get. And maybe it will help.’

  ‘Anything is better than nothing,’ said Will.

  ‘Maybe.’ Sam visibly appeared to force himself to brighten up. ‘Do you want me to contact Alex regarding the fixtures and fittings?’

  Will shook his head. ‘Skye says she might be able to come up with a few ideas whilst she’s here.’

  ‘Great,’ said Sam, smiling. ‘That’s good of her. Especially as you have no imagination.’

  ‘That’s not what my ex-girlfriends say,’ said Will, with a wink. He went to turn away before looking back at his brother. ‘It’ll be okay,’ he told him.

  Sam gave him a smile but it didn’t reach his eyes. ‘Of course it will be,’ he said. Then he turned and went back into the study, leaving Will alone in the corridor deep in thought. It was unusual for him to be the one to reassure Sam. It had always been the other way round.

  Which made him wonder just how bad things really were at Willow Tree Hall.

  13

  As Skye hobbled down the stairs to the kitchen on her crutches, she could hear laughter.

  ‘Here she is!’ said Rose who had gone ahead, her long black and white cloak sweeping along the floor.

  Annie looked up from the table and smiled. As did Skye when she saw that Annie was dressed in a long black dress and her hair had been swept up into a horned hat.

  ‘I’m Maleficent,’ said Annie, with a grin.

  The penny dropped. The family were all dressing up for Halloween.

  ‘I love Angelina Jolie,’ said Rose, with a misty smile. ‘So many husbands and so sexy. She reminds me so much of me!’

  ‘How did it go with the estate agent?’ asked Annie.

  Skye was rapidly learning that this was a family that discussed everything.

  ‘It went okay,’ she said.

  ‘Will it have to be sold?’ asked Rose, for a second looking not quite so cheerful.

  Skye debated whether to stay silent but she presumed that Will would tell the family anyway. ‘I’m not sure. Will’s going to check with his grandad. But if we can renovate the lodge, the estate agent thought that we might be able to rent it out. If we could sell it, we should be able to get two hundred thousand.’

  ‘Well, that’s a sum of money not to be sniffed at,’ said Rose, although Skye thought she could detect her disappointment.

  ‘I’d blow it all on my wedding,’ said Annie, her eyes gleaming.

  ‘I thought you already had on that expensive wedding planner,’ said Rose, raising an eyebrow.

  ‘Wedding creator,’ corrected Annie. ‘And you were the one who told me I had to hire one. I’d have managed on my own.’

  ‘Sweet girl, time was marching on and things weren’t getting sorted,’ Rose told her.

  ‘You do remember that I’ve had a summer fete to organise?’ said Annie.

  ‘You’re going to become a countess,’ said Rose. ‘You can’t just bumble along towards your wedding. It has to be sophisticated. You know, like me.’

  ‘Well, it will be now,’ said Annie, in a firm tone. ‘Thankfully Victoria was still available despite the short notice.’

  ‘For a large fee,’ murmured Rose.

  Annie ignored her. ‘Actually, she’s just sent me this.’ She held out her phone to show both Skye and Rose a photograph of a ballroom decorated in deep purple and gold velvet. ‘Isn’t it lovely?’

  ‘Very regal,’ said Rose, with a nod. ‘You don’t think it’ll be perhaps a bit overwhelming in our ballroom.’

  ‘You said it yourself,’ said Annie. ‘Future countess plus Regal equals tasteful.’

  Skye nodded and smiled but thought perhaps the decoration looked a little dated. ‘When are you getting married?’ she asked.

  ‘New Year’s Eve,’ said Annie, smiling. ‘Right here in the hall. Have you seen the ballroom yet?’ Skye shook her head. ‘No? Oh, I must show you. Come on.’

  ‘Wait a minute,’ said Rose, holding up a manicured hand. Skye realised that she had painted her nails white and dotted them with black spots in keeping with the Dalmatian theme. ‘The girl’s barely just sat down and I’m sure her foot must be sore. Would you like to rest it for a while?’

  Skye smiled, feeling a bit awkward. ‘I wouldn’t mind,’ she said. ‘But I’ve only seen this wing so far so I’d love a tour later.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Annie, smiling.

  ‘You’re staying on for the day?’ asked Rose, looking hopeful.

  ‘Actually, it appears that I’m staying on until my foot is better,’ said Skye, blushing. ‘If that’s okay with everyone.’

  ‘That’s great!’ said Annie.

  ‘Oh, that’s super news!’ agreed Rose, nodding enthusiastically. ‘Darling, of course you’re welcome here. Are you going to continue to stay in that lovely silver trailer of yours?’

  Skye nodded, trying not to let her smile fade.

  ‘I don’t blame you,’ said Rose. ‘It’s so retro, it’s simply marvellous.’

  ‘Although I might need to use a shower occasionally,’ said Skye, with a grimace. ‘There isn’t one in the Airstream.’

  ‘Of course! I’ll show you a guest suite you can use,’ said Annie. ‘By the way, Megan’s around here somewhere, flicking a duster about. She’s one of my best friends and works here two mornings a week. You must meet her.’

  ‘When is Eleanor back?’ asked Rose.

  ‘Today, I think,’ said Annie, before turning back to Skye. ‘Eleanor’s my other best friend. She’s been away for the last week with her boyfriend, Tommy King!’

  Skye couldn’t believe it. Tommy King was one of the most famous singers in the world. ‘Seriously? Wow!’

  ‘Didn’t Will tell you that Sam’s a music manager?’ said Annie, rolling her eyes.

  Skye shook her head. ‘I had no idea.’

  ‘Sam manages quite a few bands and singers,’ said Annie, with a proud tone to her voice.

  ‘You’ve heard of Hazy Memory?’ added Rose. ‘Well, if you’re lucky you might get to meet them, too. They’re a smashing bunch of lads.’

  Hazy Memory had recorded one of the most annoying Christmas songs ever thirty years ago and it was still played every single festive season.

  ‘Actually Hazy Memory are about to launch an album which has a whole new sound,’ said Annie. ‘No more seventies rockers, they’re about to become smooth Michael Bublé soundalikes apparently!’

  A stately home full of famous bands and singers. It was like some kind of fantasy, thought Skye.

  ‘Damn, I’ve broken a nail,’ said Rose, peering at her hand. ‘I’ll be back. Don’t s
tart the gossip without me.’

  As she headed up the stairs, Rose crossed paths with a redhead who said, ‘Is it time for a coffee break yet? I’m exhausted.’

  ‘You’ve only just started,’ said Annie, with a gentle smile.

  ‘Gimme a break,’ continued the woman, sitting down at the table with a heavy sigh. ‘The school run was a total nightmare this morning. I forgot Barnaby’s homework. Although he’s only six so why the hell is he getting homework anyway? Then Joshua decided to try cat food for the first time. He’s okay. Hopefully he’ll get shinier hair and stronger teeth like the packet says. Then Millie had a total meltdown at nursery and turned into something from The Exorcist.’

  Annie looked at Skye. ‘This is Megan. One of my two best friends and mum to three kids.’

  Megan gave Skye a weary smile. ‘Hi. As you’ve just gathered, I’m Mother Inferior.’

  Her red hair was scraped into a ponytail that was held together with a Barbie bobble and her green long sleeved T-shirt was misshapen and slightly too large for her.

  ‘She’s also supposed to clean for us two mornings a week,’ added Annie in a pointed tone.

  Megan yawned. ‘Which is just a ruse to escape the kids, to be honest.’ She reached across the table to help herself to a biscuit from the plate piled high with them. ‘Love the hair colour, by the way. Shame about your foot.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Skye. ‘So have you known each other long?’

  ‘Oh yes, the three of us grew up here and went to school together,’ said Megan. ‘Me, Annie and Eleanor.’

  ‘Eleanor and I left the village for a few years,’ said Annie, sitting down with them.

  ‘More than a few!’ cried Megan, rolling her eyes at Skye. ‘It was awful. My best mates left me for years. Annie was going around the world on fancy cruise ships and Eleanor partied her glamorous high heels off in London. And here I was…’

  ‘Happily married to Neal, your childhood sweetheart and having three beautiful children,’ said Annie, with a smile.

  Megan grimaced. ‘Three children under the age of six. Do you know how regularly I have to scream, “Stop shouting!” at them?’ She looked at Skye. ‘I love them, obviously, but sometimes I just lock myself in the bathroom to get a bit of peace and quiet.’