‘Don’t listen to her,’ said Annie. ‘She’s got it all.’
‘Says the woman who’s engaged to a future earl and living in an enormous stately home,’ said an attractive woman with dark hair coming down the stairs to the kitchen.
‘Yay! You’re back!’ said Annie, leaping up from the table to give the woman a hug. Afterwards she turned around and told Skye, ‘This is Eleanor.’
‘Hello,’ said Skye, now even more self-conscious about the slightly grubby sock covering her swollen foot.
Dressed in designer skinny jeans and a boatneck jumper, Eleanor had a sense of style about her, with her dark shiny hair and immaculate light make-up.
‘Hi,’ said Eleanor, smiling. ‘Annie told me about your accident. You poor thing.’
Skye was about to reply when a grey and white blur rushed down the stairs and began to hurtle around the kitchen.
‘Dylan!’ shouted Eleanor. ‘Calm down.’
Eventually the shaggy dog skidded to a halt beside the table, leapt up to swipe a biscuit off the plate and whizzed off again around the floor.
‘He’s a lunatic,’ said Megan, shaking her head.
‘Aww, he’s just excited to be here,’ beamed Annie, managing to grab Dylan by his collar and giving his head a rub.
‘He’s been manic ever since we got him back from Mum’s last night,’ said Eleanor, sitting down at the table.
‘Tom’s finished all the album stuff in New York now?’ asked Annie.
Eleanor nodded. ‘Thank god. It was only a week, but we really missed you, didn’t we, boy?’
Dylan sat next to her and thumped his tail in response.
Megan looked at Skye. ‘So, I’m Mother of the Year, obviously. Annie’s going to be almost royalty and Eleanor is going out with Tommy King, global singing legend. I guess we haven’t done so bad really.’
They all laughed.
Skye blushed, thinking what amazing lives they were all leading and wondering how hers had ended up so empty.
Eleanor grabbed her expensive looking handbag and fumbled around inside it. ‘Where did I put it? Oh yes, here it is.’ She drew out a large white pot and pushed it across the table towards Skye. ‘I made you some cream with added arnica last night. If you rub it on your foot, it should bring out the bruising and hopefully get the swelling down.’
‘That’s so kind of you, thank you,’ said Skye. She had a sudden thought. ‘Does this mean that you’re the Eleanor of Eleanor’s Apothecary at the stables?’
Eleanor grinned. ‘That’s me. I came back here this summer and began to dabble with a few creams and soaps using local flowers and herbs.’
‘And now she’s a budding entrepreneur in the lotions and potions business,’ added Megan. ‘Thanks to the amazing website I’ve created for her.’
‘Megan’s my marketing manager,’ said Eleanor, with a wink.
‘Yeah, you just make the things. I’m the one with all the real skills,’ drawled Megan. ‘Right, pass the biscuits. Or don’t, actually. I think there’s doggy drool on the plate.’
‘Ugh,’ groaned Annie, whisking the plate off the table.
‘I thought you had sworn off all biscuits and cakes until the wedding?’ said Eleanor, raising an eyebrow.
‘My plan is to wear those big suck-everything-in knickers under the bridesmaids dress,’ said Megan. ‘You know, the ones that break every fingernail when you try and get them off again.’
‘Very sexy,’ said Annie, laughing.
‘Stuff being sexy,’ said Megan. ‘There’s all those photos to think of and I’ve got to stand next to you two skinny bitches all day.’
‘You’re both bridesmaids?’ asked Skye.
Eleanor nodded. ‘We’ve got beautiful silver dresses,’ she said. ‘You must see them. And Annie’s dress is vintage. It’s gorgeous. Oh, and Tom picked up a navy suit in New York so your usher is good to go as well. We just need to get you a bow tie, don’t we?’ she added to Dylan, who thumped his tail in response.
‘Dylan’s coming to the wedding?’ asked Annie.
‘Of course,’ Eleanor told her. ‘He’s part of the family. Anyway, Arthur invited him.’
‘God, does this mean Hazy Memory are going to be in navy suits as well?’ asked Megan, stifling a laugh.
Annie nodded. ‘They’re all ushers, as well as Alex. That’s Sam and Will’s best friend,’ she told Skye.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen the band out of their leather trousers,’ said Eleanor, frowning.
‘No one has,’ drawled Megan. ‘They’ll have to be surgically removed before the wedding.’
They all laughed.
Skye thought it sounded like the most incredible wedding and found herself wishing that she could be there to see the big day. But of course she would be long gone by then.
14
As Annie and her friends carried on gossiping around the kitchen table, Rose reappeared at the top of the stairs.
‘Talking of Hazy Memory, darlings, I was thinking about getting some leather trousers,’ she announced, coming down into the kitchen.
‘And you’d look amazing in them,’ said Eleanor, getting up to give her a kiss.
‘I know, sweetie,’ said Rose, with a wink. ‘My legs are still fabulous!’
They were suddenly interrupted by a gruff looking man striding into the kitchen from the back door, holding a large hessian sack.
‘Last of the pumpkins,’ he barked at Annie, dumping the sack down and making Skye jump.
He appeared to be a man of few words.
‘Oh!’ she said, looking pleased. ‘Thank you so much, Bert. That’s brilliant.’
The bag had spilt open on the floor, revealing a number of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.
‘Bert, you’re a marvel,’ cooed Rose. ‘What would we do without you taking care of our vegetable patch. How’s that beautiful granddaughter of yours?’
His grumpy face temporarily brightened. ‘Coming home for Christmas,’ he said before glancing at Annie. ‘And she wanted me to say thank you for the wedding invitation.’
‘Of course,’ said Annie, beaming. ‘It’ll be lovely to finally meet her.’
‘Such a shame that you’re partnered up for the wedding,’ said Rose, giving him a wink. ‘I was hoping to be your plus one.’
Bert looked at Rose briefly before grunting at her. ‘Gotta go. Apples need harvesting.’
As he left the kitchen, the women all exchanged a warm smile.
‘Rose, you’re so naughty, flirting with him,’ said Megan, giggling.
Rose shrugged her shoulders. ‘Darling, you know I flirt with everyone. Anyway, I’ve known Bert since we were at school. He doesn’t mind. I think he quite likes it.’
‘Don’t know what we’re going to do with all those apples from the orchard,’ said Annie, biting her lip. ‘I haven’t got time to make chutney on top of all the wedding stuff going on.’
‘Talking of which, we must organise your hen night,’ said Eleanor.
‘Yeah!’ said Megan, her eyes gleaming.
‘Has Will organised the stag night yet?’ asked Eleanor.
Annie shook her head. ‘Don’t think they’ve talked about it yet.’
‘Is Will best man?’ asked Skye.
Annie nodded, her smile fading a little. ‘Of course.’
‘At least he’s around for a bit this time,’ said Eleanor gently.
Skye couldn’t help but ask, ‘He doesn’t normally stay here for long?’
Annie shook her head. ‘Never has done. I think losing their parents hit Will even harder than Sam. I mean, they were both so young.’
Rose reached out and they squeezed each other’s hands.
‘He comes back once in a while to help out here and there,’ said Megan. ‘But blink and you miss him.’
‘Maybe he’ll be here a bit longer over the wedding,’ said Eleanor.
Annie looked sad. ‘That’s what Sam’s hoping for, but you know Will. He can never stay in the s
ame place for long.’
‘Maybe whatsername, Maria, can keep him in the country,’ said Megan.
There was a collective groan around the table.
Annie spotted Skye’s questioning look. ‘That’s the famous one he had the affair with this summer,’ she whispered. ‘We think she’s a bit of a diva.’
‘Have you met her?’ asked Skye.
Annie shook her head. ‘She won’t leave London apparently.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘I think we’re too rural for her tastes. But he hasn’t mentioned her for ages. I think he’s moved onto the next girlfriend as usual. Right, how about I get us some lunch?’
‘Please,’ said Rose, sitting at the table and looking down at the pumpkins. ‘How did you get along with the first batch?’
‘Not very well,’ said Annie, with a grimace. ‘I can just about carve a face, but that’s it.’ She glanced at the wall. Skye followed her gaze and saw an old school clock telling them it was nearly midday. ‘The kids will be here around four. I’ve got the whole of the front facade of the house to decorate and I’ve only managed to carve one pumpkin so far.’ She looked towards Megan and Eleanor. ‘Can you two help?’
‘Gotta pick up Millie from nursery,’ said Megan, shaking her head.
‘I’d love to, but I’ve got so many back orders to make, having been away for the last week,’ said Eleanor.
Annie bent down to pick up a small pumpkin that had been placed next to the fireplace. Its grin was more cheeky than scary, as well as being decidedly lopsided.
‘I don’t suppose you’ve any hidden pumpkin carving skills, do you, dear?’ Rose asked Skye.
Skye blushed. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever tried.’
She had made Summer her Halloween costumes out of old materials and she had a sudden wistfulness to step back in time.
‘Well, it can’t be worse than that,’ said Megan, nodding at Annie’s effort.
‘Thank you very much,’ said Annie, making a face.
‘Let Skye here have a go,’ suggested Rose, picking up a pumpkin and placing it on the table. ‘Maybe a warming gin and tonic will help us with our carving skills,’ she added in a hopeful tone.
But Annie shook her head. ‘We must stay sober until the kids have been. It won’t look very good otherwise.’
Rose gave Skye a nudge with her elbow. ‘Well, we’ll have a drinkie later, darling. Okay?’ she said, with a wink.
Skye thought Rose was one of the most amazing people she had ever met.
Eleanor left soon after with Megan, leaving Rose and Annie to chat more about the hall over their lunch of soup and rolls. Skye discovered that only a year before it had been in such a state of disrepair that it had almost been sold. And that Will’s brother, Sam, had returned home to take care of it and, in the process, had fallen in love with Annie too.
‘How romantic,’ said Skye, suppressing a longing sigh. She had never had any kind of romance like that. There had been a few boyfriends here and there, but they’d never lasted long. She hadn’t minded at the time. After all, she needed to spend all of her energies on Summer and, later, as the years went on, Norman as well. But more and more she was craving romance in her life. Somebody to share it with. Perhaps it would be nice to have all the hearts and flowers stuff, she thought.
After lunch, Will came down the stairs into the kitchen, followed by Sam, who was now dressed as Jon Snow from Game of Thrones.
‘Sweetie, you look marvellous!’ cried Rose, laughing at her nephew. ‘I knew I should have dressed as Cersei Lannister.’
‘It’s supposed to be for the children,’ said Annie, rolling her eyes. ‘They won’t know who you are.’
‘You look great, Aunty,’ said Sam with a grin. ‘Properly evil. I can’t believe Dylan came near you!’
He was so different to Will, thought Skye as she watched both of the brothers. They didn’t even look particularly alike. Sam was dark and looked like his grandfather, where Will was blonde and didn’t appear to look like Arthur or Rose. The only similarity they shared were their blue eyes.
‘Skye’s going to help me carve a few of the pumpkins,’ said Annie, in a relieved tone. ‘Isn’t that great?’
‘You’re good with a carving knife, I’m guessing,’ said Will, in a sarcastic tone.
‘Maybe it’s better that you don’t find out,’ she retorted before reaching for the nearest pumpkin.
Rose gave a gurgle of laughter and clapped. ‘That’s the spirit, darling.’
Sam reached out and took a handful of sweets from a plastic pumpkin bowl nearby.
‘Don’t eat them all!’ said Annie. ‘We need to save them for the kids.’
Sam groaned and tipped most of them back, laughing.
Skye watched as he sneaked a couple that were still in his hand to Will before putting a couple in his mouth.
‘I need you to get those up,’ said Annie, pointing at a pile of fake white cobwebs nearby. ‘And you’d better get going on all those fairy lights as well. They need putting up around all the windows on the ground floor.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ said Sam in a solemn tone before he leant forward to kiss Annie.
‘Knock it off,’ groaned Will. ‘I suppose this is important work,’ he said, glancing at the pumpkins with disdain.
‘It’s vital to keep up the sprits of the villagers,’ said Sam. ‘After all, they pay the rent.’
‘Meaning what?’ said Will in a sharp tone.
‘Nothing,’ said Sam quickly, picking up the box holding the fairy lights.
There was an awkward silence before Will snatched up the fake cobwebs and left the room.
Sam exchanged a roll of the eyes with Annie before heading up the stairs as well.
Rose sighed but didn’t say anything.
Annie reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. ‘Maybe they’ll get closer once more with all the wedding preparations.’
Rose nodded. ‘I hope so, sweetie.’
Feeling awkward at the table during such a personal conversation, Skye began work carving the pumpkin. Although art college felt a very long time ago, she still enjoyed using her artistic skills at home. Of course, she’d never been able to use them for any job because she had had to leave in the first year of her course.
She quickly carved the silhouette of a witch into the tall thin pumpkin that she had chosen. On the next one, she carved a cat. And then some bats onto the third one.
‘Wow,’ said Annie, placing a cup of tea next to her. ‘They’re wonderful.’
‘I knew you were artistic,’ said Rose, nodding in approval. ‘I could feel it in my bones when I saw you and that fabulous purple hair. My second husband was a painter,’ she said, emptying out some more sweets into a bowl. ‘The artistic ones are always so good in bed.’
Skye coughed in shock as she tried to swallow her tea before glancing at Annie.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Annie with a knowing smile. ‘You get used to Rose’s complete lack of discretion.’
‘What was it you said you did again?’ asked Rose, still looking at the pumpkins with approval.
‘I was only a waitress,’ said Skye.
‘I was only the housekeeper and look at me now,’ replied Annie, with a wink.
‘Pity to waste such skills,’ said Rose, with a sad smile. ‘But I know that bills have to be paid.’
Skye nodded. She had only taken the waitressing job because the hours could be moved around to suit her needs. But somewhere over the long years of work, she realised she had lost track of her own identity somewhere. She had been so busy being a surrogate mum to Summer, as well as a nurse and carer-cum-surrogate granddaughter to Norman, that she hadn’t had time to consider her own life.
What were her dreams? What did she even like to do?
Skye looked at the pumpkin but could only draw a blank. So she picked up the knife and began to lose herself in her carving once more.
15
After helping put up the Halloween decorations in all the downstairs window
s, Will had spent a wearisome couple of hours holed up in the sitting room, poring over some figures and trying to work out how much the work on the lodge would cost.
In the end, he gave up and wandered into the drawing room. Heading across to the window, he looked out past the willow tree to the woods beyond. It was almost dark now. He could barely even make out the trees. And yet he knew every inch of the woods. He and Sam had spent so much time in them growing up, making dens out of branches and messing around on their bicycles, that he could walk through the tracks in the dark of night and still know where he was going.
If only he knew where he was heading in life, he thought. Despite the sadness of the loss of his parents, he had had a happy childhood. It was being an adult that he struggled with.
He watched as a couple of cars drove slowly up the driveway before coming to a halt. Each car was packed with children of all ages dressed in their Halloween outfits. He had a sudden flashback to one of the many Halloween parties at the Hall during his childhood. Will had been dressed in his Superman cape. Sam had been Batman. He could remember them counting out their pile of sweets upstairs in Sam’s bedroom.
If only he had some kind of superpower now to whisk him away from all the sad memories that happened after those happier times.
‘Aren’t you getting changed and joining us?’ he heard Sam say, from the doorway at the back of the room.
Will turned around and shook his head. ‘You know nothing, Jon Snow,’ he quipped, smirking at his brother’s outfit. ‘I’m staying here in the warm.’
‘What are you, eighty-five?’ Sam shook his head. ‘Sad to see one so young age so quickly.’
Before Will could retort, his brother had left the room.
There had always been an easy banter between them. Perhaps less so in the last year. It had become a little more stilted. A bit more barbed. Although Will knew that perhaps he was taking most of what his brother said personally because he knew he should have helped out more around the hall. But his brother was so capable, and besides, he had Annie by his side now to help him. But despite perhaps being a little less close over the past twelve months, Sam had still asked his younger brother to be best man at their wedding on New Year’s Eve. Will couldn’t deny that he felt genuinely honoured to be given the role, even if it did mean hanging around longer than he had wanted.
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