‘You’ve done this before?’ he asked.
‘It’s how I’ve always decorated our rooms,’ she told him. ‘We never had any money so I had to get the cheapest furniture I could find from car boot sales and even stuff on skips that people were going to throw away. I can make it as good as new. It won’t look awful, I promise. If we can upcycle most of the furniture and give everything a lick of paint, it might not break the budget.’
Will nodded slowly, obviously mulling it all over. ‘Some things can’t be, er, upcycled, though. We need a new bathroom suite, plus an oven and fridge for the kitchen. But perhaps if we shop around we can get some good bargains here and there.’
‘Absolutely.’
Finally, he broke into a relieved smile. ‘This sounds great. I think we really might have a plan.’
Skye gave a start. She hadn’t been part of a ‘we’ before. To her surprise, she liked it. She hadn’t felt part of a team for a long time. Of course, her, Norman and Summer had been a little family unit but now that Norman was gone and Summer seemed to be making her own life in Liverpool, Skye had felt like she was a team of one until she had arrived at Willow Tree Hall.
The family had drawn her in, of course. And now she felt part of a couple with Will. Not romantically, of course. But still, they were in this together.
She knew that should make her afraid. But she actually felt stronger because of it.
28
The first night that she stayed in the lodge, Skye slept well. Despite the mattress on the single bed being quite old, it was the first warm night she had spent since arriving in Cranley. She had numerous blankets covering the bed and, thanks to the magic of proper brick walls, it was quiet as well.
She awoke the following morning feeling brighter and more energised than she had done for ages.
As she tidied up her duvet and blankets, she allowed herself the luxury of taking a longer peek around the lodge. The smaller bedroom could just about accommodate a double bed. With a lick of paint, the rickety side table could look much better. The main, master bedroom was to the left. It was an empty shell but Skye could instantly see how it could be laid out. The floorboards needed polishing, of course. And a huge rug would make it cosier. But with pale furniture and pretty bedding, it would be lovely.
She got dressed and headed downstairs, anxious to get started. She found Will in the kitchen.
‘Good morning,’ he said, suppressing a yawn. ‘How did you sleep?’
‘Great, thanks. What about you?’
‘Pretty good,’ he told her. He filled up the kettle with water. ‘Coffee?’
‘Yes, please.’
She looked around at the large room. Now that it was clean she could envisage how it would look. The units at the front could be replaced and, allowing for ceiling high cupboards, that would free up the space at the back of the room for a table and chairs. An oak kitchen would look lovely and could easily be made more modern with accents of bright colour on the tiles and chairs.
She then wandered into the lounge. With some clever storage, the lounge really wasn’t that tiny and would take two small sofas as well as some side tables. She could see it with a fresh, light coat of paint to make it brighter. Some thick curtains. It could work.
It would be a lovely home, she found herself thinking before she frowned.
It’s only temporary, she reminded herself. You’re styling it up so that it can be rented out.
But she found that she felt so sad that her future didn’t lie in Cranley that she had to tell herself that she would try to enjoy it for as long as it lasted.
*
When they arrived up at the hall for breakfast, Skye found the family full of anxiety. Even more so when the private contractor turned up to make a proper evaluation of the ruptured water pipe. Skye watched as Annie paced up and down in the entrance hall.
‘I couldn’t bear to be out there,’ said Annie, wringing her hands together. ‘Maybe it’ll be good news.’
‘I’m sure it’ll be fine,’ lied Skye.
Annie smiled gratefully at her, but Skye could see that she didn’t believe it either.
Finally, Sam and Will walked back inside along with Arthur and Rose.
The look on Will’s face told Skye how bad the news was going to be.
‘They’re confirmed that some tree roots have ruptured the pipe,’ said Will. ‘Because it’s on our land, the estate has to stump up the cost to replace it.’
‘How much?’ stammered Annie.
Sam took a deep breath. ‘Eye watering,’ he said, with a heavy sigh. ‘But we must have water.’ He took a step forward. ‘It’s going to use all of our savings. Every last penny.’
Annie looked almost cheerful at this. ‘Well, that doesn’t matter. We never had much to begin with, did we?’
But Sam reached out and took her hands in his. ‘You don’t understand, sweetheart. We’ve got to do this work otherwise it will affect the foundations. And then we’ll lose the whole house. So that fancy wedding planner you’ve got? I don’t think we can afford to pay her.’
Annie bit her lip. ‘Oh. I see.’ She brushed aside any concerns and immediately straightened up. ‘Well, we can work something out, I’m sure. At least we can still have our first dance in the ballroom.’
But Sam was still shaking his head. ‘If this pipe is as corroded as we think it is, we won’t have any money left to do up the ballroom either.’
Annie’s face dropped. ‘But we have to do it up! We’re getting married! In less than two months!’
Sam reached out and took her into his arms. ‘The church is still standing so we can still get married in there. And you know, I’d have our first dance in our rotten, run down garage if I had to. I don’t care.’
‘I know,’ said Annie, a tear rolling down her cheek. ‘But you’re the future earl. I wanted everything to be perfect.’
‘I’m marrying you,’ said Sam. ‘So it will be perfect.’
Skye could see that Annie was desperately holding back the tears as she smiled and nodded. ‘Of course you’re right.’
As they hugged, Skye took a step away to give them some privacy. She glanced over at Will who was looking equally upset and so went over to speak to him.
‘Is it a terrible amount of money?’ she whispered.
‘Awful,’ he said. ‘I feel so useless.’
‘Me too,’ she told him.
He looked down at her, for once his face was totally serious. ‘I’ve got to head off shortly to the airport. It’s rotten timing but if I can at least have a car over here then I can start to help out.’
She nodded.
‘Take care of them for me, would you?’ he asked, his blue eyes boring into hers.
‘Of course,’ she replied.
‘Thank you. I’ll try to drive back as quickly as possible overnight.’
‘Don’t go too fast!’ she said.
‘You sound like you’re worried about me,’ he said, the old Will suddenly resurfacing with a sardonic raise of one eyebrow.
‘Only because I’m not sure how good my fire making skills are yet,’ she told him.
But in truth that wasn’t what she was worried about at all.
*
Later, Skye came down the steps into the kitchen and found Annie crying in a huddle with Megan and Eleanor.
‘Sorry,’ she whispered, and promptly did an about turn.
‘Come back,’ said a croaky voiced Annie, her cheeks stained with mascara soaked tears. ‘It’s okay.’
Skye tentatively went across to the table where both Megan and Eleanor were either side of Annie with their arms around her. ‘How are you holding up?’ she asked.
‘I’m fine,’ Annie told her, sounding anything but.
Megan rolled her eyes. ‘It’s a good job you’re not planning to be an actress any time soon.’ But her words were said gentle, for once.
Eleanor gave Skye a soft smile. ‘Any jokes greatly appreciated at this moment in time.’
‘Join the club,’ said Megan, nodding her head.
Annie gave a little laugh. ‘You don’t know how to put on a cheap wedding, do you?’
Skye shook her head. ‘I’m afraid not. But I can show you how to upcycle an old bedside cabinet, if you’d like.’
‘What are you talking about?’ asked Megan.
‘Will and I have decided to use the old furniture in the lodge. Most of it looks awful but is in reasonable condition and I’ve done this kind of thing before.’
‘Really?’ said Eleanor, suddenly alert. ‘Because I’ve got an old dresser in the kitchen that my mum left behind when she moved out of the forge to live with her boyfriend and I’m desperate to keep it. But it’s been ruined by all the animals.’
‘Animals?’ said Skye, startled.
‘Don’t ask,’ muttered Megan. ‘Anyway, that’s all behind her now. The forge is an animal free zone. Unless we’re talking about Tom in bed, that is.’ She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
‘Megan!’ said Eleanor, blushing furiously.
‘Okay, okay,’ said Megan. ‘We’ll keep the sex talk for the hen night. Speaking of which, we need to sort out something. I think I was promised a weekend at a spa? And I want pampering, not one of those health farms where you get a single grape for dinner. Preferably with Prosecco on tap.’
‘It’s all cancelled,’ muttered Annie.
Eleanor frowned. ‘No, it’s not. Right,’ she shuffled in her chair to look directly at Annie. ‘Are you marrying the man of your dreams on New Year’s Eve? Yes or no?’
Annie shrugged her shoulders. ‘I dunno,’ she muttered, morosely.
Megan rolled her eyes. ‘Put it this way, is St Barnabas’ Church booked at 4 p.m.? Vicar all ready and waiting?’
Annie nodded.
‘And the invitations have gone out to people you love, as well as to a few that you had to invite because, you know, tradition and all that?’ asked Eleanor.
‘Suppose,’ muttered Annie.
‘You’ve got a beautiful dress,’ Megan told her.
‘And we’ve got our stunning bridesmaid dresses,’ added Eleanor.
‘Have you got the rings?’ asked Skye gently.
Eleanor and Megan both looked at her in approval before looking at Annie.
‘You have, haven’t you?’ asked Megan.
‘Yes,’ Annie told them. ‘We bought them when we had that weekend in London a few months ago.’
‘So the rest is all just window dressing, yeah?’ said Megan.
Annie grimaced. ‘I was hoping it would be a bit more special than that.’
‘We’ll think of something,’ said Eleanor, squeezing Annie’s arm.
‘Will we?’ Annie didn’t look so sure and looked across the table at Skye.
‘You will,’ she said. ‘I’m sure of it.’
Annie breathed out a long and shaky sigh. ‘Thanks, ladies.’
‘What are friends for?’ said Megan, looking at Skye and smiling.
With a jolt, Skye suddenly realised that she had been included in that statement as well. How nice it was to have friends, she thought. And suddenly she knew that she wasn’t in a hurry to leave Willow Tree Hall.
29
Remembering Skye’s worry for him, Will didn’t speed his way across the Alps. Or, at least, that’s what he told her when he arrived back after lunch the following day.
But he found that the mood in Willow Tree Hall was still muted and depressed.
Annie was wandering around the place in a daze and when he went to find Sam, his brother told him that he and Annie were seriously considering postponing their wedding.
‘You can’t,’ said Will, aghast.
‘She really wants the reception here and I just can’t find the money to give her the grand affair that she deserves.’ Sam shrugged his shoulders, looking more miserable than Will could remember. ‘It’s a really bad blow,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘We had just begun to get a bit of money behind us and now it’s all gone again.’
Once more, Will felt completely useless.
Dinner was also a quiet affair, with the normal chatter between the family stilted.
Finally, with a sigh of exasperation, Rose put her fork down with a clatter and looked at Annie. ‘You know, darling,’ she began, ‘I married my third husband in Las Vegas. An Elvis impersonator conducted the ceremony. It was quite marvellous.’
‘Unlike the marriage, which ended after three months,’ added Arthur, before taking a sip of wine.
‘Yes, well, l’amour!’ said Rose, with a wave of her hand. ‘The road of true love never runs smoothly.’
‘Especially when your husband runs off with all your savings,’ said Arthur, raising an eyebrow.
‘And takes the gardener with him,’ added Sam, giving his aunt a wink.
But Rose merely shrugged away their gentle teasing. ‘What I was trying to say,’ she began, turning back to concentrate on Annie who was still looking upset, ‘was that it really doesn’t matter where you get married. We can all pop to Las Vegas if needs be.’
‘Oh no,’ said Annie, shaking her head. ‘We can’t do that. I’m not sure we’ve even got the money for the flights. Besides, Arthur won’t fly and he’s giving me away. Anyway, we really do want to get married here. After all, this is where Arthur got married. And Sam’s parents too.’
‘I know, darling,’ said Rose, with a sigh. ‘I was just trying to cheer you up. Surely you can still get married here?’
‘In that tatty ballroom?’ said Annie, biting her lip to stop more tears.
‘I’ll have you know that so-called tatty ballroom has hosted plenty of parties for royalty,’ said Rose in a stern voice.
‘Not in the past century,’ said Will, before looking at his brother. ‘Did you call that French painting restorer?’
Sam nodded, looking miserable. ‘He would love to help us, but nobody works for free, do they?’
‘You know,’ said Skye, clearing her throat, ‘when I was at art college, I saw a demonstration on how to clean up old paintings. There’s some special liquid that they use, I think.’
Annie suddenly looked up from her meal. ‘You could do that?’
Skye gave a start. ‘I could do what?’ she stuttered.
Annie’s whole face had brightened up considerably. ‘You could clean up the gilt frames and paintings for us!’
Skye was frantically shaking her head. ‘Oh no! That’s not what I meant at all! I thought that you could perhaps buy some of this stuff over the internet…’
‘And then you could clean all the paintings in the ballroom for us!’ said Annie, her smile wide now.
‘But I haven’t got any kind of experience in that kind of thing,’ said Skye, looking worried. ‘I mean, I could ruin them!’
‘No, you won’t,’ said Annie, in a firm tone. She looked across at Sam. ‘I think it’s a brilliant idea, don’t you?’
‘It would certainly help us out,’ said Sam, looking at Skye with a small ray of hope in his face. ‘If you were able to stay on for a while longer.’
Skye turned to Will for support. He was about to speak when he glanced across at Sam and Annie who certainly looked more cheerful than they had done for a few days.
‘Maybe you could stay on and see if you can help with the ballroom for a week or so,’ he said, looking back at Skye.
He realised that this was actually quite a good idea. Only because the family would be grateful for the help, of course.
Skye was still shaking her head. ‘But what if I make a mess of one of the paintings?’
Will shrugged his shoulders. ‘We’ll call it modern art,’ he said, in a sardonic tone. And then a word burrowed its way to his mouth. ‘Upcycle.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ said Arthur.
‘I think it means to work with what you’ve got,’ said Will, slowly. His mind racing as he looked
back at Skye. ‘Could you do it?’
She was blinking at him, non-plussed. ‘Do what exactly?’ she asked.
‘Upcycle a wedding.’
She blinked rapidly at him.
‘Might you be able to think up a few ideas for us?’ asked Annie, her eyes shining. ‘Anything would be a help.’
‘I know! Why don’t you stay until the wedding?’ said Rose, clapping her hands together.
‘This is wonderful!’ cried Annie. ‘We’re going to get our glamorous ballroom after all.’
Skye was staring wide-eyed at everyone before looking at Will.
‘Please,’ he murmured, above the excited voices around the table.
‘It’s a terrible idea,’ she told him in a hushed tone. ‘I could ruin everything. The whole room. The wedding.’
‘You might not,’ Will told her.
The family took her stunned silence as acceptance that she was staying on and the dining room was filled with chatter once more.
But Skye was still frowning as they headed back towards the lodge later that evening.
‘I’ve never renovated expensive paintings,’ groaned Skye. ‘Oh god!’
Will stopped and turned to take her firmly by the shoulders. ‘I don’t think we’ve got any hidden Monets in there, if that’s what you’re worried about,’ he told her.
‘I’m worried about all of it,’ said Skye, with a heavy sigh.
‘Look, if you really want to get out of my family’s hair then I really don’t blame you,’ said Will, feeling a little disappointed that perhaps she didn’t want to stay after all. ‘I know they can be a bit much. I can have a word with them.’
‘It’s not that,’ said Skye quickly. ‘They’re really lovely. But I can’t keep taking advantage of them like this.’
Will was confused. ‘Like what?’
‘I’m eating their food, I’m staying out here and annoying you. I should be helping them out, not the other way round.’
A Way Back Home Page 19
