The Beekeeper’s Cottage: An absolutely unputdownable feel-good summer read

by Emma Davies

  Grace could feel her heart thumping in her chest, its beat quickening as she listened to his words. Because if Amos was saying what she thought he was saying then… She stared at him and then burst out laughing, getting to her feet and dragging a bemused Amos with her. She took hold of his hand and began to tow him back down the path.

  ‘Come with me,’ she said, mysteriously. ‘Don’t say anything,’ she added. ‘All will be revealed in a minute.’

  She began to lead him out of the churchyard, still holding his hand.

  ‘Can I just check something?’ she asked.

  Amos dipped his head, a slightly cautious smile on his face.

  ‘Am I right in thinking that you’ve just spent the last few weeks helping me come up with a business plan to try and save my house, or at least allow me to carry on living there, and in the process just might have fallen a teeny bit in love with me…?’

  Amos blushed, but nodded.

  ‘And that this was a bit of a problem because you couldn’t imagine anything worse than having to live in one place, or being with someone whose whole life revolved around her house and garden…?’

  Again, a small nod.

  ‘But that now you might have changed your mind, and might want to come and live with me, after all?’

  ‘That’s pretty much the size of it, yes,’ agreed Amos.

  She stopped as she reached the gate. ‘I thought so,’ she said. ‘Which is a bit ironic really, given that I drove here in this…’

  She looked towards the layby where she had parked and pointed at the camper van she had borrowed from Bill.

  ‘You see, I find myself in the curious position of not caring that I’ve lost the house. I’ve realised that it’s not what’s truly important in my life any more. I’m just like you, Amos, except that instead of guilt, I made my house my prison, locking myself inside so that I almost became a part of the furniture. I couldn’t see a life without it, and therefore no one else could see a life with me that didn’t include the house…’

  ‘And now you think differently…?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said simply. ‘Now I see differently. You were right about me, Amos, and it’s you that’s given me the courage and the strength to see that. I can be anyone I want to be, and anywhere I want to be. And where I want to be is with you…’

  She looked up at his expectant face, his expression changing as he took in her words. He looked between her and the camper van as a slow dawning crossed his face and the radiant smile she had come to love lit up his eyes.

  ‘You really came here in this?’ he asked, pulling her into his arms.

  ‘I really did…’

  His eyes rested first on her hair, and then on her lips. His head bent slightly. She closed her eyes and breathed in as his hand travelled until it just brushed the back of her neck. She breathed out. And then, ever so gently, standing by the side of the road, with only the wind and birdsong as witness to their joy, Amos kissed her.

  ‘Oh, Grace,’ he whispered. ‘What are we like?’

  24

  Once Amos was settled and his rucksack stowed safely on board, Grace started the engine. He hadn’t said a word the whole time, just grinned at her, but now, as she prepared to pull away, she paused.

  ‘So, where are we going?’ she asked.

  ‘I think we should head home, don’t you?’ replied Amos. ‘But there’s someone I reckon we should call in on first…’ He indicated the road up ahead. ‘Turn right just around this bend and the road will take you back towards the town.’

  ‘I wonder if she’ll be expecting us,’ said Grace.

  Amos just laughed. ‘This is Maria we’re talking about. Of course she’ll be expecting us!’

  Fifteen minutes later his words were borne out. Grace had only just climbed down from the van when she heard Maria’s shout of welcome.

  ‘Oh, my God! I knew it, I knew you’d find him!’ She rushed up to Grace and threw her arms around her, her cloud of bushy hair almost covering Grace’s face. She broke away, laughing. ‘I’ve been watching from the upstairs window,’ she confessed. ‘I can’t tell you how happy I am.’

  ‘I’m pretty pleased myself,’ said Grace, grinning. ‘I nearly had heart failure on the way there, mind.’

  ‘Nah, I knew you’d be okay. You’re The One you see, I knew it the minute I set eyes on you.’

  ‘So did I actually,’ said Amos quietly, coming to stand beside Grace. ‘Except that it took me rather longer than you to realise.’ He held out his arms. ‘Hello, Maria.’

  Neither of them needed to say any more, their warm hug said it all, as did the dancing light in their eyes. Despite Amos having been on the road so much, Grace could see how close he and Maria were. They had shared their journey, travelling the path that their grief had taken them together, not always side by side, but in every other way that was important. And in many ways this would mark a new beginning for Maria too.

  Grace took the young woman’s hand. ‘Thank you,’ she said simply, knowing that without her she wouldn’t now be standing by Amos’s side.

  Maria took hold of Amos’s hand as well and gave them both a hearty squeeze, before abruptly dropping them. ‘Right, wait here,’ she said, and dashed off back down the path.

  Grace gave Amos a puzzled look.

  ‘I have no idea,’ he said, just as bemused as she was.

  They didn’t have to wait long; within a minute, Maria had returned, carrying a wicker basket.

  ‘Now, I know I haven’t seen you in ages, Amos, but I think I understand all I really need to, and the proof of it is standing right in front of me.’ She looked at Grace. ‘Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m guessing that you don’t usually drive around in a camper van, so there must be something significant about your choice of transport.’

  Grace grinned, beaming at Amos. ‘You could say that…’

  ‘I thought so.’ She handed Amos the basket. ‘You may come in if you need to use the bathroom, otherwise it seems to me you’ve wasted quite enough precious time together already, so I’ve packed you a picnic – for wherever you’re going…’

  ‘Oh, Maria…’ said Amos, warmly. ‘You’ve been the best friend I could ever have hoped for.’

  She grinned at him. ‘What do you mean been… None of this past-tense rubbish. I still am your friend, you ninny, and don’t you forget it. And once you’re done travelling for a while, I shall expect a visit so that you can update me with tales of your adventures, so mind you have some.’

  ‘Oh, we intend to,’ replied Grace. ‘Thank you, Maria, that really is the kindest thing.’

  ‘And make sure you look after Grace,’ she added, directing a look at Amos. ‘Or there will be trouble.’

  ‘Yes, Ma’am.’ Amos swung the picnic basket. ‘Well, are we ready then, Grace?’ He took her hand and led her back to the van. ‘Ready for the rest of our lives?’

  Grace nodded and sighed with happiness.

  By the time she had climbed inside the cab, Maria had already walked back down the path and was standing by the cottage’s front door. Grace waved. ‘Thank you so much,’ she called. ‘For everything!’

  Maria blew them a kiss. ‘I’ll see you next time you’re passing.’

  Grace settled herself back behind the wheel and waited for Amos to join her.

  ‘You know, my head is spinning with the thought that we can go anywhere and do anything. It’s the most delicious feeling. I ought to be terrified but…’ She took Amos’s hand, unable to say any more.

  ‘You heard the lady,’ he replied. ‘We’ve wasted far too much time already. Come on, let’s hit the road.’

  It seemed as if a lifetime had passed since Grace had pulled away from Hope Corner Farm the day before, but now, as she drew up in front of the gates, she was excited to be back, even if it was only for a short while…

  She gave a couple of toots on the horn before climbing from the cab, looking around to see if she could spot anyone. They had decided against phoning ahead,
instead wanting to spring a surprise on everyone at the farm, but it was late afternoon and she knew that everyone would be busy.

  It was Brodie who spotted them first. The elderly dog gave a half-hearted woof as he raised himself up from where he’d been lying in the shade of a tree. Moments later, as he walked towards them, tail wagging, Grace spotted Flora at a distance, walking alongside two other people. She was about to rush forward when she realised that they could well be prospective customers and so she hung back a little, looking at Amos; perhaps they should go to the house first. She was about to suggest it, when there was a gleeful shout and Grace looked back to see Flora hurtling across the yard towards them.

  Flora was moving so fast she almost bounced off Grace, crushing her in a hug before letting go and doing the same to Amos.

  ‘Oh my God, you’re here… both of you… together!’ She laughed, jiggling about in an excited fashion so that her wild curls bounced about her shoulders. But then she stopped suddenly, her face falling as her hand went to her mouth.

  ‘Oh… is everything okay…? Are you…?’ She stopped, she couldn’t say any more.

  Grace took her hand. ‘Yes it is… and yes, we are…’ And then she pulled Flora into another hug.

  ‘Oh, I’m so happy!’ Flora pulled away, unashamedly wiping under her eyes. ‘It’s been agony wondering how things were going. I didn’t know if you’d found Amos, or if you had, well, you know… whether you’d be together. I nearly called Maria so many times to see if she knew anything.’ She grinned at them both.

  ‘I know, I’m so sorry,’ replied Grace. ‘We were going to call, and then we thought we should just turn up. It’s been a bit mad, to tell you the truth. Utterly wonderfully, gloriously mad, but mad all the same.’

  Flora nodded. ‘None of that matters, it’s just so lovely to see you. Come on, we need to go and find everyone else.’

  Grace peered over her shoulder at the two figures who were loitering hesitantly a little distance away. Noticing, Flora slapped a hand to her forehead and turned towards them, beckoning them over.

  ‘This is Huw and Kitty,’ she explained, gesturing at the two young people. ‘You might remember when you first arrived, Amos, that I was due to have a couple of students come and work for the summer but they decided to go to Greece for a bit… Well, it would seem that things didn’t work out quite the way they hoped and so… well, here they are…’ She broke off, peering at Amos. ‘You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you? I wouldn’t put it past you.’

  Amos laughed. ‘How could I possibly have anything to do with it?’

  ‘Hmmm…’ Flora’s eyes narrowed. ‘I don’t know, but I still reckon I’m right. I always said there was something about you…’

  They all shook hands before Flora asked Huw and Kitty to go and fetch Ned from the field. Then she turned back to Grace and Amos.

  ‘Cup of tea?’ she asked. ‘I bet you’re dying for one. And I need to hear everything that’s happened, come on.’

  They followed her back inside the farmhouse, where her loud shout brought Hannah and Fraser into the kitchen. Ned arrived soon after, and it was some minutes before their excited chatter died down enough for Amos to speak.

  ‘I am sorry for just taking off like that,’ he said. ‘But…’ He trailed off and Grace remembered that she was still the only one who knew about his past. She wondered what he was going to say when Fraser leaned forward, cutting him off.

  ‘I’ve said it before lad, but I told you that as long as you looked after us here you were entitled to keep your past to yourself until you were ready to tell us, and the same is still true. We couldn’t ask for more from you, Amos, and, as far as we’re concerned, the only reason you left is because of the way you feel about this wonderful lady here.’ He paused for a second, looking at Grace, a huge smile on his face. ‘And really that’s all we need to know. So, I don’t reckon that today is the day to tell us, after all. Besides, the smile on Grace’s face has told us all we need to know.’

  Amos smiled gratefully. ‘My head is a little all over the place,’ he admitted and then blushed a deep red. ‘But then I’ve never been in love before.’

  Ned gave a low whistle and clutched hold of Flora’s hand. ‘And I thought it was just me that was a soppy idiot.’

  ‘Romantic,’ said Flora, firmly. ‘Not soppy.’ But her smile was as bright as her husband’s.

  ‘So, what are you going to do now?’ she asked them both.

  Grace glanced at Amos. ‘Well, I have the van for two weeks,’ she said. ‘So we’re going to do a little driving, and a little thinking… but mainly we’re just going to enjoy what life seems to have brought us.’ She took hold of Amos’s hand. ‘Isn’t that right?’

  He nodded. ‘But we’ll be back… I don’t know how long we’ve got before the house is sold, but there’s all the work to finish here and—’

  Ned held up his hand. ‘Don’t you worry about that,’ he said. ‘That’s not going anywhere and we don’t need to rush, we’ve plenty to keep us going for the time being. Our dreams aren’t going anywhere.’

  ‘No,’ said Flora, smiling. ‘No, they’re not. And we’ll sort something out for you two, one way or another. The universe isn’t going to let us down now,’ she added. ‘It wouldn’t dare.’

  Hannah smiled. ‘I went and checked over the house once everyone had gone yesterday,’ she said. ‘Everything was fine, although there was this letter left for you on the table.’ She got up to fetch it from the countertop. ‘But we’ll keep an eye on the place for you while you’re away, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.’

  ‘And you’ll check on my bees for me?’ asked Grace. ‘Tell them what’s been going on.’

  ‘Of course we will.’ Flora drained the last of her tea. ‘So that’s it then,’ she said. ‘We’ve got work to do and you two need to frankly bugger off and start enjoying yourselves.’

  She caught Grace’s eye and grinned. ‘Just send us a postcard, when you get to wherever you’re going,’ she added. ‘Or I shall be very upset…’

  ‘But we don’t even know where we’re going, do we?’ replied Grace.

  ‘Nope,’ said Amos. ‘But that’s half the fun.’

  Ten minutes later, after copious hugs and goodbyes, Grace pulled the cab door shut for the fourth time that day and began to turn the van around.

  ‘I just want to pop to the house,’ she said. ‘Just for a minute.’

  ‘Of course,’ replied Amos. ‘If only to tell the bees to make life hell for any prospective purchasers.’ He studied her face, his eyes soft on hers. ‘It’s not goodbye though, Grace, not just yet.’

  ‘I know,’ she said. ‘But I once told Hannah that I never knew what it was to love someone so much you couldn’t bear to be parted from them. So you see the house is not really what’s important any more. We’ll just make a new home, you and I, and wherever that is will be perfect.’

  Amos said nothing, merely smiled.

  Grace pulled up in front of her house, the place where she had lived for most of her adult life. It was a house full of memories, some good, some not so good, but all of them had one thing in common – they belonged to her old life, and it was time for something new. She pulled Amos towards her and, just as their lips were about to touch, she broke away, laughing.

  ‘Wait here,’ she said. ‘I won’t be long.’

  ‘Hang on, aren’t you going to open your letter?’ he asked. He had held it on his lap the whole way over. Grace had scarcely looked at it.

  ‘No. It will be from Paul and I have no desire to hear what he’s got to say. You can read it if you want to but then I suggest we throw it away.’

  It took her less than ten minutes to gather together the things she needed, running back down the stairs before skidding excitedly to a halt in the hallway. She trailed a hand through the bright blooms of the flowers that still stood on a table and laughed as her eyes filled with happy tears.

  ‘I’m not sure when, but I
’ll be back,’ she whispered as she closed the front door behind her, pausing slightly as she corrected herself. ‘No, we’ll be back, for one last song…’ And then she walked down the steps to where Amos was waiting for her.

  ‘What?’ she asked when she reached him. He was leaning up against the side of the van, squinting in the sunshine, his whole face lit by an enormous smile.

  He handed her the letter. ‘I think you might want to read this.’

  ‘Why, I can probably guess what it says.’

  ‘Grace, it’s not from Paul…’

  She looked at him, confused. ‘Then who—?’

  ‘It’s from Dominic.’

  She stared at Amos, her lips working as she took the single sheet of paper from him and began to read.

  * * *

  Grace, you were right.

  By the time you read this I’ll have left for the States where I hope I’ll be able to put the finishing touches on the deal I’ve secured with Zac. You already know he doesn’t want Paul as the star of his new show, but it seems the network still does have what it takes after all, as do you…

  See, the thing is, Grace, I have been guilty of overlooking the truth. It’s been staring me in the face for quite some time, but this weekend has finally brought home a few things. The main one of which is that Paul may be a wow with the ratings, but he’s also a liability and, in reality, if he carries on the way he has been, only inches away from becoming the biggest disaster the network has ever faced. I have told him that in no uncertain terms… He still has a job but, well, let’s just see, shall we?

  Which brings me to the small matter of your house. I promised you a watertight contract if you agreed to host the weekend for us, and that’s exactly what I gave you. But didn’t anyone ever tell Paul that you should always, always read the small print? He signed a contract to the effect that should the network be successful in gaining Zac’s contract then he would give you the house. And Paul being Paul he just assumed that meant with him as star, but in fact the contract made no mention of that. Oops, I must have left that part out…