by Heidi Swain
‘It’s not that,’ I told her. ‘I’d just rather wait and see if there’s any more to find out before I say anything. By this time tomorrow I’ll probably have even more to add to the terrible tale.’
I had no idea just how true that statement was going to turn out to be.
Amber expertly parked the truck and we rushed off to A and E to find out what we could about where Ed had been moved to.
‘He’s already heading up to the ward,’ said the busy nurse behind the reception desk. ‘And I don’t know if you’ll be able to see him. He already had a couple of people with him.’
‘We don’t mind waiting,’ said Amber. ‘We just want to make sure he’s all right.’
‘He’s going to be fine,’ said a voice behind us.
‘Will,’ I gasped, spinning round and throwing myself, without a care for who could see me, into his arms.
‘Come outside,’ he said to Amber over the top of my head, ‘and I’ll explain what’s happened.’
As suspected, Ed had a broken leg and the gash on his arm, although deep, didn’t have anything nasty stuck in it, but did require stitching. Apparently he had been incredibly brave and the team looking after him were extremely sympathetic. Mags, now the initial crisis was over, was a little weepy, which was hardly surprising.
‘Do you think you should get back to her?’ I said to Will once he had finished bringing us up to speed.
‘No, it’s all right,’ he said, ‘Liam arrived just a few minutes before you did. He’s with them now.’
‘Did Ed tell you why he was out on his bike?’
‘Yes,’ frowned Will, ‘and if it wasn’t for that buffoon over there, he’d still be walking about on two feet instead of hobbling about on one.’
‘What the hell?’ I muttered as I followed his gaze and found he was looking at Matt, who had just pulled into a parking space. ‘What’s he doing here? You’d think he’d seen enough of this place in the last few days.’
‘Shall I go and warn him off?’ suggested Amber. ‘Let him know he isn’t welcome?’
‘No,’ said Will, levering himself off the back of his truck, ‘I will.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘I will. This mess has more to do with me than anyone else. I’ll speak to him. You two go and wait inside. I won’t be long.’
Ignoring Will’s protests that my suggestion wasn’t a very good idea, I set off across the car park.
‘What are you doing?’ I demanded, as soon as I was in earshot.
‘You said I couldn’t come anywhere near the cottage,’ said Matt. ‘You can’t stop me coming here.’
‘But why would you want to?’ I seethed. ‘Don’t you think you’ve done enough?’
‘I want to explain,’ he said, his eyes beseeching me to listen, ‘and to leave this for Ed.’
He opened the back door of his van and inside was a bike. Not dissimilar to Ed’s old one but obviously in perfect condition and, if the tag on the handlebars bore any truth, brand new.
‘Where on earth did you find that in such a hurry?’ I scowled, not at all moved by the gesture. ‘And more to the point, why?’
‘I had to do something to make it up to Ed,’ he shrugged, ‘because you were right, Lottie. He’s here because of me.’
‘I’m glad you realise that.’
‘I never should have gone along with it all in the first place. If I’d stood my ground then none of this would have happened.’
‘What do you mean, “if you’d stood your ground”? What are you talking about?’
‘Let me buy you a coffee,’ he said, ‘and I’ll explain.’
Having reassured Will and Amber that I was fine, Matt and I went together to the hospital cafeteria.
‘I’m so sorry,’ he began. ‘This whole mess has been my uncle’s idea and it goes back months, years actually.’
‘Then you’d better start from then, hadn’t you?’
‘All right,’ he said, running his hands through his sandy sun-bleached hair.
I can’t say I felt a single ounce of sympathy for him, but he did look absolutely worn out.
‘It all started when the barn that Will now lives in came on the market. My uncle was absolutely thrilled. He’d been waiting literally years for the farmer who owned it to part with it.’
‘But why?’ I asked. ‘From what I’ve heard, it was a crumbling mess.’
‘Yes,’ said Matt, ‘it was, but it was a crumbling mess that came with some land and no agricultural ties and he was looking for somewhere suitable to relocate his plant yard and store his machinery. It would have been perfect for his business.’
‘So why didn’t he end up buying it, then?’
‘Because the farmer wouldn’t sell it to him. It didn’t matter how much money my uncle offered, the chap knew what he had in mind and absolutely refused to take the bait. He was insistent it would go to someone who wouldn’t knock the remains of the barn down but would create something from the little that was left.’
‘And consequently not decimate the land in the process.’
‘Exactly,’ said Matt.
‘But I don’t understand what this has got to do with me having all these so-called remedial repairs carried out on my cottage.’
Matt sighed and the rest of the colour drained from his tanned face.
‘My uncle never got over losing out, and to an incomer, of all people,’ he went reluctantly on.
‘And what did Will make of that?’ I asked, momentarily sidetracked from my beloved Cuckoo Cottage.
‘He had no idea that my family had any interest in the place at all and I wasn’t really involved until recently.’
I should have realised that. If Will had had even the slightest inkling about Matt or his ruthless uncle, he would have stopped him in his tracks before he started any work on the cottage.
‘My uncle knew that Gwen was as stubborn as the farmer,’ Matt went on, finally weaving my own home into the fabric of the story, ‘and that she had played a part in helping ensure the barn didn’t come our way.’
‘Oh,’ I said, ‘I see.’
‘So obviously there was no way she was going to sell Cuckoo Cottage to us.’
‘Which I’m guessing your uncle wanted, because he knew there were no restrictions tied to it either.’
‘Exactly. After the site where the barn was located, the cottage was the next best thing, and as soon as Gwen got wind of the fact that my uncle had his eye on it, she had a watertight will drawn up to ensure it could never come to us. My uncle tried everything to find a legal loophole but David had it all sewn up.’
‘Of course,’ I realised. ‘He must have been the guy who sent me flying when I first arrived in town. So what was the plan when I moved into the cottage?’
‘I,’ Matt swallowed, looking thoroughly ashamed, ‘was assigned the task of bleeding you dry and doing everything I could to make you fall out of love with the place. It was down to me to make you think that selling up was the best and only thing to do and then being conveniently on hand to take the place off you in a speedy cash sale.’
‘You bastard,’ I said under my breath. ‘And all that time you made out you were doing me a favour, that you were my friend and that you thought I was attractive to boot. How could you?’
‘I couldn’t in the end,’ he said, trying to reach for my hand. ‘But the whole situation got so out of hand. Don’t get me wrong, Lottie, you’re an attractive girl, but I only kissed you to see if I could make you fall for me rather than Will. It didn’t work of course. Despite the height difference, you two are made for each other and consequently he’s been a thorn in my side, right from the start.’
‘That’s disgusting behaviour, Matt.’
‘I know,’ he said, hanging his head. ‘But I was desperate. At one time I would have said and done anything to drive a wedge between you.’
‘But why?’
‘Because I wanted, in the beginning at least, the same outcome as my uncle.’
‘Wha
t do you mean “in the beginning”?’
‘The day you caught me up the ladder,’ he went on, ‘I was searching for any evidence of the owl Will had said was about. My uncle knew that it might be a problem and, and . . . ’
‘And what? You were supposed to somehow get rid of it?’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I just knew then that it was all getting too out of hand. I honestly didn’t want any further part in it, but I didn’t know how to get out. I owe my uncle money, you see, and he could make life very difficult for me. Not that any of that matters now, of course.’
‘And what about Simon? Is he part of all this as well? I’m guessing he’s the son of this ruthless uncle?’
‘No, he isn’t,’ Matt insisted. ‘My uncle hasn’t got any kids of his own so eventually I would have been left the business. Simon’s actually from the other side of the family. He hasn’t got a clue about any of this.’
‘So you’ve deceived him as well?’
‘So it would seem.’
‘You should be ashamed of yourself,’ I spat.
‘I am, but if it’s any consolation, I had hoped, once it was all over, that I could help you find somewhere else to set up your business.’
‘But you don’t even know what I want to do!’ I shouted, drawing the attention of the people at the next table. ‘And I know now that I never told you everything because I never really trusted you.’
‘I wish you had,’ he said, biting his lip. ‘I could have found the courage to stop things sooner and help put everything right again.’
‘Of course you couldn’t,’ I said, standing up, ‘because you’re too selfish. You’re the sort of person who has no concept of what is right and wrong, Matt, and this conversation goes to prove it. You spout on about feeling guilty and knowing how wrong it all was, but you didn’t actually stop. Even today you turned up at the cottage looking for more work to do.’
‘Please don’t say these things, Lottie, I need you to understand. I need you to forgive me.’
‘I can’t,’ I said, stunned that he could think it would be that easy. ‘And I don’t think I ever will. I just wish now I’d taken on board what it was that Minnie was trying to tell me about you from day one. Gwen never offered you work at the cottage, she didn’t even know you, did she?’
Matt said nothing.
‘Did she?’ I shouted.
‘No,’ he admitted, his head in his hands. ‘No, she didn’t. I got the number for the cottage out of the phone book and made up the rest.’
I pushed back my chair and stood up to leave.
‘You’re a weak and devious man, Matt,’ I told him, just in case he still hadn’t worked it out for himself, ‘and I hope you have the future you deserve.’
Epilogue
Summer lingered long into September and the weather was absolutely perfect for the party which took place on the equinox. The whole site was bedecked in bunting and aglow with the spoils of harvest, thanks to the abundance of the season. At the centre of the celebrations sat The Cherry Tree Café mobile tearoom and next to it stood Ed, with his beloved Jack perched on his arm and Minnie at his feet.
‘So what do you think?’ I asked, when I finally made my way through the group gathered around him.
‘I think we’ve done good,’ he smiled.
‘Really good,’ I smiled back, stroking Jack’s silky feathers and taking in the scene.
‘It’s nice to have everyone here to celebrate, isn’t it?’
‘It certainly is.’
‘But what about Matt?’ he asked. ‘I thought he might show up.’
‘As far as I know he’s still with his friends,’ I said casually.
I had decided it was best not to tell Ed the finer details of Matt’s hasty departure from town the summer before.
The truth was that Matt’s uncle had been so furious with him for both failing in his mission and spilling the beans that Matt had thought it was best to steer clear of the area for a while and had gone to spend some time with friends north of the border. I was delighted to see the back of him and had been relishing life at the cottage now it wasn’t continually spoiled by the sound of the drill and lump hammer. The only industrious sounds around the place had been from either Simon, who I had employed to complete the electrical work, or of my own making.
‘You know why Will never really liked Matt, don’t you, Lottie?’ said Ed conspiratorially.
‘Not really,’ I shrugged.
It was true; Will hadn’t known what Matt and his uncle had been planning, so I’d never really fathomed out what had been at the root of his loathing.
‘Will told me once that he was a bit jealous of Matt.’
‘Did he?’
‘Um,’ Ed continued, affectionately stroking Jack. ‘He said he thought you would like Matt more because he was cool.’
‘Cool!’ I laughed.
‘Yeah, you know, with his surfer image and scruffy hair and all that. Will said you’d never go out with someone like him because he was too boring and conventional or something.’
It wasn’t my place to tell Ed any different, but the last few months practically living with Will had proved he was anything but boring or conventional, especially in the bedroom.
‘Why have you gone red?’ Ed nudged, when I didn’t answer.
‘Have you seen David?’ asked Will, planting a kiss on my upturned face and saving me from having to explain to Ed the difference between him and Matt in words that a prepubescent boy would understand.
‘Yuk,’ groaned Ed. ‘Have a care, guys. You two don’t stop, do you?’
‘Sorry,’ we laughed together.
Will and I had been inseparable since Matt’s timely departure. As soon as he knew what it was that I really had planned for Cuckoo Cottage and that it was absolutely nothing like the twisted version my former builder had been bandying about, he had been totally on board and helped out as much as possible.
‘I have seen David,’ I told him, ‘and although still feeling guilty for believing that Matt had transferred his affections from his uncle to me, he was delighted that I have absolutely no plans to move on, even though I’m perfectly free to do so now that I’ve been living here for a year.’
Was it really a whole year since I’d landed in Wynbridge with nothing more to show for my existence than a couple of suitcases and a rucksack? I looked around the yard and across the field, my heart racing at the sight of what I, and my new friends, of course, had managed to achieve in such a short space of time.
‘And what did he make of the conservation project?’ asked Ed, keen to ensure that his part in the project had been taken into account.
‘To tell you the truth,’ I laughed, bending to give him a quick peck on the cheek, ‘I think that was the bit he liked best.’
‘Brilliant,’ said Ed, turning bright red. ‘Good old David!’
Personally I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for my solicitor. Having handed me the keys to Cuckoo Cottage and fallen hook, line and sinker for Angela, he’d rather taken his eye off the ball and assumed that my arrival had put an end to Matt’s uncle’s determination to get his hands on my home. Consequently, having been told the truth, he had gone out of his way to play his part in helping me with the legalities of applying to set up the glamping site and had just about come to terms with not spotting what had really been going on.
‘Can I interest you two in a slice of local carrot cake?’ asked Jemma, as she hopped out of the caravan carrying a tray of delectable-looking bakes. ‘I’d grab it before Chris sees it. He’s already eaten almost an entire one on his own.’
‘In that case,’ said Will, greedily reloading his plate with two thick slices, one of which I hoped was for me, ‘I’d better stock up.’
‘So how are you finding it in there?’ I asked with a nod to the van. ‘Are you still happy with how it turned out?’
‘It’s absolutely perfect,’ said Lizzie, butting into the conversation.
‘There’s just the right amount of space and it’s all so easy to set up and pack away.’
‘Well, that’s good,’ I smiled.
‘I don’t know why you ever had any doubts about it,’ laughed Jemma. ‘She doesn’t give herself half enough credit, does she, Will?’
‘No,’ he said, ‘she doesn’t.’
‘It’s because I just want everything to be perfect,’ I said, turning red.
‘And it is,’ insisted Lizzie as she hopped back inside to make more drinks. ‘You only have to look over there to know that.’
I followed her gaze to the field and the three Cheltenham vans gleaming in the late sunshine. Just as I’d imagined, each had their own space and my eyes misted over a little as I watched the awnings flapping in the breeze. It was every bit as perfect as I’d imagined, and with the imminent arrival of three more vans within the next few weeks, it was almost complete.
More important than how it looked, though, was how it worked, and I was delighted that Grace was still happy to hunt in the field and that the large areas which had been left uncut were brimming with wild flowers and enough mice to keep both her and the kestrel happy.
‘Come on,’ said Mags, tugging at my hand, ‘it’s time to cut the ribbon.’
It was an emotional moment and one that I was glad to share with Ed, my conservation expert.
‘We declare,’ we said together, ‘the Cuckoo Cottage glamping site officially open for business!’
We pushed back the gate and the crowd rushed into the field, all eager to have a look for themselves at what I had been working to create. Even the town gossips had come out to have a look and Evelyn had soon eaten her words about not wanting my customers in her pub.
‘This looks amazing,’ said Gary, the only gossip who had actually stuck his neck on the line and told me how I wasn’t worthy of my inheritance.
‘It does rather, doesn’t it?’ I agreed, as I spotted Amber dragging Jake over to the caravan where they were planning to spend their first night away from Skylark Farm in years.
‘And Dad’s really pleased you’ve given us the mowing contract,’ he said somewhat sheepishly, ‘especially given we got off to such a bad start.’
