The Secret of Orchard Cottage

by Alex Brown

  ‘Ahh, it’s a shame she’s not here.’ Molly shook her head and moved in a little closer to April. ‘Pete was asking after her – wondered if I had seen her this evening. Between you and me, I think he was quite taken with your Nancy this afternoon …’

  ‘Really?’ April pondered and smiled, thinking perhaps she should treat Nancy to a little of her own medicine, fix them up on a blind date or something. Pete was a nice guy, straightforward, direct – just like Nancy, in fact. And it would be lovely for her to meet someone, make her feel loved and special – April reckoned Nancy could really do with that at the moment … On second thoughts, maybe April shouldn’t interfere, not after what happened to her in the orchard with Matt, not to mention the disastrous encounter with Harvey.

  Talking of whom, he had just arrived and was making a beeline straight towards her. April fidgeted in her seat, this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind as a suitable opportunity to apologise to Harvey. Not here in front of everyone, and the pub garden was packed with people from the village – Hettie, Marigold and Sybs were seated at a wooden table near a trellis covered in glorious pink and white roses, with Dr Ben, and the baby twins. Deedee and the general were at another table – April had chatted to them on the way in, and had remembered to give the general the piece of paper that she had written Finch’s name on. And then April had met Deedee’s daughter, the headteacher and her partner, Dan, plus Jessie from the café who had joined them now, with her baby in a buggy beside her, and a man with his arm around her shoulders. Ahh, Jessie looked really happy with her head resting into him and a lovely, serene smile on her face. There were lots of children jumping on a bouncy castle down near the field that housed a small herd of goats. An assortment of dogs were running around on the grass. Everyone was enjoying a nice late summer’s evening in the sun.

  ‘What is it?’ Molly glanced at April and then took one look at Harvey’s beaming smile before muttering, ‘Oh no, I didn’t know … you never said. Not again, April, please don—’ She tutted and puffed out a long breath of air.

  ‘What do you mean?’ April quickly asked, but it was too late for Molly to explain as Harvey was standing right in front of them with a flute of champagne in his hand, which he offered to April.

  ‘A peace offering! I’m so sorry if I offended you.’ And he put the glass on the table next to her cocktail.

  ‘Oh, um, well I should really be the one to apologise … you had gone to a lot of effort.’ April took a sip of her cocktail. ‘But thank you for the bubbles.’ She smiled and busied herself with stirring the cocktail, unsure of what to say next. It was awkward all over again. Then she sat upright and took a breath as she stopped stirring and fiddled with her hair instead.

  ‘I’ll leave you to it,’ Molly said, going to stand up with a weary look on her face.

  ‘No, it’s fine, honestly Molly, please don’t go on my account. Stay and enjoy your drink.’ April looked at Harvey. ‘Is there somewhere quiet where we can talk?’ She wanted to be grown up about it. If she was going to be staying on in Tindledale for a while then she’d prefer to get off on the right foot with everyone. And Harvey had been kind to her, so it would be nice if they could stay friends.

  ‘OK. If you’re sure. But I’ll be right here if you need me,’ Molly replied. And she gave Harvey a filthy look before downing the rest of her pint.

  April wavered, something was clearly amiss, why did Molly dislike Harvey? But before she could hazard a guess as to the reason, he suggested, ‘There’s a bench by the duck pond on the green just across the way …’

  ‘Oh, yes. OK. Well, er, let’s go there then.’

  *

  Matt had just arrived in the Duck & Puddle pub car park. He’d been busy making sure Bella was OK and settled with her knitting, a favourite DVD and a big bag of Haribo, so was running late, when he saw Harvey and April coming out of the pub and walking across the lane. He closed the van door and stood for a moment, unsure of what to do; he didn’t really fancy walking right into them. He’d had a good think about everything, in particular the state April had been in when he found her in the orchard, and it was bothering him. It wasn’t right and he had a hunch it might be something to do with Harvey. He knew Harvey liked to ‘love them and leave them’. Perhaps that was it, he’d dumped April, played with her feelings and then discarded her. But seeing them together now … Harvey with his hand hovering over the small of her back, April chatting with her face turned towards Harvey, laughing at whatever he was saying as they headed towards the bench near the duck pond – well, if he was honest, it just hacked him off. And to be fair, April was an adult with her own mind, and she might not thank him for wading in and ruining things between her and Harvey if she was as into him as Harvey had implied that time in the pub.

  Matt shoved his hands deep into his jean pockets and walked off into the pub. He’d stand by the bar in his usual spot, maybe play a game of darts and then head back home to say goodnight to Bella before she went to bed. She’d be disappointed that he hadn’t spoken to April – he knew how much Bella liked her, and at first he’d been cross when she explained how she and Nancy had tried to fix him up with April in the orchard with the sun hat and all. But then, he’d felt pleased in a weird way, that his girl was keen for him to meet someone new, as there had been a time when Bella was dead set against any woman so much as looking at her dad and had pulled some stunts over the years to put potential girlfriends off – like the time she’d told his date he already had a girlfriend. Of course, he’d never seen that woman again. But he hadn’t the heart to tell Bella that her playing Cupid hadn’t worked, that April had walked off and left him standing there like a prize plum.

  Matt glanced over his shoulder at April and Harvey one last time as he pushed open the door of the pub. They were sitting on the bench together now, looking very cosy indeed. April was laughing, her head thrown back. And now Harvey had his arm around her. Oh well, he figured there was nothing he could do, it was best left well alone, Harvey wouldn’t thank him for interfering. And they were mates after all. It seemed that April had made her choice. He just hoped Harvey would be gentle with her, because from what Bella had said, via Nancy, April was still vulnerable following the death of her husband.

  He went inside and up to the bar, but still, the niggle was there. And he just wished he could get April out of his head, because to be honest, it was doing his head in, literally. And he hadn’t felt like this in ages, he was blown away by her all over again, just like he had been as that boy on the bank of the river, but it was more than that now. He loved the way she spoke, the way she was with Bella, the way she cared for her aunt, the way she had made the mug of tea that time – bloody hell, he had even loved the biscuits she had brought in all arranged nicely on a plate. What was wrong with him? Who carried on like this? He needed to get a grip, and fast. Or he’d make a right blooming fool of himself at this rate.

  Fifteen minutes later, he’d had enough. The saloon bar was silent, everyone was out in the garden in the last of the evening sun, and he wasn’t in the mood for all that. He finished his pint, waved goodbye to his mate, Cher’s other half, Sonny, who did the pub food, and with his head down he walked out of the Duck & Puddle pub … and straight into April. The front of his shoulder nearly collided with the side of her head.

  ‘Christ. I’m sorry. Didn’t see you there. You OK?’ He immediately stepped backwards.

  ‘Yes, yes, no harm done, I’m fine. I wasn’t looking where I was going,’ April grinned as she straightened her hair. ‘Are you leaving already?’ she quickly added, wondering if now might be OK to apologise to him too. Harvey had really surprised her earlier when they had talked on the bench. He’d been very gracious when she had explained, told him about Gray. He had even apologised again about the blanket and the picnic and said that he totally got it but ‘you can’t blame a bloke for trying – fine-looking filly that you are’, which had made April laugh and bat his arm as she told him off. She liked Harvey. Yes, he was
very audacious, an acquired taste, and quite outrageously behaved – he had told her all about his wife in London and April had inwardly exhaled a massive sigh of relief that she hadn’t got involved with him. But she was pleased that they could be friends, proper friends without all his silly flirting, although she had already warned him that she fully intended on telling him off again if she saw him trying to charm any more unsuspecting women in Tindledale. She’d call his wife if it came to it. The look of horror on Harvey’s face had been such a picture that April suspected he may very well buck up and behave himself from now on. From the way he had spoken about her, he clearly loved his wife, so, joking aside, April had gently advised him not to waste what he had with her, saying ‘time with the one you love is truly precious’. Harvey had then given April a hug, wished her well and said he was off to drive to London to surprise his wife for the night. And he’d promptly left.

  ‘Yep. That’s right. Goodnight, April.’ Matt walked off towards his van parked in the far corner of the car park.

  ‘Er, before you go … do you have a minute please?’ April ventured, going after him.

  ‘Not really,’ he called out over his shoulder. April stopped walking, baffled.

  ‘Charming!’ The word was out of her mouth before she realised. Shaking her head, she stared after him. A few seconds later, Matt stopped walking. Then turned around and came back to her.

  ‘Look, April, it’s really none of my business. What you get up to is nothing to do with me. Just don’t come crying to me again when it all goes wrong.’

  April was flabbergasted.

  And then the penny dropped.

  ‘Is this because of Harvey? What happened in the orchard the other day? Because if so, then you’ve got it all wrong.’

  ‘Oh I don’t think I have … like I said. Each to their own. Let’s just agree to disagree when it comes to carrying on with somebody else’s other half.’ Matt immediately looked away.

  April’s jaw dropped.

  ‘Hang on a minute. I’m not like that. Matt, stop it! You’ve got it all wrong, what I mean is—’ April said to his back, but he just carried on walking away. She wasn’t having it. How dare he! And then something snapped inside her. ‘What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you being like this with me? I thought we were friends, you’ve helped me out with the roof and the horses … we talked, about Bella. But now you’re behaving like an overgrown schoolboy.’

  Matt stopped walking. He stood stock still for a moment. April inhaled. Damn. She shouldn’t have said that. No man likes to be told they’re a boy. And it wasn’t as if they knew each other that well. Not really. Their only connection was Bella and the horses … and a handful of awkward exchanges, mainly with her unable to hold eye contact and Matt doing his silent treatment thing. She sounded rude and presumptuous, but then he was making assumptions about her and she wasn’t putting up with that.

  Matt was coming towards her now, a thunderous look on his face. As he got closer, she could see that his eyes had darkened to an almost emerald green, his jaw fixed tight, the vein at the side of his neck was pulsing so fast, she feared it might burst at any second. He was raging. Furious. Hesitant. Nervous. She couldn’t be sure.

  ‘What did you say?’ He kept his voice low.

  ‘Matt, look, I’m sorry, it’s just that you’ve got me all wrong …’

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ April creased her forehead in confusion.

  ‘OK. If I’m an overgrown schoolboy, then what does that make you?’

  ‘I beg your pardon!’

  Silence followed.

  It was a standoff.

  April and Matt stood opposite each other and stared, each one daring the other to talk first. It was Matt who broke the stalemate.

  ‘Like I said, what you get up to is nothing to do with me.’

  ‘What I get up to?’ April said, affronted.

  ‘That’s right. And you know that Harvey is married, so there’s no excuse!’

  ‘Of course I do. NOW. He just told me this evening … after I told him that I wasn’t interested in him, not in that way.’

  ‘Then what were you doing cosied up together on the bench?’ Matt flinched as the words came out. She was right. He was carrying on like a schoolboy.

  ‘Well if you must know.’ April was incensed now. ‘I was explaining to him why I panicked in the orchard and ran off. I told him about my husband. My ex-husband, if you like!’ She paused and took a deep breath before carrying on. ‘The one who died nearly two years ago now, but who I still love very dearly. And sometimes hate too, for dying on me, yes is that utterly horrible of me? But that’s on a really bad day though.’ April shrugged and grimaced and willed her eyes not to well up. She could see Matt’s eyes softening, his face folding slightly in empathy, or was it pity? She couldn’t tell for sure. But what she didn’t want was for Matt to feel sorry for her. No, but she was damned if she was going to carry on feeling empty, void, inadequate in a way, for having a dead husband. A widow. And all the connotations that held. She had a choice, she could carry on mourning Gray, letting the loss define her future, or she could try to find some meaning for a new life going forward. And she certainly wasn’t going to shy away from people knowing, as she had done when she first arrived here. Worrying that Molly might have told the villagers. So what if they knew? It was hardly the end of the world. It had been the end of her world, for a very long time, but not any more. April was stronger now. She wasn’t that same woman in the library car park, devastated because people were talking about her. ‘Poor cow, and so young too’ – those words had haunted her. But no more! She refused to let them define her. If she carried on keeping what happened to Gray a secret, then people were bound to find out anyway and then speculate, feel sorry for her, and assume she was pathetic and broken. And in this very moment April felt like she’d arrived at a crossroad.

  ‘And then I hate myself for hating him because it wasn’t his fault you know.’ She smiled wryly as her voice faltered. ‘He got ill you see. Motor neurone disease. It was a wicked, terrible thing. And you know what, you can ignore me if you like, be rude and moody and bloody indifferent, because you’ll never be the man that he was. NOT EVER!’

  April became conscious that her left index finger was practically pointing in Matt’s face. And then that Matt was pushing her hand away. He took a step forward. She could smell his scent, woody and earthy. She tilted her chin defiantly. And balled her fists by her sides as he glowered down at her. His emerald eyes boring into hers, which were stinging with tears now.

  ‘You’re absolutely right about that!’

  ‘Good. Then at least we agree,’ she retorted.

  ‘Damn right we do.’ And suddenly April felt his arms around her. Pulling her into him. Holding her tight. His heart hammering as she eventually let the side of her head rest on his chest.

  Matt gently pulled back and lifted her chin up to his. He could feel her body trembling. Holding his eye contact as if searching to see if it would be OK. So, very slowly, he put his forehead on hers, and then waited a few seconds before whispering:

  ‘But if you give me a chance … I’ll show you the kind of man that I am!’

  And then he kissed her. Softly and gently, instinctively knowing that she needed to lead the way. Despite her conviction, he could see that, underneath the cool, keeping-it-all-together exterior, she was fragile, vulnerable, but most of all in need of some love and kindness and tenderness and he’d never forgive himself if he rushed things and ruined it all. Whatever that may be! But he also knew that only time would tell … and that he had been waiting years for a chance to find out.

  Tuesday afternoon, and April was determined to talk to her aunt about Winnie and the lost diaries when she got back from the tea dance, hoping Edie may have had a precious moment of lucidity after having twirled and waltzed around the village hall with the general.

  ‘Ahh, here’s the bus now,’ April sa
id to Nancy, hearing the chug of the diesel engine as the minibus pulled up into the turning circle. Pete had done such a good job in clearing the hedgerow and filling in the potholes that the bus could actually venture all the way down the single-track lane now. Mind you, April suspected that Pete had an added incentive to visit Orchard Cottage these days – she had seen the way he looked at Nancy, chatted to her, and they had even gone for a ride on his tractor. Nancy had agreed to it on one condition: that he turned up next time with a crash helmet and let her take him for a spin on the back of her scooter. Nancy had then nearly fainted from sheer joy when he did just that – plus more, he arrived on an actual scooter of his own. Well, his dad’s to be precise. It turned out that Pete’s dad was a Northern Soul fan too, from the first time around in the seventies, and still kept his scooter in the shed. Pete had managed to get it working, and even made a playlist from some of his dad’s rare old vinyl records, so he could take Nancy on a scooter run to the seaside for the afternoon where they listened to the music on his iPod and enjoyed a chip-shop tea on the sand. Nancy was most impressed and had been grinning from ear to ear for the last day or so. And April was happy for her, figuring it would do her stepdaughter good to have some fun, especially as she was still smarting from having left the glasses and jug on the dresser, which had been confirmed now as definitely being the cause of the fire.

  But it was done now, and there was no going back. It was all about looking to the future, which was why April needed to sit her aunt down and gently explain that Winnie wasn’t coming home. Not ever. And that the diaries were gone for ever too. She absolutely had to find a way to break that to her, as Aunt Edie had been talking about the diaries, a lot. Even bringing up stuff that they had read together in them dating right back to when Winnie was a young girl – Edie remembered it all, which was wonderful in a way, but April couldn’t bear to see her wandering around the house in search of the apple crate, muttering about how she had them right there just a moment ago. It was pitiful and quite distressing enough just to witness, so she couldn’t imagine how hard it must be for her aunt to be actually living through the heartache and confusion.