‘Why can’t he just leave us alone? I really can’t believe I ever thought he was the one for me. I really hope that I’m a better judge of character now.’
Rory grinned. ‘I’d say so. Look at me.’
‘Hmmm,’ I replied with a smile. ‘The jury’s still out on that one.’ He reached down to flick some snow at me, and I only just ducked out of the way. ‘We’d better get back to the house, we’ve got Christmas to celebrate,’ I reminded him. When he turned to climb back on the horse, I grabbed a handful of snow and sprinkled it on top of his head, making him swear loudly as I dissolved into giggles.
* * *
We begged Angus to join us as he didn’t think he’d make it to his sister’s in the snow, but he was determined to stay at home and keep an eye on the farm after what had happened in the morning. I felt bad leaving him but there was no arguing with the man. I promised to bring him back some goodies from the Hall, there was always far too much food so I knew we’d have lots left over, and made him agree to joining us over at the farmhouse when we got back later for a drink. He waved us off cheerfully, disappearing inside his cosy cottage, leaving Rory and I to look at one another with a smile. He was a curious character sometimes but it did make me feel better to know he was looking after things here, just in case.
We were only half an hour late to Glendale Hall for Christmas lunch in the end, which was pretty good for us, and we were enveloped immediately into the cosy, warm, merry atmosphere that Beth had created.
‘Seriously?!’ she cried as she stirred the gravy on the hob in the kitchen at the Hall, listening to me tell everyone about what had happened on the farm this morning as we prepared the lunch. I was drizzling honey over carrots as Rory carved the turkey, Drew was putting crispy roast potatoes into a dish, Sally was turning over the pigs in blankets, and Brodie was getting out the cranberry sauce from the fridge.
‘I can’t believe Stewart would do that,’ Emily said over her shoulder as she carried in her Christmas cake to put on the side for later. She and Brodie were spending the day here and then her parents were coming up to stay with them until Hogmanay. Caroline and John were laying the dining room table as there were too many of us to eat in the kitchen, and keeping an eye on Harry and Iona along with my dad and Izzy. ‘Mind you, when people are feeling desperate…’ She trailed off and I guessed she was thinking about her ex, Greg, who had hurt her so much. They had come through that though, but I couldn’t see a way forward for me and Stewart at all.
‘Yes, hopefully it means he’s realised how unlikely it is that he can build his hotel now,’ Drew commented.
‘Exactly. He’s lashing out,’ Beth agreed. ‘I hope everyone will realise he’s not someone we want in Glendale. That stupid nephew of old Sam should have known better than to sell to a developer like that, I’ve a mind to call him up myself about it. But if it becomes listed, he will have to think again about what he does with the place at least.’ She stirred more vigorously as she became angry. ‘It’s a shame we can’t all buy the farm ourselves,’ she added.
I turned to smile at her. ‘You can’t save every building in Glendale, Beth.’
‘We can try!’ she protested with passion. After all, we stopped the library closing, and revived the High Street, so she might have been right that we could. I really hoped that we could save Hilltop Farm. ‘Right, shall we start carrying things through?’
‘Beth, Em,’ I said when the others had left with their dishes, pausing before I followed them. ‘Do you both fancy a little day trip with me, maybe on the 28th?’
‘Where to?’ Beth asked, pouring the gravy into a big bowl.
‘Broomwood Castle, I’ll explain why on the way.’ I had been thinking about it since I read the letter. I had been there as a child and we had scattered my mother’s ashes there but I hadn’t been back in five years, and my mum mentioning it in her letter made me feel like I wanted to go there, and feel close to her, and see the place where she had dreamed of getting married. And I really didn’t want to go alone.
‘I’m up for it,’ Emily said. ‘I’ve never been there. Brodie has a service that day. Mum and Dad will be fine on their own for a bit, they want to go into Inverness to hit the sales anyway I think.’
‘Count me in,’ Beth agreed. ‘Izzy would love it there if we can bring her?’
‘Of course,’ I replied. A trip for mothers and children seemed fitting to me. ‘Right, we’ve got enough food to feed an army, let’s go,’ I said, picking up the dish of carrots and leaving the kitchen, trying not to trip over Izzy’s cat Ginny who could smell the turkey and had decided to follow me all the way into the dining room.
Chapter Thirty-Three
After we finished our huge and delicious feast, Brodie, Drew and Rory went into the kitchen to clear up and make coffees, and Emily took Iona upstairs for a nap while the rest of us went into the living room where a log fire was roaring, and flickering candles filled the air with the scent of frankincense and myrrh. Beth put on a Christmas CD and handed out the remaining presents under the tree while we all complained about eating far too much as we did every year.
I sat on the floor with Harry to help him open his presents from his Auntie Beth and Uncle Drew, my jeans uncomfortably tight after all the turkey. Beth sat in the armchair with a glass of wine, John and Caroline were on the sofa sipping the family whisky, my dad was perched on the end, and Sally curled up in the other armchair hunting through a tin of Quality Street for a sweet that she liked. Izzy was cross-legged on the floor by us two unwrapping presents, which were mainly books that she held up for me to ask if I had read or not (almost always yes), her Christmas jumper glittering in the light from the fire. Both she and Beth always wore the tackiest ones they could find each year, much to our amusement, and Caroline’s despair.
‘It feels strange not to be helping to clear up,’ Sally said. It had been a while now since she had been the housekeeper at the Hall although she still tried to help out as much Beth would let her. The Hall’s housekeeper positon had been vacant since Sally retired, although as she now lived in the old gardener’s cottage in the grounds she still helped out when needed, and worked a few hours a week in their shop in the High Street to keep herself occupied. I knew Beth struggled to keep up with the house upkeep even with everyone pitching in though.
‘You have done enough Christmases to earn the break,’ Beth told her. She sighed. ‘I still can’t find anyone who could live up to your standards.’ She had met with a few housekeepers but no one she could imagine living with the family.
Emily re-joined us then, easing into a chair. ‘Well, Iona is zonked out, and I know the feeling,’ Emily said, her velvet dress fitting her hourglass figure like a glove.
‘I’d quite happily have a nap,’ I agreed. There was something about eating that much at lunch time that made you very sleepy. I glanced at Dad and John who looked like they might nod off any second.
Emily’s phone vibrated with a message then. ‘Merry Christmas from Brodie’s sister, that’s sweet. I kept trying to get Anna to join us but she’s been working in a bar in Glasgow and couldn’t get any time off. His parents came for a meal with us last night and then are going to see her, and have lunch at her pub.’
‘She went through five jobs last year Brodie said, I think?’ Beth asked her.
Emily agreed with a nod. ‘Brodie gets worried about her. She’s always moving to new places and trying new jobs, and then getting fired or getting bored. She can’t seem to settle,’ she said. ‘I don’t understand why. She’s a lovely girl.’
‘Shame she can’t come to Glendale, we’d soon sort her out,’ Caroline said, firmly. I suspected Caroline could sort most people out if they let her.
‘That’s an idea,’ Emily said, brightening up. ‘Maybe she could come and stay with us for a while. I don’t have any work at the bakery though but I’m sure we could find her something.’
‘She could help out around here while you’re still without a housekeeper,’ I
suggested to Beth. I could see Emily was worried and desperate to help as she always tried to do for people, it seemed like a win-win to me.
‘I’m always in need of help,’ Beth agreed. ‘If she’s not happy in Glasgow…’
‘I’ll talk to Brodie,’ Emily said. ‘We can ask her. Thanks, guys!’
Brodie, Rory and Drew joined us then with our hot drinks. ‘Have you all seen what’s happening outside?’ Brodie asked us, nodding at the window.
Izzy jumped up to open the curtains that covered the large, front-facing window, and we all stared at the thick sheets of snow falling down outside.
‘We’d better not stay too late,’ Rory commented. ‘We might not make it down the drive otherwise.’
‘Well, I hope you’ve got enough toilet rolls in,’ Beth said with a laugh.
‘We’re well-stocked,’ I replied, smiling.
After coffee and once all the presents were opened, we played a couple of board games before I said we should get going, getting nervous about Rory having to drive through the snow in the dark. It took another half an hour to actually leave what with all the hugging and kissing that accompanied our leaving, Beth pressing as much food as she could into our hands and Harry crying after all the excitement, but we finally all got into the jeep and set off slowly for the farm, unsure if we’d be back at Glendale Hall for any more celebrations over the next few days.
‘You have to make it for Hogmanay,’ Izzy pleaded when we said goodbye. We always attended the fireworks party at the Hall.
‘Even if we have to come on horseback,’ Rory told her, making my dad look at me in horror. ‘Heather is quite the horsewoman now.’
‘Around the farm maybe,’ I said dryly. I hadn’t made it off our land on Prince yet and wasn’t exactly eager to either. ‘I hope we can still get to Broomwood,’ I added quietly, worried about the snow.
‘Me too,’ Beth said. ‘Call me tomorrow, okay? Let me know you guys are coping all right. If you need us…’
‘It goes without saying,’ I promised, but if the snow became too bad, I knew they wouldn’t be able to get to the farm.
The farm came into view finally and I relaxed a little that we’d made it home at last. We drove slowly up the driveway, snow covering everything as far as the eye could see. As we parked in the yard, I saw Angus’s cottage light was on, and I was relieved that he was safe and well. I hoped he hadn’t been too lonely today. I glanced at my dad who was helping Harry out of his car seat, happy that he’d agreed to come and live with us, not wanting him to be like Angus on his own, and knowing my mother wouldn’t have wanted that for him either.
I had promised her that I would look after my dad, and even though at the time it had felt like I was giving up on something, I realised as we made a run for it through the snow to the farmhouse, it had actually turned out to be quite the opposite.
Chapter Thirty-Four
‘What was that?’ Rory asked as he stood by the back door early on December 27th, shaking the snow off his boots all over the tiled floor.
‘What was what?’ I asked from my crouched position, helping Harry into a second jumper. It was freezing. The snow had continued all through Boxing Day confining us to the house save for essential farm chores, and we’d had a cosy evening in by the fire with party food and sweets, a few bottles of wine and catching up on all the Christmas TV specials. Angus had even joined us, and it had been lots of fun. This morning, it was easing off a little although the snow was piled up inches high everywhere and there was a fierce wind blowing around the hill, howling around the house.
‘It sounds like the quad bike,’ he said, listening.
‘What’s wrong?’ Dad asked when he walked in to see us standing in silence looking at one another.
‘I heard that!’ I cried, the definite sounds of an engine revving coming to my ears.
‘Angus is up the hill,’ he said with a frown. ‘Oh, God!’ he cried, rushing for the door.
‘Stay with Grandad,’ I said to Harry and tore after him, realising a second after Rory what was happening. We raced to the barn to see someone on our quad bike coming out of it. Rory jumped in front of him and he swerved the bike to a stop.
‘Luke?’ I asked as the teenage boy looked up to see us, panic registering on his face. I recognised him from the village – he was often hanging around the shops with his mates. I knew that Brodie had tried to encourage them to join the church youth club but had been rebuffed.
‘Get off my bike now,’ Rory roared, coming towards him. He grabbed the handle as Luke reluctantly slid off. He made to run but Rory grabbed his collar of his coat. ‘Give me one reason I shouldn’t call the police on you.’
‘I was paid to steal it!’ he cried in a panic. ‘Please,’ he added, looking at me. ‘I needed the money, I didn’t want to do it.’
‘Paid?’ I asked, exchanging a puzzled look with Rory. ‘By who? Tell us, Luke.’
He hung his head. ‘Some guy in a suit staying at the pub. He’s been paying me to do things around here. Said you were meddling in his business. That you needed teaching a lesson.’
There was no one else that it could be. ‘Stewart?’
‘Jesus, that man,’ Rory said, still holding Luke’s coat. ‘What else? What else did he pay you to do for him?’ he demanded.
‘Just some silly things. Said he wanted you to feel like things were going wrong…’ he said, glancing at me. ‘That you didn’t belong here. And you needed to realise it.’
‘What did he get you to do?’ I asked, the past couple of weeks clicking to place. I knew that Stewart had been desperate for me to work with him, and to take him back, and that he was furious I wouldn’t do either and had tried to stop his development, so he had clearly decided to make as much go wrong on the farm as possible to try to persuade me that I didn’t want to be here anymore.
‘I led one of the cows down to the mud, and let out a pig from the barn, I left the gate to the field open too, and I bashed in the fence to the goats’ paddock. He asked me to steal this today… paid me double to do it too.’
‘I thought he was leaving for Christmas?’ All the things I had worried I had caused, it turned out that Stewart had been behind them all. To try to make me feel like I couldn’t make a success of this life, to try to manipulate me to come and work with him. I really had been as naïve as Stewart had accused me of being.
‘He said he was staying until this was all sorted,’ Luke said with a shrug.
‘Sorted?’ Rory snorted. ‘Bloody cheek of the man.’
I was seething with anger. ‘I can’t believe he would do this.’ I remembered him threatening us after finding out we’d proposed Hilltop be listed. He had escalated things from minor annoyances to theft to teach us a lesson. Well, me anyway.
‘Right, Luke, clear off now. I’m calling your parents about this. And if I see you on my property again, I will call the police,’ Rory said, letting Luke go. Luke’s eyes widened in fear. ‘Do you understand?’
‘Yes, sir,’ he stuttered. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, breaking into a run, hightailing it down the driveway and off the farm.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said to Rory when we were alone.
‘For what?’ he asked, surprised.
‘For Stewart. I had no idea he would stoop as low as this.’ I shook my head, furious. He really thought that making me feel useless on the farm would push me into his arms. And as that hadn’t worked, he was now trying to scare us into backing down over Hilltop. ‘Well, there is no way he’s getting away with this!’
‘What can we do? We have no proof for the police…’
‘We can’t just let him carry on doing things like this. What if it gets worse? Who does he think he is?’ He had no right to do this. I had realised how manipulative and controlling he had been with me, and I now knew he was not only ambitious but ruthless too. He had no idea though how different I was to the woman he had loved years ago. I had Rory and Harry now, and they meant the world to me and I was not going to
let him hurt either of them. ‘This is our home, we have to protect it,’ I said firmly, stalking back into the farmhouse where I pulled my coat off the hook. My dad and Harry were at the table, and looked up as I slammed the door open.
‘Heather, what are you doing?’ Rory said, coming in after me.
‘I’m going to have it out with him,’ I replied, pulling my coat on. ‘I’ll ride into Glendale.’
‘By yourself?’ he asked, taken aback.
I hesitated for a moment but I pushed my anxiety away. ‘I have to do this, Rory. He’s messing with my family and that is not okay.’
‘I really don’t think…’ he began, coming towards me but I had yanked the door back open already. ‘Let me come with you at least!’
‘No, you stay here and call Luke’s parents. And let the police know even though I doubt they’ll do anything. And maybe find a lock for our barn. I need to do this by myself, okay?’ I reached up to kiss him quickly and then I went over to give Harry a kiss too. ‘I love you guys.’
‘Heather,’ my dad began, looking concerned.
‘I’ll be fine,’ I promised them, hoping that I was telling the truth.
‘Please be careful,’ Rory called after me as I went back out into the snow. ‘Your mummy is both stubborn and incredible,’ I heard him say to Harry, which made me smile as I went to the stables. I thought about my mother’s letter then, which I had pretty much memorised now.
I also know that once you find your place, you will do everything you can not to lose it – she had written.
And she couldn’t have been more right.
* * *
The snow had eased into gentle flakes drifting on the breeze as I rode into Glendale village. I had been too nervous to go faster than a walk on Prince, but the roads had thankfully been empty as everyone stayed at home to wait out the snowfall. It being the holidays, even fewer people were in the mood to brave the weather than usual, and everyone was well stocked on supplies for the season anyway. So, I didn’t pass anyone as I took the shorter way on horseback over our hill and then through the small wood at the edge of the farm, which led out onto the road to the High Street. I could see Glendale Hall in the distance as I rode past but I didn’t stop off, I was too eager to confront Stewart. I was amazed at how comfortable I felt on Prince now, and Rory had been right about being able to ride being a blessing in such weather. Although he had assumed I’d stick to our land when it happened I think.
Hopeful Hearts at Glendale Hall Page 22
