50
TWO MONTHS LATER
‘What are you reading?’ Will slipped his arms round my waist from behind and softly kissed my neck.
‘One final flick through my journal before I pack it,’ I said, closing it and placing it into the packing box ready for the move into Gosling’s Rest next week. ‘I can’t believe that, after only six months, I can put a tick against every entry in here. This journal has been pure magic.’
‘I thought there was still one entry unticked.’
‘Okay, there is, but we’ll get to Venice one day.’
‘How about October?’ he asked, handing me a piece of paper.
I glanced down at the ticket confirmation for four nights in Venice during the October half-term holiday. ‘You’ve booked it! Oh, my God! Will! I can’t believe it!’
‘I want you to have everything you’ve ever dreamed of.’
I placed my arms round his waist and lightly kissed him. ‘I’ve already got that now that I’ve got you. I love you.’
‘I love you too.’
‘But Venice is a nice little addition. Fingers crossed we get to experience theacqua alta.’
‘Whether we do or don’t, it’ll be incredible.’
Just like my life was with Will. So much had changed for me this year and at quite an astonishing pace since Will had walked into my shop and back into my life. I’d thought a lot about Marianne and Richard’s story and how they’d never got their happy ending together and about Marianne’s parting advice to me to find someone I loved who loved me back and tolove them unreservedly and never let them go. Will and I weren’t getting any younger and we had many lost years to make up for so I’d asked him to move in with me at Gosling’s Rest. We loved each other so what was the point in him looking for a place of his own when his house in Keswick sold? The purchase of Gosling’s Rest was set for completion next week and I couldn’t wait for us to move in together and for a very special delivery to arrive for us both.
The money had come through from Marianne’s estate and I hadn’t changed my mind about Aaron having it but things had moved on for him. He’d had plenty of time to think about the future and, at the age of fifty-eight, had decided he wasn’t interested in having to start over or in having to repeatedly fight the rumours. He’d sold the building to a property developer who was going to convert it into flats and Aaron had stepped away from teaching to take on some consultancy work instead. That left me with a large sum of money so I’d taken Will to Celestial Sounds and we’d splashed out on a baby grand piano as neither of us could imagine the space in Gosling’s Rest being used for anything other than a music room. I’d asked Mervyn to deliver the upright piano he’d been storing for me to Willowdale Village Hall instead – my donation to the place where my life had finally begun when I joined Cake & Craft Club.
My childhood home had now been cleared. There wasn’t anything I wanted to salvage. It was time for a clean break and a fresh start. I’d had the glass in the kitchen door replaced and had been debating whether to put the cottage on the market as it was or do it up and sell it. The latter would take time but the former could take even longer as life in a remote hamlet wasn’t for everyone and a dilapidated cottage in said hamlet held even less appeal. In the end, it was resolved quickly and easily because Amelia’s sister and her partner loved Hayscroft Lane, couldn’t stretch to a full-price property there, but could afford to take on a project. The sale to them was currently progressing and it was such a relief to be letting go of the place that held so many painful memories.
Created With Love had developed into a successful business. The shop itself was prone to quiet days and possibly not a viable enough business on its own but Saffy seemed to have the magic touch with sponsored adverts on social media and had built us a strong online sales platform. As a result, The Crafty Crew had been unanimous in our decision to extend our lease with Ava until the end of the year and we were already busily creating our autumnal and Christmas stock. We’d decide from there whether to keep going with the physical premises or move purely online. Of course, if Ava did want the shop back after her mum finished chemotherapy as originally planned, that choice would be made for us.
As for my friends, Veronica and Laughlin had returned to the UK at the start of June. Veronica’s relationship with Felicity and Rebecca was back on track and, although her daughters hadn’t fully made peace with each other, Veronica did say that there’d been a thaw and she was hopeful that time would eventually heal the rift. Veronica and Laughlin had taken a trip to Austria before flying home. While in Vienna, Laughlin had evidently decided to take his own advice about not putting things off because Veronica had returned sporting a stunning engagement ring and the most enormous smile. They were currently debating whether to go for a winter wedding this year or a spring wedding next year. I couldn’t have been happier for them.
Milly was totally loved up with Adam and Coral had apparently found it hilarious that her mum was dating her former teacher but, as Mr Sawdon had always been her favourite, she wholeheartedly approved. Milly had told me that she’d wanted love to come along when she least expected it and it certainly had.
Nothing much had changed for Christian. He’d been too busy balancing time in the shop with helping Emma and Killian finish their barn conversion to seek out love but I hoped he’d find it soon. He was a lovely man and deserved to have someone special to share his life with. Speaking of Emma, I’d finally been walking with her alpacas and, my goodness, had it been worth the wait. She’d generously offered to do an after-hours walk for The Crafty Crew a few weeks ago because an evening was the only time we could all be together. She’d more than doubled the size of her original herd and now had sixteen alpacas, all of whom had stolen my heart and soothed my soul. I’d since walked them twice with Will, who was also smitten, and we’d be booking another walk as soon as we were unpacked and settled into Gosling’s Rest.
Saffy was still living with Paulette, although they didn’t see a lot of each other between Saffy’s shifts at The White Willow and dates with Felix but Paulette had told me it gave her the best of both worlds – some company but also some time to herself. She didn’t seem to be bothered about meeting a new man now, although I couldn’t help hoping it would happen naturally for her like it had with Milly. Saffy would be dropping down to part-time hours at The White Willow soon. Mel had loved her response to the interior design tasks she’d set her after they met and, although it had taken a while for anything to come of it, Mel was now working on the restoration and conversion of a manor house into a hotel and leisure complex and had asked Saffy to come on board as her junior interior designer. If that went well, there was potential for future projects.
There’d been some movement in Saffy’s relationship with her mum. Joanne had visited Willowdale and apologised to Saffy for not supporting her decision to leave university and for believing Kyle’s lies over Saffy’s truth. There’d been no explanation as to why Joanne had behaved in such an extreme way. From a few things Andrew had let slip, Paulette thought she might have had a mental breakdown but she wasn’t going to ask questions and be accused of interfering again. Paulette was back on good terms with Andrew but things remained strained with Joanne who hadn’t apologised to Paulette for what she’d said to her. It was a crying shame because Paulette was such a wonderful person that I couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting to be close to her.
* * *
The following Saturday, Will and I sat down together on our new double piano stool by our new baby grand piano in our new home and played our special duets. When we’d finished, he challenged me to a contest, seeing who could play scales the quickest. Will started on the bass keys and I started in the middle and we raced each other up the keys, laughing at the speed of our fingers, but as I reached the highest treble keys, the sound wasn’t right.
‘There’s something wrong with the piano,’ I said, frowning.
‘Try it again.’
I pressed a couple of keys but there was a dull ‘thunk’ instead of a beautiful note.
‘You’ll have to check under the lid,’ Will said.
I lifted the lid off the prop and gasped. What looked like a ring box was sitting on the strings. Heart pounding, I reached for it.
‘Open it,’ Will said when I turned to him.
