1
The long, sunny days of summer, which had cast a continuous golden glow over the honey-coloured buildings of Lower Leaping, a picturesque village in the Cotswolds, extended well into September. Tess Alexander was conscious of making the most of every single moment before the cooler weather edged in. Every morning when she opened the double French doors of the orangery onto the garden, inhaling a breath of hope and anticipation at the dawn of a new day, she smiled as Barney, her lovable beagle, brushed against her legs, eager to make it outside before her.
Together, they would mooch around the garden, Barney sniffing deep into the bushes for scents of any nocturnal visitors while Tess would inspect her flowers and plants, dead-heading any faded blooms. Invariably, her gaze would travel across to the annexe, a teal-coloured wooden lodge that nestled amongst the trees. It had started life as a summer house before being converted into an office for her husband, Charles during the pandemic, turning into something of a dumping ground later, after he returned to the workplace. When Charles announced, earlier this year, that he was walking away from their marriage to start a new life with a younger colleague, it was one of the first jobs Tess had set her mind to. Clearing the annexe of all traces of Charles, transforming it into a peaceful and calm oasis, intended as her craft room, a safe space where she could retreat from the world and focus her attentions on her crochet projects, the books she was reading and her renewed interest in watercolour painting.
Now, she gave a smile as she went across to the picturesque structure and opened up the doors. What was it they say about the best-laid plans? Even before she’d put the finishing touches to the new outdoor living space, or even made use of the room, she’d had a sudden change of heart about its use when she’d met Rob, a stranger who was down on his luck and going through a similar set of circumstances to Tess, finding himself adrift and homeless after the breakdown of his marriage. She’d often wondered if fate had brought them together that day in Bramlingham when they had literally bumped into each other in a shop doorway. Certainly, there must have been some alchemy at work for her to take pity on a man she knew very little about, especially when the parts she did know hadn’t painted him in the best light. Still, for some reason, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him and had returned to town to track him down, surprising them both when she actually found him and offered him a place to stay in the renovated annexe.
In hindsight, it was probably a hugely risky thing to do, inviting a strange man with a criminal record into the sanctuary of the grounds at Hollyhocks Cottage, at a time when she was emotional and vulnerable, but something had compelled her to act in that way. An instinct based on a connection she’d immediately made to him, probably based on sensing a kindred spirit, someone experiencing the same sense of loss and betrayal that she was going through. Luckily, her instincts proved correct, and Rob moving into the annexe had been a turning point for them both.
Now, she took a deep breath, inhaling the woody, earthy aromas from the garden, imagining she might still be able to pick out the scent of Rob’s aftershave. She gave a wry smile. Although traces of Rob’s scent had lingered for days after he’d vacated the annexe, now all that remained as a reminder of him once living here was the beautiful, small watercolour that he had painted, hanging on the wall. She went over to the picture, her fingers reaching up to trace around the outline of the garden at Hollyhocks, the image making her smile every time she looked at it. The soft, muted colours leapt off the canvas and with the intricacies of the different flowers, Tess’s wicker basket on the gravel pathway filled with colourful vegetables and herbs, and Barney’s backside sticking out from a bush, it gave the painting a charming personal touch.
Her musing was interrupted by a familiar voice ringing out.
‘It’s only me! Are you there, Tess?’
‘In the annexe, Dilly,’ she called, as she heard the back gate creak open and footsteps crunching along the gravel path. She stepped out to greet her long-time neighbour, but only recently made friend, Dilly Duchamp.
‘Ah, I thought I heard you pottering about. How are things?’ Dilly asked, her brow furrowing in concern as she glanced towards the cottage. ‘How is Hannah doing?’
To think that at one time, Tess hadn’t encouraged Dilly’s friendship, taking against what she perceived to be an overbearing enthusiasm and eagerness, when in fact she was just being neighbourly. Tess often experienced a pang of regret about the way she’d treated Dilly in the past, when she’d kept her at arm’s length and gently rebutted her overtures of friendship. It was a good job Dilly didn’t hold a grudge because of all the changes that had come about in Tess’s life this year, one of her most valued ones had been her growing closeness to Dilly, who had proved herself to be a great support in recent months.
Now, she wrapped Dilly in a hug, genuinely pleased to see her.
‘She seems to be doing okay, thanks. She’s gone to work and is carrying on with life as normal. There’s been lots of tears, obviously, but I think she wants to try and put it behind her and simply concentrate on the future.’
‘That’s understandable. She’s young, with her whole life in front of her. She’ll have plenty of good times ahead.’
Deep down, Tess suspected it was true, but she only wished that her daughter Hannah hadn’t needed to go through all that torment and upset. What had meant to be the trip of a lifetime had been cut short when an intense love affair with Billy, a charming Irish guy who she had met on her travels, had ended abruptly and painfully. Hannah had headed home early, sad and dejected, to stay with her mum and reconsider her future.
Still, if there was one thing that the events of this year had taught Tess, it was that life had a habit of upending your plans when you least expected it, but it didn’t mean that you couldn’t come through it, stronger and more determined than ever. Tess only hoped the same would apply in Hannah’s case too.
‘Are you staying for a cuppa?’
‘Well, only if it’s a good time for you,’ said Dilly with an expectant smile.
‘Come on, I’ll pop the kettle on.’
Tess had never known Dilly to refuse the offer of a drink, but then it came with the territory in her job. She was a freelance hairdresser who saw clients in their own homes or in the small salon at Lavender Cottage, where she lived alone, which made her the fount of all knowledge when it came to the goings-on in the village.
‘Anyway, I must tell you, the new people have moved into The Old Post Office. I was walking past yesterday and happened to bump into the new owner. His name’s Michael and he’s an architect, apparently!’ Dilly’s eyes widened, clearly impressed by this snippet of information. ‘He has an adorable black Labrador called Monty. They were both very charming and friendly. I’m not sure if Michael has a wife or partner, or children. He was busy carting boxes through the front door so I didn’t like to give him the third degree!’
‘That’s not like you, Dilly!’
‘I know,’ she said, laughing, taking Tess’s comment in the manner it was intended. ‘I must be losing my touch, but don’t worry, I’ll pop by again later today, drop off some of my rock buns as a welcoming gift and find out all there is to know about our new neighbour. I’ll report back as soon as I have any further information!’
‘Well, I wouldn’t expect anything less.’
They had moved into the kitchen and were sitting at the island enjoying the mugs of freshly brewed coffee that Tess had prepared.
‘And what about Rob?’ Dilly asked. ‘How’s he doing?’
‘Good,’ said Tess, unable to stop the smile from spreading across her face. It was a natural enough occurrence these days, every time she brought him to mind, in fact, her heart fluttering as though she was a lovesick teenager. ‘He’s settled into his new place and the job is going well. It seems like ages since I’ve seen him, what with everything that’s been going on here, but I’m looking forward to catching up with him at the weekend. We’ve got a walk and a pub lunch booked in on Saturday.’
‘Splendid. The two of you are so good together. It’s as though you were always meant to be.’
Tess gave a slight incline of her head and smiled. She liked the sentiment, but could it really be true? There had been an instant connection with Rob, but she was sensible enough to know that sparks could flare, shine brightly and then fizzle out when the moment was over. Only their affinity had developed into a much deeper friendship during the time he was living at the annexe. When he’d left to move into his own property, she’d felt his absence keenly and worried when she didn’t hear from him in the following weeks that they might lose contact completely, that he hadn’t valued their friendship in the same way as she had. She was surprised when he turned up a few weeks later, admitting he had taken some time away to evaluate his feelings, realising how much she had come to mean to him. It was a relief to Tess to discover that Rob’s feelings matched her own and they were able to voice those thoughts to each other. It was still early days, both still bearing the bruises from their recent break-ups, and she had no idea where this new and unexpected relationship might take them. She didn’t like to dwell on it, or to ask too many searching questions. Instead, after all the drama of the past few months, she was content to live in the moment and let her future play out naturally. Who knew where that might take her?
2
