‘I’ll get the sausage rolls out,’ she said before disappearing through the kitchen door.
‘About the house…’ said Florrie.
‘Honestly, I don’t want you worrying about anything.’
‘I won’t be moving out.’
Rona looked perplexed as Felicity walked back towards them and placed the freshly baked sausage rolls into the savoury display counter.
‘I just assumed you’d be moving back into Rose Cottage.’
‘Why aren’t you moving back into Rose Cottage?’ asked Felicity, leaning on the counter.
‘Because it’s not my cottage to move into.’
Felicity raised an eyebrow. ‘I wasn’t expecting that.’
‘I’m in a little bit of shock, if I’m truly honest with you.’
Rona pointed to the empty table just in front of the window. ‘We have a quiet moment so why don’t you sit and I’ll rustle up a pot of tea. Tea is always good in a crisis … and it sounds like a crisis might be brewing.’
Sitting at the table a few minutes later, Florrie hugged her mug of tea. ‘Everyone is going to find out soon enough, so I’ll just come out with it. The cottage wasn’t owned by Great-Aunt Ada. I’ve only just found out myself. It turns out it was rented.’
‘Who from?’ asked Felicity.
‘A company called W. Houston Property Developers,’ replied Florrie.
Rona looked deep in thought. ‘That’s right. I’d forgotten all about that, probably because Ada had lived there so long. The company is a family business created many years ago by William Houston, who was well known and respected in these parts. He was the kind of man you called a pillar of society, a genuine man with a very good reputation. Everyone loved him, unlike his son, Edward Houston.’
This little bit of information was a surprise to Florrie. ‘Hang on a moment, are you saying that William and Edward were … locals?’
‘I believe so.’
‘And what gives you the impression that Edward wasn’t liked?’ asked Florrie, intrigued.
‘I was unashamedly nosy. I eavesdropped on private conversations between my mum, Martha and Dolores when they got together for drinks in the front room. That’s how I used to find out all the gossip in the village.’ Rona chuckled.
‘Mum!’ Felicity said, looking stunned.
‘I’m not proud of it now but their conversations were better than any of the celebrity gossip columns in the magazines. And I remember one thing they said about Edward was that he rubbed people up the wrong way. At one time he was included in all the social events – likely living off the good reputation of his father – but then something turned sour and Edward became an outcast within Heartcross social circles. Dolores and Martha would be the ones to ask if you want more specific details. I believe Edward’s son has taken over the business now, even though Edward is still involved in some capacity. I read an article about them in a Sunday newspaper, but it must have been some time ago though.’
‘That would be Tom Houston and from what I know, he’s more like his father than his grandfather.’
Felicity pointed at Florrie. ‘Tom Houston! That was the guy who introduced himself to me this morning. I noticed him the second he walked through the door because he stood out from the usual crowd of hikers. I have to admit, I couldn’t help but admire his rugged good looks. He was dressed in a fine Italian navy suit. Very smart.’
‘And did he say what he was doing here?’ asked Florrie.
‘If I remember correctly, he’s attending a charity event of some sort,’ replied Felicity. ‘But why did you say he’s like his father? How do you know?’
‘Because he’s already rubbed me up the wrong way.’ Florrie decided not to share that she’d known him from university or that for a short time she’d known himveryintimately. ‘W. Houston Property Developers have applied to build new houses on the land where Rose Cottage currently stands and, to add insult to injury, The Vintage Flower Van apparently also belongs to them and they’re refusing to sell it to me. So after all my promises to Great-Aunt Ada to keep the van going,’ Florrie swallowed, ‘it seems I’ve fallen at the first hurdle and it will likely have to close its doors on the last day of the month, which is the same day all of Ada’s possessions need to be removed from the cottage. I’m losing her home and business in one fell swoop.’
Rona gasped. ‘That’s preposterous! They can’t take the van from you. It’s iconic. People travel far and wide to buy flowers from the van. It’s its very own tourist attraction.’
‘They won’t transfer the rental lease of the cottage to me either. It’s all such a major blow.’
‘Florrie, this is heartbreaking. I’m so sorry,’ Felicity said kindly.
‘It is. Flynn is the one who shared with me that the company has plans to build houses on the land.’
