Harley’s laugh was wry. ‘Besides telling them to fu—’ throwing a sideways glance at Rosie and Laurie, he amended his words, ‘get lost?’
‘Yeah, because no one’s selling their cottage,’ Tori stated, looking around the table. ‘Right?’
They all nodded, some chiming in withno way, and others withabsolutely not.
‘Starting work imminently though,’ Theo interjected, ‘that’s not good. It’s also written confirmation of what we thought they were up to. But they can call it a hamlet as many times as they want to try and diminish it, nothing changes the fact we’ll fight.’
Thinking of the rule for living he’d pinned up earlier, about approaching situations with calmness and positivity, he was gratified his friends were as fully on board and emotionally invested as him about saving the village. It brought a lump of gratitude to his throat. How had he got so lucky?
Ethan leaned forward. ‘And youshouldfight for it. I don’t even live here and believe that. Also, despite them saying they have council support, it’s the first I’ve heard of the details. Could just be bluster, to get us to back off. Whatever happens, I’m in.’
‘Thank you,’ Albie patted the younger man’s arm, ‘your support and hard work have been invaluable.’ He clapped his hands together. ‘Right, any ideas about what to do about this unfortunate turn of events? At least we know what they’re up to now.’
Kit scratched his chin, considering. ‘It’s not my area of law, but I’m not sure we’d have a strong case to prevent them demolishing the cottages they’ll own. Also, the costs of any legal action could be extortionate.’ He raised one eyebrow. ‘But it wouldn’t take much to write a series of letters about the historical importance of the village being tied to a Listed building, which the MOD gifted back no less, and pointing out there’s growing social media support for the restoration. We could also confirm no one’s got any intention of selling, irrespective of the sums thrown around.’
Albie regarded the man, who was sleep-deprived and whose whole world had been upended, but was nonetheless finding ways to help others. ‘Some good suggestions. Think it’s worth doing?’
‘We’d be a pebble in their shoe, enough to make them hobble at least. Plus, I’d find it more than satisfying. A good wrangle would probably do me good.’ He smirked.
Kirsten, sitting bedside Harley and Rosie, forked up a piece of strawberry shortcake and replied, ‘If Kit can spare the time,we should do it. We need to make things as difficult as possible for them. Also, we need to accelerate the timescales for completing our cottages. Find contractors willing to travel from outside the area.’
Theo sat up straighter. ‘I’m just wondering… I have old trade contacts from my architect days, people based in Hertfordshire who might be interestedifwe can pay travel and accommodation on top of their day rate.’
‘That would take a lot of money,’ Gilly spoke for the first time, glancing pointedly at Albie, ‘which unfortunately we don’t have.’
Clover’s hand tightened on Albie’s shoulder, as she suggested, ‘Could we offer free accommodation though? Albie’s cottage is ready for visitors, and we could put furniture in Theo’s now it’s done. Six people could fit in each if we got twin beds and used the lounges too. Wouldn’t cost much and they’d be on site. What do you think, Al?’
Patting her hand as she used her pet name for him, he turned and gazed up at her. ‘A marvellous idea, Clo.’
‘Clo and Al? Awww.’ Tori clutched a hand to her chest, and misquotedClueless. ‘OAPs aresocute.’
Albie tutted and shook his head, but was secretly delighted to see her being so playful.
Kirsten laughed, before saying, ‘Great! Also, can we raise awareness in other ways, alongside the social media campaign? Perhaps an in-person event? A cake sale maybe, or raffle? Oooh, how about a village fete or summer fair, but with people also viewing the cottages? We can invite the estate agent looking after the vacant ones.’
‘Brilliant!’ Vanessa jumped in, smiling at Kirsten as she picked up and ran with the idea. ‘How about a community day with themed cakes,’ spinning to Gilly, ‘and could we borrow tables from the school, and put posters up for the parents to see? And I can publicise everything on social media.’ Raising hopefuleyebrows at Clover, ‘Oh, could we display leaflets at Upston House and get some of your volunteers along?’
‘Of course, darling.’ Clover’s lips twitched with amusement as Vanessa finally paused for breath.
Tori beamed. ‘That all sounds amazing. It’ll really top up the restoration fund.’
Kirsten nodded. ‘I’ll start looking at dates and thinking about practicalities.’ She frowned at Gilly. ‘Exactly how much money is left?’
She opened her mouth to reply, but Harley interjected, ‘Um, I know I’ve been a little… grumpy, in the past, but I want to help.’ He paused. ‘My solicitor contacted me, and my ex-wife is gifting me back some of the divorce settlement. I know it sounds unusual, but we’ve made peace recently, and I think she’s trying to help me with this second chance. She’s always been a good person. I’m just ashamed to say I didn’t always treat her that way.’ He shifted, unsettling Rosie, who frowned and adjusted her tiara before slouching against him. ‘I’d like to donate some money to the fund.’ Taking a deep breath, he shared, ‘I’m also planning to buy one of the village buildings for a project I’m mulling over. That should make it harder for the developers too.’
Kirsten’s mouth dropped open, expression alive with hope. ‘You’re staying for good?’
‘Yeah,’ he replied gruffly. ‘This is my home now.’
‘Oh.’ Her face lit up and they stared into each other’s eyes, no further words exchanged but a silent communication passing between them.
Everyone looked away from what felt like a private moment, and Albie took the opportunity to clear his throat and prepare himself for the rest.
It was time to come clean. He was just glad he’d told Clover when they’d first got together, and she’d been so understanding. ‘There’s, ah, something I need to tell you all. Something ratherimportant.’ The group turned curious faces towards him, waiting for more. ‘You’ve asked Gilly how much money’s left, and I don’t want to put her in the difficult position of keeping my secrets. Talking about the amount will inevitably lead to questions about the income. So, I hope you’ll forgive an old man his sins.’
Setting his jaw, he confessed, ‘The truth is, I’m the former owner of the manor, and responsible for the contract stipulations. I’m sorry if you feel hoodwinked, but I feared revealing this at the outset would lose some of the association’s power, and the motivation for carrying out the stipulations. And I so badly needed everyone on board to fulfil my promise to Rose.’
He could see them glancing at each other, but ploughed on. ‘When the officials tracked me down last year, and it became clear the manor would pass to me as there was no one else left in Rose’s family, I paid a visit. I realised immediately the work required couldn’t be done alone and was far too costly. At that point, I also didn’t know how long I’d be around to see everything through. After careful consideration, I found someone to sell it to at a lower price in exchange for certain conditions, including having one of the flats and subject to my involvement being a secret. Oh, and I, erm… also had a hand in deciding who’d live here.’
