‘But as you can see, it’s got plenty of room and is most practical.’ He opened the door of a pantry to reveal dirty shelving filled with aged packets of food, tins and rotten vegetables. Mice droppings dotted the floor and the stench was revolting. He quickly shut it and wiped his hand on his sleeve. ‘Hmm, right, let’s move on.’ He ushered them into the hallway which was dark, only having a tiny window, into the living room. An old, tiled fireplace covered with black soot stood in the centre of the far wall and a threadbare carpet with a heavy pattern gave off a musty aroma. The walls were stained with damp and the wind whistled through the frail windows.
Cassie looked at Rory again and saw the regret in his face and her heart went out to him. It was as if his dream had been snatched away. A prickle of shame stung her. Should she have said no to the house in Cumbria? Was she being selfish?
The tour didn’t improve. In fact, it got worse, if that was possible. The bedrooms were equally as bleak, with huge cracks in the walls, again signifying subsidence, but the bathroom was the ultimate low point with its stained avocado suite, peeled lino flooring and pink flowery tiles. The shower consisted of rubber fittings stuck on the bath taps, with a plastic tube running up the wall to a showerhead fixed on with a hook.
‘With a little TLC, this place could be special,’ said the estate agent unconvincingly. Personally, Cassie thought he had some nerve showing them round this property in such condition, and at the asking price. Blatantly they were exploiting the land available and the location. Rory must have been having similar thoughts.
‘Given the money needed to renovate, are the owners willing to be flexible with the price at all?’ he asked optimistically. This was greeted with a shake of the agent’s head.
‘Very doubtful, given that they have turned down three previous offers.’ Rory looked crestfallen. ‘It’s in the hands of the late farmer’s children, it being their inheritance.’
Typical, thought Cassie, greedy offspring wanting to wrangle as much money from the sale of the family home, yet didn’t see fit to clear it first, or make it look even half presentable.
‘Is it worth looking outside, Rory?’ she sensitively asked.
‘Not really,’ he sighed.
‘Oh no, let me show you,’ urged the agent. ‘Now that you’re here, it seems a shame not to.’ His head turned from Rory to Cassie in hope. He, more than anyone, recognised this young couple’s disappointment. This rambling, decrepit property had been on the market for some time now and he’d shown several people round it, all of whom had had the same reaction as these two. Still, he was eager to show them the outside, as this was the property’s greatest asset. Rolling hills of countryside and woodland surrounded the farmhouse, with uninterrupted views of the fells and beyond. It really was most impressive. If he could get them to fall in love with the location, maybe they’d be tempted and see past the crumbling wreck of a house. It was worth a try.
‘OK then, let’s go,’ said a reluctant Rory. Cassie kept quiet and followed the two of them out of the door and into the farmyard.
A dirty, cracked concrete floor led them to a small gate. Once opened they found themselves in open countryside, and Rory’s eyes suddenly came alive. This was exactly what he had in mind, acres of fresh green pasture. There were several outbuildings to the far right of the field which looked like they might need a bit of attention, but certainly seemed plenty big enough.
‘The woodland covers five acres,’ the agent told them, ‘and you have fishing rights to the river running through it,’ he finished smugly. Rory’s head turned sharply.
‘Really?’ He couldn’t remember reading that in the specs.
‘Oh yes,’ he beamed back, glad he’d struck a chord, ‘absolutely. You’ve even got your own little fishing boat, that the owners are going to leave.’
Hmm, and what state will that be in? thought Cassie dryly. Probably ridden with rot and full of holes. There was no way she’d ever be stepping foot in it, that’s for sure. She looked sideways at Rory and to her dismay saw that he was now mustering up interest for the place. ‘Let me show you the outbuildings,’ continued the agent.
To be fair, these were in better shape than expected. Apart from them needing new corrugated roofs, but given the size of the buildings, these wouldn’t come cheap.
‘It’s a pity the farmer didn’t look after his house as well as his outbuildings,’ remarked Cassie. She imagined some gruff farmer figure, tight-fisted with his money only being prepared to spend his brass on the bare essentials for the farm, such as his animals, not on such luxuries as his family home. Judging by the decor of the farmhouse, it probably hadn’t had a penny spent on it since the seventies, whereas the outbuildings had clearly been maintained well, with their pointed stone walls, solid oak window frames and asphalt flooring. Even the guttering appeared to be new cast iron. Rory must have been having similar thoughts as a laugh escaped him.
‘We could always move into one of these instead,’ he joked. Even the estate agent couldn’t help but hide a smile. Cassie giggled, glad to see Rory had at least seen the funny side of things. She hated seeing him so disheartened.
They walked back in silence. All the time Rory was sizing up the situation. When they reached their parked cars, he had one final attempt.
‘So, the owners definitely won’t budge on the asking price then?’
‘I’m sorry, we’ve been given very strict instructions.’
‘Then it’s a no, but thank you for your time,’ replied Rory firmly.
The agent nodded his head, fully understanding. He didn’t see this dilapidated farmhouse shifting off the market any time soon. Not without a considerable drop in price at any rate. It was a shame really, when this young couple could pour so much love and life into the place and make it a family home again.
They drove back, thoroughly dejected. Cassie broke the silence.
‘Do you want to view the house in Cumbria?’
‘No, like you said, it’s too far. We’ve both got to be happy, haven’t we?’
‘Something will turn up,’ she said with hope.
‘Yeah, it will,’ he replied. It better had, and soon. He had to pack up all his possessions very soon and needed somewhere to store them. Plus he couldn’t stop at the Inn indefinitely. He had to find somewhere to stay whilst looking for a home. Not to mention start earning a livelihood. All the time the clock was ticking.
Chapter 27
