Rory smiled to himself. Whilst he was trying to keep a level head, it has hard not to enjoy seeing Cassie so energised. Living on The Laurels estate, right next door to her best mate, in the beloved village she’d grown up in and loved, was the perfect move for her. How could she possibly keep calm? He too, was warming to the idea of having friends for neighbours. He was keen to see the land, too, hoping it was suitable for a smallholding.
*
Jasper was in the estate office with Colin. They had all the paperwork concerning the planning application for the barn. As an attractive, traditional, stone-built barn, the council had given permission for change of use to the building. Detailed planning approval would be needed before any work started and Jasper was intending to sell the property with the new owner taking the barn on as a self-build project. All this would be reflected in the price of course. Rory struck him as a man who would want to be in total control of the build, so didn’t envisage this being a problem – if Rory wanted to buy it. In many ways Jasper considered the arrangement would suit them both; he wanted rid of the barn and field with the least hassle at an honest price, while Rory, he suspected, wanted to create an eco home, as economically as possible with his own design and ideas. The field was more than adequate to accommodate a smallholding. Plus, the river running through the edge of it gave further possibilities for an eco-friendly lifestyle.
‘A professional ecological assessment will be required,’ Colin told Jasper, ‘to determine if the work on the barn will have any impact on trees, owls, bats or newts.’ He was reading through the council’s notes.
‘We’ll let Rory study the paperwork. As a barrister, I’m sure he’ll want to read all the small print,’ answered Jasper with confidence.
It wasn’t long before they heard a tap on the door. Jasper got up and welcomed the two in. Immediately he caught Cassie’s upbeat vibe, while Rory looked calm and reserved.
‘Adira’s busy at the moment,’ he explained, to which Cassie burst out laughing.
‘Well yeah, considering you’re getting married tomorrow, I guess she is.’
Jasper smiled wryly. Rory on the other hand took heed of this. It further confirmed his earlier opinion of him – that he was an astute businessman, to be this preoccupied with his estate on the eve of his wedding. Above all, Rory was desperate to keep a clear mind in any possible transaction. Not wanting his heart to rule his head, like it had so many times in the past. For once he was determined to exercise prudence and not delve in feet first, as he was notorious for.
‘So, here is all the paperwork, Rory, concerning the council’s approval for renovation. Please, take a seat.’
Cassie and Rory sat next to Colin, who explained each document. Most of it went over Cassie’s head; she was too impatient to look at the barn itself and see where it was. Rory however studied them, his eyes scanning each page, taking in all the information. After several minutes, he raised his head.
‘Can I have copies of these?’
‘Of course,’ replied Jasper.
‘I can deal with that.’ Colin rose and took the documents to photocopy them.
‘Come on, I’ll show you the barn,’ said Jasper as Colin was busy.
At last, thought Cassie, practically leaping from her chair.
Jasper led them to the far west field. All the time Rory’s eyes were sweeping over the land. Yes, it was good for crop growing, judging by the adjacent fields which had been ploughed and obviously harvested. Entering the field, Jasper explained that it had previously belonged to a farm of one of his tenants, reaffirming to Rory that it must have been put to agricultural use before, all good signs. Then they came to the barn. The new gable end was built to a high standard, giving them some indication as to how the whole of the building could look. The roof needed ripping off altogether. As Rory wanted roof-mounted solar panelling, he anticipated he would need to build a stronger structure to hold them anyway. So replacing the roof was already in his budget.
‘I can give you the name of the builders who fixed the gable end,’ Jasper told them, seeing that Rory was impressed with their work.
‘Good,’ nodded Rory. Then he assessed the huge barn door, rotten and dismantled from the iron track. He would like to replace this with an exact replica, eager to preserve the barn’s original form. The track he could easily restore. Wherever possible, he wanted to reuse materials or use like-for-like, keen to apply a light touch and keep the original character.
Cassie too, was envisaging the restoration, imagining large picture windows overlooking the stunning views surrounding them. Already in her mind it was a done deal. She glanced sideways for Rory’s reaction. He didn’t seem to be giving anything away, though, not like their previous viewing of the farmhouse. Please let this be the one, she prayed inside. It was too good to pass up. The barn could look magnificent if given the right amount of love and attention (and money), which they surely could, couldn’t they? Again she looked at Rory, but still he looked poker faced.
‘The river runs through the edge of the field,’ Jasper said, pointing to the far end.
‘Have you fishing rights?’ asked Rory, remembering what the estate agent had told them from the Chipping farm property.
‘Yes,’ replied Jasper, then added, ‘You could build your own waterwheel if you wanted.’
Rory’s eyes widened, unable to hide this pleasant surprise, making Cassie smother a chuckle. This proved to be the clincher.
‘Let’s talk money then, Jasper. What do you want for it?’ asked Rory directly. His heart was pounding in his chest. He wanted it. He could tell Cassie wanted it, and he was pretty sure Jasper knew this. It was all hinging on his reply.
‘Given the amount of land and the state of the barn, I’m asking £350,000.’
Cassie’s head turned sharply to Rory.
‘Let me look over the paperwork again and I’ll give you an answer tomorrow,’ replied Rory as coolly as he could. The price he suspected was a fair one, but still he had to consider his budget and the amount of work needing paying for.
‘Jasper is getting married tomorrow!’ exclaimed Cassie in frustration. Left to her, she’d have signed on the dotted line within the hour.
‘Rory’s right. Take your time. I don’t want to hurry you,’ said Jasper reassuringly, then added half laughing, ‘and yes, I’ll be pretty busy tomorrow, the end of the week will do.’
