‘It’s beautiful, thank you so much.’ She took it out of its box.
‘Here, let me.’ Fletcher delicately pinned the broach to her cardigan. ‘There, you look grand, Lilly.’ Their eyes fixed. Was she thinking the same as he? Of what could have been? A lump formed in his throat. He coughed and forced himself to speak. ‘Now then, lass, what about this cake?’ He sat down and reached for his plate.
Chapter 39
It was the last night of the honeymoon. Adira and Jasper were sitting on their balcony with a bottle of wine. The evening air was warm and balmy and the sound of the sea could be heard gently lapping against the shore. A crescent moon shone down on them, bright against the dark orange sky.
‘It’s been a dream,’ sighed Adira, finding it hard to believe that soon they would be back in the depths of winter in England.
‘It has,’ agreed Jasper. Whilst he’d loved every minute of being with Adira in Dubai, he was looking forward to going home. He’d missed Fletcher. He’d missed The Laurels and all that encompassed. Running the estate, though a family duty, also kept him nicely busy. He thrived on the job. When he’d first taken over from Fletcher, Jasper was a little overwhelmed at just what was expected of him, but he soon developed a passion for it. Fletcher had been right saying, ‘It’s in the blood.’ It was. He envisaged his eldest child taking over the reins from him in time and then stopped. He wisely counselled himself to live in the present, savour the moment and not wish his time away. Equally, he’d learnt not to live in the past. Not having the happiest of times at home with his parents had often left him with a sense of resentment. But now he’d learnt that harbouring ill feeling didn’t do him, or anyone else, any good. Meeting Adira had helped him to live for the day and appreciate each precious memory; and his honeymoon had given them both many, many precious memories. There would be many more to come too, he also told himself.
Adira stared out to the beach and watched the moonlight illuminate the silky waves. It was such a beautiful scene and one that would stay with her forever. She glanced at Jasper deep in thought. How handsome her husband was with his dark hair and bronzed skin. He’d deserved this break, working flat out. The shadows under his eyes had vanished and the rest had given him more vigour. She only hoped that buying The Cobbled Courtyard wasn’t going to add extra pressure on him. Now that the wedding was over, she would be able to dedicate more time to working on the estate, too. The glamping business had really started to take off and there was the orangery to host future weddings and events, some of which had already been booked. Adira anticipated even more, once their own wedding pictures appeared on the website. The business looked promising, but it was all time-consuming.
The two sat in a comfortable silence, each taking stock of the future and what it was to hold. They had an early start the following morning, their flight being at eleven a.m., taking them into the UK for early evening. Jasper calculated being back at The Laurels between eight and nine p.m. He wanted to breathe in the cold country fresh air, instead of the hot, dry climate of Dubai. He wanted to stride through lush green fields and relax with a whisky in front of a crackling fire. He wanted to see Fletcher and get back to work.
There was plenty for him to do – the pottery studio and flat at The Cobbled Courtyard needed some building improvements, which he was keen to get on with so he could advertise it as a rental business with accommodation. Running the glamping site, selling the barn, dealing with Fletcher’s illness and the wedding had kept him from that side of the business, but now he intended to concentrate more on The Cobbled Courtyard. It basically ran itself, having established tenants that always kept up to date with the rent, though now Jasper had an empty unit needing occupying and he was eager to fill it. His mind ticked over with the list of jobs he had to tackle. Then he stopped, reminding himself he was, in fact, still on honeymoon. Savour the moment, that was his new mantra.
The next morning, after thanking the hotel staff and being taxied to the airport, Jasper and Adira boarded the plane home. They sat back and smiled at each other.
‘What a lovely holiday,’ said Adira. ‘I didn’t want it to end.’ Jasper leant forward and kissed her.
‘It’s only the beginning,’ he answered.
As Jasper had guessed, Fletcher was on pins, pacing the hall like a caged tiger, waiting for their arrival. Hearing the taxi crunching up the gravel driveway, he shot out of the front door. Waving furiously, he stood at the top of the stone steps. As soon as Adira and Jasper stepped out he went to join them.
‘Welcome back!’ he cheered, slapping Jasper on the back. He turned to Adira. ‘You look well, lass. All that sunshine’s done you good.’
‘Hello, Fletcher,’ she laughed and gave him a hug, whilst Jasper took their suitcases out of the boot.
‘Come in, come in,’ ushered Fletcher. ‘Lilly’s made a cake for you.’
They were soon sat in the warm, cosy kitchen with tea and Lilly’s second Victoria sandwich, which Fletcher thought was every bit as nice as the first one she’d baked.
‘Well, is it good to be home?’ he asked, looking from one to the other.
‘Yes,’ they said in unison.
Chapter 40
The snow covering Lilacwell gradually melted, giving it a bleaker, barer look. All the festive decorations were now hibernating until next year and the Inn at Lilacwell had said farewell to its Christmas guests. A quiet lull had descended upon the village after all the celebrations it had hosted.
It was Cassie’s last working day at the inn, but instead of feeling sentimental, she was far too busy to feel anything. All the staff had clubbed together and bought her a new laptop, knowing she’d no longer have use of the one issued to her by the hotel. She’d wasted no time at all in looking up contact details for editors and local newspapers and magazines. Then, feeling a tad guilty to be doing such things in work’s time, shut the laptop down and concentrated on her final hours at the inn. It was strange to think that in future she’d be on the opposite side of the bar. Cassie didn’t find the thought emotional, though, because the Inn would still be her local pub. Had she been leaving Lilacwell it would have been a completely different scenario.
Instead of buying a static caravan to live on site whilst renovating the barn, Adira had offered them a shepherds hut to live in for a few months. Paying rent for a short while was a lot cheaper than having to buy a caravan and was a welcome solution. Whilst smaller, it was a whole lot cosier with its wood-burning stove. They had tested it out last night and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, although Rory had made some comment about, ‘the novelty wearing off’ for her. But Cassie was having none of it, totally embracing the outdoor life. She’d loved the intimacy of snuggling up in a cute little bed and dodging out of each other’s way as they navigated the kitchenette and minuscule bathroom.
‘It’s so quaint!’ she’d cried.
‘The barn will feel like a stadium compared to this,’ Rory answered.
For breakfast Cassie had cooked them bacon and eggs before leaving to set off to the Inn for the last time; well, as assistant manager at least.
On her arrival, she’d been touched to find the office decorated with farewell balloons and a pile of good luck cards lay unopened on her desk. The nearest she’d got to crying was when Charles, the owner of the hotel, had given a short presentation.
‘Cassie, you’ve been a big part of the Inn and it won’t be the same without you.’ Then, giving her the present from all the staff added, ‘But we all wish you every happiness in your exciting new journey.’
Cassie’s eyes had misted over as she hugged Charles, overjoyed and overcome.
‘I’ll not be far away,’ she laughed, still managing to hold it together, ‘so no slacking,’ she joked.
