He did indeed remember saying those words, but he’d meant them as a compliment, in that he’d taken note of her admiring and wanting something. Well, it seems she had done exactly the same with him. Lilly had seen him lust after his brother’s wife; and more significantly, she had known all this time the secret he and Alice had shared.
Chapter 42
It was Friday, the day of the interview with the magazine. Thankfully, the approval from the council had been emailed to them that very morning, so that had nicely cushioned the trepidation that had started to rise in Rory.
Cassie had checked for any incoming emails early on and was ecstatic to read out loud the results of the planning application to Rory, who was half asleep still in bed, dreading the day ahead. The well-awaited good news soon saw him leaping out of his slumber to see for his own eyes.
‘Yes!’ he punched the air. ‘I’ll get onto David Higham straightaway.’
‘No need,’ replied Cassie. ‘He’s been copied in, so he already knows.’
‘Good. Hopefully the builders can crack on immediately.’ Cassie laughed at his fervour.
‘They’ll need some notice, Rory,’ she reasoned.
As promised, Jasper had given them the contact details of the building company that had worked on the barn’s gable end, putting it in a stable state. They were on standby, anticipating Rory contacting them as soon as the planning approval had been granted.
‘I’ll ring them now,’ he said whilst hastily dressing. ‘Try and arrange a start date.’
‘Don’t forget, Lancashire Lifestyle will be coming at ten a.m.,’ Cassie reminded him.
‘How could I forget?’ he flatly replied.
By the time the journalist from the magazine arrived, they were in high spirits. Rory had liaised with the builders and scheduled a time frame so that the work on the barn was due to start in exactly ten days’ time. This gave them both a huge boost, putting them in a positive state of mind to be interviewed, even Rory.
Spotting the journalist’s BMW just about managing to manoeuvre down the field and park by their shepherds hut, they quickly recapped a few items previously discussed and agreed.
‘Remember, we don’t put specific figures on any questions regarding money, loans or grants,’ advised Rory. He didn’t want anyone to know their financial status, it was a private matter and he didn’t want people to assume they were loaded. Not only was it not true, but it didn’t set the right tone for what they were about.
‘And don’t mention Jasper and Adira being friends,’ chipped in Cassie. ‘People may think we’ve been given preferential treatment, instead of buying the land fair and square.’ Again, they didn’t want to come across as taking advantage, but paying the asking price just like everyone else. ‘Anything else?’ Cassie asked, whilst opening the shepherds hut door to meet the journalist.
‘No, I think that’s everything, Pixie.’ He bent down to kiss her. ‘Let’s do this,’ he grinned.
‘Hello, hello,’ said a very smart, middle-aged lady wearing a Harris tweed jacket and jeans. Her expensive looking suede boots were lovely, albeit about to get extremely muddy, thought Cassie, who like Rory, was wearing very practical, sturdy wellies. She had carefully chosen both their outfits for the interview, at pains to hit the right note – eco country folk. They wore faded, worn-out jeans and thick jumpers, but not matching. ‘We don’t want to look like Dicky and Dotty,’ she’d chuckled to Rory. Rory’s Aran pullover had holes in the elbows, which Cassie insisted was the ideal image. The Hunter Wellington boots she’d given him for Christmas had now been splattered with mud, so that was fine. Her old ones had been borrowed from her mum and had endured a lifetime of farming. So, they definitely looked the part as they shook hands with the journalist. ‘I’m Julia Partridge,’ she said in rather clipped tones. ‘Pleased to meet you.’
Introductions out the way, Julia asked them to pose in front of the barn for some photographs. ‘We’ll capture the dilapidated condition of the barn, then once it’s all renovated, take some more shots to show it off,’ she said, whilst snapping away with her camera. Then, she wanted to take more pictures of them working the land. Rory and Cassie were back shovelling soil into the raised vegetable beds, trying to look as natural as possible. Each concentrated on the job in hand, careful not to catch the other’s eye, in case they got the giggles. After snapping a few more photos of the land and surrounding area, Julia then took some of the shepherds hut. Rory however, politely asked her to stop once they entered it.
‘We’d prefer not to have photos taken inside,’ he told her. ‘It’s our home and we want that to remain private.’ Cassie looked at the journalist, who appeared to understand.
‘No problem,’ she answered, then put her camera down and took out a notepad and pen from her bag. ‘So, Rory, how do you feel to be out working the land, instead of being in court?’
‘It feels great. I love being in the outdoors,’ he replied.
‘Then why did you study law, instead of farming in the first place?’ Julia stared intently at Rory for his answer. Cassie’s head turned sharply for his reaction. If she was trying to intimidate him in anyway, she wasn’t succeeding. Rory remained cool and calm, answering her with ease, but then he was a trained barrister, accustomed to coming under fire.
‘Being a human rights barrister gave me the opportunity and the privilege to represent some of the most vulnerable people in our society. I hardly think that’s been a wrong decision. I may very well continue to use my skills in law for the common good in future. So my studying law hasn’t been a waste. However, I’ve now reached a point in my life where I choose to live a simpler, greener existence and have, very fortunately, met Cassie to share this with.’ He turned to Cassie and gave her a smile. She leant forward and kissed his cheek, so touched at his reply. This proved too good an opportunity to miss for Julia, as her hand went down to retrieve the camera on the floor.
‘I said no pictures in here.’ Rory’s voice hardened.
‘Oh, sorry. Yes, of course,’ smiled Julia innocently. Then she faced Cassie. ‘And Cassie, how does living in a shepherds hut in a field compare to being in a luxury five-star hotel?’
‘Well, as you can see, it’s a bit of a squeeze.’ She laughed a little nervously. ‘But it won’t be for long. The building work on the barn is due to start very soon.’
‘I see,’ nodded Julia. ‘And how is all this being funded?’ Cassie opened her mouth to reply, but Rory answered for her.
‘Through savings and a mortgage, same as every other couple starting out.’ His tone was direct and firm, leaving no doubt that he would not elaborate in any way. Julia took the hint and moved on.
‘Do you intend to be fully self-sufficient?’
