Page 69 of Falling in Love at Pennycress Inn

Standing up, she turned to make her way along the row of chairs towards the aisle running down by the wall. She shouldn’t have come. She didn’t want to be here.

‘Nic, what are you doing?’ Laura hissed as she tugged at her cardigan.

‘I’m going home, I can’t?—’

‘Please sit down, Miss Fields.’ Miss Cooke’s voice filled the hall as people began to turn and whisper.

Halting in her tracks, Nicola sank to her chair, her face quickly turning a bright scarlet. She’d only wanted to leave. Miss Cooke couldn’t keep her captive. She was a mayoress, not a headmistress. Nicola looked down at her clasped hands in her lap, trying to avoid seeing the hundreds of pairs of eyes all focused on her.

‘It’ll be okay.’ Laura reached over and rubbed her arm.

Nicola glanced quickly across at her. It wouldn’t be. Not only had everyone been gossiping about her already, but now Miss Cooke had called her out and embarrassed her further. She just wanted the ground to swallow her up, or, better still, a tunnel to her cottage appear by her feet. But that wasn’t going to happen, was it?

‘I think now is a good time for another exciting announcement.’ Miss Cooke’s voice echoed in the large space again.

Nicola closed her eyes tightly shut. Yep, definitely time for an exciting announcement just after she’d reprimanded Nicola, a grown woman.

‘Today we welcome a new resident into the heart of our wonderful community. As you will only be too aware, the lovely Farmer Williams left us just at the beginning of the year.’

Murmuring rose through the hall.

Opening her eyes, Nicola twisted the hem of her cardigan between her fingers. Surely she couldn’t be announcing the new farmer already? Charlie had only left two days ago, and he hadn’t heard back from Miss Taunton about the interested party by then, so she very much doubted there could have been a viewing and the exchange of money and contracts all in two days. There couldn’t have been time.

Unless Charlie hadn’t been quite honest with her? Unless he’d been hiding the fact the farm had sold?

She swallowed. No, he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t have lied to her. She knew him better than to think he would have lied. So how?

Maybe the new farmer was renting it from Charlie for the time being until the contracts were exchanged. That made sense.

She sniffed, determined not to let the tears fall again.

It was well and truly over. If the new farmer had indeed moved in, then that was that. Charlie wouldn’t be back.

She shifted in her chair. She knew he wouldn’t be, he’d told her, but there had always been that tiny sliver of hope. Now, with the new farmer in residence, that had gone. All gone.

It was over.

‘And so we welcome the new farmer who has taken up residence at Little Mead…’

Nicola looked up, her eyes focusing on Miss Cooke as she waved manically towards the door of the hall. Whoever the new farmer was must have been lurking outside.

Her breath caught in her throat as someone stepped inside the hall and made their way up to the stage. The familiar well-worn checked flannel shirt, the piercing blue eyes, the…

‘Charlie Williams.’

Nicola clamped her hand over her mouth as a small shriek escaped her throat. It was Charlie. Charlie had taken over Little Mead? Permanently? Was that what Miss Cooke was saying?

She watched as he made his way towards the middle of the stage and Miss Cooke signalled to the lectern and the microphone.

Stepping in front of it, Charlie adjusted the height of the microphone before speaking. ‘Thank you for such a warm welcome. If I may just have a moment of your time.’ He searched the sea of faces in front of him before continuing. ‘I’m really only here because of one person. One person who showed me how special Little Mead, my uncle’s pride and joy, is. One person who introduced me to Meadowfield and kept insisting that the charm of village living would rub off on me.’

Nicola glanced across to Laura, who was grinning at her.

‘And it did. I fell in love with Little Mead, with Meadowfield, but more than anything else I fell in love with’ – Charlie scanned the audience again before locking eyes with Nicola and pointing to her – ‘with you, Nicola Fields.’

Gasps erupted all around her and she could definitely feel everyone’s eyes on her now, but she didn’t care. She kept her eyes locked with Charlie’s.

‘I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone before.’ He shifted on his feet. ‘And I’m standing up here begging you to take me back.’

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