Page 2 of The Forever Cottage

The dog lifted his head from where he had been sniffing in the depths of a bush, pausing momentarily before galloping across to Tess, wagging his tail furiously.

‘Come on, Barney. Let’s get out of here.’

A chocolate-box pretty village in the heart of the Cotswolds, Lower Leaping, with a population of just under a thousand, was a small but vibrant community with a church, village shop and hall, and the local pub, The Royal Oak. Having lived there for over twenty-five years, Tess knew everyone, by sight at least, and as she stepped outside to walk the familiar path that led through the main thoroughfare of the village, alongside the honey-coloured stone buildings, she felt as though she was an outsider, visiting for the first time. She and Charles had been at the heart of the community for so long, putting on garden parties, attending church, participating in the show competitions at the summer fete and hosting suppers for their friends and neighbours, although she realised now they hadn’t done any entertaining in a long while. She and Charles had always come as a couple, presenting a united front. The Alexanders at Hollyhocks Cottage, on the hill. Now, as she strode out alone, Tess wondered how she would exist on her own, without her husband at her side.

‘Morning, Tess!’ Graham Southridge, clutching the Sunday newspapers in his hand, tipped his straw boater at her, a wide smile on his face. ‘I need to have a word with Charles, but I haven’t got time today.’ He glanced at his watch as he went on his way, calling over his shoulder, ‘Anita’s sister and her family are coming over for lunch and I’m under strict instructions not to dawdle. I’ve got my chores to see to, apparently.’ He gave a loud chuckle. ‘Perhaps I’ll call round tomorrow evening?’

‘Oh actually, I’m not sure that Charles will be at home then. Maybe give him a call first to check.’

‘Will do! Have a good day, Tess!’

As Graham quickly went on his way, much to Tess’s relief, she was reminded how the Alexanders’ break-up would be the talk of the village and would create long-reaching ripples amongst their friends and neighbours. It would come as a shock to those who had considered the Alexanders’ marriage to be rock solid, especially when she could barely believe it herself. For the moment, she was pleased that the news hadn’t spread far and wide, but it was only a question of time. Time enough for her to get her thoughts in order. Although she was determined not to live in this nowhere land for too long. Like ripping off a plaster, the sooner it was done, the better.

She strode on with purpose now, her mind a hotbed of conflicting thoughts and emotions. None of this was of her making. She felt like a pawn in Charles’s chess game, without any moves of her own, but that was only because she had been blindsided by her husband’s actions. Was she stupid not to have seen it coming?

It didn’t have to be that way, she decided, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face. She might not have had any say up until this point, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t take charge of her own destiny now. Determinedly, she walked with Barney along their usual route down the main street, across the wooden bridge over the meandering river, and into the fields where Barney, let free from his lead, zigzagged across the grass, tracking the scents with his nose. She took a deep breath, relishing the beauty of her surroundings, the landscape so familiar to her and now, comforting too. They walked around the edge of the field before leaving through the kissing gate, and then taking the stone bridge back over the river at the other end of the village, following the path that led home.

Feeling marginally better than she had done in days, Tess approached the cottage with a smile. How could she not when Hollyhocks looked so beautiful in the morning light, the rambling rose against the golden-coloured limestone displaying clusters of pretty, pink blooms. She unlatched the gate and walked along the path, stopping to admire the frontage. It was perfect, apart from perhaps the front door, which was finished in a dark-green gloss paint. She’d never liked it and had always thought a softer pastel colour would suit it much better, but Charles had got his way on that one as he usually did.

Walking along the front of the house towards the back door, she was thinking about the mug of tea and slice of walnut and sultana loaf, with a thick slathering of butter, she would have inside, the recent emotional upset not having had an impact on her appetite at all. She’d just pulled the key out of her pocket when she heard footsteps on the gravel driveway and a familiar voice that made her stomach drop.

‘Tess! I’ve been meaning to catch you.’ Dilly Duchamp, in wide-legged linen trousers and a loose-fitting tunic top, appeared from next door, looking effortlessly stylish and cool, in contrast to Tess’s post-dog-walk glow. ‘I was going to call round earlier in the week, but I sensed all was not well.’ Those last words were delivered in hushed tones and with a wide-eyed grimace. Dilly looked over her shoulders as though she might have a listening audience. ‘I saw Charles leaving with his suitcases and heard raised voices. I was hoping he would be back by now, but there’s been no sighting of him since.’

Now it was Tess’s turn to widen her eyes, wondering if Dilly had been staging a stake-out from her bedroom window.

‘And to be honest with you, sweetie, you’re looking…’ Dilly paused, for maximum effect. ‘Terrible. Is everything all right?’ Tess might have been reassured by the other woman’s show of concern had it not been for the eagerness of her tone.

Despite living next door to Dilly Duchamp for over fifteen years, Tess had never really warmed to her neighbour, finding her overbearing and annoying, but she had always tried to remain on friendly terms for the sake of… well now, she wasn’t quite sure why she’d tried so hard.

‘Thanks, Dilly, for pointing that out. I do look a bit shit, don’t I? But that’s what comes when your husband of thirty years abandons you for a young, lithe and lovely business associate. So, yeah, not the best day. But listen, there’s no need for you to stay on lookout duties. Charles is gone and he won’t be coming back again. Not to stay at least. So, there we are!’

Tess fixed Dilly with a wide smile and she was gratified to discover that the tears that had been so in evidence these last few days were nowhere to be found, and instead, she recognised a relief and freedom in voicing her new reality aloud.

3

Tess’s minor moment of triumph was short-lived because no sooner had she stepped inside the boot room than she realised the error of her uncharacteristic and impulsive outburst. She kicked off her boots, leaving them alongside the motley collection of wellies, trainers and coats that they’d acquired over several years, and hung Barney’s lead up on one of the hooks.

‘Damn!’ She ran a hand through her hair and wandered into the kitchen. She wasn’t thinking straight and her head was all over the place. The last person in the world she wanted to talk to, apart from Dilly Duchamp and the rest of the local community, was her husband Charles, but now he’d given her no choice. How bloody dare he put her in this position. Instinctively, as she had done on hundreds of occasions before, she reached for her phone and paused briefly before pressing on his name. At other times, she would have been calling to see when he would be home from work, what he might want for dinner or asking if he could pick up some bits on his way back, but those kinds of conversations were a thing of the past. Now, she hardly knew how to speak to the man who she had shared her life with for over thirty years.

‘Hey, Tess!’

The sound of his warm and familiar voice caused her stomach to tumble. For the briefest moment, she wondered if there’d been a mistake, if Charles wouldn’t break into laughter and explain how it had been a huge misunderstanding. That he would be home at the usual time. But it took only a second for her to remember the coldness in his tone and his matter-of-factness, only a few days earlier, when telling her that he was walking away from their marriage.

‘Charles,’ she said, finding an inner resolve. ‘Hannah rang this morning and it’s clear you haven’t told her your plans. You must do it soon, today even, before she hears it from someone else.’

She heard his sigh which only caused to antagonise her further.

‘Tess, it’ll be the middle of the night there. You’re not thinking straight.’

‘Don’t patronise me,’ she snapped, an anger igniting in her chest. Was Melody there at his side, a self-satisfied smile resting on her pert lips? ‘It’s a good job one of us is thinking about our daughter instead of simply giving in to our own selfish needs.’

‘Look, she’s on the other side of the world, enjoying herself. I don’t want to spoil her trip by making her worry about what’s going on at home.’ Charles tone was softer now, conciliatory, immensely annoying. ‘She doesn’t need to know yet. We can tell her when she gets back.’

‘Don’t be an idiot!’ Tess was unable to hide her exasperation. ‘If you didn’t want to upset your daughter then you shouldn’t have played around in the first place. Just think how much more devastating it will be if she hears the news from a stranger.’

‘You’re emotional, I get that, but there’s no need to do anything impulsive.’

Tess had to bite on her lip to stop the scream from escaping her mouth.

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