Page 49 of The Forever Cottage

She opened the doors for the dog and followed him outside, breathing in the cool night air. Immediately, he went across to the annexe, sniffing at the door, emitting a small whine to be let inside.

‘Sorry, Barney, he’s not here any more,’ she told him.

The solar lights dotted along the winding pathways threw soft shadows over the garden and Tess was reassured by the comforting silence, punctuated only by a medley of insect sounds from the shrubs and bushes. Her gaze drifted upwards into the night sky, picking out the twinkling stars, imagining that those same stars had been sparkling over Hannah, in her part of the world, offering her some kind of protection.

After Barney had had a good old mooch about, they headed back inside. Tess went around all the doors, checking they were locked. She poured herself a glass of water and was just padding up the stairs when she heard something outside. The approaching of a car on the gravel driveway, the automatic lights turning on. She glanced at her watch, wondering who it could be. It was way past midnight. Perhaps it was Gina or Suzy realising they’d forgotten something vital like their phone or keys, but then she hadn’t spotted anything when she’d been tidying up. Or maybe it was someone who had taken a wrong turn up the lane and was using the driveway as a turning circle. It wouldn’t be the first time. Tess stood stock-still on the stairs, waiting for the car to drive off in the direction it came, but when she heard the slamming of the car door and footsteps across the gravel, she braced herself for the inevitable knocking on the front door. When it came, it struck a chord of fear in her chest. A visitor at this time of night could only mean one thing – bad news. Barney’s barking, alerting her to the visitor, meant she had no other option but to head for the door, and with her heart beating loudly in chest, she prised the door open halfway, peering outside, not knowing what might be waiting for her on the other side.

‘Oh my goodness!’ Tess actually screamed and in the immediate moments after, she hoped she hadn’t woken Dilly next door, or the rest of the village come to that. ‘Hannah!’ she cried in an expression of relief and happiness. ‘What are you doing here?’

* * *

After a flurry of hugs, Tess helped Hannah to bring her bags inside, thanking the driver for his trouble. Her heart was still beating frantically but now it was filled with excitement and anticipation, her mind racing in circles, trying to find a reason why Hannah was home. It was about four weeks before her planned arrival.

‘Oh Mum, I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be home. And Barney, my best boy.’ She dropped to the floor, throwing her arms around his neck, burying her face in his fur.

‘Oh my goodness. Me too! We’ve been so worried about you.’

Even in the half-light, standing on the threshold to Hollyhocks Cottage, Tess had sensed that there was something wrong. She might have expected Hannah to look brimming with health, happy with a light in her blue eyes, desperate to tell her mum every step of her adventure. Instead, there was no sign of any excitement, only a sadness that exuded from every pore in her body. Hannah was covered in baggy joggers and a sweat top, her hair scraped back behind her head, her eyes rimmed with red from where she’d obviously been crying. Still, Tess knew that now wasn’t the time for a dozen questions. She could tell that Hannah was shattered and emotionally wrung-out but now that she was safe and home, there would be plenty of time to uncover what might have gone so terribly wrong in Australia.

‘Oh my God, it’s looks so different in here, Mum.’ Hannah wandered into the kitchen, her gaze travelling around here. ‘It’s so bright and welcoming, and thank God you’ve got rid of all those old maps. I hated those!’

‘Me too! They went in the tip!’ Tess chuckled. ‘You should see your dad’s old office. It’s beautiful. I’ll show you in the morning. What would you like, darling? You must be exhausted after that long flight. We’ve got most things.’

‘I’ve been dying for a proper cup of tea and a bacon sandwich if there’s one going?’ Tess was relieved to see that the tears had dried up for a moment and heard a note of the old Hannah in her voice. Tess felt certain whatever it was that was going on in her daughter’s life, it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be made better with a cup of tea and a bacon sarnie.

‘Of course. I will have to text your dad and Sophie to let them know that you’re home. I didn’t have Billy’s number, and I didn’t know his surname, so there was no way of me contacting him.’

‘Huh, well he wouldn’t have been any use. We’ve split up, anyway,’ she said, crossly, which came as no surprise to Tess. It was just as she suspected, a holiday romance that had gone wrong. Heartbreaking, but Hannah would get over it, even if she didn’t think so now. Hannah went on. ‘Look, I’m sorry I didn’t call, but I was travelling and to be honest, I didn’t know what to say. Is there any way we can hold off telling everyone that I’m back? Just for a while. I’m not sure I can face anyone just yet.’ She looked across at her mum with imploring eyes.

‘Yes, of course, if that’s what you want. What I’ll do is text them in the morning and tell them that I’ve heard from you and that you’re perfectly well. Just to stop them from worrying. How does that sound?’

‘Perfect, thanks, Mum. I do love you, you know,’ she said, before slumping down in a seat at the kitchen island.

‘That’s good because I love you too.’

And then a little later, once Hannah had finished her midnight feast: ‘Come on, let’s get to bed. I’m sure everything will look so much better in the morning.’

35

Tess slept better than she had in days and woke early, refreshed and feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Immediately, she reached for her phone and texted everyone she knew that had been worried about Hannah.

At last, I’ve heard from her and she’s absolutely fine! She’ll be in touch with us all over the next couple of days. She’s obviously having far too much fun!

She hoped that would be enough to allay everyone’s fears and give Hannah a couple of days breathing space before she needed to reach out to people again. Only it seemed from Charles’s hastily received reply that he was more angry than relieved.

Was that it? No apology? No sorry for worrying you all senseless? What’s got into that girl? It really isn’t good enough. I need to have some strong words with her when she gets home.

Tess sighed. She couldn’t worry about Charles’s feelings now. The last thing she wanted was to put extra pressure on her daughter when she was clearly struggling with the break-up of her relationship. It sounded as though Hannah had fallen hard for Billy, but Tess was hoping that a few days of home cooking and some much-needed rest and recuperation would hopefully have Hannah feeling much better able to cope with the situation.

Judging by the time Hannah finally surfaced from her room, well after midday, Tess suspected that the good night’s sleep had already done her daughter the power of good.

‘How are you feeling this morning?’ she asked, turning to greet her with a big smile. ‘I can’t tell you how good it is to have you home. Come here for a hug. Honestly, I still can’t believe that you’re actually here.’

‘No, me neither,’ she said, allowing herself to fall into her mum’s arms, squeezing her tight. ‘Australia seems like a lifetime away now. It almost feels like it’s a dream, as though it all happened to someone else.’ She extracted herself from her mum’s embrace, plonking herself down at the kitchen table, looking morose.

‘Right, well what would you like? A cup of tea? Some cereal? Another bacon sandwich, perhaps?’

Hannah grimaced.

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