Page 65 of The House at Hope Corner
‘Off you go, lass,’ he said, sitting back in his chair.
She had no idea where to begin but a deep breath seemed called for at the very least. She tucked her hair behind her ears and wriggled in her chair.
‘I haven’t been entirely honest, Ned,’ she began, avoiding his eyes. ‘And there are some things I need to say first about my life before I came to Hope Corner. Things that you don’t know.’ She dropped her hands into her lap. ‘I’ve been accused of coming here under false pretences, but I didn’t, I—’
‘Flora, wait––’
Fraser put out his hand. ‘Let the girl speak, Ned, you’ll get your chance.’
Flora gathered herself again. ‘I didn’t come here under false pretences, but neither can I pretend that it wasn’t the most serendipitous timing on your part, Ned. You came into my life at a time when I had reached a crossroads and, from where I was standing, there was only one route available to me. I hadn’t even bothered to look at the other roads because frankly any idiot could see that they weren’t viable options. But then you came along, Ned, and suddenly my whole world was filled with possibility, the roads became endless, stretching out on all sides…’
She held his look for a second, but it was all she could manage. ‘And so I accepted your offer to travel those paths and I understand full well how that might appear dishonest, but in my book that’s just the universe doing its thing, in all its wonderful glory…’
Her head was suddenly filled with an image of Ned standing in her shop on the very first day she had met him, the sun glinting off his coppery hair, his mad freckles a dark smudge across his otherwise pale skin. At the time, she had felt a sudden jolt as if fate were shouting her name and begging her to pay attention. The fact that she had seen the same response mirrored in Ned’s eyes had been an even bigger surprise. She choked back her tears.
‘I’ve always trusted my intuition,’ she continued. ‘I still do. I can’t help it if that makes me weird, or kooky, it’s just me… who I am.’ She shrugged. ‘And I’m not about to change, sorry.’
She bit her lip and carried on while she still could. ‘So even though things haven’t worked out here, I still believe that I came with honest intentions and moreover that everything that happened in my life beforehand has somehow given me the means to find a way forward for the farm… and I couldn’t leave without explaining. I think I owe you that much.’
Ned leaned forward, his forearms resting on the table. ‘What happened, Flora?’
‘My business failed,’ she said simply. ‘In a nutshell, that’s what happened. And I’ve agonised over the reasons why, but actually I think it had just had its time. Nearly ten years all told, and brilliant years for the most part. I met some amazing people, and my little shop was my world through each and every season, marked out by the flowers that came and went as our little planet circled the sun. But times change and, where once there had been a place for me and my flowers and people were happy to buy them, that changed too, for all sorts of reasons.’
She sat up a little straighter and cleared her throat. ‘And then my brother-in-law offered me a loan, just to tide me over… and I thought, like you did, that this was the answer to all my problems. And it was, for a little while, before everything came crashing down and I realised I’d made the biggest mistake of my life.’
‘Oh, Flora…’ said Ned, staring at her with a mixture of surprise and wariness, wondering what was coming next. But then his expression changed slightly and he lifted his head a little. ‘Go on,’ he said. ‘Why was it a mistake?’
‘Because my sister discovered that her husband was a compulsive gambler and had mortgaged their house to the hilt, run up a huge amount of debt and stolen money from his company as well. Money which he then lent to me.’
Ned groaned. ‘Oh, Christ,’ he said, and Flora knew it was as much for what had happened as it was the realisation of just how similar their situations actually were. ‘And that’s why you sold the shop…’ he said.
‘Yes. That’s why I sold the shop. How could I keep the money knowing that it had been swindled from honest people? I had to pay it back. And because of me, Rowena has been left with virtually nothing; she lost everything she had and what little remained she had to sell to pay back her husband’s debt. Even though I didn’t know he had stolen the money he lent me, I was stupid and deluded thinking that a loan would solve everything. I knew it was too easy, that there was something about it that didn’t seem quite right, but I didn’t ask any questions, I didn’t check, I just took the easy way out and grabbed the money. I was one of the reasons why my sister was left with nothing, and in the end no better than a common thief. How could I possibly keep my shop, knowing that?’
She stared at him, feeling the flush of anger and shame that filled her rising up to colour her cheeks as she dared him not to agree with her.
‘And that’s why you didn’t tell anyone? Oh, Flora… you’re not a thief, you’re—’
He was about to continue when the door burst open and Caroline walked in.
‘Morning!’ she sang. ‘And how is everyone today? Oh, Fraser, you’re up…’
She chattered on for a few moments, completely oblivious to the fact that no one was answering, but then realisation dawned and she suddenly stopped.
‘Oh, have I come at a bad time?’
‘Well, yes, dear,’ said Hannah. ‘Perhaps if you—’
But Flora had had enough. All the hurt and anger and upset of the last few days rose up in a surge that would not be denied. And what the hell did it matter what she said anyway? She had nothing to lose.
‘Actually, Caroline, you’ve come at the perfect time because there’s a few things I want to say to you.’ She got to her feet. ‘Firstly… don’t you think it’s rude not to knock? You might be a friend of the family, although frankly I doubt that, but in any case you just waltz in here as if you own the place. Well, you don’t, not yet, and if I have anything to do with it, you won’t, ever. So next time you come around, give some thought to the fact that Fraser is still recovering from his operation and, as his bedroom is now downstairs, for all you know he might be wandering around in his underpants. And even if he isn’t, he mightn’t want you just bursting in when you feel like it.’
Flora broke off, her heart beginning to thump in her chest, but she was only just getting started. Ignoring the two red spots that had appeared in Caroline’s cheeks, she carried on.
‘Secondly, I know all about the loan that you made to the farm, a loan made so generously that you’re now wielding it over everyone here like a big stick. That’s not generosity, that’s bully-boy tactics, so don’t come in here pretending friendship when you wouldn’t know the meaning of the word if someone wrapped it up and baked it in a pie for you.’
She shook her head. That didn’t sound quite right but she rushed on regardless. ‘And howdareyou suggest that Fraser isn’t up to running the farm? Poor Fraser this, and poor Fraser that. Well, let me tell you, this man has more courage and determination in his little finger than you have in your entire bloody jodhpur-clad body. You haveneverhad to fight for anything, Caroline, least of all your life, so until you’re qualified to make such judgements, I suggest you keep your mouth shut.’
‘Well, really…’ Up until that moment, Caroline’s face had registered only the shock she was feeling. Now, though, her mouth twisted into an ugly sneer as she found her voice.
