Page 59 of The Beekeeper's Cottage
‘Well, it’s a beautiful morning. I thought I’d put coffee and a selection of pastries out on the patio table in a bit, and then as folks appear they can help themselves until—’ She broke off as her phone began to ring and frowned before connecting the call, turning away from Paul for a little privacy.
‘Morning, Flora, is everything all right?’ She knew it wasn’t early for her neighbour to be up and about, but it was early for her to be calling.
There was a pause at the other end of the line and Grace could hear a muffled voice in the background.
‘Yes, it’s fine… I just wondered if you’d seen Amos this morning?’
Grace was aware of Paul’s eyes boring into the back of her head. ‘No, why?’ Flora was trying to be casual about it, but Grace could tell there was more to her question than just a simple enquiry. And there it was again, the voice in the background.
‘I just needed a hand with something, that’s all, and he doesn’t appear to be around. He’s probably gone for a walk or something, but I just wondered whether he might be with you.’
‘I haven’t seen him…’ She paused, wondering how much she could say within Paul’s earshot. ‘But it’s possible he’s in the garden. Do you want me to go and have a look?’ She declined to mention that he’d taken to sleeping there.
‘There’s no rush, Grace, I can wait, just if you spot him.’
Which was, of course, completely untrue. If Flora could wait and there really was no urgency, then why was she ringing?
Grace made her voice light. ‘I’ll pop down now, it’s no bother. I’ll ring you back, okay?’ She cut the call without waiting for Flora’s reply.
‘Problem?’ asked Paul as she turned back.
‘No… just need to pass a message on, that’s all.’
She moved past him and headed out of the patio doors, waiting until she was halfway across the lawn before ringing Flora back. She hadn’t even checked to see if Amoswasin the garden. He wasn’t there last night and he wasn’t there now; she could feel his absence, like a piece of her was missing.
The phone rang twice before it was answered. ‘What’s going on, Flora? I can talk now.’
There was a long pause, full of anguish. ‘Oh, Grace… I think Amos has gone.’
Grace closed her eyes, feeling dread bloom in the pit of her stomach. ‘What do you mean, he’s gone?’ She needed to hear Flora say it, so there could be no doubt.
‘He didn’t appear this morning, which is unusual, and at first I didn’t think anything of it, but then it just began to feel… odd. I don’t really know how to explain it. So I had Ned go over to the cottage, but his rucksack had gone… and he’s taken my painting down from the wall…’
Grace was still marching through the garden and had reached the top of the slope. ‘Come into the field, Flora, I’ll meet you there.’
She ended the call once more and concentrated on moving as fast as she could. Why would Amos do that? Hadn’t he promised he would never leave without saying goodbye? Besides, Amos would never just up sticks and move on without saying anything, not unless he had good reason…
She met Flora halfway across the field, running the last few metres until the two women stood looking at one another. Flora was the first to move, throwing her arms around Grace.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, hugging her close. ‘I don’t know what’s happened. I thought he was a bit quiet yesterday, but I didn’t read anything into it and I certainly didn’t think he was planning on leaving.’ She drew away, searching Grace’s face.
It would have been impossible for Grace to explain to Flora previously how she felt about Amos, given that she had only just admitted it to herself, but in that instant she could see that she didn’t need to. Flora was newly married, in the first flush of love, she knew what it felt like to have lost her heart.
‘It’s not your fault,’ she whispered. ‘It was nothing you did, it was nothing any of us did…’ But the moment Grace said it, she knew she was wrong. Because there was someone who could well have done something. She turned and looked back up in the direction of the house. Her eyes narrowed. ‘And you’re sure he’s gone?’
Flora nodded sadly. ‘Everything he had, which admittedly wasn’t much, has gone…’ She trailed off. ‘But even that doesn’t account for it somehow.’ She pulled a face. ‘A lot more than just the man himself has gone, certainly more than what arrived with him. Does that make any sense at all?’ It did, it made perfect sense.
‘There’s an Amos-shaped hole in Hope Corner,’ replied Grace, feeling suddenly desolate. ‘And I don’t know what to do about it.’
‘He can’t have gone far, but I have no idea what time he left. Ned has already said he’ll go out and look for him; drive the lanes and see if he can find him.’
Grace shook her head. ‘I have a feeling that if Amos doesn’t want to be found, then there’s almost no point looking.’
‘But we can’t give up.’
‘I didn’t say that.’ She looked back at the house again, feeling her despair turning to anger. ‘I said there’s almost no point looking, but if you know where he’s gone, there’s every point.’
Flora looked quizzical. ‘But we don’t know where he has gone… do we?’
