Page 26 of A Year at Appleyard Farm
‘Big of you,’ she said. ‘I still don’t understand.’
‘Well, it’s not unusual in situations like this for a mortgage to be raised against one property to help to buy another. That’s what Stephen was trying to do. Trouble is that unbeknownst to me, he’s already mortgaged Braeburn to help pay off some of his debts, debts which incidentally still exist. The bank won’t lend him the money, it’s as simple as that. I’m not involved in any of this because I don’t own Braeburn, Stephen does.’
Freya stared at him. ‘What do you mean you don’t own it, since when?’
‘Since Dad died and left everything to Stephen.’ He held up his hand. ‘Hang on, let me finish. What did your dad used to say about mine?’
‘He called him a wily old bird, the sharpest business brain around.’
‘Exactly, and he was, and he also knew both his sons very well. He called us together a few years before he died to discuss his affairs, and he gave us a choice. He could leave Braeburn to both of us, or only one of us, in which case the other would inherit financially but would never own the orchard. If he left it to both of us, we had to run the business together, and if he left it to only one of us, the other would be granted permission to live there for as long as Braeburn remained in the other’s possession. He was giving me an out, Freya.’
Amos placed three plates of sandwiches down on the table. ‘As you say, a very astute man.’
‘No, I still don’t get it. Why would you give all that up, Sam, why let Stephen win?’ asked Freya.
‘I haven’t let him win. Dad knew that Stephen would never want to give up Braeburn, but he also knew that if we had to run the farm together, it would be a disaster. I would have hated it, so he did the best thing he could think of, which was to give me the opportunity to carry on living there but to leave me with an investment that I could use for my own future when the time was right. I think he hoped that Stephen would change his ways and make the best of the opportunity he’d been given too, but he’s done exactly what Dad worried he would do. He’s frittered everything away, and now he’s lucky if he’ll have anything left. I didn’t realise it at the time, and I know Dad hoped everything would turn out fine, but he wanted to protect me from going down with the ship. I think I’ve just realised how astute he actually was.’
‘And how much he loved you,’ said Amos.
The words hung in the air for a few moments, settling between them all.
‘So everything at Braeburn’s is Stephen’s, the fancy lorry, the posh house, everything?’
‘Yes.’
Freya picked at the edge of her cast. ‘And Stephen came to you this morning because he wanted to borrow money from you, so he could buy this place?’
‘Essentially, yes.’
‘And what did you say?’
‘I told him no…I’m setting myself free, Freya. Finally.’
She considered this for a moment. ‘But do you have the money?’ she asked quietly.
‘It’s not what you think, Freya,’ he said quickly. ‘Please just let me explain.’
‘What’s to explain, Sam?’ she flashed, turning on him. ‘I can see exactly how it is. You didn’t feel the need to explain any of this before, and I wonder why. Oh, yes, because this is what it’s been about the whole time, isn’t it? This stupid bloody rivalry between you and Stephen. And now after all these years you’ve finally got the revenge you’ve waited so long for. I’ve been like a lamb to the slaughter, haven’t I? You’ve been keeping me sweet so that you could swoop in at the last minute and buy my house out from under me. Do you even want it, Sam, or is it just to get back at Stephen?’ She got up from the table. ‘Well, I’ll tell you one thing, I’m not going to be piggy in the middle any more. I know what I did was wrong, but I was just beginning to let myself fall in love with you all over again. I didn’t realise you still hated me quite as much as you do. You can think again about buying this place, Sam. Over my dead body you will.’
She turned and looked at Amos, the tears spilling from her eyes. ‘Excuse me, I need to go and get dressed…and you,’ she added, pointing a shaky finger at Sam, ‘can get out of my house. Now.’
* * *
Sam braced himself for the sound of slamming doors, but none came. Just a deep and all-encompassing silence. He lay his head on the table and groaned. ‘As if I couldn’t see that coming. It’s been inching ever closer, coming at me straight between the eyes, and there didn’t seem to be a damned thing I could do to stop it. She’s not going to listen to me now, is she? What the hell am I going to do? I can’t lose her, Amos, not again.’
Amos laid a hand on his shoulder, and paused for a moment, thinking. He took a deep breath.
‘You’re going to do what you were going to do before, and that is to help me bring in the mistletoe.’
Sam lifted his head a fraction. ‘And that’s the sum token of your sage advice, is it?’
‘It’s very sound advice actually. One, because it will keep you busy for a few minutes, two because it will give Freya the time to fully take in what she’s just learned before you go and speak to her, and three, very importantly, because it’s Mistletoe Day, and the mistletoe needs to be on the inside, not in the barn.’
‘Amos, this is important.’
‘Yes, it is, I’m glad you agree. Come on then.’
‘I meant…this whole thing with Freya.’
