Page 97 of A Year at Appleyard Farm
He nodded sullenly.
‘So let’s calm down and get back to what’s important here; that a serious crime has been committed, an elderly lady is very poorly in hospital, and you and Laura are potential witnesses. There’s nothing else to discuss, you both need to have a long hard think about what you may or may not have seen, and then take it to the police. Let them be the judge of what’s useful information.’
Freya sat down. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I just don’t want Laura to get hurt, that’s all.’
There was a long sighing breath as Stephen joined her. ‘Freya, neither do I.’
His words sat between them for a moment until Freya looked up at him. There was a softness to his eyes that she wasn’t sure she had ever seen before. She nodded gently.
‘I don’t have a number for Laura, though, only an address. We agreed to meet tomorrow to go through the ideas she’s had for the wedding, but you should probably try to see her before then.’ She hesitated for a few seconds. ‘I could tell you how to get there,’ she added, ‘or I could come with you…’
Sam cleared his throat. ‘Actually, Freya, I could really use your help this morning. Joe Jones is bringing his crop round at nine. From what he said on the phone, there’s a lot of it.’
Freya knew when she’d been outwitted. She gave a conciliatory smile. ‘Okay, Stephen, you can go on your own. Laura’s cottage is on the Marlowes road, just before you get to the village. There’s a lane off to the right with a post box on the corner. Laura’s is the last of four houses. Clarence Cottage it’s called.’
‘Okay, I’ll find it.’
‘Oh, and one more thing?’
Stephen looked up at the query in her voice.
‘Before you go, change out of your running gear.’
He sucked in his stomach automatically. ‘Aye aye, boss.’ He grinned.
Sam waited until Stephen had closed the back door behind him before pulling Freya up from her chair.
‘I’m very proud of you, you know.’ He smiled, finding her lips with his.
Freya pulled away slightly. ‘I don’t know why,’ she said. ‘When I’m such a pig. I can see Stephen’s trying really hard, but he still manages to rile me quicker than anyone I know,’ she added.
‘You’ll get there,’ he replied. ‘It’s taken Stephen a long time to square up to his shortcomings, but now that he has, we need to trust him, hard though that may be. He’s learning to trust himself too, don’t forget.’
‘I know.’ Freya sighed, looking at her watch. ‘Right, come on then, we’d better make a start if Joe’s coming at nine.’
Sam pulled her in closer. ‘Actually,’ he muttered, ‘he said he might be nearer half past…we’ve got forty minutes or so to wait…’ he said, kissing her again.
‘Oh, I see.’ Freya winked, kissing him back.
* * *
Laura was in the middle of making a very long list when she realised that someone was ringing her doorbell. She had a light in every room that alerted her to the fact, but engrossed as she was, they could have been standing there for quite some time before she noticed. She gave an audible tut. She was in full flow, ideas coming thick and fast and the last thing she needed was an interruption. She hastily scribbled another item on the bottom of her list in case she forgot it.
She had on her bestI can’t stand here talking all dayface on as she opened the door, which deepened further when she found Stephen on her doorstep.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked without thinking. It came out rather more bluntly than she had intended.
‘Hello,’ he signed slowly. ‘How are you?’
Laura stepped back in surprise, suddenly understanding why Stephen looked so uncomfortable. He was nervous, and it was such a contrast to what she expected from him, that she didn’t know how to respond.
‘Fine, thanks,’ she signed back.
There was immediate alarm in his eyes, and she smothered a smile.
‘Is that all you know?’ she asked, dropping her hands.
Stephen offered an apologetic grin. ‘Pretty much,’ he said. ‘That and goodbye, please, thank you and sorry.’
