Page 34 of A Year at Appleyard Farm
Optimistic, thought Freya; that was one word she’d have used. Or imaginative, that was another good one. You’d have to be both to see anything shop-like about the building to the side of Five Penny House. It was at least made of brick, but as Tom pulled open the door into the dark space beyond, it was evident that the only things still in one piece were the walls. A large part of the ceiling had collapsed in one corner, and opposite that, where the rain had poured through a broken window, the plasterboard had sagged and buckled away from one whole side of the building. Apart from that, the room was full of dirty and dusty junk.
‘Okay…’ said Sam slowly. ‘I’ve seen the mess in Freya’s barn, but if you don’t mind me saying, this is rather more than that.’
Tom scratched his head, as a trail of cobweb settled on it. ‘Yes, it’s not the property’s crowning glory, I’ll give you that. But at least the structure’s sound. Even the ceiling is not as bad as it looks.’
‘Well, I said I couldn’t remember there ever having been a shop here, and no wonder,’ said Freya. ‘It can’t have been open for decades?’
Merry nodded, being careful to keep Robyn out of the dust. ‘Probably before we were born,’ she replied.
‘But what do you think?’ urged Tom. ‘Are we mad or what?’
Freya gave Sam a long look, her lips pursed together. He obviously wasn’t entirely sure what to say, but Freya wasn’t quite so reticent.
‘I think you’re completely bloody mad,’ she said succinctly. ‘Although, actually, I wouldn’t expect anything less. The house is brilliant, but you’ve certainly got your work cut out for you here…When did you say you wanted this place open?’
‘June. At the latest,’ commented Tom. ‘Three months, that’s all.’
Freya snorted. ‘Well, good luck with that.’ She stopped for a moment, peering back into the gloom of the dingy room. ‘Seriously though, I am thrilled for you. It’s a brilliant opportunity, and I know you’re not afraid of hard work. Please just promise me that you’ll ask for help when you need it, especially with little Robyn here.’
She looked at Merry and Tom’s smiling faces. ‘We should have some champagne really, I’m sorry I didn’t think.’
‘Oh, plenty of time for that when we actually move in.’ Merry smiled. ‘We’ll just have to pretend for today,’ she added, raising her hand as if holding a glass.
‘For all of us facing our new beginnings,’ she said. ‘To the future!’
‘To the future!’ they chorused.
13
It was still raining. Freya stood at the kitchen window looking out into the yard, and waited for the kettle to boil. There wasn’t much else to do on a day like today. Or the day before for that matter; it had been raining for ages. She was longing to get out into the orchard, to walk the rows and rows of her precious apple trees, but all that would accomplish was a thorough soaking. It was a little too early in the year for the flowers to appear; they were still in tight bud, but it was the promise of them that she loved. The thrill that she always got on the day when she spied the first delicate pearly pink blooms beginning to find the sky, was something she would never tire of. It wouldn’t be today, though.
‘Looking at the rain won’t make it stop,’ came the voice from behind her.
Sam was sitting at the kitchen table, an open laptop in front of him. ‘Come and have a look at these and see what you think,’ he said, motioning to the chair beside him.
Freya sighed and went to join him. She was bored, and she knew that she should be taking more of an interest in the equipment they needed if they were going to rejuvenate Appleyard. But it wasn’t the lumps of metal and machinery that excited her; it was the alchemy of the thing. It was seeing the blossoms filled with bees and knowing that soon tiny apples would appear as if by magic. It was feeling the kiss of the summer sun on her skin, knowing that its golden rays were turning the starch within the apples to sugar and, eventually, eking out the glorious autumn days until the fruit was so ripe that the tree offered it up as a gift. This was what fuelled the fire in Freya’s veins.
She peered at the screen in front of her, trying to concentrate on what Sam was saying.
‘See, this is what I mentioned the other day,’ he said, pointing. Stephen was adamant we buy these, but I’ve always favoured the Voran. To my mind, they’re much superior. They might cost a little more, but the efficiency of juice extraction will pay for itself in the end. Plus, the machinery will last twice as long.’
Freya blanched when she caught sight of the price quoted on the website. ‘We can’t afford that, surely?’ she said.
Sam had the grace to look a little embarrassed. ‘We can, actually,’ he replied, taking hold of her hand. ‘Freya, I meant what I said at Christmas. I want us to breathe new life into Appleyard, but I want us to do it together. I won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with.’
Sam’s hand felt warm in hers. She smiled. ‘This means a lot to you, doesn’t it?’ she said gently.
A soft sigh drifted across to her. ‘I think I’ve been waiting my whole life for this,’ he replied. ‘To get you was the best Christmas present I could ever have wished for. To get a chance to run Appleyard with you as well, is the icing on the cake really, but now that I can, it would seem rude not to have a big slice, wouldn’t it?’
She chuckled. ‘You have such a way with words.’
Sam watched her closely for a moment. ‘And before you ask, no, I’m not just doing this to get one over on Stephen, or be flash with my cash. I want us to succeed, and to me, this makes sound business sense.’
Freya would never have dreamed of making such an overt observation, but Sam knew her so well. It was true, this thought had crossed her mind on more than one occasion. She wouldn’t blame him if he did feel this way; after all he’d spent so many years in Stephen’s shadow, and now that he was finally able to make a life for himself, particularly one that included Freya, it was only natural that he would want to feel a little smug.
She got up to make the tea, collecting the mugs that were already on the table as she went.
‘So how is Stephen anyway?’
