Page 33 of A Year at Appleyard Farm
‘So what’s the story with this place then, Tom?’ asked Sam. ‘Freya said something about a family dispute?’
Tom nodded. ‘It was owned by two sisters and a brother, inherited when their great uncle died a year or so ago. The brother contested the will actually, believing that the property should have been his alone, but, even though he didn’t win his case, he flatly refused to sell the house either, and so it’s been empty ever since.’
‘So how come you were able to buy it?’
‘The brother died, just before Christmas,’ replied Tom. ‘A bit spooky actually; he fell through the ice on a lake in a freak accident while on holiday. He went for a walk apparently, and never came back…’
Freya gave an involuntary shudder. ‘Oooh, that’s a bit creepy.’
‘No, it isn’t,’ retorted Merry. ‘Tom, will you stop with the ghoulish stories. It was an accident, nothing else; very tragic I grant you, but no more than that, and before you say it, no, the house isn’t cursed either.’
Freya’s eyes widened. ‘It isn’t, is it?’ she asked, looking around the hallway.
‘So they say…’ replied Tom, a smile curving his mouth upwards.
‘Don’t listen to him,’ said Merry firmly. ‘It’s just some silly story he heard in the village.’ She took Freya’s arm. ‘Come on, let’s start upstairs, the view from up there is amazing.’
As Freya gazed out of the window, she felt a deep peace wash over her. It felt right, this house. She hadn’t seen that much of it yet to be fair, as Merry had led the way upstairs, and although the décor was…unusual, the house had an undeniably comfortable feel to it. It felt welcoming, despite having been empty for a while, and Freya, who set great store by such things, felt warmed by this feeling. Buying this house was a big change in her friends’ lives, and she would hate for it to be a mistake. And Merry was right; the views were simply stunning.
Five Penny House sat just short of the top of the hill, and from the windows upstairs the whole village lay spread out before them. It was like looking down onto a model village, so wide was the view. The other side of the house looked out over open countryside, the swoop and sway of the fields stretching away into the distance.
Freya could hear the others moving about the bedrooms and reluctantly pulled herself away from the window to join them.
‘Blimey, what colour would you call this!’ she exclaimed, walking into the next room, which was painted a shockingly bright shade of purple.
‘How about “over my dead body”?’ quipped Tom. ‘It’s not staying.’
‘Ahh, shame.’ Freya laughed, as she followed him out into the hallway. ‘Are they all like this?’
‘See for yourself,’ said Merry, catching up with her. ‘It’s weird…It looks as if the house should be falling apart, but in truth it’s been well looked after. It’s had new electrics, new plumbing and even new windows in most places, but the one thing that hasn’t been touched is the decoration. Some of it is newer than the rest, but as you can see, every room is a different colour, and they’re not what you’d call easy on the eye.’
Freya wandered about, taking in the exuberant hues of lime green, cherry red, teal blue and zesty orange. It really was quite extraordinary.
‘Wait till you see the kitchen,’ said Merry, catching hold of her arm, and winking.
It was like stepping back in time, straight into a 1950s’ diner.
‘Oh my God, Merry. Is this original?’
‘Yep.’ She grinned. ‘I knew you’d like it.’
‘It’s amazing. It must be worth a fortune!’
Merry pulled a face. ‘Only to those who appreciate it, sadly. You know the saying, one person’s trash is another’s treasure.’
Freya ran her hand over the pristine cabinets. ‘Please tell me you’re not going to rip all this lot out?’
‘I’ve already told Tom I’ll divorce him if he does! Fortunately, he loves it too. It needs a bit of tidying up, but even so…’
‘I think I’d have bought the house just for the kitchen alone.’
‘It is rather special, isn’t it?’ Merry agreed. ‘The paintwork I can do without, thank you, but the house itself, I’m totally in love with.’
Freya smiled at the excitement on her friend’s face, which was obviously catching because Robyn’s arms and legs began to jiggle up and down as if she was dancing.
‘I think you’re going to be very happy here,’ she said to them both.
‘Hold that thought.’ Merry grinned in return. ‘You haven’t seen the shop yet.’
