Page 51 of The Midnight Bakery
The trees in the orchard were overgrown and diseased, the area choked with weeds, and the wall which bordered it had tumbled to the ground in more than one place. Beehives had rotted, their inhabitants having long since made off for superior accommodation, and the pig sties and chicken coops were overgrown and derelict. The hedges and fences which had once formed borders between fields had either disappeared entirely or taken liberties with whatever space had been available to them. There were five acres in all, and every bit of it needed an enormous amount of work. But none of that mattered today.
As if to welcome Jack home, the wind, which had still been a little too chill for comfort, had turned balmy, rustling the leaves in the trees and swaying the tops of the tall grasses. Every inch of greenery glowed bright under the sun’s rays, and the birdsong swelled around them, jubilant and joyful. For quite a considerable amount of time, Jack said nothing. He simply sat, drinking in everything around him in a silence so profound with emotion, Tam swore he could see the air rippling with it.
Eventually, when they had seen their fill, Tam turned the bike to take them home – back to the farmhouse where Beth would still be sleeping. Jack had left her a note in case she woke early, but she had gone to bed with strict instructions not to set her alarm. Safe in the knowledge that Jack would be with Tam all day, she had readily agreed. Now though, both of them were thirsty and starving hungry – lunchtime had been some while ago. It was time to head back inside.
Ten minutes earlier, possibly even five, and they might have made it home without Beth catching them. As it was, she met them just as they were coming back through the gate into the yard.
‘What the bloody hell…’ She stared at the quad bike, brows so furrowed her eyebrows were almost touching, her lips pursed in a thin line.
‘Have you been out there on that thing?’ she asked. ‘I mean, properly out there, on the farm?’
Tam nodded, dropping his head and waiting for the explosion that was surely coming.
‘The orchard, the fields, the pig pens, the hen houses, all of it,’ said Jack, leaning so far forward Tam could feel his breath on the back of his neck. ‘I’ve seen it all, Beth, every last inch of it.’
Beth was clearly still trying to come to terms with what her eyes were seeing, but her expression began to change as she took in the enormity of what Jack had just said. ‘And how do you feel?’ she asked. Her voice was thin and wavering.
Jack lifted his hands to the sky as best he could. ‘Absolutely bloody fantastic,’ he yelled.
Beth stared at them for a moment. Looked first at Jack, then at Tam and back again. And then she burst into tears.
27
Tam
Transferring Jack from the bike and into his chair again was just as ungainly a process as it had been in reverse. Eventually, though, with Beth still hiccupping through her tears, they made it back to the kitchen, where Beth immediately began to make some tea. Tam understood – it was an emotional time for her, and she and Jack needed a little space. After bustling about for a few minutes, she returned to the table with a collection of mugs on a tray and a packet of chocolate biscuits.
‘I’m black and blue all over,’ said Jack wearily, pulling his tea towards him. ‘But I don’t care. My heart feels whole today, Beth, and I can’t tell you how good that is.’
She sniffed. ‘I’m not crying because I’m upset, I’m crying because…The look on your face, Jack. I never thought I’d see it again.’
He took her hand. ‘You have to come out with us next time, Beth. It’s all still there, just waiting for us. It’s tired and broken and overgrown, and in one hell of a mess, but it doesn’t matter. All it needs is time.’
Beth smiled, and almost caught Tam’s eye, but she looked away at the last moment. He took a biscuit, cramming half into his mouth as he reflected on what he needed to say. It was important to get this right.
‘Of course, it also needs a lot of hard work,’ he said, deliberately staring at Beth so that she would know he was looking at her. For so many years now, Beth had had to be the voice of reason, the one who trod the thinnest of lines between being encouraging and being realistic. Tam didn’t want her to take that role any more. They both knew what lay ahead of them but it was important thathebe the one to voiceherconcerns. If they were to make any progress at all, they had to take it slowly and thoughtfully.
‘And I’ll be the first to admit that the amount of work seems overwhelming,’ Tam added. ‘There’s also the issue of how much putting things right might cost. But the bones of the farm are there. Initially, a lot of the work will simply be clearing and housekeeping, getting Mother Nature back in check.’
Jack nodded. ‘And there’s also a huge difference between me sitting on the back of the quad bike and very slowly touring the land, and physically doing the work. Because I can’t, obviously. I know that. But what Icando is plan, and research, and perhaps, with help, do some of the very simple stuff myself.’
Beth opened her mouth and then closed it again, repeating the action before finally taking a sip of her tea. She must have questions threatening to burst out of her ears, and Tam would be the first to admit they didn’t have all the answers – nor even the majority of them – but what they did have was an agreement, in principle, and from there they would begin.
‘The most obvious question, of course, is who exactly is going to do all this work?’ Tam snaffled another chocolate biscuit and grinned at Beth, who blushed furiously.
‘Yes, I know, I know, I’m a boring spoilsport,’ she said. ‘So, thank you for jumping in so I didn’t have to, but these are important things. Someone has to say them.’
‘They do,’ said Jack, his voice suddenly forceful. ‘But you are not a boring spoilsport, Beth. You’re the one who’s kept us going. Kept us going and kept us from going under. You’re the only reason I’m here today. Without you, none of this…’ He broke off, swallowing. ‘I don’t even want to think about what my life would be like without you. Sound of mind might be open to debate, but you’ve kept my body and my heart sound, Beth. All these years…’
Beth’s lip trembled as she gave Jack a look which tugged on Tam’s heartstrings, never mind anyone else’s.
Tam blinked rapidly, clearing his throat slightly. The room was so still, though, it sounded unnaturally loud and he grimaced in apology.
Beth simply smiled and, taking a deep breath, she looked from one to the other.
‘So, whoisgoing to do all the work then?’ she asked. ‘As much as I’d like to help, and I will where I can, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to?—’
Tam leaned forward slightly. ‘I don’t want to be presumptuous,’ he said. ‘Today wasn’t about that. It was about giving Jack a way to get back out on the land, but I’d love to help you with the farm – if you want me to, that is.’
