“The clothes suit you, it’s like having Jane back in the room!” The landlady smiled as she collected my empty plate, leaving a slab of pie with steaming custard in front of me.
“Oh, thank you…”
“Now, you won’t mind me asking, but what brings you down here, all unprepared?”
“I was trying to catch up with an old friend, she works for Isla-Mae Gomez.”
“Oh… Poor her!” She snorted. “We’ve seen little miss snooty, not that she would come in here. Married his lordship and now you would think that she owns everyone in the village. I don’t like to speak ill of her but, well let’s just say she doesn’t have many fans down here. At least she doesn’t spend too much time here. Thinks the manor house is too cold and wants to be with her London friends or over in America. I saw she was hunting today, it’s the only thing she cares about when she is down here. She’ll be off again soon until the next meet. But, hark at me going on. You eat your pie, looks like you need feeding up!” she chuckled as she took my dinner plate away.
The apple pie was wonderful but had a massively soporific effect on me and I found myself starting to doze beside the crackling fire.
“Go on, you go up and have a nap. I’ll make sure you’re woken for dinner. If you leave your wet clothes in the laundry bag outside your door, I’ll wash them.”
“I can’t ask you to do that!” I protested.
“You didn’t ask, I offered, I wouldn’t have if I didn’t want to…” She smiled warmly. “You need looking after girl…”
I nodded, I was feeling a bit lost and did need looking after, but without Adam, there was nobody who would fulfil that role. I wiped my eyes, hoping she hadn’t seen me start to cry and did as I was told. Climbing the stairs, I slipped into the warm bed. Despite not being able to sleep at home, here, with a full stomach and following the exhausting drive, I was out like a light.
When I eventually woke, it was dark outside the window and there was the sound of music and people in the bar below. I dressed quickly and made my way downstairs.
“Oh hello! I was going to wake you up soon. You looked exhausted. Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes, much better thank you.”
“Right, take a seat. Dinner is almost ready.”
The bar was busy, filled with lots of people in mud-splattered breeches fresh from the hunting field. I was welcomed warmly as I walked across the bar. Barbara who I had seen earlier made a beeline towards me.
“You should have joined the field. It was a good hunt today; I mean it’s a set trail but we had good sport.”
“Thank you, I was a bit tired after my drive.”
“Yes, Cumbria. Tracey was telling me.” She gestured towards the landlady. “You’ve got a yard up there? Do you hunt?”
“Sadly not…”
“Ah, there’s still time. Right, I must mingle…”
The evening was pleasant, again Tracey placed a huge plate of food in front of me which I wolfed down, I was soon falling asleep and so bid Tracey goodnight and slipped into a dreamless sleep.
* * *
I was woken from my slumber by the glorious scent of bacon and made my way downstairs where I was once again presented with a plate of food I just couldn’t refuse. Although I could have easily stayed longer, I had to get on with the reason why I was down in Devon. I paid Tracey, thanking her for everything.
“I don’t know what is eating you up, young lady, but just know that there are always people who can help you.” I gulped, choking back tears. “Now, do you know where you are going?” I pulled out the receipt and showed her. “Oh no… This isn’t the right address. You said your friend works for the actress?” I nodded. “Well, she has given you totally the wrong address. You need to go across to Redbridge. It’s just through the village. You can’t miss it, there are a pair of gatehouses, just turn down the driveway. Good luck and you are always welcome back here.”
I thanked her and left. It was a short drive through the tiny village before I reached the pair of gatehouses, she had been right, there was no way I could have missed this huge estate unless someone deliberately gave me completely the wrong address. I could understand Sally wasn’t keen for me to speak with her, but this seemed excessive.
I drove towards the imposing gates which were closed, getting out of my car I could see that, unless I had a key or the correct code for the electronic pad on a post beside the roadway there would be no way in which I would be able to get through.
Frustrated, having come this far I got back into my car and reversed back onto the road. There had to be another way in? I drove slowly, following the line of the large brick estate wall until, a few minutes later I came across a smaller gateway with a five-bar gate. I parked my car off the road, driving down the partially hidden track before tucking it, nose-first into the undergrowth so it wasn’t immediately obvious and climbed over the gate.
There was a rough track leading through a dark forest, it seemed nobody had used this path in a very long time and I was about to turn around and give up when I saw light between the trees and a clearing ahead. I was soon standing on the edge of a large, well-maintained parkland, in the distance, I could see a huge manor house, and some distance behind it, there were stables and farm buildings.
It was a
