She paused at the church noticeboard and read about the community corner every Wednesday afternoon and the adult and toddler group which met in term time. A couple was sat on a bench on the village green, sharing drinks from a flask and tucking into chunks of what appeared to be crumbly fruit cake. She wasn’t hungry after the breakfast Raf had cooked, but cake always sounded good. Especially on holiday. Perhaps Hartfell had always been this lovely, or more likely she hadn’t been looking properly before.
Kenny was deadheading perennials in planters outside the pub, and when she went over, he cheerfully reminded her that he’d booked the family a table for lunch tomorrow. Pippa’s gallery was opposite the pub and Cassie had arranged to meet her there later, after seeing Fiona and Gordon.
She said goodbye to Kenny and carried on, spotting Edmund down the lane outside his cottage, and raised a hand. He waved back as the door to the cottage beside his opened, and a young woman hurried out. Cassie recognised Erin, Gil’s business partner at the practice, as she leapt into her pickup and took off, presumably on call and heading to an emergency. Her partner Oli emerged from the house, and he came over the moment he spotted Flynn, admiring the wolfhound and asking how he was settling in.
They talked about the ponies at the farm, and once they’d parted, she continued to her parents-in-law’s new home a mile from the village. Work was very much underway when she arrived, with two vans and a huge skip parked in the driveway, a pair of builders in discussion with Fiona and Gordon outside the front door. Gordon waved and Fiona escaped to greet Cassie and Flynn, their two Labradors racing over to inspect this new arrival. Cassie tightened her grip on Flynn’s lead, but Bramble and Briar sniffed him curiously and wandered off as Fiona made a quiet fuss of him. She had met Flynn before, when she and Gordon had gone to see Raf’s house. Much as she loved it, she told Cassie ruefully, she worried about him having only rented it for six months and moving on again at the end of the summer.
Cassie filed those comments away as Gordon took her on a tour of the bungalow and the latest developments while Fiona made coffee. They sat outside to enjoy it away from the dust, with a fresh batch of Fiona’s melt-in-the-mouth shortbread. It wasn’t a surprise to learn that the builders were keen to be on site when Cassie discovered that Fiona was serving them brunch and afternoon tea every day. She thought the move was genius, especially as Fiona had promised to cook them a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings if they finished on time. Her parents-in-law were exploring the possibility of a short holiday in Bath, somewhere Fiona had always wanted to visit in honour of her love for Jane Austen andPersuasionin particular.
Cassie brushed a few crumbs onto the grass, and Bramble and Briar leapt to hoover them up. Flynn hadn’t budged and she reminded him what a good boy he was. Thank goodness she still had six weeks of his company left. It was way too early to think of the sadness when she’d have to leave him behind and return to London. Last night she’d watched as Rory took a photo of the instructions on the hefty bag of dog food in the boot room so he could enlarge the print to make it easier to read and feed Flynn himself.
They chatted for a while, and once she’d said goodbye, Cassie set off back to the village. Lunchtime was approaching and she wanted to stock up before the shop closed. Hartfell’s only shop was run by Violet, who had lived in the village her entire life, and her younger sister Daphne. Inside the white-painted building, once the front room of a cottage, Cassie found the usual array of goods. Much of the local community depended on the shop for groceries, parcels, home baking and news. She shared a greeting with Daphne and enquired after Violet, who lived with dementia and with Daphne’s help, still managed to bake something most days.
Cassie picked up ingredients for a simple chicken curry this evening. Another fresh sourdough loaf made its way into her basket – Rory went through toast like some children ate sweets. She couldn’t resist an apple pie and a pot of cream from a local dairy as well, Raf loved it. Being sensible could wait for next week; she was on holiday. Bags heavier than she’d planned, she said goodbye and crossed the lane with Flynn to the gallery.
Once a coaching inn and then a youth hostel, the rooms upstairs had been converted into a community space with a kitchen and a new cafe opening out onto a terrace overlooking a compact walled garden, borders filled with evergreen shrubs and pastel-coloured perennials. She recognised Pippa’s touch everywhere, from the subtle lighting to the personally chosen range of greetings cards and gift wrap. Pippa made sure to offer art appealing to a range of budgets, and much of her new ceramicist’s work sold almost as fast as it arrived.
The main gallery was hung with paintings by a local Dales artist, a woman who had retired from nursing and was a keen hiker and wild swimmer. Pippa had fallen in love with her work inspired by the landscape, reflected in acrylic and oils on canvas. After the opening night preview six weeks ago, half of the paintings had been sold, and Cassie had her eye on one to welcome her parents-in-law to their new home. A carpet of bluebells framed by woodland backed by the sharp grey ridges of a fell, she was sure they’d love it. She wandered through the rooms and found Pippa at a table on the terrace. Maud leapt up with a madly wagging tail as she bounded across, an enthusiastic welcome Flynn returned more cautiously as the two dogs exchanged sniffs.
‘I’m so glad you’re here.’ Pippa stood to hug Cassie, holding her close. ‘Now I feel like summer can really begin. How’s everyone?’
‘We’re all good, thanks. Grateful to be here.’ They separated and Cassie pulled out a seat. She looped Flynn’s lead around her chair leg, hoping he wouldn’t take off after something and tip her up.
‘Isn’t he a sweetheart?’ Pippa looked fondly at the grey wolfhound. ‘He’s been so good for Raf, even though I never imagined him actually having a dog.’
‘You really are, Flynn.’ He looked up at the sound of his name and Cassie patted him. Already she loved having him within reach, his presence a comfort. ‘Size notwithstanding, you’d hardly know he was there, and we’ve all fallen in love with him.’
‘I take it Rory’s gone on the gather with the girls?’ Pippa flipped open the cover of an iPad on the table. ‘Alfie appeared at first light for Harriet, and they were waiting for Isla to arrive before they set off.’
‘I didn’t hear a thing when she left, I was well away.’ Cassie scanned the menu, wondering whether to have the fishfinger butty or a healthy salad. ‘The gallery looks wonderful, Pippa. You must be so thrilled at how it’s all come together.’
‘I am, and it’s partly down to you we’re so busy. You’ve been amazing at getting the word around.’
‘It’s my pleasure and the least I can do. I’ve offered to help Raf with the distillery, too,’ she said casually. Just mentioning his name had a quiver darting across her skin. She was thinking of his hand on her face last night, the support he’d offered when he’d learnt she was planning to retrain. Did everything lead back to him? Even her own heart?
‘But I thought you were supposed to be taking the summer off?’
‘I am, but I can’t sit around doing nothing for weeks on end. Isla and Rory are busy making their own plans, and using my skills to help you and Raf is my way of thanking you for all you’ve done.’
A young waitress arrived and Cassie made a snap decision in favour of the salad; breakfast had been much larger than usual. Every seat in the garden and on the terrace was taken, and she noticed a queue forming at the door for tables.
‘I hope my brother is taking good care of you.’
‘Oh, you know Raf.’ She pulled down sunglasses from her hair to hide a quick flush. Would she ever get used to keeping their secret from his sister? How was she meant to forget, when every look, every touch, seemed to drag them straight back to that night? ‘He’s been very kind and typically generous.’
‘I don’t suppose you’ve managed to pin him down about his birthday yet?’ Pippa lowered her voice, elbows on the table as she pushed the iPad aside. ‘It’s only two weeks away and he counters every suggestion I make with a reminder that none of the family were here for my fortieth last year, so why should he be any different.’
‘No joy, I’m afraid, he told me the same. Maybe we should surprise him if it’s not too late?’
Pippa nodded enthusiastically, grabbing Maud’s collar before the spaniel could wander off and say hello to a pair of border terriers at the next table. ‘That sounds great. I’ve been preoccupied with Jago’s launch on Friday, so I must confess Raf’s birthday had mostly slipped my mind.’
‘He definitely doesn’t want a fuss, so it shouldn’t be a big party,’ Cassie said firmly. Pippa was wonderful, but she had been known to run away with an idea before. ‘Maybe a nice dinner with the family, at home?’
‘That sounds good. Shall we put our heads together and come up with something? If I mention it, he’ll only tell me to shove off again.’
Their lunch arrived, and as they chatted, Pippa was thrilled to hear of Cassie’s plan to become a counsellor. She told Cassie firmly that she must go for it and grab every opportunity.
‘I’m so happy you’re planning to follow something you really want to do. And look at Raf.’ Pippa thanked the waitress when she arrived to clear their plates. ‘I never imagined I’d see the day when he took on a house here, invested in a business and decided to study.’
