Page 20 of Starry Nights over Dragonfly Lake

‘Yes,’ said Dotty, nodding.

‘The original one?’ asked Noah, looking up and around inside the far larger building he was sitting in.

‘Henry Jackson bought this land, including the lake, in 1918,’ Walter told him. ‘He built the lodge for hiswife and two sons. Each generation since, all five of them, has added a little more and more until it became the size of the place it is now.’

‘Which part is the original building?’ Noah couldn’t help but ask.

‘The kitchen,’ Walter told him. ‘That was the one large room that they all lived in those early days.’

‘Which is why it’s still my favourite room,’ said Dotty, with a soft smile.

‘It’s always been the heart of this place,’ added Frankie.

‘Now it’s got twenty guest bedrooms with en suites, as well as the family quarters,’ added Ben. He smiled at his grandad. ‘We’ve done all right, haven’t we?’

‘Aye,’ replied Walter, nodding. ‘And now your lodges will add the next bit of history to our land. Henry Jackson would approve.’

Our land. History. Noah stayed silent as he felt apart from the rest of the family. There was a heritage there at the lodge, something he knew nothing about.

It would continue on after he left, safe in Ben and Hannah’s hands, but once more he had the feeling that whilst he shared a surname with the Jacksons, perhaps that was all it would ever be. But perhaps that was for the best. After all, he knew better than to let anyone in too close.

His childhood had proved that closeness only led to hurt. It was best to leave as soon as he could, wasn’t it?

10

Sleeping in a bed rather than on the sofa, Beth had a much better night’s sleep and even slept in until mid-morning. With Noah using the empty room in the family quarters, Lily had given her one of the hotel guest bedrooms to use, now that so many were empty. It was the end of the weekend but also the storm warnings had put off quite a few customers. As she lay in bed, Beth could hear the rain and wind lashing against the window.

Monday morning. It was time to start looking for a new job. In fact, if she had lost the magazine column as well as her waitressing job, she needed two to make ends meet. Although the thought of having to leave Maple Tree Lodge depressed her. It felt like a bubble away from the harsh realities of the outside world.

The outside world which contained cheaters like Jeremy. She sighed to herself. Another broken relationship. She was stacking up quite a few. Perhaps when her life was settled she would ensure that she chose a more suitable partner next time. If there was to even be a next time, she reminded herself. Maybe she really was better off alone, she thought. But even that gave her nocomfort. She had always dreamed of a happy ever after, of living a long and happy life with the man of her dreams. She loved romance and love and all the happiness that could bring. But at that moment, it all seemed even further out of reach for her.

After getting dressed in her favourite flared dungarees and a striped pink jumper, she trudged downstairs, dreading the moment when she would have to leave later on. However, her depressed mood came to an abrupt halt when she discovered not only Lily and Hannah in the kitchen waiting for her, but Ella as well.

‘What are you doing here?’ shrieked Beth, rushing over to give Ella a hug.

‘Got the first train out of Manchester this morning,’ Ella told her, squeezing her tight before stepping back. ‘I called in a sickie. I’m due a few days off. I’ve worked the past three weekends and was desperate to see you all.’

Where Beth’s career had never really taken off, Ella’s skills with marketing had been truly successful. So much so that she had recently become an account manager for a large social media firm. If that didn’t give her enough to do, Ella was now also an influencer in her limited spare time. Her lifestyle blog, where she not only curated beautiful looks but also shared invaluable advice on marketing, was becoming successful in its own right and Ella had plans to take it onto the next level and finally become her own full-time boss.

‘Poor you,’ said Beth. ‘You must be shattered.’

If she was, Ella didn’t show it. As always, Ella was immaculately dressed, despite it being a non-work day, in a short grey knitted dress, as well as knee-length brown boots which matched the wide belt which cinched her small waist. With her subtle make-up and perfect hair, Ella was a total contrast to Beth’s ownvintage style. But as always, Beth was grateful to see one of her favourite people because Ella had a heart of gold.

‘I needed to make sure you were okay,’ Ella told Beth, giving her a onceover with her eyes. ‘And are you?’

Beth sank down onto one of the chairs at the kitchen table. ‘Yes and no,’ she replied. ‘I mean, another relationship is over and all that.’ Beth rolled her eyes at herself. ‘But I guess, more pressing at this moment in time is the matter of income. I need to move out of that horrible flat but if I’ve lost my magazine column on top of the restaurant shutting down, I’m going to run out of money fast.’

Ella shook her head before sitting down next to her. ‘There is no reason why you should lose your magazine column just because he’s a lying cheater. That’s wrongful dismissal.’

‘Absolutely,’ said Hannah, nodding furiously, sitting on the opposite side of the table and surreptitiously breaking up a croissant to feed to Tiny the dog who was sprawled under the table.

‘Why should you get punished instead of him?’ asked Lily, heading over to the coffee pot on the counter.

Beth shrugged her shoulders. ‘I know,’ she said, blowing out a sigh. ‘But between the waitressing job finishing and my tenancy coming to an end, I need to sort my life out. It’s all such a mess.’

‘Okay,’ said Ella, with a forceful nod. ‘Don’t bundle it all up together. The four of us can work it out. Right? First of all, where are you going to live?’

‘And does it have to be another awful room in the middle of London?’ asked Lily, screwing up her face in distaste as she handed Beth a mug of steaming hot coffee. ‘Because we’ve seen where you’ve been living and I normally feel I have to bathe in sanitiser afterwards.’