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Rosie’s heart sank. After all this, the Eppings still planned to take back Liam’s fields and ruin Meadowsweet Farm. ‘Will you still go ahead with that? I assumed your hotel idea was an excuse for you to knock down Driftwood House.’
Cecilia shook her head. ‘It was a way to kill two birds with one stone, but we do need to increase our income.’
‘Why? Look where you live.’ Rosie waved her arm at the old paintings and the antique furniture and what looked like a stable block in the distance. It all amounted to more than most people could ever hope to accumulate in a lifetime.
‘Old houses like this cost a fortune to run and our business investments have been disappointing recently.’
‘You could always downsize.’
Cecilia raised an eyebrow. ‘You may have seen a softer side to me this afternoon, but I don’t see me giving up the family seat and living anywhere less grand. Do you?’
An image of Cecilia living in a two-up, two-down cottage in the middle of Heaven’s Cove flitted into Rosie’s mind, and swiftly flitted out again. ‘So what happens to Meadowsweet Farm?’
‘You came here to plead for the man who runs it.’
‘That’s right.’
‘It must have been difficult for you to come back after the way I spoke to you the last time you were here. This man must mean a great deal to you.’
Rosie hesitated, picturing Liam’s eyes, his smile, the vulnerability behind his brash façade. ‘He does,’ she said, fully realising the truth of it.
Cecilia sniffed, and snapped back into business mode. ‘We can’t simply abandon the plan. We need to generate some kind of income. I’m afraid your friend will have to forfeit the land at Meadowsweet Farm.’
Rosie was finding it hard to think straight, but there had to be a solution. ‘What about…?’ She tried to marshal her thoughts into some sort of order. ‘What about if Driftwood Houseisturned into a guesthouse and I stay and run it for you and my…’ She couldn’t say it. Not yet. ‘… your husband.’
Cecelia raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. ‘Would you give up your life abroad for this farm?’
Rosie held her breath. Would she? Images of Spain cascaded through her mind – dusty landscapes, hot sunshine on her back, itinerant travelling friends who came and went, homesickness that she never allowed herself to acknowledge. If she went back, Liam’s farm would likely fold. If she stayed, at least Meadowsweet Farm would have a fighting chance.
She made up her mind. ‘I’d give it up for roots and permanence, and for Liam, yes.’
Cecilia stared at her. ‘So it’s not simply the land. It’s the man. Does he know how you feel?’
‘No, it’s not like that, we’re just friends.’
‘I see.’ She thought for a moment. ‘I suppose after what I did thirty years ago, some people might say that I owe you a favour. If you’re quite sure you want to stay and run Driftwood House as a guesthouse, you can tell your friend that his rental agreement on the land will be renewed.’
Thank youwas on the tip of Rosie’s tongue, but she didn’t say it. Three decades of a lost relationship couldn’t be swept away by a grand gesture. It would take time. But she smiled and nodded at Cecilia, who nodded back.
‘Now, I must go and find my husband because we have a great deal to discuss.’ She blinked and swallowed hard. ‘You can stay if you wish and speak to him later.’
Rosie shook her head, suddenly desperate to escape the confines of High Tor House and clear her mind. ‘I need to get home, but please tell him I said goodbye.’
By the time Rosie had yomped back to her car, the sky was clearing and the sun was peeping from behind grey cloud. The road ahead was still slick with water but the torrent had slowed.
Rosie stood for a while, watching a lone Dartmoor pony standing on a rise of ground. The black and white piebald horse, with its distinctive fat belly and short legs, stopped munching grass and stared back at her, before returning to its meal.
She’d be able to visit Dartmoor for pleasure now she was staying at Driftwood House. Rosie slid into the driving seat and rested her head on the steering wheel. Since arriving back in Heaven’s Cove, her life had been a whirlwind of emotion and revelation, but today had topped everything that had gone before.
‘Charles Epping is definitely my father. He’s my dad.’
Nope, however much she said it out loud, it would take a while to sink in. And she wouldn’t be saying it out loud to anyone for a while, maybe not ever. It was a secret she was happy to keep, as long as Liam hadn’t already spilled the beans. At least Nessa, having professed her hatred of gossip, would stay quiet.
Rosie turned the key in the ignition and decided she would go to see Liam later and tell him that his land was safe, but nothing about the deal she’d made. Staying at Driftwood House was her decision and she didn’t want him feeling that he owed her anything. She was staying to help Liam; that was true. But an unexpected feeling of relief had washed over her from the moment she agreed to remain in Heaven’s Cove. She was also staying for herself.
