July
After the
Thorne girls had finished the hard landscaping, Built the Greenhouse as well as
installing the water feature and BBQ, the garden was ready for planting, and
Toddy was in her element.
A week and a
half later everything was looking good, apart from the lawn, but the turfing
would have to wait.
The Thorne’s
had leveled the new topsoil that had been deposited, but that would have to
bake in the sun until the end of the summer when Toddy would lay the turf.
Charlie and
Toddy were at St Agatha's for the Sunday service on the second week of July and
then went onto the Vicarage for one of Chloe's very excellent roast dinners.
In addition to
the Virtue’s they were also joined by local composer and chorister Stephen
Farnsworth, as he and Verity had recently become a couple.
As the last
piece of cutlery rattled on the China plates Chloe said
“I think we
should adjourn to the garden, we can have desert on the patio when our dinner
has gone down”
“Good ides” the
Vicar agreed
They were sat
drinking their wine or fruit punch in the warm July sunshine for about half an
hour when there was a lull in the conversation so Chloe, who was the
epitome of the axiom that “Nature Abhors a Vacuum” filled the gap and said
“I heard today
that the convent has been sold”
“What!”
Exclaimed Toddy
“Thats
according to Emma Daley” she clarified “Who heard it from one of her ladies”
Emma was the Village
hairdresser, and the “Ladies”, were considered to be reliable sources.
“Do they know
who the new owner is?” the Vicar asked
“No not yet,
but they will” she replied
“What are they
planning to do with it?”, Toddy asked sadly
“According to
Catherine Scott, not yet” she replied
Catherine was
the go-to for a Mani Pedi and was also considered a good source,
especially in this case as her Aunt Sylvia worked in the planning office
of the Pippershaven Council.
“And her Aunt
Sylvia says there is absolutely nothing on the planning system, or in the
pipeline, and she should know”
“Well, that's a
good sign” Verity suggested “Isn't it?”
Toddy remained
quiet in response, and was not reassured.
Once they had eaten
desert and had all praised its deliciousness Toddy turned to Charlie and
quietly asked
“Can we walk up
to the convent?”
“Of course we
can” he replied
When they left
the Vicarage Verity and Stephen left at the same time, but not to go for a
walk, their intention was to “make music” together for the afternoon.
It wasn’t a
long walk up to the Convent, about 2 miles, as the crow flew, but a little
longer through the woods, but took longer than normal as it was a hot day.
When they
reached the gates, they found them closed and chained and a sign stating the
property had been sold.
Toddy had been
very quiet on the walk, uncharacteristically so in fact, and when she saw the
sold sign she sighed and said
“I wish we knew
who the new owner was”
“I do,” said Charlie
“You do what?”
“Know”
“What?” she
asked
“I know who the
new owner is”
“Who?”
“It’s me, I’m
the new owner” he confessed
“What! Why didn’t
you say something earlier at the Vicarage” she retorted angrily
“I wanted to
tell you when we were alone” he said
“I can’t
believe you have been so deceitful” she stammered
“All this time
you’ve been plotting to… to… well I don’t know what you’ve been plotting, but
you have” she ranted
“So what
abomination are you going build? What are you planning to do with this
beautiful place?”
“Well, that’s
kind of up to you” he replied calmly
“What do you
mean? It’s up to me?” she retorted angrily
“Well, I bought
it precisely to prevent it from being redeveloped, I bought it to preserve it,
I bought it for you”
“What?” she
asked quietly
“You said
yourself that as a convent it wasn’t sustainable, but as a retreat, or an
escape from the world it could be a place of reflection and healing” he
explained
“Equine therapy
for example, and you said you found the kitchen garden very therapeutic, so there
are so many possibilities”
“For the rich I
suppose” she rebuked
“For anyone, Artists,
writers, the bereaved, burnt-out carers, retired clergy, so many could benefit”
he said
“Those who can
afford it will pay, those who can’t, will be provided for”
“And where is
the money going to come from might I ask?” she snapped
“You’re retired
and I’m unemployed.”
“Do you
remember my saying I sold my business?” he asked, and she nodded
“Well, it was
an Aerospace Engineering Company, and it sold for an obscene amount of money, more
money than I could ever hope to spend in five lifetimes, and what has been
keeping me busy is spending it on philanthropic endeavour’s” he explained
“Oh, so is that
what I am to you, a philanthropic endeavour”
She asked brusquely
“No, you are
the woman I have fallen in love with” he replied,
“What you can
do with this place is a philanthropic endeavour”
“What did you
say?”
“What you can
do with this place….”
“No before that”
“You are the
woman I have fallen in love with” he repeated
“You love me?”
she asked as she turned to face him
“Yes, with all
my heart”
“You never said”
Toddy said quietly
“I was waiting
for the right moment” Charlie replied
“I love you too”
Toddy said and stood on her tiptoes and kissed him
They stood
outside the Convent gates in a comfortable embrace for about ten minutes on the
beautiful July afternoon when Toddy sighed and quietly said
“I’m still
cross with you for not telling me”
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