Summer At Skylark Farm Read online

  ‘OK,’ I said, snuggling a little further under the blankets to block out the noise from downstairs. ‘Do you think the dogs will be making that racket all night?’

  ‘They usually sleep on this bed,’ Jake said by way of explanation. ‘They’ll soon get bored and go to sleep.’

  ‘Oh,’ I said, ‘I see.’

  I couldn’t help feeling a little guilty that they were shut out of the bedroom for my benefit. I was already less wary of them since Annie had let them back in the kitchen when we finished eating, but I still didn’t really feel I knew them well enough to share a bed with them.

  The pair had spent a good few minutes sniffing, licking and nudging their way under my elbows every time I stopped stroking their silky ears before settling on my feet, until it was time to go up to bed.

  ‘So, how does Annie seem to you?’ I asked. ‘I didn’t like to ask her about the fall, but she seemed as sharp as a tack to me.’

  ‘Oh, there’s nothing wrong with her mind,’ Jake grinned, keeping his voice low, ‘she’s just getting a bit frail, that’s all.’

  ‘OK,’ I nodded, trying to lie still and stop the bed frame from squeaking. ‘From what I’ve seen I can’t imagine she’s the sort of woman who is going to slow down willingly.’

  ‘No,’ Jake said, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to him. ‘She’s not, but let’s not worry about that for now. Tell me, what do you really think of the place?’

  ‘I love it,’ I smiled, snuggling up to his chest. ‘I really do.’

  I didn’t mention the surprise I’d felt when I discovered the toilet flushed with a chain or that I already knew I didn’t stand a chance of catching a moment’s sleep because of the steady drip from the leaking ceiling clanging into the metal bucket next to the window.

  Annie had welcomed me to Skylark Farm, her home, more as if I was a long-lost family member than some stranger she was meeting for the very first time and I was determined to repay her kindness by giving my new life in the country my absolute all.

  Chapter 8

  I slept far later than I planned to that first morning at Skylark Farm. In fact, had it not been for the sound of laughter drifting up the stairs and seeping into the bedroom, I’d probably still be there.

  Within seconds of Jake’s head hitting the pillow he had fallen into a deep slumber. I, on the other hand, had not. Had I been fortunate enough to have the comfort of the pocket sprung mattress I’d left behind in London to sink into I would have doubtless quickly nodded off. What I ended up doing, however, was alternately counting splashes in the bucket rather than sheep, followed by how many times the owl hooted in an hour, then scaring myself witless trying to work out which breed of rodent was scrabbling about above my head.

  Jake got up just after first light feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and went downstairs, promising to return with tea. As I recall I muttered something about joining him, rolled over, stretched out my aching back and gratefully drifted off. It must have been, judging by the light, at least a couple of hours later when I was woken by giggling that certainly wasn’t coming from Annie.

  I lay for a few minutes taking in the faded floral wallpaper, heavy dark furniture and old-fashioned bedstead. Just like the kitchen and bathroom it was far from the light and airy Laura Ashley style decor I had imagined, but I surprised myself by realising I liked the place all the more because of that.

  The farmhouse was a comfortable family home and judging by the little vases of fresh flowers Annie had set on the dressing table and night stand, and the pile of old paperbacks stacked next to the bed, she had gone out of her way to make me feel at home. I hoped I was capable of learning the ropes and playing a useful part in helping her and Jake run the farm as quickly as possible.

  The laughter coming from downstairs was becoming more raucous by the second and I knew I couldn’t put off making an appearance any longer. Taking a deep breath I pushed back the sheets and blankets and braced myself to begin the first day of my new life.

  Any hopes I had of creeping down the stairs and peeping into the kitchen before entering were dashed by the creaking floorboards. Bella and Lily had obviously been listening out for me and were whining and clawing at the door before I was even halfway down.

  ‘Oh Jake,’ I heard a woman snort, ‘what are you like? You don’t get any better, do you?’

  ‘Maybe not,’ Jake guffawed back good-humouredly, ‘but what I don’t understand is why you expect me to!’

  I slipped quietly into the room and having quickly looked at the not one, but two women whom Jake was entertaining, stooped to fuss the dogs. Annie was right. I might not have been completely comfortable with their enthusiastic welcome, but I was nowhere near as wary of them as I had been when we first arrived. In fact, I was grateful that they were waiting for me and that I didn’t have to stand shuffling about in the corner like the new girl waiting to be introduced.

  ‘Amber!’ Jake smiled, jumping up. ‘There you are!’

  ‘Did we wake you?’ asked one of the women. ‘I’m so sorry. I did keep telling them to pipe down but they’re just as bad as each other. I’m Jessica, by the way,’ she smiled, standing up.

  Jessica, resplendent in jodhpurs, Dubarry boots and matching Barbour, looked every inch the country lady. I could easily imagine myself flicking through the pages of Country Life and reading all about her rambling, rural family pile.

  ‘And I’m Harriet,’ said the other, knocking her knees clumsily on the underside of the table as she also jumped up.

  By contrast Harriet was shorter than Jessica, her dark blonde hair was piled haphazardly on top of her head and she had holes in the cuffs of her jumper. She looked as if she would have been perfect as an extra in an episode of The Good Life.

  ‘Hello,’ I smiled, pushing my way through the dogs, ‘please don’t apologise. I’m sure I should have been up hours ago.’

  ‘Let me get you some tea,’ Jake offered. ‘I never did make it back upstairs with a cup, did I?’

  ‘Our fault again,’ Jessica sighed, ‘I told you we should have called this evening, Harriet.’

  ‘I’ll make the tea,’ I said, grateful to be doing something.

  ‘So, Amber, how do you like the place?’ Harriet asked.

  ‘Oh for goodness sake,’ Jessica jumped in again, ‘give the poor girl a chance. She only got here last night. She won’t have seen anything yet!’

  Jake looked at me and rolled his eyes.

  ‘Don’t worry about Tweedledum and Tweedledee here,’ he whispered. ‘They’re always like this.’

  ‘Hey,’ said Harriet, flicking him with the tea towel.

  Feeling more relaxed than I could have imagined possible when I was dithering on the stairs, I reached for the kettle and picked it up. The pain that shot through my palm was excruciating and I clumsily dropped it back on to the range, yowling in agony. Before I had time to think what to do Jessica had grabbed me by the wrist and Harriet was turning on the cold tap at the sink.

  ‘Bloody hell, Amber!’ Jake cried, his face as red as my hand. ‘I’m so sorry! I should have warned you. You can’t pick the kettle up without the gloves when it’s been on the range.’

  ‘Oh,’ I said, my voice trembling as I tried to play down what had happened.

  I felt like a complete fool standing there while Harriet and Jessica administered first aid to me, the silly city girl, they’d met less than five minutes before.

  ‘There,’ said Harriet, gently patting my hand dry a minute or two later and blowing coolly on the burn before releasing her grip. ‘You’ll live.’

  ‘Thank you,’ I croaked. I felt mortified as well as in pain.

  ‘Annie will have something you can put on that, won’t she, Jake?’ Jessica said. ‘She’s got a cure for everything.’

  ‘How about a cure for my stupidity?’ I smiled, trying to make light of the situation.

  As hard as I tried to shrug it off I couldn’t stop my bottom lip trembling and I knew I was ridiculousl
y close to tears. I couldn’t believe how overwhelmed I felt, and how frustrated especially when just minutes before I’d started to relax. Nothing ruffled me, ever. Yet here I was with a scalded palm and a bruised ego and I hadn’t even set foot on the farm yet!

  ‘Hey,’ said Harriet, giving my arm a quick rub, ‘don’t say that. How were you supposed to know the damn thing was going to brand you?’

  I shrugged and sniffed hard, grateful for her kindness.

  ‘Here,’ said Jake, as he set down the freshly filled teapot and clean mugs. ‘I’m going to go and find Annie and ask if she has something for that burn. You girls get to know each other and I’ll be back in a bit.’

  ‘I’ll be mother, shall I?’ Jessica asked and reached for the pot as Jake closed the door behind him.

  I began to relax again as we sat chatting around the table. Jessica told me all about her family’s riding stables and how she was getting married to her fiance, Henry, at the end of the summer. Annie had agreed to the wedding taking place in the orchards before the apple harvest and it all sounded incredibly romantic.

  ‘I hope you’ll be up for helping out, Amber,’ she smiled. ‘Jake has told us all about your city career and I’ve a feeling I might need your organisational skills before long.’

  ‘Of course,’ I nodded, surprised that there could possibly be anything that anyone as competent as Jessica couldn’t organise for herself. ‘I’d love to help.’

  When I left London (was it really only the day before?), I had assumed there would be no call for my professional skills in the country, but apparently I was already in demand and I have to admit I was rather thrilled to think I wasn’t going to be a complete waste of space.

  ‘What about you, Harriet?’ I asked, turning my attention to the other side of the table. ‘What do you do for a living?’

  ‘Well, if my father had his way,’ she explained, ‘I’d be following in his footsteps and taking the arable farm route.’

  ‘But she’s not,’ cut in Jessica, with a wink. ‘She’s bucking the trend.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose I am,’ said Harriet, a slight blush blooming. ‘I’m starting my own nursery,’ she said proudly, then added in a rush, ‘plants, not kids. I studied horticulture at the local agricultural college. That’s where Jess and I met.’

  ‘So you didn’t meet at school then?’ I asked, feeling surprised. ‘I assumed you’d known each other forever!’

  ‘No,’ Harriet smiled wryly, ‘I went to the local high school, but that wasn’t grand enough for Jessica here.’

  ‘I went away to boarding school,’ Jessica patiently explained, ‘a fact that my good friend here won’t ever let me forget.’

  ‘Sorry,’ Harriet giggled, sounding anything but. ‘She’s not really as posh as I like to make out, but you can’t deny she’d look good tapping a riding crop against her leg.’

  Jessica scowled at her friend and I decided it was time to move the conversation on.

  ‘So where does Jake fit in?’ I asked. ‘How did you meet him?’

  Harriet turned a deeper shade of red and Jessica began to laugh. Neither spoke up for a few seconds and I was just beginning to wonder if there had been a romantic connection somewhere along the line, but then Harriet explained everything and set me straight.

  ‘It was years ago now,’ she cringed. ‘A friend and I were collecting apples . . .’

  ‘She means they were scrumping,’ Jessica added with a wink. ‘You know, stealing.’

  ‘Yeah,’ I laughed, ‘I get the idea.’

  ‘And Annie caught us,’ Harriet continued, again ignoring her friend. ‘Jake was here for a holiday and witnessed the hell we went through when Annie made us eat the apples we’d taken. He, of course, thought it was hilarious.’

  ‘Why?’ I asked. ‘What was wrong with the apples?’

  ‘It was ages before harvest time so they were nowhere near ripe,’ Harriet grimaced, ‘and incredibly sour.’

  ‘Please spare us the details of the resulting stomach cramps,’ begged Jessica, ‘I’ve heard the gory details too many times before!’

  ‘Oh,’ I laughed, ‘I see.’

  ‘That hilarious debacle sealed my friendship with Jake,’ Harriet shrugged. ‘Jess here is a relative newcomer. She arrived with Pip the Shetland pony, but Jake can explain about her later.’

  ‘And what about the friend you were, er . . . scrumping with?’

  ‘Oh,’ said Harriet, blushing again. ‘She doesn’t live round here any more.’

  A quick glance passed between the two friends, but I spotted it. Clearly there was more to this missing person than either were willing to share.

  ‘Anyway,’ Harriet went on, ‘getting back to your original question. Dad’s given me some land and polytunnels so I can start establishing my own stock and in the meantime I’m buying in and selling from a market stall in Wynbridge.’

  ‘Talking of which,’ said Jessica, tapping her watch, ‘we’d better make a move. I have a class this morning and I promised Harriet she could borrow my 4x4 to get her plants to market as her old van’s off the road, again.’

  She and Harriet drained their mugs and stood up to leave.

  ‘But just before we go,’ said Jessica, ‘would it be all right if I said something?’

  ‘Oh, here we go,’ smirked Harriet, rolling her eyes.

  ‘Of course,’ I nodded. My stomach groaned and I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I’d been summoned to the headmistress’s office. ‘Say away.’

  ‘Well,’ she began, ‘Jake tells us you’ve never lived in the countryside before. Is that true?’

  ‘It is,’ I confirmed. ‘I’ve hardly ever even visited, let alone slept in a bedroom that isn’t bathed in an orange glow.’

  ‘Well, in that case, be patient with yourself, Amber. Don’t expect to know how everything works or get everything right first time.’

  ‘Like how to use the kettle, you mean?’ I smiled, holding up my burnt hand.

  ‘Yes,’ smiled Jessica, ‘even something as simple as that. Just go with the flow.’

  ‘Oh, listen to her,’ teased Harriet, ‘sounding all motherly and protective!’

  Jessica raised her eyebrows, but forbore to comment.

  ‘I daresay you’ve already worked out that living on the farm is going to be very different to life in London,’ she continued, ‘so don’t expect it to be perfect straightaway. Yes?’

  ‘OK,’ I smiled, rubbing my palm and thinking her words of wisdom couldn’t have been kinder or better timed.

  ‘You don’t mind me saying that, do you?’ she winced.

  ‘No,’ I said, ‘of course not. I appreciate it and I know you’re right, things here do seem very different so I will try and cut myself some slack.’

  ‘Good. I’m so pleased you’ve decided to come, and I think I can speak for both of us?’ she said, looking across at Harriet, who nodded in confirmation. ‘To be honest, we’re filled with nothing but admiration for you and what you’ve decided to do.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Really,’ said Harriet, ‘we can’t even begin to imagine how transformed your life is going to be. We’re used to all this,’ she said, looking about her and out into the yard, ‘but you aren’t so if you need anything, anything at all, please ask us, won’t you? Jake has our numbers and we’re always about.’

  ‘I will,’ I promised, already feeling heaps better, despite the burning sensation on my palm, ‘and thank you.’

  ‘Are you coming to the pub tonight?’ Harriet asked as she pulled on her boots.

  ‘I don’t know,’ I said, ‘I’ll ask Jake.’

  ‘Well, in that case,’ smiled Jessica, ‘I’m sure we’ll see you later!’

  Chapter 9

  ‘Oh you poor love!’ Annie tutted as she examined my hand. ‘Sit yourself down. I’ve got just the thing to take the heat out of that. Jake, would you please get the first aid kit out of the dresser? There should be a bandage in there somewhere.’

  ‘A fi
rst aid kit,’ Jake mouthed silently at me, clearly amazed that such a thing existed under the roof of Skylark Farm.

  I sat as instructed and watched as Annie disappeared into the pantry then reappeared with a potato, which she washed in the sink and then grated finely into a bowl.

  ‘This bandage has seen better days,’ Jake frowned, unravelling it on to the table, ‘but frankly I’m still in shock that you have such a thing, Annie!’

  ‘Never mind that,’ Annie replied, impatiently pushing him aside and gently laying my hand palm upwards on an old towel. ‘Now, my dear, this shouldn’t hurt but speak up if you want me to stop.’

  Very gently she covered the burn with a layer of the grated potato and secured it snugly in place with the bandage. Throughout the process, which only took a couple of minutes, I sat in stunned silence. The stinging had already begun to subside and, even though the dressing was a little cumbersome, I was grateful to be relieved of the pain. When she had finished, Annie looked at me and grinned.

  ‘Consider that your first lesson in country lore,’ she laughed. ‘Raw potatoes are the best way to treat burns. Don’t ask me the science behind it, but my old grandmother used to swear by them.’

  ‘Well, it’s definitely working,’ I told her, ‘it feels far more comfortable already.’

  ‘We’ll have a look at it again after dinner,’ she winked, ‘and change the potato if necessary.’

  ‘OK,’ I nodded. I wasn’t really sure what to make of the whole situation, but appreciated Annie’s grandmother’s wisdom nonetheless. ‘Thank you.’

  Jake started to laugh and, I noted, pointedly used the quilted mat that hung next to the range to fill the teapot with water from the old kettle.

  ‘Let’s have another cup,’ he suggested, ‘then I’ll take you on a tour of the farm, Amber.’

  ‘You could even take a picnic down to the river,’ Annie smiled, as she covered the bowl of grated potato and popped it in the fridge. ‘It’s going to be a cracking day.’