Jess suddenly felt sad as she realised how precarious their relationship had become. This was something that they should have discussed before now, but Simon had left it until they were actually in the property before voicing his concerns.
‘I have given it a lot of thought as it happens,’ she replied. ‘And I’ve decided that it’s time I branched out and started a little business of my own to top the funds up.’
Simon looked incredulous. ‘Oh yes, and what would that be then?’
‘Once we’ve got everywhere ship-shape I’m going to open a little B and B. We have far more bedrooms than we need, so it makes sense to utilise the ones that are standing empty.’
He opened his mouth to protest but then clamped it shut again. This was yet another side of his wife that he had never seen before. For years she had been content just to stay at home and bring the girls up, but it seemed that now, she was ready to spread her wings.
‘What do you think of the idea?’ she asked eventually.
‘I suppose it could be a viable proposition,’ he answered cautiously. ‘If you think you can manage the extra workload, that is?’
‘You’d be surprised what I could manage if push came to shove,’ she said tightly.
Hearing the hidden threat in her voice, he hurriedly dropped his eyes. His last affair had impacted badly on their relationship; to the point that he had thought for a time that their marriage wouldn’t survive it. Jess had informed him in no uncertain terms that he was skating on very thin ice, and he knew that he would have to be on his very best behaviour for some time to come, if he wanted to keep his family together.
‘If that’s what you want to do, I won’t stand in your way,’ he told her.
‘Good. Now how about we get ourselves off to bed? I don’t know about you but I’m ready to drop and we have a lot to do tomorrow. The girls will be starting their new schools on Monday and I have to find what boxes their uniforms are packed in for a start-off.’ Glancing apprehensively at the mountain of boxes stacked against one wall of the kitchen, Jess wondered if she would ever get straight again.
‘Come on then.’ Simon went to lock the back door before holding his hand out to her with a twinkle in his eye. ‘Let’s go and christen our new bedroom, eh?’
They had not slept together since his last misdemeanour, and for a moment he thought that she was going to refuse. But then she rose and took his hand as a slight blush pinked her cheeks. If they were going to stay together it was time to put the past behind them.
They were all sitting at breakfast the next morning when Mel said sulkily, ‘Will you please knock next time you want to come into my room, Mum? I’m not a little baby who you have to check on any more, you know.’
Jess raised her eyes from her Weetabix. ‘What do you mean? I didn’t come into your room last night.’
‘Well, someone did,’ Mel stated emphatically.
‘It wasn’t me,’ Jo told her, her mouth full of cornflakes.
‘Perhaps you just thought you heard someone come in,’ Jess suggested. ‘These old houses tend to be noisy at night as they settle.’
Mel opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it.
‘Can me and Alfie go out to play now?’ Jo trilled as she pushed her empty cereal bowl away. ‘We found a little bluebell wood on the other side of the lake yesterday and it’s ever so pretty.’
‘Yes, you can – but mind what you get up to,’ Jess warned. ‘Don’t get going too near to the edge of that lake, please, young lady.’
‘I ought to be getting off too,’ Simon told her as he rose from the table. ‘I’ve got a few of the lads together so we can start bringing some of the supplies over here today. The Dutch barn will be ideal for storing the sand and cement as well as the bricks. It seems quite dry in there.’
Apprehension flashed momentarily in his wife’s eyes but then she masked it with a smile. Every time Simon went out she wondered if he was going to see another woman, but she knew she had to stop thinking like that, if they were going to make this work.
‘All right. How long do you think you will be?’
‘How long is a piece of string? You know how much stuff there is to shift. It will probably take most of the day just to load the lorry. And being Saturday, the lads won’t want to work too late.’
She started to clear the table, saying, ‘See you later then. Don’t get working too hard now.’
Mel shot off upstairs at the first opportunity and in no time at all Jess found herself alone. Suddenly the enormity of what she had taken
on
hit her full force and she wondered if she had bitten off more than she could chew. But then she straightened her shoulders. She hadn’t even found time to venture up into the attics yet, although she was longing to have a look around up there. But somehow she knew that this house had been waiting for her. She had been meant to live here, and every minute of work she put into it would be worth it in the end, she just knew it.
Later that morning, as Jess sat enjoying a well-earned tea-break, she pored over the kitchen brochures she had picked up a few weeks ago. There was one that both she and Simon liked, and although it was expensive she decided that she would ring the shop that very morning and book an appointment for them to come out and measure up. The units were solid oak and she knew that they would suit the room perfectly. It was then that she was interrupted by a tap on the back door and when she went to open it she found an attractive dark-haired woman who looked to be a little older than herself standing there with a teenager in tow.
‘Hello there, I’m Laura Briggs,’ the woman introduced herself. ‘And this is my daughter, Bethany. We live in Blue Brick Cottage at the end of the drive. Anyway, I thought we should introduce ourselves. My husband Dennis is at work, but I’m sure you’ll meet him soon. Oh, and I brought you these as a little house-warming present. They’re home-made – I hope you’ll like them.’ As she spoke, she pressed a small wicker basket into Jess’s hands. It contained a couple of bottles of wine with handwritten labels, along with an assortment of jars of jam.
‘Why, how kind of you. Do come in,’ Jess invited as she held the door wide. ‘Have you got time for a cup of tea? I was just having one.’
‘I never say no to a cuppa,’ the woman grinned as she stepped inside.
‘I’m Jess, by the way.’ Jess urged her guests towards the table. ‘My husband Simon is at work too. He’s a builder and he has a small yard that he rents, but he’s decided to store all the stuff here now so he’s gone off to start shifting it. It seems silly not to, with all these outbuildings standing empty.’
Quickly carrying two more mugs to the table she lifted the teapot and glanced at Bethany. The girl was strikingly pretty. Tall and slim, she had eyes the colour of bluebells and a heart-shaped face. There were dimples in her cheeks and her skin was like fine porcelain, but
she
seemed to be very quiet. She hadn’t uttered so much as a single word up to now.
‘Bethany doesn’t say much,’ Laura informed her as if she could read what Jess was thinking. At that moment, Bethany spotted Jo and Alfie out of the window and she touched her mother, who smiled at her affectionately. ‘She loves dogs. Would you mind very much if she went outside to meet him?’
‘Of course not. That’s Alfie, he’s with my daughter, Jo. Go and introduce yourself.’
The young woman instantly rose and lumbered towards the back door, and in that instant, Jess realised that there was something not quite right about her.
‘Bethany is a little . . . slow,’ Laura told her hesitantly once the door had closed behind her. ‘Unfortunately there were complications during her birth and she was left with slight brain damage. But even so she is our only child and we adore her,’ she said defensively.
‘I should think you do, she’s absolutely beautiful,’ Jess told her. It seemed so sad that anyone who looked so perfect should be disabled. ‘And how old is she?’
‘She’s nineteen now.’ Laura sighed. ‘I’m afraid she’ll never be able to live independently, and Dennis and I worry ourselves sick about what will become of her when anything happens to us.’
‘Oh, my goodness. I’m sure that won’t be for a very long time yet,’ Jess assured her. She was warming to this woman by the minute and had the feeling that they could become friends. ‘Does Bethany go to work?’
‘Oh, no,’ Laura said hastily, ‘although she can cook and clean with the best of them. If you need any help getting this place back into shape I’m sure she’d love to help and it would give her something to do. She tends to get a little lonely sometimes with just her dad and myself for company. Dennis does run her to a youth club in town that caters for young people with special needs, but that’s only once a week, and other than that she barely sets foot out of the door.’
‘I might just take you up on that offer,’ Jess said. ‘To be honest I’m feeling a little overwhelmed with all I have to do today. This place must have stood empty for a long time.’
‘Oh, it has – nearly two years by now, I should think.’ Laura sipped at her tea and glanced around nervously before going on. ‘Mr Fenton, the old man that lived here, left it to distant family in Texas when he passed away. The story goes that Mr Fenton was married once, a very
long
time ago, in the 1960s, but his wife left him when their son was quite small, and she was never heard of again. Then, shortly after she left, their son drowned in the river. After that, Mr Fenton became a bit of a recluse. The couple from Texas came over to check the place out a few months back, but they didn’t stay long, and before we knew it, the place was on the market.’ She leaned forward and admitted, ‘As a matter of fact, I’ve never set foot in here before. But apparently the house has been in the Fenton family since it was built.’
‘Really? Do you know anything about the history of the place?’
‘Jake Fenton, who owned a mill in Attleborough, had it built in the early 1800s. It was originally called Stonebridge Farm, named after the stone bridge that crosses the river about a quarter of a mile away towards Caldecote. Jake was a bit of a wild one, if you can believe the old stories – you know, a ladies’ man and a gambler. His genes must have passed down through the generations ’cos it’s said that this has never really been a happy house.’ Seeing the look of dismay that flitted across Jess’s face she added quickly, ‘Of course, I’m sure all that will change now that a nice new young family have moved in. It’s just what the place needed – although I have to say I think you’re very brave, taking all this work on. The place is in a bit of a state, isn’t it?’
‘I’d say that was putting it mildly,’ Jess said wryly as she looked round at the outdated cupboards. No wonder the couple had taken fright and gone back to the USA, allowing the house to go out of the family after all this time.
‘Oh, I’m sure you will manage to put it to rights.’ Laura looked out and saw Bethany and Jo in the garden playing with Alfie. ‘Is Jo your only child?’ she asked.
‘No, we have two girls. Her sister, Melanie, is thirteen. She’s upstairs listening to her iPod, I should imagine.’
‘Well, I suppose I should be going and let you get on, now that I’ve introduced myself,’ Laura said as she rose from the table. ‘It was lovely to meet you. If there’s anything I can help with, do give me a shout. I’ll just call Bethany now, shall I?’
‘Oh no, you needn’t do that,’ Jess assured her. ‘She and Jo seem to be getting along just fine. Let them be if they’re enjoying themselves and I’ll send Bethany home later when she’s ready to come.’
‘Are you quite sure?’ Laura said hesitantly.
‘Yes, I’m quite sure. And don’t get worrying about her. I’ll keep my eye on her, I promise.’ She saw her neighbour to the door where they
shook
hands warmly as Jess said, ‘Thanks for coming and also for the lovely gifts. You’re very clever, making all these yourself. I think I might sample the wine tonight when I’ve done all my jobs for the day.’
‘Looking round here, I think you’ll be ready for a drink by then,’ Laura chuckled, and striding off over the courtyard she headed for the cottage at the end of the drive leading to Stonebridge House.
Jess closed the door behind her with a smile on her face. At least the nearest neighbour seemed nice, which was one blessing at least. Humming softly to herself, she went off to tackle the upstairs.
In the bedroom that had been used by the old man, she shuddered as she looked at the unmade bed. In no time at all she had stripped the bedding from it and placed it in a pile ready for Simon to take to the tip in his lorry. Next she began to take Mr Fenton’s clothes from the wardrobe, wrinkling her nose at the musty smell. After adding them to the pile, she tore one of the curtains down – sending a thick cloud of dust spiralling around the room. The other one quickly followed it and, coughing and spluttering, she struggled with the sash-cord window until she managed to open it.
Already the room was beginning to look much brighter and now as she turned, her eyes were drawn to a couple of charcoal sketches hanging on the wall opposite the bed. Their frames were riddled with woodworm, but the sketches themselves were excellent. The first was of a stone bridge that spanned what appeared to be a fast-moving river, and Jess guessed that this was the bridge that had given the house its name. The second was of a young man. He was tall and dark-haired, dressed as she imagined the Lord of the Manor might have been in times gone by; he was standing on the bridge that was featured in the first sketch, gazing off into the distance. Jess held her head to the side and placed her finger thoughtfully on her lip as she studied the sketches. They could actually look quite nice if they were reframed; she thought to herself, and put it on her fast-growing list of things to do before turning and bundling the bedding, clothes and curtains up to throw downstairs.
Simon returned mid-afternoon with the first lorryload of tools and building materials, and he and two of his workmen began to store them in the large barn. Jess made them all a tray of tea and some corned-beef sandwiches before hurrying back into the house to get on with her own chores. Bethany had stayed to have lunch with them
but
shortly before tea-time, Laura appeared in the courtyard just as Simon was leaving the barn.