‘Sit yourself down in the chair and rest, Gracie.’ Bett handed her a cup. ‘Your face is flushed. And give the little one to me to hold. It pleases me to look at him – he has the smile of an angel.’
‘Thank you, Grandmother.’ Grace settled herself on a chair and Bett scooped up Gabriel, rocking him gently.
‘To hold him reminds me so of my own babies, and I remember what pleasure it gave me to nurse them. Now that is all in the past and I am alone and old.’
‘You have me, Grandmother. And Gabriel.’
Bett sighed and reached for her cup with her spare hand, moistening her lips and swallowing greedily. ‘I spend too much time alone. It is not good for the soul. And now all my children are gone. I fear it will be my turn next, Gracie. My bones ache and my heart grows weak.’
‘You will outlive us all,’ Grace smiled.
‘This helps.’ Bett swigged again. ‘Ah, you have a fine boy here. You are a fortunate girl.’
‘I know that I am.’ Grace closed her eyes, weary. ‘But some people have much to say about me. Outside, while the crowds were watching the bringing of May, more was spoken about Nancy’s baby, that I harmed her at the birthing. Even Kitty Stokes does not trust me now.’
‘It is foolish prattle,’ Bett said, making soft clucking noises, returning Gabriel’s smile. ‘But we should be wary of people’s loose tongues.’ She rocked the baby a little longer, then she turned to Grace, her eyes narrowed. ‘Do you have anything kept in the cottage that might cast suspicion on you? What did you do with the string ladder you made before the baby’s birth? Do you have other things, charms and potions?’
‘I still have the ladder, yes…’
‘Hide it,’ Bett said urgently. ‘For who knows how suspicion works when fingers are pointed. As you have heard many times, once a word has been uttered, it cannot be unsaid.’
Grace nodded. ‘I will.’
‘And Gracie,’ Bett’s expression was troubled, ‘I think you should stay inside Slaugh Cottage when you are not working. Stay far from Ashcomb for a while, away from gossips’ tongues. And on Sunday when you are come to church, sit at the back in the corner, out of the way of straying eyes. Perhaps people may forget their idle chatter soon.’
‘Yes, Grandmother.’
‘Ah, it’s a pity you haven’t a husband, someone to protect you. I know Will Cotter does his best, but he is too tired now to be of much use. Since Anne died, he has been in continued melancholy.’
‘I have had a proposal of marriage…’ Grace said.
‘From a good man?’
‘Ned Shears. Yes, I think him a good man. He is thoughtful and kind and he is always sweet to Gabriel.’
‘Then marry him, Gracie. It will save your name and all may be well.’
Grace sighed. ‘I cannot. I do not love him.’
‘Love?’ Bett gave a muffled cackle. ‘Marriage is not about soft matters such as love. If you can find a man who works hard, puts meat on the table each day and does not beat his wife and children, you have a marriage made in heaven.’ Her face became serious. ‘You should accept him. It will avert suspicion. In but a little time after you are both wed, no one will remember Gabriel has no father. Then tongues will no longer wag.’
‘I will think on it,’ Grace agreed, stretching out her arms to receive the baby that Bett was holding out.
‘Take him from me, Gracie – my back does ache. I must stop awhile for all this talk has made me weary.’
Grace struggled to her feet, the baby in the crook of her arm, and smiled. ‘Sit and rest your bones, Grandmother. I will hold him now.’
‘You are the best of girls.’ Bett smiled, easing herself into her chair. ‘And you have the most beautiful baby. You mark my words, he will grow into a fine man and perhaps, when you are old, he will be the joy to you that you are to me now.’ She chuckled softly. ‘Yes, Gabriel is going to grow to be handsome and strong and make his mother very proud, you’ll see.’
Selena struggled along a stony footpath as it twisted up a hill between clumps of trees. She paused for breath, opening her backpack and bringing a metal water bottle to her lips to quench her thirst in the heat. ‘This is a great walk – I’m certainly working up an appetite.’
Matty was next to her with Joely, Laura a few paces further behind. He grinned. ‘The barbecue will be the perfect temperature for cooking on by the time we are back.’ He turned round and pointed back down the hill. ‘Can you see our field from here? There’s our caravan and the barbecue smoke curling up?’
‘I think this is the hottest day we’ve had.’ Joely wiped perspiration from her brow. ‘It’s not far to the top of the hill though.’
‘At least it’s downhill on the way back,’ Laura puffed her way towards the group. ‘And the view from the top is spectacular.’
‘I love this place.’ Joely’s face shone. ‘Just standing here and looking at our home, and up to the treetops, before it flattens out to scrubland, and you can see for miles.’
‘Just a few more steps, then a few more,’ Matty said encouragingly as he surged forward. Joely was level with him, then ahead.
Laura sidled closer to Selena. ‘When we come out at the top and the path leads to the flatter terrain, you’ll recognise the view again – it’s the sunset landscape you painted after your dream, the one you did in those amazing colours.’
‘I remember it well.’ Selena smiled. ‘Claire has put the picture on our website and there are two clients interested.’
‘Fantastic,’ Laura was breathing hard as she walked. ‘So, how is life at Sloe Cottage?’
‘Great – I’ve been working on a painting from a picture I took on Exmoor – the heather and the gorse. But I have had an idea that I want to paint the blackthorn in the garden again, this time from another viewpoint.’
‘And the ghost?’ Laura pushed lilac hair from her face. ‘Any more sightings of her?’
‘I think she visited me a few nights ago when I was in bed.’ Selena exhaled. ‘I was scared, to tell you the truth. I didn’t look, but it felt like she was there. The entire room smelled of lavender.’
‘Oh, my goodness,’ Laura gasped. ‘I’d have been terrified.’
‘I was,’ Selena admitted.
‘Now’s the best time for lavender – the flowers tend to come in June and stay for a few months,’ Joely called over her shoulder. ‘I’m currently working on a lavender cream for stretch marks. I know it will be popular on Thursdays at the market.’
Laura leaned closer to Selena. ‘And what about Nick? How is the romance blossoming?’
‘Slowly…’ Selena wondered whether to say any more, so she added, ‘I’m seeing him on Saturday.’
‘Come to my house for lunch, both of you – my dad is wading through the records and he’ll have something for us to look at by then. He’s loving it, looking through all those names and dates. Besides, it would be nice to spend time in the garden. I promise I’ll do better than a sandwich this time…’
‘A sandwich is fine,’ Selena said. ‘It’s the company that counts.’
‘We’re nearly there,’ Matty shouted over his shoulder. ‘Get your camera ready, Selena. The view from the top is incredible.’
‘It is – this is the best place to see two counties,’ Joely added. ‘Devon and Somerset in all their glory.’
They reached the top of the hill, the view intersected with paths and scrubland, willow trees, the occasional oak and private land hidden behind a wire fence. They stood still, gazing around at the panoramic view. Peaks dropped down to pretty villages on one side; the blue horizon stretched to the other, houses nestling between dipping valleys. The slicing grey line of a motorway could be seen in the distance and then there was field upon field of farmland. The air was filled with the soft hum of bees, the chatter of birds and the distant rumble of cars. Selena took out her camera, moving one way and another to take snaps of the views.
‘How far have we walked?’ Laura asked, her face flushed with heat.
‘About a mile, up the hill.’ Matty grinned. ‘It is the same distance back down, but it will seem shorter.’
‘And look – there’s Ashcombe, about a mile and a half from here, and Chitterwell half a mile the other side,’ Joely said.
Laura laughed. ‘Oh, that’s wonderful. I can just imagine me dragging a group of schoolchildren up here next term to write poems about the landscape.’
Joely pointed. ‘Can you see that tall piece of wood, over there, where the road ends?’
‘Yes.’ Laura’s eyes were small behind her glasses. ‘It’s just a post stuck in the ground with a huge hunk of stone next to it, isn’t it?’
‘The post and the rock show the place where a tree stood, the one that once marked the crossroads between the two counties. What tree was it?’
‘An elm.’ Matty touched Joely’s arm, a casual brush of affection. ‘There aren’t many elm trees left now since the disease in the 1960s, but the country used to be full of them, way back to the Bronze Age.’
Selena frowned. ‘So, what’s the significance of the border? Is there a particular reason why this part of it is marked?’
‘I’ve no idea,’ Matty replied. ‘It’s just the line between the two counties, I assume.’
‘It seems likely to be more significant than just a random place on the boundary, though,’ Joely said. ‘There’s a kind of magic to it, isn’t there, the place where the crossroads meet?’
‘It’s romantic,’ Laura sighed. ‘It makes me think of handsome highwaymen stealing jewels from rich ladies in a coach and four…’
‘Or perhaps it’s something else…’ Selena took a photograph as an oily-feathered crow swooped down and perched on the post. Other crows circled overhead, a dark halo of hovering birds. She recalled what Nick had said about Exmoor, that the legend claimed that pixies, ghosts, even the Devil himself lurked there. The crossing of the roads, segmented by a dark post that stood upright as if perpetually waiting, and a heavy stone boulder placed on the ground, seemed to mark a cold, sinister place hung with shadows. Despite the intense sunshine, Selena shivered.
Two hours later, they were sitting outside the caravan on chairs around a table, drinking home-made mint lemonade and eating barbecued food. Joely and Matt had prepared a feast: baked potatoes and salad, grilled peaches, cauliflower, leeks and avocado.
Laura licked her lips. ‘I never knew you could barbecue some of these things – it’s incredible.’
‘You can bake anything that’s edible and it will taste better,’ Matty grinned. ‘My Grandma Boswell used to bake hedgehogs in clay, although they are protected now. She baked bacon rolled in suet too, which was a family favourite. I’ve even heard of people baking squirrels.’
Selena pulled a face, recalling the mummified squirrel that Nick discovered in the loft at Sloe Cottage.
Joely poured more lemonade into tumblers and said, ‘I suppose whatever meat you eat, it’s all the same process, except you have to take into account how rare the creature is.’
‘Oh, I couldn’t eat horse flesh,’ Laura shuddered.
‘I love the idea of barbecuing fruit though,’ Selena said. ‘I’ve learned so much since I’ve lived in Somerset.’
‘When do you go back to Manchester?’ Joely asked.
‘The end of the month. Today’s the sixteenth, so I have exactly two weeks left on my tenancy.’
‘Are you looking forward to going back?’ Matty said.
Selena shrugged. ‘I haven’t thought about it. My life is there, the gallery, the flat I share – well, it’s Claire’s flat really and she’s found the love of her life now, so I suppose things will be a bit different.’
‘Then stay here in Ashcombe,’ Laura’s eyes were large. ‘We’ve become fond of you.’
Selena wrapped an arm around her. ‘Claire’s planning a big art exhibition in the gallery in August. We have loads of paintings to show. Many have “sold” tags on them already. I’ll certainly be quite a lot better off financially than when I came.’ She was thoughtful for a moment, then she said, ‘But I will miss all the friends I’ve made.’
Laura met her eyes, a meaningful stare, and Selena knew that she was thinking of her relationship with Nick but she was being too tactful to mention it.
Selena sighed. ‘I have really enjoyed my time here, and the opportunity to paint and to heal. And I’ve met the most wonderful people.’ She was surprised to feel tears blossoming in her eyes. ‘But my time at Sloe Cottage ought to come to an end soon. The ghost and I – Grace, or whoever she is – are becoming a bit too well acquainted. At first it was just small signs of a presence, and I was fine with that in the background, but now I think it’s becoming a bit much for me to take. I hardly slept last night.’
‘Despite the scent of lavender,’ Joely pointed out.
‘Stay with us at the cottage – we have a spare room and you’d be very welcome.’ Laura smiled at the idea and reached for another baked potato.
‘I definitely have a lot to think about,’ Selena said. Then her thoughts moved back to Nick, who she would be seeing again in two days’ time, and she added, ‘And there are some things that need resolving sooner rather than later.’