Freya shuddered as she contemplated the blackened walls of the gallery. She’d joined Travis the next day after the fire officer had finished his investigations and the insurance had been to inspect the damage. A surveyor and electrician had declared the structure safe and finally allowed them into the building.
Once the flames were out, it became clear that the fire had been localised to the front of the shop. Mercifully, the rear structure was virtually untouched, although there was soot everywhere and the acrid stench of burning filled the air. With the front window and door boarded up, the gallery was a pitiful sight, made worse by torchlight.
Travis seemed numb with shock, and she didn’t blame him. Seeing him about to run into a burning building had been one of the most terrifying moments of her life. Luckily, she and Seb had got there in time, or he might have been right in front of the window when it exploded.
She shivered again, as the moment flooded back. ‘I hate to state the obvious but it could have been even worse.’
‘I know. The watch manager told me it was lucky they got a call to report it so quickly and got here fast or it might have all gone up.’ Travis turned to her. ‘And it’s lucky you stopped me from doing the stupidest thing in the history of the world.’
‘It must have been hellish to see the place in flames. Don’t beat yourself up for wanting to stop it.’
‘Well, I’m only alive thanks to you and Seb.’
‘I wouldn’t go that far.’
‘I would,’ he said softly, then looked around him with a deep sigh. ‘But you’re right. The place is salvageable. The surveyor says the structure is sound so we can start the clear-up but I have tours planned at the weekend and a workshop in the upstairs room. I’ve nowhere to put them.’
He ventured deeper into the damaged section of gallery. Following him, Freya’s boots crunched on broken glass.
He picked up the charred canvas of the mountain hare and stared at it, shaking his head.
‘You can print another one,’ she said.
‘I guess,’ he said, his voice breaking. Carefully, he propped the hare against the wall even though Freya knew it was unsavable. ‘I never thought Dad would resort to this.’
‘You don’t know he did yet.’
‘Don’t I?’ he said, turning to her. ‘You saw how unstable he was last night, how raw. He was angry, but there was more than that. He was frightened and panicking. It’s as if he finally saw the damage he’d done, not only to us, but to himself.’ He frowned. ‘He reminded me of a wounded animal that’s been cornered.’
‘Do the police know where he is?’
‘No – because they’re not looking for him.’
‘You haven’t told them about the row?’ she said.
‘No. I did think about it but, he’s still my dad. I know I threatened to call the police but I – I still wouldn’t have done it. I won’t do it now.’ He gazed at her. ‘I can’t hate him enough to do that. I can’t hate him at all.’
She nodded. ‘I do understand. He’s family.’
Travis heaved a sigh. ‘There’s nothing more we can do today. Thanks for coming. I’ll start the clear up tomorrow, but I have to find somewhere else for the workshop later this week.’
He really did seem to be carrying the weight of the world on his broad shoulders. ‘I can help with the workshops,’ she said, taking that part of his burden, at least. ‘You can use our office space for now. I’ve already squared it with Mimi.’
‘Thank you.’ He lifted eyes full of gratitude to her. ‘I … don’t know what to say.’
‘Don’t say anything. I’m not looking for thanks. You need time to take it in and you need to get your business back up and running.’ Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket.
Travis must have noticed her reading the message. ‘Please don’t tell me you’re going to help do that. You’ve done more than enough. I can see you’re busy,’ he said.
‘I’m not going to help,’ she said, shoving her phone back in her pocket. ‘Not on my own anyway. I think you should come outside.’ She ushered him out of the rear door and into the lane behind. ‘The cavalry’s here.’
A dozen people were gathered outside, including the florist, baker, Bree, Seb, Mimi, Roxanne, Araya, Brian – and Jos. They were all equipped with brooms and buckets while Brian wheeled an industrial vacuum forward. At the front stood Roxanne, rocking a Land Girl vibe in oversized overalls and a bandana.
Travis clapped his hands on his head in disbelief. ‘What’s this?’ he declared. ‘Ghostbusters?’
Everyone apart from Jos laughed.
‘Something like that,’ Freya said. ‘Everyone wanted to help you but wasn’t sure how; so, I got in touch with Brian. He organised the generator to rig up some lights, and there’s a skip arriving any moment.
‘If you have any trouble with your insurer, refer them to me,’ Jos said grumpily.
Still nonplussed, Travis murmured. ‘I can’t thank you enough.’
Brian stepped forward with a broom in hand. ‘Come on then, lad. We haven’t got all day. First though, I want everyone in PPE before they enter the building.’
They worked until lunchtime when Travis insisted on fetching sausage rolls and coffee for his clear-up crew. The skip was half full of rubbish, the glazer was scheduled for the next day and the walls had been cleaned so they were in a better state for the plasterer to come later that week. The gallery would be out of action for a while but at least Travis looked less broken.
Gradually, the working party dispersed, leaving just a handful.
‘Thank you, Brian,’ Travis said, earnestly shaking Brian’s hand.
‘You’re welcome, lad. We all stick together here. I’m sure there’s a raft of health and safety issues we’ve broken but I’ll let it slide this one time.’
‘Appreciate it,’ Travis said solemnly.
Freya took a call while Travis thanked Roxanne and Mimi. When she ended the conversation, they were alone together.
‘Travis. That was the fire investigator. I know him.’
‘Now why doesn’t that surprise me?’
‘He used to do all the fire safety checks on our properties. This isn’t official and he needs to file a proper report, but he thinks a firework started the fire, possibly pushed through the letterbox. There’s no sign of accelerant inside the shop.’
‘So, it wasn’t Dad?’
‘If it’s any consolation, the investigator thinks it was probably kids. There were a few incidents locally though none as bad as this. I guess they might be on CCTV, but the police will have to look into that.’ She briefly touched his arm in reassurance but withdrew her hand quickly, remembering … ‘I need a bath. You look as knackered as I feel. I think we should call it a day until tomorrow.’
‘You’ll be back at work tomorrow,’ Travis said.
‘I could spare a few hours first thing.’
‘You’ve done so much for me already.’
‘Only what a friend would do.’
‘A friend?’ He smiled fleetingly and sadly. ‘I’ve been doing a lot of thinking while I was away.’
Freya’s phone rang out. She should ignore it, but then she saw the name on the screen.
‘It’s Mum,’ she said. ‘She’s back home.’
‘Answer it,’ Travis said.
Freya did as she was told and a moment later found Travis outside in the lane. ‘She’s desperate to see me. She’s so excited to show me her ring and tell me about the wedding. I can’t put her off.’
‘You mustn’t. Go and see her. Maybe I’ll see you later?’
‘I’ll call you,’ Freya said, leaving him standing alone outside amid a pile of rubbish, but more hopeful than she’d been for days.
‘Oh my God, I can’t believe all this stuff really all arrived while I’ve been away!’
Freya found her mother, tanned and smiling, amid a sea of boxes in her living room.
‘I moved the stuff in here out of sight.’
‘It’ll take me a week to open and film this lot.’
‘Just as long as I don’t have to film it in case of any more “surprises”,’ Freya muttered.
‘Oh, don’t worry, I’ll rope Neil in to do that. He wanted to wait for you but I told him to collect the dog from kennels. He’s coming round later for a celebration, with his son and daughter. I thought we could have a little celebration here, just the families. Is that OK?’
Freya abandoned all hope of seeing Travis that evening. ‘That sounds lovely,’ she said, sounding as cheerful as she could. ‘First, shall we sit down and have a brew? I’m dying for a proper cuppa.’
Minutes later, they were sitting in the cosy kitchen, with two steaming mugs in front of them. Her mum sipped and sighed appreciatively before putting down the drink. ‘That’s better. Thanks for the tea and thank you, my darling, for being so excited and happy for me. You’re not annoyed that we got married on impulse?’
‘Mum, how could I be annoyed? I was surprised, it came as a shock, but I’m not annoyed.’
She grasped Freya’s hand, her eyes glinting with tears. ‘I know we’ve been specially close with your father leaving us when you were so young. I’ve often wondered if we were too close – too dependent on each other. I fear I might have held you back.’
‘You haven’t. It was my decision to stay around. If I hadn’t. I might never have started Cottage Angels. I love being my own boss and I love the Lakes – and I love you.’ Freya could hardly squeeze out the words past the lump in her own throat.
‘Now stop it because you’ll have me in floods and I’ve done that enough. When Neil proposed, I wept buckets and when he hasn’t been alone, I’ve had a little cry for your dad too. I hope he’d approve.’
‘I’m sure he would. Neil is a lovely man.’
‘Mmm. He is,’ her mother said but the wry ‘Mmm’ set Freya’s antennae twitching.
‘Is everything OK? Are you absolutely sure about this – you and Neil?’
Her mum smiled and shook her head. ‘As sure as anyone can be. I was smiling because of you not me. Neil is a lovely man, but I’m fully aware that he’s not exciting. That’s he’s a safe choice. Perhaps, in your eyes, a little bit … dull?’
Freya was horrified. ‘Oh, Mum, I didn’t say that!’
‘But you think it and you’d be right. He is safe, kind and steady and yes – sometimes a bit conventional, but I love his company, and I’m looking forward to making a new life with him.’ She took Freya’s hand and stroked it, soothingly like she had when she was a little girl. ‘The thing is that a man like Neil would never be right for you. You always wanted something exciting and unpredictable. I realise now that Jos wasn’t the man for you even though I didn’t understand at the time.’
Freya nodded, unable to respond for a moment. Her mum’s insight had stunned her, and she was amazed Sandra she’d found the courage to admit it.
‘I wish …’ Freya began. ‘I wish I’d acknowledged it sooner and been more honest with myself and Jos.’
‘Don’t waste any more time on regrets. He’ll get over it.’
Freya recalled Jos’s desperate face at the carol concert. ‘I hope so, because he hasn’t quite yet. I caused that.’
‘Well, perhaps it’s continually seeing you here in his own backyard – single, available – that gives him false hope. Maybe if you were with someone else, he’d move on.’
‘I can’t find someone else just for Jos’s sake,’ Freya said firmly. ‘I can’t be his therapy.’
‘No … then he’ll have to find someone else himself or learn to live on his own, as I have for so long. As you have,’ her mum said firmly. She gave Freya a searching look. ‘But this isn’t about Jos, is it? It’s about Travis Marshall. I heard about the gallery fire. You were there.’
Freya gasped. ‘Gossip reaches every corner of the world!’
‘I had messages from the WI gang. You were a bit of a hero on the night, so I gather. You organised a clean-up party too.’
Freya shook her head. ‘Everyone was at the pub. We all ran to the gallery and it was Seb who pulled Travis back too. And lots of locals wanted to help the clear up. I only gathered them together, got them organised.’
‘Out of the kindness of your heart?’ her mother said with a sceptical eyebrow.
Freya shrugged. ‘Something like that.’
She sighed. ‘I’m sorry, love. I’ve been selfish and wanted to keep you too close when I should have encouraged you to spread your wings and find someone exciting … someone that I don’t approve of. Someone like Travis.’ Her mum leaned over for a hug that made Freya want to cry and laugh at the same time. ‘If you want to get back with him, you don’t need my permission.’
‘You’re right,’ she said, embracing her mum tightly, feeling closer to her than she ever had in her life, but in a different way: as if a closed door had been flung open between them and they were facing each other as equals, as woman to woman, not mother to daughter. ‘I don’t need your permission. I never have. I made my own decision to break off our engagement when I was young and I’ll make my own decisions now.
Throat clogged with emotion, she smiled at her mother. ‘I love you and you can rest assured, in the nicest possible way, Mum, what you think or say won’t stop me from doing what I want now or in the future.’