Page 16 of Where We Belong

Cam blew out a breath. He knew they were leaping to all kinds of conclusions, but he couldn’t help it. ‘So, the ruins could be something to do with the dissolution of the monasteries?’

‘Ding! Ding! Ding!’ Barnie flicked another grin towards him before returning his focus to the road. ‘Look, I know it’s way too early to make that kind of claim, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.’ Before he could speculate further, the sat nav announced they were approaching their turning. ‘Oh, nearly there, let me concentrate so we don’t end up in the middle of nowhere again.’

The rest of their journey was uneventful, but Cam was happy to keep quiet and let Barnie navigate his way there in peace. As he stared out of the window, Cam let his mind wander. The dissolution – and in some cases – destruction of many religious institutions, as Henry VIII wrestled power from the papacy to found the Church of England, had been a time of great upheaval. Noble families, and those looking to make a name for themselves, took the opportunity to purchase the extensive lands and estates seized from the church and consolidate their power. If Hope’s family were newly ennobled, then it was entirely likely the estate had come into their possession at the same time. The granddaughter of a baron and the son of a security guard and a school dinner lady… Cam shook his head. Well, that definitely put paid to any foolish thoughts he might have entertained about Hope Travers. He wasn’t ashamed of his parents, they were kind, decent people and he adored them both. But he wasn’t naïve enough to think blood and heritage didn’t matter in the kind of families who could trace their roots back over half a millennium.

His phone pinged and he checked the screen to find a message from Hope.

Just checking on your ETA.

Cam glanced at the sat nav then tapped in a reply.

We should be there in the next ten or fifteen minutes.

Three dots bounced in the corner and then another message popped up.

Fab! Supper’s at nine so plenty of time. Use the fob I gave you to open the gate and head straight for the Hall. I’ll meet you there.

‘That was Hope,’ he said to Barnie as he tucked his phone back in his pocket. ‘I’ve told her we’ll be there in about quarter of an hour.’

As they drove through the village this time, Cam used a more forensic eye as he studied the buildings around them. The first time, he’d been caught up in the chocolate box whimsy of the place – all warm honeyed stone, thatched roofs and hanging baskets. This time, he tried to look past that, to seek out the anomalies, to look at the story the buildings were telling him by their style and location. ‘Can you swing past the church?’ he asked his friend as he spotted the signpost for St Swithin’s.

‘We don’t want to be late,’ Barnie cautioned, though he flicked on the indicator and followed the sign.

‘Hope said they’re planning supper for nine and it’s not even eight o’clock yet. We’ve got time for a quick once around the block,’ Cam said. ‘I want to check out the architecture near the church as that’s likely where the oldest dwellings will be located.’

‘Good point.’ The village was as quiet as last time, meaning Barnie was able to slow the car to a crawl. ‘Look there, on the right,’ he said a few moments later. ‘That cottage, see how rough the stonework is?’

Cam craned across his friend. There was enough ambient light for him to see what Barnie was pointing at. Ideally, he’d like to get out of the car and have a proper close-up look, but there wasn’t time, and tramping through people’s front gardens wasn’t a great way to introduce themselves to the village they were going to see a lot of over the next few weeks. Unlike the neat, almost uniform blocks of the cottages along the high street, this one looked like it had been thrown together from any old bits of stone the builder had been able to lay their hands on. Not unusual, but there were some very large blocks mixed in, particularly on the lower level, which might suggest reclamation or reuse from a previous structure. As they did a slow circuit of the roads around the church, they spotted at least half a dozen other homes with a similar hodgepodge construction. ‘Interesting,’ was all Cam allowed himself to say as Barnie steered them back onto the high street and towards the estate.

‘Indeed.’

9

Hope didn’t recognise the red saloon circling slowly around the ornamental fountain in front of the Hall. The light had shifted in the past few minutes, the dark edges of twilight softening the horizon and casting deep shadows beneath the trees. Making sure to stand well clear, Hope raised a hand in cautious greeting. The car slowed even further and a familiar face poked out of the open driver’s window. ‘Only us!’ Barnie called in a cheery voice.

Hope bent forward so she could see both Barnie and Cam, sitting in the passenger seat next to him. ‘Hello! Sorry, I didn’t recognise the car.’

‘I volunteered to drive, which is why we’ve made it in good time,’ Barnie said with a grin.

Hope watched as Cam rolled his eyes. ‘It’s called a speed limit for a reason,’ he said, before turning the full effect of his blue eyes on her. Even in the fading light, there was something almost hypnotic about them. ‘How are you, Hope?’

‘I’m good, thanks. No dramas at the distillery.’ She instinctively raised a hand to her forehead to touch wood as she said that. ‘So I’m all yours for the entire weekend.’ Catching what she’d said too late, Hope felt her cheeks begin to glow. ‘Well, I’ll be around if you need anything. Oh, you know what I mean.’ Shut up, shut up for goodness’ sake, before you make a complete arse of yourself. ‘Anyway!’ she continued in much too bright a voice. ‘You can leave your car here and we’ll get you checked in, Barnie, shall we?’ She turned away, trying to ignore how loudly her boots seemed to crunch over the gravel. She was a successful businesswoman, not a simpering idiot and Cameron Ferguson wasn’t that good-looking.

As she waited for Barnie to unload his things, Stevie appeared and began walking down the steps to meet them. Hope locked her car, ignoring the forlorn whines from Sooty and Sweep in the boot, knowing that by the time she’d let them out, it would be time to get them back in again. Pressing a button to lower all the car windows so the dogs had plenty of ventilation, Hope hurried to meet her mother as she reached the bottom of the steps. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind?’ Hope asked, not for the first time that day, as she pressed a quick kiss to her mother’s cheek.

‘Of course not, darling. I’m quite excited about the whole thing. I always wanted to know more about the family history. Unfortunately, your grandfather couldn’t have given two hoots about it all and your great-grandfather was an old stick in the mud who thought girls were only good for marrying off. The two of you would’ve loved each other,’ she added, casting a mischievous grin at Hope.

‘I can only imagine,’ Hope said with a grimace, thankful her grandparents had had a far more modern outlook on life and had raised their children accordingly. She turned her attention to Cam and Barnie, who were waiting for them at the bottom of the steps. ‘Mum, may I introduce you to Dr Cameron Ferguson and Dr Ly—’ she caught the warning flash in Cam’s eyes just in time. ‘And Dr Barnard. Cam, Barnie, this is my mother, Stevie Travers.’

In full hostess mode, Stevie swept forward, holding out her hands to first Cam and then Barnie. ‘Welcome, both of you. Hope has got us all enthralled about what you might uncover up at the chapel, I must say!’ She tucked her arm through Barnie’s, who Hope noted was already looking a little starry eyed. Her mother on full charm offensive was a glorious sight to behold. ‘And you, Dr Barnard, though of course we shall be great friends, so I shall call you Barnie, are staying with us for the weekend, I believe?’

‘Umm, yes, that’s right,’ Barnie said, already caught in the full tractor beam of her mother’s personality.

‘Marvellous! I’ve got a lovely room set aside for you. It’s on the ground floor and just a stone’s throw from the library. I’ve got the key for what used to be my grandfather’s study and I thought you could use that as a workspace. It’s got an interconnecting door with the library, so you’ll be able to come and go as you please and store whatever documents you are working on without worrying about tidying up every evening. If you let me know your schedule for the summer, I can set aside your room for the duration.’

‘Oh, I couldn’t possibly!’ Hope had to suppress a smile as Barnie cast a rather wild glance over his shoulder at them.

‘Of course you could! Now come on, let’s get your bags and I’ll show you to your room.’ Stevie turned to Hope and she spotted the slightly impish light in her mother’s eyes. Clearly enjoying herself, Stevie continued, ‘Hope, darling, why don’t you take lovely Cameron here to the lodge and we can all meet up at the house in a bit.’ Reaching up, she patted Barnie’s biceps with her free arm. ‘You’ll give me a lift when we’re ready, won’t you?’