Page 122 of All Wrapped Up
I collected the box, filled with his notes and cards, from its spot on the shelf in my wardrobe and carried it down to the sitting room in the hope of finding comfort or inspiration or even both.
I sat cross-legged in front of the wood burner, with Pixie watching from the armchair and lifted the lid. The notes, and their sentiments were as warm and familiar as always, but they offered nothing to help me work through the complications my heart was currently facing. I delved deeper and spread out birthday, Valentine’s, Christmas cards and a solitary wedding anniversary card. That was almost my undoing, but I resisted the urge to bundle them away again and carried on searching.
The very last card in the box had a bottle of champagne on the front. Callum had given it to me to celebrate the day we’d successfully bid on and won our broken-down house at the property auction. It was the house we had both wanted, but Callum had doubted we’d be able to secure. I, however,had known without any doubt it wasthe oneand in spite of the damning survey, reports and all its associated problems, I fought fiercely for it, we won it and together we had gone on to make it a beautiful home.
‘?“To my darling, brave, Clemmie,”?’ I read aloud. ‘?“Thank goodness one of us listens to our heart, rather than our head! Here’s to the future and many more adventures following your intuition! With all my love, Callum.”?’
I sat back and silently read the words again. We might not have had time enough to manage more adventures, but Callum was right, I had always listened to my heart and followed my intuition. In all walks of life, I had been ruled by the feelings I had deep inside, rather than the doubts my head would attempt to scotch those gut feelings with… so why was I suppressing them now?
‘Ash!’ I gasped, as someone suddenly knocked on the door and made me jump.
Given the timing, I assumed that it could only be him, but it wasn’t.
‘Molly,’ I said, feeling both confused and guiltily disappointed to find her standing there. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I am,’ she said. ‘But I don’t think you are.’
‘How did you get here?’ I asked, looking over her shoulder.
I remembered she’d mentioned Hayley’s driving the day we met at the library, which gave me the impression that she didn’t sit behind the wheel herself.
‘Hayley was driving me back to the hall from the farm and I asked her to drop me off,’ Molly explained.
‘I see.’
‘She’ll be back in a while. I hope that’s okay?’
‘Of course,’ I said, still wondering what the purpose of her unexpected visit was. ‘Come in.’
‘Thank you.’
After she’d handed me the cloak she was wrapped in, I showed her into the sitting room.
‘You have a beautiful home,’ she said, looking about her. ‘And one of Bella’s fairies, I see.’
‘That’s Aurora,’ I told her.
‘Dawn.’ Molly smiled in her serene way. ‘How utterly perfect.’
‘That’s right. Would you like something to drink?’
‘No, thank you,’ she declined. ‘I was sorry you missed the walk this morning.’
‘Yes,’ I sighed. ‘I’m sorry about that, too, but something… came up.’
She looked at me for a moment. ‘Clemmie,’ she then said more seriously as she sat on the sofa and Pixie slowly sidled along so she was next to her and curled up. ‘May I ask what it is that’s troubling you?’
I sat in my armchair, rather less elegantly, and realised Callum’s cards and notes were still spread about.
‘I might be able to help you,’ she added kindly. ‘If you feel able to let me.’
‘Oh, Molly,’ I said, giving her a wobbly smile. ‘I don’t think you can.’
‘Let’s see, shall we?’
In a move that was very unguarded for me, I then proceeded to tell her how I’d always followed my heart, the card from Callum proving that I was known for it and that I could be brave too, when I needed to be.
‘But for some reason,’ I swallowed as the words started tostick, ‘I just can’t seem to stop letting my head rule things, when it comes to my feelings for… Ash.’
