Page 77 of A Year at Appleyard Farm
‘Only once or twice, although I’m not sure I really took much notice of it.’
‘Middleton Estates own it. We have a tenant living there: Henry, and although you can’t see it from the road, on the other side of the clearing is Jude’s office. Just past that is a five-bar gate that leads onto a track through the trees, at the other end of which are fields as far as you can see.’
‘Which the company also owns?’
Willow nodded. ‘I had a dream the other week that it was all gone. All the fields, the grasses, the hedges, torn up and replaced with row upon row of houses. Huge jagged craters left in the mud like an open wound.’ She gave an involuntary shudder. ‘Peter, it terrified me to see all of that meadow-land gone, ripped aside through greed, houses crushed together…’
Peter reached out a tentative hand to touch her arm in comfort.
‘I know that’s what Jude is planning. He’s going to sell the land to some developer and build houses on it. I can’t begin to imagine how much money it will make him…but however much it is, it will never be enough for his father. Andrew only ever taught Jude fear. Fear of being poor, fear of being despised by others, richer and more powerful than him, and all Jude ever wanted from his father was to be loved. But there isn’t enough money in the world to make him love Jude, not properly, not like a father should: unconditionally, wholeheartedly. But Jude hasn’t figured this out yet,’ she said bitterly. ‘His father will be behind this somewhere, egging him on, justifying his actions. Telling him you’re only as good as your next million.’ A tear dripped down her cheek. ‘I can’t let Jude do this to himself. I have to make him see that he has a life here, a good life, with people who love him for who he is. I have to show him that enough really can be enough.’
This wasn’t what Peter had expected to hear from Willow, but curiously, it made sense. Now that Willow had said it out loud he could see the desire in Jude, the mercenary streak that ran through his veins, the way he dressed, the way he spoke sometimes. Jude was a person who liked life with a gilt edge. Peter fished in his pocket for a hanky, passing it to Willow and feeling his own emotions welling up. Willow wasn’t like that. Whatever she had would be enough, and she’d give you her last bean if you asked for it. She wanted a successful business, but it wasn’t money that motivated her, it was love. Love for anything that lived, breathed, or grew, but especially, love for Jude.
‘Will he take your strawberry fields as well?’ he asked gently.
Willow looked up sharply, her nose still buried in Peter’s hanky. ‘…I don’t think so,’ she replied, and then stronger, ‘no, I’m sure he wouldn’t do that…not to start with anyway, but it will come in time. What’s to stop the developer wanting more and more?’
Peter thought quickly. ‘So, assuming what you’ve said is true, your idea is to give Jude a viable alternative to his plan so that he doesn’t sell the land. A business which ultimately you would run together, and one which he can see has a chance of being a success? He would stand to lose a huge amount of money, though, Willow. Do you really think it might work?’
She wiped her nose again. ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered. ‘But it’s the only chance I’ve got.’
‘You’re going to have to speak to him about all this some time; you do know that, don’t you? You might have got it all wrong, and—’
Willow shook her head urgently. ‘I know, but not yet. I need to get things sorted out, Peter, I haven’t got much time. I don’t know how far advanced his plans are, or how much time I have on my side. It could only be a matter of weeks and, if I show my ideas to Jude now, without any of the assurances I know he’ll look for, then I might as well not bother. I need something solid to divert his course of action, not a half-baked plan that would simply reinforce the notion that his own pursuits are the only realistic option for our future. I either need more time, or more results, and that’s all there is to it.’
There was no knowing what amount of time they had, Peter could see that. All this still might be for nothing, but they had to try, surely?
‘Have you got a pen and a notebook I can scribble in? I need to know exactly what you’ve done so far.’
40
Jude turned his car into the secluded parking area with a flourish, covering the small distance to the guest parking spaces far more quickly than was necessary. His powerful car swung around, coming to a halt immediately beneath a security camera, one of several that ringed the car park. It didn’t matter whether you were inside the building or outside, appearances were what mattered.
He levered his long legs out of the car, and reached into the back for his jacket. His Ralph Lauren suit clung in all the right places, the jacket settling effortlessly along his shoulders, the crisp shirt he’d chosen, just a little tighter than he would normally wear. He’d debated buying a new suit for the occasion but decided that this would deliver the wrong message. He didn’t want to look as though he was trying to impress; he simply wanted to be impressive, and far better to arrive wearing an old favourite that showed how accustomed he was to fine clothes than to look like some jumped-up barrow boy. He straightened his cufflinks and closed the car door with a clunk.
The cameras tracked him silently as he walked. He wouldn’t need to announce his arrival. By the time he pushed open the door into the elegant glass atrium, Emily would have alerted her boss to his presence and would rise to greet him, enquiring politely about his journey and escorting him personally up to the third floor. The board room would already be set up, and her order for fresh coffee would take only a matter of seconds as he approached the building. Edward would be ready for him, as, no doubt, would Olivia. He only hoped he was ready for them.
His face had held a gracious smile for the whole distance across the car park to the reception area, and only now, as he reached out a hand for the door, did he allow himself to clench his jaws together momentarily. By the time he met Emily’s outstretched hand, the smile was back. The next hour would possibly be the most important of his career, and he pushed the memory of the last conversation with his father away, thrusting it deep into a place where, today at least, it would not surface. He concentrated on Emily’s face, not only on what she was saying, but what her eyes told him too. Secretaries always knew what was going down, and he’d never met one yet who’d been able to hide it.
Olivia met him as he stepped from the lift, her brown eyes twinkling mischievously. She was wearing a bright red dress, clingy and low cut, and Jude let his eyes wander its length for just a moment longer than casual interest might dictate. He met her gaze with a smile, leaning in for the customary kiss on both cheeks.
Her cheek was soft against his, as she pressed her body up against him, one hand lingering against his arm as she slowly stroked its length. When she finally pulled away, her eyes flashed like a cat in the night, and Jude let a soft sigh whisper into the space between them.
‘Jude, you’re looking even more ravishing than the last time we met. How will I ever keep my hands off you?’
He placed a hand in the small of her back as she turned around, applying just enough pressure to the base of her spine. His other hand was already extended towards her husband who he had spied walking soundlessly across the deep carpet to join them.
‘Edward, a pleasure as always,’ he smiled.
The hand that shook his was cool despite the warmth of the day.
‘Jude,’ he nodded in return, and then taking his wife’s arm, ‘Shall we?’ He motioned towards the board room.
Inside, the table which would easily accommodate twelve was laid for just the three of them. A black jotter marked each place, a white coffee cup at its top right-hand corner. Apart from the carafe of fresh coffee, the table held a marble platter with milk, sugar, and a plate filled with a dozen or so small pastries. The only other thing on the table was a sheaf of thick white paper.
As Jude sat in the space indicated, Emily materialised back into the room, holding a trio of iPads, one of which she set up on the table in front of him. The others she passed to Edward and Olivia before soundlessly leaving the room. It was like a dance, a bizarre mating ritual, but Jude knew the moves, and he played them effortlessly.
The door closed behind them with a soft click as he waited for Edward to speak. His heart was pounding.
