Meet Me at Willow Hall: A perfectly charming romance for 2019!

‘Ooh, these look nice!’ Elena said enthusiastically.

‘Yes, and they’ll definitely be ready for August,’ Julian said. ‘Unfortunately, I don’t have the key or I’d show you inside, but you can see through the window that they’re pretty roomy. The roof was high enough for us to put in a mezzanine floor so there are three bedrooms. One to the side and two in the roof. See, plenty of room for your guests. Well, some of them, at least.’

‘Oh, yes! They’re great!’ Elena pressed her nose to the newly glazed window of the first cottage while I stood looking around. The stables looked very grand and I wondered how often they were used when Anthony and Julian were children. Anthony had never mentioned a love of horses or anything like that. But even with the stable doors removed and replaced with windows and proper wooden doors, you could see this had once been an impressive stable block. I imagined all the staff that would have been employed here; the grooms preparing the horses to be ridden by the lady of the manor. The amount of history in this place blew my mind.

‘Did you have horses when you were growing up?’ I asked.

‘No. Just a couple of fat Shetlands when we were small, but they weren’t kept in here. It’s been used for storage for years.’ Anthony stood with his hands on his hips, his blue shirt pulling tight at his shoulders. ‘This is the bit I’ve enjoyed. Renovating buildings that have been doing nothing for years.’

‘Overseeing it, you mean.’ Julian laughed. ‘It’s not like you did any of the work yourself.’

‘Well, no. But I was involved in the planning.’ He turned, his foot scraping on the gravel, and I retrieved my sunglasses from my bag and put them on. Despite the tall surrounding trees, the courtyard was a real suntrap and I had to squint in the bright sunshine. Elena put her head back, tipping her face up to the sun.

‘It’s so lovely here. I think I could stay for ever.’

Julian laughed. ‘It’s the obvious choice for your wedding then, isn’t it? Come on, you know you want to.’

Elena smiled. ‘I know I want to, but it’s not just about what I want. I’ll check with Daniel and let you know.’

‘Okay.’ Julian shrugged. ‘Well, I’ve done my best. You can vouch for me, can’t you, Anthony? That means I won’t get in trouble with my wife.’

Elena laughed. ‘When will you need to know by?’

Julian shrugged. ‘As soon as possible really. How about you, Rachel? Do you think you’d be able to convince Jayjay to get married here this year?’

‘Err, no, I don’t think so.’

‘Oh, really?’ Julian’s face dropped. ‘Don’t you like it?’

‘Of course I like it! It’s beautiful. But…’ I glanced at Elena and she shook her head slightly. ‘It’s complicated.’

‘Okay. Well, take a business card each and just give us a call if you change your minds. Perhaps you could bring Daniel for a visit, Elena? Just give me a call and let me know when you’d like to come.’

He took a small pile of business cards from his breast pocket and handed one to me and one to Elena. Willow Hall was embossed in gold script across the top and, underneath, both Anthony and Julian’s mobile telephone numbers were included. I stared at Anthony’s number for a second before putting it in my handbag.

‘Great! Thanks! Well, I guess we’d better get going then.’ Elena checked her watch. ‘Thank you for showing us round. It’s been wonderful.’

‘It’s our pleasure. Lovely to meet you, Elena. And to see you again, Rachel.’ Julian smiled. ‘Right, I suppose I’d better get back to the pavilion and see if anyone wants to book a wedding!’

Anthony nodded. ‘I’ll be along in a minute. I’ll walk Rachel and Elena back to their car.’

‘Great! Bye, ladies.’ Julian kissed us both before walking off with a wave. We watched him go before turning back towards the shady path. Anthony walked between us, looking thoughtfully at the floor.

‘Julian’s very enthusiastic, isn’t he?’ Elena said. ‘He’s a natural born salesman.’

‘I don’t know about that. He’s a solicitor, really.’ Anthony laughed. ‘He’s determined to make this work, though. We both are. He’s just better at it than I am.’

‘Oh, I don’t know. You did all right.’ Elena smiled at him. ‘How are you, anyway? Are you fully recovered from the car crash?’

‘Yes. I’m fine now, thank you.’

‘Back at work? Busy being a detective.’

He nodded. ‘Yes. I went back after Christmas.’

‘Only after Christmas? Wow! That’s a long time off.’

‘Yes. I’m okay now, though.’ He shrugged. ‘I had lots of physio to get me walking again. I still limp if I get tired but I’m lucky really.’

‘Are you back driving?’

‘Oh, yes. I work in Manchester so I have to.’

‘Still? Can’t you get transferred somewhere closer?’

‘It’s okay. You get used to it. Ah, here’s the car park,’ he said as the path grew lighter. ‘Well, it’s lovely to see you both again.’ He stopped walking and looked at us both. ‘I hope we’ll see you again soon, but if not, good luck with your weddings.’

‘Thank you.’

He bent to kiss Elena before turning to me. It was the briefest of kisses. A faint brush of his lips against my cheek, a warm hand on my arm, and it was over. For one fleeting moment, our eyes caught and my heart jolted as though an electric current had passed through me. But I was already turning to go, saying goodbye, thanking him for his time. I didn’t even look back over my shoulder as I walked over to Elena’s car, my jaw rigid.

‘Well, that was nice,’ Elena said as she opened up the car. The warm air inside seemed to warp and pulsate as I lowered myself into the passenger seat.

‘Blimey, it’s hot in here!’ I fanned myself with my hand and blew a strand of hair from in front of my face. ‘I don’t want to close the door.’

‘I know, it’s boiling. I’ll get the air con going. That should sort it.’ She closed her door and started the engine. ‘Are you all right? That must have been a bit of a shock for you.’

‘You could say that,’ I said, wrapping the seatbelt around me. ‘That will teach me to go snooping around ex-boyfriends’ stately homes.’

Elena laughed. ‘He didn’t seem to mind, though. I think he was quite pleased to see you. Look, he’s still watching.’

‘Hmm.’ It hadn’t escaped my notice that Anthony was still standing where we’d left him, watching us go. He raised a hand as the car moved off and Elena and I waved back. Even at this distance, his eyes seemed to rest on mine. Goose bumps sprang up on my arms and the blood fizzed in my veins.

‘I can’t believe how beautiful Willow Hall is,’ Elena said as we drove out of the car park and down the drive. ‘Ohhhh, I’d love to get married there.’

‘Do you think Daniel would go for it, though?’ I said, doubtfully. ‘I mean, you’ve got everything organised already. Wouldn’t it be stressful to change everything?’

Elena shrugged. ‘I don’t think it would be a huge problem in terms of organising everything, but I’ll have to discuss it with Daniel and our parents. How do you feel about it? Would you mind if I got married there?’

‘I don’t mind at all. Why should I? You know I’ll be there, whatever, and we’ll sort getting the flowers here somehow. It shouldn’t be a problem.’

‘Yes, but what about the Anthony situation?’

‘What about it? I’ve seen him now. The worst part is over.’ I looked out of the window, trying to pretend I was unaffected by the afternoon.

‘How did you feel seeing him again? I mean, I know it was a shock when you first saw him, but how did you feel walking round the house with him? Did it feel awkward?’

‘Errr… well… Not awkward, exactly. It was more surreal than anything else.’