Hopeful Hearts at Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters

Author:Victoria Walters [Walters, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912973453
Publisher: Hera
Published: 2020-09-01T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

The following night I had promised Beth I would help out with the festive trail. Although it was free for villagers, and people who had started to come from afar to visit it, they needed someone there each night to make sure everything was okay and to hand out the hot chocolate and mulled wine. Sleet had started up again so we were wrapped up in lots of layers as we positioned ourselves at the entrance to the trail by the table with drinks and sweet treats donated by Emily from the bakery to welcome the visitors. Rory, Dad and Harry were back at the farm without me and I wondered what they were doing. The power was all back on now thankfully but there was definitely a strained atmosphere in the air between Rory and me so it had been a relief that I had already planned to be at Glendale Hall for the evening to be honest.

‘Now that we’re alone, do you want to talk?’ Beth asked, handing me a cup of mulled wine as she poured one out for herself too.

‘It’s been a crazy week,’ I admitted. ‘Stewart turning up and everything with Hilltop, and then Countryside Watch coming to film. And dealing with the power cut at the farm too… I’m exhausted, to be honest,’ I said, taking a long gulp of my mulled wine.

‘You haven’t told me much about Stewart,’ she said, arching an eyebrow curiously.

When Beth arrived back in Glendale Hall after ten years, we had such a lot to catch up on but what with her burgeoning relationship with Drew, me and Rory getting together, and everything we did to save the High Street the past had been quickly laid to rest. ‘I mean, I didn’t think there was much to say. I thought I’d never see him again. It’s so weird that he’s right here in Glendale. He was my first love. Well, my only love besides Rory.’

‘And you were together all through university?’

‘We were. I thought he was The One. We had so much fun together, and had our future all mapped out until I had to come home for my mum. I can’t help but think back, you know? When I was with him, I was young and had no responsibilities – it was fun and exciting. He was good-looking and charming, intelligent, and the life and soul of the party.’

‘It’s hard not to look back on the past fondly sometimes but I suppose there are reasons why he’s in the past, why you’re not together now,’ she said.

I nodded. ‘When my mum died, I couldn’t even think about leaving my dad alone in Glendale. Stewart already had an apprenticeship lined up, he couldn’t see what he’d do here, and I got it to a point. But I was heartbroken. And, it wasn’t all perfect, of course not. I remember how he couldn’t cope when I was worried or anxious…’ I trailed off, wishing thinking about him didn’t make me feel so confused.

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