September made way for October with Hannah welcoming the signs of autumn as a break from the hot, dry summer. Hannah couldn’t remember there ever being such a contrast between the awful winter weather they’d experienced, followed by such a scorching summer. There was much talk about global warming and whether they could expect such extremes of weather as the norm from now on. But it wasn’t only the end of summer which sat heavily on Hannah’s heart; it was her children leaving for university.
Mel was preparing to go to Cardiff University. She’d been so excited when her grades matched what she needed to take up their offer and couldn’t wait to begin the course. The university had a reputation for excellence in her chosen field and was her natural first choice. Over the holidays she’d been delighted to have even more success selling articles to magazines and Hannah was particularly proud of the feature she’d written on Cassie and Alan’s venture of Timmy’s Farm.
Cassie and Alan had agreed to be interviewed by Mel and the resulting article was an empathic, human interest story of which Hannah was so proud. Her daughter would be the first to leave home, her bags were packed and Hannah was driving her to Cardiff the next day. Sam would leave two days later for Swansea.
In Hannah’s ideal world, her children would have found places at the same university, but as their chosen courses were so different, this hadn’t been an option. They would, however, be geographically close enough to meet up on occasions and even travel home together for weekends and holidays, a thought which Hannah contented herself with.
Mike had offered to take Sam to Swansea and Hannah had agreed; he was Mike’s son too and the children were seeing quite a bit of him and Sarah at the moment, mainly due to them both being captivated by baby Charlotte.
The twins had celebrated their eighteenth birthdays at the end of August. Neither wanted extravagant parties for which Hannah was silently thankful, and instead, Sam asked for a new laptop and Mel an iPhone. Both of them appeared to be happy; they had overcome the effects of the accident and also, it seemed, the divorce for which Hannah was relieved. They were on the threshold of their own journeys in life and she hoped and prayed that they would continue to make the right choices for their own future happiness.
Hannah often reflected on the changes the year had presented. The negative ones were becoming easier to live with and she stubbornly determined to maintain a pragmatic view on life. She supposed the grieving process for her lost leg was gradually turning into acceptance; it would never be easy to live with, and there were days where she suffered considerable pain, but she accepted it as something which could never be changed.
The shock of losing Mike hurt deeply, although she often thought she should have seen it coming. The fact that he’d been having an affair for so long was a bitter blow, humiliating as well as hurtful, but looking back, it was clear that her marriage was never going to survive. She and Mike had grown too far apart and left it too long before either of them admitted to any problems. Hannah truly wished him well and was pleased that he seemed so happy with his new family. He would always be her children’s father, a fact which would connect them forever, and who knows, in time she might even feel brave enough to meet Sarah.
And now that the twins were leaving home, Hannah faced another huge change, but not everything which was happening in her life was negative. She’d begun to work a couple of evenings a week with Cassie and Alan Jones and they had called her a godsend for how well she had organised their office. The couple were so busy caring for their animals, marketing and fundraising, that much of the everyday paperwork had been in a mess.
Hannah’s skills in organisation soon had a massive effect. She introduced systems for payment of bills, ordering of feed and other essential stock, and generally kept the office running smoothly, much to the delight of Cassie and Alan, and the three were quickly becoming firm friends.
It was Hannah’s intention to work the occasional Saturday morning once the twins left home, as it would help to fill some of her weekend and she was beginning to love being at the farm. The atmosphere was something special, they were restoring health to neglected animals and the rewards were immeasurable. Sometimes, just a little love and care brought the most remarkable returns and the animals responded with the kind of devotion which suggested that they almost knew they had been rescued and wanted to repay the kindness.
Perhaps she was getting soppy in her old age, but Hannah was moved by many of the cases they took on at the farm and now couldn’t imagine her life without being part of such a wonderful venture.
Another bright spot in Hannah’s life was Joe Parker. He was becoming a valued friend, someone she could talk to quite openly and she was sure he felt the same. They’d had several telephone conversations, and Joe rang most weeks just to catch up and chat about what was happening in their lives. They also exchanged occasional emails, something she enjoyed writing, particularly at night when her leg was troubling her.
Joe was always interested in the twins and in what was happening at Timmy’s Farm, so she had plenty to write about and in return, he shared what was happening in his own life. It seemed to be the most natural thing in the world for them to be open and honest with each other, a fact Hannah truly appreciated; she’d had her fill of secrets and heartbreak, and wanted to carve out a different future for herself.
CHAPTER 32
The meadow was so much greener now after being parched the colour of straw during much of the long, dry summer, and it remained Liffey’s favourite playground. It was November and the wind was bracing, but that didn’t put either of them off and at least it was dry. During the hot weather, Liffey had splashed happily in the stream, which almost disappeared at the height of the heatwave when water became scarce, and then rolled enthusiastically in the long grass, drying off her coat and bringing a smile to Joe’s face.
He enjoyed their walks together and liked to think that Alison watched down on them during their frequent forays to the meadow; she too had loved this place, especially in the early morning, and they’d so often laughed together at their dog’s antics.
Joe no longer felt guilty at taking pleasure in the small things of life and a strange feeling often wrapped itself around him like a cloak, as if Ali was somehow encouraging him to live again, giving him permission to smile and laugh without that awful haunting sense of guilt hanging over him.
In the sky above, clouds swirled in a moody grey mass, but rain would be a welcome change, a blessing for the still dry earth. It was Saturday and Joe had spent more time in the meadow than usual, with nothing special to get home for, but Liffey was looking tired after bounding around chasing shadows of rabbits, so he turned to walk home.
The telephone was ringing as he unlocked the door and Joe was surprised to hear Detective Sergeant Armstrong on the line.
‘Good morning, Mr Parker. I hope I’m not disturbing your Saturday?’
‘Not at all. I’ve just come in actually — walking the dog, you know?’ Joe knew the call would concern Pamela and almost dreaded what the latest development might be.
‘I wanted to update you on your sister-in-law’s situation. It appears that the psychiatric evaluations are now complete and the recommendation is that Pamela Parker is unfit to stand trial.’
DS Armstrong paused to let the news sink in. Joe’s initial feeling was relief, as this meant he would not have to testify, but on the other hand, did it mean that Pam would get away with murdering his brother?