Page 30 of The Village Inn of Secret Dream

Thankfully, the living quarters in the apartment upstairs appeared to be in reasonable shape, so Pete was happy to concentrate the building work on the downstairs and outside of the property, which would have the most benefit in luring potential customers, and hopefully a new buyer, over the threshold.

‘So what do you think?’ asked Pete once he and Mr Reynolds were stood outside in front of the inn after a full inspection.

It was definitely cooler now that October had nearly arrived. The river had been shrouded in an autumnal mist that morning and all the leaves on the trees had changed colour already. Pete sincerely hoped that the fireplaces were up to scratch as he had felt permanently cold since landing back in England after the heat of Singapore.

Mr Reynolds looked up at the outside of the inn with a serious look on his face before scribbling once more onto his notepad.

Pete peered over and was worried enough to see how long the list was. Not that he didn’t trust Mr Reynolds. His credentials were brilliant. He had even renovated Willow Tree Hall, the stately home which was a couple of miles away. And if he could renovate a large mansion like that, he was good enough for The Black Swan.

‘I’ll start at the top, shall I?’ said Mr Reynolds, with a warm smile as he turned back to face Pete. ‘Part of the roof needs replacing, I’m afraid. You can see where some of the tiles are either broken or have long since fallen off. Also both chimneys need repointing.’

Pete nodded. Perhaps it wouldn’t be as bad as he had feared. This sounded hopeful. But his hopes were soon dashed as Mr Reynolds carried on with his list of jobs.

‘Then there’s the exterior,’ carried on Mr Reynolds. ‘The plaster is cracked in places and will need patching up before painting. Thankfully the woodwork is sound, by some miracle, and so that will just need sanding down before repainting. And a new sign, of course, as well as updating the external lighting. So you’re going to need scaffolding up whilst that work is completed over the next month.’

‘And what about inside?’ asked Pete nervously, unsure he’d have anything left in the bank at all.

‘You’ve asked me to leave the living quarters, but you’ll need a brand-new boiler up there as the current one should be condemned, to be frank.’

Pete nodded in agreement. The chilly feel of the place appeared to be down to the non-existent heating.

‘And what about downstairs?’ asked Pete, fearing the worst.

‘Thankfully, the walls and ceilings are in good condition so you’re probably just looking at new customer toilets and a new kitchen, as well as redecoration. However, the electricity box is years out of date, so we’ll need to do some rewiring to get it up to health and safety standards. The same with the other lounge, I guess.’

Pete looked across to the other side of the front door where there was a single-storey extension with an apex roof. It was the one bonus in the whole debacle of buying into the place. He had had no idea, but there was an entirely unused second lounge area which had been hidden behind a closed door. Belle had told him that she couldn’t remember it ever being used except possibly for parties many years ago. It would be a perfect space for the restaurant that he had planned.

Mr Reynolds gave Pete a small smile. ‘It’s all going to add up, I’m afraid.’

Pete blew out a long sigh. ‘I expected it would, to be honest.’

‘But you do at least have the Grade II permission to upgrade and that’s still in date,’ said Mr Reynolds. ‘That’s a huge bonus and means we can get started next week, otherwise it could take months and months. We can replace it all, like for like. I’ve dealt with the council before with listed buildings so I know what they’re looking for.’ Mr Reynolds looked at the inn once more. ‘The place has got real charm, though. I’ve popped in for a pint many a time on the way home.’

‘Give it a month or so and you’ll be able to add a decent meal to that journey as well,’ said Pete with a smile.

But, in the meantime, serious money was going to have to be spent on doing up the inn. And the figures that Mr Reynolds had quoted him were eye-watering. It would mean using up almost all of his savings. He just hoped it was worth it.

Once more, he wondered how much a split-second decision thanks to Mick’s dodgy punch was going to cost him.

Only that morning, the day before they were due to leave for their cruise, Mick had handed Pete the keys to the inn.

‘Now you take good care of my home,’ Mick had said, with a smile. ‘Because she’s taken good care of my family over the past forty years.’

‘I will,’ Pete had replied, suddenly feeling the weight of responsibility of owning The Black Swan. There was no going back now.

Mick had even provisionally signed the sales deed as he trusted Pete so much. And it was a huge act of faith in Pete. After all, it was not only Belle’s place but Mick and Angie’s too. He’d known them all for a very long time. And he knew nothing about running an inn.

But he would just have to make it work, he told himself, as he checked his phone. He felt a dull ache as he read the email in his inbox. He had been offered the finance job in the City of London after his interview. The world of financial transactions and the vibrant capital seemed a very long way away from Cranbridge in that moment.

Thanks to his drunken error of buying the inn, Pete had to reply and reluctantly turn down the job. By some mean feat, he had managed to trap himself in Cranbridge. He just hoped the price, both professionally and personally, wouldn’t be too high.

16

Time, thought Belle, passed very quickly when you least wanted it to.

The fortnight had rushed past and suddenly it was the night before her aunt and uncle were due to leave for their three-month cruise.

Most of the village had turned out for their last night as landlord and landlady at the inn and the place was as crowded as Belle could remember it being for a long time.