3 Mystery At Meadowbank Cottage - Original Audio Drama

Mystery at Meadowbank Cottage An Original Story Written and performed by Stephanie Poppins Music by my brother,

John Miles Carter Small world,

Said Jonathan,

As he abrunched Tuesday St.

Clair,

Sitting with her brother Justin,

In Dunhill's Estate Agents,

The best estate agents around.

Tuesday did her best to hold it together,

But unfortunately for her she had the sort of face that told everyone what she was thinking,

Before she had the courage to do it herself.

Grabbing his outstretched hand before there was any awkward hesitation,

Tuesday shook it firmly,

Eager to avoid a catastrophe.

Long time no see.

You're not kidding.

How's things?

Busy?

I bet city life has a habit of doing that to you,

I hear.

Tuesday looked at him closely.

Was that a touch of sarcasm,

Or was she just imagining things?

Her brother,

Meanwhile,

Seemed to be fascinated with Jonathan's watch,

Eager to suss out who he was really dealing with,

She supposed.

Nice treating you well,

I see.

Well,

I got married and settled down,

If that's what you mean.

Anyone we know?

You remember Colleen,

Don't you?

Tuesday's stomach sank,

So they got married then.

Jonathan caught her eye and she dropped her gaze.

What was there to say,

Apart from the obvious?

But if she was honest,

She didn't want to say anything at all.

Not that she needed worried.

She could count on her brother to step into the breach.

You bagged the prettiest girl in school.

Good work.

Pulling herself together,

Tuesday shot Jonathan one of her trademark smiles,

And he returned the sentiment,

Although his wasn't the smile Tuesday knew of old.

This man had changed much more than she had.

Not quite that fresh-faced athlete of yesteryear any more.

His hands were weather-worn now,

The hands of someone who'd worked the land,

Not just thrown a rugby ball about.

And he'd filled out,

Too,

Become more rugged.

His face showed the lines of someone who had spent his days outdoors,

Amidst hard sun and biting wind.

Still,

She was ashamed to admit she still found him handsome.

Maybe more so.

And he was infuriatingly confident,

Too,

Just as self-assured as he'd been when he'd played opposite her in Romeo and Juliet all those years ago.

That school production.

How she tried to avoid thinking about it.

But now here he was,

Standing opposite her in Dunhill's Estate Agents,

Amidst mountainous views and warm mid-morning light that caught the dust as it hung in the air around them.

Gazing lazily through the window,

She was keen to seem distracted.

There was no way she'd let him see just how much this was disturbing her.

All those years ago,

And yet how close they'd been.

How they'd fallen for each other during rehearsals.

He'd been so focused,

So committed to every scene.

And when at last they'd kissed on stage,

It hadn't felt like acting.

After opening night,

They walked through town together,

Still buzzing with adrenaline.

And for three glorious weeks,

They'd been inseparable.

Everyone said they were a match made in heaven.

Especially her parents.

How shocked they'd been,

If they only knew what was happening now.

Only three weeks before the final curtain call,

And then the cold shoulder.

No exclamation,

No phone calls.

Just Jonathan Green walking the school corridors,

With Colleen draped over his arm like a trophy.

While Tuesday St.

Clair tried to work out what she'd done wrong.

How long ago it seemed.

She'd built a whole new life since then.

A life in the city.

She'd always wanted to go to the city.

It was just a shame Robert Shafe had followed her like a bad smell.

Sweet,

Dumb,

Complicated Robert at first.

He'd been only too happy to help her forget.

And after university,

And her parents' accident,

He'd been there.

A solid reminder of home when everything else had fallen apart.

What a shame he'd become so lazy.

Let's not go there again,

T,

For goodness sake.

Stay on the page.

Right,

Justin interrupted.

Maybe we'll have a catch up later on.

What do you say?

Sounds good to me,

Said Jonathan.

Tuesday cringed.

Very tight they'd been back in the day.

Front row forwards who dominated every scrum.

It was best to keep it light-hearted,

She thought.

This might be very awkward for her,

But she didn't want Justin to know that.

Or Jonathan,

For that matter.

She wondered what Justin would make of it if he knew the real truth.

But she'd kept that hidden.

Tuesday might be a lot of things,

But a sister who forced her brother to take sides was not one of them.

Justin leaned back in his chair,

Completely at ease.

I call this providence,

He said,

As they opened the brochure and started to do business.

Comes with some lodges,

A little bit of land.

Yep,

We've decided to sell it on.

We've got another little project that we've been getting on with on the other side of the land,

And we thought it'd be nice for somebody else to enjoy it.

It's a great little business for anyone willing to put the work in.

Shuffling in her seat,

Tuesday considered her options.

She knew Justin wanted this as much as she wanted to get away from the city.

And she didn't like denying her brother.

But dragging all this up again?

She was keen to move back to the country,

But at any cost?

She didn't know whether she could do it.

Burying her head in the brochure,

She considered the prime land.

The kind of land that never went cheap.

The thing is,

Justin continued.

Tuesday recognised that tone.

Jonathan might be an old friend,

But her brother was in full business mode now.

We love the location.

We like the properties.

We're keen to have a closer look,

But.

.

.

Jonathan smiled.

Go on.

How much room for manoeuvre do you have in the price?

Tuesday looked up and Jonathan met her eyes for the first time since he'd sat down.

A little bit,

He said.

She held his gaze,

Searching for something.

An explanation.

An apology,

Maybe.

Anything that might finally make sense of what had happened all those years ago.

Then she looked away and glanced back out of the window.

Keen to show how unconcerned and detached she really was.

Let me see what I can do,

Said Jonathan.

For old time's sake.

It was finally moving day.

And Tuesday St Clair was rushing around,

Searching frantically for her lost keys.

Oh,

There they are.

Thank goodness for that.

Now,

Just enough time to write in my diary.

Dear Mum.

This is it.

I'm all packed and ready,

But I'm getting that sinking feeling again.

Justin will be here soon,

Thank goodness.

Robert's been ringing me non-stop,

But I blocked him.

Then he switched to another phone.

Apparently Andrew said he's been out all night.

He always gets like this when he mixes drink with his tablets.

But that's his brother's problem now,

Not mine.

I'll be back to Leighton Village soon.

Back where it all started.

How I've been thinking about you and Dad a lot.

I know you're with me now,

And that helps.

Of course,

Leighton's closer to the cemetery so I can come and see you when I've settled in.

Justin's excited.

He's really busy though,

And I'm worried about him.

You know Jay,

He's always the last to talk about anything.

Right,

I'm really ready to go.

I'm going to put the phone on mute.

So that Justin can't know what Robert's up to.

I don't need any more missed calls today.

And the van's just turned up too.

I didn't want to talk any more about Jonathan.

I've said more than enough about him the past few weeks.

Wish me luck.

See you soon.

Bye.

Tuesday sat knee-deep in boxes,

Wondering which one to tackle next.

Are you going to be alright,

T?

Asked Justin cautiously.

Yep,

It'll take a month of Sundays to clear this lot,

As Mum would say,

But that'll keep me busy.

It's going to be good here.

I can feel it.

This cottage is lovely.

Tuesday put on a brave smile,

And Justin seemed to accept it.

And John's only round the corner.

He'll be fine.

Tuesday chose to ignore this.

The last thing she'd be doing is going round cup in hand to Jonathan Green and his wife,

Asking for help.

She might have swallowed her pride,

And agreed to start a new life just round the corner from her ex-boyfriend.

But a lot had happened since then.

There was much water under the bridge.

And as far as Justin need know,

They'd never had an issue in the first place.

OK then,

Justin smiled.

Well,

There's a Sainsbury's about ten minutes away.

We'll get you a car sorted when you're settled,

Alright?

Oh,

And I almost forgot.

Stepping back into the hall,

He picked up the shopping bag of last-minute provisions.

Thanks,

Justin.

What would I do without you?

Now,

Do you want a cup of tea,

If I can find the kettle?

Said Tuesday.

No,

Better not.

I need to get back.

Yeah,

And you look a bit tired.

Say hello to Betsy for me.

Hugging each other tight,

Justin walked away and climbed back into his new Range Rover.

And as it fumbled away along the gravel track,

Tuesday felt her stomach sink.

He was leaving her behind,

Back in Leighton.

Back in that sleepy village they'd spent so many happy childhood years in.

Only this time,

She was an orphan,

And she was living in the woods.

What was she thinking?

Tuesday locked the door and looked around at the place she must now call home.

Maybank Cottage.

This wasn't the same as the lakeside lodges.

This was a cottage built of old Yorkshire stone.

She'd loved it as soon as she'd opened the front door.

There might be a lot of work to do in it,

For it to be as comfortable as she was used to.

But as soon as she stepped through that door,

He'd fallen in love with it.

Soulful,

Her mother would have called it.

This was a cottage with a heart.

It was well constructed and had plenty of space,

That was for sure.

The log beams running across the ceiling were broad and heavy,

And there were a good few rooms,

A large porch and a stone fireplace.

That was nice,

And very different from her city apartment.

Maybank Cottage was not as imposing as the lodges they'd been renting out,

But it was its own person.

Tuesday had become so used to the constraints of a city apartment,

This way of living would take some time getting used to.

But I'm up for the challenge,

She told Justin that first day.

At least the windows were covered with drapes,

And they didn't look half bad.

Without those,

She'd feel very exposed.

The neighbour's house was within sight at the top of the track.

But Tuesday liked her privacy,

Especially since her neighbours were Jonathan and Colleen Green.

If only mum and dad were alive to see this,

She thought to herself,

Holding her hands in front of the flames.

That flickered in the fireplace.

She checked her phone.

Missed calls.

25.

That wasn't good.

She opened it and blocked the latest unknown number,

Before looking around for the kettle.

It was time for a hot drink.

Walking through to the stone kitchen,

She began to plan what to do in the morning.

And that was when she saw it.

A tiny kitten meowing at the window.

What a sign,

She said to herself.

You poor little thing,

Come in.

She tugged at the iron clasp,

But it would not come loose.

Wait a minute,

I'm coming,

She called.

Then she rushed to the front door.

But an unexpected knock stopped her in her tracks.

Who's that now?

It's dark out there,

Who would be outside?

She went to the window and checked.

Oh no,

Not her.

It was Colleen Green,

Wearing as much make-up as she'd done all those years ago in the school gymnasium.

For God's sake.

Tuesday dashed into the bathroom and checked her reflection.

Why did the only place we could afford have to be down the road from her?

Colleen,

She exclaimed,

Swinging the door wide open and beaming.

Not that her smile had any effect on the vision in front of her.

Oh my gosh,

Tuesday Sinclair.

Jonathan said you hadn't changed a bit and he was right.

Tuesday stepped aside to let her in.

And to her delight,

The tiny kitten joined them.

Hello,

Aren't you a gorgeous little thing,

Tuesday exclaimed.

Hmm,

You want to be a bit careful of accepting stray cats.

Oh,

Tom Bucket couldn't care less,

He's too busy drinking and swearing.

Tom Bucket?

He's this old man who lives down the lane.

He refuses to get his cats neutered and now look,

Another litter of kittens.

Oh,

Right.

Tuesday grabbed some milk from the bag of basics and poured it into a shallow dish,

Secretly thanking her brother for the millionth time that day.

The little kitten drank greedily and Tuesday smiled.

This was a definite benefit of living in the country.

Meanwhile,

Colleen stepped straight into the front room uninvited and placed a basket laden with local provisions on the old pine table that had been left from the previous owners.

This should help.

Tuesday was surprised.

Oh,

That's very kind,

Colleen,

Thank you.

She was sure the woman was only there to suss her out,

But gifts were always welcome.

And by the look of it,

She was going to need the extra milk.

Well,

I know how difficult it must be for a girl out on her own in these deserted woods.

I must say,

Tuesday,

You're very brave.

I don't think I could do it alone.

Well,

Needs must.

You need to be here then.

What are you running away from,

Tuesday St Clair?

The question was tongue in cheek,

But Colleen Green had well and truly hit the nail on its head.

Oh,

And Jonathan says hello.

I remember that school play.

Theatre Club,

Wasn't it?

Yes,

That's it.

The end of year.

Everyone was talking about it,

Weren't they?

What was it again?

Beauty and the Beast,

I think.

Tuesday cringed.

Trust Colleen to bring that up.

Romeo and Juliet,

She said defiantly.

Why was Colleen laughing so loudly?

Did she think that maybe Jonathan was the Beauty and she was the Beast?

Hmm,

Very funny.

He was certainly more classically handsome than she was classically pretty.

But that joke had been made a million times by the It Girls,

And it had well and truly lost its shine.

The things we do as kids,

She responded as lightheartedly as she could.

Right,

Yes.

Well,

Colleen,

Thanks so much for the basket,

But it's getting late now and I haven't even made my bed yet.

Oh,

Of course,

Tuesday,

Of course.

I shan't keep you then.

Nice to catch up.

Lovely to see you.

And closing the door behind her a little harder than she intended,

Tuesday let out a long sigh.

She made her peace with Jonathan.

Over the past week,

She'd realised business was business and the past was the past.

Keep things professional,

She told herself.

That was easy.

But Colleen.

Colleen Green was a different story altogether.

The best thing to do with her was ignore her completely.

Never get too close to the neighbours,

Mrs St Clair used to say,

And now her daughter was beginning to see the sense in it.

And a little over an hour later,

She was wrapped up in her favourite blanket,

Doors locked,

Alarm on,

Ready for bed.

Come on then,

Come up,

Baby,

She called,

And the little kitten ran over to her bedside.

Lifting her up,

Tuesday thanked her lucky stars they'd found each other.

Here was someone a lot more vulnerable than she was.

Someone who needed her.

And everybody liked to be needed,

Didn't they?