A Family Forever Read Online Free Page A
cheeks flushed with heat and she quickly changed the subject. "I guess you'll make quite a lot of improvements to the hall before you move in properly?"
His smile faded, his expression becoming guarded. "There'll be major work done here. I'm having Larchfield converted into four luxury apartments. But I won't be living here."
"You're not staying?" She couldn't hide the note of disappointment in her voice.
"Nope." Adam shook his head.
The significance of this hit her. The gardens would be communally owned. Once Adam sold the flats, he'd have no say in what was done here. No wonder he'd been cagey when she asked him if she could keep releasing hedgehogs in the garden.
"That's not all I plan to do, I'm afraid." Adam glanced down and wrapped his hands around his mug. "The development will include ten new properties on the land."
Shock jolted Victoria. "You're turning the garden into a housing estate?"
"Not a housing estate. These are individual architect-designed properties that will each have an acre of ground."
Victoria pressed a hand over her mouth as the full implications hit her. She had far more to worry about than where she would release new hedgehogs. What on earth would she do with the ones that already lived on Larchfield land?
***
Adam watched the news hit Victoria and the color drain from her face. He enjoyed chatting with her. He would like to get to know her better, but she wouldn't be feeling too friendly towards him now.
He wished he didn't have to drop this problem on her out of the blue, but it was best to get the issue out in the open and work on finding a solution. "I'm sorry. I had no idea about your arrangement with Lady Welland. Hedgehogs were never mentioned when I bought the property."
Victoria sucked in a breath and her eyes widened. "You can't start building houses yet. I'll have to find safe sites to relocate the animals you have here, first. That could take weeks."
"Don't worry. I'll do whatever I can to help. I'm willing to postpone the start date for a while until we move your hedgehogs."
"Move the hedgehogs?" Harry's voice squeaked in his rush to get out the words. "You can't do that, Dad."
Harry and Sophie both stared at him as though he'd just kicked a puppy. Adam threw up his hands in frustration. "You kids don't understand. I have no choice. People have put down deposits. The houses have to be built."
"Build them somewhere else," Sophie said, frowning. "There're heaps of fields around here with nothing in them. Use one of those for your houses."
Adam tried to keep his tone gentle. "Sophie, I don't own the fields. I own Larchfield. Had I known about the hedgehog issue, I wouldn't have bought the place. But I wasn't told. I have planning permission to build here. So here's where the houses are going, I'm afraid."
The children continued to glare at him. He was wasting his breath trying to explain the legalities to them. But Victoria must understand. She blinked at him, looking shell-shocked. He opened his mouth to apologize again as her mobile phone rang.
She snatched the device from her pocket and put it to her ear. "Hello." Her glazed eyes immediately sharpened and she stared down at her hand spread on the table. "Is it injured? Uh-huh. Badly? Okay. There's not too much blood though?" She nodded to herself. "Find a shoe box. Then fill a hot water bottle, wrap it in a towel, and lay the hedgehog on it in the shoe box so it's warm and snug. I'll be over as soon as I can."
Victoria pushed her phone back in her pocket and stood. "Sorry, Adam. We'll have to talk again later. I have an emergency, a baby that's been mauled by a dog. Come on, Soph."
She headed for the door, her daughter running to catch up with her.
Adam jumped up and followed, Harry on his heels. "How far are you going?"
"A couple of miles away. I need to run home to get my car."
"I'll drive you." He couldn't let her walk out with nothing resolved.
"You?" Victoria pulled up sharply and turned to stare at him as
His smile faded, his expression becoming guarded. "There'll be major work done here. I'm having Larchfield converted into four luxury apartments. But I won't be living here."
"You're not staying?" She couldn't hide the note of disappointment in her voice.
"Nope." Adam shook his head.
The significance of this hit her. The gardens would be communally owned. Once Adam sold the flats, he'd have no say in what was done here. No wonder he'd been cagey when she asked him if she could keep releasing hedgehogs in the garden.
"That's not all I plan to do, I'm afraid." Adam glanced down and wrapped his hands around his mug. "The development will include ten new properties on the land."
Shock jolted Victoria. "You're turning the garden into a housing estate?"
"Not a housing estate. These are individual architect-designed properties that will each have an acre of ground."
Victoria pressed a hand over her mouth as the full implications hit her. She had far more to worry about than where she would release new hedgehogs. What on earth would she do with the ones that already lived on Larchfield land?
***
Adam watched the news hit Victoria and the color drain from her face. He enjoyed chatting with her. He would like to get to know her better, but she wouldn't be feeling too friendly towards him now.
He wished he didn't have to drop this problem on her out of the blue, but it was best to get the issue out in the open and work on finding a solution. "I'm sorry. I had no idea about your arrangement with Lady Welland. Hedgehogs were never mentioned when I bought the property."
Victoria sucked in a breath and her eyes widened. "You can't start building houses yet. I'll have to find safe sites to relocate the animals you have here, first. That could take weeks."
"Don't worry. I'll do whatever I can to help. I'm willing to postpone the start date for a while until we move your hedgehogs."
"Move the hedgehogs?" Harry's voice squeaked in his rush to get out the words. "You can't do that, Dad."
Harry and Sophie both stared at him as though he'd just kicked a puppy. Adam threw up his hands in frustration. "You kids don't understand. I have no choice. People have put down deposits. The houses have to be built."
"Build them somewhere else," Sophie said, frowning. "There're heaps of fields around here with nothing in them. Use one of those for your houses."
Adam tried to keep his tone gentle. "Sophie, I don't own the fields. I own Larchfield. Had I known about the hedgehog issue, I wouldn't have bought the place. But I wasn't told. I have planning permission to build here. So here's where the houses are going, I'm afraid."
The children continued to glare at him. He was wasting his breath trying to explain the legalities to them. But Victoria must understand. She blinked at him, looking shell-shocked. He opened his mouth to apologize again as her mobile phone rang.
She snatched the device from her pocket and put it to her ear. "Hello." Her glazed eyes immediately sharpened and she stared down at her hand spread on the table. "Is it injured? Uh-huh. Badly? Okay. There's not too much blood though?" She nodded to herself. "Find a shoe box. Then fill a hot water bottle, wrap it in a towel, and lay the hedgehog on it in the shoe box so it's warm and snug. I'll be over as soon as I can."
Victoria pushed her phone back in her pocket and stood. "Sorry, Adam. We'll have to talk again later. I have an emergency, a baby that's been mauled by a dog. Come on, Soph."
She headed for the door, her daughter running to catch up with her.
Adam jumped up and followed, Harry on his heels. "How far are you going?"
"A couple of miles away. I need to run home to get my car."
"I'll drive you." He couldn't let her walk out with nothing resolved.
"You?" Victoria pulled up sharply and turned to stare at him as
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