Page 85 of The Village Inn of Secret Dream

‘Oh, Belle,’ said Molly, giving her a teary smile. ‘Pain doesn’t disappear that easily, trust me.’

‘But perhaps it’s time to trust us and be brave,’ said Lucy. ‘Because you’re just as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.’

‘I don’t know about that,’ said Belle quickly.

‘You could start with a few brighter colours,’ said Amber.

‘I thought you liked the pastels,’ said Belle, frowning at the cut-up pieces of material.

‘I meant for you,’ said Amber softly.

Belle took a deep intake of breath and automatically glanced down at her dark clothes.

‘It would be nice to see you in something brighter, for a change,’ said Molly.

Belle hesitated, unable to find any words. She had hidden away for so long that she wasn’t sure how.

‘Why don’t you start off with just one piece,’ said Lucy, nodding her head in encouragement. ‘Like a pretty top.’

‘Or even a brightly coloured scarf whilst the weather’s so cold outside,’ added Amber.

As her friends all nodded in agreement, Belle found she was hoping that their encouragement would rub off on her.

‘Maybe even Pete will notice,’ muttered Lucy.

Belle blushed and pretended not to have heard. She might only just be brave enough to wear a slightly brighter top. She certainly wasn’t brave enough to confess how she really felt about Pete yet to her friends.

Because, despite everything that had happened, Belle knew that if Pete left, she would be completely heartbroken.

46

Pete was emptying out the bins later that afternoon before realising how much darker it was becoming now that the clocks had gone back an hour.

He had felt a little better after the conversation with his brother, and although he felt as if he didn’t deserve his support, Pete was truly grateful that he had it in any case.

But how to move forward now with the inn? Sooner or later, he was going to have to face everyone outside of his family. What would he say to their many questions? He had no idea.

He was so deep in thought as he went to head back inside that he didn’t notice Ned sitting on the bench nearby until he hollered at him.

‘Oy! Cloth ears!’

Pete looked around startled and then smiled at the old man, turning in his tracks to walk over to him.

‘Never seen a chap look as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders before,’ said Ned.

‘Mind if I join you?’ asked Pete.

‘Be my guest,’ said Ned, gesturing at the bench. ‘I should think you need to sit down with all those thoughts going on inside your head. Take the weight off, son.’

Pete sat down and relished the silence as they looked out across the river. It was a truly beautiful afternoon in Cranbridge, but it gave him no solace whatsoever.

‘Have you ever failed at anything, Ned?’ he found himself asking.

The old man sitting on the bench beside him laughed. ‘Of course I have! Life is all about failure, don’t you know that?’

Pete was shocked. ‘What do you mean?’ he said, nonplussed.

‘I mean,’ began Ned. ‘That there’s a fortunate few, normally those who have been blessed with infinite wealth, to whom life is easy. And then there’s the rest of us. We can only learn from our failures, lad. Not our successes. But that’s the key. You’ve got to earn your success.’