The House that Florence Left (Portuguese Paradise #4)

Chapter 24

As she switched on her phone at Faro airport, several messages arrived all at once.

Glad you’re coming back early. Shall I get you some food? Will

Good news. Is everything all right? Shall I get you some food? Hugo

Do you know anything about the bulldozer? Will

There is a bulldozer parked outside the gate of the Nest. Do you know anything about it? Hugo

I saw Martim hanging around. He said they were going to cut down the tree just outside your gate as they plan to build an access road at the end of the track to some new housing they will be building. It will impact the tree’s roots and make it unsafe. Will

Bella began to panic.

I spoke to Lenny and told him he could not cut down the tree outside your gate as the roots will have grown under your wall and probably are on your drive. So they have left the bulldozer there. I don’t know why they were going to use a bulldozer. Hugo

It is a public holiday, so they’ve just left this bulldozer right next to your tree. Will

I am contacting my great-uncle. He must have something to do with this. Hugo

Don’t worry. We will sort it out. Will

Don’t worry. We will sort it out. Hugo

Bella stared at the messages, temporarily unable to think, until the seat belt sign pinged off, and she was forced to get up. When she rang Hugo and Will as she walked to passport control, the calls both went to voicemail. She left the same message. ‘I’ll be home in just over an hour. Food would be great. Thank you.’

And as soon as she got through customs, she almost ran to the car park, got in her car, and drove along the motorway to Lagos.

* * *

Bella looked up at the bulldozer, her heart racing, waves of anxiety coursing around her body, combined with beats of anger she’d never experienced before. How could a piece of machinery make her feel so angry?

Manoeuvring so close to the front of the vehicle it would be impossible to move it without flattening her car, she got out, took her bottle of water and airport sandwiches, locked the car door and searched for a way to climb up onto it.

The sky was a bright, incandescent blue, and the sound of children laughing in the distance drifted over from the beach. A low steady rhythm bumped from Hugo’s café.

She’d sent Hugo and Will a message as soon as she’d got to the end of the track.

I’m here. Dealing with this bulldozer.

The thought pushed her up, her foot finding the running board next to the driver’s seat. Then she climbed onto the front and sat down. At the end of the drive stood the Nest surrounded by pots full of red and orange bougainvillea, the swimming pool glistening silver next to it. There was no storks’ nest on the chimney of the outbuilding. She couldn’t understand why it wasn’t there anymore. Why would the storks leave and take it with them?

She closed her eyes and breathed, trying not to cry. ‘I’ve only been gone a couple of days,’ she said to the sky.

A dog barked in the distance. She opened her eyes as the cats climbed up towards her. ‘Oh. Hello... Thank goodness you’re all right.’ Her shoulders shook as tears dripped down her cheek. ‘I can’t believe this is happening, Yin and Yang! It’s a nightmare.’ Weaving around her they purred, their tails brushing her arms as they did, then lay down and settled down either side of her, like guard dogs.

Deidre arrived, followed by Will. ‘Ah. Bella. Thank God.’ He shouted from the end of the track. ‘I’m so glad you’re back. What are you doing up there?’

‘I’m protesting,’ she shouted. ‘They can’t cut down this tree. It’s my tree. Well, it’s not. But it was here when Great-Aunt Flo bought the Nest and it’s not going anywhere.’

‘Sitting on the bulldozer is not very rational though, is it?’ He stood next to it and looked up at her.

Bella felt a surge of excitement so strong it started from her toes and coursed through her whole body. ‘I know! It’s fantastic, isn’t it? I didn’t know how powerful being irrational felt until this very moment.’

Will stared at her for a moment then burst out laughing, doubling up and holding his stomach. ‘Oh dear... oh dear... Bella... you looked just like Flo then.’

Bella watched him then began to laugh too, wiping her tears from her cheeks as she did.

‘How long are you intending to stay up there?’ he asked once he’d calmed down.

‘Until they get here.’

‘Tomorrow morning? Really?’

‘Really.’ Bella tried to sound defiant, but her rational side was making an appearance.

‘Have you thought about the logistics and practicalities?’ Will asked. Deidre began to bark at her. ‘You can’t go up there too, girl.’ He pulled her back.

‘What if I need the loo?’ mumbled Bella. ‘I hadn’t thought of that...’

‘I was thinking about food and drink actually, but that’s a fair point.’

‘They aren’t knocking down this tree.’ She was impressed at how assertive she sounded.

‘I know — they won’t. I phoned up the council — the Camara — and asked about new housing here. They hadn’t had any requests for planning permission. Hugo has gone through the planning meetings — there’s nothing there. It’s all a bit odd.’

‘This seems like a deliberate act of vandalism to me,’ Bella shouted. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to talk so loudly. I’m just... A lot has happened in the last forty-eight hours.’

‘Hugo has driven over to his great-uncle’s offices near Tavira. He’s sure he’s got something to do with this. He tried to get rid of this tree years ago after he and Flo split up.’

‘Why would he try again?’

Will shook his head. ‘It seems very irrational to me.’

‘The storks’ nest has gone.’ As the words came out of her mouth, a lump formed in her throat.

He shook his head. ‘Could be anything.’

But Bella could see he didn’t mean it. ‘Can you ring Hans the birdwatcher? He may know why storks leave their nests quickly.’

‘Sure I will.’

‘And I have an idea,’ Bella said slowly.

‘You want me to get people here, don’t you — make a noise, get the press, all that?’

‘Yes please.’

‘I’ll make a few calls. I’ll be back soon.’

As he began to walk away Bella could feel herself panic. ‘You are definitely coming back, aren’t you?’

‘Yes I am. Now don’t move too much — you’ll fall off.’

Bella looked down. She was surprisingly high up. Then she looked at the cats, sprawled next to her as if sitting on a bulldozer was the most normal thing in the world. ‘Maybe it is for you,’ she said. ‘But it’s a first for me.’

She checked her watch. It was now 8 p.m. The bulldozer was facing west, so she took the tuna and egg sandwiches she had bought at Gatwick airport out of her bag and ate them, waiting for the sun to set so she could watch the sky turn slowly from blue to pink to black.

‘Right.’ Will was hurrying back up along the track. ‘We’re going to get some company. That means that when you need to stretch your legs, feel like you might fall off, or require a—’ he held his fingers in the air as if they were inverted commas, ‘—“comfort” break, you will be replaced on the bulldozer by a proxy.’

‘Oh. Thank you.’ Bella put the empty sandwich packet in her bag. ‘What about the press, social media?’

‘All of this will be recorded ready for when the Terrible Twins arrive.’

‘Fantastic.’ Bella looked at him. ‘I came straight from the airport and climbed on here without thinking. I was so annoyed. Could I get down for a comfort break?’

He nodded. ‘Go on. I won’t climb on myself — my knee’s still not right — but Deidre here will make a lot of noise if anyone we don’t want here arrives.’

‘Thank you.’ Bella thought for a moment. ‘This isn’t going to be very elegant.’ She rolled over onto her stomach, disturbing the cats, who jumped down onto the ground irritably. ‘How do you make that look so easy?’ she muttered.

‘Is that the best way?’ Will moved forward, looking worried, as Bella grabbed the windscreen.

‘I don’t think so,’ she wheezed, dangling her left leg down over the bonnet. ‘It’s higher than I realised.’

Will moved to the side of the bulldozer. ‘Just drop down slowly and I’ll somehow catch you.’

‘I’ll hurt your knee,’ squealed Bella, losing her grip and landing with a thud onto a row of white flowers.

She managed to stand up. ‘This is between us,’ she whispered to Will, before hurrying down the track to the house.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside over the newly scrubbed floor, and up the wooden stairs recently painted brown, running her hand over the now smooth and brightly tinted banister.

This was my aunt’s sanctuary , she thought. I won’t let anyone intimidate me or her memory.

She went up onto the roof terrace to see if there was any trace of the storks’ nest. But it had gone completely, as if someone had picked it up and taken it away. She hurried into the bedroom and put Flo’s dress she had found in the fourth bedroom on as if it was a suit of armour. ‘If I’m going to fight like you, I’d better look like you.’

Making sure the front door was firmly locked behind her she rushed down the track towards Will, Deidre and the bulldozer.

‘No one here yet?’ she said, clambering onto it again.

‘The cavalry is on its way.’ He smiled. ‘With things to sit on, thankfully. I recognise that dress. It’s one of Flo’s, isn’t it?’

Two cars rumbled down the lane towards them. ‘I can see them!’ Bella said as the cats settled down next to her again. ‘That was quick.’

‘Well, this is important.’

The cars pulled up. Layla, Minnie and Elena got out. Elena hovered at the back and pretended she couldn’t see Will, even though he was standing next to the bulldozer. John Travolta and one of the Bee Gees got out of the other car.

‘Ignacio and Duarte have been indulging in competitive living statue-ing,’ said Minnie, rolling her eyes.

‘Is there a competition?’ Bella asked.

Both men were carrying some fold-up chairs towards them.

‘No. No. It’s just them. Being men. Being twits.’

‘Ahh.’ Bella smiled.

‘I brought the drinks.’ Elena waved. ‘They are in a cool box in the car.’

‘Can I help you get them?’ Will followed her.

‘I also have some binoculars and blankets that I use for birdwatching. You can keep a lookout from up there.’ She handed Bella the binoculars. ‘And we’ll be ready for them.’

Bella used them to scan the horizon, moving from the Nest to the beach and then across to the lane, where Hugo was loading something into his car. Her heart flipped happily as she watched him get in it and drive towards the Nest, wondering why he was driving rather than walking.

‘Glass of wine?’ Duarte was holding a bottle and a plastic cup. ‘You may as well. Only one... don’t want you getting too relaxed and slipping off!’

Bella looked at him. Twenty-four hours ago, she would have said no because it was not a very sensible thing to do since she was currently preparing to spend the night sitting on a bulldozer. But that was the Bella of yesterday. This was the Bella who was actually sitting on the bulldozer.

‘Why not?’ She smiled at him.

He grinned. ‘I’m so very proud of you.’

Hugo’s car turned down the track. He parked, got out and took something out of the boot.

‘They stole the storks’ nest.’ He held it up so everyone could see. ‘And put it behind a tree in my garden. Mateus found it. I wondered why he was standing there, so went to check.’

Everyone stopped talking.

‘Why would they do that?’ Bella asked. ‘They obviously wanted you to find it.’

‘They are trying to unsettle us,’ Will shouted angrily. ‘And they won’t. This is ridiculous.’

‘They trespassed on my property and trespassed on yours. And made it obvious.’ Bella could hear her voice rise. ‘I’m going to ring Lenny. I’ve got his number. Just to ask if it was him.’ She took her phone out of her bag and searched through her contacts list.

‘My great-uncle wasn’t around.’ Hugo’s voice was angry. ‘They said they’d pass the message on.’ He shook his head. ‘This is very odd. Not businesslike. And Will says no planning permission for anything close by.’

‘His number is out of service.’ Bella took a breath, then caught Hugo’s eye. ‘Shall you ring your ex-girlfriend or shall I?’

‘I’ll do it.’ Hugo took his phone out of his pocket and walked to the end of the track.

‘I’m going to ring Jorge,’ shouted Elena. ‘He’ll know how to get them. He’s been let off very lightly for his duplicity, so he’ll have to help. I’ll make him,’ she almost snarled.

Bella looked through the binoculars again. A group of people appeared to be waddling down the lane, all with binoculars and many with foldable chairs. One of them paused and looked through their binoculars, then waved. It was Hans with the birdwatching group.

Bella waved back and felt a tiny surge of excitement.

‘I told them someone was trying to take down your tree!’ Elena shouted. ‘We are birdwatchers. We love trees!’

Bella looked back at the house. ‘I want the storks back. It’s not the Nest without the storks. It’s not O Ninho .’

‘We will put the nest back on the roof.’ Ignacio picked it up from the floor.

‘This will only have happened in the last forty-eight hours.’ Elena followed him up the drive. ‘They may just be temporarily displaced.’

‘The ladder is in the outbuilding.’ Bella threw the keys down to Layla. ‘Thank you.’

Quiet Julian arrived with some of his friends. ‘Hugo told us to close the restaurant early.’ His voice was almost audible. ‘So, I put the word out, and here we are. I will take some films and put them on social media. I need a hashtag.’

‘Save the Nest,’ shouted someone.

‘Stop wanton destruction of trees,’ shouted someone else.

‘Partay time,’ the voice came from the back of the crowd. Everyone turned around and tutted. ‘Sorry...’ the voice said. ‘Got carried away.’

‘Save the house that Florence left?’ Will looked pleased with his idea.

‘They are trying to knock down the tree, not the house,’ Minnie replied reasonably.

Hugo reappeared, his phone in his hand. ‘Yes, well, I think they were hoping that the tree is just the start.’ He looked up at Bella. ‘May I join you?’

She smiled down at him. ‘Please do.’

He got into the driver’s seat. ‘There’s not enough room for us both on the bonnet.’ He reached his hand out and Bella took it, wanting to pull him up so he could wrap himself around her and they could sit staring at the sky and the beach in the stillness. Just them and the stars and the waves.

Someone started playing ‘Lovely Day’ on the guitar, and one by one the crowd began to sing.

Hugo squeezed her hand. ‘Well, at least we are keeping ourselves entertained.’

‘Did you get through to Deanna?’ asked Bella.

‘I’m afraid I did.’

‘Afraid?’

‘Her perspective is... Well, she felt the need to tell me what she feels are some home truths. I felt the need to tell her some too.’ He sighed. ‘It was about time. But unpleasant to hear.’

‘Oh dear. Was she not very nice about you?’ Bella remembered Gino’s last text, telling her she was too focused on her work.

‘Well, no. But also, about what she was trying to do.’

‘Go on.’

He looked up at Bella, his chocolate-brown eyes full of sadness. ‘She lived in a slum. She got out. She has made a life for herself. She is driven. She saw what I had and wondered why I needed so much space. She saw houses where our trees and vegetables are.’

‘I understand. She told me something like that herself.’ Bella nodded.

‘She got a job working for my great-uncle and that’s when we broke up... and she began to see big houses where our land is, rather than apartments and small villas... She got drawn into making a lot of money. Because to her, money is freedom.’

‘And she wants to be free of her past. Free of worrying about money.’

‘She can’t understand why we want our houses rather than the money. And she and Lenny and Martim have got carried away.’

‘That’s one way of putting it.’

‘So, Lenny and Martim decided to try to intimidate you. Slowly drive you out. Because who wants all this trouble if they are renting a property out? And who would want to buy anywhere when they find out what they are doing?’

Bella’s jaw set hard. ‘Those three were trying to frighten me...’ she shouted so loudly that everyone stopped singing and looked over.

‘They are trying to intimidate me. And Will. And Hugo,’ she shouted.

Julian pointed his phone at her. ‘Say that again,’ he said. ‘But don’t say their names — slander, libel, defamation of character — got to be careful.’

‘They are trying to intimidate us!’ shouted Bella. ‘And they won’t!’

Everyone cheered.

‘And your great-uncle? She works for him.’

Hugo’s face almost contorted with fury. ‘He will not answer my calls, my visits. He is a coward, and he is hiding.’

Bella heard the sound of a truck in the distance and looked through her binoculars. Her whole body tensed. ‘It’s Lenny and Martim,’ she whispered.

‘They are coming!’ shouted Hugo. ‘Lenny and Martim!’

Everyone gathered around the bulldozer. Ignacio and Duarte watched from the roof of the outbuilding. Julian played the theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly loudly from his phone.

Bella laughed. She couldn’t stop as she watched Lenny and Martim walk down the lane and turn into the track. She laughed till she started to splutter, then laughed again.

‘I’m not sure that’s the best way to approach this.’ Hugo looked confused. ‘We need to be assertive, angry, determined...’

‘I’m sitting on the front of a bulldozer. There are two men putting a storks’ nest back on the outbuilding of the Nest, a large group of people gathered around me, and these two men have no idea, do they?’

‘They don’t, no.’ Hugo smiled.

Lenny and Martim strode determinedly towards the corner.

Bella watched, waiting, wondering how they’d react. ‘Hello!’ she shouted, waving.

‘What are you doing?’ Hugo looked worried.

‘Taking control,’ she said.

‘Here they are, everyone,’ she told the group. ‘Are you coming to join the party?’ she shouted to the men, who were now standing at the end of the track.

‘You are on our property,’ Martim shouted. ‘You are trespassing. Please get off.’

‘Well, you were on my property trespassing, weren’t you? So no.’

‘No we weren’t.’

‘Yes you were. You stole the storks’ nest.’

‘No we didn’t.’

‘Oh yes you did.’ Bella waved her arms. ‘Everyone, after me...’

‘Oh yes you did,’ the crowd shouted in unison.

‘Actually, you did.’ Hugo leaned out from the cab of the bulldozer. ‘I’ve just had one of those Ring doorbell systems installed and I’ve got a recording.’

Martim looked at Lenny. ‘You told me there wasn’t any CCTV!’

‘There wasn’t last week.’ Lenny sounded petulant, like a sulky child. ‘So don’t blame me.’

Will pushed himself to the front of the group. ‘There is no planning permission for any building along the lane.’ He waved his stick at them. ‘So why are you trying to dig it up and take down that tree?’

Martim took a deep breath and tried to smile. ‘We are just businessmen trying to make a living. We are working with a consortium of other parties. We assumed the planning request had been sent in.’

‘We don’t believe you,’ shouted Bella.

Lenny stalked towards the bulldozer. ‘That is very expensive equipment. You must get off it now.’

‘No. Go away. I don’t trust you.’ Bella folded her arms, just as she heard another vehicle drive down the lane. ‘Hold on, we’ve got a visitor.’

Through the binoculars, she saw a Jaguar park around the corner. Francisco Lopes climbed out.

She leaned closer to Hugo. ‘Your great-uncle has arrived.’

‘He has?’

‘Get out of the cab, please, so I can take this away.’ Lenny grabbed Hugo’s arm.

‘No.’ Hugo moved back inside, so Lenny yanked Bella’s leg.

‘What are you doing, man?’ Martim was trying to pull his friend away.

‘This is expensive equipment. And we are renting it. These idiots will damage it.’

Julian held his hand up and began filming on his phone again as Minnie took hold of Lenny’s hand. ‘Leave them alone,’ she shouted, ‘you big bullies!’

‘What the hell is going on here?’ Francisco Lopes stood in the shadows, the moon illuminating his face briefly before it was obscured by a cloud.

‘Ah, my great-uncle makes an appearance at last.’ Hugo stared at him. ‘What do you think you are doing setting your people onto us like this?’

‘This is nothing to do with me.’ The group parted and he walked forward. ‘This land is hard to develop. Too many environmental issues, access issues, it’s difficult to build on, some of it is a flood-plain. And there will inevitably be a day when a rare bird nests here and the paperwork around that will not be worth the trouble. Why would I waste my time on a money pit like this?’

‘You tried before.’ Hugo held Francisco’s gaze.

His uncle didn’t reply.

‘I saw you with these two.’ Bella pointed at Lenny and Martim. ‘On more than one occasion.’

‘Deanna De La Cruz — my now ex-employee — was trying to build up a case to persuade me to invest. I thought about it. But I said no. I said no more than once and—’

‘So they don’t work for you?’ Hugo’s voice was getting louder.

‘I didn’t say that. They don’t anymore. What the hell did you think you were doing?’ Francisco turned his attention to the builders.

‘We decided to set up on our own, have our own project.’ Martim was beginning to sound embarrassed. ‘Get her out.’ He nodded at Bella. ‘Buy the land, and then find an investor.’

‘So all this about the tree and the access was a lie?’ Bella looked at the people around them. ‘Get this bulldozer away from my house.’

‘It’s just a tree.’ Lenny said. ‘Just a tree that will fall down one day anyway.’

‘It’s not just a tree,’ Hans shouted. ‘Living things are part of that tree. Birds, insects — only a few months ago we spotted a lesser-crested netherbird nesting there.’ He winked at Bella and whispered, ‘I made that up.’

‘You will not touch that tree.’ Francisco’s voice boomed and everyone fell silent.

No one said anything for a moment.

‘Florence loved that tree.’ Francisco’s voice was lower now. ‘We used to meet under that tree. I would watch her amble down the path towards me in one of her colourful dresses.’ He looked at Bella. ‘I recognise that dress...’

‘But you tried to knock it down?’ Hugo looked confused.

‘Oh, I did.’ He almost laughed. ‘She never had any money, you know. And I decided in my arrogant way that if she sold the house and the land I could build properties on it and she would have all the money in the world to have the kind of life I thought she deserved. With me.’ He turned to Hugo. ‘Your parents were the same. Living hand to mouth. Just like our parents before them. And I didn’t want that. I thought they deserved better. I watched them all working themselves into early graves.’

‘But my parents loved it here,’ Hugo said softly. ‘It’s not all about money. They had enough — they would have liked a bit more, I suppose but they were a part of this place and the sea and the fields... That was them. Not what you wanted.’

Francisco looked up and smiled at Bella. ‘You, sitting on that bulldozer. She did the same thing when I got so angry I hired one. I just wanted to show her. I wanted her to want what I did and I was furious.’

‘This is making me sad.’ Elena took a handkerchief out of her pocket.

‘Then I went away and I became rich and I didn’t speak to my family and I lost Flo. And then she died.’

He didn’t speak for a moment, then took a breath. ‘And one day I drove past and I saw you.’ He looked into her eyes. ‘Flo had told me what had happened to your father. “I just wish I could make it better,” she’d said. And for just one moment, I wondered if I bought this off you, I could help you. So when Deanna mentioned the idea to me, I agreed to talk to these two.’ He looked at Lenny and Martim. ‘But I knew it was wrong, and I said no. You get this thing away.”’ He pointed to the bulldozer. ‘“And if I hear anything about you trying to get past building controls and putting anything on this area, I will go to the police”.’

Someone clapped their hands at the back of the crowd.

Everyone turned around. It was Deanna De La Cruz.

Hugo shook his head angrily. ‘What are you doing here? What business do you have here?’

She moved forward slowly, her eyes on his. ‘This...’ She stopped, then looked at Bella. ‘This was not my idea. This is too much. I got carried away, but this is an act of vandalism. How will I ever be successful as a property developer if I get caught up in this? You idiots! It’s all over social media and the press.’

‘You didn’t say that,’ Martim sneered. ‘You were all for getting information and using it.’

‘I was, I admit it.’ She winced, then spoke to Hugo. ‘I feel it was partly anger with you. I wanted you to be like me,and you aren’t,and...’ She shook her head then smiled. ‘You being you was why I wanted you in the first place.’

Bella tried not to look at Hugo. She was too frightened to see his reaction.

‘Well, that’s done now.’ Hugo’s voice was even but firm. ‘Thank you for your apology and openness. The way you have behaved has been hurtful and underhand. I hope you have learned from it.’

Deanna nodded then spoke to Bella. ‘I met your aunt a few times. She was a force of nature.’ She looked at the floor. ‘Money, money, money.’ She shook her head, turned around and walked away.

There was silence until she was out of sight.

‘To O Ninho !’ shouted Duarte, who began to clap, and then everyone joined in. Hugo got out of the cab and helped Bella slide down from the bonnet. Lenny climbed inside and switched it on and it lurched backwards, knocking into Bella’s gate. There was a collective intake of breath until he jolted forward and drove off.

Something fluttered at the top of the tree, and a large brown bird with soft white feathers tinged with blue hovered above it for a moment before flying away.

There was another collective intake of breath, then silence until Hans said, ‘Was that what I think it was?’

‘I think it was,’ someone else said. ‘I have never seen one here before.’

Hans gripped Bella’s hand and beamed. ‘Oh, Bella. If that bird is what we think it is, no one will be able to build on here anyway. That is a rare, rare bird, and once I have contacted the relevant societies, the red tape involved in trying to move forward with any building will drive even the most patient developer quietly mad.’

‘Oh? We seem to be a bit of a magnet for shy birds.’ Exhaustion suddenly swept over Bella and she rubbed her eyes.

‘I was worried there for a moment.’ Minnie stepped forward. ‘Oh...’ She pointed at the floor. The sign for the Nest was on the ground, shattered.

Francisco stepped forward and picked the pieces up. ‘I’m sorry.’ He handed them to Bella. ‘I remember when Florence painted this.’ His voice cracked. ‘I hope this hasn’t caused you too much distress.’

Bella took his hand, but she couldn’t find the right words. Then she remembered the old photo she had found in the chest of drawers in her bedroom. ‘Florence kept a photograph of you both standing under this tree,’ she said softly. ‘You looked so happy. You must have meant a lot to her.’

Francisco Lopes stared above her head, unable to speak.

‘Thank you for stopping them,’ she said eventually.

He looked at Hugo and nodded. Hugo nodded back, and Francisco turned at walked up the track towards the lane.

‘Are you going to go after him?’ Bella asked.

Hugo shook his head, then put his arms around Bella. She felt safe and secure. And until that moment she hadn’t realised that she hadn’t felt safe and secure for a very long time.

Duarte and Ignacio were following Layla from the house. ‘The nest is back where it belongs,’ she said.

‘I’m so sad about the tile.’ Elena looked like she was going to cry again.

Ignacio smiled. ‘Leave it with me. Are you all right, Bella? It’s nearly midnight. You must be exhausted.’

‘I think I just want to go home.’ Bella looked at the Nest. Yin and Yang were sitting expectantly on the drive.

‘Shall I walk you there?’ Hugo asked.

‘No, thank you. I think I need to shut out the world for a few hours.’ She turned to the group. ‘Thank you all for your support. It means a lot to me.’

Then she turned towards the Nest and walked home.