It Started With A Tweet(105)

‘Yep.’

I had secretly hoped that Rupert and Rosie would have swept each other up in their arms upon seeing each other, leaving me time to work up to my big announcement, but both of them are rooted to their spots on opposite sides of the room.

I had been quite confident when I pitched the idea to Erica over breakfast this morning, but with both of them standing with their arms folded, they are not coming across as being very receptive.

I take a deep breath and hope for the best. ‘I know there’s obviously been a bit of controversy surrounding the purchase of the property,’ I say, trying to downplay it, ‘but despite how it happened, I think you both realise that it has an awful lot of potential. I understand, Rupert, that you have concerns about the amount of work involved, and maybe you’re right, what with trying to do the barn and everything.’

Rosie shoots me a look as if I’m being disloyal.

‘Hear me out,’ I say, holding my hands up to try to stop her interrupting. ‘Rosie, you told me that when you’d originally bought the place you wanted the cottage as a house for you and Rupert, and the barn to be let out.’

‘It’s not going to happen,’ says Rupert, ‘I’m not ready to move this far out, not at the moment.’

‘I realise that and I think that Rosie does too, which is why she’s started to convert the cottage to be a holiday let. Now, we all know that there are scores of holiday cottages in the area, and what this place needs is a USP, and I think the answer is to run retreats.’

‘Retreats,’ says Rupert, ‘what, like corporate retreats? I’m sure that this area is crawling with hotels and spas that offer just that.’

‘Ah, but I thought we could offer a digital detox retreat. I mean those three weeks here have changed me beyond recognition. I couldn’t believe how different I was when I went back to my old life in London. It’s made me stop and realise what a hold technology had had on me. Just those few weeks here with no phone, no computer, no technology, did wonders for me. It’s as if this place was built for it; you know as well as I do how hard it is to get a phone signal around here, and it’s impossible to get 3G.’

I risk glancing up to look at Rosie’s and Rupert’s faces. Rosie’s eyes have lit up and a smile has crept over her face, but Rupert’s looks as if he’s yet to be convinced.

‘I’ve looked it up online,’ I say, coughing at the irony, ‘and there appears to be a growing market for these types of retreats. It’s huge in America but there’s barely any in the UK at the moment. I figured that we could use the farmhouse as the accommodation. You were going to put en suites in most of the rooms anyway. You could then do the first fix to the barn. Make it watertight and pigeon proof, with windows and doors, and then convert a small part of it at first to be used as a space for different activities. I was thinking you could get Trish in to do yoga, and maybe talk to that man in the village who does pottery to see if he’d run some workshops. I also thought Jack might be able to come along and do some sessions with his psychologist’s hat on.’

‘His what?’ says Rosie. ‘He’s a psychologist?’

‘Oh yeah, he is,’ I say, realising that with all the drama happening on Friday night she didn’t hear that nugget of information. ‘And I reckon that talking on this subject would be right up his street.’

‘Something like that would take an awful lot of management, someone to co-ordinate the sessions. But I don’t know if our marriage would survive with you being up here, I’ve hated being without you for these last few weeks,’ Rupert said looking at Rosie.

‘You have?’ she says, taken a back.

The adrenaline is pumping round my veins and I was so close to the big reveal in my idea, but I don’t want to interrupt the reconciliation.

‘I have. I’ve had a lot of time to think since the weekend, and I’m mad as hell that you are still on the pill, but I started to think about what you said on Friday. I was too cross then to fully listen and understand, but the more I’ve been thinking about it, the more I realise that you’re right. If I carry on at work in the same way, you’ll be parenting like a single parent and I’ll be lucky if I see the kids. Now, I’m not saying that I’m going to give up my job, but I have spoken to my boss to see if I’d be able to do more home-working, and he was open to the idea. I also floated the idea of working four days a week and we decided that we’d review that if and when the time came.’

I’m desperately trying to make myself invisible, and I slowly edge further across the kitchen, out of their way. I sneak a look at Rosie, who’s being unusually quiet; she looks as if she’s on the verge of tears.

‘I also understand that you want to move out of the city, and I’m all for that, but right now I can’t be too far away because I still need to commute to work. But, I did think that if you wanted to, we could sell the penthouse and look for somewhere in the Peak District. Not such a grand scale as this, and definitely not a project,’ he stresses, ‘but something big enough for us, and our kids.’

I watch a tear escape Rosie’s eye and she nods as the tears run down her face.

‘I’m so sorry for lying, I just didn’t know what to do,’ she says, whimpering, as Rupert finally gets off the doormat and goes over and wraps his arms round her.