6 Mystery At Meadowbank Cottage - Original Audio Drama

Tuesday St Clair has come to a realisation. It’s taken five solid years and a lot of hard work, but now she knows, city living is best left behind her.

If she is to return to anything more than a shadow of her former self, she must do something different. And after the conversation she’s just had, that means leaving everything behind – the apartment, the expensive lifestyle, and the live-in leech.

In this episode, Tuesday reveals a secret.

Written by S D HUDSON
Performed by Stephanie Poppins
Music by my brother: Jean-Miles Carter

Transcript

Mystery at Meadowbank Cottage An Original Story Written and Performed by Stephanie Poppins Music by my brother, John Miles Carter Episode 6 When Tuesday St. Clair agreed to join forces with her brother Justin and move back to Leyton to run a cottage core business, She reassured herself it was a surefire return to her investment in peace and contentment. And it was at first. The moment she turned the key in the door of Meadowbank Cottage, Tuesday felt different. Empowered. No longer was she watching the clock. No longer was she praying her ex, Robert Shafe, Would wake up and become the man he used to be. And no longer was she grieving for the parents she'd lost so tragically all those years before. All she had to do was work quietly from home, Tend to her new kitten, And watch the seasons as they rolled across the Leyton landscape like the slow turning of a great wheel. First the frost as it cracked open the clay. Then the green shoots of spring sprouting through its seams. Before the air hummed with summer and the autumn released its russet glow. Tuesday had had so many hopes and dreams for this place. Especially as she'd inherited it from a white witch. Tuesday St. Clair had always felt a secret affiliation with witches. Then reality came back to bite her in the shape of Jonathan Green and his cheating wife, Colleen. Another cup of tea, Tom, She offered, As the old man finished polishing the copper pot she'd found at the bottom of the garden. Tom's bucket was becoming rather irregular now and she liked having him at Maybank Cottage. He knew things and he didn't judge her for the things that she didn't. That'll be grand tar, He said. He watched as Tuesday busied herself with the old teapot. Old Mother Green cooked a many-heeling brew with that there kettle. She'd grab a handful of those herbs out there and fix it right up. I bought her a recipe book as promised. There you go, Girl. Tuesday looked at the leather-bound volume Tom offered her. It had been a week since she'd had a proper night's sleep. And from what the old man said, Mother Green's recipe was foolproof. Something wrong, Lass? Worried about those two over the way, I bet. Tuesday looked away. So Tom knew about it too. Well, Well. She hated getting involved in other people's business, But Colleen Green had seen her. And she'd seen Colleen. There was no getting away from adultery. Not when it was on her doorstep. Never you mind, Lass. Is there a problem not yours in it? But it's too close to home, Tuesday protested. I came back here to get away from all the noise. Now it looks like I'm right back in it. If that woman comes knocking, I'm not going to answer the door. I want nothing to do with her marital problems. Hmm, Agreed Tom. She ain't never been right, That one. She's trouble with a capital T. Funny, That's what my brother calls me. He'll be here in a minute, Said Tuesday. We're going to take a look at the lodges. Half an hour later, Tuesday met her brother at the stream, Running between their land and Jonathan Green's fence. Hey, You look well, Tuesday exclaimed as Justin pulled up. It's the sunbeds. Got to get my vitamin D in somehow, He said. It's work, Work, Work at the moment. Thanks for coming down. Sounds like you're busy. Yep, I've got to see my sis, Haven't I? And we've got some business to attend to. Justin jumped out of his Land Rover and glanced back at the lodges. I've spoken to Jonathan. He says he can help. Tuesday did her best not to look disappointed. The kind of help she wanted came with no history and no interfering wife. First things first, Said Justin. There's something wrong with this water. He bent down and scooped some up into the old jar he'd bought for the purpose. We had it tested. We? Jonathan and me. He took a sample the other day and this is the next lot. We'll compare them. We can't provide water to clients that's contaminated, Can we? Jonathan can't allow his animals to drink it either. I see. I had no idea. Tuesday crouched down and ran a hand through the slow current. According to Jonathan, It wasn't like this six months ago, Said Justin. So what changed? Jed Norman, Apparently. Jonathan said he's been cornering him into selling this strip of land. Before he sold it to us, That is. Justin gestured to the narrow stretch of land on their side, Hugging the stream. Oh, Tuesday said quietly. Things in Leighton were getting more complicated by the minute. Apparently this Norman wanted access rights. Full control of the water, He said. He always has, Said it's his birthright or something. Him and Jonathan had been battling it out for years before Jonathan sold the land to us. Justin's voice hardened. The runoff from Jed's upper fields gets careless every now and then, Apparently. Careless? That's the polite word for it. Tuesday turned at the sound of tractor wheels. Oh, Here he is now. We'll get an update, Although suffice to say, I'm not happy. Anything that's going to affect our lodge business is bad news. I agree. He should have told us about this before he sold it to us. Justin, Tuesday. Jonathan Green jumped down from his tractor. Apparently in a much better mood than he had been, When he railed against Tuesday's car the day before. He obviously has no idea what his cheating wife's been up to, Thought Tuesday, And I'm not going to be the one to tell him. We were just talking about the water, Said Justin, Offering up the new jar of very grubby-looking water. Jed's pleading ignorance, Said Jonathan, As usual. It's time for legal action. Justin and Tuesday stood looking at the stream while he downloaded The Bitter Tale. According to Jonathan, Jed Norman had been a bully since they were children, Charming in public and strategic in private. He wanted the stream because whoever controlled the water controlled the development along it, And his nose had been put out of joint because Jonathan had sold it to them. Old enemies and older grudges, Thought Tuesday, But that doesn't excuse how rude Jonathan was to me the other day. She could feel the weight of his eyes on her. He wanted to say sorry, But she was not going to make it easy for him. Let him sweat, She thought. I've got bigger things on my mind. That afternoon, Tuesday sat with her brother in the garden of Meadowbank Cottage. She watched his eyes light up as he gazed over to the fields beyond. We're country kids at heart, Justin. We always will be. It's in our blood. Maybe you're right, He smiled. It's nice here. It's nice to stop for a minute. Tuesday glanced at his gleaming Range Rover. Would you ever leave it all behind like I have? Couldn't do it. She's a city girl throwing through, My wife. I thought she was brought up on a farm. Yeah, But she's got addicted to the high life. They sat in silence for a moment, Then Tuesday said, I've got something to tell you. You're not going to believe it. Turning away from the fields, Justin faced her square on. I know that voice. What is it? Oh, Don't tell me it's that loser Robert. No, It's Colleen. Jonathan's wife. Yeah. She's having an affair. Really? Don't sound so surprised. Well, She always struck me as the type, Even at school. How do you know? I saw her. Really? Oh, So now you're interested. What does he look like? It was dark. Yeah, But you said you saw him. Well, He was quite big and pale, I think. Maybe blonde or redheaded. He was a big bloke with a beard. That's all I remember. Yeah, Yeah, It was red. The light on the first lodge was not that bright, But I could see it was red. Justin did a double take. You sure about that? Yeah, Pretty sure. Why? Just give me a moment. Justin pushed himself up from the sun-warmed chair, Squinting slightly as he stepped out of the patch of light that had pulled across the cobbled path. He made his way across the uneven stones, Past the nodding borders and the drowsy hum of the garden until he reached the wooden gate. Then he pulled open the door of the Range Rover and leaned across to the glove compartment, Rummaging through the soft clutter inside. He returned with a flyer, Folded and slightly creased at the corner. What's that? Take a look. This is the man we're about to go head-to-head with in order to make sure our cottagecore business floats, Not sinks. This is the man antagonising Jonathan Green. Tuesday opened the flyer and read the words emblazoned across the top. Norman Farm, It said. And sure enough, There amongst his prime cattle, Stood a very red-headed, Red-bearded man. This was Jed Norman, The person Colleen Green had been kissing only the night before.