Acts of Kindness Read online

  His eyes ranged over the faces in front of him and Bella found herself looking around at people too as they considered his question. She wouldn’t vouch for a hundred per cent of the hard-bitten reporters in the front row, but other than that she thought most people could probably relate.

  ‘I believe people want to be kind, and OAK will help them to do that. People will be able to ask us for help in order to carry out their own small acts of kindness. That help could take the form of funding, support from our team here or other interventions. We’re open to suggestions from the public about that and excited to see what they come up with.’

  A forest of hands were waving at him from the reporters’ benches. He picked out one.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Can you give us an example?’ asked a large, red-faced man whose bald head was shining in the sun.

  ‘Sure,’ replied Ben. ‘Someone might come to us because their neighbour’s lost her job and can’t afford Christmas presents for her children. We’d provide the money for the presents or the presents themselves. Any individual request will be eligible for up to a maximum of one thousand pounds in funding or the equivalent cost of our staff’s time. OAK’s aim is to facilitate small acts of kindness within communities, not to make large-scale donations for bigger projects.’

  ‘How will you know people are who they say they are?’ the shiny-headed reporter wanted to know. ‘How will you know they’re going to use the money for what they claim?’

  Ben shrugged. ‘There will be a certain amount of trust involved. As I said, we come from a position of believing that apart from a few bad apples, people are basically good. But we’ll look for whatever proof we can get. In the example I gave you, if several neighbours made the request to us as a group, they’d have a stronger case to receive funding.’

  ‘What non-financial support could you provide?’ asked Shobha Sharma.

  ‘Again,’ Ben responded, ‘we’re open to ideas. But it might be that someone has an idea for a community project they want to get off the ground and they need help with the business plan, website build, sourcing premises – we have a vast range of skills here as you’d expect from a management consultancy so we should be able to help.’

  By now a waiter had deposited a clinking tumbler in front of Maggie and glasses of champagne in front of Ben and Teddy. Ben picked his up and pushed back his chair.

  ‘We’ll be sharing a press release with more details about how OAK will operate, and if you have any more questions please speak to our PR team. And now, please raise your glasses, ladies and gentlemen, to the brand-new Organised Acts of Kindness Institute!’

  In one of the marquees, music was pumping and people were streaming through the entrance.

  Bella turned to look at Lauren and Oscar.

  ‘Not being a spoilsport or anything but I’m not sure I’m up for that.’ She jerked her head towards the dance floor where some of their colleagues – in particular those who had been getting stuck into the champagne – were throwing imaginative shapes. Maggie could be seen marching towards the tent, Dubonnet in one hand and Teddy in the other.

  ‘Me neither.’ Lauren grabbed a bottle of champagne in an ice-bucket and three glasses from the bar. ‘Come on, let’s go somewhere a bit quieter.’

  As they pushed through the crowd, heading for the benches that looked out over the ha-ha, someone tapped Bella on the arm.

  ‘Have you got a minute, Bella?’ Ben had ditched the jacket and tie and was looking cool in his open-necked shirt, despite the afternoon heat.

  ‘I’ll catch you up,’ she called after the others, trying to ignore the momentary look of hurt in Oscar’s eyes when he saw Ben’s hand on her arm. She followed Ben round the back of the marquee where coloured lights flicked red, blue and green circles on the cream canvas, over to a secluded area of garden on the other side of the reflecting pool. They sat down on a stone bench and for half a minute neither of them spoke.

  ‘I wanted to speak to you alone, Bella. So much has happened since we… we’ve not had the chance to talk about anything and…’

  Bella realised with surprise that he was tongue-tied, stumbling over his words. She’d never seen him anything less than composed. As she looked at him, eyes downcast, biting his bottom lip, she wasn’t sure if he was about to declare his love, say he wished it had never happened, or something in between – but she knew for the first time how she felt and what she needed to say. She reached out across the space between them and took his hand.

  ‘I like you, Ben. And I think you’re going to make a brilliant CEO. And you’re annoyingly good-looking, which I’m sure you know.’

  He frowned and looked like he was about to attempt a denial but she pressed on.

  ‘Which I’m sure you know, and it was a lot of fun, that time at the barn. The first time at the barn,’ she clarified, ‘I obviously don’t mean the whole sending Gladys out onto the field and wondering if Oscar and Lauren were going to get shot.’

  ‘Yes,’ he smiled. ‘I knew which time you meant. And yes, it was a lot of fun.’ They were still holding hands and he started to pull her towards him. She pressed her other hand against his chest to maintain the distance between them.

  ‘But I don’t think it would be fun if we did it again. It wouldn’t be a good idea.’

  He kept up the pressure on her hand for a moment then released it and sat back.

  ‘I expect you’re right. I’ve tried to work out what’s best but I keep coming back to the fact that I’m about to rebuild an organisation that came this close,’ he held his finger and thumb millimetres apart, ‘to collapsing, so I’m not sure I’d give anyone the attention they deserve right now. Even you, Bella.’

  She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ‘You’re a good man, Ben, and you’re going to do great things with OAK, I’m sure of it.’

  She tracked Lauren and Oscar down to a bench overlooking the wildflower meadow and plonked herself down on the end next to Lauren.

  ‘That was quick,’ said Oscar, eyebrows raised.

  Making no comment on this, Bella reached out a hand. ‘Come on then, don’t hog the champagne.’

  He poured her a glass and handed it over. They all sipped in silence, looking out over the meadows with the distant beat of music and hubbub of partygoers behind them.

  ‘So. So, so, so, so, so,’ said Oscar. Then stopped, unconscious of the fact the others were waiting for him to continue as he stared out into the distance.

  ‘So… what, Oscar?’ Lauren prompted.

  ‘So… what now? Where do we go from here?’

  ‘Home, I expect. You’re not planning on going clubbing, are you?’

  ‘No, no.’ He elbowed her in the ribs. ‘Silly. I mean work-wise. OAK-wise. Acorn-wise.’

  ‘Ah. Well. I’ve been thinking about that.’ Lauren flushed a little when she realised they were both looking expectantly at her. ‘I’ve decided to ask for a transfer to the US. Life’s too short to waste it. I love James. We should be together,’ she finished, getting more and more terse as she tried to finish.

  Bella reached over and gave her a clumsy hug. ‘Good for you. That’s a great idea.’

  ‘Okay.’ Oscar nodded and ticked it off on his fingers. ‘Lauren goes to America, gets hitched, has sprogs, develops dreadful mid-Atlantic twang. Next. Bella?’ Despite the casual tone, Bella could see he was watching her carefully.

  ‘I…’ As she spoke, she realised a thought that had been floating around was materialising as a definite decision. ‘I’m going to move back to London. I loved being here, but it always felt a bit unreal, and the countryside’s great and everything but all my friends are in London. Plus, in a way I came here to escape, from the divorce and stuff, you know. I was so confused at the time; I needed a new direction.’ She realised she was rambling but it seemed important to try to explain. ‘I… I feel different now, after everything that’s happened. I’m ready to face the real world again so I’m going to look for a job back there. I�
��m sure lots of my friends will go “told you so” because lots of them said I was making a mistake coming here. But one thing I’ve learnt while I’ve been here is if you worry about what others might think you’ll never do what’s right for you. Who says they know any better than me anyway?’

  She took a deep breath and looked at Oscar. His expression was hard to read and after meeting her eyes he looked down at his glass.

  ‘What about you?’ she asked.

  ‘Well. Funny thing. I’m going to London too. I managed to fit in the odd deep thought or two in between word searches and Homes Under the Hammer over the weekend. And I agree with you, Lauren – life is short. I’m going to chuck in my well-paid, secure job, move to one of the most expensive cities on earth and try to make people laugh for a living. I’m going to have a crack at being a stand-up comedian.’ He looked at Bella. ‘Mum couldn’t be happier.’

  Bella was stunned for a moment and then said, ‘I bet she couldn’t! You’ll be brilliant, Oscar. Good for you.’

  Lauren had gone off to Skype James, leaving Bella and Oscar on the bench, with a Lauren-sized gap between them. Oscar reached over to top up her glass and Bella drank, savouring the sensation of the bubbles fizzing on her tongue. For a moment she was propelled back to a hotel terrace, cicadas and a little gold cup glowing in the citronella candlelight.

  ‘Oscar?’

  ‘Mmmm.’

  ‘What actually happened, that night on Le Chêne?’

  There was silence for a moment and then, ‘Nothing. Nothing happened after the kiss. We got into bed and you conked out. I took the hint and went back to my room.’

  ‘What, you didn’t even try anything?’

  ‘Erm, I may not be the most successful when it comes to women but I don’t need to resort to feeling up sleeping colleagues, thank you!’

  ‘No, I didn’t mean that! I… anyway. Fair enough.’ She hummed along to the song they could hear playing in the dance tent then said, ‘It’s cool that you’re coming to London too.’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘We can hang out.’

  ‘Yep. I’ll need a superfan.’

  ‘Yeah, right, heckler more like.’

  ‘Well. Plenty of time to decide what our… reciprocal roles might be.’

  She smiled and shuffled across the bench, leaning companionably against him as they looked out across the meadows and woods spread before them in the sunlight.

  ‘Exactly. Plenty of time.’

  One Year Later

  Bella took out her phone and snapped a photo of the poster on the wall outside the pub.

  Clapham Comedy Night!

  Your favourite London comedy venue hosts comedy circuit regulars plus up-and-coming newcomers

  Oscar Rose | Jen Shoreham | Sarah Ravencroft | Ash Patel | Rhiannon Whyte

  £10 on the door, £8 advance tickets

  Opening WhatsApp she clicked on Oscar’s name, added the photo and wrote, You made it!!! Am outside in the queue, see you in a bit. Break a leg x

  Before she could replace her phone in her handbag a couple of other messages had pinged up on the screen. They were from colleagues – or rather ex-colleagues now, she reminded herself – wishing her luck in her new venture. She’d come straight from her leaving party. She could tell that some of her colleagues were a little jealous and some thought she was crazy, leaving a full-time marketing director job to set up her own agency.

  The queue moved forward and Bella shuffled along with it, checking the time on her phone. She should be able to make it inside before Oscar came on stage, there were only a couple of people in front of her.

  The words of her now ex-boss echoed around her mind. ‘It’s a very brave decision, Bella. You’re certainly a risk-taker!’

  That was how people saw it – brave, a risk. But for Bella, it was simply the right thing to do. She’d learnt enough from her previous jobs to know she was ready to go it alone. It was exciting, nerve-wracking – yes. But brave? Brave and risky defined what Oscar was about to do, she thought as she neared the front of the queue and riffled around in her bag for her ticket. She knew she had it somewhere. She raised one leg and balanced the oversized handbag on her knee as, in increasing desperation, she shoved purse, umbrella, make-up bag and tissues around in the bottom of the bag to try and locate the ticket that Oscar had given her.

  ‘What’s the hold up?’ called someone further back in the queue.

  By practically diving into the bag headfirst she finally located the ticket, pulled it out and waved it in the unimpressed bouncer’s face.

  Inside, she heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of the empty stage and headed to the bar. It was rammed, but with luck, she’d have time to get her order in before the show started.

  Five minutes later she was able to give her order to a heavily-tattooed girl in a black vest top.

  ‘G&T please.’

  The girl poured the drink and demanded the usual extortionate London price. Bella rummaged in her bag for her purse. It wasn’t there. In rising panic, she took everything out of her bag and piled it up on the bar. No, definitely no purse. She felt a tap on her shoulder.

  ‘I think this is yours.’ The smiling woman handing her the familiar leather purse seemed to be standing in a shaft of light and wearing a halo. Until Bella blinked and realised she was more prosaically standing in a silver mac and wearing a yellow headscarf.

  ‘Oh my God, thank you! Where did you find it?’

  ‘I saw you drop it when you were getting your ticket out. I was walking past and shouted to you but you didn’t hear me. So I picked it up, got in the queue, bought a ticket and came in.’

  Bella’s brow was furrowed. ‘You bought a ticket just to give me back my purse? That’s incredibly kind of you! Here,’ she opened the purse and pulled out a ten-pound note, ‘let me pay you back for the ticket.’

  The woman held up a hand. ‘No need. Please. If you want to do something with that ten pounds, perhaps you’ll consider a donation?’

  She pressed something cold and hard into Bella’s hand then turned and threaded her way out through the crowd.

  Bella uncurled her fingers and there in the palm of her hand was a small, round pin badge. It had a picture of an oak leaf in the background and was printed with the phrase, ‘I’ve been helped by the OAK Institute!’ At the bottom of the badge, in small letters that curved around the edge of the perimeter, it said, ‘Kindness is powerful.’

  And then she couldn’t examine it anymore because the house lights had gone down and out in the spotlight Oscar was stepping up to the microphone.

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading Acts of Kindness. The inspiration for the book came from witnessing commuters helping a woman who’d fallen down the stairs at Paddington station, intermingled with wondering what was behind some grand stone gateposts that I used to drive past in Wiltshire. Those disparate things swirled around in the back of my mind and came out as the secret OAK Institute which is at the core of the book.

  If you would like to get involved in a wider conversation about my books, please review Acts of Kindness on Amazon, GoodReads, Bookbub, on any other online bookseller, on your own blog and social media accounts, or talk about it with friends, family or reading groups! Sharing your thoughts helps other readers, and I always enjoy hearing about what people experience from my writing.

  Thanks again for your interest in this novel. For news about all my books, please visit me at my website – www.heatherbarnettauthor.com or join me on Twitter @WritesHeather.

  All the best,

  Heather

  Acknowledgements

  There’s an African saying that it takes a village to raise a child. I can’t vouch for that, but I do know that it takes a group of patient, supportive and talented people to manhandle several hundred pages of ramblings into something resembling a finished book.

  There are many people who’ve helped me along the way, including my family and friends who’ve offered encouragement and s
ustained their interest in the development of this book long after any normal person would have given up. There are a few people I’d like to call out in particular. Adele Barnett-Ward and Alix Hunt for ploughing through the first draft and providing constructive feedback. Anya Tobin for unwavering support and enthusiasm. Carol and Mei Trow for casting an expert editorial eye on an early version – and for suggesting the quote by Adam Lindsay Gordon at the beginning of this book.

  My editors Billie Norton and Amanda from LetsGetBooked, and proofreader Abbie from Abbie-Editorial.

  Serpentine Books for seeing something they thought was worth championing.

  And David Hart, for believing in the book, and in me.

  LORD SEEKS WIFE

  By Heather Barnett

  Coming soon…

  Take 1,000 women, add one earl and whip into a media frenzy.

  Reclusive academic Lord Noblet de Beeble doesn’t want to get married but his overbearing mother, Lady Caroline, is insisting he must. When he places an advert for a wife in the Situations Vacant section of his local newspaper, the national press pick up the story. A desperate Noblet calls on his handsome younger brother, Henry, to help him navigate the subsequent media frenzy.

  Among the hordes of hopeful candidates to descend on the village of Gently Rising is the beautiful and mysterious Mia Wild, who befriends local primary school teacher, Alice Brand. Alice has been looking for something to spice up her life, but getting embroiled in a very public wife-hunt wasn’t what she had in mind.

  In a summer packed with suspicious exes, snobbery, social climbers and sausage rolls, Gently Rising will bear witness to a public courtship like no other. But who will come out on top?