Hartley's Grange

by Nicole Hurley-Moore

  Get a grip, Lily.

  She took a deep breath and tried to ignore the heat emanating from Flynn’s body as he was pushed against her in the crowd.

  Within a couple of minutes, Lily’s sandwiches and coffees arrived and she paid for her purchases. As she turned to leave she glanced up at Flynn. ‘Thanks for letting me go first. Bye.’

  ‘No worries,’ he said before he gave her a nod. ‘I’ll see you around, Lily Beckett.’

  Lily scurried out of the bakery as fast as she could and made her way to the community hall. She glanced at her watch – she’d arranged to meet Violet there five minutes ago. Quickening her pace, she tried to forget how her skin had tingled when Flynn had whispered in her ear.

  Lily ran up the steps of the hall and opened the door with an accidental bang. The noise made her sister jump and swing around.

  ‘Sorry, sorry, sorry!’ Lily called out as she hurried forward.

  ‘You scared me half to death,’ Violet said with a shake of her head.

  ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to burst through quite so enthusiastically,’ Lily said with an apologetic smile and a shrug.

  ‘Forgiven – that is, once I get my heart back in my chest,’ Violet chuckled.

  ‘Well, you have to forgive me because I brought coffee and food – and besides that, I’m your only sister.’

  Violet frowned for a second as if debating the whole thing. ‘Well, I guess you did bring me coffee …’

  Lily pulled a face. ‘So, what exactly are we doing in this empty hall?’

  ‘The layout for the party, of course. We’re turning this empty hall into something that a gaggle of sixteen-year-olds will love. I’m thinking moody lights – it’s a big open space and I want to try to give it a more enclosed sort of feel. There’s nothing more disheartening than a bare hall and fluorescent lights for a party.’

  ‘So, not country chic then?’

  Violet grinned. ‘Not this time. So you can just put that in the box with the timeless elegance.’

  Lily let out a laugh as she headed over to shut the door which had blown open. It was chilly outside but at least there was a hint of sun. ‘Does this place have heating?’

  ‘Yep, but as we are lowly party planners we don’t get it turned on.’

  ‘Well, that just sucks.’

  ‘Tell me about it.’

  It was almost another hour before Lily made it back to the shop. She gave Johnno a wave as she slipped in the back door.

  ‘You had a delivery while you were out,’ he called as he stopped what he was doing and walked towards her.

  ‘Really? That’s funny – I wasn’t expecting anything.’

  ‘Anyway, I got him to leave it on the old counter,’ he said, a frown creasing his forehead. Without another word he turned away and disappeared into what would be her new kitchenette.

  ‘Thanks,’ Lily said as she walked through into the front room. Sure enough, a small white cardboard box was sitting on the glass counter. A bright yellow sticky note was stuck on the top of the box. Let me tempt you was written in black ink and a bold hand.

  Lily grinned as she opened the box and saw a chocolate éclair nestled inside.

  Yep, definitely the devil.

  ***

  Lily was beading the lace appliqués for Violet’s wedding dress when there was a knock on the front door. With lace in hand she headed down to answer it, hoping that whoever it was wouldn’t hold her up. She needed to finish what she was doing and then get ready to go out.

  ‘You’ve forgotten, haven’t you?’ Jill said as Lily swung the door open.

  ‘Of course not – we’re going to the movies and have to leave at half six.’

  ‘Uh-huh, exactly,’ Jill said with a grin as she walked into the house. She was followed by Hailey and another woman who Lily didn’t recognise. ‘And what’s the time now?’

  ‘Oh no, it’s not six thirty already, is it?’

  Hailey chuckled. ‘I see some things never change – you were always running late, even when we were kids.’

  ‘Five minutes – I promise I’ll only be five minutes!’

  ‘Sure. Oh, but before you fly off, this is a friend of ours, Mandy,’ said Jill, pulling the other woman forward. ‘’Bout time the two of you met.’

  Mandy smiled and nodded in Lily’s direction. She was about the same height as Lily, with shoulder-length blonde hair and pretty hazel eyes.

  Lily held out her hand and smiled. ‘It’s lovely to meet you, and I’m so sorry that I’m holding everyone up.’

  ‘Not a problem. I’ve heard a lot about you,’ Mandy said with a friendly smile.

  ‘I’ll be back in a tick, I promise,’ Lily said as she handed Jill the lace she’d been working on. ‘Could you put this back on my work table?’

  ‘Sure. Hey, this is beautiful.’

  ‘Thanks. It’s one of the straps for Violet’s wedding gown,’ Lily said before hurrying back down the hallway, letting her hair down from its messy knot as she went. In her bedroom she pulled off her hoodie, grabbed a pair of jeans that had managed to escape her painting efforts and hunted for her favourite green top. After a spritz of perfume, eyeliner and a bit of lipstick, Lily walked back down the hall, shrugging into her brown leather jacket on the way.

  She found her friends in her workroom.

  ‘See, I told you I’d be ready in five.’

  Hailey turned her head and smiled. ‘A good thing too, because I don’t want to miss a minute of the yummy Amos Valter.’

  ‘Don’t you mean you don’t want to miss a minute of the movie?’ Jill teased.

  Hailey shook her head. ‘Nope, I meant what I said.’

  ‘We’ll make it, won’t we? I mean, Bendigo is only forty minutes away,’ Lily said.

  ‘Don’t worry, we’ll make it. I factored in you being late – the movie doesn’t start for another hour and fifteen minutes,’ Jill said with a wink.

  ‘I resent that!’ Lily said with mock indignation.

  ‘And that’s your right, honey, but at least we’ll be on time.’

  ‘Hey, you made this, didn’t you?’ Mandy asked as she pointed to Violet’s wedding gown on the dressmaker’s dummy.

  ‘Yes,’ Lily answered. ‘I mean, I’m still making it.’

  ‘It’s exquisite. Really, it’s beautiful.’

  ‘Thanks. I hope I get the same reaction from my sister. She didn’t want too much structure, just something that was flowing and dreamy.’

  ‘How could she not love it? It’s ethereal, and romantic. Do you think I could take some photos of it? And do you have anything else?’

  ‘Sorry?’ Lily said, turning slightly to cast Jill a confused look. ‘I don’t quite understand …’

  ‘Oh, sorry, I should have said,’ Jill said as she put up her hand. ‘Mandy here is a journalist for the Violet Falls Gazette –although she’s meant to be off-duty when we’re going out.’

  ‘Well, I can’t let a movie – even an Amos Valter one – get in the way of a story,’ Mandy said with a laugh. ‘But seriously, this dress is beautiful, and I would love to do a story on you and the shop. Are you taking orders yet?’

  Lily opened her mouth and then closed it again as Hailey broke into the conversation.

  ‘Sorry, that was me – I told Mandy you were opening a dress shop. It wasn’t a secret, was it?’

  ‘No, of course not,’ Lily said with a smile. ‘It’s just that I’m nowhere near opening it yet. I mean, the shop is still being renovated.’

  ‘Tell you what, how about sometime I do a little article on you and some of your designs? We could do a small series of them leading up to the opening. I think it would really create a buzz,’ Mandy said.

  ‘That would be fantastic, thanks! I’d have to see if Violet would be okay about having the dress photographed or if she wants to keep it as a surprise until the wedding. But in any case, I already have some other pieces.’

  ‘Great! I’ll get onto it.’

  ‘Come on, you two,’
Hailey said as she glanced at her watch. ‘If we miss the beginning of the movie you have to shout us all popcorn.’

  Chapter 9

  ‘I thought I might find you here.’

  Lily looked up to see Flynn standing in the doorway of her shop. Damn it, why did he always have to look so good? She swallowed hard and tried to subdue her hormones. She’d sworn off men – well, she’d sworn off everything that Flynn Hartley seemed to embody.

  ‘Oh hi, Flynn. What are you doing here?’ She tried to sound offhand and nonchalant but was pretty positive that she hadn’t pulled it off. She put down her paintbrush and gave him a small smile.

  ‘I was thinking about all those layers of old paint that you mentioned and wondered if a sander might help,’ he said, putting the power tool on the floor.

  Lily eyed it cautiously. ‘Um, thanks. You didn’t have to do that.’

  ‘No problem, I’m not using it at the moment,’ he said with a shrug.

  All this week she’d kept running into him. On Monday it had been outside the supermarket – no coincidence there, you always ran into someone. On Tuesday they literally bumped into each other as she rounded the corner near the health food shop. Flynn had grabbed her in his arms to stop her from landing flat on her arse on the footpath so that she could feel the muscles beneath his thin cotton shirt. Not good, really not good.

  Then on Thursday she saw him as she left the café with Hailey and Jill. He’d given her one of his most devastating smiles, leaving her momentarily speechless. That was until Jill jabbed her in the ribs.

  Although she wouldn’t admit it to anyone else, today when she walked down the street she’d looked for him. That just wasn’t right, was it?

  And now here he was, standing by her door and looking more than tempting.

  ‘I appreciate it, Flynn. Hopefully I won’t do any damage.’

  He laughed as he stepped over the threshold and made the room seem smaller.

  ‘So, how’s the renovating going?’

  ‘Pretty good. I’m mainly painting upstairs, hiding from the dust and noise, since Johnno and his team started demolishing the bathroom. I’m hiding from the dust and the noise. But today I needed to get the shop door painted – I don’t know, some sort of symbolic gesture to give the old place a new lease on life.’

  ‘Sounds like a plan.’

  Lily found the tin of paint she was looking for and prised open the lid with an old screwdriver. ‘Everything is going to be white in the shop and I thought a pretty mid blue would look great on the door. However, it seems that it’s got to be heritage colours, so I’m stuck with this browny red stuff.’

  ‘I like it. So is there a lot to do?’ He took a step closer and sunk back onto one hip. Lily watched him with a prick of jealousy. Flynn appeared to be at ease with both her and himself. She, on the other hand, had a series of knots twisting tighter in her tummy. In an attempt to ignore the effect, Lily put the lid back on the paint and busied herself finding the drop sheet and brushes she’d need.

  ‘Most of it is just cosmetic, but I’m having a new kitchenette and bathroom put in. Johnno is squeezing me in between other jobs, and I’m doing whatever bits and pieces I can – like this.’

  ‘Maybe you should get someone else in to do the painting,’ Flynn suggested. ‘It would free up your time for opening the shop.’

  ‘That’s true, but my budget probably wouldn’t stretch it that far,’ Lily said, thinking of the stack of notes she’d handed over to the mechanic yesterday afternoon when she picked up her car. If only she had got comprehensive insurance instead of third party. It was too expensive at the time, but it had ended up costing a lot more. It had hurt – really, really hurt – but she was happy to get her little red car back.

  ‘Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.’

  ‘Not a problem,’ Lily said with a quick smile.

  ‘So, do you need a hand with anything?’

  The knots tightened. His gaze locked onto hers; it was time to go into defensive mode. Or was she just imagining a change in his meaning?

  ‘No, I think I’m alright, but thanks again for the loan of the sander.’

  Flynn dug into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper, then grabbed a pen that was sitting on the counter nearby.

  ‘Well, here’s my number, just in case.’

  Lily reached out and took it, her fingertips grazing his. A tingling sensation sparked and travelled across her hand.

  Lord, Flynn Hartley was dangerous.

  She hid her reaction and gave him a nod. ‘Thanks, that’s really lovely of you.’

  ‘I’d better get back to it, but you’ve got my number if you change your mind,’ Flynn said as he stepped back. He gave her a grin that made her feel warm all over.

  ‘Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.’

  ‘Do that,’ he said with a wink as he stepped through the doorway.

  ***

  A week passed and Lily had made quite a bit of progress. She had swept, scrubbed, de-cobwebbed and almost finished painting the two rooms on the first floor. On top of that, she’d helped Violet set up little Angie Buchanan’s sixth birthday party on Saturday morning and finished the beaded bodice for the pale blue chiffon.

  The two upstairs rooms she had earmarked already: the front one that opened up onto the balcony would become her office, and the other would be her stockroom. The only major job she had left was tackling the attic. It was still cluttered with generations of junk that Lily wanted to clear out to turn it into her ultimate sewing workroom.

  Lily had spent the morning clearing and sorting the attic. From what she could make out, the family had stopped storing things up there decades ago. Along with the dust and cobwebs she’d found a few treasures, but, with the exception of some of the furniture, the dressmaker’s dummy and the ubercool old cash register, everything else was junk.

  Lily opened a desk drawer and picked up the first few pieces of paper. She frowned as she went through them. Three delivery receipts, a page torn from a ledger and a shopping list that included cotton wool, Mercurochrome and hair oil.

  Why would anyone keep book work and receipts from 1953? And what the hell was Mercurochrome?

  Lily stuffed the papers into a garbage bag and carried on. Twenty minutes later, the desk was cleared and Lily stood back to view the small pile of treasures she’d decided to keep. There were four glass marbles, including a huge one with a swirl of pink and blue spiralling in its centre, an old box of matches with a cool black cat on the front and an old-fashioned key ring with a dozen keys on it. Lily picked up the key ring and turned it over in her hand – there was something intriguing about it. Some of the keys were small and very plain but there was one that caught her attention. It was about eight centimetres long and had a Florentine knot–like head.

  ‘Hey, Lily – you up there?’

  Lily jumped at the sound of Johnno’s voice; she’d been lost in her own little world.

  ‘Yes, I’m here,’ she said as she walked over to the top of the stairs and looked down.

  ‘The boys and I are off for lunch. We’ll be back in about an hour.’

  ‘Oh, okay.’

  ‘I’ve locked the front door but the back one is still open. Do you want me to bring you anything?’

  Lily smiled. ‘Aw, thanks, but I brought a salad from home.’

  Johnno gave her a nod. ‘Alright then, see you later.’

  ‘Okay, bye.’

  Lily felt a stab of guilt as she watched him walk away. He’d asked her out and she had never got around to giving him an answer. It was hanging between them – it was a space, a gap that was almost uncomfortable. Generally, they both carried on as if Johnno had never asked but every now and then, Lily would catch something in his eyes and half expect him to mention it. She was avoiding the decision, she knew it, but there was something that held her back. Perhaps she was still feeling burned by her last relationship and she was unwilling to start something new. Well, maybe unwilling wasn’t exactly the
right word; maybe it was more akin to scared to death of being made a fool of again. So until she faced that particular demon, avoidance appeared the best course.

  Lily turned away and wondered what she should tackle next. The sound of voices and footsteps died away as Johnno and his boys went out the back door. There were a couple of chests and some boxes stacked on top of each other by the far wall. She was hoping the chests might hold some more trimmings and braid, like the ones Lily had discovered on her first trip up to the attic. She moved the boxes aside and opened the first metal chest.

  ‘Well, that’s disappointing,’ Lily said as she stared into the empty chest. There was not even a scrap of paper or a snippet of lace. She closed the lid and put it to one side to get to the one underneath. This one looked like an old steamer trunk and was far more substantial. It was made of wood and metal with leather trim and straps. It wasn’t very big but it was certainly intriguing.

  Lily sat down in front of it and unbuckled the straps. She tried to open the lid but it wouldn’t budge – it must be locked. Lily tapped her fingers together as she stared at the etched brass lock. Her gaze travelled back to the bunch of keys on the desk.

  It wouldn’t be that easy, would it?

  She jumped up and grabbed the keys before settling back on the dusty floor.

  ‘Right, then – here we go.’

  One by one, Lily placed each key in the lock and gave it a twiddle. Some were too big, others too small and some fitted in the slot but wouldn’t turn.

  ‘Great, I’m the Goldilocks of the keys,’ she muttered under her breath. ‘Only two left.’

  She picked up the key with the Florentine knot and slipped it into the lock. Lily sent up a silent prayer and held her breath as she turned it. Much to her surprise she heard a soft click.

  Please don’t be empty … or have mummified remains, she thought to herself.

  Gingerly she raised the lid and saw that inside was a metal tin. Lily frowned: why would anyone bother putting such a small box in such a big chest? She picked it up and prised open the lid. A brooch fashioned into a little bunch of purple violets lay nestled on a piece of blue velvet. It appeared to be made out of silver and painted enamel, and in the centre of each flower was a tiny citrine. Lily smiled as she took it out of the tin. Maybe she really had found a family treasure after all – the brooch certainly put the old bunch of keys and marbles to shame. She picked up the brooch and walked over to the window, the stones glittering in the light as she turned it from side to side. It was pretty and delicate and she already had the perfect dress to pin it on. In fact, if she believed in fate, one could say that the violet crystal pin and the dress were a match made in heaven.