by Anna Jacobs
‘Did he get my purse?’
‘Shall I look in the bag?’ Nell asked.
‘Please.’
She opened it and found a shabby leather purse. ‘Is this it?’
‘Yes. Thank goodness!’ Miss Parfitt looked back at the man, her eyes focusing properly now. ‘I didn’t know you were a hero, Angus.’
He grinned. ‘Neither did I. You’re getting a bit of colour back, Miss Parfitt, but I think we should take you to the hospital and get you checked by a doctor.’
‘Certainly not. Once they get old people into those places, they never let them out again. I’ll be perfectly all right in a minute or two, especially if you’d kindly make me a cup of tea, dear. There’s nothing like tea to buck you up.’
‘Of course. I’ll put the kettle on.’ Nell was relieved to hear the old lady’s voice sounding less quavery.
‘I would appreciate you escorting me home afterwards, though, Angus, if you don’t mind.’
‘I’ll be happy to.’
Winifred turned to her hostess. ‘Are you a relative of Fliss’s?’
‘Yes. I’m Nell Chaytor. She was my father’s aunt. I used to stay with her when I was a child. She kindly left me her house.’
‘I remember a little girl coming here for the summer holidays two or three times. That must have been you.’ She looked round the dusty kitchen. ‘This house used to be beautiful, but even the new part of the kitchen looks unloved. Felicity was rather frail towards the end and didn’t keep up with things, I’m afraid.’
‘Didn’t any of her other relatives help her? I know there used to be some cousins. Mona? Would that be the name of one?’
‘Yes, but Fliss quarrelled with Mona and her husband because they kept trying to persuade her to go into a care home and wouldn’t stop nagging about it. I don’t blame Fliss. One clings to one’s own home, even when it gets too much to manage. I’m in much the same boat myself.’
She looked round again. ‘Oh, good! They didn’t take my walking stick. I’m so glad. It belonged to my father and it’s just the right size for me. I’m very fond of it.’ She began to tidy her hair, this time succeeding in setting it to rights.
Nell investigated the cupboards and set out three delicate china cups and a teapot, because there weren’t any mugs. ‘If care homes are like the ones in Australia, I don’t blame Fliss for refusing to go into one. I’d not like to lose all my possessions and be shut up in a small room surrounded by strangers.’
‘Nor would I. Fliss was really happy when you got back in touch with her. She said your father had sworn to have nothing to do with anyone in his family after the big quarrel. I thought she said you were married, though. Didn’t you take your husband’s surname? I know some women don’t these days.’
‘I did at first but then I got divorced so I reverted to my maiden name.’
‘Well, if you didn’t love him any more, why should you keep his name?’
Nell wanted to ask about the big quarrel, but this didn’t seem the right time. She made a mental note to call on Miss Parfitt another time and ask what had caused it.
The old lady seemed more alert now, too alert if she could ask questions about Nell’s marriage, something Nell didn’t want to discuss with strangers. She contented herself with a brief answer: ‘I hated my husband in the end. Good riddance as far as I was concerned. Sugar and milk?’
‘Milk but no sugar, thank you.’
‘It’s supposed to be good for shock to have something sweet.’
‘I’m getting over the shock now and I detest tea with sugar in it. But I would love a warm drink. Ah, thank you.’ She took a sip then set the teacup back on its saucer and clasped her hands round it.
‘What were you doing out so late, Miss Parfitt?’ Angus asked.
‘I’d been having tea with my young friend who lives in a flat near the lower end of the street and we got talking. Janey’s baby is growing so fast. Millie’s six months old already. I can’t remember when I enjoyed an evening so much. We didn’t realise how late it was. Janey wanted to walk back with me but that would have meant taking Millie out of her cot.’
She sighed. ‘I’ve always felt safe on Peppercorn Street before.’
‘I don’t think anywhere’s safe after dark these days,’ he said.
When she’d drunk the rest of the tea in delicate, bird-like sips, Winifred looked from Nell to Angus. ‘I’d like to go home now, if you don’t mind. There’s nowhere as comforting as your own home in times of trouble, is there?’
As she got to her feet, Angus passed her the stick and handbag. She smiled at him and reached up to touch his face gently. ‘I’m afraid you’re going to have a black eye, dear boy. Thank you for helping me.’
‘I hope that young sod has one as well! I got in a few telling punches.’
‘Good for you.’
‘I’ll come with you so that I’ll know where you live, Miss Parfitt,’ Nell said. ‘I’ll pop in tomorrow, if you don’t mind, to check that you’re all right.’
‘Very kind of you. I suppose someone had better do it in case I die in my sleep. I’m getting a bit old for shocks like that.’
Angus offered Winifred his arm and she took it. He let her set the pace and the three of them walked slowly up the quiet street to the top of the hill. Her house was only a couple of hundred yards away and they took her right to the front door.
She insisted she’d be all right from then on because she had good locks and bolts on the insides of all the outer doors, but Angus waited to see the lights go on in the house, then the hall light go off again.
When they came out of the garden on to the street, he turned to Nell. ‘I think I’d better escort you back home as well in case that damned mugger is still around. I’ll report the incident to the police in the morning, though I doubt they’ll be able to do anything. But they ought to know about it, at least.’
‘Do you get a lot of muggings round here?’
‘It’s the first I’ve heard of. This is quite a peaceful little town, usually. I don’t think they’ll catch the mugger because they won’t have any idea where to start looking. I didn’t see his face clearly as I was struggling with him, so I doubt even I could recognise him again, except that he had a shaved head.’
‘Miss Parfitt might have seen him more clearly.’
‘And he might come after her if she identified him. I’d rather not encourage that with her living on her own. I keep a bit of an eye on her, but obviously I need to do something about her security.’
He gave Nell a rueful smile. ‘What a dreadful welcome to Wiltshire for you.’
‘Never mind me. I’ll be fine. I’m just glad we were able to help her. She reminded me of my Aunt Fliss.’
‘They were acquaintances, but I’d not say they were close friends. Towards the end, your aunt kept herself to herself, though I did help her set up a computer a few years ago, and found her a student to help her learn to use it. It was very interesting watching her come to grips with a new range of skills.’
After a few more paces, he added, thoughtfully, ‘I think Miss Parfitt is in better health than your aunt was during the past year or two, even though she must be in her mid eighties now. She’s a feisty old lady.’
‘Goodness! She doesn’t look that old. Do you live near here?’
‘At number 1.’
‘Oh, then I’ll probably see you around. Here we are.’
‘Will you be all right?’
‘Yes. I’m not the fearful sort and I’ve been on my own for long enough not to jump at every shadow. Besides, there’s a bolt on the inside of my bedroom door. I may put another bolt on it as well if I stay in that room.’
‘So you’re a handywoman as well as independent.’
‘I’ve had to be. Small jobs, anyway. I didn’t have a man to do such things for me even when I was with Craig. He didn’t like to get his hands dirty.’
She held out her hand. ‘Good night, Mr Denning.’
He took it,
holding it in both his for a moment. ‘Thank you for coming out to help Miss Parfitt.’
‘I was happy to.’
As he strolled home, keeping a careful eye out for anyone lurking nearby, Angus became angry all over again at the cowardly attack on an old lady. The irony was, the mugger would have been disappointed even if he had got away with the handbag because although Miss Parfitt had inherited a friend’s house and possessions recently, there hadn’t been time for probate to go through. He knew what a struggle she’d had to make ends meet, so he’d bet she hadn’t been carrying a lot of money.
His thoughts turned back to Nell Chaytor and he smiled. She was very Australian, frank and open about her circumstances, and in the light from her hall, he’d seen that she was still sporting a golden suntan. She was about his age, he’d guess, but to his relief she’d made no attempt to flirt with him or find out whether he had a wife. That always put him off a woman.
Indeed, from the expression on her face when Miss Parfitt asked if she was married, she wasn’t enamoured of the institution, so he doubted she’d be hunting for another husband.
He particularly liked the way she hadn’t hesitated to help the old lady. She’d make a good neighbour. Well, she wouldn’t exactly be a neighbour of his because, although technically he lived on Peppercorn Street, his house and land were half-hidden behind the top few houses.
He didn’t know many people at the upper end of the street these days, because several of the houses had changed hands in the past few years, some being knocked down and replaced by modern monstrosities. Anyway, he was too busy to do much socialising.
But Miss Parfitt was a friend of his family from way back and he felt guilty that he hadn’t kept a closer eye on her. He’d do so from now on.
When he let himself into Dennings he checked the security system and looked at it thoughtfully. She’d had a security system fitted in her house, but he knew of a gadget she could carry with her that screamed for help. Maybe he could find one for Miss Parfitt and persuade her to use it?
He stopped dead as that gave him an idea, then popped into his office, noted it down and answered a couple of urgent emails.
He didn’t linger to work on into the night, as sometimes happened. In spite of tonight’s incident, he felt relaxed and tired after eating a delicious lamb shank with all the trimmings, followed by apple pie and ice cream at the pub. The evenings with his friends were always pleasant.
He went into his bedroom, converted from one of the ground-floor reception rooms for convenience, yawning as he took off his jacket. When he looked in the mirror he grimaced. Miss Parfitt was right: he was definitely going to have a black eye, and a big one too. He also found a couple of large bruises on his body as he got ready for bed.
After switching on the security system to cover the rest of the house, he lay down, expecting to fall straight asleep. But it took a while.
He couldn’t get the mugging out of his mind, or his pleasant new neighbour. She was an attractive woman for her age, very natural-looking. He’d never been attracted to glossy, stylish females. Horrible to kiss a cheek covered in what he thought of as gunk.
He turned over and eventually felt sleep beginning to take over his body. What a strange end to his evening out with the lads!
Chapter Five
When Nell woke it was fully light. She glanced at her wristwatch, amazed to find she’d slept for a solid ten hours. She smiled when she realised she hadn’t even bothered to take off her clothes the previous night, had just flung herself on the bed ‘for a moment or two’.
Humming, she showered by standing in an ancient bathtub in a huge bathroom with old-fashioned fittings. The green shower curtain clung to her body and she almost had to fight her way out of it.
Feeling comfortable in clean jeans and a casual top, she went down to the kitchen and put the kettle on. She stood stock-still with a piece of warm toast in her hand as it occurred to her that she hadn’t worried at all about the possibility of intruders after she got back last night. Strange, that.
She’d taken self-defence classes as part of her recovery from Craig. It would have been hard to defend herself against him, though, whatever she’d learnt, because he was so much bigger than her. But at least the classes had made her feel pretty sure she could give a good account of herself if she was attacked in the street.
She buttered the toast and ate it quickly, finishing with a nice crisp apple.
Now, decision time. Should she go and see Miss Parfitt first or should she go shopping?
She decided to check on her elderly neighbour first and at the same time ask her advice about where to do the shopping.
After that she had to get the telephone here connected again so that she could get online. She’d check the old computer, but even if it still worked, it was so out of date compared to modern technology, she doubted it’d be much use. Anyway, she’d brought her laptop.
There were all sorts of things that needed doing.
She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight of fresh mouse droppings in the empty pantry. She’d have to get some mousetraps. And that smell was still hanging around, though she’d opened her bedroom windows, as well as the front and back doors.
It was ten o’clock before she was ready to go out. Before she left, she walked round the house to study it – her house now. It didn’t feel at all like home after such a short time.
It was very shabby and there were a couple of tiles missing from the roof at the back, while others looked slightly misplaced. Storm damage, perhaps? She’d better go up to the attic later and check that the roof hadn’t been leaking. Perhaps dampness might be causing the smell.
The nearby houses on the upper side of the street were all well maintained, but the two houses between hers and the retirement development downhill looked ready to blow down in the first puff of wind. There was a big sign saying ‘New Houses for Sale, Over 50s’. More like horseboxes, she thought scornfully.
Peppercorn Street was quite long, and though it hadn’t occurred to her as a child, she realised now that this was the posh end. So in spite of its condition her house would probably be worth good money if only for block value, should she choose to sell it. She peered down to the left, but beyond Sunset Close, the street curved round slightly so she couldn’t see the next stretch clearly.
There were no pedestrians around. It was the same in Australian suburbs during the daytime. The families were probably all at work or school.
She strolled up the slope, found number 5 and rang the doorbell.
She heard footsteps inside almost immediately, and when Miss Parfitt opened the door, she smiled to see the old lady looking neat and tidy again. More than that, distinctly elegant, even if her clothes were old-fashioned.
‘You can’t be too bad today if you can answer the door so quickly, Miss Parfitt. But shouldn’t you take more care who is outside?’ Nell was going to miss the Australian security mesh doors; she hadn’t seen one ‘guarding’ the front door of any houses she’d passed.
‘I have a peephole,’ Miss Parfitt pointed to it. ‘Ironically, my nephew fitted it when he was trying to cheat me out of this house. He was protecting the house, not me, but when I forbade him to come here any longer, he couldn’t take the peephole with him, could he? I do find it useful, I must admit.’
She stepped back. ‘I’m chattering on again. Blame it on living alone. Do come in, Nell. Can I offer you a cup of tea?’
‘Another time I’d love it. Today I wanted to check that you were all right, which I can see for myself, and also ask your advice about shopping. Is there a big shopping centre somewhere with easy parking? I have a lot to buy.’
‘There’s one on the outskirts of town.’ She gave Nell an assessing look. ‘I wonder … No, not today. You must be very busy settling in.’
‘What were you going to ask?’
‘Would it be possible for me to come with you to the shops? I find it hard to carry the heavy items back, even with my shopping
bag on wheels. My friend’s daughter takes us sometimes but one doesn’t like to impose on the same person all the time. Don’t worry if it’s inconvenient today. I always keep good stocks, so I’m not desperate for anything.’
‘I’d be happy to take you with me sometimes and especially this morning because you can show me the way. You and Angus are the only people I know in England.’
‘Well, he won’t be much use to you socially, I’m afraid. Since his wife was killed, he’s turned into a near recluse, though I do see him going out sometimes on Friday evenings. I think he meets some friends at the pub.’ She frowned. ‘Aren’t there any other Chaytors left?’
‘Fliss always said there were some in Wiltshire, but she didn’t have much to do with them, except for one great-niece, who kept an eye on her. I wonder why Fliss didn’t leave her anything?’
‘Who can tell? Old people can get … stubborn. Besides, you kept in touch with her as well. Her choice, my dear, her choice.’
‘My father wouldn’t even talk about his family. I must see if I can find them sometime. But they might be resentful at me being left the house.’
‘They might or might not. It’d be worth giving them a try, don’t you think?’
‘Sure, but it’s not a priority at the moment and the shopping is. I’ll come back for you with the car in about ten minutes, if that’s all right?’
‘That’d be fine. Thank you, dear. It’ll be such a big help.’
Miss Parfitt directed her to the shopping centre, offered advice on which brands to buy and why, and explained a few things about shopping in the UK that were not immediately obvious to Nell.
In her turn, the old lady listened with alert interest when Nell mentioned the differences in Australian superstores.
As the shopping went on for a couple of hours, Nell kept an eye on Miss Parfitt and when her companion started looking tired, took her to a café and bought them a pot of tea and some scones. She noticed a nasty bruise on Miss Parfitt’s hand, presumably where she’d tried to keep hold of her handbag, but didn’t comment on it.
