The Cottage on Lily Pond Lane-Part One_New beginnings

by Emily Harvale

  'I apologise for keeping you waiting,' he said, after they had exchanged the usual pleasantries of hello. 'It took me a little longer than I thought. Do you have a pen?'

  'No. But I have my phone. I can make a note on that. And there's no need to apologise. If I had read the papers you gave me, I wouldn't be wasting your time in the first place. It's me who should apologise.'

  'No need. I'm here to help. I'll spell the WiFi password out for you. It's ErnestaiM, capital E at the start, capital M at the end, the rest all lower case. The combination to the safe is 2671958.'

  '2671958,' Mia repeated, and shot a look at Ella. 'That's my dad's date of birth! The 26th of July 1958. And the password is his name then mine backwards. Ernest Mia. Ernest aiM.'

  'Golly,' Mr Dale said. 'Well, they will be easy for you to remember. Although you're free to change them if you wish, but if you do, you must ensure you let me have a note of the new ones. You can put them in a sealed envelope, if you like.'

  'No. I'll leave them as they are, I think. No one knows them apart from us, so it's fine.'

  'That keeps things simple. Now I'm sending someone down with copies of all the papers, as we discussed earlier. He should be with you by four at the latest, but we do have to make another set of copies, which is why he won't be with you until late afternoon. In the meantime, may I please ask you to check the safe and confirm that Miss Matilda Ward's jewellery and other personal belongings are there? You won't be able to confirm everything without the inventory, but the jewellery is the most important issue right now.'

  'Yes, of course. I'll do that right away. This is a hands-free phone so once I get the safe open, I can call you back and tell you what's there and you can check it against your copy, if you like.'

  'That's an excellent idea. That will put both our minds at rest. Goodbye for now.'

  No sooner had Mia hung up than Garrick walked in with a smile on his face as big as the sun.

  Ella saw it too. 'You're looking mighty pleased with yourself. I assume the tulips did the trick.'

  He nodded and gave her a thumbs up. 'Worked a treat. I've got a date for Wednesday night.'

  'That's nice,' Mia said, thinking it was anything but.

  'Why Wednesday?' Ella asked.

  'It's Alexia's night off.'

  'Oh. You've got a date with Alexia,' she joked. 'I thought it was with one of the rugby team. We all know how much you lurve, rugby.'

  'The joke's on you. I have got a date with one of the team. It seems they believe in equality in Little Pondale. Alexia's on the team.'

  'What?' Mia couldn't have heard that correctly. 'Did you say Alexia is on the team? The rugby team?'

  'Yes. But they're not in the official league. They don't have enough members. They only play other local towns and villages, who also have low membership. Toby and Jet are trying to put together a full squad by pulling in members from nearby teams. They're hoping to have it set up by next season and then they'll register with the league.'

  'How immensely fascinating,' Ella said, pretending to stifle a huge yawn. 'In other news, we have the WiFi password so we'll soon be back in contact with the uncivilised world of the web, and we're just about to crack the safe. Care to join us?' She got up and headed towards him.

  'I wouldn't miss it for the world.'

  'We've also been trying to guess who gets the dosh if Mia can't stand living here for a year, and bails.'

  'Oh. And who's the lucky person, or persons in your considered opinions?'

  'We've narrowed it down to a half man, half yeti called Fred who lives in a tent in the foothills of the Himalayas. We believe Mattie ran off with him when he was brought to London by the revered explorer who found him and that's why she was ostracised from the family. But their love couldn't survive the harsh conditions, or Fred's table manners, so Mattie came home broken-hearted and shut herself off from the world. But a few years ago, he sent her a friend request on Facebook so she added a codicil to her will that he would get everything if Mia bailed. And because Fred's half yeti, he will live to be two hundred and six, so the dosh may come in useful.'

  Garrick raised one eyebrow. 'My only question is, how do you know his name is Fred?'

  'That's easy,' Mia said, trying hard not to grin. 'He was named after the revered explorer who found him.'

  'Of course he was,' Garrick said. 'And how do you know his … No, forget it. I'm not even going to ask.'

  'Spoilsport,' Ella threw at him as he turned and walked towards the stairs.

  'It's called being a grown-up. You should try it sometime.'

  Chapter Twenty

  Much to everyone's relief, once Mia, Ella and Garrick spotted the relevant panel, searched for the keyhole, found the right key and used the combination to open the safe, Mattie's jewellery was discovered inside. It was kept in three separate jewellery boxes and judging by the contents of each, was graded by value. One box contained what appeared to their untrained eyes to be costume jewellery. One contained more expensive-looking items and the final one contained rings, necklaces, brooches, earrings and bracelets that almost blinded them when they opened the lid. They assumed that box contained the most precious items.

  Mr Dale confirmed that all was as it should be as they briefly described each item to him and he checked it off his list.

  'We found the laptop, too,' Mia said. 'But that also seems to be password protected.'

  'I have been thinking about that,' Mr Dale informed her. 'There may be items on that, containing information and details of the estate that you are not, as yet, strictly entitled to be made aware of. I feel I should ask you to hand it to my colleague this afternoon in order for me to check. I shall hopefully be able to return it once I have ensured it contains no such information, or if it does, once I have copied and removed the same from the device. I'm sure you understand. In hindsight, I probably should have removed it prior to today.'

  'Oh. Um. Of course. I'll hand it over the moment he arrives. I was simply hoping that it might shed some light on who, exactly, Mattie was and a bit about her history. As you know, Mr Dale, I wasn't even aware of her existence until seven weeks ago, and my mum knows nothing about her. I would really like to understand who she was, how she knew about me, and why she decided to make me a beneficiary in her will.'

  'I understand completely. I wish I could shed some light on her story, but my father dealt with her, and I only met her once or twice. I was hoping to get to know her better on the day I came to visit to go through a few things with her. Alas, that was not to be. I shall return it to you when, and if, I can. Unless I can be of any further assistance this morning, I shall say goodbye for now.'

  'Bugger,' Mia said, once she was sure he had hung up. 'I was hoping I could be nosey.'

  'You'll have to wait,' Garrick said. 'Or find some other means of learning more about her. I assume you Googled her name when you first got the news?'

  'Yeah. But there are quite a few Matilda Wards. I haven't even seen a photo of her so I don't know what she looks like. None of the ones I saw looked like a ninety-nine-year-old, although some did look pretty ancient. And none gave a location of Little Pondale.'

  'I've just realised,' Ella said, 'that there aren't any photographs in this cottage. Not one. Unless she hid those in here too. She definitely liked hiding things away, didn't she? The wardrobes, the en-suite, this little room. Either Mattie was paranoid about privacy, or she really did have something to hide.'

  'You're right,' Mia said. 'That hadn't occurred to me. The photos I mean, not the paranoia. Everyone has photos in their homes, don't they? I've got loads. And thousands on my phone.'

  'Did she have a phone?' Ella asked. 'That might be in here too, if she did.'

  'She had a landline,' Garrick said. 'I know she was incredibly fit for a woman of her age, but I can't see her going to the top of Frog's Hill to make a call, or climbing the three hundred steps in the church steeple. She probably relied on the landline and her laptop. She may have photos on that.'
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  'I wish I could look.' Mia hugged the laptop to her as if it were more valuable to her than the three boxes of jewellery. 'I really want to know who she was.'

  'There are other ways of finding out,' Garrick said.

  'How?'

  'Ask the locals. She lived here for twenty-five years and everyone called her Mattie – apart from Hettie, of course – but that means they must have known at least a few things about her. Even Hettie. In fact, Hettie probably knows more than most because even if Mattie shut herself up here whenever Hettie was around, the woman knows something about everyone. And also, in all the years Mattie lived here, she must've gone to some parties, or celebrations, or Christmas events. People always take photos at those, so if Mattie went to only one even, there may be a photo of her there. We simply need to ask around.'

  'You're not just handsome, are you, brother dear? You're pretty smart too.'

  'Praise indeed.' He threw Ella a sardonic look. 'I'm also starving. Can we go and make some lunch?'

  'But I thought we were going to ask around about photos?' Mia queried.

  Garrick sighed softly. 'You're here for a year, Mia. You don't have to do everything the minute you arrive.'

  Ella grinned and gave him a shove. 'Says the man who couldn't wait to ask a certain barmaid on a date.'

  Garrick grinned back, grabbed both Mia and his sister gently by their wrists and ushered them out of the little room.

  'That's a different matter entirely. Alexia's gorgeous and there are too many single guys in this village for my liking. Plus I haven't had sex for months. I needed to get a date as soon as possible before Alexia got away. Mattie's dead and buried. She's not going anywhere. And finding out about her isn't going to help any of us with our sex lives.'

  'Then maybe you're not as smart as I thought,' Ella said, allowing herself to be marched towards the stairs. 'Asking all the single men if they have photos of Mia's dear, departed great-aunt Mattie, or if they have any stories about her to tell, may do wonders for our sex lives. We can ask to go back to their places, and see their photo albums.'

  She winked at Mia but Mia wasn't listening.

  Garrick having sex with Alexia was all Mia could think about.

  And it was the most unpleasant thought she'd had all day.

  Since when had Garrick Swann become so spontaneous?

  She preferred him the way he was before.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Mr Dale's colleague, who introduced himself as David Dale, arrived at Sunbeam Cottage a little after four.

  'I apologise for my tardiness,' he said, with a contrite expression. 'It took longer to get here than I had anticipated and I found myself stuck in Seaside Road for at least ten minutes due to a tractor performing a seemingly impossible manoeuvre in the lane.'

  'That's quite all right, Mr Dale,' Mia said,' and you're not really late at all. We were told you wouldn't be arriving until around four. I hope you don't mind me asking, but is Mr Clive Dale your father?'

  He looked relieved, and smiled as he visibly relaxed. 'Yes, Miss Ward. You may call me David if that makes things easier. Here are the copies you need.' He handed over a box file of papers. 'I'm more than happy to go through them with you, if you wish, and I can also run through the inventory with you. It appears to be a rather lengthy document but it really won't take more than an hour to check things off. I was the one who drew it up, so I know where everything is.'

  'Thank you, David. That would be really helpful, if you're sure you don't mind. I'll make some tea and we can get started.'

  'Excellent, Miss Ward. A cup of tea is just what I need.'

  Was that sarcasm? One look at his face told her it wasn't and she led the way into the kitchen where Ella and Garrick were writing a shopping list.

  'These are my friends, Ella and Garrick. They're staying with me for a few days to help me settle in. If it's okay with you, I'd like them to be present when we go through the papers. I didn't take it all in when your father went through them with me. I don't want to miss anything this time.'

  David smiled, exchanged greetings and said he had no objection at all to Ella and Garrick's presence, but when he finally left, almost two and a half hours later, Mia got the feeling Ella and Garrick were starting to take objection to his.

  'Bloody Nora. I don't think that man has an ounce of humour in his body.' Ella collapsed on a kitchen chair and slumped across the table.

  Garrick slouched in a chair opposite. 'That's almost three hours of my life I'll never get back.'

  'And I still think I'm none the wiser,' Mia said, grabbing three glasses from the cupboard and handing Garrick a bottle of wine to open. 'At least now we all know where everything is. And he said I can pack up all Mattie's clothes and store them in the attic, so that's good.'

  'And that Mattie didn't own a mobile phone,' Ella said. 'Which still seems weird in this day and age.'

  'She was ninety-nine,' Garrick said, opening the wine and filling the glasses. 'And there's little point in having one if you live in this place.'

  Ella sat upright and grabbed a glass, almost before Garrick had finished filling it. 'I need this. It's good to have the internet up and running. When I checked my emails I'd got over a hundred! Many of them were junk though, but even so. A couple of days offline and things really start to pile up.'

  'Especially on the business side,' Garrick said. 'I'd got two new orders when I checked mine.'

  'Does that mean you have to go back?' Mia wasn't sure if that would be a good thing, or not. It would mean he couldn't go on his date with Alexia, but Mia wouldn't really benefit from that.

  'Not unless you want to get rid of me.' Garrick threw her a grin. 'As Ella always says, the good thing about having your own business is that you can work from anywhere. Depending on what you do, I suppose. I made sure I'd used up my store of wood before I moved back to London, and because Ella told me we were coming down here for a week or two, I hadn't ordered any more in. The beauty is, I can order it online and have it delivered anywhere. Or see if there's a local timber merchant and go and select my own. What I'm saying is, I'd quite like to stay for a while, unless you'd rather I didn't.'

  'No. I'm happy for you to stay. We'd probably better not tell the Dales though. Mr Dale senior will probably make you sign something, telling you what you can and can't do. I hadn't really realised, until Dale the younger went through it again today, quite how complicated this 'year' thing is.'

  Garrick grinned. 'You're right. He would. And I suppose it all sounded complicated, but really, it's like you having a year's tenancy on a fully furnished house, all bills included. So, you're happy for me to stay on then? You can kick me out at any time. I promise I'll leave if you ask me to. And it'll only be for a month. Or six weeks at most. Your mum will be back by then and I know Lori will be on her way here the minute the cruise ship docks in Southampton.'

  Mia grinned. 'She's already told me she will. We messaged one another on Facebook. Ella's right. It is fantastic to be connected to the world wide web once more. But you don't have to leave when Mum arrives. She'd love to see you again. There're four bedrooms in this cottage, so it's not a problem. What about you, Ella? Did you mean it when you said you'd stay for longer? I'd love to have you around.'

  Ella emptied her wine glass and smiled. 'I'd love to stay. Now we've got the internet again, I can work from here. I've got nothing booked in for the next two weeks anyway, and after that, I can do most of my work online. If any of them want me to go through hard copies, they can have them couriered to me. It's no big deal.'

  'It's settled then.' Mia refilled their wine glasses and raised hers in the air. 'Here's to Mattie for her wonderful gift. And to us, and the coming months in Sunbeam Cottage.'

  Garrick raised his glass. 'Here's to you staying the year, to us and to Mattie.'

  Ella joined in. 'Here's to Mattie, to us, and to new beginnings. Cheers.'

  'To new beginnings!' Mia exclaimed, smiling brightly. 'What a wonderful thought. Yep
. Here's to Mattie, to us, to Sunbeam Cottage, to Little Pondale and to new beginnings.'

  'New beginnings,' Garrick said. 'I like the sound of that.'

  'And to all three of us possibly finding new love,' Ella added, smiling broadly. 'Or should that be 'True Love'?' She winked. 'Well, a girl can dream. And Little Pondale is bursting with opportunities on that score.'

  Mia nodded, unable to stop her gaze drifting in Garrick's direction. 'Then here's to new beginnings, new love and to possibly finding 'The One'. I can't wait to see what this year has in store for all of us.'

  ***

  End of Part One

  ***

  What does the year have in store for Mia, Ella and Garrick?

  Find out what the summer brings by reading The Cottage on Lily Pond Lane –

  Part Two: Summer secrets.

  Available June 2018

  Coming soon

  See my website for details of

  The Cottage on Lily Pond Lane –

  Part Two: Summer secrets

  A Note from Emily

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