Gill leant forward. 'From what I've learnt about Margot, sorry, Mattie over the years, she wouldn't put anything in the wrong place. She was far too careful and intelligent for that. May I see the photo?'
'Yes of course. It's on the laptop, which is in the attic room. Come with me and I'll show you.'
He was on his feet in a split second. 'I think it may be a clue,' he said.
'A clue?' Ella asked. 'A clue to what?'
He beamed at her like a boy who had solved his very first puzzle. 'To where she's hidden the diaries.'
'Don't get your hopes up,' Ella said. 'We've searched that room from top to bottom and tested every floorboard to see if one is loose. They're all nailed down firmly and as Mattie was ninety-nine and the photo is relatively recent, there was no way even she could be nailing down floorboards at her age. And the diaries aren't in the 'secret room' we found, either. Or her safe.'
'Let's see,' he said, and they hurried from the kitchen as if the place had just caught fire.
Chapter Seven
'I can't believe it,' Mia said, beaming at Ella and Gill. 'I've been sitting on that window seat for the last five months and all this time, those diaries were right there, beneath me.'
Ella smiled at Gill. 'I can't believe you knew that's where they'd be, just by looking at a photo.'
'I can't believe you haven't found them sooner.' Gill grinned. 'That button was so loose I only had to touch it and it released. It should've popped open the first time you ran a duster over it.'
Ella laughed. 'That's easily explained. We haven't. Hettie, a neighbour comes to do the housework but Mattie never allowed her up here so neither does Mia. And Mia and I don't do housework until the dust is three feet thick. There's barely a centimetre up here.'
'That's because Garrick came up and gave the room a quick once over every other week,' Mia confessed. 'I haven't done anything since he left but he wouldn't have cleaned under the lip of the window seat anyway. Who goes to those extremes to keep a place clean?'
Gill pulled a face as if he were bemused. 'Anyway. You've found them now.'
'Maybe not,' Ella said, laughing. 'Just because it says "My diaries" on the top of that massive box, it doesn't mean that's what's in it. Knowing Mattie, it could be anything.'
'That's true.' Mia bent down to look. The window seat had popped up the moment Gill had pressed a hidden button beneath the lip, and the front panel had fallen open, nearly hitting Gill's feet, but he'd been standing to the side as if he knew what to expect. When they lifted the seat fully to an upright position, another large box had been revealed, with the inscription written in indelible ink on the lid. Mia removed the lid and gasped. The diaries were there, stacked in neat piles, each pile tied with red ribbon. But what immediately caught Mia's eye, was the note.
Ella burst out laughing once again. 'Is that really a note to you? The cunning old bag. Gill was right. Mattie expected you to see the clue in that photo and find them. Well, come on. What does it say?'
Mia stared at it. 'It says, "Only to be opened by Miss Mia Ward".'
Ella nudged her. 'Not the envelope, you daft cow. The note inside it.'
'Oh.' Mia picked up the envelope and opened it, reading the contents aloud. 'It says, "Dear Mia, I don't know how long it has taken you to find this note and my diaries, but I'm hoping that it has been a few months, at least, and that you have had sufficient time to get to know the locals. In particular, Jet Cross and Hettie Burnstall, but also Tom Tyburn and Alexia Bywater."' Mia looked up at Ella. 'Why them?'
'How the hell do I know? Is that all it says?'
Mia shook her head. 'There's more.'
Ella tutted. 'Then read the thing.'
Gill grinned and leant against the eaves.
'Okay. It goes on. "I'm also hoping that, as I have left you my estate, you will do me the courtesy of following these instructions to the letter."'
'What letter?' Ella asked.
'I think,' Gill said, 'she means Mia should follow the instructions precisely. She's not referring to another letter.'
'Thanks. We can't all be as smart as you.'
He merely grinned, but he didn't rise to the bait.
'Ella. Gill. Listen to this. "I want you to read my diaries in chronological order, leaving the most recent one until last. I understand how tempting it will be to skip to the year 2018, but if you do, you're not the woman I thought you were and that would be a pity. I rarely misjudge people. I sincerely hope I have not misjudged you. A man by the name of Guillaume De Fonteneau, whom I know as Will, or his grandson, Gill De Fonteneau may contact you."'
'De Fonteneau?' Ella stared at Gill. 'Is that your name?'
Gill laughed. 'Personally, I don't use the De bit, just Fonteneau. But yes. That's my name. From a very long line of De Fonteneaus, many of whom were named Guillaume.'
'And many of whom lost their heads to the Guillotine in the 1790s no doubt,' Ella said, sarcastically.
Gill shrugged and grinned. 'One or two, perhaps. Most of us got away.'
'Do you want to hear this or not?' Mia asked, but she was grinning too. 'Okay. "Please tell Will, I shall love him, always. I have told him myself, now that I know my days are numbered, but remind him, if he should get in touch. As for Gill. He's writing a book, I am led to believe. He will no doubt want my diaries from the war and possibly shortly after. It is entirely up to you whether you accede to his request. I have never met him but I loved his grandfather deeply and I am certain Gill is like him. I am not bothered either way. I shall be dead. The choice is yours." I assume that means you do want them?' Mia glanced at Gill, who nodded.
'Definitely. If you don't mind. I'll take excellent care of them and return them as soon as possible.'
'I don't mind. But I want to read them first. As Mattie has asked me to read them in order, it may take me some time to get around to them. So, either you can come back and get them when I've finished. Or you can stay here and read them and take notes or whatever until you're done. That way we can both read them.'
'What?' Ella said, an anxious look on her face. 'That might take weeks.'
'I couldn't possibly expect you to let me stay here for so long,' Gill said, but he looked keen to do just that.
Mia shrugged. 'Does it matter? There's plenty of room. Mum's going to be moving into the farm cottage with Franklin. She'll be there from today anyway because of what's happened. And it might be nice to have a man around the house again. We both miss Garrick.'
'Yeah but …' Ella shot a look at Gill. 'Can you chop wood?'
He nodded. 'Yes.'
'Can you cook?'
'Yes. I'm quite good, even if I do say so myself.'
Ella sighed and shrugged. 'Okay. You can stay.'
'Are you sure?' He looked from Ella to Mia. 'You hardly know me.'
Mia nodded. 'I know. But I feel as if I do. That's weird, isn't it? But from the minute you arrived, we all got on and we told you all about us within half an hour of you being here. You tell us all about you and we'll be fine. But tell us later. I want to finish this note first. Okay. "You're probably furious with me for planting Spyware on your laptop. My diaries will explain that too. They'll explain everything. But please, please, do read them in order, as I've asked. As to why I've left you my estate, that's simple. I have no other living relatives and frankly, you could do with some financial help."' Mia coughed before shrugging. 'She's not wrong about that. "I hope you are enjoying life in Sunbeam Cottage, Mia and that Little Pondale is finding a place in your heart. Should you feel the need to turn to someone for assistance, may I suggest Jet Cross? He may seem arrogant and a cad but the man has hidden depths. I hope you'll have discovered that for yourself, but if not, look for them, Mia. And if you have any sense at all, encourage a friendship to grow between you. I am hoping it already has, by the time you find this note."'
Ella and Mia simultaneously said, 'Bloody Nora.'
'Well,' said Gill. 'Mattie obviously had a high opinion of Jet. Which means the vicar
may not have been telling you the truth.'
'Unless Mattie was wrong about Jet,' Ella said.
Gill shook his head, with a serious expression on his face. 'Margot Voss was never wrong about anyone. Even as Mattie, she wouldn't make a mistake about someone's true character, I'm fairly certain of that.'
'Then I think we need to ask Tom why he lied,' Ella said. 'But I'm guessing it's because he's madly in love with you.' She smiled at Mia. 'What else does she say?'
Mia grinned and continued: '"I wish we could have met, but I think it's better that we didn't. I hope you make the right choices with your life. I believe I did, but as I reach my end, doubt is creeping in. Take this advice to heart. If you really love someone with every fibre of your being, and you know they love you in return, never give them up, no matter what. Take the risk. No matter how difficult the future may seem. Be happy, Mia. Live life to the full. Dance on the sand. Howl at the moon. I always did. And so did your beloved father, Ernest. But most of all, be true to yourself. I wish you every happiness." And it's signed, Mattie and beneath that it says, "Your great-aunt Matilda, who loved you from afar." Aw. Isn't that lovely?'
'Wonderful,' Ella said. 'Now can we please go back downstairs and open another bottle of wine while we discuss it? I'm gasping here.'
'That's a brilliant idea. I'll just grab the first diary so I can start reading that right away. But I also need to read this note at least three times to take it in.'
'You mean you're actually going to do as she says, and not read the latest diary? I'd go to that one without a moment's delay.'
'I'd like to. But she's right. She did leave me her cottage and everything else if I stay here for the year. Which I intend to do. So it's only fair that I honour her last wish, as much as it's killing me to do so.'
'I could read it for you and tell you what it says,' Ella offered. 'She didn't say no one else could read it.'
Mia tutted. 'I think it's implied, don't you? So keep your mitts off them, okay? I mean it, Ella. I'll be upset if you read it before I do. That goes for you too, Gill.'
He held his hands in the air. 'I'm only interested in the war years and perhaps the year or two before and after. But I'm happy to wait.'
'Okay.' Mia unwrapped the ribbon and grabbed the first diary from the first pile. It was dated 1931. She closed the lid and pushed the front flap up before shutting the window seat down on top of it and with a click, everything was back as it was. 'Let's go downstairs and pour some wine and you can continue telling us about yourself, Gill.'
He smiled as they headed towards the stairs. 'There's not much more to tell. I've told you what I do and about the book I'm writing. I'm thirty-five and single. No girlfriend, in case you're interested.' He glanced at Ella and stood aside to let her and Mia go down the stairs before him.
'We're not,' Ella said. 'What else?'
'My dad died when I was two and my mum, shortly after.'
'Oh. I'm sorry,' Ella said, glancing over her shoulder.
'Me too,' said Mia, doing the same.
Gill shook his head. 'No need. I don't remember either of them. Grandfather brought me up but he sent me to school in England when I was eleven, because that was my mother's wish. I live in Cambridge but I spend a great deal of my time in France. Grandfather lives in Meloisey, close to Beaune in eastern France. Or did. You'll have heard of Beaune, as you enjoy wine.'
'I've heard of it,' Mia said, as they reached the upstairs hall. 'But I don't know where it is. Perhaps you'll show us on a map. We're sorry about your grandad, too. I hadn't realised he meant so much to you but he clearly did.'
'Thanks. We were very close. He'd been ill for months, so it didn't come as a complete shock, and he was ninety-seven, so he'd had a good life. For the last six months though, he wasn't really with it. He had a stroke at the end of March and never recovered.'
'The end of March?' Mia queried. 'That's when Mattie died. Had someone told him about her death?'
Gill shook his head. 'I don't know. I was in the UK at the time and had to dash back. He couldn't talk or move, so I honestly have no idea what happened. His passing was a happy release for him.'
'How odd,' Ella said, walking down the stairs to the ground floor. 'They died within months of one another. Although considering their ages, I suppose it isn't odd at all. What happened with their romance? You said they were together throughout the war. Why did they break up?'
'I have no idea. As I said, I believed Margot, or Mattie as I now know she was, died in May 1945 and that's why it ended. He did tell me he had just proposed to her when she died. Perhaps she rejected his proposal and returned to England. Perhaps, in a way, Margot was therefore dead to him. And yet they obviously kept in touch through their letters. But I don't know if they ever saw one another again. I definitely never met her.'
'Perhaps her diaries will answer that question,' Mia said.
'And a lot more besides,' said Ella.
'So you'll stay then?' Mia asked.
Gill nodded as they entered the kitchen. He grabbed the second bottle of wine he'd brought and motioned with his hand for the corkscrew. Ella smiled as she passed it to him.
'If you're sure you don't mind. I would love to stay.' He filled the glasses they'd left on the table and sat down.
'Good,' Mia said. 'Then let's make a toast. To old friends and new. To Mattie slash Margot slash Pearl and Will slash Guillaume. To Ella, to you, Gill and to me. And most importantly, to the future.'
'Is that it?' Ella joked, raising her glass. 'I thought you were never going to end.'
Mia grinned. 'No wait! To howling at the moon and dancing on the sand. Now, shut up and drink.'
'You don't have to tell me twice,' Ella said. 'Cheers to all that.'
Gill raised his glass and smiled. 'Cheers to all that.' He took a swig, raised his brows and put his glass down on the table. 'I don't know what made me think of this. I suppose the dancing on the sand. But do you two like ballet?'
'Ballet?' Mia asked. 'Why?'
'I wondered if you'd like to go. It's a couple of months away. Not until early January, but tickets are selling fast. I was planning to get mine this week, so if you're interested, I'll happily pay for you both to accompany me. My cousin's a ballerina and she's touring the UK at present but it's at The Coliseum in London from the 3rd of January.'
'I've never been to a real ballet,' Mia said. 'I'd love to go.'
Ella shrugged. 'It could be fun I suppose, and an evening in London would be great, especially just after Christmas. We could go up for the day and hit the sales.' She glanced at Gill. 'Or not.'
He smiled. 'I'm happy with that plan. We could make a day and night of it. I'll book a hotel for us. Separate rooms, of course. It'll be a good way for me to say thank you for all this.'
'Okay then,' Mia said. 'That sounds wonderful. Thank you.'
'It's my pleasure,' Gill said, looking directly at Ella. 'My cousin, Isobel is incredible. But in addition to that, it's not only my favourite ballet, it was also the favourite of both Mattie and my grandfather. They speak of it often in their letters. So it'll definitely be the perfect treat.'
'Oh?' Ella leant forward. 'What is it? The Nutcracker is my favourite. For obvious reasons.' She sipped her wine somewhat provocatively.
Gill laughed and also leant forward, leaving very little space between them. 'Same composer. But it's Swan Lake.'
An arc of wine shot from Ella's mouth and cascaded down the front of Gill's checked shirt.
'Swan Lake?' Mia screeched, her eyes darting from Gill to Ella in astonishment. 'Did you just say, Swan Lake?'
Chapter Eight
'Oh. My. God,' Ella said, when Gill went upstairs to change his shirt. 'You know what this means, don't you?'
Mia nodded. 'It means that bloody fortune-teller is becoming a right pain in the proverbial.'
'It means a lot worse than that. It means that the Swan Lake bit had nothing whatsoever to do with me marrying Justin and becoming Mrs Swann-Lake. It means the
fact that things have cooled off between us might have something to do with what that woman told him. And it means that meeting the man I'll marry whilst solving a mystery with my best friend, also wasn't about meeting Justin, because we hadn't solved the mystery until tonight. Oh God.' She lowered her head into her cupped hands and shook her head to and fro. 'It means that I'm going to see a ballet with a man who irritates the hell out of me. I don't even like Gill. And how can I marry a man with a pompous surname like De Fonteneau? Even without the De.'
'Well, you did like the idea of a double-barrelled surname and his comes ready-made. Ella De Fonteneau, sounds fabulous. And so does Ella Swann De Fonteneau. Or simply Ella Fonteneau. Plus he's gorgeous. I know Justin's gorgeous too and I like him a lot, but you said yourself things have changed between you two. It clearly wasn't meant to be. Like me and Garrick. And let's not forget, Gill may have a weird name, but his recently deceased grandfather has an extensive wine cellar.'
Ella lifted her head. 'Yeah. I suppose every cloud has a silver lining. And holidays in France might be nice.'
Their eyes met and they laughed.
'I know that damned woman's been right about most things so far, but your future is yours, Ella. If you don't like Gill, you don't have to date him, and you certainly don't have to think you've got to marry the guy just because some woman in a crimson tent tells you you will. But I saw the way you looked at one another. You're attracted to him, aren't you? Be honest.'
Ella sighed. 'Who wouldn't be? The irritating sod is bloody gorgeous. He's got the body of a god and the brain of a genius, plus he's got the sexiest grin I've ever seen. And a good sense of humour. Oh. Was that the doorbell? It's a bit late for someone to be coming round, isn't it?'
'Perhaps it's Mum.' Mia got to her feet and ran along the hall. 'Oh. Hello Justin. Ella and I were just talking about you. Come in.'
The Cottage on Lily Pond Lane-Part Four: Trick or treat Page 5
