Aunt Bessie Finds

by Diana Xarissa

“Really?” Hugh asked. “I didn’t think about that.”

  Bessie shook her head. The poor man had a lot to learn about women. “I’m absolutely certain of it,” she said. “And the more you two can talk about such things, the stronger your relationship will be.”

  Bessie dug out a tub of ice cream, grinning as Hugh helped himself to a couple of huge scoops. Clearly his worries about the coming holiday hadn’t affected his appetite.

  “Anyway, Bessie, I want you to take good care of yourself while I’m gone,” Hugh said as he helped clear away the dishes.

  “When do you leave?” Bessie asked.

  “We’re on the overnight sailing tonight,” Hugh replied glumly. “I hate sailing, especially when I should be sleeping, but Mr. and Mrs. Christian prefer late sailings.”

  “Well, I hope you have a wonderful time,” Bessie told him, giving him a hug. “You must come and visit me as soon as you get back and tell me all about it.”

  “But will you be here or in Douglas?” Hugh asked.

  Bessie opened and closed her mouth several times before she could reply. “I suppose I shall be in Douglas,” she said eventually, as reality sank in. “I suppose I must have a housewarming or something.”

  “The inspector will be back by then as well,” Hugh told her. “You can have us both over and Doona as well.”

  “That sounds like a plan,” Bessie said faintly, feeling as if her life was getting rather out of control.

  With one last quick hug, Hugh left. Bessie quickly cleared away the washing up and tidied her kitchen. When she was finished, she headed out to the rock behind the cottage. The rain had stopped, but the day was still somewhat cooler than was normal for August. The beach was quiet as a result. Bessie sat for several minutes, watching the tide as it made its way in. Hugh was exactly right; she felt excited and scared at the same time.

  Chapter Seven

  Bessie spent much of Sunday trying to figure out what furniture she should take with her and what she should leave behind. As she pictured the rooms in the new flat, everything in her cottage seemed the wrong size, the wrong shape or the wrong style. By Sunday evening she had just about decided that she was going to buy brand-new everything for the flat.

  There were many reasons why the idea appealed to her. For a start, it had been years since she had been furniture shopping and the idea of a spree made the thought of moving far more exciting. Besides, it was difficult for her to picture any of the furniture she loved in a different location. If she bought everything new, the move would feel even more like a holiday or a temporary arrangement. Once she was ready to come home, she could sell everything she’d purchased.

  She checked her bank balance. She could certainly afford some inexpensive furniture for the little flat. And inexpensive furniture was perfect for her little adventure. With that decided, she headed for bed on Sunday night feeling far more at peace with what was to come.

  Monday morning was her appointment with Doncan Quayle to sign the lease agreement. Bessie was dreading it, but a last-minute problem with someone’s will meant that the man himself wasn’t even in the office when she visited. Instead, Bessie met with his young son, also called Doncan, to sign the papers.

  “I know my father wanted to talk with you about this,” the young man said. “But he didn’t leave any instructions other than where to have you sign.”

  “Then I’ll just sign it all and be on my way,” Bessie told him.

  Even though he was fairly inexperienced, young Doncan wasn’t the type to let Bessie just sign the papers. He spent an hour taking her through each document and making sure that she understood exactly what she was agreeing to on every page.

  “Your father explained all of this to me on the phone,” Bessie told him at one point.

  “And he’d fire me in an instant if he discovered that I didn’t go back over it all with you in person,” Doncan had told her.

  Breesha, who had been the older Doncan’s secretary for many years, brought in tea after the first twenty minutes.

  “I figured you’d be needing this about now,” she said, winking at Bessie. “The young man is good and thorough, he is.”

  “Oh, aye,” Bessie said with a sigh. “Too thorough.”

  “No such thing in legal work,” Doncan told her cheerfully. By the time Bessie left, she felt as if she’d had quite enough of advocates for a good long time.

  Back at home again, she fixed a quick lunch, planning on starting to think about shopping and packing once she’d eaten. The phone interrupted her plans.

  “Hello, Bessie, it’s Mary Quayle. How are you?”

  “I’m fine,” Bessie replied. “How are you?”

  “Oh, I’m very well, thanks,” Mary said lightly. “You know I’m off to Portugal with Georgie and Diane in a few weeks. I really want to help you get settled into your little flat before I go.”

  “Oh, Mary, that is kind of you. I’ve signed all the paperwork, and I was just going to start thinking about packing and furniture shopping when you rang.”

  “You mustn’t go furniture shopping,” Mary said firmly. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow and we’ll go out to our storage units and you can pick out whatever you like. There’s enough out there to furnish at least ten flats. I’m sure you’ll find plenty you can use.”

  “Mary, I can’t let you lend me furniture on top of everything else you’ve done,” Bessie replied.

  “Bessie, please, it’s all just sitting out there, going to waste. The best thing you could do for me is borrow all of it and then ruin it so I don’t have to store it anymore. I can’t bring myself to get rid of it, but I’ll never use it again.”

  Bessie was going to argue further, but she didn’t get the chance.

  “I have to dash,” Mary said. “George just walked in. I’ll see you around one tomorrow.”

  Bessie hung up the phone slowly, feeling both annoyed with Mary and grateful to her. Before she could decide what to do next, the phone rang again.

  “Bessie? It’s Bahey. What’s going on?”

  “Whatever do you mean?”

  “The flat next door to me, the one you looked at, it got a fresh coat of paint yesterday. Now today, they’ve had some man here all day, working on the lift, and they’ve painted the lobby and the corridors as well. What have you done?”

  Bessie shook her head and then laughed at herself. “I’m shaking my head,” she told Bahey. “I don’t know what’s going on, or rather, I don’t totally know what’s going on. I’ve arranged to lease the flat for a short time, but I can’t see why that would cause all of that activity. I certainly didn’t expect them to paint for me.”

  “You’re moving in?” Bahey asked.

  “Yes, probably later this week,” Bessie replied. “I’ve just been to see my advocate to sign the papers. I guess I can move in whenever I’m ready.”

  “Hurray!” Bahey shouted down the phone. “Things are getting weirder and weirder around here. I’m sure there was someone in the flat below me last night, walking around and talking loudly. I was going to go down and knock on the door, but the lift was out of order and I don’t like to take the stairs at night. They aren’t well lit.”

  “Is that all that’s going on?” Bessie asked.

  “My welcome mat disappeared a couple of days ago,” Bahey told her. “I’d only just bought it and put it out in front of my door and the next morning it was gone.”

  “Did you ask the building manager about it?”

  “I did, but he didn’t know anything about it. I kept walking around the building, looking to see if it turned up in front of another door, but then this morning, it was back in front of my door.”

  “Really? That is rather strange, but at least you got it back,” Bessie said.

  “Yeah, but now I can’t decide if I should leave it out there or bring it inside. I’m afraid it might go missing again.”

  “Ah, well, I guess you’ll have to decide whether it’s worth the risk. Is that all that’s been stra
nge?”

  “Well, number ten hasn’t received any post lately, but yesterday I was sure I saw something in the box for number five. That’s the empty flat under mine.”

  “Could it have been an advertising circular?”

  “I don’t know. I could only just make out that there was something in the box.”

  “I suppose, if someone does own it, they have a right to get post to that address,” Bessie suggested.

  “I guess so,” Bahey said. “It just feels off, that’s all.”

  “I suspect there are perfectly logical explanations for everything that’s going on,” Bessie told her friend. “But this is the perfect time for me to have a complete change of scenery, so I’ll move in and see what I can find out.”

  “Are you okay?” Bahey asked.

  “I’m fine,” Bessie assured her. “But life has been rather stressful lately and a change is as good as a rest, they say. Besides, August in the worst month for tourists on Laxey beach. It gets really noisy and at least one cottage always seems to have a party late in the evening just about every night. A stay in Douglas might be exactly what I need.”

  “It’ll be great to get to spend some time with you,” Bahey said. “But don’t let me become a nuisance. I’m rather busy with Howard most days, anyway.” Bahey laughed. “I’m sorry, I’m just so surprised that you’re coming that I can’t even think straight.”

  “You did suggest it,” Bessie reminded her.

  “But I never imagined that you’d actually do it,” Bahey admitted. “I was just talking, like.”

  Bessie laughed. “Well, whatever your intentions, I’m doing it. I’ll probably be moved in by Friday, although I have a lot to arrange before then. I think maybe I’ll have a housewarming party on Saturday afternoon. I can invite the neighbours and get to meet them all.”

  “Why would you want to do that?” Bahey asked. “I mean, I’m sure they’re nice and all.” She sighed. “I’m not really a people person,” she told Bessie. “I’ll come to the party, since it’s you having it, but I don’t expect to enjoy it.”

  Bessie laughed. “Well, that’s very honest, anyway. I guess I am a people person, and besides, I want to find out if anyone else has noticed anything strange going on. You said one of the neighbours mentioned seeing Alan Collins every time the lift catches on fire. I want to find out what else your neighbours know.”

  “See, this is why I rang you in the first place,” Bahey said. “Because you’re smart and you think of things like that. I never even thought about asking the neighbours.”

  “I’ll let you know when I’m actually going to arrive,” Bessie told her.

  “Wait until I tell Howard you’re coming,” Bahey said just before she hung up. “He’ll never believe me.”

  Bessie wasn’t sure what Bahey meant by that, but she hung up the phone feeling a little bit more excited about her impending move.

  She spent the afternoon doing laundry so that she’d have plenty of clean clothes to pack. There was no point in taking anything more than summer clothes at this point, so she would only need a few suitcases for them. It was strange to think of her little cottage sitting empty while she was in Douglas, but she supposed she could visit once in a while. There had been a small combination washer and dryer in the flat, but if she didn’t like the way it cleaned her clothes, she might decide to head home once a week to do laundry at the very least.

  Stop trying to find excuses for coming back to Laxey, she told herself sternly as she looked around the kitchen. She’d need plates and cups and flatware and pots and pans and the toaster and the kettle. She sighed deeply. She’d accumulated an awful lot of things over the years. Choosing what to take and what to leave behind was going to be an interesting exercise.

  Doona rang while she was looking through the wardrobe in the spare bedroom.

  “How are you?” Doona asked when Bessie picked up.

  “I’m fine, just thinking about what I should take and what I should leave behind when I move.”

  “You’re really going, then?”

  “I am,” Bessie said firmly, hoping to convince herself as well as Doona.

  Doona sighed. “When?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ll have to get a truck booked, I suppose.”

  “Let’s have dinner tonight and talk it all through,” Doona suggested. “My treat, wherever you like.”

  They agreed on La Terrazza, which was Bessie’s favourite. “I’ll meet you there,” Bessie told her friend. “I can walk or grab a taxi. You don’t need to come for me.”

  With dinner plans sorted, Bessie headed back up the stairs. A few minutes later she was certain that there was nothing in the spare bedroom that needed to go to Douglas with her.

  I should just give the entire room to a charity shop, Bessie thought to herself as she headed into her own bedroom. Or maybe a museum, she sighed.

  After spending most of the day pottering around doing nothing much, Bessie decided to walk to the restaurant. She left early to allow herself plenty of time to get there and walked at a leisurely pace, stopping to chat with friends and acquaintances as she passed them along the way. It seemed as if everyone in Laxey was outside, enjoying the sunshine, as she made her way towards La Terrazza.

  Doona was just pulling into the car park when Bessie arrived, and Bessie greeted her with a quick hug when she emerged from her car.

  “I feel as if I haven’t seen you in ages,” Doona said. “I made a booking and requested a quiet corner so we can catch up.”

  The pair were well-known in the small restaurant and even though there were many people waiting for tables, the host was quick to show them to a small table in the back corner of the room.

  “Andy’s still making our puddings,” he told them as they took their seats. “But only for a few more weeks. He’s off to culinary school across before the first of September.”

  “We must save room for it, then,” Bessie said with a smile. Andy Caine, Anne’s son, had been the primary beneficiary of the family’s recent good fortune. Bessie knew he was planning on taking a two-year course that covered everything from cooking and baking to restaurant management and taxes. If everything went to plan, he was hoping to open his own restaurant on the island when he finished the course.

  With drinks and food ordered, Bessie sat back and smiled at her friend.

  “I’m going to miss seeing you regularly,” she said with a small sigh.

  “Tell me what’s going on,” Doona suggested.

  Bessie brought her friend up to date, first explaining about the flat rental and then telling her about Bahey’s newest revelations.

  “It all sounds odd to me,” Doona said when she’d finished. “Maybe Bahey is imagining things.”

  “Maybe, or maybe there are perfectly logical explanations for everything that feels slightly odd.” Bessie shrugged. “Whatever, Bahey is getting herself all upset about it. I’m hoping I can figure enough out to help put her mind at rest. She loves her little flat and I would hate for her to move just because of a few odd experiences.”

  “I think moving is a pretty big thing to do, just to set a friend’s mind at ease,” Doona said.

  Bessie shook her head. “I’m not really moving,” she replied. “I’m just going to stay in Douglas for a while. It’s more like an extended holiday.”

  “Where you take all your furniture with you,” Doona said dryly.

  “Oh, I’m not taking my furniture,” Bessie said, chuckling as Doona gave her a confused look. “I was planning on going shopping for some inexpensive new pieces, just for the flat, but I think I’m going to borrow at least some of what I need from Mary Quayle.”

  “Mary Quayle lends furniture?” Doona asked, looking even more befuddled.

  Bessie smiled. “Apparently George likes to redecorate quite frequently and when he does, Mary puts all of the old furniture and things into storage. She said she can’t bear to get rid of things that often aren’t particularly old and haven’t been much use
d.”

  “I want to be that rich,” Doona said with a sigh. “Imagine redecorating whenever you feel like it. I had to save up for a year to replace my three-piece suite.”

  Bessie laughed. “As some of my furniture pieces are considerably older than you, I quite agree. Although if I were that rich, redecorating would come well below some other things.”

  “Like what?” Doona demanded.

  “The first thing I would do is build an extension for a massive library,” Bessie told her. “And then I’d fill the shelves with books on every subject imaginable. Whatever I felt in the mood for, I’d have a whole shelf of books about it. I’d add a few incredibly comfortable chairs and a fireplace and I’d probably never leave the room.”

  Doona laughed. “That sounds lovely, and just like you,” she said. “I do enjoy a good book, but I’d rather have a fancy bathroom, with a huge tub with jets and whatnot and a big built-in vanity where I could fix my hair and makeup.”

  “Perhaps we should both be playing the lottery,” Bessie teased.

  “I do,” Doona told her. “I won ten pounds last week.”

  They both laughed. “Well, that might pay for a few tiles for your dream bathroom,” Bessie suggested. “You should put your winnings away and try to add to them every chance you get.”

  “Too late,” Doona said replied. “I treated myself to a box of champagne truffles and ate them in the tub last night.”

  “Well, at least you got some pleasure from the windfall,” Bessie said.

  The food was as delicious as ever and both women thoroughly enjoyed every bite. Dessert was sticky toffee pudding with cream for Bessie, while Doona had a mini Bakewell tart.

  “I don’t know why Andy’s going away to school,” Doona said as she scraped the last crumbs from her plate. “He’s already a genius with puddings.”

  “But I need to learn how to make more than just sweets if I’m going to have my own restaurant someday,” the man himself said. Neither woman had noticed his approach, but now Bessie stood up to give him a hug.

  The handsome young man hugged Bessie back tightly. “I hope you enjoyed your meal,” he said after he let her go.