by Helen Phifer
The early evening sun was still warm and the village was full of people wandering around. Annie walked towards the pub and felt her heart fill with joy at the sight of Will and the ice-cold glass of wine on the table in front of him. He looked up from the menu and grinned at her, his blue eyes crinkled full of mischief. He looked so like his dad. Annie squeezed past a loud American couple who were blocking the way and bent down to kiss him on the cheek. He turned and kissed her on the lips and it was her turn to grin.
‘Phew, am I glad to see you—what a day.’
She sat on the wooden bench next to him and picked up the glass, taking a large gulp. ‘It’s amazing.’
‘What is—me or the wine?’
‘You, of course, and the wine.’
He nudged her softly in the side. ‘You liar—you meant the wine. I don’t know about you but I’m starving and I’m having the biggest steak and chips they can drag out of the fridge.’
Annie looked at the menu and nodded in agreement. ‘I’ll have steak and a jacket potato, please.’
Will stood up and made his way to the bar to order. Annie sipped her wine as she people-watched. She could spend all evening people-watching. The American couple sat next to an older couple on the bench opposite and had struck up a conversation about how beautiful the village was and Annie agreed with them, it truly was. She could see the church, which was on a steep hill above the village square and she thought about Father John. She hadn’t seen him for a while; she should really go and pay him a visit. Now that he’d taken over the church in Bowness permanently she wanted to ask him about the wedding. When she’d saved his life last year he’d told her he owed her one and would marry her and Will on the house. She wasn’t after a cheap wedding but she would very much like him to marry them both.
Will reappeared and sat back down. ‘I’ve got a surprise to show you after, but it will have to wait until we’ve finished eating.’
‘You know I don’t like surprises—can’t you just tell me what it is now?’
‘No, sorry, I can’t. For once you will have to be patient and anyway I will have to take you to it.’
Annie scrunched up her face. No idea what he was talking about but she didn’t care; she could manage to wait an hour. They talked about Tom, Lily, the wedding, anything and everything, until the food arrived and Annie’s stomach let out a groan at the size of the plate. Then they ate in complete silence, until the American woman leant over and asked her what she was eating because it looked divine. When they were both finished they left the pub and walked hand in hand back towards the car park.
‘What do you want to do—follow me or leave your car here and I’ll bring you up to get it tomorrow?’
‘I’ll come with you and you don’t need to bring me back up. Cathy is working in Barrow until dinner time; I’ll ask her to pick me up on her way back up to Windermere and she can drop me off here.’
‘Sounds like a plan. Come on, you’re going to love this – I hope.’
They climbed into his car and he drove the opposite way that they would normally come down the small road which led through the village until they passed a big farmhouse and lots of barns. He carried on driving for a couple of minutes and then turned off at an old broken gate onto an overgrown gravel drive. It was bumpy and the hedges were so overgrown it was impossible to see where they were going. Will drove slowly until the drive opened onto a large house which was unloved and in desperate need of repair, but it was love at first sight for Annie.
‘Oh, my, what an amazing house. Whose is it?’
Will stopped the car under a huge drooping lilac tree and picked up her hand. ‘Well, that depends on how much you like it because if you do like it then we could.’
She looked at him. ‘How?’
‘Well, you said you’d like to live in this area and it belongs to my dad’s friend who owns the farm we passed. He wants to sell it and was going to put it up for auction but he said if we like it then we can have first refusal; it will save him the hassle of trying to sell it.’
Tears glistened in her eyes and for the first time in months she felt speechless. ‘But how could we afford it?’
Will began to laugh. ‘This is cheeky, I know, but your house sale should complete soon, so that would be almost enough to pay for it. We can sell mine and then use that money to renovate it. But, to be truthful, you really don’t need to worry if we can afford it; all I care about is if you love it enough to want to spend the time renovating it and then living in it. The rest will work itself out.’
Will didn’t want to sound pretentious but he could more than afford it without using Annie’s money but she would want to contribute and he didn’t want to take her independence away from her.
‘Will, I love it. Have you been inside? How bad is it?’
‘I had a look around before I went to the pub and, believe it or not, considering it’s been empty for over twenty years it’s not in too bad a shape. The roof is sound and the structure; it needs new windows and doors, damp-proofing, and there are a lot of small rooms downstairs that could be knocked through to make it more open-plan and spacious, but see what you think.’
They got out of the car and Annie squealed. The garden was overgrown but amongst the weeds and brambles were cornflowers, lavender, roses and wild foxgloves. Will took hold of her hand and led her towards the front door, which had its own porch built around it. The trellis on either side was rotten and the creamy white rambling rose that covered it was holding it all together but it could all be replaced.
As she followed Will under the porch she shivered and the hairs on the back of her neck prickled; her inbuilt supernatural radar was telling her it was already inhabited by someone that Will would never see but there was no way she would let it stop her because she knew that she wanted to love this house from the inside as much as she loved the outside. As Will pushed the wooden door open, she looked at the faded wooden sign above it – Apple Tree Cottage – and sighed. The house was empty for now and Will led her by the hand from room to room. It was a good job neither of them were tall, as the ceilings were low. Each one had exposed wooden beams. Jake would struggle because he was very tall, but after hitting his head a few times he would remember about them. The kitchen was the only room that still had most of its cupboards and a huge old-fashioned range cooker. It wasn’t very big and Will read her mind. ‘If we knocked through this and the other two rooms we could have a really big kitchen-diner where you could practise your cooking skills.’
He winked at her and she laughed.
‘Cheeky—it’s a good job you can cook or we’d starve. Will, I love it. I can see a huge pine table and chairs and a sofa and a bookcase in the corner.’
She could also see children running and playing but she didn’t say this because she didn’t want to him to get scared before they’d even finished looking.
‘It’s everything I’ve ever dreamt about, but what about you? Your house is equally as gorgeous, just a lot smaller.’
‘I love it around here, Annie, and I would very much like to live here, in this house. I think it has so much potential and it will make an amazing family home. Of course, it will also be a major pain in the arse with the planning and builders and mess, but if you can put up with it then so can I.’
Annie held her breath. He’d said ‘family home’ and she wondered if perhaps he’d been thinking the same as she had but been too afraid to say anything. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his lips hard, then just as quickly she pulled away, taking his hand and dragging him to the rickety, steep staircase. They climbed up the stairs and Annie was surprised at how large the landing was; there was enough room by the small window which looked out over the fields and woods at the back of the house to put a desk and chair. They went in each room. There were five bedrooms in all and a bathroom. These rooms were much larger than the ones downstairs and the master bedroom was bigger than the one they had now. Annie paused in there to look at a painting on the
wall; it was of the house when it was lived in. The exterior walls were white and the window frames painted pale green and Annie knew then that this was how she wanted it to look, exactly the same. There were wisps of smoke coming from the chimney and in the garden under a tree in the corner she could just make out the figure of a woman who was wearing a long white dress and had long straight dark hair. She had a basket on her arm but she was only visible to the naked eye if you squinted. Annie wondered if this part of the painting had been damaged somehow because the rest was in good condition.
She heard a scratching sound and whirled around. It sounded like fingernails being scraped across a blackboard. She shuddered but it stopped as suddenly as it had started. Will, who had wandered into the next bedroom, called her to come and have a look at the view. She pushed the noise to the back of her mind. The house had been empty so long it was bound to have mice, birds and God knows whatever else living inside. A voice whispered, And ghosts. She followed Will’s voice to the room, which looked onto the front garden from the large window. As she crossed the creaking floor to look out of it she was hit by a sense of àdéjà vu so strong that it made her knees tremble. She had looked out of this window before—the last two nights in a row in her nightmare. Will looked at her, taking hold of her hand.
‘What’s wrong Annie—is everything okay?’
She smiled at him, afraid to tell him anything when she didn’t understand it herself.
‘Wow, it’s truly beautiful, Will. I can’t believe it’s just been left to go to ruin for so long. I wonder why the owners moved out?’
‘I do know, but I don’t want to put you off.’
‘Oh, God, please don’t tell me someone was murdered in here.’
Will laughed. ‘You’re funny, Annie, and you have the nerve to call Jake a drama queen. No, nothing as horrible as that. The couple that lived here were called Bill and Margaret and they left because Bill became quite poorly, mentally. He had to be put into a mental hospital and back then it wasn’t as easy to get out as it is now. His wife was elderly and she moved into a flat to be near her husband, but his health deteriorated and he died. Margaret was devastated and didn’t want to live here on her own so she never came back.’
‘Aw that’s so sad, but kind of romantic too. And now we might be able to live here and bring it back to life.’
‘Yes, say the word, Miss Graham, and it can be ours. I’ll call and see the owner on the way back.’
Annie chewed her lip and looked around. She loved it and it would make the most amazing house once the wildlife and the ghost had been cleared out. The house was begging to be renovated.
‘Yes, please. I would so much love to live here with you for the rest of our lives.’
This time it was Will’s turn to kiss her and as he pulled her close she thought she heard that high-pitched scratching again but she blocked it out. Sending a message to whomever it was that she would deal with them when the time was right and she was ready, she leant forward, kissing Will back.
‘Eek, I’m so excited to live here I’d live in a caravan in the grounds until it’s ready if we have to.’
Will laughed. ‘If we have to, we can stay with my dad and Lily. I’m not too keen on caravans. Wait until you see the back garden; there’s an orchard full of fruit trees and over an acre of pasture land, so if you ever fancied owning a horse, now’s your chance.’
‘I’ve never really been the horsey type but I might agree to some chickens and a potbellied pig.’
They went out and as Will locked the front door Annie saw a shadow pass over the bedroom window they had just been looking out of. She looked up and strained her eyes but there was no one there, or so she hoped because she didn’t want to have her chance of a happy ever after spoiled by some restless spirit.
Chapter Four
Annie had promised Lily she would call in on her way home from work to meet the new housekeeper that Tom had agreed to before they had let him leave the hospital. Tom had accused Will and Lily of blackmail but eventually he had said yes. He had told Will when they were alone that he’d only put up a fight because he didn’t want Lily to think he didn’t think she could cope. Tom and Will both knew quite well that she could cope but Tom wanted to be able to spend as much time with Lily as he could without her worrying about the cleaning or shopping.
Annie parked out the front of their house and sighed. It didn’t matter how many times she visited, she just couldn’t believe that someone could live in a place so beautiful, although the cottage that she and Will had just signed the contract for would one day look beautiful too, just not on such a grand scale. She walked up the stone steps and patted one of the stone lions that flanked the front door on the head. It was force of habit and one which tickled Will every time he saw her do it but he’d never teased her about it—well, not much. She rang the doorbell and waited patiently instead of using the key Lily had insisted she have in case she ever needed somewhere to hide and they weren’t in.
The door opened and Annie was surprised to see a woman around the same age as she was; she had envisaged an older woman wearing a black and white maid’s uniform opening the door. This tall blonde woman had a pair of black three-quarter jeans on, a black T-shirt and a duster in one hand and tin of polish in the other.
‘Hello, you must be Amelia. My name is Annie. I’m Tom’s soon-to-be daughter-in-law.’
The woman’s mouth formed a smile but it never quite reached her eyes. ‘Yes, I am, I’ve heard a lot about you, Annie.’
She stepped to one side to let Annie pass. The way she looked at her made her feel uneasy.
‘They’re in the library.’
And then she walked away, back to whatever it was she was polishing, leaving Annie to it. Annie didn’t like her but had no idea why. She’d never seen her before in her life and wondered why she felt so strongly about the woman. She was blonde and pretty with a look of Laura, one of Will’s work colleagues who was now dead, so that might be why. Although she and Will had got over the almost one-night stand he never had with Laura it still plagued her on the odd occasion. She walked along the hall until she reached the library door and knocked. Tom’s voice told her to come in and she opened the door, surprised to see Tom sitting at the desk and Lily sitting on the chair. Annie walked over and bent down to kiss Tom’s cheek. She grinned at Lily.
‘How are you feeling today, Tom? I hope you’re being a model patient.’
‘I’d be a lot better if people would stop fussing over me.’
He looked at Lily when he spoke and she rolled her eyes at him. ‘You’re such a crank, Tom Ashworth; if I didn’t love you I wouldn’t want to be with you because you’re driving me mad, as well you know with all your moaning.’
Lily winked at Annie and left the room.
‘Sorry, Annie, we were just in the middle of a discussion and Lily was losing, badly. She’s such a sore loser.’
‘Ah, well, most women are. What’s up; is it anything I can help with?’
‘Not really.’ He lowered his voice. ‘Lily doesn’t like our new housekeeper; she wants me to tell her we don’t require her services any more. I’ve told her she’s staying until I don’t need someone to run around after me and then she can do whatever she wants with her. I mean, we don’t know the girl and you can’t sack someone for giving off bad vibes, can you? Not that I can sense any, but super sleuth Lily can.’
Annie laughed. ‘You do know that a woman is nearly always right, don’t you, Tom, even when they’re not?’
‘I do—I’ve learnt that the hard way—but I also know when a woman needs a hand and Lily is too proud to ask for help so I’ve had to take the lead. She’ll get over it. I think she was expecting Mrs Doubtfire to walk in and take over the cleaning.’
He began to laugh and Annie joined him; it was the best sound she’d heard in ages. He was definitely on the mend.
Lily came back in with a tray filled with cups, saucers and a cafetière of fresh coffee. ‘Has he told y
ou what I think?’
Annie nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Well, what do you think?’
‘Ah, this has nothing to do with me so I’ll keep out of it if you don’t mind. It’s still early days. You can see how it’s going in a couple of weeks and then decide.’
Tom looked at his wife. ‘See? The voice of reason. Listen to the nice police officer; she talks very good sense.’
Lily poked Tom in the ribs then bent down and kissed his head. ‘You drive me mad, Tom.’
‘Yes, I suppose I do but you love me all the same.’
They changed the conversation to Apple Tree Cottage and what Tom thought of the plans they’d had drawn up by Jake’s partner Alex, who was an architect.
‘It’s a lovely old place; I think you and Will are going to be very happy in there. Now, how long do I have to practise lifting a glass to my lips without spilling a single drop of champagne at your wedding reception?’
‘Eight weeks—I can’t believe how fast it’s coming around. I’m so glad I have you to help with the planning, Lily, because I really haven’t got a clue.’
At the mention of the wedding Lily’s face brightened and a smile spread across it. Tom winked at Annie and sat quietly, listening to the plans Lily had to turn their back garden into a romantic fairy tale grotto. If it kept Lily happy it meant he was happy and he nodded along as the two women chatted about dresses, menus, guests and cake.
After an hour Annie stood up. ‘Sorry, I need to get going; Will has promised that he’ll be home in time for tea tonight so I want to be there to photograph the occasion.’
